Artist Statement
"I am an art school dropout" ... Upon receiving a scholarship to attend art school, I did what any rational 17 year old would do; I left home, left school and traveled the worked as a musician. Music more than art encompassed my life for the following 10 years. Ironically, this journey influenced my visual arts in ways that no formal art education could have. One vital lesson I learned as a musician was that the space between the musical notes was just as important as the notes themselves. Visually this concept can be applied to the use of negative space by the strategic application of both color and texture to evoke a sense of motion, rhythm and tempo. In my most recent works my collage techniques emphasize this illusion. Sharp tears reveal white edges which add Rhythm. The magazine paper imagery is glued in patterns, moving the eye around the piece. Figure and background flow in balance. While on the surface this technique may appear academic, the underlying message mirrors my personal views on life and death; a seamless harmonious coexistence.
My journey for creating "art" is a selfish act. The process becomes all encompassing, with the outcome of a work of art often becoming inconsequential to the path that lead me to the final conclusion, i.e.
"The point of the journey is not to arrive." When working with collage, ideas unfold without any predetermined direction. Letting the magazine paper speak to me, a page is turned and textures, patterns and color are randomly discovered, altering the theme as each torn piece is glued into place. Building works in this manner becomes a spiritual experience; living in the moment and allowing chance to guide the eventual outcome. The organic imagery taken from the torn magazine paper which comprise my works speak of my link to nature. Found upon closer inspection a torn photograph of a purple sunset becomes the blush of a cheek, a birds nest and the needles of a cactus form hair. My hope is that this method of reinterpretation will give the v iewer cause to reconsider their ideas of our own origin.
40% of the proceeds on direct sales of Gregory's art goes to local charities.
www.gregorygallardo.com
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