Gale Wallar’s exactitude in describing what she sees around her is remarkable. Through the language of oil paint she creates compelling vignettes that put the viewer in the scene she is describing, as though present on the street in front of a row of buildings that she visited in one of her many years of travel. At some point, however, the viewer comes to the realization that the colors may be fresher and the perspective condensed. Wallar images the “real,” but, she remarks, her viewpoint “conveys a subjective reality affected by time and space.” In other words, the painted images may appear photographic, but subliminal qualities influence images in unexpected and compelling ways. Look for this in her attention to detail.
The Original Old Ebbitt Grill (Washington DC Landmark)
Mountains have been a major focus of Wallar’s landscape paintings for several decades. Parallel to this, she developed a passion for city scenes and depictions of structural elevations. Her Touchstone solo exhibition for October 2016, Altitude and Elevations, blends themes from both. The world which she continues to describe demands to be constantly reconsidered, to be looked at again, to be described in paint again and again as light over the mountains changes and buildings are remodeled. The possibilities of describing passing time, changes and space keep the artist in Wallar captivated by both the altitudes in the natural world and the elevations in a world occupied by people. –Rosemary Luckett
Above Davos
Altitudes and Elevations by Gale Wallar
Touchstone Gallery, 901 New York Ave NW, Washington DC 202-347-2787; www.touchstonegallery.com
October 5-30, 2016 Wed-Fri 11-6, Sat-Sun 12-5