 Gary McGladdery |
I like impressionism, but sometimes I overwork my paintings until they are more like realism. I guess I’m in-between. I try to have good composition in all my paintings [the arrangement of things]. Sometimes I struggle with the light values but I’m working on that. It seems that every painting is different, so I’m always learning. Painting is like therapy for me, it’s a good hobby. I paint with acrylics only, I tried oil but I can’t handle the odour.
I like to painting old homesteads in the area. I can imagine a time when people lived there. Back then, when they needed to go somewhere they saddled a horse or hitched a buggy or slay. They’re slowly falling down now and disappearing from the landscape, so I want to paint as many as I can. I take pictures in the summer and fall, and paint in the winter. I have lots of things to paint, it seems I’m always ten paintings behind. I hope to paint Waterton Lakes and Frank Slide this winter too.
I was born and grew up in Pincher Creek Alberta Canada. I went to work on the drilling rigs when I was seventeen and spent most of my time as a driller on the rigs, and taking a few years off to drill water wells. I have spent most of my life, in Pincher Creek. In 2004 I was diagnosed with bone cancer. When the doctor informed me of my cancer, there was a nurse there to educate me about my condition; she suggested that I find something creative to do. I think they tell everyone that. On the way home, I thought, well it’s ether knitting or painting, so I got some paint and brushes right away. So that’s how I got started. I tried to learn from books, but didn’t have much success. I got some instructional DVD’s from the Jerry Yarnell School of fine art, on composition, and perspective, techniques, etc. They helped a lot. I only sign the paintings that I’m happy with; I like to paint everything from, barns, houses, fences, rivers, mountains, clouds, cows, horses, all the wild animals, fish and birds too. I especially like to paint scenes from around southern Alberta. Sometimes we don’t notice the beauty that surrounds us every day. It will keep me busy painting for along time. Sometimes it feels strange that I worked on the rigs all those years and now I just paint pictures.
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Gary McGladdery - Southern Alberta Art
Pincher Creek, Alberta
Email: info@garymcgladdery.com
www.garymcgladdery.com
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