Until June 25, you can be transported to the beaches of California, the forests of Virginia or the deserts of New Mexico—without leaving Foggy Bottom.
Woody Gwyn: American Landscapes, currently on display at GW’s Luther W. Brady Art Gallery at 805 21st St., NW, features selected paintings of landscapes in California, New Mexico and Virginia alongside drawings and watercolors from Hawaii and the West, sketched by Mr. Gwyn between 1995 and 2005. Ranging in size and composition, the oil paintings feature different natural scenes, including a coastal highway, a stone tunnel and farmland.
“The timing of this exhibition was to honor the 400th anniversary of Santa Fe by exhibiting an exemplary artist who resides in New Mexico, and whose work we have admired and followed for many years,” says Lenore Miller, director of University Art Galleries and chief curator. “We took this opportunity to mount a representative exhibition of Woody’s work that would celebrate the American landscape.”
A recipient of an artist award from the National Endowment of the Arts, Mr. Gwyn’s works are displayed in museums across the country. Mr. Gwyn will also receive the New Mexico Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts on in September.
On May 13, Dr. Brady and the gallery hosted a discussion between Mr. Gwyn and Mary Lynn Kotz, contributing editor for ARTnews magazine and author of an essay about Mr. Gwyn’s work titled “The Land in Light and Space.” Mr. Gwyn and Ms. Kotz discussed the artist’s life in Galisteo, N.M., his attraction to landscapes and his approach to his work.
When asked how he chooses the scenes to paint, Mr. Gwyn says it sometimes “feels like it chooses me.” “It’s a desperate situation, being an artist,” joked Mr. Gwyn. “You have to be open to any type of suggestion that comes your way, visually or an idea.”
Telling the audience that the moments when he is pushed to his limits artistically are the “most crucial in the process,” Mr. Gwyn said that his inspiration comes from within, which he feels is a necessity for every artist. “Being an artist is not a job, it’s not even a profession--it has to be a passion,” he said. “From a personal standpoint, it’s the ‘doing’ of the thing that’s really the exciting part about it and you have to feel passionate.”
“Lenore and I have been working on putting this together for a long time, because I thought it would be a wonderful exhibition to show the American landscape, [a genre] which is becoming more popular,” said Luther W. Brady, B.A. ’46, M.D. ’48, who came across Mr. Gwyn’s work many years ago. The gallery’s namesake and benefactor, Dr. Brady is a renowned oncologist and former GW trustee. He received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from GW in 2004.