Local Talent
By Tonya Smith
South Jersey is the home to many artists who represent a myriad of artistic genres. You can easily look around and find portrait artists, cartoonists and even watercolor artists. But, it’s not very often that you find an abstract artist at the shore…who just happens to be a surfer.
If you make a trip to Peace of Wood, in Ocean City, you will find a small back room filled with skate art and one special wall. It is there, that you will find some of the most vibrant and refreshing original abstract paintings by a local surfer. This work all comes from the mind of Gary Lindley.
Lindley graduated from Ocean City High School, but decided to follow his dreams to California for his collegiate education. After graduating in 2000 with a B.A. in Fine Arts from the San Francisco Art Institute, Gary headed back home to Ocean City. A life in the art world isn’t always easy. He has seen many hurdles and has battled addiction (now 11 years clean and sober) but he has not let it stop him from creating and contributing to the art world. Gary is finding his flow in the water as a surfer and in the art realm as a painter.
When it comes to defining art or style, Lindley does not like to conform to labels. In fact, he doesn’t even like to title his paintings. He sees art as a subjective form of expression. The person viewing the work can choose to label or not to label the piece.
“I remember Miles Davis, one time, talking about his songs. And someone asked him, ‘What do you call this?’ And he said, ‘You can call it whatever you want!’ I always thought about Jazz music and how they come up with these titles.” Lindley continued, “Every single song has to have a title. It doesn’t make sense because it’s an abstract song!”
When looking at some of the pieces that hang in Peace of Wood, you can see glimmers of inspiration. Lindley sites Picasso, Basquiat, Dali and street artists as influences but his paintings only allude to the artists ever so slightly with a brisk tip of a hat.
There is no question that his work is 100% reflective of him, his life and his style. As a surfer, Lindley sees his love of the water translated into much of his work. He likened painting to catching a wave and not trying to conquer it, but going with it and learning from it. “I paint fluid lines. It’s the same as surfing. You can see them flow on the canvas. It just comes to me and I go with it.”
Lindley’s work is layered. He is not just dedicated to paint and canvas. When you look at his work closely, you will see paint, pen, marker and sometimes even crayon. He finds art in torn paper, bubble wrap, color upon color and in shadows. Textures seem to be his true medium. He even uses sand, rock and shells from the beach to create forms on wood. He is always looking to find inspiration from organic situations. For Lindley, “Art is a different form of communication and sometimes it’s more emotional than it is actually describing something. “To me, the art should speak for itself.”
Do not miss the opportunity to see Gary Lindley’s paintings in person. His work is hanging in Peace of Wood (1112 Asbury Ave. Ocean City, NJ) and is available for purchase. He will also be selling originals and prints during the Ocean City Block Party on October 12th from 9am-5pm. He will be located right in front of Peace of Wood. Head on down and meet the artist.
