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Archive for the ‘Painting’ Category

Kathmandu Gala

Posted in Neat Stuff, Painting, tagged , , , on April 16, 2012| 10 Comments »

When you’re an artist, sometimes your work goes to distant places and is involved in interesting things of which  you may never know.  One such example is an event that took place at the US Embassy in Kathmandu in Nepal near the end of this past January.  It was an art gala, shown here in a photo, that was hosted by US Ambassador Scott DeLisi, which featured the works of Nepalese artists and the works of eight American artists that hang in the Embassy.  The idea was to promote the linking of cultures via the communicative powers of art.

As I had written  here in a post from last April, I had a piece, The Dark Blue Above,  that was chosen by Ambassador DeLisi to hang in the embassy as part of the US State Department’s Art in Embassies Program. It was one of the eight American pieces that were part of the evening.  I found out about this in an online article from The Kathmandu Post which covered the event. 

 I have to admit that I was a bit envious of  my painting that evening.  But, on the other hand,  I am so gratified that some piece of my work was involved in an event that was designed to bring people together and highlight our commonalities.  Too often we focus on our differences instead of realizing how alike and connected we truly are in our humanity.  One of my greatest hopes for my work is that it speaks across cultures, beyond language, race or nationality.  It’s difficult to  really know, as an artist, if this cross-cultural translation is accomplished in your own work but simply knowing that it is part of such an effort makes me feel hopeful that I am on the right track.

The Dark Blue Above- GC Myers

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Blue Dance of Dawn

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , on April 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I’ve written here before about how I find the color blue an intoxicant.  When my nose is to the canvas and it is all that I can see, it has a way of making me feel that it is the only color in my world.  It’s a very satisfying and mollifying effect and, if I am not wary, I can find myself using blue tints to the exclusion of all others.  Because of this wariness, I try to only sporadically break out the blues.  But even with this watchful effort, I find the addictive pull of the color very strong in some pieces.  This new painting is such a case.

Called Blue Dance of Dawn, it’s a 10″ by 30″ canvas that employs two of my familiar icons, the Red Tree and the the Red Roofs.  They, however,  feel secondary to the predominance of the color blue here.  They serve as warmer counterpoints to the coolness of the blue and signify awakening  to me in this scene.  But the feel of this piece is dictated by the calm harmony of the blues.

I find this piece very placid with that  kind of satisfying effect that one sometimes has in the best dreams, that feeling of total understanding and acceptance of the universe.  That wonderful feeling that fades so quickly once you open your eyes and realize that it was only a dream, the details suddenly fuzzing over.  Maybe that’s what this painting represents– that idealized version of the world in those dreams just before we are awakened to the reality of the moment. That fleeting feeling of grace, seemingly within grasp then gone.

Let me think that over…

 

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Gem

Posted in Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , on April 9, 2012| 9 Comments »

A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.

–Chinese Proverb

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I call this new painting Gem.  It’s an 18″ by 26″ piece on paper.  The gem part came obviously from the deep and rich colors that run through and define  it.  It reminds me at first of a colorful bracelet or brooch dotted with bright gems.  Rubies and sapphires, emeralds and amethysts all set in a citrine yellow sky.  It definitely has a jewelry-like  appearance.  Bright and easy.  Almost a trifle.

But there seems to be a feeling in this piece that goes beyond the playful interplay of the surface colors, something that takes it far from being a trifle.  There is for me a feeling of self-realization in the central figure of the Red Tree, a sense of knowing and understanding one’s self.  It’s a sense that comes from knowing one’s strengths and weaknesses,  a realizing of all that one is and is not in an instant, a flash of insight.  And though it comes in as a sudden thought at a singular moment, it is formed through a lifetime of living, taking into account all successes and failures equally.  The trials that form  character, as the proverb above states.

Our lives are very much like a gem-studded bracelet, easy to see with all surfaces shining bright.  But the gems here have underwent eons of transformation through pressure and friction to reach that easy shine.  Maybe that’s what the white ribbon of the trail going through this painting signifies for me, a long and sometimes hard road to reach that final gemlike quality. 

Maybe.  All I really know is that this painting seems easy to take in at first but lingers on the way down.  And there is a great satisfaction in that discovery of something below the surface, an added depth that belies the shine of the gems.

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I’d Find a Way

Posted in Influences, Painting, tagged , on April 1, 2012| 1 Comment »

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.”

-John Quincy Adams

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

I don’t what made this pop into my head but I was thinking about a conversation from a few years back that I had with a friend who is also a painter. He has been an artist for almost his entire adult life, pretty successful for much of that time. We both agree that we are extremely fortunate to have found the careers that we have, one that feels like a destination rather than a passageway to some other calling.

For me, I knew this was the career for me when I realized I no longer looked at the job listings in the classified section of the paper. For most of my life, I felt there was something else out there that would satisfy me but I didn’t know what it was or how to find it. Maybe it was as simple as finding the right job. Or so I thought. When you don’t know where you’re going, any direction might be the right direction.

