Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Honig.
Hi Gary, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Washington D.C. in 1954, the year Elvis Presley recorded his first record. I consider myself a child of the birth of rock and roll era. Being part of the original baby boomers, I enjoyed my formative years watching the transformation of this country through the sixties. My immediate peers were heavily involved in music which included being in bands, touring, and producing recordings.
In the early 1970’s, my college education did not result in graduation as my life outside University was becoming more attractive. Many years of making music, producing albums, touring on the road and odd jobs here and there eventually brought me to being a $5-an-hour house painter’s helper.
Being ambitious, I painted houses and buildings for the next decade. It was during this period, I came to fully understand how proper use of applications results in a better outcomes. How to best prepare a surface, how different paint products interact with each other, I became an expert painter.
I eventually threw in with a group of downtown artists who were renovating buildings in questionable D.C. neighborhoods. Each of us had a particular skill, and I was the painter guy. This allowed me to expand my repertoire to include all facets of building – electrical, plumbing, masonry and carpentry. This was fantastic because we were all artists and the rule “it’s art, there are no rules,” made everything a creative experiment.
After a while, watching other people create art wasn’t enough for me. So, at some point in 1990 I made my first wooden stretcher, stretched canvas on it and began painting.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road of all creatives is a struggle to be understood and appreciated. Like a miner searching for a vein of gold, we chip away at the wall, hoping to find salvation in the form of success among our peers and audience. There are components of the process that have to magically come together to create the opportunities we dream of. I’ve been aware of the parts of the whole, and I work every day to pull it all together.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My work involves layers, literally and figuratively. Having studied, visited with and observed contemporary art closely, I recognize when techniques and concepts I have been using all along appear and are validated in art history. My work is influenced by painters like Lee Krasner, Larry Poons and Joan Mitchell. To a great degree, my paintings reflect my adventures, which some might consider unconventional.
I usually enter a painting or series through a conceptual phase, where I initially seek to channel a motivation. I am sensing my way in, which could come in the form of what the painting might look or feel like, it could start with a potential title. Overall, my paintings vary in content and to best of my ability they reflect my personality. I want to see who I am in the painting.
Next, I gather materials. As a process painter I build my own wooden stretchers for the canvas. This work orients my mind and hands to shape what is about to happen. This is where the concept of what I think I want to do meets the physical making of it. My origins as a house painter carry over to where I use repurposed paint. I find discarded cans of paint where the viscosity might be affected. This is especially important in work with a lot of built-up textures.
Finally, my paintings are about color and movement. There is physical movement of my body when I am painting. While I am in the critical channeling mode, I am choosing my palette, which set of colors will go into the production. Through trial and error over the years I have gained confidence in directing my choices and setting my path. Watching colors interact is the heart of my work.
How do you think about happiness?
At this age, I have made choices which has led me to a lifestyle custom made for happiness.
I’ve never had a “job” with a “boss” who could control my day or outcomes.
My path has been my own.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rememberxyz.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rememberxyz_studio/
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rememberxyz.bsky.social
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GaryHonig
- Other: https://bsky.app/profile/rememberxyz.bsky.social
