Gerry Toler
Why B&W, well, why not? We do live in a world of color; black and white reduces the image to the basics of the image structure, without the distraction of color.
The Springfield Regional Arts Council has created a registry of artists in Springfield and our 27-county region in Southwest Missouri. The Artist Registry is compiled as a comprehensive catalogue and made available at local design trade shows and business expositions for residential and commercial purposes. Images of the artists’ works are also presented in an electronic slideshow at various events and locations.
Click an artist name to learn more and get a closer look at the artist's work. Artists should only be contacted for inquiries in buying, commissioning, or exhibiting their artwork.
Why B&W, well, why not? We do live in a world of color; black and white reduces the image to the basics of the image structure, without the distraction of color.
I do not create art pieces to sell. I create them because I can and because I love doing it. Many people have said to me, "That piece speaks to me in a particular way. I would love to have this in my home". When they say that, I am happy to sell it because I know they will take from it all the joy and care I have put into it, that they will share it with their friends and family, and that something I have accomplished will live on for ages to come.
I love how a tiny line applied to a smile or eyebrow or how one speck of color can change the whole perspective of a painting.
I am profoundly inspired by texture, discards and what lies beneath the surface. My primary art form has been in fashion design and the production of apparel. With that I am intrigued with hand stitched mark making and mixing garment construction concepts and compositions with a variety of mediums, including cloth assemblage, oil, acrylic and encaustic, to create surfaces that are both engaging and poetic.
Every portrait is approached with the utmost respect and reverence not only for the people involved, but also for the artwork that is meant to endure to future generations. Every portrait I produce is pursued with the goal of the resultant work being the very best I can produce.
I'm excited to share my collection of work with you. These pieces reflect the various stages of my four-year journey in encaustic painting. After a long break from the fine arts, I found myself needing to disconnect from the daily barrage of technology. So, I taught myself the basics of encaustics and I began experimenting in photo encaustics. I soon transitioned into abstract landscapes and nonrepresentational pieces. I enjoy exploring the texture, translucent quality, and fluidity that can be achieved through the medium.
Growing up I always loved hip hop culture and the art of graffiti. I spent a lot of my childhood doodling my friends names in different fonts and graffiti styles. Trains and abandoned buildings were always appealing to me as they were like free public art shows. As I got older I started to experiment with creating aerosol art myself, I lost interest overtime and decided I wanted to work with stencils rather than freehanding graffiti styles as the resources for graffiti in my hometown were not there.
For me, the art is not about replicating what I see or know. It's about expressing how I feel. That's why I'm fascinated by textures and layers. I use paint, objects, marks and scratches and am intrigued by how these elements combine and work in tandem to bring to life the stories I want to tell or the thoughts or feelings I want to express. The application of these elements and the act of creating each piece establishes a physical connection to the work. This energetic link is just as much a part of the story as the idea or feeling that prompts it.
~ Beauty, like truth, exists. And we, as human beings, have an almost divine capacity to recognize it. Art, for me, is an expression in paint of what my heart feels when my eyes are opened to the vast and amazing splendor of creation. In spite of the myriad struggles and changes on the path of a career artist, this one unchanging fact remains: I paint because if I didn't, my heart might explode. When a kindred spirit is touched while viewing my painting and feels that same infilling, that same indescribable longing and appreciation for our marvelous world, I consider that work a success.