Gregory Anderson:
Works from an Unacceptable Portfolio

Frame Shop Gallery
May 11 - July 31, 2007

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The paintings of Gregory Anderson are both a pers-onal refuge of his own, and a window into a unique mind, for the viewer willing to make that leap.

Gregory Anderson was born with a brain injury that made doing the things normal people take for granted very difficult. Yet he has been able largely to overcome, through years of hard work and with his mother’s support, what seemed (to many experts) to be insurmountable problems. As his mother notes, he has been given many labels, none of which ultimately turned out to be correct. Thus he remains something of a mystery to “the experts.” Anderson himself views all this today with a certain amount of good natured amusement. And although he continues to encounter challenges, they are never enough to shake his fundamentally optimistic outlook.

He was never encouraged or taught to paint, indeed the title of the exhibit “Works from an Unacceptable Portfolio” is a lighthearted jab at an art teacher who once used similar words to describe Anderson’s art. He began painting to help himself through a difficult time in his life, and not only did he succeed in this, he found a joy in art that continues to this day.

The paintings themselves are above all honest and genuine. They reveal a certain classical poise, an imperturbable sense of balance, as well as colorful boldness in image and idea, and abundant visual wit. These paintings come from the heart. But they also come from a place of solitude, from an outsider, an outsider not by choice but by circumstance.

The perspective of an outsider is immensely valuable, although our culture is notorious for not acknowledging this. But one who is able to see differently, and also able to communicate his vision to others, is in a unique position to tell us something not just about himself but the world at large, something that would be missed by those who see and think only in ways that are considered “acceptable.”

An opening reception for Gregory Anderson
will be held during Gallery Night,
Friday, June 29 from 7-10 pm.