{english below} La abstracción, la profundidad, la perspectiva original, y el vitalismo y colorido de formas principalmente redondeadas componen la mayoría de obras de David Gaither. Este artista creció en Atlanta (USA) y ha viajado por todo el mundo, enriqueciéndose en cada lugar. Su obra ha ido evolucionado de figurativa a una mayor abstracción, y en esta metamorfosis pasó de pintar la naturaleza que veía a inventar sus composiciones.
Comenzó a pintar de forma autodidacta con tres años, cuando recuerda levantarse temprano para dibujar, y hacerlo hasta altas horas de la noche, para poco a poco perfeccionar su técnica. “Quiero innovar en el mundo del arte a través de mis obras”, dice.
Sus trabajos varían mucho de uno a otro, desde grandes murales a pequeñas pinturas e incluso esculturas. “El tema de cada trabajo dirige el tamaño y el tipo de lienzo, las pinturas, y otros materiales y métodos utilizados”. Ha mostrado su obra en todas partes: desde Nueva York, Los Ángeles, Chicago y Atlanta, hasta a Londres, Lausanne, París, Dubai, Hong Kong o Tokio.
El proceso que sigue en cada trabajo es único y original, unas veces trabaja a mano alzada, improvisando y descubriendo él mismo sobre la marcha el resultado final. Y en otras ocasiones se centra en un tema concreto, con el que define una serie de obras para las que ha creado colores específicos, lo que él llama, su ‘caja negra’. “Esto puede implicar repetir el dibujo varias veces, hasta que me convence el aspecto conceptual de la obra y comienzo a introducir los colores y las formas”. La composición resultante es caótica y, al mismo tiempo, perfectamente controlada, dando lugar a la interacción con los espectadores, quienes pueden observarla abiertamente, desde distintos puntos de vista. Para ello utiliza el color de una manera poco convencional, al igual que las profundidades y los efectos visuales. Este proceso, técnicamente complejo, puede llevarle meses o incluso años.
En estos momentos está trabajando en un movimiento que ha denominado ‘Maximalism’, en el cual emplea una miríada de formas intrincadas y de colores ultra-saturados, acentuando el detalle y las combinaciones infinitas de las formas y de los colores respectivos. “El quid del movimiento Maximalism es hacer las formas y los colores más elaborados que antes; para llevarlos al grado más alto del detalle”. En estos trabajos no sólo se encuentran elementos abstractos y geométricos sino también figurados, como personas, símbolos y una iconografía multicultural”. De este modo, pretende llevar el arte contemporáneo a un nivel superior.
Entre otros muchos proyectos, ahora está preparando una exposición para febrero/marzo del año que viene en el museo de la Universidad de St. Lawrence (the Richard F. Brush Gallery) en Canton, NY, y otra en el Museo de Arte de Albany, para mayo.
Le inspira el cambio y la innovación, y la capacidad de creación es innata en él: “cuando compongo una obra, me centro en el mensaje y el impacto”, comenta.
“Me gusta la gente que innova y aporta al mundo los últimos avances en cualquier disciplina, como Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Picasso, Basquiat, Elijah McCoy, Barack Obama, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Kaidi Tatham, Mahatma Ghandi, etc”.
También le encanta la el jazz de todo el mundo, sobre todo de West London, como Dego, Kaidi Tatham, 4hero, etc., y escuchar esta música es su manera preferida de relajarse y desconectar.
English:
DAVID GAITHER
David Gaither primarily grew up in Atlanta, GA (USA), but he has travelled extensively internationally. He is a self-taught artist, and according to his folks, he began his progression in art around the age of three: “ I can recall memories of at a very young age getting up early in the morning to sketch/compose, or working into all hours of the night on compositions, in which I acquired skill. A lot of my earlier works were more figurative in nature, and over time, I went through periods of metamorphosis in which my style evolved. Around the time I began producing art, I also began inventing, and I have compiled a large body of innovations that I hope to release in my lifetime. For example, I patented several iterations of an internal lacing system for footwear, and earlier in my career I ran a think tank in which I was in the midst of licensing those respective patents to a large footwear company before it nearly folded”, he says.
In regards to qualifications, he studied business in college, and received an MBA from a top-tier school. He currently work in strategy consulting, and he find that the creativity and technical skill of art comes hand-in-hand with solving complex business problems for top management of large, Fortune 500 companies.
He crafts works of varying sizes, from large murals to smaller paintings, and even sculptures. The theme of each work guides the size and type of canvas, paints, and other materials and methods involved. He has works have been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, from leading US cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Atlanta, to as far as London, Lausanne, Paris, Dubai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo.
His process is unique and original for each work he composes, and depends on the work he is producing. On some occasions his works are crafted “free-form,” in which he approach the canvas or medium without any pre-determined theme. The entire process is pure improvisation, in which he never knows what the finished work will look like, and the entire experience is about enjoying the creative journey.
