<![CDATA[Garry Oak Gallery - Behind the Art Blog]]>Sun, 01 Mar 2026 14:26:22 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Beauty and Grace: the Photography of Gray Giordan]]>Mon, 29 Apr 2019 16:00:00 GMThttps://www.garryoakgallery.com/behind-the-art-blog/beauty-and-grace-the-photography-of-gray-giordanI believe that beauty and Grace are all around us, every day.  The camera helps me to really see things that I often walk past without seeing.  By seeing beauty, symmetry and grace right where I am, I experience wonder and feel closer to my God.  I experience this Grace nearly everywhere. In the patterns and colors of leaves on the ground or how the light and shadow play on the mountains.  I feel that beauty, that reflection of Grace, is out there, perhaps not everywhere but in many places, happening so often that I only need to welcome it, be open to it for me to receive that Grace.
 
Mark Nepo says "In keeping the center of the I empty, the miracle of life can enter.  Art Wolfe, renown landscape photographer says, "Do not shoot with prejudice". I translate that to mean do not go looking for fish in the forest. There is much sage advice down the ages about not deciding before you see or hear.
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This photo is a good example of my belief that beauty in art and moments of grace happen constantly as a daily possibility.  The day of this photo, I had driven many miles to photograph a famous waterfall and was returning home.  I stopped near an orchard because of how the sunlight limned as a glow in the branches and leaves.  I had already taken some very fine pictures of the waterfall and could very easily call the day a success, yet I stopped.  I took some wonderful pictures of the light in the autumn leaves and, as I turned to leave, happy, I looked down. 
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For this I am grateful.
Please leave a comment to let Gray know what you think of his creative practice! To see more of Gray's photography, click here or visit him on Facebook. (GOG)
]]><![CDATA[Man in the Moon Sculpture Series by Pat McVay - Part 1]]>Mon, 04 Mar 2019 17:00:00 GMThttps://www.garryoakgallery.com/behind-the-art-blog/man-in-the-moon-sculpture-series-by-pat-mcvayIt is an honor the be a part of the Garry Oak Gallery where a number of my works are displayed.

This moon sculpture, that I am working on, is at the top of a 9' tall wood sculpture titled "Sailor's Moon". Hidden behind the moon is a mermaid riding on a whale. This is what the sailor is dreaming of as he sails across the lonesome sea. This is part of the series that I have been doing where the man in the moon is on one side and something else entirely is hidden on the other side.
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Please visit my website to see photos of my art and to learn more.  
Thank you, Pat McVay
www.mcvaysculpture.com 
]]><![CDATA[Images of the Modern American West - Part 1 - by David Sharpe]]>Sat, 12 Jan 2019 17:00:00 GMThttps://www.garryoakgallery.com/behind-the-art-blog/images-of-the-modern-american-west-part-1-by-david-sharpe
My name is David Sharpe and among many other things, I’m a photographer.   I am a member of Garry Oak Gallery in Oak Harbor, and this is the first of what we hope will be a series of blog posts by Gallery artists telling the story behind our own art.  All art, whether it’s paintings, jewelry, glass art, woodwork or photographs have a story to tell.   In the case of my chosen craft, travel photographs tell of places both near and far, inviting the viewer to connect with the landscape and imagine themselves in that setting.  In some cases, it sparks memories of past visits and reminds us of the stunning beauty that surrounds us on this earth.
My current display in the gallery consists of a mix of local scenes (Coupeville, Oak Harbor, Deception Pass) and scenes from a recent RV trip my wife and I took.   We were on the road for two months exploring the American West as far as the Mississippi River and Great Lakes.  Along the way we had no real destination in mind, instead following our inspiration and stopping to visit many National and State Parks along the way.   This style of travel is very freeing - no deadlines, no rush to get to any particular destination.   Our motto in our little RV is “We’re already there.”  This allows plenty of time for me to practice my craft - I can wait for the best light in a given location instead of just taking a quick snapshot and hurrying on.  I’ve always thought it would be wonderful to spend a year in certain National Parks, capturing the essence of the location in all seasons of the year. 
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But enough background - let’s take a look at some of the images I currently have on display in the gallery and I’ll tell you the story behind each of them.
SPEED LIMIT  
In Northern Idaho we came across a collection of old cars and trucks stored in an old slate quarry.  We’d passed this scene by in prior trips, but this time stopped to spend an hour wandering around the property (with permission of the resident) to make some images.   This image depicts an old US Army Chevrolet truck.   I thought the speed limit sign at the quarry entrance made an amusing counterpoint to the dynamically balanced truck rusting on the hill behind it.
MORRO BAY SUNRISE
We camped at a state park right on the beach at Morro Bay in Southern California.  I woke up early in the morning and grabbed my camera for a walk on the beach and captured the glorious dawn.   The birds on the pond in the foreground really added to the peacefulness of this scene.
ST. LOUIS ARCH AT NIGHT​
​More properly known as the Gateway Arch, this St. Louis landmark houses the Museum of Westward Expansion.   I really wanted to capture a night-time image of the Arch and found my spot across the Mississippi River on the Illinois side.  There I found an elevated viewing platform that got me above the levee and the train tracks and industrial areas, leaving a spectacular view of the city, including the Old Courthouse framed by the legs of the Arch.
Images of the American Modern West - Part 2 - Soon to come!
]]><![CDATA[New Blog on Garry Oak Gallery Website]]>Fri, 04 Jan 2019 18:42:51 GMThttps://www.garryoakgallery.com/behind-the-art-blog/new-blog-on-garry-oak-gallery-website
Garry Oak Gallery would like to promote more interaction between our artists and the community! We are initiating this blog in order to do so. Every Gallery artist will be given the opportunity to post short blog entries about their own personal experiences in creating their art. By creating this dialogue about the creative process, we hope we will provide awareness of, insight into and interest in the work of the talented artists who make up our gallery.
Stay tuned for our first artist's blog post. Please feel free to leave constructive comments and questions. If your questions relate to one of our artists, they will be relayed and responded to within a week. Thank you for visiting our blog! ~Garry Oak Gallery
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