This blog was created to showcase the work I have created during, and as a result of, recent travels around the world. In the past year I was fortunate enough to have visited the countries of Cyprus and Turkey. Both of these countries are poised on the geographical border between Europe and the Middle East, and I found both fascinating. While in Cyprus I spent most of my time in the ancient city of Nicosia, comfortable ensconced in an apartment just blocks from the old walled city. In Istanbul, the world's third largest city, I stayed in a hotel in Taksim where I could watch the ship traffic on the Bosphorus River.
While in Istanbul and Cyprus, I painted some four dozen small acrylics, scenes I had witnessed during the previous day. I also took hundreds of photographs, some of which I have digitally manipulated and transformed into collages with bits of paper and acrylic paints. A series of small collages was also created, using images from the areas, pages from an old book I discovered in an antique shop in Ortokoy, pages from a small journal handwritten in Arabic, and other found papers.
Most recently, I was invited by the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts to exhibit my work in Trinity Church, located in Boston's Back Bay. During my stay there, I spent hours photographing both the church and areas on Cape Cod and Cape Ann. My time there was all too short.
Unless marked "sold" all pieces are available for purchase. Please email me at lorikgordon@gmail.com for sizes and prices.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Artists Statement
Travel to foreign countries opens up the world on many different levels. This series speaks to my experiences during recent visits to the countries of Cyprus and Turkey. Geographically poised between Europe and the Middle East, these countries embrace a rich mixture of historical traditions and a cultural milieu that has its origins many centuries ago.
My days began before first light, when I was awakened by the haunting calls to prayer which floated over the centuries-old embankments of the walled city of Nicosia and traveled through the streets of Istanbul. Early morning walks enabled me to experience the cities as they were awakening, and midday excursions allowed me to become a part of the bustling, modern pace of the world’s third largest city. Most evenings in Nicosia were spent on a balcony relishing meze and ouzo, and listening to the fifth and final call to prayer. Already, my visits feel like a delicious dream from which I am reluctant to awake.
The collection begins with a series of small paintings which portray people at prayer in the mosques of Istanbul, doorways in the old walled city of Nicosia as well as columns from ancient ruins around Cyprus, flower and vegetable vendors wandering the streets, and other scenes of daily life. A series of mixed media collages were built upon photographs; images of mosques, urban neighborhoods and small communities within the city of Istanbul were transformed into collages with bits of paper and acrylic paints. Another series of collages utilizes pages from an old damaged book which I found while treasure hunting in the community of Ortokoy.
I have a profound respect for the peoples of these nations. One of the things I wanted to portray in this series was the “other face” of Islam. Too often, we have been bombarded with frightening and usually inaccurate portrayals of these people who make up such a large percentage of the earth’s population. I have never met a warmer, more generous people and I hope that the affection I feel has been conveyed in all of this work.
“Mozaik” has been sponsored in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Six Degrees Consortium.
Travel to foreign countries opens up the world on many different levels. This series speaks to my experiences during recent visits to the countries of Cyprus and Turkey. Geographically poised between Europe and the Middle East, these countries embrace a rich mixture of historical traditions and a cultural milieu that has its origins many centuries ago.
My days began before first light, when I was awakened by the haunting calls to prayer which floated over the centuries-old embankments of the walled city of Nicosia and traveled through the streets of Istanbul. Early morning walks enabled me to experience the cities as they were awakening, and midday excursions allowed me to become a part of the bustling, modern pace of the world’s third largest city. Most evenings in Nicosia were spent on a balcony relishing meze and ouzo, and listening to the fifth and final call to prayer. Already, my visits feel like a delicious dream from which I am reluctant to awake.
The collection begins with a series of small paintings which portray people at prayer in the mosques of Istanbul, doorways in the old walled city of Nicosia as well as columns from ancient ruins around Cyprus, flower and vegetable vendors wandering the streets, and other scenes of daily life. A series of mixed media collages were built upon photographs; images of mosques, urban neighborhoods and small communities within the city of Istanbul were transformed into collages with bits of paper and acrylic paints. Another series of collages utilizes pages from an old damaged book which I found while treasure hunting in the community of Ortokoy.
I have a profound respect for the peoples of these nations. One of the things I wanted to portray in this series was the “other face” of Islam. Too often, we have been bombarded with frightening and usually inaccurate portrayals of these people who make up such a large percentage of the earth’s population. I have never met a warmer, more generous people and I hope that the affection I feel has been conveyed in all of this work.
“Mozaik” has been sponsored in part by the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Six Degrees Consortium.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
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