Mojave Noir IV- A Decade in the Dark- Showing at The 29 Palms Art Gallery Oct 1-26,2020
Selected Works Image Gallery
All images Copyright David C. Greene Images may be downloaded/used for publication or promotion purposes only.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
October at The 29 Palms Art Gallery: David C Greene’s Mojave Noir IV- A Decade In The Dark:
Paintings of the Mojave Desert by Moonlight.
TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA -- Wonder Valley artist David Greene will present 18 new paintings from his on-going series “Mojave Noir” at the 29 Palms Art Gallery. This show will mark the public premier of his major new work “The Music of the Spheres - An Unintended Triptych,” painted as a tribute to Greene’s friend and mentor, the late artist James Beoddy of Columbus, Ohio. Greene is well-known for his nighttime landscapes inspired by his life in Wonder Valley, a wilderness desert community east of TwentyninePalms. Almost two years in the making, the triptych is a notable departure from Greene’s works through 2019. Along with the new works, Greene will include Mojave Noir paintings from all stages of the 10-year series.
The show runs Oct. 1-26, with an opening reception to be held Saturday, Oct. 3 from 3-5 p.m. Masks and social distancing will be requested on the premises.
“After being delayed from showing in the spring, it’s only appropriate to have the show in October. Jim Beoddy and his performance character ‘Goblinhood’ were big fans of Halloween, and the triptych, being based on dreams, is like the Halloween version of my regular work. The delay gave me time to expand my techniques and add new elements to the paintings.” says Greene.
“What started as a self portrait to note dropping my day job to be a full time artist ,Vol. 1 evolved into something far greater than I ever dreamed. Jim and I were friends for 23 years and it took me five years after his passing before I could really process the effect he had on my artistic outlook. He used a surrealist kind of ‘Where’s Waldo’ technique he called ‘Infinite
Regression,’ hiding enlarged depictions of the foreground features in the sky and backgrounds, all overlapping each other.
“These works are strongly influenced by his painting technique, and feature many of the characters he created, as well as portraits of Jim, myself, our respective pets, common friends, and references to historical works of art and Jim's favorite author, H.P. Lovecraft. It's a tribute, hopefully without being derivative or crassly imitative. Vol. 2 is based on a dream I had about Goblinhood ten years ago. Vol. 3 is based on a dream narrative Jim had self-published in 1998. Each painting led to the next without planning. I call it an arcane, long-running, inside joke with a dead guy. But I haven’t reached the punch line yet.”
On Saturday Oct. 17 the artist will teach a Plein Aire “Wine & Paint” workshop on
techniques for creating nighttime works of art. Hosted by The 29 Palms Art Gallery, adult
students can sip wine on the patio as they paint along with David. The class runs from 4-6
p.m. Materials will be provided and the registration fee is $40 for members of the gallery
and $45 for non-members. Pre-registration is recommended to ensure availability.
Masks and social distancing will be requested on the premises.
For exhibit information and class registry: 29palmsartgallery.com.
Darcy Phillips 29 Palms Art Gallery 74055 Cottonwood Dr. 29 Palms, CA 92277 (760) 367-7819
David Greene: dcgreene57@gmail.com (760)217-0792
For more information on James Beoddy visit: beoddy.com
October at The 29 Palms Art Gallery: David C Greene’s Mojave Noir IV- A Decade In The Dark:
Paintings of the Mojave Desert by Moonlight.
TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA -- Wonder Valley artist David Greene will present 18 new paintings from his on-going series “Mojave Noir” at the 29 Palms Art Gallery. This show will mark the public premier of his major new work “The Music of the Spheres - An Unintended Triptych,” painted as a tribute to Greene’s friend and mentor, the late artist James Beoddy of Columbus, Ohio. Greene is well-known for his nighttime landscapes inspired by his life in Wonder Valley, a wilderness desert community east of TwentyninePalms. Almost two years in the making, the triptych is a notable departure from Greene’s works through 2019. Along with the new works, Greene will include Mojave Noir paintings from all stages of the 10-year series.
The show runs Oct. 1-26, with an opening reception to be held Saturday, Oct. 3 from 3-5 p.m. Masks and social distancing will be requested on the premises.
“After being delayed from showing in the spring, it’s only appropriate to have the show in October. Jim Beoddy and his performance character ‘Goblinhood’ were big fans of Halloween, and the triptych, being based on dreams, is like the Halloween version of my regular work. The delay gave me time to expand my techniques and add new elements to the paintings.” says Greene.
“What started as a self portrait to note dropping my day job to be a full time artist ,Vol. 1 evolved into something far greater than I ever dreamed. Jim and I were friends for 23 years and it took me five years after his passing before I could really process the effect he had on my artistic outlook. He used a surrealist kind of ‘Where’s Waldo’ technique he called ‘Infinite
Regression,’ hiding enlarged depictions of the foreground features in the sky and backgrounds, all overlapping each other.
“These works are strongly influenced by his painting technique, and feature many of the characters he created, as well as portraits of Jim, myself, our respective pets, common friends, and references to historical works of art and Jim's favorite author, H.P. Lovecraft. It's a tribute, hopefully without being derivative or crassly imitative. Vol. 2 is based on a dream I had about Goblinhood ten years ago. Vol. 3 is based on a dream narrative Jim had self-published in 1998. Each painting led to the next without planning. I call it an arcane, long-running, inside joke with a dead guy. But I haven’t reached the punch line yet.”
