Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘West End Gallery’

Joyous One

Posted in Motivation, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , on June 24, 2016| Leave a Comment »

GC myers- Joyous One smThis is the true joy in life: the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap, the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

-George Bernard Shaw

*******************

Joy was the word that first came to mind when I finished this new piece, a 16″ by 20″ canvas that is part of my show that opens next month at the West End Gallery.  There was just a feeling of realized joy and happiness throughout it, the kind that Shaw described above in his play Man and Superman.

I think the feeling he describes must be one of the greatest joy in this world: to find a purpose into which you can fully throw your whole being for all of your time on this planet.

 A purpose that gives you a place to stand and rise above the selfishness and pettiness of those, including yourself, who would drag you down.

A purpose that allows you to tap into some greater force in order to gain energy for your toils.

A purpose that lets you deny the cynicism that sometimes shows up in abundance in this world.

A purpose that serves you endless joy in what seem to be empty moments.

A purpose that even finds the joy in tears.

I think there is a purpose for each of us.  Finding it is not always a simple matter and some of us will never find the one purpose that is truly our own.  We may not be willing to give enough of ourselves to something that is beyond our own needs and desires.  We might still find some joy in our life but it will no doubt be short lived.

For me, it has been painting.  At first, I found this surprising because I often viewed it as being selfish in nature.  My perspectives.  My emotions.  It was even called self-expression.  But the purpose came from having others find comfort and happiness in their reactions to my expression.  Their joy fed my joy.

But there are days when I still find myself losing sight of this purpose, when it is a struggle both in the studio and in the outer world and I feel drawn back down to less positive feelings.  But I will be somehow reminded of that purpose and that joyful feeling returns.

That happened the other day.  A gallery owner called and told me of a person who had bought a painting of mine that they had desired for quite a long time.  In fact, this person had come into the gallery for this painting and it was gone, having been returned to me.  I sent the piece back to the gallery and when the person returned to get it, they started crying in joy.  I can’t even express how this makes me feel outside of saying again that their joy fed my joy, their tears became my tears.

Those moments make my time alone in the studio seem more special and filled with purpose.  They make me that joyous one, if only for a while.

And that is good enough for me…

Read Full Post »

Bearable Vastness

Posted in Current Events, Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , , on June 16, 2016| 4 Comments »

GC Myers- Bearable VastnessShe had studied the universe all her life, but had overlooked its clearest message: For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love. 
― Carl Sagan, Contact

****************

This year’s title for my annual solo show at the West End Gallery, which opens July 22, is Contact.  It has nothing to do with the famous Carl Sagan novel of the same name about our first encounter with an advanced alien life form, which was also made into a film with Jodie Foster.  But even though there is no real relationship between the Sagan story and this show, I did come across the quote above from the book that meshes very well with what I see as the theme of this show and much of my work in general:  how we cope with our role is as small and insignificant creatures in an endlessly vast and cold universe.

The painting above is from the show and is a 20″ by 30″ canvas titled Bearable Vastness.  I think, going back to the quote, that the Red Tree here has come to realize that the only thing that will bring it the peace of mind to accept its place as a tiny being in a vast universe of powerful forces beyond its comprehension is to work to achieve love in some way in its own time and place.

Put simply, love is the answer.

I know that in the current environment of terror, anger, hatred and outright stupidity that these words sound absolutely naive.

Maybe.

But I have never known of a time when anger and hatred and violence and ignorance have spawned anything but more of the same.  Never has a lasting peace risen from hatred and intolerance of others.  Nothing positive has ever been built on a foundation of hatred, anger and fear.  Only demagogues and dictators rise from that swamp.  For them, love is always replaced with fear and cynicism.

Maybe you still will call it naive.  So be it.  That’s your cross to bear.  As for me, while the universe is vast and uncaring I will always choose love as the way to somehow endure it.

It’s the only choice I could possibly make.

Read Full Post »

Schedule for 2016

Posted in Current Events, tagged , , on April 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »

DSCN1667 sm 2Here are the dates for my scheduled events for the upcoming year:

JUNE 3–   Opening reception for Part of the Pattern at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA .  This is my 17th solo show here and there will be a preview in the June issue of American Art Collector.

JULY 22–  Opening reception for Contact at the West End Gallery in Corning, NY.  This is my 14th solo show at the gallery wher I began my career.

AUGUST 6–  Gallery Talk at the West End Gallery in Corning.

SEPTEMBER 17–  Gallery Talk at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria.  This marks the 14th consecutive year I have been doing gallery talks for both the Principle Gallery and the West End Gallery.  Always a good time with a few surprises thrown into the mix.

SEPTEMBER 23 & 23–  Two day Workshop, Puddle Splashing, at the in Penn Yan, NY, at the Arts Center of Yates County. This year’s workshop will take place at their Sunny Point studio, located on the shore of beautiful Keuka Lake.

