FOREVER YOUNG by GJ Gillespie Mixed media collage on paper 20 × 15″ 2015 $495
Title after the 1974 Bob Dylan song.
About the work
An early signature piece from GJ Gillespie's abstract collage practice, built from found papers, tissue, newsprint, acrylic, and spray paint — the vertical energy of layered color fragments pushing upward in bands of blue, yellow, and orange against a deep ground. The work carries the restless optimism of its title: something reaching, not yet arrived.
Awards & Honors
- Merit Award, Light Space and Time Online Gallery "Abstracts" Art Exhibition, 2015 — selected from 760 entries
- Honorable Mention, The Art Room Gallery International Abstract Competition, March 2020
Exhibition History
- Fiber Fusion Show, September 2015 – April 2016
- Langley BC Canada Arts Council, Gillespie Solo Show, April 12 – May 24, 2023
- Molbak's Sip and Stroll Art Show, Woodinville, WA, October 20–22, 2023
- "Sights + Sounds" Exhibition, Yavapai College Prescott Art Gallery, Arizona, December 5, 2024
- "Ethereal Journeys: Abstract Figures and Dreamscapes", Coupeville Public Library — January 2026
- Modern Myth Making, City of Burien Gallery Program at Merrill Gardens, June 5 – September 24, 2026
Publication
- Sunspot Literary Magazine, Spring 2024
To purchase Contact GJ Gillespie at garjog@gmail.com. All sales handled directly with the artist.
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| GJ Gillespie Artist |
Artist Statement
My work exists outside of time. Ancient Greek heroes emerge from supermarket circulars and consumer ephemera. Egyptian pharaohs are built from crossword puzzles. Mid-century abstract figures dissolve into Pacific Northwest landscapes layered with colored tissue and found paper.
Working in mixed-media collage from a 1928 Tudor Revival farmhouse on Whidbey Island, I stand on the shoulders of giants — riffing on cultural icons from Greek mythology, Pompeii frescoes, and the mid-century masters who transformed what painting could express: Arshile Gorky, the Northwest Mystics Morris Graves, Mark Tobey, and Kenneth Callahan.
Titles of each piece are drawn from rock and pop music, connecting ancient imagery with modern soundtracks.
While the themes may seem lofty, viewers will sense a playfulness in the work. Pompeii frescoes meet grocery ads. Ancient Greek busts emerge from fast food wrappers. When it comes to making art I follow the philosophy of Thoreau: the world is but a canvas to our imagination.
Biography
GJ Gillespie (b. 1955) lives and works in a 1928 Tudor Revival farmhouse on Whidbey Island, WA. His mixed-media collage practice draws on the Northwest Mystics, mid-century abstract expressionism, Greek and Roman mythology, and song titles from rock and pop music. He has completed six residencies at the UW Whiteley Center, Friday Harbor Labs. In addition to winning 19 awards, his work has appeared in 77 exhibitions and 214 journal publications.
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| GJ Gillespie Studio |
Gillespie Home overlooking Oak Harbor
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