Left:
Gary Nixon
Porphyry, 1976
Acrylic on canvas
21 ¼" x 23 ½"
Gallery Lambton: Sarnia Industries Art Fund Purchase, 1977
Right:
Gary Nixon
Pinnacle, 1988
Acrylic on canvas
33 1/16" x 39 3/16"
Gallery Lambton: Gift of Kelly Mancari, 1997
As Lisa has mentioned in her last post (Day 6: Jessie Oonark), the final day of the Smackdown took on a very different tone as we all collaboratively made decisions in the best interest of the exhibition. While we each drew our own locations, just like the other days, we would work with each other on the placement within the gallery and were very open to suggestions in this way. It was a very nice shift from the regular pace of Smackin' down!
For my final dive into the karmic coffee tin, I drew another rack. This particular rack just happens to be full of regionally significant painters, including Gary Nixon. There is some added significance to this rack for me because, until recently, I have known this artist as Mr. Nixon, the educator that ultimately inspired my own interest in the arts. He taught me in both senior level art classes at St. Patricks Secondary School, here in Sarnia. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to curate my former teacher, particularly when his work turns out to be so relevant to many of the themes that have emerged in this exhibition.
I can always remember sitting in class, and listening to his stories about going up to the cottage, canoeing around the lake, and admiring nature for all that it is. Truly attuned to his natural surroundings, this influence has clearly translated into his paintings. This becomes almost startingly clear when looking at the work Porphyry. Not knowing what Nixon would think of this comparison, the painting initially reminded me of the brush stroke works by Lichtenstein in the 1960's. The graphic clarity of Lichtensteins work appeared to be emotionally charged as a gestural mark on the canvas in the work of Nixon. But this relationship was one that developed instantaneously as my eyes saw the canvas on the rack. Over time though, I started to recall the camping stories that Nixon would tell his classes. I could picture the artist sitting out on a bluff, or even in a canoe, focussing on a not-too-distant island with just a handful of trees growing precariously on a small piece of land. Focussing back on the painting, the scene is nearly identical, save for the additional personal quality that Nixon always lends his paintings; a raw emotional charge that transcends mere representation.
Even the title, Porphyry, has its own ties with the natural. Porphyry is actually a type of igneous rock formation characterized by its colour and the size of the chrystalline structures that develop within the rock. The colour is actually fairly similar to that of the base that the three vertical elements emerge out of in the painting. With some additional research, I found that the rock shares its name with an island, Porphyry Island, situated east of Thunder Bay in Lake Superior. It would be interesting to see if Nixon knew about this connection, or if in fact that island is the subject of this painting.
Regardless, the connection with the other abstract works in the exhibit is clear: all share a
connection to the natural. The source of inspiration and forms that influence the marks on the canvas are all gleaned from the natural world around us. Since I did not know Kostyniuk personally, I do not know what his camping habits were or what kind of connection he had with the environment. I do know, however, the Nixon is very connected to his surroundings and loves the chance to be in the wild, untamed Canadian landscape. (See image of the artist above)
The fact that this was the last day for selection also affected my decisions. I wanted to make sure that I picked juuusstt the right Nixon for the show. Part of this process was bringing out a couple different canvasses and getting a feel for them as they interacted with the other works in the room. While doing this with my fellow curators in the room, we all decided that both of these paintings actually activated and contributed to the exhibition. Instead of sticking with the Smackdown tradition established thus far, we decided to include two paintings for my selection today. Aside from the primary concerns of learning about curating, and learning about the permanent collection at Gallery Lambton, we were also trying to put together an exhibition. When we conferred with each other, and decided that both canvasses were indeed fitting in, it would have been prude to sacrifice a part of the exhibition by only including one of these works.
Gary Nixon
Porphyry, 1976
Acrylic on canvas
21 ¼" x 23 ½"
Gallery Lambton: Sarnia Industries Art Fund Purchase, 1977
Right:
Gary Nixon
Pinnacle, 1988
Acrylic on canvas
33 1/16" x 39 3/16"
Gallery Lambton: Gift of Kelly Mancari, 1997
As Lisa has mentioned in her last post (Day 6: Jessie Oonark), the final day of the Smackdown took on a very different tone as we all collaboratively made decisions in the best interest of the exhibition. While we each drew our own locations, just like the other days, we would work with each other on the placement within the gallery and were very open to suggestions in this way. It was a very nice shift from the regular pace of Smackin' down!
