City serves as
inspiration for
Chilean artist
By Ray Parker
View staff writer
Las Vegas quenched a 15-year artistic drought for painter Samuel Gana.
Since visiting from Vina del Mar, Chile, five months ago, Gana has produced a room full of his impressions of the city, conveying with paint "the luminosity in the middle of the desert."
"Being here awoke something," Gana said through an interpreter. "I saw all the colors and felt deep emotion, overwhelmed."
The results can be seen at the Left of Center Art Gallery -- 2207 W. Gowan Rd. -- from Jan. 4 to Feb. 18.
Back in his homeland, Gana was an animation artist who created cartoon images and strips for such companies as Disney. He's worked on Disney's Chip and Dale chipmunk characters as well as his own strip syndicated in Chilean papers called "Little Seawolf."
He'd abandoned painting for 15 years until arriving in Las Vegas and being impressed by the Strip.
Gana often describes his paintings in a philosophical bent. Indeed, he looks as though he stepped from a university philosophical department.
First of all, his white hair flows in all different directions, a la Albert Einstein. And even inside, he wears dark, thin rectangular glasses that hide his eyes.
Then there's the cut of his clothes, which aren't particularly eye-catching but have that strangeness of being bought in a foreign land. The buttons aren't aligned like American shirts, the pant legs are a bit wide and the shoe laces are an odd color.
In all, it's the impression an artist is suppose to give.
Vickie Richardson, the gallery's director, saw his work and was impressed by Gana's vision of Las Vegas.
"He sees it through totally different eyes," she said. "He's found beauty in the structures here in Vegas and that's refreshing."
One of his first paintings, "Sensacion de Las Vegas" (Las Vegas Sensation) reflects the glitz of Las Vegas Boulevard.
Two figures, a bare-chested man and slightly clothed woman, hold hands and take up the foreground. In the background, bright red, blue and yellow colors explode forming blotches and also more recognizable shapes, such as the Stratosphere Tower.
"I wanted to capture the luminosity of Las Vegas. The figures are gold and green, symbols. I wanted to interpret the feeling in a classical style of decoration," Gana said.
Richardson described Gana's style as "dealing with fantasy, the mythological and very lyrical."
As the painter circled the gallery's walls, describing his paintings, Richardson asked him: "I notice you often juxtapose warm and cool colors, like blue and red. Is this conscious?"
Shaking his head yes, Gana explained his painting hero is Degas, who often used this technique.
In one painting, "Dimensional Encounter," three figures are separated by walls, and in the last one, a fairy blows dandelion's flowers across the barriers and into the other spaces. This is meant to represent different dimensions of consciousness, but the painting is also a reflection of casinos.
"I can see that," Richardson said. "When visiting the different themed casinos, it's like stepping into the past. By entering the casino, it's another world or aura but they're all connected by being in the city."
Gana said he spent some time in the casinos, getting his impressions and sampling the many attractions.
"One day I didn't show up until the morning with a bucket full of money," Gana said, smiling. "It's a very interesting city."Show notes
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Left of Center Art Gallery is exhibiting the paintings of Chilean artist Samuel Gana from Jan. 4 to Feb. 18.
The exhibition reflects Gana's impressions of Las Vegas.
"The mythicism of his images enables us to leave our routines and elevates us to our dreams," Dario Romero, a Chilean critic, said of Gana's work.
There is an artist reception from 10 a.m. to noon on Jan. 23, when Gana will demonstrate his animation and painting techniques.
The art gallery is located at 2207 W. Gowan Rd. and is open from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Those interested can call 647-7378.
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