Painting a new chapter: Writer Alice Gerard displays her artistic side

By Karen Carr Keefe

Senior Contributing Writer

The new art exhibit at the Grand Island Memorial Library features a unique galaxy of creativity.

“The ‘sun moon stars exhibit’ is comprised of artwork created after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” explains artist Alice Gerard. The last piece chosen for display was created “a few days ago,” she quipped.

Many readers know Gerard as senior contributing writer for the Tribune/Sentinel/Dispatch. What they may not have known is that her creative talents include art, too.

The exhibit contains vivid, kaleidoscopic colors in artwork with a predominantly nature-based theme. Flowers dominate one section of the display. Other drawings have a technical precision with geometric shapes, but they are done freehand.

Another section of the display, called “Abstract Faces,” bears images that look like masks. Some faces are segmented in deep colors bordered in black lines to resemble stained glass.

The exhibit has a touch of whimsy, as colorful painted rocks with an ovoid shape sit in an egg carton.

“There are people who like the idea of photo realism. I appreciate looking at it. But for me, if I want something that realistic, I will take a picture, with a camera,” Gerard said. “Art, to me, is interpretation, rather than reproduction.”

She hesitates to categorize her work as belonging to any particular genre.

“One of the things I’ve been doing is experimenting with a variety of genres of art, because I haven’t really decided which one I prefer, and I probably never will,” she said. “I like to explore different art forms, so that I can really grow and expand and jump out of my comfort zone.”

Gerard asked for display space at the library through an ongoing program.

Library Director Bridgette Heintz explained, “The art display is available on a monthly basis. Basically, artists can sign up for it for one month at a time. If it ends up being a slow time, they can do it for two months, if we don’t have a huge demand for (bookings).

“To have access to it, all they have to do is call me over at the library: 716-773-7124.”

Gerard said she’s happy to have the opportunity to display her work, and the library is a good place to show it to a wide audience.

“I want my art to be accessible for people of all ages, from little kids to elderly people,” she said.

Gerard has had training in art from a number of teachers and mentors. She also draws inspiration from the masters.

The late artist Lee Tetkowski of Grand Island was influential in Gerard’s training. Among the greats who have inspired Gerard are Pablo Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Vincent van Gogh and Georgia O’Keeffe.

“I love all their styles, I love their techniques,” she said.

Gerard has taken art instruction from Joan Horn at Partners in Art in North Tonawanda; Sean Daley; Adele Upton; and Virginia Kelley, at Stella Niagara.

Gerard tells stories through her writing and her art. The creative process of writing and creating artwork has similar goals in her work.

“For nonfiction, my favorite type of writing is the interview/oral history,” she explained. “I really am fascinated by people's stories and am honored that they trust me enough to let me tell their story. Also, I believe that everyone has a story – just like I believe that everyone can create art.”

“I love doing art and illustrating my stories,” Gerard said.

She gets a kick out of writing what she calls “fractured fairy tales” – traditional tales with an unexpected spin or twist to them.

She also has aspirations to write and illustrate a book.

Art didn’t always go well for Gerard.

“I actually decided at the age of 15 that I had no talent, and therefore, I wasn’t going to do art anymore,” she recalled. “But my mother nagged at me until I started doing art again, and I never gave it up again after that.”

Gerard’s conception of art is inclusive.

“Art is for everybody. It’s not this magic thing called talent,” she said. “Art is about your imagination, It’s about creativity. It’s about how you see the world. … This is something that everybody can do. The artwork doesn’t have to be perfect. My artwork is not perfect. It just is an expression of you.

“Even if you never share it, there’s nothing to be lost by giving it a try.”

Gerard’s website is: https://sunmoonstarshine.com/.

Gerard talks about her exhibit

“The four major themes of the exhibit represent three parts of my story:

“The flowers look skyward toward the warmth of the sun; the ‘doodles’ represent pure imagination, which has no limits, even during a lockdown.

“One of the paintings is a mark-a-day painting for one month. Each day, you make only one mark on the painting to express the imagination that is within you that day.

 “The faces are the masks that we wear. Not just the masks that protect us from airborne disease, but the masks that we put on for the world to see. The mask of our jobs, our roles in life, the image we want to present. Sometimes, the mask breaks apart into pieces. The cubist image rejects the idea that art should imitate nature. It also rejects the idea that our masks are solid and unchanging.

“The 3-D elements represent the color and joy of the world, that, despite everything we have experienced since the pandemic began, we are always seeking color, joy, sunshine and hope, much like the flowers looking skyward toward the warmth of the sun.”