Lawrence artist John Geery began painting slightly more than 10 years ago, and already he is showing his acrylic works in San Francisco, Chicago and New York City.
Not bad for a guy who studied the art of "lunatic and retarded" children and discovered it resembled his own childhood drawings.
"It was scary," he said. "That was the turning point for me."
Geery's paintings are unlike any other you'll see in Lawrence. They are populated by Siamese twins, anthropomorphic refrigerators and clouds, and people with heads that resemble oxygen tanks and laboratory beakers.
Although Geery said the content of his paintings is "straight from the imagination," his training at Kansas University and his attraction to the works of 19th-century French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and American pop artist Wayne Thiebaud have influenced his works. Toulouse-Lautrec is best known for his portraits and posters pertaining to the Moulin Rouge. Thiebaud first gained acclaim in the early 1960s with his food paintings, such as "Salads, Sandwiches, and Desserts."
Geery enrolled at KU in 1989 and began painting. Before that, his works were strictly drawings.
"I was searching for direction, and after awhile I latched onto Toulouse-Lautrec," he said.
From Toulouse-Lautrec, Geery said, he learned about repeating or reinventing an image to produce a series, the importance of color and the interesting images that are created with the unpredictable registration of screenprints.
"I really tried to copy (Toulouse-Lautrec), but I copied it poorly enough you couldn't tell," he said, with a laugh.
From Thiebaud, Geery said, he further learned the importance of color and design. While they both like to include buildings in their works, Geery does not exaggerate shadows like Thiebaud.
For example, his "Architectural Icons" series shows one-dimensional people against big buildings, some of which have towers. All of the people are wearing gloves, and their rounded heads have unusual shapes and no expression.
"I had this drawn out in late August when I was in Chicago," he said. "After Sept. 11, I knew I had to complete the series. All of the people have gloves it's sort of like hands off these buildings now."
Geery said he isn't sure where his Siamese twin images come from, except that he is fascinated with the idea of cloning.
"The possibilities of a duplicate of yourself that doesn't quite make it away from you (is interesting)," he said, trying to offer an explanation.
Geery sketches the ideas for his paintings into a notebook "so there's no surprises" when he begins brushing the paint on his canvas. Sometimes he spreads the canvas with plaster before he paints to add texture.
"I used to paint over the same six canvases each semester," he said. "I had no record of what I'd done, but it created a nice texture."
Geery, who is showing his work through Feb. 16 at the Bourgeois Pig, 6 E. Ninth St., said he hopes to show his work in California and Seattle this year.
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