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Posts Tagged ‘Exhibit’

Social Distancing

Posted in Current Events, Event, Quote, Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , , , on June 4, 2020| 5 Comments »

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“We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”

― Herman Melville

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Social Distancing, this year’s edition of my annual show of new work, along with some vintage pieces this year, opens tomorrow at the Principle Gallery. It’s in the gallery now and I am enclosing a video slideshow below that previews the show.

As I wrote here recently, this was a tough show to put together, much more difficult than in past years, with plenty of distractions and setbacks. And I think the fact that this was such a hard fought show makes it even more gratifying to see the work in it together as a show.

I think it is the diversity of this show, with its many elements and styles along with the thread of continuity that runs from the early work up to the most recent, that best reflects the multitude of emotional bursts that have marked us a nation in the recent past. Mirroring the highs and lows we are experiencing, there is work that seems darker and foreboding alongside work that is placidly strong and forward looking with hope.

The title, Social Distancing, is definitely a product of this time, an admonition to keep ourselves safe by keeping people away at arms length. Well, maybe not just arms length but six feet, at least. The power of that phrase though is striking because it has pointed out in real terms how much we actually need real human connection to navigate through this world. I would like to think that much of the work in this show displays both the effect of the distance that we are enduring along with the sense of connection we struggle to find in this world. Hopefully, many of us have come to realize that, like the words of Melville at the top, we have a thousand fibers connecting us and that our actions fan out from us, having effects that touch many.

I guess it could be said that even though we might be socially distanced, we can remain spiritually connected. We can still affect others, hopefully in positive ways. Maybe that’s the message I want someone to take from this exhibit.

Maybe not. Hopefully, you will see it in your own way. Those unique interpretations only deepen my gratification.

Here’s the preview. Have a good day.

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A Rising Awareness

Posted in Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 10, 2018| 2 Comments »

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The tragedy of life is in what dies inside a man while he lives – the death of genuine feeling, the death of inspired response, the awareness that makes it possible to feel the pain or the glory of other men in yourself.

–Norman Cousins

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This is a new 18″ by 18″ painting that I call A Rising Awareness which is included in my show, The Rising, that is now hanging and opens Friday at the West End Gallery.

I think the words above from the late journalist Norman Cousins capture what I feel the representative Red Roof house is rising above in this painting. It is a constant battle for us humans to hold on to those things– genuine feeling,inspired response and an empathy with the pain or glory of others– as we live our lives on this planet. We sometimes become self-centered and guarded in our response to many things and emotionally distant in our dealings with others. Instead of feeling their pain or glory, we sometimes experience envy at their successes and a pang of relief that their failures are not ours.

Our humanity dulls and much joy is lost to us.

But the idea that we can recognize this dulling in ourselves and somehow fight against and rise above it intrigues me. I have come to believe that we can make conscious decisions to raise our awareness, to feel and respond in more positive ways, that we are enriched by maintaining a spirit of generosity and empathy towards others.

I like to think that the Red Roof here represents one who has taken this higher road and has made the decision to listen to its better angels. There’s a feeling of a letting go of angry and mean-spirited thoughts and an acknowledgment of a unity of sorts with the universal human spirit.

Warmth and tranquility. Maybe that is what I am seeing. You judge for yourself.

 

 

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“The Rising” Preview

Posted in Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , , , , , on July 7, 2018| 1 Comment »

Just a short video preview of some of the work from my show, The Rising, that opens this coming Friday, July 13, at the West End Gallery in Corning.

One of the paintings not included in the video is this painting on the right, Generosity’s Bounty. At 24″ by 12″ on canvas, it’s a painting that really jumped off the easel with its warmth and the depth and richness of its layered colors.

The feeling I get from it fulfills its title.
https://spark.adobe.com/video/nmupmpDR3al5f/embed

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“Truth and Belief” Video Preview

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , , , , , on May 31, 2017| 2 Comments »

“As I Wander”- 12″ x 6″ on canvas

Getting ready for Friday’s opening of “Truth and Belief,” my solo show at the Principle Gallery. As I wrote the other day, I was a little anxious in the first day or so after delivering the show. My confidence lagged a bit.

