In James Gortner’s paintings, his personal conflicts, moods, and dreams combine with stories and magical myths of the past to create newly imagined myths. Gortner‘s paintings lean into sculpture, sometimes...
In James Gortner’s
paintings, his personal conflicts, moods, and dreams combine with stories and
magical myths of the past to create newly imagined myths. Gortner‘s paintings lean into sculpture,
sometimes referencing photography, and involve circumstances and processes akin
to performance. He often incorporates reclaimed wood and sustainable materials
in his paintings which add physical texture and tension and enhance the
narrative with fantastical abstractions of storytelling.
Gortner’s identity as an
artist is rooted in his hybrid of spiritual practices, artistic influences, and
technical virtuosity as a painter. His points of reference range from
large-scale history painting and contemporary abstraction to experiential and
conceptual art. Gortner intends to create vehicles of contemplation that evoke
greater awareness of our collective environment, interconnectedness, and
transformation.
Painter James Gortner
received his B.A. from Hawaii Pacific University and his MFA from Columbia University.
Gortner’s work has been exhibited at The Fisher Landau Center for The Arts (New
York), Mana Contemporary (New Jersey), San Bernardino County Museum
(California), RW Norton Art Gallery (Louisiana), The LeRoy Neiman Gallery (New
York), Lyons Wier Gallery (New York), Fernando Luis Alvarez Gallery
(Connecticut), and Dittrich & Schlichtum Gallery (Berlin). His work has
been featured in print in New American Paintings (North East Edition), New
American Art Collector Magazine, Men’s Journal, and the Berliner, among other
publications.
His artwork is included in
the collection of the Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation, Jimenez-Colon
Collection, and the Wooster Collective as well as the private collection of
President Jiang Zemin of China and actress Reese Witherspoon, among others.
James Gortner lives in New York.