Hope and The Dawn of a New Day, Unborn Sun, Paintings by John Gordon Gauld
STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Berkshire Botanical Garden announces its featured winter exhibition: Unborn Sun, Paintings by John Gordon Gauld on display in the Leonhardt Galleries December 14 – February 7. An opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, December 14, 4 – 6:30 p.m. A tea service and “Meet the Artist” event will take place on Sunday, January 19, 2 – 4 p.m.
A New York City based artist, John Gordon Gauld’s compositions depict assemblages that seem unintentional at first, but with sustained attention, reveal a myriad of calculated, symbolic associations. In Nocturne 1, (Field), for example the birdhouse might represent an alchemical fortress. In Fidelity, the water jug can be seen as a vessel containing the vital (and seminal) energies of life. In addition to citing the first organized system of astrology in Babylon, Gauld hints at Ancient China’s complex astrological structure and Hippocrates’ four temperaments—sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Gauld’s references span a timeline of over four thousand years — reflecting the ever-changing perceptions of the celestial unknown. Gauld incorporates water gilding into his work, a labor-intensive process requiring many steps to achieve the desired effect. Multiple coats of gesso and bole are painted onto a poured surface and meticulously refined, followed by the application of a gossamer-thin sheet of gold laid with a gilder’s tip once water is applied to the surface. Finally, the gold is hand-burnished with an agate tool that gives it a molten liquid appearance. For many of his works, the artist employs rare, historic pigments—cinnabar, lapis lazuli, malachite, and madder root, to name a few. In combination, these pigments produce a unique visual experience that beckons time-honored, firsthand observation and stands in opposition to the proliferation of digital media.
“We are so excited to welcome John Gordon Gauld to the Leonhardt Galleries at BBG,” said BBG Executive Director, Michael Beck. “Through his meticulously crafted paintings and drawings, John will bring a brand new perspective to the art we showcase at the Garden. It will be a wonderful opportunity for our visitors to get inspired by his artisanship during the cold winter months.”
John Gordon Gauld graduated with a BFA with Honors from the Rhode Island School of Design and is the recent recipient of the Martha Boschen Porter Grant from the Berkshire Taconic Foundation to fund his future work. He has also received grants from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation, The Joan Mitchell Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, The Foundation for Contemporary Art, La Napoule Art Foundation, The Rhode Island School of Design, The Aldrich Museum, and The Vermont Studio Center. Gauld’s work has been included in many group exhibitions and featured in Bergdorf Goodman’s window displays as well as in publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, Art News, Vogue, Huffington Post, Scene Magazine, Refinery 29, Nylon, and Artnet News, among others. More information on the artist and his work can be found at johngordongauld.com
Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Leonhardt Galleries are located at 5 West Stockbridge Road in the Garden’s Center House, considered one of the oldest structures in Stockbridge, MA and renovated in 2017 to include galleries, a botanical library, classroom, and teaching kitchen. Gallery hours are weekdays, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and weekends, 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Admission is free.