Thankfully, that has passed and I am actually feeling very good about this show.  From a superstitious standpoint, I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing but I am truly convinced that this is a good and strong body of work. And from a few images the gallery shared with me yesterday as they were hanging the show that feeling is reinforced.

It has that feeling of rightness that I try to describe so often. And that’s a good thing.

Truth and Belief opens Friday, June 2, at the Principle Gallery in Old Town Alexandria, VA. The opening reception begins at 6:30 and runs until 9 PM. I hope you can make it. If you do, please feel free to introduce yourself or ask questions. It’s my pleasure to be there at your service.

I put together a short video/slideshow of the paintings in the show. It’s a simple and short glimpse of each piece that I hope gives an idea of how the show fits together. Take a look…

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Voice in the Gallery

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , on June 4, 2015| Leave a Comment »

2015 Principle Gallery June GC Myers3The work has been hung and all that remains is to head down to the DC area a little later for tomorrow’s opening for my show Native Voice at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA.  My friends at the gallery sent me a few shots of the show in the minutes after they finished the hanging yesterday and I am pleased at the way the work presents itself.

With the salon-style hanging, with the paintings presented densely packed and filling the wall , there is a real concentration of color and the work comes off the wall in a manner that might befit stained glass windows.  And that is a comparison that I don’t mind at all.  You can see it well in the photo above with Jessica hard at work at her desk in front of the paintings.

Native Voice is my 16th show  at the Principle Gallery‘s Alexandria location and it opens tomorrow, Friday. June 5.  The reception runs from 6:30  until 9 PM and is open to the public.  It’s a casual affair so please stop in and say hello.  I look forward to seeing you there.

2015 Principle Gallery June GC Myers

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“Native Voice” Preview

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 2, 2015| 4 Comments »

This is a short video previewing some of the work that is part of my Native Voice show that is opening this Friday, June 5, at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA.  The opening reception runs from 6:30 until 9 PM and is open to the public.  This is a show that has some real visual oomph in its colors and textures and while I think the work shows well on the computer screen, it definitely comes across better in person.  So if you’re in the DC/Alexandria area on Friday evening, please stop in and see the work in person and say hello.

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Show Night at the Kada

Posted in Favorite Things, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , on December 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

GC Myers- Blessed in Blue smallI’ve been extraordinarily fortunate in my career to have had long and lasting relationships with several galleries that represent my work.  This coming February will mark 20 years at the West End Gallery in Corning, NY as well as 18 years with the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA.  It also marks my 19th year with the Kada Gallery in Erie, PA.  Tonight’s show marks the 35th solo shows at these 3 galleries since the year 2000.

Each of these galleries is ran by people who I genuinely like and respect on a personal level which I think is the reason for the longevity of the relationships.  As a result, I always feel a responsibility to deliver the best possible show to each of these galleries.  A friend would do no less.

I hope that I have met that responsibility with the work for Into the Common Ground which opens tonight at the Kada Gallery.  Owners Kathy and Joe DeAngelo are two of the most decent and hard working people I have encountered in this or any other business.  Kathy has a tremendous enthusiasm for the work she displays, treating each piece with great care and respect.  She takes the time to really get to know the work, asking questions about the story behind each piece, and speaks authoritatively about it– all an artist can ask for in someone who shows their work.

Her enthusiasm is infectious.  When she calls me in the studio and I might be feeling a little worn down, I always hang up feeling upbeat and eager to get back at the paint.  Even after nearly 19 years of seeing my work she always seems excited by new pieces and that is a magical elixir for all artists.

So you can see why I desire my best for this show.  I know that this is a purely subjective opinion but I feel that I have done so this year.  It’s a show that clicks a lot of button for me but, again, that is not for me to say.  You will to just come out and judge for yourself.

