Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Christian.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
At a very young age, I started off sketching and copying comic book art. I was always drawn to images that made people think differently about the world, so when I found out about Salvador Dali I was blown away. I learned everything about him and his life story. Through learning his inspirations, I discovered artists like DaVinci, Man Ray, Szukalski, Rembrandt, Vermeer…I have a long list of favorites that I’ll spare you. Basically, art became a central passion of mine and I’ve since challenged myself to create visual art that was visceral and immediately communicated a feeling or a thought; something that didn’t require you to stare at the artwork for hours or know the story behind it to discern the meaning or at least the feeling of it. Today I can say I’m lucky to work in the VFX field which is a very visual-based medium, however, I still find time to use traditional art as form of expression and communication in my personal time.
Please tell us about your art.
As for style, I’ve always related closely to surrealism but feel like I’m more interested in its visual metaphors than it’s dream interpretations and Freudian depictions. What I learned from artists like Da Vinci is that you can really imbue an artwork with a “feeling” and a world of its own even if it’s just a simple portrait. Some pieces I approach with a surrealist mindset: I try to resist changing the original concept that popped into my head at all. Other pieces are simply expressions with color and shape. All of them are explorations of the sense of sight and it’s subconscious connections to memories, thoughts, and feelings. Stubbornly, this is always the art that I’ve found the most pure form of expression and the kind of art I appreciate most. I continue to be inspired by the artists of history who studied and toyed with the brain-eye connection of their viewers. Arguably that could be every ‘ism of art. Similarly, I hope to help people see the world in a strange and new way as if they were seeing it for the first time. If I could express a feeling like that through my artwork, I would consider my mission accomplished.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
Honestly, I’ve never met a lonely artist. Artists tend to be the most welcoming and open-minded communities around. I would encourage people to get out, walk around, attend galleries, meet other artists and learn about the local community. Urban areas like DTLA are full of galleries and people walking all over, just getting out of the house is a great way to start.
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
You can check my latest work and work-in-progress on Instagram at @GVC_Art or periodically at galleries around DTLA. Like The Hive Gallery.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: gvc_art
Image Credit:
All images by Gary Christian
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