GARY WALDROM by Milford Galleries

CATCH US IF YOU CAN 9th OCTOBER - 3rd NOVEMBER, 2010

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

Milford Galleries Dunedin (03) 477 7727 info@milfordhouse.co.nz

18 Dowling Street

1. GARY WALDROM, Peppermint Boys (on Tour) (2009

9/10) oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 1220 x 1829 mm

1. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, Peppermint Boys (on Tour) (2009/10)

2. GARY WALDROM, Millionaire and the Fountain of Youth

h (2009/10) oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 838 x 1524 mm

3. GARY WALDROM, From There to Here II (2009/10), oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 1372 x 838 mm

3. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, From There to Here II (2009/10)

4. GARY WALDROM, Harlequin (2009/10) oi

il on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 305 x 762 mm

5. GARY WALDROM, Stone Mansion (2009/10) o

oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 1220 x 1829 mm

5. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, Stone Mansion (2009/10)

6. GARY WALDROM, Whitewalled and Supercharged (2

2009/10) oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 838 x 1829 mm

6. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, Whitewalled and Supercharged (2009/10)

7. GARY WALDROM, New Age Clown (2010), oil pastel on paper, frame (v x h x d): 661 x 1046 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 392 x 795 mm

8. GARY WALDROM, Stone Mansion Man (2010), oil pastel on paper, frame (v x h x d): 743 x 1023 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 393 x 385 mm

9. GARY WALDROM, Happy Man (2010), oil pastel on paper, frame (v x h x d): 767 x 997 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 390 x 420 mm

10. GARY WALDROM, Suspicious Man (2010), oil pastel on paper, frame (v x h x d): 767 x 997 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 400 x 320 mm

11. GARY WALDROM, Waldrom's Punch (Patent Pending) (2010) oil pastel on

n paper, frame (v x h x d): 862 x 1045 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 595 x 798 mm

There is something going on under the surface in Gary Waldrom’s new works; something underdog and probably dodgy, but not necessarily sinister. Millionaires, gangsters and jesters all play their part in the colourful, surreal and magical narratives within the work, as if part of the cast of a 1930’s Hollywood classic. The ambiguous exhibition title ‘Catch Us If You Can’ sets the scene of these theatrical and moody works, not only in the connection to a fast getaway in fast cars but also as a reference to a performance - get in quick to see the act before it leaves town! The characters in ‘From There to Here II’ have come direct from London in their mobile theatre. It is as if in the middle of a performance, something or someone has caught their attention. What is going on beyond the canvas? Will Waldrom’s Punch take advantage of the situation? Could Judy be behind this distraction? Have you interrupted the performance? Perhaps ‘Catch Us If You Can’ is a direct reference to the painting process. Waldrom is able to capture a truly unique scene, a moment in time, which is in a sense timeless. He solidifies thought, imagination and story in solid form- paint on canvas. Maybe the title refers to fleeting youth. In ‘ Millionaire and the Fountain of Youth’ an aging man searches for eternal youth- he seems so close, yet will he walk on past? As the actors of Hollywood today use money to delay the aging process this millionaire searches for a remedy for time. Waldrom sets the mood as dusk (or perhaps dawn) stumbles upon the millionaire. The red sky burns over shaded bush and colours are enhanced by the shining full moon. The full moon is a bright beacon in the sky in ‘Stone Mansion’ where two elfin figures wait on a street corner. There is a glowing ambience in the work and one can almost feel the flicker of a dying street lamp. The environment is strangely familiar, the stone mansion quite typical of New Zealand suburban concrete block house. Ready for action the Peppermint boys are dressed, groomed and on tour. Like a kiwi family snap-shot, they stand in front of their shining car surrounded by the distinctive, dusky Hawkes Bay hills. Also captured, as if on film, accompanied by a prized 1930’s Duesenberg car, three unlikely characters pose in ‘Whitewalled and Supercharged’. A dilapidated barn graces the landscape where these proud and satisfied characters stand. With each face unique, full of personality and looking directly at the viewer, it is no wonder one feels like the characters are analysing the viewer as much as we are them. Catch Us If You Can’ consists of strong, entertaining and complex works, where each stroke of paint tells a story and each colour glows with a magical presence. Waldrom has also completed a series of character studies (drawings) to accompany the six major painted works.