For my final dive into the karmic coffee tin, I drew another rack. This particular rack just happens to be full of regionally significant painters, including Gary Nixon. There is some added significance to this rack for me because, until recently, I have known this artist as Mr. Nixon, the educator that ultimately inspired my own interest in the arts. He taught me in both senior level art classes at St. Patricks Secondary School, here in Sarnia. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to curate my former teacher, particularly when his work turns out to be so relevant to many of the themes that have emerged in this exhibition.
I can always remember sitting in class, and listening to his stories about going up to the cottage, canoeing around the lake, and admiring nature for all that it is. Truly attuned to his natural surroundings, this influence has clearly translated into his paintings. This becomes almost startingly clear when looking at the work Porphyry. Not knowing what Nixon would think of this comparison, the painting initially reminded me of the brush stroke works by Lichtenstein in the 1960's. The graphic clarity of Lichtensteins work appeared to be emotionally charged as a gestural mark on the canvas in the work of Nixon. But this relationship was one that developed instantaneously as my eyes saw the canvas on the rack. Over time though, I started to recall the camping stories that Nixon would tell his classes. I could picture the artist sitting out on a bluff, or even in a canoe, focussing on a not-too-distant island with just a handful of trees growing precariously on a small piece of land. Focussing back on the painting, the scene is nearly identical, save for the additional personal quality that Nixon always lends his paintings; a raw emotional charge that transcends mere representation.
Even the title, Porphyry, has its own ties with the natural. Porphyry is actually a type of igneous rock formation characterized by its colour and the size of the chrystalline structures that develop within the rock. The colour is actually fairly similar to that of the base that the three vertical elements emerge out of in the painting. With some additional research, I found that the rock shares its name with an island, Porphyry Island, situated east of Thunder Bay in Lake Superior. It would be interesting to see if Nixon knew about this connection, or if in fact that island is the subject of this painting.
Regardless, the connection with the other abstract works in the exhibit is clear: all share a
connection to the natural. The source of inspiration and forms that influence the marks on the canvas are all gleaned from the natural world around us. Since I did not know Kostyniuk personally, I do not know what his camping habits were or what kind of connection he had with the environment. I do know, however, the Nixon is very connected to his surroundings and loves the chance to be in the wild, untamed Canadian landscape. (See image of the artist above)
The fact that this was the last day for selection also affected my decisions. I wanted to make sure that I picked juuusstt the right Nixon for the show. Part of this process was bringing out a couple different canvasses and getting a feel for them as they interacted with the other works in the room. While doing this with my fellow curators in the room, we all decided that both of these paintings actually activated and contributed to the exhibition. Instead of sticking with the Smackdown tradition established thus far, we decided to include two paintings for my selection today. Aside from the primary concerns of learning about curating, and learning about the permanent collection at Gallery Lambton, we were also trying to put together an exhibition. When we conferred with each other, and decided that both canvasses were indeed fitting in, it would have been prude to sacrifice a part of the exhibition by only including one of these works.
From a University of Regina catalogue, March 25 - April 7, 1975, Nixon is quoted describing his paintings as such:
"Within them exist autonomous components which may comprise the sheer beauty of colours, the interaction of colours, the tensions between shapes and areas, or the stacking of space. They do not depict the traditional landscape, dreams or memories, but rather the basic elements of some or all of these items."
And from a Gallery Lambton catalogue, December 3 - December 22, 1982, Nixon continues:
"...The paintings can be self-referential events, or they can apply to mankind's experiences... Ultimately, I want the painters to refer implicity to a universality and man to man - his conflicts, achievements, and destiny."
It is clear that like Lisa's selection of the Ristvedt painting, Nixon is truly a painters painter. Colour, form, line, and the experience that these elements leave with a viewer, are the fuel to propel these paintings to completion. The raw inspiration can find a source in the natural, but it is not a practice that uses paint simply as a means, but as content in its' own right. To move beyond the representational, into a realm of experience (as a viewer, or as the artist) that can forge new connections, "man-to-man," is the driving force behind Nixon's work of this period.
Gary Nixon was born in Sarnia, Ontario, in 1945. He received his B.F.A. from the University of Windsor in 1972, and his M.F.A. from the University of Regina in 1975. He has received scholarships and has been exhibiting his work for more than 40 years. He has been an educator at the Saskatchewan Summer School of Fine Arts, Lambton College (Sarnia), and most recently St. Patrick's Secondary School where he had the chance to inspire many youth such as myself. He recently retired from teaching, and still lives and works in Sarnia.
Darryn
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