Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Gary McMillan Guides an Expedition in ‘Galapagos’ Series

In Gary McMillan’s “Galapagos” series, the painter guides us into alien ecosystems, inviting viewers along as explorers to make any observations they can from the creatures and activity there. The work is rooted in the artist’s interest in both science and art. And McMillan says he is “interested in how one makes sense of new things through remembered experience of the familiar.”

In Gary McMillan’s “Galapagos” series, the painter guides us into alien ecosystems, inviting viewers along as explorers to make any observations they can from the creatures and activity there. The work is rooted in the artist’s interest in both science and art. And McMillan says he is “interested in how one makes sense of new things through remembered experience of the familiar.”

“In this series of paintings, I am acting as a gentleman explorer, looking for new places to observe in order to think about things in a different way,” the artist says. “I like to think of the viewer as an explorer also, perhaps on a group expedition into these places of mine, where there are natural forms and situations that are unfamiliar. The color of everything around is strange but beautiful and the way all of these natural forms fit into a local ecology is a mystery, even to the scientists in the group.”

See more works from this series below.


Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Instead of capturing a single moment in time, Clive Head’s oil paintings reveal multiple perspectives and actions within a single setting. Tracking a complete, single figure within works like “To the Silence of Tiresias,” below, is difficult, yet the broader humanity of that place and a wider timeframe are revealed upon inspection.
Jeff Soto (HF Vol. 18) celebrated his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles since 2009 on Saturday night with "Nightgardens" at KP Projects/MKG. We recently discussed the exhibition with Soto in our studio visit here, where Soto shared his continued interest in landscapes: "Nightgardens" is an exploration of the magic and mystery in life coupled very loosely with the tradition of landscape painting. For this show I am using the concept of "nighttime" as a symbol of the unknown. I'm working on creating an imaginary world of magic, monsters and daydreams that exists in a different time and place, yet alludes to issues in our chaotic modern world."
Seamus Conley's paintings feature contemplative dreamers staring out into masterfully painted vistas of thick clouds and fog. We catch them at their most private moments of contemplation, alone in the night. While his past work has focused on characters of various ages and genders, the paintings in his latest solo show, "Catch My Fade," depict mostly young boys escaping into the darkness. The spaces they inhabit are far removed from civilization and more closely resemble the landscapes of dreams than any real-life locales. "Catch My Fade" opens at San Francisco's Andrea Schwartz Gallery on April 29.
Before painting, Emma Webster first constructs dioramas with backdrops, lighting, and clay figures. What is created from those collaged maquettes are stirring paintings that examine both our own natural environments and world-building as a concept. Her recent show at Diane Rosenstein, “Arcadia,” collected those recent oil paintings.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List