GARY WALDROM

Milford Galleries Dunedin18 Dowling Street (03) 477 7727 info@milfordhouse.co.nz

www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

CATCH US IF YOU CAN9th OCTOBER - 3rd NOVEMBER, 2010

1. GARY WALDROM, Peppermint Boys (on Tour) (2009

2009/10) oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 1220 x 1829 mm

1. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, Peppermint Boys (on Tour) (2009/10)

1. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, Peppermint Boys (on Tour) (2009/10)

2. GARY WALDROM, Millionaire and the Fountain of Youth

GARY WALDROM, Millionaire and the Fountain of Youth (2009/10) oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 838 x 1524 mm

3. GARY WALDROM, From There to Here II (2009/10), oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 1372 x 838 mm

3. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, From There to Here II (2009/10)

4. GARY WALDROM, Harlequin (2009/10) oil on canvas, stretcher

oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 305 x 762 mm

5. GARY WALDROM, Stone Mansion (2009/10) oil on canvas, stretcher

oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 1220 x 1829 mm

5. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, Stone Mansion (2009/10)

6. GARY WALDROM, Whitewalled and Supercharged (2009

2009/10) oil on canvas, stretcher (v x h): 838 x 1829 mm

6. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, Whitewalled and Supercharged (2009/10)

6. DETAIL VIEW GARY WALDROM, Whitewalled and Supercharged (2009/10)

7. GARY WALDROM, New Age Clown (2010), oil pastel on paper, frame (v x h x d): 661 x 1046 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 392 x 795 mm

8. GARY WALDROM, Stone Mansion Man (2010), oil pastel on paper, frame (v x h x d): 743 x 1023 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 393 x 385 mm

9. GARY WALDROM, Happy Man (2010), oil pastel on paper, frame (v x h x d): 767 x 997 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 390 x 420 mm

10. GARY WALDROM, Suspicious Man (2010), oil pastel on paper, frame (v x h x d): 767 x 997 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 400 x 320 mm

11. GARY WALDROM, Waldrom's Punch (Patent Pending) (2010) oil pastel on paper, frame

oil pastel on paper, frame (v x h x d): 862 x 1045 x 60 mm, drawing (v x h): 595 x 798 mm

There is something going on under the surface in Gary Waldrom’s new works;

something underdog and probably dodgy, but not necessarily sinister. Millionaires,

gangsters and jesters all play their part in the colourful, surreal and magical narratives

within the work, as if part of the cast of a 1930’s Hollywood classic.

The ambiguous exhibition title ‘Catch Us If You Can’ sets the scene of these theatrical

and moody works, not only in the connection to a fast getaway in fast cars but also

as a reference to a performance - get in quick to see the act before it leaves town!

The characters in ‘From There to Here II’ have come direct from London in their

mobile theatre. It is as if in the middle of a performance, something or someone has

caught their attention. What is going on beyond the canvas? Will Waldrom’s Punch

take advantage of the situation? Could Judy be behind this distraction? Have you

interrupted the performance?

Perhaps ‘Catch Us If You Can’ is a direct reference to the painting process. Waldrom

is able to capture a truly unique scene, a moment in time, which is in a sense timeless.

He solidifies thought, imagination and story in solid form- paint on canvas.

Maybe the title refers to fleeting youth. In ‘ Millionaire and the Fountain of Youth’ an

aging man searches for eternal youth- he seems so close, yet will he walk on past? As

the actors of Hollywood today use money to delay the aging process this millionaire

searches for a remedy for time. Waldrom sets the mood as dusk (or perhaps dawn)

stumbles upon the millionaire. The red sky burns over shaded bush and colours are

enhanced by the shining full moon.

The full moon is a bright beacon in the sky in ‘Stone Mansion’ where two elfin figures

wait on a street corner. There is a glowing ambience in the work and one can almost

feel the flicker of a dying street lamp. The environment is strangely familiar, the stone

mansion quite typical of New Zealand suburban concrete block house.

Ready for action the Peppermint boys are dressed, groomed and on tour. Like a kiwi

family snap-shot, they stand in front of their shining car surrounded by the distinctive,

dusky Hawkes Bay hills. Also captured, as if on film, accompanied by a prized 1930’s

Duesenberg car, three unlikely characters pose in ‘Whitewalled and Supercharged’.

A dilapidated barn graces the landscape where these proud and satisfied

characters stand. With each face unique, full of personality and looking directly at

the viewer, it is no wonder one feels like the characters are analysing the viewer as

much as we are them.

Catch Us If You Can’ consists of strong, entertaining and complex works, where each

stroke of paint tells a story and each colour glows with a magical presence.

Waldrom has also completed a series of character studies (drawings) to accompany

the six major painted works.

