October Picante: Jonas Gerard’s savory new landscape series
September 7, 2012
“October”, the heart of autumn, the season when the eye is keenly drawn to the end-of-year beauty of the land… “Picante”, hot, spicy, colorful, a full torrent of sensation… These two disparate words combined create a powerful description of the unique new landscape paintings by the Asheville River Arts District’s mystical abstractionist, Jonas Gerard.Painted with a zen-like mindset, these works distill the pure, immediate allure of the land. By discarding preconceptions, expectations and distractions, Jonas was able to channel the full, abundant charm of the natural world into a new series of paintings that blend a simple sense of wonder with a high-voltage dash of spice.
An important aspect of this approach is painting quickly, spontaneously translating inspiration to canvas and eliminating any opportunities for second thoughts or regrets. This results in powerful brush strokes, bold color choices and insightful compositions that shine an artist’s light on nature’s secret places. The final impact though is not simply an in-your-face assault, but rather a series of portraits displaying the indescribable push and pull of the natural world. Hot and cool, simplicity and complexity, fire and water, sea and sky, all balanced as fleeting moments captured on canvas.
October Picante starts with a zesty opening reception at Jonas Gerard Fine Art, 240 Clingman Ave. in Asheville, NC at 6:00 pm, October 18th, and will be on display through November 12th.
For more information, visit jonasgerard.com