OCTOBER 22–  Solo Show, not yet titled, at the Kada Gallery in Erie , PA. I’ve been showing at the Kada for 20 years and this is my 8th solo show there.

We are also still trying to put together an event at the Just Looking Gallery in San Luis Obispo, CA for late in the year. Stay tuned.  Hope to see you at one of these events this year!!

 

 

Read Full Post »

Small Remembrances

Posted in Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , on January 29, 2016| 2 Comments »

GC Myers- Small Remembrance Group 2016 smWithout memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.these

—Elie Wiesel

*************

I recently finished this group of small pieces for the upcoming Little Gems show at the West End Gallery in Corning.  Called Small Remembrances, they are all tiny paintings, coming in at only 1 1/2″ by 2 1/2″ in size.  Like many of the tiny pieces I have done over the years tend to remind me of small snippets of memory.  I tend to think of memory as tiny bits and pieces, individual images and bits of film that tell small stories of themselves before fitting into any sort of larger continuum.

When I assembled these Small Remembrance pieces together as a group I was struck by their cohesion and relationship to one another.  The quote above from Elie Wiesel, the Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winning author, came to mind.  This past Wednesday had been International Holocaust Remembrance Day and his always eloquent words were already on my mind.

There’s a darkness, a somberness, in these small pieces that fits here.  While we might prefer that it be so, memory is not confined to the bright and happy nor should it be.  Each memory, regardless of its size, by its very nature has an importance, an effect.  Memory of our past shapes our future.

So while these may be tiny and may be insignificant in many ways, they have a purpose and a meaning that goes beyond size.

Read Full Post »

A Couple of Deadlines

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on September 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

GC Myers- Lake Tranquil

GC Myers- Lake Tranquil

This Friday, September 4,  is the final day for my Home+Land show that is hanging at the West End Gallery.  If you’ve been waiting to see it, I hope you get a chance to check it out. Many Thank You’s to everyone who made this a successful show!

Also, I have mentioned that I will be leading a two day workshop where I will be revealing many of the techniques I use in my work.  It takes place at the YCAC in Penn Yan, NY on Thursday and Friday, September 17 & 18, which is just over two weeks away.

Speaking with director Kris Pearson, I discovered that while the workshop was initially filled there have been two cancellations so there are still two openings left.  So if you are interested, please contact Kris by email at info@artscenteryatescounty.org or by phone at 315-536-8226.  It should be a fun couple of days, so if you’re up for it, please come along for the ride!

Read Full Post »

Yummy Night

Posted in Neat Stuff, tagged , , , on August 28, 2015| Leave a Comment »

West End Childrens Center Party 2015 Charlotte Royal

I was the guest speaker last night at a private event held at the West End Gallery.  It was a combination dessert /wine tasting with a bit of a gallery talk thrown in to break up the great flavors, all of which was an item offered in a charity auction to benefit the Children’s Center of Corning that was held earlier in the year.  The generous winning bidders, Chris and Darryl Heckle, and a group of their friends were treated to four incredible desserts and their appropriate wine accompaniments provided by Susan Barbosa, the executive chef at Corning Inc.

Oh, best of all– I got in on the goodies as well.

The one shown above was the first of the night, an exquisite Charlotte Royal.  It was a beautifully crafted dome of two cool and creamy mousses under a covering of thin sponge cake slices.  Wonderful flavors.

Profiterol Cheesecake WE 2015My favorite was the finale offering was this monster, a base of chocolate cheesecake filled with profiteroles (creme puffs!) that was topped with a deep chocolate ganache.  Long story made short– I cleaned every drop of it off my plate.  I could have eaten that until my eyes popped but decorum dictated that I just eat the large piece I was given.  I don’t know how decorum judged me licking my plate clean but that’s the risk you take when you let a guy like me into an event like this.

All kidding aside, it was a lovely evening with a very congenial and interesting group of people.  I gave an abbreviated version of my gallery talk and answered a number of questions from the group.  I also talked a bit about  a few other artists in the gallery, pointing out the influence of the late Tom Buechner on the many artists of this area.  Hopefully, they found something of interest in much of this.

A hearty “Thank You” to the Chris and Darryl Heckle for their generous bid.  Also, many thanks to Peigi Cook of the Children’s Center for her coordination of the auction and this event and to Susan Barbosa for the meticulous preparation and service of her wonderful goodies.  And to Jesse and Linda at the West End Gallery for opening their gallery to this event.

It was a pleasure.  And tasty, too!

Read Full Post »

Outlaw’s Vigil

Posted in Biographical, Early Paintings, Favorite Things, Motivation, tagged , , , , , on August 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

GC Myers- Outlaw's VigilAt last weekend’s Gallery Talk at the West End Gallery I was asked if there was work that I do for myself alone and I replied that there is, that I sometimes do small pieces in moments of frustration or anger that I won’t share with the outside world.  I feel that even a person living the most transparent of lives should not share every waking thought.  And I probably share more than I should as it is.

