Anthology is a retrospective of work created by Richard Gate between 1985 and 2019. Born in the lake country of northwestern Ontario and raised in the red rock country of southern Utah, Gate has spent a lifetime drawing migratory paths across the northern continent. Working seasonally in Sanpete, Utah from his rural studio, and traveling to remote areas of Canada to fish and Los Angeles to connect with the art scene – these repeated pilgrimages are evident in the evolution of his creative process.
Deeply influenced by jazz, rock n’ roll, the alternative subcultures of the 1960’s, and the desert rock landscape of the west, Gate’s work is an exploration of the metaphysical and alchemical. Informed by southern California hard-edge painting, he uses collage as a primary means of gathering signs and symbols into an orchestrated conversation – a contemporary renaissance collision of science, history, and art. This exhibition, spanning several decades of work and multiple mediums, is a nuanced visual autobiography of Gate’s experiences and visions translated from the pathways of his migratory travels.
About the Artist
Richard Gate was born in the lake country of northwestern Ontario and raised in the red rock country of southern Utah. Most of his youth was spent out of doors, and except for an awareness of the primitive and mystical animist art of the American Southwest, had very little exposure to art or culture. While living in Switzerland and the South of France as a young LDS missionary, he encountered the world and landscape of Picasso, Matisse, Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin. He received a BFA from Brigham Young University and an MFA from the Claremont Graduate School in southern California. Represented by the Ruth Bachofner Gallery in Santa Monica, California for over 25 years, Gate has participated in 10 solo exhibitions and over 30 group exhibitions. His work has been reviewed in the Los Angeles Times, and his paintings are included in numerous corporate and private collections including: Simon Wiesenthal Foundation, GE Capitol Group, Novell, Nomura Securities, Roll Company, Resnick Collection, Wriggly Collection, Leo Nordine Collection, Dr. Claude Hitchcock Collection, Princess Madawi Collection and Steve Rifkin Collection. Recently his large piece Catfish - Serpent - Star was awarded Best of Show in the Utah Statewide Annual: Mixed Media and Works on Paper 2016 and is now in the State of Utah Alice Merrill Horne Collection. The exhibition at Granary Arts, Anthology, is a retrospective survey of 30 years of work.