I have been a painter all my life – my medium for many years was oil paint on canvass. In the 1970’s I painted with acrylics on canvass and on plexiglass – and in the 1990’s I went to the computer and began painting with pixels on a screen.
Gary Cantor
The images displayed on this site are drawn freehand using a mouse with a laptop attached to a TV monitor.
Most often I create my paintings with a black digital line on a white ground. I freely allow the line to guide my hand and follow the pattern that comes forth. In time shapes appear and in further time a subject appears.
Then I determine what I have drawn and from the determination I develop my painting. I rework the new image until I have a composition that is ready to be “decorated.”
I then fill the positive and negative spaces with color and values, shades and patterns that aesthetically appeal to me. I readjust and juxtapose these elements until, once again, they appeal to my aesthetics.
Then and only then, do I give the work a title that describes what I have subconsciously done thus bringing the image into a consciousness that the viewer can better understand.
There are other times I have an idea for an image – and I set out to accomplish that visual goal. I still let the lines guide my hand, but I do add some control to direct the lines to achieve more objectivity in that I want the final work to represent my original vision.
In general my colors are pure and tend to be on the bright side – I like color. I normally do not use shading and only do so if it enhances the colors themselves and not to show dimension.
I am subjective about the shape, size, and placement of things including facial characteristics, figure proportions and that would include limbs, hands, feet, etc.
I dress up my paintings with the wonderful patterns and textures one can only get with digital art techniques. I like juxtaposing a flat surface against a patterned one.
I am not on any social media, so the only way of exposing my work to others is for you, if you feel so inclined, to forward my work to your family and friends. I know it will make my major “patron” happy.
Thank for your time and attention.
Gary Cantor
Major Patrons
I would like to give credit to some of my major patrons who I have not yet recognized, who hold major collections of my earlier work, and who gave me the recognition to keep going.
- Chris and Dr. Roland Blantz
- Dennis Cantor
- Ron Gerber
- Jay and Susan Golding
- Randy Gruber
- Henry Haimsohn
- Howard Koosed
- Leo Zuckerman