The “C” in Los Alamos’ C Gallery stands for contemporary, so the Bell Street art gallery plays host to new works by working artists, including painters whose endeavors take them beyond local vineyards and landscapes.
Gwen Cates, whose show Cosmic Monologues is currently on display at the C Gallery, is more than familiar with painting landscapes. Her website features impressionistic interpretations of local vistas as well as work depicting her home state of Virginia, but for some time, Cates has explored her own inner world of artistic expression through abstract drawing and painting.
“I decided to go abstract a number of years ago. I just had some things I needed to express that I couldn’t get out by doing just my landscapes,” she said. “There were shapes from landscapes and dreams and things that appeared as I was painting that just came together to make exciting statements that made me feel like I was describing something that I didn’t think I had seen before and that I think nobody has seen before.”
The title of the exhibit, Cosmic Monologues, reveals the painter’s solitary exploration of her own inner world as it connects to everything else around her. Transmuting her experiences onto the canvas is a task that sometimes calls on more than just paints.
Lace, feathers, gold leaf, and other materials serve Cates as she develops a sense of texture in her abstract work. A painting such as Avian Launch, which clearly depicts two sparkling blue waterfowl wreathed in a visually explosive geyser of multiple colors, includes long-stemmed heads of wheat, which become indicative of feathers, fanning out in either direction.
“The textured surface of the paintings bring out more of the qualities of what I’m trying to express,” she said. “I like having an interesting surface to the paintings, and I like playing one type of material against another along with paint, various fabrics, or sometimes clear acrylic.”
Cates enjoys a wide range of experience in subjects. Her landscapes reveal a talent for using colors evocatively, while her form paintings, including many nude studies, highlight her skill for capturing movement and spirit in a stationary painting.
All of these talents find a confluence in the abstract work found in Cosmic Monologues. A piece like Cosmic Horses is clearly a fusion of form, landscape, and abstract painting, making for a stunning and interpretative piece of art.
“I’m always thinking, what in the painting is the most exciting thing, because each painting has a story that goes with it,” she said. “I love to talk about my paintings and tell people about the adventure that I had when creating it.”
The C Gallery hosts an event titled Soup, Bread, and Fire on the evening of June 20, which will include a talk by Cates, who will reveal many of the stories behind her large, vibrantly colorful paintings.
Sharing her stories opens up a dialogue with fans and viewers of her work, Cates explained, and learning each person’s different interpretation of the work expands the meaning behind each piece. This is the exciting outcome of her personal, creative explorations: the connection found with others.
“I also like to hear what they feel when viewing it, what painting they are drawn to most, what painting they like looking at and why,” she said. “They have more meaning for me because I know the things people have said about them.”
Arts Editor Joe Payne is a fan of constant abstraction. Contact him at jpayne@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 4, 2015.