Paintings by Charles Gniech acquired for the Fine Art Collection of Purdue University

Charles Gniech "Inner Circle" 1996, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60"

Purdue University - Northwest/NorthCentral in Westville, Indiana—has recently acquired a number of my large-scale paintings for their eclectic and edgy contemporary Fine Art Collection. Eight canvases were chosen from three bodies of work—spanning more than twenty years. Five of the selected pieces come from the “Sanctuary” series of 1996-97.

There are more than four hundred stone circles found throughout Great Britain. The Sanctuary series was inspired by my time spent exploring some of these monuments. The prehistoric structures became a bit of an obsession during that period of my life. I would travel to the UK two or three times each year... spend a few days in London and then hop a train to—what seemed like—the middle of nowhere. Some of the sites were relatively easy to come upon while others were so far removed from civilization that I would find myself on top of a mountain or in a secluded meadow, only to be visited by an occasional herd of sheep. There was a feeling of peace and tranquility at many of these locations—something more than the power of the beautiful surroundings on which the structures were erected. The body of work titled "Sanctuary" was the result of these experiences. And the people that I met were life changing.

I define the paintings produced during the late 90s as “Structural Abstraction.” Although I would render realistic depictions of the structures on location, they were reinterpreted in my studio with exaggerated angles and dramatic lighting. The monuments were translated through planar analysis resulting in faceted structures of mass within dramatic landscapes.

Charles Gniech "Geometric Sarsens" 1996, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 48" 

As of April 2018, the “Sanctuary” paintings will be presented at Purdue University - Northwest /North Central Campus’ in Westville, Indiana. The collection can be seen scattered throughout the two campuses. I’ve been told that the presentation looks nothing like a typical “Corporate Fine Art Collection.”

Opening Reception: Friday, July 2nd ...6:30-9pm

I spent most of the day—yesterday—transporting my pieces and installing the "Ripple~cause and effect" exhibition, which opens this Friday evening at The Art Center in Highland Park. The exhibition combines the work of Paula Kloczkowski Luberda, Yelena Klairmont and myself, to present a seamless presentation of the calm and chaos of nature. The work ranges from abstract to literal with both painting and sculpture. The Art Center is an amazing venue for this beautiful and thought provoking exhibition.

The Art Center in Highland Park is located at 1957 Sheridan Road. For additional information, contact The Art Center at 847.432.1888. I hope that you have an opportunity to experience this amazing collection of work.

The Art Center - Highland Park, Illinois

Some twenty years ago—after I graduated from school—I was trying to find ways of feeding myself as well as feeding my soul. I was working as a print designer yet wanted to continue painting and teaching. I ended up working a number of part time teaching positions, including one for The Suburban Fine Art Center in Highland Park. Well, over the years, the Center constructed a new space a few block from the original space, and they shortened their name to "The Art Center".

Earlier this week, I took a drive up to Highland Park. I hadn't been there in years. I wanted to check out the new space, since I—along with Paula Kloczkowski Luberda and Yelena Klairmont—have landed a show in the center's amazing main gallery. The three person show is titled "Ripple – cause and effect". It's a powerfully inspirational exhibition of painting and sculpture, presenting imagery focused of the meditative surface patterns found within nature. The works of Yelena Klairmont, Paula Kloczkowski Luberda, and myself have been compiled to create this peacefully, compelling exhibition.

The oil paintings of Yelena Klairmont are the most literal of the group. Klairmont captures the result of a compromised pool of water—portraying the ripple effect as a beautiful thought-provoking moment in time.

Paula Kloczkowski Luberda creates powerful stoneware rock forms with intriguing surface features. The wonderfully glaze-washed forms are manipulated and organized to create intriguing compositions in space.

Influenced—for more then a decade—by the hundreds of the pre-historic stone circles throughout Great Britain, my work uses the surface patterns of the Megaliths to create meditative imagery on which to ponder.

“Ripple – cause and effect” will be presented at The Art Center of Highland Park from July 2 through the 23th. An Opening Reception will be held on July 2 beginning at 6:30pm. The Art Center in Highland Park is located at 1957 Sheridan Road. For additional information, contact The Art Center at: 847.432.1888 or check the web site at: www.theartcenterhp.org

Textural Monument

Yesterday, I took a short trip down to St. John, Indiana to drop off a few paintings at the Steeple Gallery. The gallery began handling my work a couple of years ago. It’s a hidden gem… the four thousand square foot space is devoted specifically to original fine art and prints.

A few months back, the owner of the Steeple Gallery stopped by my studio to select some pieces. During that visit, she noticed a painting, which was the genesis of my current work. It was a piece that I never had intended to show or sell… but a number of people—who have visited my studio—have expressed interest. Well, in a recent telephone conversation, Sam asked if it was available and if I were willing to part with it. I agreed.


If you are in the area, check out the Steeple Gallery located at: 11107 Thiel Street, St. John, Indiana 46373 or contact Sam at: 219.365.1014

Above: “Textural Monument”, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36”, $2,000

Surface Verte

Also from the "Surface" series, this painting—titled "Surface Verte"—was created after spending some time in Paris this summer. The lush green tones of the beautiful parisian parks were the inspiration. The canvas, 24 x 48", is acrylic on canvas and was first presented this past summer in a three-person exhibition at the Schoenherr Art Gallery of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. The show was titled "Meditative Surfaces" and included work by Maggie Meiners and Deanna Krueger. Additional pieces of my work can be found at gniech.com

Quiet Surface

The above piece is titled "Quiet Surface" from 2009. It is acrylic on canvas and measures 24" square. The genesis of this body of work stems back—more than fifteen years—to when I was obsessed with the various stone circles of Great Britain. At that time, I had the opportunity to travel to Britain a couple of times each year, spend a few days in London, and then head out to the countryside with little more then a duffel bag and a sketchbook. There are more then 430 prehistoric stone circles in Great Britain, and at that time, I was only able visit a handful during each adventure.

I find it interesting that the visits to those sites continues to effect the production of my imagery even today. I plan to use this blog to tell the stories of my adventures and to present the work which continues to be produced as a response to of those experiences.

Meditation III

From a body of work titled "Surface Paintings" from 2009

My exploration of the meditative surface patterns—influenced by various prehistoric monoliths—continues with a series of works comprised of mostly neutral color tones. The color shift is based on observations in nature, which seems to relax the human psyche. Additional work from this series can be found at gniech.com

Image: Charles Gniech, Meditation III, 48" x 36", acrylic on canvas, 2009