Gary Zeff
Email: garyzeff@gmail.com
Medium: Oil, Acrylic, Wood, Sculpture
From acquiring the raw wood to the completion of a piece, wood has challenged my sense of creativity to reveal the unique beauty of each piece. Being an artistic woodturner for over 40 years, I began to focus on more sculptural forms by combining wood with other media such as metal and fiber. Much of my work was elevated rather than sitting flat on a table, giving the piece a more elegant look. This direction provides an expanded vocabulary of form and space for my series of vessels.
As I grew older the large pieces of wood that I was handling and cutting with a chainsaw became difficult so I searched for other avenues of creativity that would be equally rewarding. Happily, I began with acrylics and switched to oil painting that I continue to this day. I have learned so much about composition, style, and directing the eye in a painting. I learned to understand the difference between what people think they are seeing vs. what is actually there.
I most enjoy painting landscapes, especially scenes with old barns, perhaps offering a feeling of times past.
Note: Gary Zeff is the founder of Open Studios. He began the organization in 1995.