Deck the Walls

Each December/January Gilman Contemporary celebrates the diversity of the artists they bring to Sun Valley with their group exhibition, Deck the Walls. This dynamic group show teases upcoming feature exhibitions with works by Joanne Freeman, John Westmark, Matt Duffin and Paul Béliveau, as well as introducing new artists to the gallery Tony Hernandez and Jason Wheatley. We will also feature one of Jill Lear’s newest large scale works  alongside Michael Massaia, Kelly Ording, Ellie Davies, Rodney Smith, Thai Mainhard and Frances McCormack.

The gallery is pleased to present Tony Hernandez whose work is at once whimsical and controversial. Born in 1964, Hernandez has been professionally painting for the last 35 years. Focusing on children, Hernandez highlights the powerlessness and imagination of those who have no choice. Working on handmade birch wood panels using the technically demanding process of encaustic painting, his works are simple visually, but psychologically complex. The children in his work are caught floating alone on the panel, caught in a daydream. With nothing to distract from the subject, the viewer is pulled into this land of childlike curiosity and wonder.

Jason Wheatley is well known for his dreamscape paintings of animals, birds and fish placed together  in fantastical ways. He has painted animals throughout his career and uses them as spirit guides to venture into the aethereal realms. Wheatley’s early influence was French realist Gustave Courbet. Although Wheatley may be inspired by Courbet, there is nothing derivative about the work of this 21st-century fantasy realist. He brings his own contemporary blend of tension, intrigue, humor, and beauty to his still-life canvases. By juxtaposing odd objects that wouldn’t normally be grouped together,  Wheatley succeeds in getting the viewer to suspend disbelief.