About

Gravity George, Artist

Gravity George has been painting since 1990, and has previously been known for his 'Space Cow' paintings during 1996 to 2000. Gravity George's paintings are colourful, vibrant and original. Over 100 of his paintings are in private collections around New Zealand and the world.
 
He was born in Wellington and grew up in Auckland. Three trips to India were a big influence, as was living in London, Manchester, and Tenerife (Canary Islands). He lives in Auckland and is now painting colourful stylised landscape scenes, particularly of the New Zealand coastline and mountains.

Gravity George Autobiography

I'm Gravity George, a New Zealand artist who is into colour and humour. I was born in Wellington in 1966 at the age of zero. Moved to Auckland at age three. Started drawing with felt pens at age four. Attempted to grow up on the North Shore. Graduated 1988 from University of Auckland with a BA Degree in Political Studies. Since then I have found employment as a graphic designer.

My first and only painting instruction was a night school class I attended in Auckland at the age of 13. I was shown the basic technical aspects of handling oil paint. I started a few landscapes but didn't finish any.

Ten years later, in London, 1989, I started painting again. My neighbour and I had both been thinking about painting, so we challenged each other to have a go and see what happens.
I started the painting called Jantar Monstar first, but it took several months to complete, part-time, fitting it in around my day job as a graphic designer. In the meantime I completed the painting called Just After Eight O'clock, which was my first painting finished.

I did a few more paintings in London, and then moved to Tenerife, Canary Islands for a year in 1992. I painted a magazine cover for Tenerife Holiday Magazine (German edition) while I was there. I continued painting after moving back to Auckland in 1993.

I have lived most of my life in Auckland, either in the central suburbs or in Mairangi Bay on the North Shore, apart from the first three years in Wellington, two years in London, one year in Tenerife (Canary Islands), eight months in Manchester, a year on Waiheke Island, a few months in Sydney and three two-month spells in India.

Then came the Space Cow. This was originally a sketch drawn up on holiday in India. At the time, it seemed as far away from commercial art as it could be. In 1996 a company called Creative Profile was making and distributing postcards to restaurants and cafes. Most of these were advertisements, but a few were art postcards. They asked for submissions. I sent them a dozen images. I threw in the Space Cow for a laugh.

Next thing I knew, a friend showed me a postcard of my Discovery of the Space Cow painting. It, along with Funny Day in Scotland, had been selected and made into postcards. When I asked Creative Profile boss Rene how many Space Cow postcards he had printed, he replied, "We printed 95,000 of those. It was just under 100,000."

Halfway through 1996 I switched from oil paint to acrylic, which I have used since. The oil paint I used was made by Art Spectrum, and since then I have used mainly Matisse and Pebeo acrylic paints.

In 1996 I was singing in a jam session in a bar in Ponsonby, when a portly Irish gentleman was impressed with my rendition of 'Better be Home Soon'. He asked what I did, and when I told him I was an artist, he said, "How'd you like to have an exhibition at Devonport Wharf? I'm the manager there. You'd need 25 paintings ready to go. But don't be giving me beige and pastel, now, George. I want to see bright colours!"

The exhibition at Devonport Wharf was a great success with ten paintings sold. Part of the deal was that I had to paint on-site. I had been concerned about attracting negative comments, so was pleasantly surprised to receive nothing but favourable remarks from passers-by.

The next exhibition in January 1997 was at ArtStation Gallery, Ponsonby Road, Auckland. This was a big show and was another success with 12 paintings sold. For the food nibbles I had a toaster set up with three kinds of bread and various spreads. I was hoping that people would associate the smell of toast with my artwork (and I like toast). Most of it was eaten by the local Ponsonby Road vagabond characters just there for the free food and drink, but I did see one art critic give it a try, and he remarked that the act of spreading butter on toast was similar to spreading paint on canvas.

In February 1998 I held an exhibition at Soliloquy Gallery in Mt Eden, Auckland. The critic I had seen at my previous show buttering toast was overheard saying, "I prefer his earlier work. Toast-Bird was one of my favourites."

Later that year I was working as a graphic designer at a company that was designing school exercise books for School Supplies ltd. Four of my paintings we made into school exercise books: Discovery of the Space Cow, Combination Padlock, Subliminal Ducks, and The Shed.

In 1999, another company, Croxley ltd, wanted to make a full range of school stationery out of the Space Cow. Four new Space Cow paintings were required. I was coincidentally due to go on my third trip to India before the deadline, so these paintings were designed in India and painted back in New Zealand: Snorkelling Space Cow, Space Cow Enjoying Breakfast, Toast-Cow, and Very Disco of the Space Cow. They were seen on exercise books, ring binders, pencil cases and sticky book covering.

The Croxley Space Cow range almost didn't happen when their executives got cold feet and thought it was just too freaky. They market tested the concept at my old high school, and the kids voted overwhelmingly for the Space Cow. This was kind of funny, as the art teachers had never rated my work when I was a student there.

Waiheke Island became home for a year in 1999, and many paintings were completed there in the downstairs studio at Newton Road, Little Oneroa.

In 2000 I was living in Manchester, England. In December held an exhibition at Town Bar, Heaton Moor, Manchester. I sold a few paintings to stressed-out local guys looking for last-minute Christmas presents. The guy who bought my Onemana painting said, "I've been looking at all the galleries in London for something like this, but who would have guessed I'd find it in a bar in my old hometown?"

In Manchester, my flatmate Tom had this little robot dog. The idea of it wanting a mobile bone came to me one night in a pub called The Plough. When I returned to NZ I had to get a new mobile phone, freeing up the old one for artistic recycling. This led to a twenty-first century painting: Robot Dog and Mobile Bone.

2012 and 2013 saw a new phase of landscapes, and also various paintings of the surface of water.

In July 2013 my painting Matariki Tiki was exhibited at New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts Gallery in Wellington, as part of their Matariki exhibition.

In 2016 I embarked on a series of experimental abstract paintings, using new materials: Schminke Aerocolour liquid acrylic paint, Aeroliner markers, and Molotow markers.

In 2021 I continue to paint landscapes and abstracts, with a recent kayaking expedition in Abel Tasman National Park providing fresh inspiration.

That's the story so far.

You can get in touch with me at gravitygeorge@hotmail.com

Influences:
Monty Python, The Beatles, Hundertwasser, Van Gogh, Guy Hall, David Jackson (DJ), Teresa HR Lane, Evan Woodruffe.

Education:
Auckland University, Bachelor of Arts Degree, major subject: Political Studies.
Also three trips to India and worked as a Graphic Designer in the Canary Islands.
Done comedy in Hamilton and sea kayaking in The Abel Tasman.

The short surreal version:
Beamed down from planet Saturn at age nine, Gravity George has gone in leaps and bounds ever since. After learning to use crayons at age 27, he has never looked back.