JOHN VANDER
SICILY, THE CROSSROADS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
NEW PAINTINGS FROM ITALIA BY JOHN VANDER
JULY 20th THROUGH SEPTEMBER 9th
Gold/Smith Gallery is presenting new paintings by John Vander based on his experiences on trips to Sicily. All of Italy is a layer cake of history but Sicily is particularly rich. The ancient classic world rubs shoulders with Medieval, North Africa, Baroque and Modern. It is a place of great, if stark, natural beauty. The paintings are trying to draw on the seismic energy both natural and cultural. The pagan undercurrent makes the classical world alive. The smoke from Mount Etna reminds us of fragility and endurance.
“I have tried to evoke Sicily as a place where myth happens.”
Seismic energy has constantly played a deciding role on the surface of the Island of Sicily. Modest villages and monumental temples were lifted up and washed away of tumbled to the ground by 20 story marimoti, tsunami or tidal waves. Communities, the size and population of Portland, Maine, and their rich and artistic cultures were destroyed in an instant, leaving the remains a mystery to the eye and downstream, a treasure yet to be found. The verdant landscape, semi tropical and lush covers a tumultuous history of earthquakes, wars and floods.
The new exhibit “Sicily, The Crossroads of the Mediterranean”, will be featured at Gold/Smith Gallery July 30th through September 9th. There will be an opening reception at the gallery Friday August 1st from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend. Gold/Smith Gallery is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For more information the gallery can be reached at 207- 633-6252 or goldsmithgallerybbh@gmail.com. The website is www.goldsmithgallery.net.
“I have tried to evoke Sicily as a place where myth happens.”
Seismic energy has constantly played a deciding role on the surface of the Island of Sicily. Modest villages and monumental temples were lifted up and washed away of tumbled to the ground by 20 story marimoti, tsunami or tidal waves. Communities, the size and population of Portland, Maine, and their rich and artistic cultures were destroyed in an instant, leaving the remains a mystery to the eye and downstream, a treasure yet to be found. The verdant landscape, semi tropical and lush covers a tumultuous history of earthquakes, wars and floods.
The new exhibit “Sicily, The Crossroads of the Mediterranean”, will be featured at Gold/Smith Gallery July 30th through September 9th. There will be an opening reception at the gallery Friday August 1st from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend. Gold/Smith Gallery is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m. For more information the gallery can be reached at 207- 633-6252 or goldsmithgallerybbh@gmail.com. The website is www.goldsmithgallery.net.
“My painting seems immediate but in reality they can take me years to completely satisfy my goals. They are not romanticized in the least. They are the vision of what was and is, the once and the future. I am constantly amazed at the beauty that surrounds me. It can be a daunting task to capture that quality. I hope I have succeeded. I am never finished with a painting. The deadline of an exhibit pushes me to finish them,” says Vander.
John Vander has been invited to have a solo exhibit at the foundation of Marino Marini in Pistoia, Italy for the month of February in 2017. Pistoia has been named the Cultural Center of Italy for 2017 and Vander is pleased to be a part of this very important honor. 
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John Vander has been painting since he was a little boy. He splits his year between Boothbay, Maine and Lucca, Italy where he maintains two very diverse studios. His painting, mostly very mixed media, are vibrant, immediate and full of emotion and understanding of their place in the Universe. Each piece may take years to complete and yet they maintain their feeling of spontaneity. His use of colors are a joy and his bold calligraphic black lines only enhance his use of these colors. He has been represented by Gold/Smith Gallery for 24 years.
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