This question led to a short description of the work from my earlier Exiles and Outlaws series, both of which I have written here a number of times in the past.  The Outlaws series probably was closer as an answer to the question posed to me that day, consisting of images that examined the darker aspects that make up the prism of our personality.  The central characters in these pieces were often armed with handguns and were definitely haunted by their past actions, existing in a state of fear.

At least, that is how I saw them.  Some others saw them as predatory stalkers who might be lurking outside their own windows.  It was an interpretation that I wasn’t initially expecting when I painted this work. But it might make sense, given the fear and sometimes paranoia that feeds our obsession with guns.

The piece above, Outlaw’s Vigil, is from that series and hangs in my studio now.  It is a prime example of the differing perceptions of the work.  Many have seen him as a potential danger, a symbol of imminent evil, while I see him as a person filled with absolute fear, always looking over his shoulder to see what is coming upon him from behind, from his past.  He is forever frozen in this instance of terror.  There is no looking ahead, no future.

Odd as it might seem, this small painting is inspirational to me.  It serves as an object lesson, an example of how I do not want to exist in this world.  I do not want to live in fear of the past or so fearful of others that I cling to a gun in my own home, peeking out my windows.  This piece lets me know that I want to live a fearless life.  It may ultimately be a fool’s mission but it makes this odd little painting priceless to me.

Read Full Post »

Raindance

Posted in Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , on August 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

GC Myers- Raindance smThere will be a rain dance Friday night, weather permitting.

—George Carlin

*******************

 

This new painting, Raindance, is a 16″ by 20″ canvas at the West End Gallery as part of the Home+Land show now hanging there.  As I finished this piece I was keenly aware of the drought taking place in California and other parts of the American west.  It has resulted in dozens of wildfires throughout California, destroying homes and wildlife habitats as it furies along.  Rain can’t come soon enough for that part of the country.

In this painting the Red Tree seemed to be in the midst of some sort of beseeching, twisting and extending its limbs upward.  I saw it as a rain dance of sorts, begging the dark skies above to release the rain and feed the hills and valleys below.  The skies here have an ominous warmth that gives the distant hills a pale yellow hue and the yellow semi-circle in the foreground that supports the Red Tree acts as a sun symbol.

Let’s hope that this rain dance achieves its desired effect…

Read Full Post »

Gallery Talk Today (With Prizes!)

Posted in Biographical, Current Events, Painting, Quote, tagged , , , , , on August 1, 2015| Leave a Comment »

GC Myers Destiny Bound framedIn everything that can be called art there is a quality of redemption.

—Raymond Chandler, The Simple Art of Murder

************************************

If you’re in the Corning area this afternoon, I will be giving a Gallery Talk at the West End Gallery beginning at 1 PM.  My talks usually consist of some biographical background, a few stories about the paintings as well as some other things and honest answers to any questions asked of me.  Oh, and it comes to an end with a drawing for the painting above, Destiny Bound.

I try to make it as entertaining and informative as possible, usually just speaking off the cuff.  Sometimes there is a theme, other times there is not.  I may have a theme for today and perhaps the quote from author Raymond Chandler points to what it might be. Or not.  Maybe I just like and agree with this quote.  Or maybe the talk will go ina completely different direction right from the start.

I won’t know until I’m standing there and open my mouth for the first time.  These talks are kind of like my painting– sometimes I have an idea of where I want them to go and they go to a place I never saw coming.  And sometimes those unexpected places are the most gratifying.  So, we’ll see where we end up today.

Hope you can make it.

Read Full Post »

Quote of the Week: Fellini

Posted in Biographical, Painting, Quote, Recent Paintings, tagged , , , , , , , on July 30, 2015| 2 Comments »

GC Myers-Transmitters smAll art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster’s autobiography.

—Federico Fellini

*****************

I love this quote from legendary Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini and the image of us all having a pearl inside ourselves, just waiting to be revealed to the outer world.  It’s a pearl that is formed from the experiences and observations that make up our lives.

It fits well  with the theme for the Gallery Talk that takes place Saturday at the West End Gallery in Corning.  I plan on talking about  how art has transformed my life and how that transformation has made its way into my work.  In short, how my own simple pearl was formed and  brought to light.

An example of that might be in the painting at the top, a very new work that will be shown for the first time on Saturday called Transmitters which is 10″ by 20″ on canvas.  I see it as being about the need to communicate, about how we seek  and reach out to like-minded people throughout our lives.  For me this has been one of the biggest needs that  painting has fulfilled for me.  It has provided a platform for me to express thoughts and emotions that I would struggle to express in any other way.  In doing so it has created a path forward to reaching others who share similar thoughts and emotions.

So here the pearl is the Red Tree and it reaches across space to others who feel they have their own Red Tree within.  Hopefully, knowing that allows them to open their own shells and share it with the world.

Well, that might be part of what I’ll be talking about on Saturday.  Who knows what might come up?

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »