Artist Bio:

Gregory Gallardo was born in Santa Ana, California in 1962. As a teenager, he was mentored by artist Don White and found early success exhibiting his figurative drawings and paintings. Gregory attended several local California Colleges and Universities but had little patience for organized art instruction and found that networking with other successful artists to be a more satisfying learning experience. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Gregory toured and recorded as a professional musician, all while continuing to produce commissioned artwork and the occasional gallery exhibit. He reemerged on the art scene full-time in early 2001 blending his love for music and dance performance to create his own unique views on humanity and spirituality. Since his return in 2001, Gregory’s works have been exhibited extensively throughout California and found its way into several permanent collections on an international scale.

Through the use of seductive rich colors and an exquisite sense of balance between planes, Gregory’s work spans between figuration and abstraction. Forever “the student” always reaching and seemingly never standing still, Gregory’s comfort zone is constant change - moving through different mediums and styles with perceived ease. His work feels personal rather than public. Fundamentally a West Coast artist, heavily influenced by his California environment, he has the ability to create a kind of humanized abstraction, either through the direct use of the human figure or through the delicacy and personal expressivity of the touch of his brush. His unique point of view on collage creates vivid figurative images with an uncanny painterly quality. His works elegantly reconcile his perception of the natural environment and the human condition.

Please note that the images shown feature works in progress. The completed Little Free Libraries can be previewed at The Tustin Art Walk on Saturday, October 18th. All libraries must be picked up in person at Arvida Book Co. once the auction concludes.