Ashland, OR
Biography:
My entire career had been that of a voyeur. I observed my surroundings from a distance, traveling to paint people and places I didn’t know. I looked closely to find out how much I could glean from their surfaces. I removed myself from the artistic equation. Some will argue that this is impossible (it’s still my hands painting, my eyes seeing). But I began to question where I was in these paintings? How did they relate to my experience of life?
My current series Urban Legends draws parallels between the heights of Greco-Roman decadence and pop cultures obsession with excess. I paint pictures of the insatiable longings and unfulfilled desires that inevitably follow our human yearnings for more.
I started the series with the intention of taking a closer look at our societal excesses in particular. I wanted to show the emptiness that I see and feel in those of us who seemingly have everything at our fingertips. My paintings do nothing to address this occurrence on a political front but rather, the very intimate aloneness of people who have become disconnected with each other and themselves. Few of the people in my paintings interact with one another. They are alone even when together. They have become their own myth. I paint beautiful emptiness. I paint my experience.
Website: www.ArtOfGabriel.com
