My latest body of work will be featured in a new show at Fountainhead Gallery in Seattle from September 29th to October 29th. In Flow States, I explore the Pacific Northwest's lakes, beaches and rivers—the places that have rendered me speechless with their awe-inspiring vistas or brought me calm with quiet, everyday beauty. Spending time with these images and the processes I’ve developed over the years often brings me into the state of creative flow that keeps me coming back. I hope you get to visit the gallery and see what I’ve been bringing into being!
So Many Spring Art Happenings
It's been a busy winter in my light-filled art garage, and now Spring exhibits are busting out all over. Whether you are still safely taking in the world through your screens or are vaccinated and ready to see some art hanging on walls, there are plenty of Gedyes in these upcoming events:
Spring Greens, 30 x 24, Oil over Collage on Panel
25 Springs at Fountainhead Gallery
April 1 - May 1
Fountainhead Gallery celebrates their Silver Anniversary with a group show featuring 25 gallery artists. The exhibit is a vibrant tribute to the Queen Anne institution that I have been pleased to be a part of for 15 years. You can see the show (and purchase art) online now, or see it in person from tomorrow, Thursday, until May 1. While you're there, be sure to check out my other paintings in the back room and up on the mezzanine.
Casting into the Mist 16 x 20 Oil on Linen
Reflection at Women Painters of Washington Gallery
April 13 - July 16
The Women Painters of Washington celebrate their 90th Anniversary with a group show juried by David Martin, curator for the Cascadia Art Museum of Edmonds. I had two pieces selected for this members show. You can walk through the exhibition virtually beginning April 13th at the WPW website or make an appointment to see it in person in the beautiful gallery at the Columbia Tower.
Floating Together, 8 x 8, Oil over Collage on Panel
2021 Gage Academy of Art Spring Auction and Gala
Saturday, May 1
As a long-time student at Gage Academy of Art, as well as a proud board member, I'm always happy to donate a painting to the annual art auction. This year's affair will be virtual again, which means the tickets are free, and anyone can bid on artwork in both the silent and live auctions. This sweet piece from my "Safe at Home" nest series will be in the silent auction. There will be a live preview of all artwork for registered guests at Gage on April 29th and 30th. I encourage you to support this esteemed institution, which has been providing arts education to young and old for 30 years. You can find out more and register here.
Moonrise Over Shuksan, 32 x 48, Oil over Collage on Panel
Yutori solo show at Fountainhead Gallery
May 5 - May 29
And last but most definitely not least, please plan to make the trip up to Fountainhead Gallery to see my May solo show in person--the only way to properly take in the new depth and layers I've been incorporating with a foundation of collaged book pages under my paintings. I'll tell you more in my show announcement in a few weeks' time. If you really can't wait, you can see the new pieces as I add them to my Instagram feed.
Until then, stay well, stay inspired, and good luck getting your jab if you haven't already! I'd love to see you in person in May.
Warmly,
Chris
How I Spent My Spring Pandemic
The Safe at Home series was born on March 13 of this year. It was our daughter’s 24th birthday and she was in the other Washington on the other side of the country. But the distance separating us from her was so much more than just the miles. We would not be seeing her in two weeks as planned. In fact, we couldn’t know for sure when we would see her next—or for that matter, if she, or we, would be okay. Because at that point, the world seemed to be a more perilous place with each passing day. I wanted nothing more than to scoop her up and bring her back home. The fierceness of that desire, and the futility of it, was heartrending.
In the studio that day, I sat down to a work in progress, a return to the motif of the nest, now working on veiled background of collaged pages collected from an old Japanese journal. This first new nest was still empty, as if echoing back to me my worst fears. I could not bear looking at it that way any longer. I painted my way to a simulacrum of the three of us together again, three eggs nestled in the carefully hewn twigs and dried mud. It was a small comfort, but a (mostly fruitless) attempt to feel some degree of control over something.
A few hours later I was curled up on the sofa, not realizing the overwhelming fatigue and dizziness I was feeling would only get worse, and only much later prove to be Covid19. It took over a month to fully recover and regain strength, energy and motivation, but when I did, I returned to the nests. These paintings are what arose from that tenuous feeling of being gratefully, gladly safe at home, yet still feeling undeniably vulnerable, for myself and my loved ones, for my friends and neighbors, near and far—all held aloft in this fragile middle space.
See the Safe at Home series, and all of my 2020 paintings, here. For the month of August, 2020, it will be on display at Gray Sky Gallery in Seattle’s Pioneer Square. Email me or the gallery for pricing.
Stillness
The show is hung (and the first handful of red dots are up as well). I am looking forward to celebrating a year's worth of planning, painting, and all the rest. I hope you can join me.
Graceful Bough | 40x60 | 2019 | © Christine Gedye
SHOW DATES
Showing: October 3-27
Opening Reception: Saturday, October 5, 5-7 pm
FOUNTAINHEAD GALLERY
625 W McGraw St. Seattle WA 98119
(Near Macrina Bakery on Queen Anne)
Gallery Hours: Thursday-Sunday, 11-6
Ikebana Demonstration: October 12, 2pm: Come and learn about the history and philosophy of this ancient art form, from its Shinto origins, evolving into a Buddhist monastic tradition and a medieval Samurai discipline to a modern day abstract art form. Charles Coghlan has studied Ikebana for 33 years and is a third-level teacher of the Sogetsu School of Ikebana of Tokyo, Japan.
Introduction to Meditation: October 13, 10am: Gallery Assistant Ginny Rohan will give a brief introduction to mindfulness meditation and talk about how she uses it in conjunction with collage as therapy for those dealing with cancer. Then she will guide those gathered in a ten minute meditation, followed by a group discussion. Tea will be served. This event takes place before the gallery opens to the public.