The piece at the top, Blessed in Blue, is a 16″ by 20″ canvas, from the show.

 

 

 

 

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Expansion

Posted in Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , , on December 4, 2014| 6 Comments »

GC Myers- Expansion smMan’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.

-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

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This another new painting,  a 16″ by 20″ canvas titled Expansion, that is part of my show, Into the Common Ground, that opens tomorrow in Erie, PA at the Kada Gallery.

For me, this is a painting whose theme is centered on the expansion of one’s mind and vision, about moving to a higher plateau of feeling and taking a wider view of the world.  This involves leaving the mind open to new ideas with the hope that these new ideas bring some form of enlightenment and that the negatives– hatred, greed, anger and envy just to name a few–that we have held on to for so long will be replaced by more positive qualities–love, generosity and kindness.

I see this expansion in the way the Red Tree seems to be facing the far horizon with arms open, unashamed and willing to submit itself to change.  It stands among the alternating rows of the field which represent in this piece being trapped in the entrenched patterns of habit.  By that, I mean we all too often live without thought, going with the prevailing movement of the crowd and never taking the time to stop and consider why and what we are doing.  We accept things as they are without trying to contemplate the possibility of things being somehow different, never consider opening ourselves to a different way of seeing the world.

A different way of simply being.

And I see this possibility, this expansiveness,  in this simply composed piece.  It is a feeling that is calm and kind and embracing– ideas that we all will hopefully allow to stretch our own minds.

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“Into the Common Ground” Preview

Posted in Music, Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , , on December 2, 2014| 5 Comments »

Into the Common Ground/ GC MyersAs I have been mentioning here, my solo show, Into the Common Ground, is now at the Kada Gallery in Erie, PA with an opening reception scheduled for this Friday, December 5.  Although it’s hard for me to be completely objective, I’m pleased with this show and think it’s a very strong show.  It clicks a lot of my boxes.

But again, that is my own biased opinion.  You can form your own opinion by taking a look at the video preview of the work in the show below.

Hope you’ll enjoy and if you’re in Erie this Friday, please stop in at the Kada Gallery and say hello.

 

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Out of Line

Posted in Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , , , on November 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas. When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.
― Ray Bradbury

Zen and the Art of Writing

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GC Myers- Out of Line smI am in the final stages of preparing work for my show, Into the Common Ground, that opens December 5th at the Kada Gallery in Erie.  Final touches on the last few paintings. Framing. Packing.  Details, details, details.

  It is  both my favorite time and least favorite time in the studio.  Favorite because if things go as normal, the work peaks right about this time and the show’s personality and feel really shows through.  I can now see the work as a group hanging in my mind and witnessing it as it comes together is a wonderful feeling that repels the ever present self-doubts that creep in from time to time– still.

It is my least favorite because of the all important detail work that takes place.  This week will be filled with last brush strokes, the smell of varnish and stain in the air and the dust from freshly sanded frames coating my clothing.  It’s not that I mind doing this work–it’s exhilarating to see a piece sometimes transform when it is framed.  It’s just that mind is moving ahead of my body.  I am already seeing in my mind new work inspired by the flurry of the last work from this show but can’t act on it as my body is busy on the details of the show.  There’s a weird tension between the relief of being done with a group of work and wanting to keep going that puts me a bit on edge during this time.

The piece above is one of the later pieces from this group.  It’s a 12″ by 36″ painting on canvas that I call Out of Line.  It is obviously, or so I think, that this is a piece that deals with our singularity as individuals.

For many of us, stepping out of line or expressing our individuality is an uncomfortable thing.  We don’t have the comfort and protection of the crowd to hide our flaws, our quirks.  But for some, it is just a matter of being.  They accept and even celebrate their own flaws and quirks because they make them who they are.  And that is as it should be.

Or so I think.

I don’t think I need to go any further on this painting– it speaks very well for itself, thank you.

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