Biography | Gary Aagaard's available art for sale
The Dude abides
Artist Statement : My work is the product of my environment over the last three decades. Generally, I've had a positive experience yet tend to be irked by the frequent political and religious hypocrisy, general apathy (relating to war, the environment, fact-challenged pundits, etc.) and dogma of any stripe that leads to social and spiritual tunnel vision. These themes are prevalent in many of my paintings although are often explored using satire and humor as opposed to a sledge hammer (granted, I do use that on occasion, too). That said, during those infrequent times I step off my battered soap box, I paint pieces which will hopefully provide edification or simply a chuckle.
Crass Capitalism : In today's climate, many would brand my work a product of, gasp, Socialist leanings. To dispel this career-threatening rumor, I offer original art and hand-signed/numbered, limited edition giclees for sale within the Commerce section of my website (designed by the lovely and talented Ann-Marie Stillion). Thus, I suppose the worst I could be labeled is a Sociatalist.
Quick Bio : I began my professional career shortly after becoming a Society of Illustrators Scholarship Award winner in 1982. My conceptual cover and interior illustrations have appeared in numerous publications including The Village Voice, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Philadelphia Weekly, Barrons, Oxford American, Business Week, Bloomberg, SF Weekly, Seattle Weekly and Discover Magazine. In addition to my editorial work, I've created book illustrations for Reader's Digest Books, Houghton Mifflin, St. Martin's Press, Harcourt Brace and “Emily and the Ostriches” (Rizzoli Publ.), a children's book collaberation with Dan Bernstein.
Awards & Exhibits: My work has received recognition from the Society of Illustrators (NYC), the Society of Publication Designers, Print, the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, Applied Arts and American Illustration. My paintings have been displayed in the Museum of American Illustration, Gallery-Henoch, the Smithsonian, Klaudia Marr Gallery, Xpo Gallery, Mendenhall Gallery, Ward-Nasse Gallery, Gallery Nucleus and was part of the Museum of American Illustration 2000-2001 Traveling Exhibition.
Now, on with the show….. thanks for taking a peek.
On November 13, 1997, the "Great Writers of the 20th Century" stamps were officially issued in a ceremony at the Smithsonian Institution's Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC. Most of the living honorees and families of the authors attended.
Excerpt from the Washington Post (November 14, 1997) - "My heart stopped....I was bowled over," poet Maya Angelou said yesterday, glimpsing her image on a stamp from Ghana. She was among 12 African American writers honored at the Hirshhorn Museum as Ghana and Uganda unveiled the stamps.
Also seeing their stamps for the first time were Charles Johnson, Rita Dove, Mari Evans and June Jordan. "I have had two thrills today: being on a stamp is one and to sit next to Rita Dove and Maya Angelou is the other," said Johnson, who wrote the acclaimed novel Middle Passage."