Artist talk: Sunday, October 13, 2pm: I’ll be giving an informal talk about the whys and hows of my painting practice—where I find my inspiration, how I choose my subject matter, an overview of my process, and what it’s like to let them go after months of working on them. Bring your curiosity!
Jazz concert: Sunday, October 20, 6pm: Three-time Latin Grammy nominee Jovino Santos Neto, a master pianist, composer and arranger, is among the top Brazilian musicians working today. Jovino’s personal style is a creative blend of energetic grooves, deep harmonies, lyrical melodies and great ensemble playing. Neto is joined by Tim Carey, electric bass & multi-instrumentalist plus Jeff Buschdrummer/percussionist & vocalist.
Tickets available for $25 through the Gallery or online at Konnectclub.com
A Sense of Order | 30x40 | 2019 | © Christine Gedye
MEET THE ARTIST
If you’d like to connect with me at the gallery, I will be there most weekends:
Saturday, October 5th: 5-7pm (for the opening reception!)
Sunday, October 6th : 3-5 pm
Saturday, October 12th: 1-3pm
Sunday, October 13th: 2-4 pm (artist talk at 2:00)
Saturday, October 19th: 4-6 pm
Sunday, October 20th: noon—2pm and at 6pm (for the concert)
If you’d like to meet me there at another time/day, just shoot me an email and we’ll set something up. I’m around!
additional information
Interested in a piece? Most of the information you need will be available on the STILLNESS page of the gallery’s website. They even have a cool app that allows you to visualize a painting on your wall at home. Artwork will be delivered to the gallery on September 26th and hung on September 29th.
Parking: The gallery is on a commercial street in an otherwise residential neighborhood. There is no designated parking lot but usually there is free parking nearby on surrounding streets.
Jazz Concert: Sunday October 20 at 6pm featuring Brazilian jazz pianist Jovino Santos Neto, and his fellow musicians. Tickets are $25 each. Please contact the gallery to purchase tickets in advance, as these small-venue concerts often sell out.
Local Eateries: Want to grab a bite to eat while you are on Queen Anne? Of course there is the famous Macrina Bakery next door; some other tasty lunch spots up on Queen Anne Avenue are Bounty Kitchen, Bite Box, and Ale House. Best dinner spots on Queen Anne: Betty’s, Paragon, Orrapin, How to Cook a Wolf (reservations required).
Coral Kisses | 36x36 | 2019 | © Christine Gedye
The Gifts of Culmination
Komonrebi (detail), 23 x 48, oil on linen on panel.
The final stages of creating a show are equal parts exhaustion and elation. Still so many details to attend to, but the payoff begins early and rolls right through the month. The show doesn’t officially open until Thursday, but here are a few of the gifts I’ve already enjoyed:
· The spreadsheet of tasks associated with each painting and with the show in general is pretty much filled in with details and checkmarks. So darn satisfying!
· The gems I’ve been crafting are all gussied up in their custom frames (or “Tiffany Boxes” as a friend calls them) and safely delivered to the gallery. Relief!
· The first sale happened moments after we unwrapped the paintings at the gallery--nice!
· My least favorite job--promoting the show--has the most enjoyable side effect: notes from far-flung friends and relatives with updates about their lives or their personal responses to the art.
That last one is always the most treasured gift of all. Don’t get me wrong, I love to be able to pay the bills, so sales are right up there. But after months in the studio alone, with input and feedback from only a trusted few, it is impossible to know how the work will be received. Will people notice the shifts that feel monumental to me, but are probably incremental at best to the casual observer?
This week I received a “golden nugget” email from my early landscape teacher, Suzanne Brooker. Suzanne is also the author of The Elements of Landscape Oil Painting (Watson Guptil, 2015). In response to my show announcement, she emailed me this blessing:
“These paintings are so very elegant, like visual poems. It's the sign of a mature artist who allows the viewer more room to participate in the work, traveling through the space at their own speed to discover or dream along the way. These pieces demonstrate a coming home to the heart of your art. Here lies a truth in the sensual beauty of the visual world. You have arrived at your "signature", the mark that separates you from any other painter.”
I haven’t talked with Suzanne about my work in ages, so for her to recognize this evolution--the challenge of my past two years--and then put it into words was more validation than I could have hoped for. Thank you, Suzanne, for taking the time to share your observations with me, and for allowing me to share them here.
A Hush Descended (detail). 18 x 24, oil on panel.
Tomorrow, Sunday, promises yet another high: seeing the show hung at the gallery. And a week from today, the opening reception (details below). I will be honored by all those who are able to attend, and I hope you are among them.
I am always curious to know how people receive the art—where does it take you and what feelings does it evoke for you? What questions do you have about it? Do you have a favorite piece, and why? Let me know, if you are so inclined.
As with my last show at Fountainhead, this time my work will be exhibited alongside elegant floral paintings by D. Jordan Parietti. Jordan appreciates light and atmosphere every bit as much as I do, and I think you will love her timeless still lifes.
Opening Celebration from 5pm-7pm on Saturday, March 3rd
Show runs March 1 - March 31
Fountainhead Gallery
625 W McGraw St. (on top of Queen Anne hill)
Seattle, WA 98119
206.28.4467
Thursday – Sunday, 11-6
All of the pieces are now available for viewing and purchase on Fountainhead's website.
First chance to see the work in person is at Fountainhead on Thursday, March 1 at 11am when the gallery opens, or by personal appointment.
Still Morning Reverie (detail). 24 x 36, oil on linen on panel.
Finally, if you have friends or family who might enjoy the artwork or the opening, I would consider it a gift if you shared this post with them. Thank you!