Gary Aagaard

Artist Statement : As a fledgling illustrator in Brooklyn during the 1980’s, I took on any project thrown my way. I refer to that time as my “small meal or famine days”. Eventually, I zeroed in on editorial work and soon scored assignments at publications like The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NY Newsday and The Village Voice (primarily covers). Since the early 2000’s, I’ve concentrated on gallery work with an editorial, satirical slant….. essentially larger oil paintings with conceptual content reminiscent of my illustration years. Lampooning politicians, pundits or spiritual leaders who specialize in alternative facts, manufactured outrage, false equivalents, convoluted conspiracy theories and tunnel-visioned tribalism (whew) is my form of protest and provides a satisfying outlet (i.e., it minimizes shouting at the TV, reduces those pesky nightmares & eliminates my quest to prove Jeff Sessions is actually an interloper from The Shire). Of course, visually addressing the daily insanity of politics, punditry or social upheaval requires an occasional break, which is when I paint relatively non-confrontational pieces.

Quick Bio : My conceptual cover and interior illustrations have appeared in numerous publications including The Village Voice, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Golf Digest, Newsday, Philadelphia Weekly, Barron’s, Oxford American, Business Week, Bloomberg, National Lampoon, Seattle Weekly and Discover Magazine. Also, I've created book illustrations for Reader's Digest Books, Houghton Mifflin, St. Martin's Press, Harcourt Brace and “Emily and the Ostriches” (Rizzoli Publ.), a children's book collaboration with Dan Bernstein. In 2015, six of my paintings were published in “50 Masters of Realistic Imagery”.

Awards & Exhibits : My work has received recognition from American Illustration, 3x3 Magazine, the Society of Illustrators (NYC), the Society of Publication Designers, Print, the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles and Applied Arts. My paintings have been displayed in the Museum of American Illustration (NYC), Gallery-Henoch (NYC), the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum (Washington D.C.), Gallery 110 (Seattle…. “1st Place Juror’s Award”), The Studio Door (San Diego…. “Best of Show”), Phoenix Gallery (NYC), Verum Ultimum (Portland), Ward-Nasse Gallery (NYC), POP Gallery (Santa Fe), Greg Moon Art (Taos NM), Contreras Gallery (Tucson), Tubac Center of the Arts and was part of the Museum of American Illustration 2000-2001 Traveling Exhibition (40 selected works).