Happy Halloween!!!

My little trick or treaters!

 

 Woody (from Toy Story)

 

El Pollito



The Collectors - Where Are They Now? #2

The second in this series of blog posts are the paintings: The State of Things and Conquering Psyche, and the drawing studies: Backward Isn't Forward and I Fall In Love Too Easily.  

 To read more about the origins of this series, please go here. 

Collector Christine Cordner

Collector's Statement

I first saw Gregory's work at Artomatic in 2008 and was lucky enough to catch him at a sidewalk sale downtown so I could buy a few of his sketches, followed by two paintings, one shipped cross country I was so enamored. I am a lover of line precision and attention to detail, the architectural attributes of his work that first attracted me. I also enjoy the humor behind his quirky humanoids and his ample use of vibrant color in every-day scenarios. The overall pensive, mellow tone of his beautiful work has a meditative effect on me after a busy work day, which is why my collection hangs together right above my desk at home.

 

Christine Cordner 

 

You can read more of what Christine has had to say about my work on her blog here and here.

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The State of Things was created in 2009 for my solo show, La Vida Intensa, held later that spring at Hillyer Art Space. Like most of my paintings, this one was not inspired by or created with a specific story in mind, but rather was intended to capture a feeling... the feeling of living in that space in time when we just are... the place in between.

On a side note, the run up to the opening of the show was incredibly hectic as my wife and I were also preparing for the arrival of our first son (due the day after the show's opening). It was a time filled with uncertainty, anxiety, and excitement. 

rough sketch

The State of Things

acrylic on canvas, 16"x20"

 

 Conquering Psyche was completed in 2011 and inspired by the commercial blitz of Valentine's Day and a rereading of the Greek myth The Tale of Eros and Psyche.

If you look closely at the movie poster credits, you'll find that many of my family members worked on the fictitious film and I directed it (a nod back to my college film-making days).

rough sketch

Conquering Psyche

acrylic on canvas, 24"x24"

 

 These drawing studies are exactly that; pencil studies of future paintings.

 Backward Isn't Forward

graphite on paper

 I Fall In Love Too Easily

graphite on paper

Prints of The State of Things can be found here.

For prints of Conquering Psyche can be requested here.
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The Collectors - Where Are They Now?  

-POST#1 Andrea Paipa and Ben Feldman

The Collectors - Where Are They Now? #1

Reoccurring thoughts....
 
Over the past ten years I have often wondered "where are my paintings now?" I know who has bought them, but once a collector has purchased them I rarely get the opportunity to see them again, in person, living in the world outside my studio.
 
A little over a month ago I had the same thought again, but this time it nagged at me. Where do the paintings go? How do my collectors live with them?
 
I decided to do something about it and sent an email to my collectors asking if they would be interested in participating in an Artist/Collector collaboration, where we would produce a series of blog posts documenting how the paintings "live" and highlight this incredible group of people that believe in art, who see something special in the work I do, and who purchase my work, enabling me to keep at it and keep growing artistically.
 
Thankfully, many responded in the affirmative, sent me photos of the paintings, and wrote a short statement as to what drew them to their particular painting or to my work in general. 

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The first in the series of blog posts is Aburrido from the Spanish 101 series I created in 2006 for a group show I was in at Gallery Neptune in Bethesda, MD.

Collectors Andrea Paipa and Ben Feldman

Collectors Statement

This is "Aburrido" from a series (Spanish 101) about children receiving gifts...we felt sorry not to have all of them; each one has a different personality, unique and strong. 

Greg's work is fascinating to us since each of his paintings tells a story and is like a movie itself. We look forward to seeing every one of his new productions since he always makes us travel to new scenarios, dramatic and witty.

Andrea Paipa and Ben Feldman 

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This series came about during an explosion of creativity; I painted 12, 11"x16" paintings in 30 days (a record for me).

The paintings were inspired by the holiday theme of the show and a short stint I had as a substitute teacher for an elementary school Spanish class.



rough sketch and final drawing 

Spanish 101: Aburrido

11"x 16", acrylic on canvas

 

Prints of Aburrido are available here