But during this particular conversation this friend asked, “What would you do if you suddenly couldn’t paint? What if you were suddenly blind?”

For him, it was unthinkable. His life of creation was totally visual, based on expressing every emotion in paint.

I thought about it for a second and said simply, “I’d do something else. I’d find a way.”

In that split-second I realized that while I loved painting and relished the idea that I could communicate completely in paint, painting was a mere device for self-expression. But it was not the only way to go. I knew then as I know now that the deprivation of something that has come to mean so much to me would, in itself, create a new need for expression that would somehow be satisfied. I have always marveled at the people who, when paralyzed or have lost use of their arms, paint with their toes or their mouth . Their drive to communicate overcame their obstacles. Mine would as well.

If blinded, I could or do something with words, using them to create color and texture. Perhaps not at the same level as my painting but it might grow into something different given the circumstance. The need to communicate whatever I needed to communicate would create a pathway.

It was an epiphany in that moment. Just knowing that I had found painting gave me the belief that I could and would find a new form of expression if needed. And i found that greatly comforting.

Yes, I’d find a way…

Note:  The above was originally ran here in April of 2009

 

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RFD

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , , on March 30, 2012| 2 Comments »

A new painting, a 16″ by 20″  canvas that I call RFD,  for rural free delivery.  It alludes to the small mailbox with the the door hanging open, a theme I have  used in a prior piece within the past few years.  Maybe it’s a comment on the decline of our postal system, something that saddens me because, as I have writtern here before, it meant so much to me as a child as a form of connection to the greater outer world in the days long before the internet and social media, both terms that would have drawn quizzical looks at that time.  Maybe that’s what it’s about.  Maybe not. I know I’m not sure.

There’s a moody melancholy to this piece that is both a little scary and satisfying at once, something that I am hard-pressed to explain.  But I guess that’s what I find appealing in this painting- the fact that it is harder to take in easily with no apparent answers.  It is dark and a bit foreboding, filled only with questions.  Who might live here?  Where are they now?  Is mail delivered there now or has this place been abandoned?  Is this the end of the road or does it travel on?  When is this moment?  Is it a darkening or lightening sky?  Fall or spring?

There is no Red Tree, no central personification here.  Just a tall, windowless and doorless  house with a gaping mailbox set amid bony trees and an ominous sky.  There is no heroic quality here, no absolutely positive reading or message. Just a mood of mystery. 

And sometimes that’s enough…

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Native Rise

Posted in Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , on March 28, 2012| 1 Comment »

It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.
–Pablo Picasso
****************
This short sentence from Picasso is  one of my favorite quotes.  It both makes me smile whenever I hear it and brings to mind my own struggles with recognizing my own creative voice, something that used to be a real internal battle in the early formative years.  There was always a pull between the craft side, as might be represented by Raphael in Picasso’s quote, and the side where one paints naturally and intuitively, as the child might.
 I knew I would never paint like a Raphael.   I never cared to tie myself to any one tradition of painting and wanted the liberty of free expression, the ability to freely display emotion, even in the most mundane scene.  Wanted my own voice, preferring the colloquial over the classical. Kind of like wanting to sing like Woody Guthrie versus singing like Pavarotti.  For as beautiful as Pavarotti’s voice might be I found a quality in Guthrie’s voice and songs that spoke more directly to me.  Native simplicity I suppose it might be called.  Over the years, my voice has evolved and there are pieces where there is often a bit of this native simplicity in the work that really pleases me, makes me feel as though I am somewhat painting in the way a child might.  Or at least in a way that might speak as well to children as it did to adults.
The piece shown here is such an example.  A 10″ by 30″ canvas, it is an extension of the work I have done recently, work that I have called internal landscapes.  Called Native Rise, it is painted very intuitively and speaks plainly.  It has an attractive harmony in its elements that lets it speak easily and be asorbed quickly – if you like this sort of voice.  For me, I see this piece as being very symbolic of my true voice,  how I see and express the world as I internalize it.  It is painted easily and in my own voice.   And like my own voice, it is far from perfect but tries to speak plainly.  And truthfully as to how I see my world.
At least, that’s the way I see it   It’s funny how much more difficult it is to describe  with words my own native painting voice, something that comes so easily on the canvas.  Perhaps one shouldn’t try…

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California, Here I Come/ Just Looking Gallery

Posted in Neat Stuff, Painting, tagged , , , , , , on March 26, 2012| Leave a Comment »

It is with great pleasure that I can announce that I am now being represented on the coast of  California  by the Just Looking Gallery in beautiful San Luis Obispo.  The gallery, with owner Ralph Gorton and Gallery Director Ken McGavin at the helm,  has been in operation for 28 years now and has long established itself as a premier gallery, offering strikingly individual work to its clientele.

