Speed of Life

by Gregg Chadwick Gregg Chadwick Joshua Tree 24"x24" oil on linen 2014 My recent paintings are taking me to times and places that have deep resonance. This newest body of work is marked by time and memory and  explores our present reality in the context of the sometimes hauntingly real shadows that come and go in our daily existence.  At times  spiritual echoes find their way into my art. Sometimes this sense of something bigger or deeper than ourselves is found in the images and locations created within the paintings. At other times this numinous quality is carried by the light within the work. Recently in the studio, I have been thinking about the works of Caspar David Friedrich in  the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin. Many of Friedrich's paintings depict what I see as an Easter light - a light of promise and redemption.  Caspar David Friedrich Village Landscape In Morning Light 21 5/8 "x28" oil on canvas 1822 Nationalgalerie...

Salish Sea   Gregg Chadwick 30”x24” oil on linen 2014

Gregg Chadwick Sea and Shadow (Mare e Ombra) 30"x20" oil on linen 2014 Courtesy Sandra Lee Gallery, San Francisco Last night Italian pianist Giuseppina Torre gazed attentively at  my painting   Sea and Shadow (Mare e Ombra) and said to me,"La luce a Venezia è magica ." I agreed, the light in Venice is magic. And there is light in Giuseppina Torre's music as well. Earlier that evening in the Arena 1 Gallery at the Santa Monica Art Studios she gave us a taste of her haunting piano compositions at the opening of an  Italian cultural event entitled All Roads Lead to LA, presented in conjunction with the Istituto Italiano  di   Cultura  in Los Angeles. The celebration continues tonight with  poetry, music, fashion and the visual arts. The evening will begin with a poetry reading at 5 pm to be followed by an hour-long performance by Giuseppina Torre. A presentation of contemporary Italian fashion will round out the evening. ...

I was struck by this poignant video posted today on the New York Times site and thought how perfectly the Okinawan duo  Isamu Shimoji and Yukito Ara's song captures a longing for a distant home. Sung to the tune of "Danny Boy" their song reinterprets and reframes    Frederic Weatherly's classic and makes it both more personal and more global.  Isamu Shimoji and Yukito Ara's lyrics are below: Beloved child of mine, From beyond the skies is heard the voice of the flute calling to you. Summer has passed, the flowers of the season have fallen. You are preparing for the journey to distant lands. Through the summer when the grasses and flowers bloom and peak, Through the winter when the north winds bluster and blow, here on this island I’m always waiting for you. Beloved child of mine, o beloved child of mine! I’m watching and waiting for you to return, gentle and brave. As the seasons turn and you finally come home to the island of your b...

Gregg Chadwick The Emperor's Train 68"x144" oil on Japanese screen 2014 and   Empire State (Grand Central ) 72"x36" oil on linen 2013  Courtesy Sandra Lee Gallery As part of the Santa Monica Airport Artwalk 2014, my installation "Trains and Stations" will be on view in the Hangar West Gallery at the Santa Monica Art Studios. My studio #15, directly across from the screen, will also be open and will include new paintings on this theme. Opening reception - Saturday, March 15, 2014 from 12 - 5pm "Trains and Stations" was inspired by the powerful music of Michael McDermott and his band The Westies and the memory of my Grandfather Arthur Desch who made his living as a train engineer on the Jersey Central Line. Listen to Trains here:  https://www.facebook.com/westiesmusic/posts/10151723507858995 More at:   The Emperor's Train   http://www.smgov.net/Portals/Culture/content.aspx?id=15034   http://www.smgov...

Gregg Chadwick Pennsylvania 4901 54”x54” oil on linen 2014                                                  Recent Events: Winter 2014 1. My paintings were featured in the Sandra Lee Gallery booth  at  the  Palm Springs Fine Art Fair -an international art fair held Feb 13-16, 2014  at the Convention Center in Palm Springs, California. 2. From January 9, 2014 until February 28, 2014, at the Sandra Lee Gallery in San Francisco, California, my paintings were included in a group exhibition along with work by Kathryn Arnold, Henry Jackson, Irena Kononova, Jeremy Morgan, Jeffrey Palladini, Hyun Su Park, Daniel Phill, George Rivera, Jungsan Senim and others.  3. I was recently interviewed by the  Los Angeles Business Journal   for an article about the Saatchi Art Gallery....

Gregg Chadwick The Golden Hour 10"x8" oil on panel 2014 Happy Valentine's Day! I thought I would feature a new painting and Bruce Springsteen's haunting version of his song For You to honor lovers across the globe.