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Archive for the ‘Recent Paintings’ Category

After the Show

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged , on October 22, 2012| 8 Comments »

Well, the show, Inward Bound,  opened at the Kada Gallery  this past Saturday evening and , despite the rain that pelted Erie, some folks turned out.  Many thanks to all of those who showed up and to Kathy and Joe DeAngelo for the wonderful job they have done once again.  Kathy always hangs the work with such thought that each painting is shown to its very best advantage,  really making the group of paintings glow as a whole in the gallery.

The evening began with a gallery talk that kicked off the opening reception and my performance was a bit rocky, especially at the beginning.  I’ve done dozens of these talks over the years but I was somehow more nervous at the beginning of this talk than any other I can recall.  I don’t know why but it gave the talk a halting, stop-and-go feel that probably bothered me more than those in the audience who had not been to other talks.  As a result, I felt as though I missed touching on a number of points I had hoped to express.  I beat myself up a bit after the show for this but , in the grand scheme of things, my self-critique didn’t take away from  a lovely evening.

Again, many thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday.  It is most appreciated and it is always my pleasure to meet those who have found something to enjoy in my work.  I always come back to the studio inspired by some of the stories that are shared with me.  That’s one of the hidden perks of this job and one that might be my favorite. For that, I am truly thankful.

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“Inward Bound” Opens Tonight

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged , on October 20, 2012| 3 Comments »

The work has been done, the paintings delivered and hung  and all that has to be done is head out in a while for Erie for tonight’s opening reception for  Inward Bound, my new show at the Kada Gallery.  The opening begins at 6 PM with a short gallery talk which is the first that I’ve ever given at the Kada.  We have talked about doing a talk there for several years but it never came about so when we were planning this year’s show we decided to add a  talk at the beginning, one where I would give a brief overview of my career and work with the question-and-answer period that would normally follow flowing into the reception.  So, if you’re somewhere around Erie tonight , please stop in at the Kada Gallery and join in.  I look forward to seeing you there.

The painting shown here is Home and Heart, a 24″ by 30″ canvas that is part of the show.

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Give Back the Key to my Heart

Posted in Music, Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , on October 18, 2012| 2 Comments »

Really busy this morning, trying to wrap up some things here in the studio before my show at the Kada Gallery, Inward Bound,  that opens this coming Saturday evening with a reception that begins at 6 PM with a short gallery talk and runs until 9 PM.  Normally, the week before the Kada show is kind of easy in the studio as it’s the last show of  my year but this year is a bit different as I have one more big event after this.  As a result, my work schedule is a bit more full than it normally would be.  But this is actually a good thing in that it allows me to focus on things other than the upcoming opening and the angst that always accompanies it.

It seems to be working as I don’t feel nearly as anxious as I often do a day or so before the opening.  Maybe it’s the distraction of the work I’ have in front of me or maybe it’s the confidence I have in the strength of the work in this show.  I think this is a really strong group of work, including the piece shown above,  Cool and Free,  and  I know that it will hang beautifully in the gallery.  I feel as though I’ve done my best and I’ve learned through the 35 or so solo shows that I’ve done over the years that  no amount of anxiety will change that.  So, I put thoughts of the show out of my mind and get back to work.

Here’s a little bit of music to work by.  It’s Uncle Tupelo’s cover of  Give Back the Key to My Heart, which was originally recorded by Texas legends The Sir Douglas Quintet featuring Doug Sahm, who sings on this track.  Younger readers probably have no idea who Doug Sahm is but his She’s About a Mover will most likely ring a bell with most older readers.

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Idyll By the Lake

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , on October 16, 2012| 2 Comments »

The Passionate Shepherd to His Love

Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That valleys, groves, hills, and fields,
Woods or steepy mountain yields.

–Christopher Marlowe

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These lines are an excerpt from a poem from Marlowe which is  considered an idyll, a poem which typically depicts a peaceful idealization of rural life.  I chose to use the word in the title of the painting shown here, Idyll By the Lake, which is part of my show which opens Saturday at the Kada Gallery in Erie.  The painting is a 12″ by 36″ canvas and has that  feel of a rustic haven that comes with the word.

