Welcome to my interview with G.J. Gillespie.

Gary is a collage artist living in a 1928 Tudor Revival farmhouse overlooking Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island (north of Seattle, Washington). In addition to natural beauty, he is inspired by art history — especially mid-century abstract expressionism. The “Northwest Mystics” who produced haunting images from this region 60 years ago are favorites.

Winner of 20 awards, his art has appeared in 60 shows and more than 90 publications.

When he is not making art, he runs his sketchbook company Leda Art Supply.

Artist Statement

Most of my work references art history. Uniqueness is achieved through use of collage material such as colored tissue, disassembled newspaper clippings, or Fred Meyer grocery ads. My goal is to create individuations of universal imagery that seem mysterious in new contexts.

Rather than venturing into a world of totally original designs, I try to “stand on the shoulders of giants” and rift on cultural icons.

By tapping traditional compositions of famous artists of the past, viewers sense that my designs are familiar and different at the same time. This is why I like ancient Greek art as well as the body of work from midcentury masters that we have come to love.

Please note, the video shown at the top of this page is the full interview, with both parts included. I have repeated it on both show notes pages for convenience, but both are the same.

Part two of this interview is available now at passionatepainterpodcast.com/episode98.