Gary Symington
Creating a painting is a means to make a permanent, expressive record of a person, place or event I’ve seen first- hand. These places and events may be interesting to me because of the color, texture, lighting, mood, or just the subject itself, which might be anything from a dense forest with complex light to a crashing surf on the rocks. Reference photos are a good starting point, but the expression and immersion in the act of painting itself is what is so satisfying. And if someone likes your art as well: that’s a plus.
I enjoy painting in casein because it’s water soluble, dries fast and the finished art can be ready to show in 2 weeks. This is compared to oils, which require weeks to dry and use volatile mediums. I’ve found that casein paint is often a subject of interest itself, as it’s a relatively unknown medium despite being in use since the days of cave paintings! I enjoy explaining and demonstrating casein, and receive many questions about it.
Painting to me is a means to make a permanent, expressive record of a person, place or event I’ve seen first-hand– places and events that excite me for the color, texture, lighting, mood, or just the subject itself. Reference photos are a good starting point, but the expression and immersion in the act of painting itself is what is so satisfying. And if someone likes your art as well, that is a plus.
I enjoy painting in casein because it’s water soluble, dries fast and finished art can be ready to show in 2 weeks, as opposed to oils, which require weeks to dry and use volatile mediums. Casein is often the subject of interest itself, as it’s a relatively unknown medium despite being in use since the days of cave paintings! I enjoy explaining and demonstrating the medium, and often get asked about it.
Artist Statement
I consider myself a versatile landscape and seascape figurative artist. I painted in oils on canvas for many years in my spare time (I had a “real” job as an art director), but since becoming a full-time “fine” artist in 2017, I’ve been experimenting with new mediums. I particularly enjoy casein, a versatile milk protein based water soluble medium that can be used thin like watercolor, or applied thick and opaque like oils. With casein, I develop my paintings in multiple glazed layers using casein emulsion medium, finishing areas with more impasto highlights.
My latest work reflects an interest in the vistas, flora and fauna around me, with emphasis on color, atmosphere, texture/detail, light and shadow. I’ve been paying close attention to how light filters into groves of trees, as well as the intertwining and complex shapes of trees. The play of light–direct and dappled and filtered–is very interesting and beautiful to me, and very challenging to depict.
I have also tried to take advantage of my more open schedule to attend Artist Residencies—the most recent for a month in a small town in Portugal.
My art has been influenced over the years by Impressionists such as Claude Monet, Childe Hassam, Arthur Streeton, and CA Impressionists Frank Benson and Guy Rose. I also enjoy the mixed media work of Swedish artist Carl Larsson.
Mediums: Casein, Watercolor, Mixed Media.
Website: https://garysym1.wixsite.com/fineart
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/garysymingtonfineart