The feature of this piece that stands out for me is the small round lake that is the focal point here.  I made it appear as thought the viewer was looking directly down on it which gives it a round , flat appearance on the canvas.  There was just something that I liked in the way the lake appeared this way.  It reminded me of the eye from a peacock’s tail feathers and I liked that shape and color contrasted with the lines and warmth of the rest of the painting.

But , while the painting is blissfully upbeat, I still think it is strengthened by the darkness that comes from underneath the bright colors.  It  gives it a bit of an edge, a feeling of wariness that takes away that feeling of cockeyed optimism that it might otherwise have.  Kind of like a shepherd who happily watches over his safe flock but knows that he must always be watchful because there may always be great danger  just out of sight.  Maybe the Red Tree is such a shepherd here, enjoying such a peaceful moment.  Taking in all the pleasure and satisfaction that the momentary idyll offers while keeping an eye for whatever might emerge from over that next rise.

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Landscape Painter

Posted in Influences, Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , on October 10, 2012| 4 Comments »

Landscape painting is the obvious resource of misanthropy.

— William Hazlitt, in The Edinburgh Review, 1824

I consider myself primarily a landscape painter.  Oh, I periodically have done some figurative work, some still lifes and even some purely abstract work but I always gravitate back to the landscape.  I think the attraction comes from the universality of the landscape as a genre and a visual language.  It crosses all barriers and seldom needs context or explanation for anyone to fully understand it.  A Maori tribesman might as easily appreciate a landscape such as the painting above as you or me.  We  all have an intimate relationship, our own dialogue, with the landscape around us.  It defines our world.

I tend to think of landscape painting in these terms rather than as William Hazlitt, the British art and literary critic of the 19th century, portrays it in the quote above although maybe there is a certain misanthropy involved on some days.  I know that I prefer the company of the landscape over that of most people on many days.   I also know that there are collectors who were disappointed when the paths that lead into my paintings began to first appear, feeling that any sign of man in the landscape only diminished the piece.   But the paths stayed because I still relate to the landscapes in my paintings as thought they are representative of the human race’s emotional relationship with the land rather than mere  pretty pictures of places of a world devoid of humans, as appetizing as that may sound.   It comes down to the fact that we are part of the land.  We  shape it  and are shaped by it. We rise from it, live off it and ultimately return to it.  We are the landscape.

The painting at the top is Where the Road Ends, a 20″ by 60″ canvas that is part of my show at the Kada Gallery which opens October 20th.

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Inward Bound

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged , on October 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I am putting the finishing touches on the new group of paintings that make up my upcoming show at the Kada Gallery in Erie , PA, which opens on October 20th.  The name of the show is Inward Bound which is also the name of this new painting, a smaller piece at only 4″ by 7″ on paper.  I normally try to have a substantially larger painting than this as the title piece for a show but I really thought the title was perfect for both the show and this painting, regardless of size.

The title refers to an inner journey of discovery.  The Red Chair is facing symbolically inward, away from the broad expanse of night sky with the moon and stars, which represents the  reference points by which the ancients guided their travels.  But there are things in this world that can’t be found in all the lengthy expeditions in this world, things that must be  first uncovered within ourselves.  Wisdom.  Love.  These are not things that cannot be discovered in any outer travel unless one first looks inward.  It is sometimes easier to seek the external  simply because traveling inward  is the scariest trip that many of us will ever face.  It’s not an easy thing to face the absolute truth about our own reality, to stare down our own flaws and shortcomings.

But the rewards can be priceless.  For some it is wisdom,  a calmness  seated in the knowledge that they are completely at ease with who and where they are, inside and out.  And that’s what I see in this simple, small painting.

All aboard…

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And the Winner Is…

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged on October 5, 2012| 3 Comments »

I have went over all of the entries for the Name This Painting! contest that ended on Wednesday.  There were so many that could have easily fit the painting but one, Shedding Daylight, stuck with me from the moment I first saw it.  As I went over the list yesterday, I would compare each title to Shedding Daylight and, though some were very close, none eclipsed it in my estimation.

