Become part of nature inside the Art Gallery as classical landscape paintings adorn the white walls and abstract images have become the inspiration of “Earth and Sky.” The solo-show, running through Sept. 23, features the artwork of Fine Arts Professor Emeritus Carson Gladson. Consisting of multi-layered paintings, intricate pastel drawings and digital collages, the exhibit creates depth using landscape as the medium.
“It is an inspiring use of landscape,” Susanna Meiers, Art Gallery curator, said. “His depth to response to natural beauty is amazing and seems to carry him through life.”
An internationally distinguished landscape artist, Gladson, now retired from EC, taught painting and drawing for over 40 years and inspired many he came into contact with, both students and professors alike, Harrison Storms, fine arts professor and colleague of Gladson, said.
“His landscapes are beautiful,” he said. “They are very intricate and there is a sense of connection to the landscape of earlier times.”
Now surrounded by the San Bernardino Mountains, Gladson uses his intense relationship with nature to create a personal experience for each viewer, Meiers said.
“I have always admired his work,” she said. “He helps people to see landscape in a different way because his vision is so deep.”
“Falling Leaf,” “Rhythms in a Sunset Breeze,” and “View From a Cave” are just a few of the pastoral and serene paintings that depict California landscapes. And with different colors, elements and shapes moving through his artwork, Meiers said Gladson is a “color master.”
“His (art) is a color study; a way of setting up a problem that brings in colors and concepts,” she said. “And he has a controlled use of particular colors.”
While many of his images are rich in color, some of Gladson’s drawings take on mandala form – Hindu and Buddhist sacred art consisting of a square inside a circle with a center point. Not only are mandalas used as a focusing device for drawing, they are also used in spiritual traditions, Meiers said.
And for one student, this basic spiritual form was evident in Gladson’s paintings and his character was revealed to her in many of his pieces.
“From his work, I can tell what type of a person he is,” Ana Rodriguez, 20, fashion design major said. “He is a really soft person.”
As she peered into the Art Gallery, Rodriguez said Gladson’s impressive style and abstract artwork lured her in.
“I noticed pastels right away,” Rodriguez said. “It is so hard to work with pastels so I admire his good hand control.”
But with his sharp eye-hand coordination on top of many years of intense drawing and playing improvisational piano, Gladson recently took on a new form of artwork he calls “transparent collage.” He combines photography with his paintings and drawings to create digital overlapping, Meiers said.
Gladson’s artwork is showcased in Oakland Art Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Long Beach Museum also including many private collections throughout the U.S., according to the press release.
No matter what form of media Gladson uses, acrylic paint, pastels, water colors or computer techniques, his artwork consistently presents the environment that surrounds his life.
“His work is compelling and deep,” Meiers said. “It is a delight to have his artwork showcased in the Art Gallery.”
An artist’s reception will be held tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Art Gallery. The hours of operation are Monday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Wednesday and Thursday from 12 to 8 p.m. Admission is free.