When I was first contacted by them a few weeks ago, I was not looking for a new gallery.  But their enthusiasm for my work and the fact that they only carry a very small roster of hand-picked artists,  which offers closer attention in promoting the work , quickly won me over.  I have already placed a number of paintings in their very able hands and look forward to working closely with them in both the near and distant  future.

I was also excited by the prospect of finding such a gallery on the West Coast.  For many years I have had a number of people tell me that the style of my work would fit well in the central and northern coastal regions of California and the galleries representing my work in the east have sold a fair number of paintings to collectors on the West Coast.  So, hopefully their optimism will hold true.

In case you weren’t aware, San Luis Obispo, besides being one of the oldest cities in California, is known as of late as being one of the happiest cities on the planet, the only American city on a list compiled by Dan Buettner for his National Geographic book Thrive, based on a five year  global study on the keys to personal happiness.  Buettner applied the same techniques in studying happiness that  he used in his famed study on the global blue zones, areas where longevity is much longer for the average human. 

 I always hope that my work finds a happy, appreciative  home and, if this is any indicator, San Luis Obispo and the Just Looking Gallery sound like the place where it should be.

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Beauty Scorned

Posted in Early Paintings, Painting, tagged on March 23, 2012| 2 Comments »

I was going to write about something  different but came across this older image and completely lost my train of thought, this piece replacing everything that I had been thinking.  It’s a smaller painting, maybe 6″ square,  that sold many years ago but has lived in a larger sense in my thoughts ever since. 

It’s titled Beauty Scorned and is a relatively simple piece.  But there’s something in the the bend of the twisting tree trunk that really speaks to me in a very poignant way, as though it is a pure physical expression of some deep emotion.  Beauty and sorrow. 

For me , I see this as being about perceptions of beautyand acceptance.  About how we often conform, like the other trees which are so much alike here, and step back from that which is different, seeing not the beauty in it but scorning it because it is unlike us.  The difference is the beauty. 

I remember when I did this piece, feeling that this was symbolic of my own work at that time.  It was often different from the work of other painters with which I showed and I was still unsure of the validity of my own voice, often feeling that my work was somehow inferior because it wasn’t painted in the same manner, didn’t have the same look as these others. At the time,  I felt like my work and my voice was truly tied to this twisting tree and those who dismissed it because it had a different look were missing the beauty and emotion that it may hold. 

Just seeing it again, summons all of these thoughts in a rush of feeling.  It remains a potent piece for me for this reason.  It also has a sad memory in it.  When I see this piece I am always reminded of the couple who purchased it and were avid and encouraging collectors that I always looked forward to seeing at shows.  They later divorced and the wife would still come to the shows, always so happy for and encouraging of my work.  Tragically, she passed away in a plane crash this past year and now, instead of seeing the scorning of beauty in this piece as I once did, I now see the beauty of this young lady’s spirit. 

It’s a different painting for me now but no less potent.

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Jigsaw Planet

Posted in Neat Stuff, Painting, tagged , , on March 21, 2012| 6 Comments »

When I was first notified of this by a reader the other day, I wasn’t sure how I should feel.  Should I be upset over the use of my images in this way or should I feel flattered?  I really didn’t know.  What I’m talking about is a site called Jigsaw Planet that features photos and artwork uploaded by users and transformed into online jugsaw puzzles.  Going to their site, I found seventeen of my paintings among the many there, as well as quite a few other images taken from my blog.

I spent a few minutes looking at the site, doodling around with some of the puzzles just to see how they worked.  While part of me was concerned with the unauthorized use of my images, the whole thing seemed innocent enough and kind of fun to play with.    In the end, I am flattered that somebody liked these images enough to want to spend their time doing  jigsaws of them. Besides, I have allowed a great deal of my imagery to enter the cyberworld and have seen it used in less flattering  ways.  There are definitely worse things than seeing my work on an online jigsaw puzzle.

 By the way, the puzzle at the top of the blog is this painting, Soul Lights.  Try one– you might like it.

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The Lascaux Review

Posted in Neat Stuff, Painting, tagged , , , , on March 20, 2012| 1 Comment »

Lascaux.   The name immediately brings to mind the famed cave in France containing the extraordinary Paleolithic paintings.  Preserved for over 17,000 years, they represent the profound need for the artist to record what is in his world.  It also serves as an intimate glimpse into an age that is massively far removed from our modern world.  Yet, for as distant as that world and time might seem,  the imagery in these caves still brings us back to our primal connections to those ancestors.  We are still moved by the image and the story.  We may have changed less than we would like to believe.

I mention this today because there is a new online literary/art magazine called The Lascaux Review.  The first edition premiered yesterday and features one of my Archaeology ( Archaeology: Rainbow’s End, seen below)  paintings as accompaniment to a poem, Creation, by the distinguished American poet, Philip Appleman.  The poem is dedicated to Marcel Ravidat, the discovered of the Lascaux caves.  It is a lovelyand powerful poem and I am honored to have my image associated with it.

Please take a moment and check out The Lascaux Review.  It won’t be time wasted.

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