The winning title was submitted by Linda Leinen , a longtime visitor of the blog, from down  in Texas.  She will be receiving her prize sometime this coming week.  Thanks for the great title , Linda!

And thanks to everyone who took part in the contest.  The titles were  wonderful and well thought out.  As I said, I wish I could send you all prizes.  We’ll do this again next year.

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Last Day to Name This Painting!

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged on October 3, 2012| 4 Comments »

Today is the final day for this year’s Name This Painting! contest so if you haven’t sent in your titles yet, there’s little time to waste.   The winning title gets a  fabulous (well, I think it’s fabulous) prize package but everyone is a winner as every title submitted will be affixed to the back of this painting , forever becoming part of the piece.  The contest ends at midnight tonight so if you have a title, submit it via a comment on this blog or email me at info@gcmyers.com .

So far, the titles have been really good.  There are many contenders at this point and there are several that will end up on later paintings, I am sure.  So, put on your thinking cap and tell me what you think this painting is saying.  Good luck!

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Full Regalia

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , on October 1, 2012| 4 Comments »

This new painting, which is part of my upcoming show, Inward Bound, at the Kada Gallery is a 16″ by 20″ canvas that I call Full Regalia.  It’s one of those pieces that I see as portraits with the Red Tree acting as the head and the mound below as the body.  The fields in this piece have a lively, decorated feel as though this personage might be sitting there proudly wearing the colors and emblems, the full regalia,  that denote its accomplishments.  Like a highly decorated soldier or a scholar in their gowns and sashes.  Or a tribal king wearing a multicolored patterned dashiki or other ceremonial robe.

There’s a sense of pride and strength in this depiction as well as an optimism I can’t quite put my finger on.  Maybe it’s the blue of the skies and the white of the clouds. Or maybe the way this figure is imposed on the background.  As I said, I can’t quite determine why I feel this optimism but I do like this mix of cheerfulness and pride here,  a feeling of satisfaction at having reached some plateau through hard work and determination.

As I said, this piece is headed to the Kada Gallery in Erie, PA for the show which opens October 20.  Hope to see you there!

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Name This Painting! Contest Ends Wednesday

Don’t forget to get your titles in for the Name This Painting! Contest which ends at Midnight on Wednesday, October 3.  You can get details from the post of September 25.  Good luck!

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Bridges

Posted in Neat Stuff, Recent Paintings, tagged on September 27, 2012| 9 Comments »

Here is a new painting that is part of the upcoming exhibit, Inward Bound,  at the Kada Gallery which opens October 20.  I gave this colorful  8″ by 24″ canvas a most obvious title, Bridges.  I tired different themes in coming to this title but it always came back to those two small bridges .  The bridges really stand out for me as connectors here, as though they are butterfly stitches holding the land masses  together as the stream cuts through.

The title could simply refer to the two small bridges that go over the winding stream in this picture but I tend to think of  the bridges acting as links in our continuum, links to our past and our future.  That would put the house in this scene that is between the two bridges in the present while the Red Tree would represent the future and the path in the foreground that descends to the first bridge would be the past.  The orange/red and yellow wavy fields in the center are also in the present and that makes sense as well.  Their vividness is in the now, not yet faded as they move into the past.

The other way I looked at this painting was as a  military portrait  of sorts with the Red Tree serving as the head and the stream and road acting as sashes of some sort and the alternating fields  acting as rows of medals and the house a large hanging medal of  honor. It works in my mind but I kept coming back to those bridges and their symbolism for our connectivity to the past and future.  I think I’ll stick with the simple Bridges.

Speaking of titles, don’t forget to get in your titles for the Name This Painting! contest that started yesterday.  Just come up with the best title for the painting shown to the left and you could walk away with a priceless prize package.  I’m keeping the prize a secret but I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  Hint: It’s not a Mercedes or a Maytag refrigerator.

Rules are simple: Send your titles in as a comment on this blog or email me at info@gcmyers.com by midnight of next Wednesday, October 3.  All the titles will be affixed tot he back of this painting for posterity so even in you don’t come up with the winning title, your title will live on.

So, put on your thinking caps and send me your titles!  Good luck!

 

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