________
Keith Linwood Stover - Curator
_____
The Cyber Art Show
"Bringing the Museum to You"
- Image of the Day -
"A Splash of Spring"
______
Feature Artist Bio
By permission of the artist, The Cyber Art Show is pleased to feature the first of two 12-piece exhibitions of works by contemporary American landscape painter Rich Gallego (born 1962 in Santa Monica, California).
Rich Gallego has been painting the landscape since 1996. His longtime love of nature's wild places have taken him far afield from Arizona's Canyon de Chelly to the beaches of Hawaii. From the rivers, gorges, and adobes of northern New Mexico to the glaciers of Alaska and so many places in between, all in search of the scenes he loves to paint.
Referring to his obsession with painting as "my magnificent affliction," he is constantly searching for new ways to reveal the natural world to others through paint. Rich teaches weekly plein air workshops in southern California, annual plein air painting workshops for Cloudcroft Art Workshops in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and each year for the past eight, he has taught week-long workshops for the Taos Art School in New Mexico.
Rich is a member of the Laguna Plein Air Painters' Association and was juried into their "Best of Plein Air" show in 2015 and 2016. He has been featured in several articles by Plein Air Magazine's website, "Outdoor Painter" and appeared as a featured artist in "American Art Collector" magazine.
Rich has been represented by several galleries in Laguna Beach, CA, Monrovia, CA, and Cheyenne, WY. Currently, he is represented by CN Interiors of San Marino, CA.
Gallery #494
April 7, 2017
Twelve Pieces by Contemporary Artist
Rich Gallego (Born 1962)
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
“I cannot, with the modest tools of a painter, surpass the majesty of the peaks of the Sierra. It is futile to attempt, no matter my desire, to capture with perfection, the beauty of a passing desert storm. Yet, I, and others who share my wonderful affliction, continue to strive for that which we know to be unattainable. Why? For me, the answer is simple. In order to paint the landscape believably I am forced to contemplate and appreciate it at a deeper level than I otherwise would. It is this deeper appreciation that allows me to feel closer to the one who created all things.
Whether I’m standing on the banks of a wild Alaskan river or, perched precariously on a cliff overlooking the Pacific, there is one common theme that pervades each painting experience. It is the recognition that only a divine Creator could have imagined and constructed a world of such unparalleled beauty as the one in which we live. So, basically, I paint in tribute to the Creator. It is my way of saying, “I truly see what you’ve made and I love it!” If, in so doing, my paintings touch someone, if they remind them there is beauty in our world, then, I am content that I have accomplished something worthwhile.”