All prices are NZD and include GST; Prices are current at the time of the exhibition

E X H I B I T I O N P R I C E L I S T

1 Peppermint Boys (on Tour) (2009/10) 17,500

2 Millionaire and the Fountain of Youth (2009/10) 14,500

3 From There to Here II (2009/10) 13,500

4 Harlequin (2009/10) 5,750

5 Stone Mansion (2009/10) 17,500

6 Whitewalled and Supercharged (2009/10) 15,000

7 New Age Clown (2010) 3,500

8 Stone Mansion Man (2010) 3,000

9 Happy Man (2010) 3,000

10 Suspicious Man (2010) 3,000

11 Waldrom's Punch (Patent Pending) (2010) 4,000

Gary Waldrom 2010 CV Milford Galleries Dunedin www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

P a g e | 1

GARY WALDROM b. 1953, lives Waipawa

Bench Seat Conversation (2008/2009)

Gary Waldrom produces in his painting an alternate reality that is uncannily close to real life.

His work explores themes of isolation, dream, intuitive processes and the human condition.

Born and raised in Waipawa in the Hawkes Bay, he has been painting since an early age.

Waldrom’s paintings are familiar yet strange. Some of the imagery in his work is instantly

recognisable such as the distinctive Hawkes Bay landscapes and Waipawa buildings yet other

elements provide fragments of a narrative the viewer is asked to explore. To experience

Waldrom’s work is to actively engage in a dialogue with it. This is one of Waldrom’s numerous

strengths; the ability to create a dreamscape where questions remain unanswered but

continue to manifest.

People and places come to life in Waldrom’s works. The elfin characters that appear in his

work are almost hybrids of children and adults who reveal their own personalities. One can

only imagine what they are thinking when they are looking out of the painting directly at you;

from their real place into yours.

To describe Waldrom as an “outsider artist” is to label him all too quickly. His paintings clearly

demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of painting conventions however his work is

not confined to formal parameters and his discovery through practice has enabled him to

develop a truly unique style which is visually fascinating.

Gary Waldrom was born 1953 in Waipawa Hawke’s Bay. He has been a finalist in various

significant art competitions since the 1970’s: including the Benson & Hedges Art Award (1978),

Winner –Eastern & Central Trust Bank Art prize (1981), Merit prize – Montana Lindauer Art Award

(1986). He has had numerous and regular solo exhibitions throughout the country, and has

appeared in a number of group shows most recently at the Hastings City Art Gallery titled

“Mind Games (Surrealism in Aotearoa)”. He has featured in both documentaries and radio

shows. His works are held in public and private collections nationally including The James

Wallace Trust and Hawkes Bay Museum & Art Gallery.

Gary Waldrom 2010 CV Milford Galleries Dunedin www.milfordgalleries.co.nz

P a g e | 2

GARY WALDROM b. 1953, lives Waipawa

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2010 Catch Us If You Can, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2009 New Works, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2006 New Paintings, milford galleries auckland

2005 New Work, Janne Land Gallery, Wellington

2003 Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland

2002 Janne Land Gallery, Wellington

2000 Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland

1999 Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland

1998 Janne Land Gallery, Wellington

1997 Judith Anderson Gallery, Auckland

1996 Janne Land Gallery, Wellington

1995 Janne Land Gallery, Wellington

1993 Janne Land Gallery, Wellington

1992 – 1993 Hawke’s Bay Exhibition Centre

1992 Gisborne Museum and Art Centre

1988 Hawke’s Bay Museum

1983 – 1984 A.N.Z.A.S. Travelling Exhibition

1981 John Leech Gallery, Auckland

1977 Moller’s Basement Gallery, Auckland

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2009 Take 5, MG, Auckland

Mind Games (Surrealism in Aotearoa), Hastings City Art Gallery

2007 Selected Works by Gallery Artists, milford galleries auckland

2006 Object, Milford Galleries Dunedin

2005 Chosen, milford galleries auckland

2004 New Year, New Work, Janne Land Gallery, Wellington

Overview - Notions of the Figurative, Milford Galleries Dunedin

AWARDS

1986 Merit Prize, Montana Lindauer Art Award

1981 Winner, Eastern & Central Trust Bank Art Prize

1978 Finalist in Benson and Hedges Art Award

COLLECTIONS

The Rutherford Trust Collection

The James Wallace Trust

Hawkes Bay Museum and Art Gallery

Wingnut Films, Wellington

Le’Art Group, Hawkes Bay

Helene Quilter Collection housed at Govett Brewster

BIBLIOGRAPHY 2009 Cook, Vanessa Eve, A Familiar Dream, written for catalogue Waldrom ‘New Works’ 2009,

Milford Galleries Dunedin (attached)

2002 Outsider Art, episode 6, Radio NZ, Touchstone

The Big Art Trip II, episode 5, Television New Zealand

1995/96 Mack, James, Reverie and Reverence- The Paintings of Gary Waldrom, Art New Zealand,

No 77, Summer 95-96 (attached)