Gabriel Liston

"I'm Going Ashore To Hunt"  Oil on linen  30" x 46"  2012

"I Know Who's Drowned - It's Us"  Oil on linen  34" x 48"  2012

"Say the Prayer For the Dying"  Oil on linen  54" x 42"  2012

"Their Efforts are in Vain"  Oil on linen  14" x 16"  2011

"We Will Be Rich For The Rest of Our Lives"  Oil on canvas  48" x 36"  2008

Gabriel Liston who is originally from Colorado, has a show up right now in Portland, Oregon where he currently lives and works. I happened to stop by the other day (if you're in the area it's only up until Sept 1). His work is immediate and disarming, the brushwork and drawings gestural, almost cartoonish at times but lovingly done. His palette of luminous greens and blues, dark browns and pale pinks perfectly captures the cool forest clad atmosphere of his new home in the pacific northwest. His subject matter is, in his own words, "Children tearing apart the world from the inside out, in those places where the world shows its seams." The quote is slightly cryptic but poetically captures the aching nostalgia for an innocence that never truly was. He depicts the interaction of childhood and the wide world without the interference of an adult reality. The results are only borderline idyllic, for in these dreamlike reveries lies all the tension and pathos that can makes the transition to adulthood so profoundly painful. He develops his imagery by accruing huge amounts of sketches and notes, then translating these into more finished work in the studio. The story book feel of the images is no accident either. The artist has an affinity for old books which he often uses as material for smaller work, often converting the book itself into his canvas. His titles are usually scavenged from these books, and their suggestive narrative potential perfectly suit the evocative imagery.
You can see more at his website: www.lastwater.net
or at his gallery websites: www.froelickgallery.com & www.plusgallery.com