Meet Gary Paller

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Gary Paller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Gary below.

Hi Gary , thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
As Bill Brice once told my wife, “Gary was born with a sunny disposition”. Being an optimist has enabled me to make art with the confidence to know I can battle with the work to arrive at a really good destination.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My focus is on going in the studio and making great art. I am quite disciplined, spending time working on my paintings and drawings nearly every day. My work has evolved a lot in 50 years of painting. In the last five years my work has moved from an organic minimal style to a highly complex mix of interwoven geometry and abstracted words, letters, and graphic symbols. The paintings are about movement, color, and light. I’m occasionally involved in gallery exhibitions, and I have also produced some public murals.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Experimentation, Hard Work, and Looking.

For me, studying at UCLA, where I received my BA and MFA degrees was very valuable. Working with great teachers opened up a world of possibilities and trained me to continually stretch and challenge myself. I recommend all beginning artists to not rush to brand themselves, allowing for free experimentation and gradual development and not looking for a formula – that’s really not very interesting.

Spend as much time as you can in the studio. You get better at things the more time you spend doing them.
At first the progress may seem slow and you might feel that you don’t measure up to the other beginning artists. Don’t worry about them; just measure your own progress and you will see there are ways you are getting better. It’s a long road.

I think it’s very valuable to learn Art History. Go see as much great art as you can, first in museums, but also galleries. The more you see, the more you will be able to compare artists and figure out whose work resonates most for you. Everyone will have their own heroes and you may find that those heroes change for you over time. What you like this year may not be the case next year or ten years from now.

How would you describe your ideal client?
The ideal client in someone who appreciates what I am doing, wants to buy a lot of my work, wants to convince others to experience my work and support it, and loves the idea of living with my work and pondering it often.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Developing Discipline: Stories & Insights

Many of the most impressive entrepreneurs and creatives in our community exhibit a high degree

Confidence
How did you develop your confidence and self-esteem?

Confidence can open doors and is at the heart of so many amazing success stories

Resilience
Bouncing Back from Job Loss

Losing your job is painful and unfortunately the current economic conditions have led to many