January 26, 2022 – March 5, 2022
Artist: Gary Rubin
Gary Rubin was born in Brooklyn, NY and now lives in Kirkland, WA. He works primarily in graphite and draws every day without fail.
Gary obtained a BA in Drawing and Sculpture from University of Oregon and has shown in juried group exhibitions throughout the United States and online. This is his first solo exhibition.
www.instagram.com/garyrubinart
Artist’s Statement
Entering 2020, my goal was to return to art and commit to creating one drawing a weekend for the year. When the stay-at-home order went into effect in March of that year, I found myself drawing every night and throughout the weekend. It was drawing that has kept me centered and motivated, giving me purpose during isolation.
In my isolation, my connection with the outside world has been primarily through the pieces I’ve created. I have selected subjects that inspire me – that evoke an emotion or tap into one of the many feelings I have had, while we all dealt with the challenges of the COVID and racial injustice pandemics.
The subjects all lived within the frame of my television.
And from these subjects I created compositions, with a sketchbook, set of pencils, and an eraser that all reside on a TV tray.
I never know what the finished product will look like until I stop drawing. And when I stop, it’s because it feels complete and incomplete at the same time. It is not only with what I draw but what I don’t draw, allowing the negative space to complement and oppose the graphite.
These selected small works are among the 900+ I created while in isolation over the past two years. I feel so privileged to bring my work out of my home and to share with you.
I am honored and humbled to have my first solo exhibition here at Arts West. I am thankful for their ongoing work to steward contemporary visual and performing arts.
I hope you find this show a worthy and thought-provoking investment of your time.