Current Exhibit
George Grace: The Technoluminist Perspective
September 20 - November 20, 2022
September 20 - November 20, 2022
Dawn Over Coke Ovens, acrylic and mixed media,
17 x 17 inches
The Art of George Grace / Neoluminist. Technoluminist.
Grace coined the term, Technoluminism, a specific brand of neoluminism that relies on the human presence in the artwork, real or suggested. In this term he applies the idea of the “Civilized Landscapes” of George Inness and the moods of Edward Hopper and Charles Burchfield to the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
“Urban landscapes mark the time in which they are painted--dynamic; dramatic; ever- changing; while nightscapes are probably the most overlooked niche in art,” he says. “There is so much beauty in the night, so much dramatic potential. Much of that is the night owl in me, but the challenge is to present it in ways that mark the time in which it is painted--hence the “neo” part of my neoluminist art.
The “techno” prefix occurs when the hard and straight lines of human construct and the lighting peculiar to our time are mingled with the evanescent shapes and lighting of nature. His works often have neon signs or sodium-vapor lights as they cast rich and sometimes eerie light on their surroundings, and clearly mark the time in which they are used.
“Nature creates the mood; the human presence modifies it, often interrupting it. In my work, the human presence, while not often seen, is almost always implied. To paraphrase from the movie American Beauty, there is so much beauty in the world, in the ordinary, in the things we too often ignore or look past. As an artist, I feel an obligation to chase and capture it and give it back to the world.”
Artist Bio
George Grace has worn many hats in his lifetime: artist, art teacher, exhibition juror, arts author; playwright, poet, social activist; steelworker; carpenter, etc.—which he attributes to a lack of any steady gainful employment after 9/77’s closing of the steel plants in WNY. He served four terms as president of the Buffalo Society of Artists. His work has been shown in numerous galleries, including the Albright-Knox; the Burchfield-Penney Art Center; the Steel Plant Museum; Nashville’s Parthenon; and has been included in many national exhibitions. His how-to articles have been featured in Pastel Journal and Art Calendar magazines. In August 2020, he was included in the Buffalo Society of Artists’ Video Archive Project, a program he started in 2009. He is the author of three poetry anthologies, six plays (all staged), founded the Circleformance Lit./Music series (1984); and the LitGarden Writers Group (2008). The second printing of his book, Steeling America—a Poetic Memoir of Bethlehem Steel’s Lackawanna Plant has been included in the National Steelworkers’ Archives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
More information and images of George's work can be found here: George Grace - Buffalo Society of Artists member profile.
Grace coined the term, Technoluminism, a specific brand of neoluminism that relies on the human presence in the artwork, real or suggested. In this term he applies the idea of the “Civilized Landscapes” of George Inness and the moods of Edward Hopper and Charles Burchfield to the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
“Urban landscapes mark the time in which they are painted--dynamic; dramatic; ever- changing; while nightscapes are probably the most overlooked niche in art,” he says. “There is so much beauty in the night, so much dramatic potential. Much of that is the night owl in me, but the challenge is to present it in ways that mark the time in which it is painted--hence the “neo” part of my neoluminist art.
The “techno” prefix occurs when the hard and straight lines of human construct and the lighting peculiar to our time are mingled with the evanescent shapes and lighting of nature. His works often have neon signs or sodium-vapor lights as they cast rich and sometimes eerie light on their surroundings, and clearly mark the time in which they are used.
“Nature creates the mood; the human presence modifies it, often interrupting it. In my work, the human presence, while not often seen, is almost always implied. To paraphrase from the movie American Beauty, there is so much beauty in the world, in the ordinary, in the things we too often ignore or look past. As an artist, I feel an obligation to chase and capture it and give it back to the world.”
Artist Bio
George Grace has worn many hats in his lifetime: artist, art teacher, exhibition juror, arts author; playwright, poet, social activist; steelworker; carpenter, etc.—which he attributes to a lack of any steady gainful employment after 9/77’s closing of the steel plants in WNY. He served four terms as president of the Buffalo Society of Artists. His work has been shown in numerous galleries, including the Albright-Knox; the Burchfield-Penney Art Center; the Steel Plant Museum; Nashville’s Parthenon; and has been included in many national exhibitions. His how-to articles have been featured in Pastel Journal and Art Calendar magazines. In August 2020, he was included in the Buffalo Society of Artists’ Video Archive Project, a program he started in 2009. He is the author of three poetry anthologies, six plays (all staged), founded the Circleformance Lit./Music series (1984); and the LitGarden Writers Group (2008). The second printing of his book, Steeling America—a Poetic Memoir of Bethlehem Steel’s Lackawanna Plant has been included in the National Steelworkers’ Archives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
More information and images of George's work can be found here: George Grace - Buffalo Society of Artists member profile.