Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Earl Gardner and the Serenity that Surrounds Him at Gallery 208 by JANICE BURTON If you ever encounter Earl Gardner, you will be struck by two things: to paint battlefields and war scenes, but that's not me. I only want to paint the first is the depth of his knowledge about the world around him and the things that are meaningful to me. I look for peaceful things." second is the serenity that surrounds him. Janice laughingly explains that nothing The first comes from the fact that he and no one is safe when Gardner begins is a well-read man, the second is the fact looking for a new subject. he does what he loves and loves what he "If we are out on the boat, and he sees does. Between the two, it's hard not to find something that interests him on another serenity in this crazy world. boat, he starts taking pictures," she said. "I Gardner, a self-proclaimed Army brat, always tell him that not everyone wants to spent his childhood like a modern-day be a subject for his painting." gypsy picking up stakes, moving every three But painting is his passion. years with his family from Fort Benning, "God doesn't charge you for the time you Ga., where he was born, to foreign locales spend creating," said Gardner. "When I'm like Germany and Texas, which he jokingly painting, I totally get immersed in it." refers to as one more foreign country. While there are some people in his "Have you ever been to Texas?" he asks, paintings, his focus is really the world with a smile on his face. around them. His art falls mainly into One of those moves brought his family to two categories: landscapes and seascapes. Fort Bragg, and Gardner, to the place he While his name may not be familiar in has called home most of his adult life. Fayetteville art circles, his work is. One of "When we moved to Fort Bragg, his landscapes hangs in Cape Fear Valley my family bought this place," he said, Hospital. The piece, originally painted referencing the grey farm house in Parkton, for his wife, caught the eye of a hospital N.C., where he and his wife, Janice (a administrator, who bought the painting. school teacher), raised their family. Gardner quickly went about creating a It was there, that Gardner began a lifesimilar painting for his wife. long study of art. "I lose a lot of paintings that way," she "I was that kid who sat in the back of the said. room and was supposed to be learning, but For Gardner, seeing is creating. "I instead was drawing," he said. need to see what I am painting. I don't "When he was supposed to be learning to have much imagination. I leave that to Earl Gardner has always loved painting. His work falls mainly into two categospell, he learned about art," added Janice. the Creator. I look at what he has made ries: seascapes and landscapes. In high school, he took advantage of the and that's my inspiration. I look at life as limited art classes offered and learned what more than just a glance out of a window. I he could, but after graduation, he started to work at a series of factories, believe there is a God-spark in all of us and my paintings come from that spending 27 years of his life at Kelly Springfield making tires. Painting spark, which the Creator gifted me with." definitely was not in his job description, but while there, he painted a He says he paints in the impressionist style. "They did not paint exactly couple of murals in the factory's front office and created a 3-D model of what they saw, they painted their impression of it. That's why I do," he the plant. continued. "I love that golden hour when the light is hitting just right and During that time, he would take continuing education art classes at the entire world looks alive." Fayetteville Technical Community College and picked up ideas for painting He takes that moment to capture what is around him, from an old and techniques from the copious amount of books he read and from tobacco barn to a seascape from his boat as he indulges in his other television. passion — fishing. "I'm not a big fan of Bob Ross, but don't tell anyone," he said. "But I "We spend a lot of time at Oak Island," he said. "The movement of learned from anyone and everyone I could." the ocean and the light is so different there. Usually, we are there on A massive heart attack took Gardner out of the factory and gave him the vacation, and when you are on vacation, you take the time to really look at opportunity to indulge his passion. things. The ocean is constantly in motion and the light is always different. "If you have a passion for something, don't waste your time doing Everything is moving, and capturing that movement is magical." something else," he said. "When you work in a production environment, Gardner recently did a 20-foot mural of the waters off of Oak Island, there is no end in sight. You put out a paper and when it is finished, it's which traces the island all the way up to Fort Caswell. That mural is on done. You can put your name on it and move on. In a factory, 1,400 display at Parkton Elementary School. That painting came quickly for him. people work on a tire, and when it goes out the door, there's another tire "Sometimes you may spend 14 hours on a project, and others come so to make and nobody puts their name on it." quickly. That was one of them," he said. That pride in ownership is something that shines through in the Gardner is excited to have his work on display at Gallery 208. landscapes Gardner produces. He paints what he sees, and while it is "This is really a first for me," he said. "I've had works at 4th Friday usually the simple things around him, he makes them unique. His work is events, even won some money. But this is the first time I am going to share in oils, because he believes they are the most forgiving. my works in such a large collection. I'm a little nervous." "Water colors do not allow mistakes," he said. "Everybody has a streak To see Gardner's works, come to the opening at Gallery 208, located in of creativity in them; it's part of the Creator." the corporate offices of Up & Coming Weekly at 208 Rowan For Gardner, that creativity is fed by the things he sees every day. The St. The opening is on Tuesday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. For joy he takes in making the mundane art is easy to see in the serenity of his more information, call 484paintings. 6200. JANICE BURTON, Associate Publisher, "If you don't love something, don't do it," he continued. "For me, I Up & Coming Weekly. COMMENTS? always look for the light. I look for the way light hits objects. I have tried bbowman@upandcomingweekly.com. WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 22-28, 2014 UCW 13