BIO
Gerald K. Stone is a visual artist who, until recently, divided his time between south Florida and southwestern Ontario. Born and raised in Montreal and vicinity, he earned his B.A. and Master of Library Science, respectively, from Concordia and McGill universities. During his undergraduate years he studied with artists Charles Gagnon and Günter Nolte. Gerald retired in 2009 after a lengthy career at the National Archives of Canada and Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. In 2012, after viewing an exhibition of the work of the renowned artist Louise Nevelson in Naples, Florida, Gerald was inspired to start making assemblages, augmenting his long-standing interest in book collecting.
Gerald K. Stone is a visual artist who, until recently, divided his time between south Florida and southwestern Ontario. Born and raised in Montreal and vicinity, he earned his B.A. and Master of Library Science, respectively, from Concordia and McGill universities. During his undergraduate years he studied with artists Charles Gagnon and Günter Nolte. Gerald retired in 2009 after a lengthy career at the National Archives of Canada and Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa. In 2012, after viewing an exhibition of the work of the renowned artist Louise Nevelson in Naples, Florida, Gerald was inspired to start making assemblages, augmenting his long-standing interest in book collecting.
STATEMENT
By re-purposing found wooden objects into assemblages, I create personal narratives and explore aesthetic qualities such as abstraction, color, balance and harmony. I create assemblages from wooden objects found in thrift stores, garage sales or which have been discarded. Toy blocks, knobs and fragments of furniture and scrap lumber are staples. Supports are usually wooden trays or boxes of one sort or another. “Think outside the box” was a mantra I heard often in my professional career. Now, as an artist, I find delight and creative expression working, quite literally, inside of the box. “Think inside the box” challenges me to create artwork within prescribed boundaries, not unlike photography's format boundaries. Creativity comes from standing the box, and the objects with which I populate it, on its head and re-contextualizing these through arrangement and color.
By re-purposing found wooden objects into assemblages, I create personal narratives and explore aesthetic qualities such as abstraction, color, balance and harmony. I create assemblages from wooden objects found in thrift stores, garage sales or which have been discarded. Toy blocks, knobs and fragments of furniture and scrap lumber are staples. Supports are usually wooden trays or boxes of one sort or another. “Think outside the box” was a mantra I heard often in my professional career. Now, as an artist, I find delight and creative expression working, quite literally, inside of the box. “Think inside the box” challenges me to create artwork within prescribed boundaries, not unlike photography's format boundaries. Creativity comes from standing the box, and the objects with which I populate it, on its head and re-contextualizing these through arrangement and color.
EXHIBITIONS (juried group exhibitions unless otherwise noted)
2019 Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, Chatham, Ontario (Mayoral office, Nov. 12, 2009-Jan. 3, 2020)
2019 Think Inside the Box, ARTspace, Chatham, Ontario (solo exhibition, Sept. 12-Nov. 2, 2019)
2018 Eye for Art Show, Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, Ontario (Award of Excellence)
2018 Breaking Barriers Art Show, Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, Ontario (unjuried group exhibition)
2017 Hello Yellow, Naples Art Association, Naples, Florida
2016 Putting It Together: The Art of Assembling, Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles, Missouri
2016 Add Some/Take Some: An Abstractions Show, Armory Arts Annex, Lake Worth, Florida
2019 Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, Chatham, Ontario (Mayoral office, Nov. 12, 2009-Jan. 3, 2020)
2019 Think Inside the Box, ARTspace, Chatham, Ontario (solo exhibition, Sept. 12-Nov. 2, 2019)
2018 Eye for Art Show, Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, Ontario (Award of Excellence)
2018 Breaking Barriers Art Show, Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, Ontario (unjuried group exhibition)
2017 Hello Yellow, Naples Art Association, Naples, Florida
2016 Putting It Together: The Art of Assembling, Foundry Art Centre, St. Charles, Missouri
2016 Add Some/Take Some: An Abstractions Show, Armory Arts Annex, Lake Worth, Florida
COLLECTIONS
Gerald K. Stone's artwork is held in private collections in Canada and the U.S.A.
PUBLICATIONS
Gerald K. Stone. Think Inside the Box: Assemblages. Delray Beach, Fla., 2019. 14 p. ISBN 978-0-9811643-2-8.
An illustrated catalog issued in conjunction with the artist's solo exhibition at ARTspace gallery, Chatham, Ontario, Canada, Sept. 12-Nov. 2, 2019.
REVIEWS
"There is something immensely personal about the work of Gerald Stone, a quality only heightened by the coolness of its presentation and the care which goes into the composition of each work. As the titles themselves suggest, there is a sense of trauma, implicit or overt, laying just beneath their surfaces, a fragility thoughtfully approached and organized so as to amplify what is poetic and beautiful."
Phil Vanderwall, Curator, Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, Ontario
MEMBER
ARTspace (Chatham-Kent, Ontario)
International Council of Museums
Gerald K. Stone's artwork is held in private collections in Canada and the U.S.A.
PUBLICATIONS
Gerald K. Stone. Think Inside the Box: Assemblages. Delray Beach, Fla., 2019. 14 p. ISBN 978-0-9811643-2-8.
An illustrated catalog issued in conjunction with the artist's solo exhibition at ARTspace gallery, Chatham, Ontario, Canada, Sept. 12-Nov. 2, 2019.
REVIEWS
"There is something immensely personal about the work of Gerald Stone, a quality only heightened by the coolness of its presentation and the care which goes into the composition of each work. As the titles themselves suggest, there is a sense of trauma, implicit or overt, laying just beneath their surfaces, a fragility thoughtfully approached and organized so as to amplify what is poetic and beautiful."
Phil Vanderwall, Curator, Thames Art Gallery, Chatham, Ontario
MEMBER
ARTspace (Chatham-Kent, Ontario)
International Council of Museums
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