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CURRENT EXHIBITION
Jonathan Guy Gladding- Biography - click here
Joie de Vivre
June 23 - July 5, 2008Catalogue- click here
Opening Night Pictures - click here
PRESS RELEASE
ART EXHIBITION
JONATHAN GUY-GLADDING (JAG)
June 24 to July 5, 2008
In2Art is proud to host Jonathan Guy-Gladding’s exhibition of new paintings, titled ‘Joie De Vivre’. An American, Jonathan has been in the Caribbean, specifically St. Lucia, since1999. He has found there true inspiration with an unending supply of rich subject matter in the faces and postures of the uniformed schoolchildren, the people going about their daily lives, and the traditional cultural aspects that make St. Lucia such a wonderful and distinctive place. Jonathan’s desire is to tell a story in detail, whether it’s about the warmth and spirit of the people of the Caribbean or something as simple as the way the reflected light colours the edge of a child’s face.
Jonathan is excited by this Exhibition and has submitted the following Artist’s Statement:
It is a real joy to be an artist. To have the ability to give visual expression to the ideas that are important to us; the things that stir our emotions, fascinate, and inspire, and to have the opportunity to continually try to develop the technical skills so that we may better communicate our ideas. It is as exciting as it is challenging. And if there is one thing that is as rewarding as the completion of a successful painting it’s the thrill of sharing it with people who are somehow able to form a similar meaning from these little dabs of coloured mud as what inspired us to paint them in the first place.
To say that there is a great deal of unpleasantness in the world is sadly a gross understatement. One does not have to look far to see the ugliness and tragedy in life. Perhaps this makes it all the more important that we remind ourselves to see the beauty in the everyday things. Those ordinary things around us that we may take for granted but in fact make our lives rich. These are the subjects I like to paint. It’s not hard for me to see them but it’s not so easy for me to paint them well: how to make an image life-like and accurate without making it look coldly photographic; how to record a moment in time without making the composition looking frozen; how to choose a scene and create an image that honestly tells a story about what our lives are like and who we are. I can think of no more worthy a task for an artist than that. If we are successful in our work we become united in the shared truths of the human experience and perhaps preserve the things about our lives that we love but can’t always hold on to.
One thing that I do have working for me is that as far as I’m concerned I have the best subject matter in the world: bright and engaging children whose faces radiate warmth and openness, self-confident people who take pride in tradition and community spirit, and lush landscapes with verdant greens and sparkling blues. Although I did not grow up in the Caribbean I feel very much a part of it now, and in gratitude to the graciousness and generosity of my adopted home I try my best to do my subject matter justice. I hope that in years to come someone will be able to look at one of my paintings and get some sense of how life was in a certain place and time and what the people were like. Perhaps they might even identify a grandparent and
smile at the verve with which their grandmother played “brown girl in the ring”, and how she looked when she was young. Regardless of who looks at these paintings and when, I hope they will feel the richness of life in the Caribbean and get a true sense of the genuine “joie de vivre” that we are fortunate enough to share.
