edward b. gordon: discovering the beauty of the so-called every day life
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
I'm very happy that Edward Gordon, whose paintings I have been admiring for some time over at dailypainter.com has stopped by today.
mj: I love the way you seem to capture people going about their every day life. Have you always painted these moments or is this a new development in your work?
edward: It is something that I started about 3 years ago and it has intensified ever since; now it is my "leitmotif" if you like, and the more I use it as my source of inspiration, the more I seem to discover the beauty and detail of the so-called every day life. There are hundreds of variations of a situation possible, and that entices in me an even greater passion to paint it all.
mj: How long have you been painting? How did you get started as an artist?
edward: I grew up in a painter's studio, the studio of my mother, and in a sculpture studio, the studio of my father, so to paint was something completely natural, everybody painted in our family, so there was never a conscious start. However, to become a painter was never my intention, as it seemed something you did anyway. I went to drama school in London in the mid 80s, and somehow I got more involved in the stage and poster design of things, it was then that I felt that painting was a very deep rooted desire. It took many more years, and many more painful sidetracks to accept it, and finally then go for it. The interesting thing then was that all those years of unconscious painting did more harm then good. I had many habits that I would have to overcome, many preconceived ideas about painting, that were simply not true...it took some hard training to overcome all that.
mj: Does fashion inspire or influence your work?
edward: It does. I paint people in their fashions, even if I sometimes do not agree with fashion. For me there are two ways of fashion, the one that enhances the human form and spirit, and the other that seems to diminish its form and dignity, distorts the laws of human anatomy and makes a fool of the bearer, but it is a picture of now in this precise window of time. I do not judge in my paintings, I only record. My own likes and dislikes are not of so much of an interest to me.
mj: Besides painting do you do any other art work such as photography, sculpture, etc?
edward: No, I paint most days up to 10 hours, there is no more time, but sometimes I play the piano in my studio.
mj: What is your favorite art project that you've created so far?
edward: The answer I am giving now seems to be very cliche, I am very aware of that, but it is the simple truth, the painting I am on at the moment today is the most important and my most favorite project, otherwise I would stop doing it.
mj: In terms of your painting, who are your influences and how did you develop your style?
edward: Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent, Odd Nerdrum and Lucian Freud....those are my masters. How do I develop my style? I am not sure about that, maybe it is the never ending training of the eye?
mj: Do you have new projects that you're working on?
edward: I have at the moment about 100 commissions given to me, waiting for me, so that should keep me off the road for a while.
Here are a few things about Edward B. Gordon that you might not know:
THE FOUR MOST STYLISH PEOPLE THAT INFLUENCED ME:
Prof. Egon Neubauer (my godfather), William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and Ivo Pogorelich
FOUR OF MY FAVORITE DESIGNERS:
Lloyd Loom, Mackintosh, Gaudi and all those wonderful tailors and shoe makers in Savile Row London
FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD IN MY LIFE:
1. Actor
2. Diamond Broker
3. Recommandeur for a Motorbike Show
4. Painter (and I stick to that one)
FOUR MOVIES I WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER (AND DO):
Moliere, Death of a Salesman, Amadeus, Gandhi
FOUR PLACES WHERE I HAVE LIVED:
Hannover, Aberdeen, London, Munich
FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH:
I do not watch TV
FOUR PLACES I HAVE BEEN ON VACATION IN THE LAST FOUR YEARS:
I had no vacation for the last 8 years, but then again I am on vacation every day, I do what I love to do most, to paint.
FOUR WEBSITES I VISIT DAILY (Or at least Weekly):
www.cfc.blogger.de
lizmoveson
www.sachlichkeit.org
trustyourstyle.com
FOUR OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
Italian, French, Indian, and then I start with Italian again
FOUR PLACES I WOULD RATHER BE RIGHT NOW:
Paris, Paris, Paris, and in my studio
Thanks Edward for stopping by! I plan to be scooping up one of his daily paintings very soon.
Labels: Edward B. Gordon
posted by Mary Jo at TrustYourStyle at
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
I'm Mary Jo, a handbag designer living in sunny California. TrustYourStyle is where I share inspiration and connect with other style lovers. Did I mention I celebrate 
2 Comments:
I can see Edward as an actor. The Comedy Club series was so dramatic. Very noir. He's amazingly prolific.
hi-hi! thank you for your response. I was looking up Edward's fashion paintings and came across this post of yours that I've looked at before when it first came out. Was very glad to find all your other fun fashion posts. Great inspiration from both of you guys, wink-wink :)
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