EXHIBITION PRICELIST

Peppermint Boys (on Tour) (2009/10)

17,500

Millionaire and the Fountain of Youth (2009/10)

14,500

From There to Here II (2009/10)

13,500

Harlequin (2009/10)

Stone Mansion (2009/10)

17,500

Whitewalled and Supercharged (2009/10)

15,000

New Age Clown (2010)

3,500

Stone Mansion Man (2010)

3,000

Happy Man (2010)

3,000

Suspicious Man (2010)

3,000

Waldrom's Punch (Patent Pending) (2010)

4,000

5,750

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

GARY WALDROM b. 1953, lives Waipawa

Bench Seat Conversation (2008/2009)

Gary Waldrom produces in his painting an alternate reality that is uncannily close to real life. His work explores themes of isolation, dream, intuitive processes and the human condition. Born and raised in Waipawa in the Hawkes Bay, he has been painting since an early age. Waldrom’s paintings are familiar yet strange. Some of the imagery in his work is instantly recognisable such as the distinctive Hawkes Bay landscapes and Waipawa buildings yet other elements provide fragments of a narrative the viewer is asked to explore. To experience Waldrom’s work is to actively engage in a dialogue with it. This is one of Waldrom’s numerous strengths; the ability to create a dreamscape where questions remain unanswered but continue to manifest. People and places come to life in Waldrom’s works. The elfin characters that appear in his work are almost hybrids of children and adults who reveal their own personalities. One can only imagine what they are thinking when they are looking out of the painting directly at you; from their real place into yours. To describe Waldrom as an “outsider artist” is to label him all too quickly. His paintings clearly demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of painting conventions however his work is not confined to formal parameters and his discovery through practice has enabled him to develop a truly unique style which is visually fascinating. Gary Waldrom was born 1953 in Waipawa Hawke’s Bay. He has been a finalist in various significant art competitions since the 1970’s: including the Benson & Hedges Art Award (1978), Winner –Eastern & Central Trust Bank Art prize (1981), Merit prize – Montana Lindauer Art Award (1986). He has had numerous and regular solo exhibitions throughout the country, and has appeared in a number of group shows most recently at the Hastings City Art Gallery titled “Mind Games (Surrealism in Aotearoa)”. He has featured in both documentaries and radio shows. His works are held in public and private collections nationally including The James Wallace Trust and Hawkes Bay Museum & Art Gallery.

Gary Waldrom 2010 CV P a g e |1

Milford Galleries Dunedin

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

GARY WALDROM b. 1953, lives Waipawa SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2010 2009 2006 2005 2003 2002 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1993 1992 – 1993 1992 1988 1983 – 1984 1981 1977

Catch Us If You Can, Milford Galleries Dunedin New Works, Milford Galleries Dunedin New Paintings, milford galleries auckland New Work, Janne Land Gallery, Wellington Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland Janne Land Gallery, Wellington Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland Janne Land Gallery, Wellington Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland Janne Land Gallery, Wellington Janne Land Gallery, Wellington Janne Land Gallery, Wellington Hawke’s Bay Exhibition Centre Gisborne Museum and Art Centre Hawke’s Bay Museum A.N.Z.A.S. Travelling Exhibition John Leech Gallery, Auckland Moller’s Basement Gallery, Auckland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS 2009 2007 2006 2005 2004

Take 5, MG, Auckland Mind Games (Surrealism in Aotearoa), Hastings City Art Gallery Selected Works by Gallery Artists, milford galleries auckland Object, Milford Galleries Dunedin Chosen, milford galleries auckland New Year, New Work, Janne Land Gallery, Wellington Overview - Notions of the Figurative, Milford Galleries Dunedin

AWARDS 1986 1981 1978

Merit Prize, Montana Lindauer Art Award Winner, Eastern & Central Trust Bank Art Prize Finalist in Benson and Hedges Art Award

COLLECTIONS The Rutherford Trust Collection The James Wallace Trust Hawkes Bay Museum and Art Gallery Wingnut Films, Wellington Le’Art Group, Hawkes Bay Helene Quilter Collection housed at Govett Brewster

BIBLIOGRAPHY 2009 2002 1995/96

Cook, Vanessa Eve, A Familiar Dream, written for catalogue Waldrom ‘New Works’ 2009, Milford Galleries Dunedin (attached) Outsider Art, episode 6, Radio NZ, Touchstone The Big Art Trip II, episode 5, Television New Zealand Mack, James, Reverie and Reverence- The Paintings of Gary Waldrom, Art New Zealand, No 77, Summer 95-96 (attached)

Gary Waldrom 2010 CV P a g e |2

Milford Galleries Dunedin