On Saturday Oct. 17 the artist will teach a Plein Aire “Wine & Paint” workshop on
techniques for creating nighttime works of art. Hosted by The 29 Palms Art Gallery, adult
students can sip wine on the patio as they paint along with David. The class runs from 4-6
p.m. Materials will be provided and the registration fee is $40 for members of the gallery
and $45 for non-members. Pre-registration is recommended to ensure availability.
Masks and social distancing will be requested on the premises.
For exhibit information and class registry: 29palmsartgallery.com.
Darcy Phillips 29 Palms Art Gallery 74055 Cottonwood Dr. 29 Palms, CA 92277 (760) 367-7819
David Greene: dcgreene57@gmail.com (760)217-0792
For more information on James Beoddy visit: beoddy.com
Also check my Home page for newly uploaded images of artwork from 2016-2020!
Selected Images from the show:
Spiglet by Moonlight Oils/Plywood
7 3/4" x 18" DCGreene 2018
Strays of a Feather Vol 2 The Night Watch Oils/Birch Panel 13" x 29" DCGreene 2019
Pssst...Up Here- Oils/Canvas 16" x 20" DCGreene 2019
Full Moon On My Bedroom Oils/masonite 10" x 26" DCGreene 2019 Painted Plein Aire by the light of the moon.
Bed Under The Big Dipper Oils/Masonite 18" x 24" DCGreene 2019 Painted Plein Aire by the light of the moon.
Homestead Living Oils/Canvas 16" x 20" DCGreene 2020
Waiting for the Kettle-Oil/Canvas 11"x 14" DCGreene 2020
Artist & Dog Oils/Canvas 30" x 40" DCGreene 2020
Goin'NowhereFast-Oil/Canvas 24" x 36" DCGreene 2020
Friday Night At The Drive-In Oil/Canvas 18" x 24" DCGreene 2020
Weekend Invaders On The Far Horizon Oil/Canvas 24" x 36" DCGreene 2020
The Lawn Ornament-Oils/Canvas 18" x 24" DCGreene 2020
Spiglet Oils/Canvas 16" x 20" DCGreene 2020
Portrait of James Beoddy -Oil/Canvas 16" x 20" DCGreene 2020 After a photo by Fred Scruton
The Music Of The Spheres Vol 1 All My Sins Are Blotted Out Oil/Canvas 30" x 62" DCGreene 2020
The Music Of The Spheres Vol 3-The Dream Narrative of James Beoddy Oil/Canvas 36" x 48" DCGreene 2020
The Music Of The Spheres Vol 2 Goblinhood Galactica Oils/Canvas 40" x 62" DCGreene 2020
Notes on David C Greene’s The Music of the Spheres
by Alexander de Cadenet
The most recent series of Mojave Noir paintings, ‘The Music of the Spheres’ show a marked evolution in subject matter from David C Greene’s previous Mojave Noirs. Now it’s not just scenes of natural beauty that the artist selects from what he sees around him in the desert of Wonder Valley at night. In these new paintings, all manner of significant personal memories, contemplations, inspirations, synchronicities and peak moments have been incorporated.
Through his paintings, Greene invites you to join him in sharing what he has witnessed and experienced. On one level, the works are a study in the relationship between the artist and the cosmos, an examination of the bridge between the world of form and the world of the ‘un-manifested’. In the night’s sky, luminous shapes and spirit forms float above the desert. On the desert floor, moments of terrestrial drama are being playing out under the yellow campfire glow with varying degrees of surreality.
The sight to behold in Vol 2 of the triptych (referencing the Renaissance triptych reserved for sacred altarpieces), is of the faceless artist, sitting with his back to the viewer gazing upwards awestruck by the magnificence of infinite space. It could be any one of us that represents the universe becoming aware of itself.
On another level this series is also a homage to Greene’s friendship with the artist Jim Beoddy (1951-2015). Greene describes the paintings as an “ongoing joke between me and a dead guy. I’m still getting to the punch line, still telling him jokes.”
These works encourage longer term contemplation beyond their initial appeal; yet they may or may not end up releasing all their secrets; that will depend on who is viewing them. Here is a magnum opus of the artist’s work to date.
1 Comment made to the author of this text in person on Mount Wilson Trail, Sierra Madre August 29, 2020
by Alexander de Cadenet
The most recent series of Mojave Noir paintings, ‘The Music of the Spheres’ show a marked evolution in subject matter from David C Greene’s previous Mojave Noirs. Now it’s not just scenes of natural beauty that the artist selects from what he sees around him in the desert of Wonder Valley at night. In these new paintings, all manner of significant personal memories, contemplations, inspirations, synchronicities and peak moments have been incorporated.
Through his paintings, Greene invites you to join him in sharing what he has witnessed and experienced. On one level, the works are a study in the relationship between the artist and the cosmos, an examination of the bridge between the world of form and the world of the ‘un-manifested’. In the night’s sky, luminous shapes and spirit forms float above the desert. On the desert floor, moments of terrestrial drama are being playing out under the yellow campfire glow with varying degrees of surreality.
The sight to behold in Vol 2 of the triptych (referencing the Renaissance triptych reserved for sacred altarpieces), is of the faceless artist, sitting with his back to the viewer gazing upwards awestruck by the magnificence of infinite space. It could be any one of us that represents the universe becoming aware of itself.
On another level this series is also a homage to Greene’s friendship with the artist Jim Beoddy (1951-2015). Greene describes the paintings as an “ongoing joke between me and a dead guy. I’m still getting to the punch line, still telling him jokes.”
These works encourage longer term contemplation beyond their initial appeal; yet they may or may not end up releasing all their secrets; that will depend on who is viewing them. Here is a magnum opus of the artist’s work to date.
1 Comment made to the author of this text in person on Mount Wilson Trail, Sierra Madre August 29, 2020