On other occasions he approach the canvas with a specific theme, such as a defining work, a new series of works, a commissioned work, etc. With many of these types of works, he employ an intricate process of sketching the conceptual theme beforehand, and then he creates a “Colour Construct” – his “black box” of “colour science” specific to the work. This may involve several iterations of the sketch until I am happy with the conceptual sketch. He then create what he calls a “Colour Construct” specific to the conceptual sketch, in which he plots colours to every respective section in the composition. This elaborate colour scheme/system full of complex, scintillating shapes and colours provides a chaotic yet highly controlled landscape, giving viewers an open view into his mind. New combinations of colours are employed in ways seemingly unconventional, in addition to experiments with new shapes and concepts that evoke new depths. Due to the labour-intensive and highly technical nature of his work, the process from start to finish may involve several months, and sometimes years.
He is currently expanding a movement he has termed Maximalism, in which he employs a myriad of intricate shapes and ultra-saturated colours, emphasizing the detail and infinite combinations of the respective shapes and colours. The crux of my Maximalism movement is to make shapes and colours more elaborate than before; to take shapes and colours to the highest degree of detail. His Maximalism works contain not only abstract and geometric elements, but figurative ones as well. “As you will see in the respective images, every work is “sui generis” or unique, and is composed with unique methods particular to the work. Some works contain a barrage of shapes and colours, while others contain more figurative elements such as people, symbols, and other multicultural iconographies. From my perspective, Maximalism is all about experimentation and evolution, stretching the constructs of what one thinks is imaginable; breaking limits or barriers to establish new paradigms. My aim with my Maximalism movement is to take contemporary art to the next level”, explains.
“I have seen my style evolve in which my patterns are becoming more complex and dense, the number of paints and materials employed are expanding, and I am working to diffuse my art across other mediums such as products (i.e., toys, apparel, etc.)”, express.
The hardest thing he has ever done is his most recent task of composing a litany of very large works for 3-4 solo museum exhibitions, an upcoming 2-month solo exhibition at 511 Gallery in Chelsea, New York City, that begins this October, in addition to forthcoming exhibitions at Art Basel Miami this December, and Art Basel Hong Kong for March 2017. Since he composes very large intricate paintings, at times he employed 18+ hour work days. In addition, He had to source a number of specialty paints and materials from around the world.
One of his solo museum exhibitions is currently at the Tubman Museum in Macon, GA, and has been extended until early August. One of his larger works (“The Grand Mural”) was recently added to the museum’s permanent collection. He is also preparing for solo museum exhibitions next year at the St. Lawrence University Museum (the Richard F. Brush Gallery) in Canton, NY, beginning in approximately late February/early March 2017, and the Albany Museum of Art (in Albany, GA), which will be a 5 month exhibition beginning in May 2017. For 2018, He is preparing for a 5 month solo exhibition at the Charles H. Wright Museum in Detroit, MI, which currently holds the world’s largest permanent exhibit on African American culture.
On top of all of this, he has more solo exhibitions being planned at museums and galleries internationally as we speak.
He is inspired by taking things to the next level: “creativity is natural or organic for me. I am also inspired by challenge and innovation. When I compose works, I focus on the message and the impact, keeping in mind that some works may require several months to complete”, says.
He likes people who are innovators and make lasting contributions on the world over numerous disciplines, such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Picasso, Basquiat, Elijah McCoy, Barack Obama, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Kaidi Tatham, Mahatma Ghandi, etc. “One of my ultimate goals is to provide a lasting contribution to the world during my lifetime across multiple disciplines such as art, innovation, etc”, continues.
We also talk about music: “I like a lot of jazz derivations from around the world, and in particular, music from the West London area from guys such as Dego, Kaidi Tatham, 4hero, etc. These guys push the boundaries of music, employing innovation and cutting-edge methods. I frequently listen to Dego & Kaidi records from last year (“Adam Rock Dissed!!” and “EP 2”), and recent records from a quartet they are part of, Tatham, Mensah, Lord & Ranks (“Off The Christmas Card List, “Cascade”, etc.). I also listen to a lot of jazz and classical music from luminaries such as Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Donald Byrd, Jean Luc-Ponty, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Yo-Yo Ma, and much, much more. Over the years, I have compiled an extensive amount of music”.
“One of my secret talents is that I am ambidextrous, or I paint/compose with both hands. When one hand gets tired, I switch to the other one, or use both at the same time. I guess another talent I have is that I can see things spatially and on multiple dimensions. When composing my complex works, I can see the finished product in mind before it’s finished. Lastly, I would say innovation has been a talent as well, as I prefer to stay at the cutting edge or far leftfield. I constantly experiment with proprietary materials to provide unique depths and finishes to my works”, adds.
To way to get away from the routine, he likes traveling, exercising, listening to some obscure jazz imports, having a glass of Hibiki whisky, or even going to dinner. Other times, he takes a drive with the top down on his car, enjoying the essence of life.
www.david-gaither.com