In 1967 Gill was tapped for inclusion in one of the most prestigious international exhibitions of the day:  The São Paulo 9 exhibition, Environment U.S.A.: 1957-1967, which also included Jasper Johns, Lichstenstein, Oldenberg, Rauschenberg, Hopper and Warhol.  

To critics Gill was “an incisive and startling commentator” [Los Angeles Times] who was able to find the psychological reality that lay beneath surface artificiality.  Gill himself observed that, “a person who has the desire to make a work of art and doesn’t know why, has a stirring in his unconscious that is seeking expression.”

Current technology has allowed Gill’s use of found imagery to take dramatic leaps:  He can now use a base of scanned imagery to combine into a single print, enlarged and printed directly onto canvas.  Gill then works with a clear gel medium over this water¬ based ink, drawing the ink up into the gel, giving the same effect as colored acrylics but with a remarkable vibrancy.  Additional painting with acrylics is added, employing the same sensual handling of paint that has always marked Gill’s work.

Today, Gill celebrates the iconic images of the sixties while creating dynamic abstracts in which lips or an eye, objects and swathes of color become the elements which combine to create vibrant and often forceful compositions.  “The subject of any artwork is the artist’s perception,” Gill says.  “Every piece of art is a kind of emotional self portrait.” 

The exhibitions will be funded, in part, by the sponsorship of Los Abrigados Resort and Spa (Sedona), Hotel Valley Ho (Scottsdale), and Creative Hands Cuisine (Mesa).  Exhibition proceeds will benefit Planning Art for All, an art camp for children founded by Peggy Lanning. 

For further information contact: Lanning Gallery, mail@lanninggallery.com or 928-282-6865, and visit www.lanninggallery.com.

Article courtesy of Liz Boykin.

Posted October 28, 2008.