A tradition that my family started many years ago was to collect some type of art from a place we had visited. It may have been a small magnet, an art print from a local artist, a coffee mug with an identifiable skyline and usually an ornament for the Christmas tree. When I look around my home, I see evidence of many locations that we have visited and places that have enriched our lives.
Evidence of all of the " Wheres" provides a sense of accomplishment and purpose.. Where we have traveled. Where our family has lived. Where we are wanting to visit. Where an important event occurred.
My enjoyment of painting Urban Landscapes, especially in a square format, led me to create a collection of paintings called Where Squares. These paintings are a result of my impressions of a place which encompass local signage, architecture and landscaping. I photograph around the city/town and make my compostitions based on pleasing elements from the street scenes. I chose to paint these urban landscapes in watercolor and on a Claybord panel which are 12 x 12 inches and have a 1.5 inch raised frame. Once completed, the painting is sealed with an acrylic varnish which gives a slight satin finish. The painting can be displayed framed or unframed.
I plan to dedicate a wall in my home to display Where Squares from all of the places I have lived. I have lived in 8 different cities or towns and I would like to also include one from Edinburgh, Scotland, Dublin, Ireland and London, UK since I am of Scottish-Irish and English heritage. So far, I have completed Where Squares from only three of the places where I have lived.
I will be passing through Memphis next month, so I hope to do some photography to capture an interesting street scape scene from the downtown area. I lived in Memphis for 5 years in the late 1980's
Once I had my idea for the Where Square Collection firmly in mind, I asked a talented artist friend, Emily Cloninger, to design a logo for me. I gave her a few basic parameters, and after a little bit of back and forth and refining of ideas, she designed this wonderful logo for me. I am thrilled to have this as a way to identify Where Squares that I have painted and are a part of my collection. Each Where Square that I complete will have this identifying logo on the back of the painting. Emily also developed the lovely russet-colored background for the logo that I also use in my web design and branding. So, a big thank you to Emily who can be found on Instagram at ecloninger_art.
Where Squares can also be commissioned. If you have a particular location that you love, ask me to do a Where Square for you. It may not be anywhere that I have visited, but if provided a photo, I can create a Where Square for any location. Fill out the "Contact Me" form
The collection itself, in my view, is artistic as a whole. At this point, I have approximately
20 Where Squares on display in my studio at the Emporium Center. Many of the Where Squares are from in and around Knoxville, Tennessee because that is where I currently live. My plan is to continue to add to the collection and to have an entire wall filled with Where Squares.
Below are some of the Where Squares that I have completed.
Original Where Squares are $250. Some of the originals have been sold. Contact Me to purchase an original.
10 x 10 inch matted prints can be purchased from my shop for $25 each. Click here to purchase a print.
My summer and beyond includes travel to many more Where Square locations. Hope I paint one of your favorites.
Gayla