John McGiff: Painting as Vision

John McGiff: Painting as Vision
November 14 – December 27, 2026

I make images to help map the terrain of the journey I find myself on and figurative narratives are my chosen stage.

I am naturally inclined towards making series of paintings that are bound by a central narrative idea that often stems from an old story. A reoccurring theme in my work is about the individual journey from innocence to loss to redemption. This is a culturally charged tale and by retelling some of the Greek myths, I benefit from working with archetypal narratives that are capable of shifting in their focus and, therefore, quite elastic in the vision that they imply.

What, for example, would Icarus do if he had landed differently and had a second chance at building a life? If Acteon was made to fall asleep by Diana’s pool, a prelude to his prescribed fate, what parade of figures would haunt and tantalize his dreams? How did the abduction of Persephone by Hades inform her adulthood and rebirth? This emphasis on one’s ability to transform experience in positive ways is the alchemy I seek from my painting practice

The figure is central to the compositions I make in the studio, as is color and the thrill of moving through pictorial space. I am as interested in humor and grace, as I am in the dramatics of the narrative, for the goal is to bring new ways of thinking about how we open up vistas for ourselves as we mark these passages we are on.

– John McGiff

LEARN MORE | About the Artist, John McGiff

OPENING RECEPTION
Saturday, November 14, 3 – 5 pm

Please join us to meet the artist and view the works; light refreshments will be served.

The WRCA galleries and art reception are always free and open to the public.

Gallery hours: Friday – Sunday, 12 – 5 pm

Image: John McGiff, Kore and Her Posse Flower Picking, 48 x48 in., gouache on canvas, 2023