Gary Komarin: The Dance Card

Gallery Walk August 4th • 5-8 pm

An urbanite in his youth, Komarin absorbed the visual cacophony of sidewalks, brick, sandstone, gravel and the myriad qualities of rough surfaces that were alternately hard, hot, hazardous or cold to the touch–but nothing like grass. Kids by nature are closer to the ground than adults and hence, become more concretely attached to and identified with constructed surfaces. So it was with Komarin.

Roads and the way that newly painted lines meet old and faded lines, attracted his attention. The juxtaposition of new and old asphalt patched here and there, left indelible impressions. The painted and repainted surfaces of cabanas and wooden walkways that he experienced at summer retreats at mountain hotels and beachfront clubs along the Atlantic Ocean, influenced his preferences and provided emotion-laden memories.

The early Italian painters such as Giotto and Cimabue made quite an impression on his young mind. The curvy and elemental drawing of Japanese and Chinese painting figured into the mix. Last but not least, the drawings and paintings of young children and the outsider art of Bill Traylor, were tucked into his creative mind.