The Fine Art of Abstraction

Blog Post 1

Welcome to the creative heartbeat of Mindbender Gallery! I'm Gregory S. Walsh, an abstract expressionist and the force behind this artistic venture.

My journey began at the tender age of five in Eugene, Oregon—my very first oil painting, "Dining Room", was an impressionistic still life inspired by my family's home, lovingly guided by my mother, a Fine Arts and Interior Design major at the University of Washington MindbenderGallery.

"Dining Room", 12"x16", oil on canvas paper. 1958, age 5.

Growing up, I was immersed in art through trips to the University of Oregon Art Museum, where vibrant works by Pollock, de Kooning, Rothko, and Northwest masters like Anderson, Callahan, Graves, and Tobey spoke to me deeply MindbenderGallery.

Though I explored other creative paths—education at Cornish College of the Arts in the ’70s and a career in filmmaking—I later returned to painting around age 62. My later works, dating from 2015 onward, capture the thrill of spontaneity and trust in imagination MindbenderGallery.

In 2014, as I was making a commitment to return to my work as a painter, I watched a documentary about German painter Gerhard Richter. I was fascinated by his large painting using a customized scraping tool that he loaded up with paint and scraped across these 7'x7' canvases. I loved the effect he got as he built layer upon layer of different colors that blended in crazy patterns and effects. I decided I'd attempt a large (4'x4") canvas using scraping tools that sheet rockers and house painters use in their work. Below is the result of my first attempt at a Richter style scraping painting.

"Red on Blue No.1", 48"x48", acrylic on canvas, framed. 2015

In 2017 and 2018 I decided to go back to school and refresh the basics that I had been taught at The Cornish School for the Arts back in 1972. I studied with a master artist named Cooper Lanza beginning with pencil drawing and charcoal sketches. Then tonality and color mixing. Then live figurative drawing and painting live figurative works. I benefited so much from these two years with Cooper, she gave me the foundation and inspiration for my work, even though my work primarily now is abstract expressionism. The figurative paintings I did in her classes can be found on this website on the FIGURATIVE page.

In late 2021, I founded Mindbender Gallery as a platform to share and sell my art—though unfortunately, the physical gallery succumbed to pandemic challenges and closed in late 2022 MindbenderGallery. Yet, the spirit of creating abstract expressionists works continues to soar.

I strive to paint as I direct films—aware of the arc of a story but open to the unexpected turns that give life to an imaginative journey MindbenderGallery.

I'm excited to announce Mindbender Gallery LIVE, a YouTube series titled, "Painting Without a Parachute", launching at 1:00 pm PST August 24, 2025. Every Sunday, I’ll stream 30-minute abstract expressionist painting sessions—offering you an unfiltered view from blank canvas to completed work. Hope you can join me on this journey to The Fine Art of Abstraction!