Intuitive Poetic Realism
and Abstraction

Oil and Mixed Media on Panel
 and on Canvas

Monotypes - Custom mixed ink on paper or printable media

Mary's Comment:

"When I am in the presence of Randall LaGro, I feel that I am in the presence of greatness.  Some people respond to his work immediately and with some it takes several exposures.  Eventually, everyone arrives at the same place and that is that Randall LaGro is  destined to be a name that endures for generations for his work.  A collector once said that she did not know what to think when she first saw his work because it is beyond the ordinary expected artwork.  After about three days of coming to the gallery his work dominated her attention.  For those who "get it" it is a phenomenal experience to own a Randall LaGro.  Beyond just the experience with his work, there is Randall himself, an amazing man.  Whenever he is scheduled to show at my gallery, make a special trip.  It is well worth meeting him and viewing his world class work."

"I’m interested in the layered and often latent facets of our humanity. Working with different mediums intuitively, my work invites someone to look inside who they are and perhaps discover hidden aspects of themselves. I think of my work as a poetic gesture, inviting the viewer to examine within; to think, to wonder and to imagine.

I think of different mediums as languages. Working with them intuitively is like learning how to construct words that will communicate clearly. It is a process of listening and making marks or placing objects in a way that creates connections that resonate with me and perhaps strike a chord in the viewer. I wonder, “What are the seeds that we share in our consciousness?”  Rather than express a specific idea, I think of my work as a poetic gesture, inviting the viewer to examine within; to think, to wonder and to imagine."

Randall LaGro

"Observing with concern these times in which we are living weighs on my mind as I continue on the path of what I consider the artist’s calling. Rather than being reactionary to political or social issues, I am returning to the course of intuitive painting with an empathetic appeal to our humanity.  I find that we possess dichotomous natures:  glorious and volatile, earthly and spiritual capacities.  Thus, the surfaces I paint are layered like a tapestry, reflective of our lives.
Beginning completely abstract, I work fast and immediate—only considering balance, harmony, and color with an order above chaos.  Into this volcanic under-painting, images tend to appear referencing the material world.  This juxtaposition between abstract and reality can be read as multiple metaphors.  But, what I am conveying is the fact that everything is in constant movement.  Rather than perfectly caressed brush strokes making an image,  I celebrate the endearing awkwardness of being human, along with the elegance.  The paint is thrown, scratched, and slashed.  Sand or mica is often thrown in, as well as, dry pigments and gold leaf.  Art is more about evidences, rather than conclusions.
Therefore, the paintings are impressions excavated from materials and the dance and battle pushed to and fro in the experience of painting.  I listen and remain open to impulse and guidance, yet leaving room for mystery in the movement of the paint.  Images are often transparent, or morphing into something else, as well as evolving or growing.  I trust there is a balance keeping each piece from flying off into oblivion, just as we anchor ourselves in the cosmos and chaos.
It is about living in a delicate equilibrium, in a precarious yet beautiful balance, and ever in a state of becoming."  Randall LaGro

Anyone who has attempted this craft knows that it is far more difficult than it sounds. Randall Lagro, having established his own private printing studio has afforded himself the time to truly push this art form. The result is the most subtle of details, the ability for Lagro to transfer his intuitive approach with painting to the ink, the addition of color to this traditionally black and white art form, and the creative illusion of layers unseen in other modern monotypes.  

The detail in Lagro’s monotypes is so fine that standard photography does it no justice. These museum quality prints must be viewed in person to be completely appreciated. Please stop in or arrange an appointment with the Mary Martin Gallery of Fine Art to view our collection of over 30 framed and unframed monotypes available from the Randall Lagro collection.

Randall LaGro is endowed with an unusual talent where his works are often equal parts of the conscious and subconscious world.  Randall somehow reaches into the soul of humanity and is able to paint every dream you have ever had, every experience you have shared.  He is a poet.  He is an artist.  He is the common man.  He is an artist. He is a philosopher.  He is the noble thought within us. The power of his work lies within his heart and mind and transfers to his work and then to the viewer.

 

Viewing LaGro monotypes is like stepping into the surface and finding yourself in another world and it could remind you of the adventures of Alice in Wonderland.  It is a journey. These works are drawn from the subconscious of both the artist and the viewer.  As your eyes cover the surface of the monotype you may find yourself looking to the left into one world and to the right into another one.  Looking down you may see a river that runs through your life with you on board with your menagerie of memories.  If you peer out the window you could be looking on early flight and the future.  It is a multisensory process but all in your mind. You may see uncommon beauty of a woman next to the freedom of a window with a curtain blowing back showing a view into the subconscious of your mind. In another area you could see the dissipation of a potentate next to the most beautiful of gateways but leading where?  You can find an exquisite face of a woman swathed in an exotic headdress rising from a ship and sailing through a Venetian canal of centuries ago.  Viewing his monotypes is like a trip through the centuries of man’s presence on the earth.  The power of his monotypes can almost be felt physically.