Walter Gurbo of Garrattsville sits near one of his oil paintings on display as part of his "We, God's Clowns" exhibit, which was at the Night Eagle in Oxford, NY. He says this particular painting represents a domestic dream of a dog with a clown's face lying by the fireplace

May 5, 2001

Artist sees beyond clowns faces.

Night Eagle exhibits paintings.

by Kathryn Rutz
Press & Sun-Bulletin

One of the paintings on exhibits at the Night Eagle is a side view of a clown - woman of ample proportions. She might bring to mind the teacher from your childhood who demanded your attention, or the aunt who took over family gatherings with her powerful presence. She is rendered in many shades of Quinacridone Gold, a particularly radiant orange that pulls you in.

Before you decide she is a force of nature, however, artist Walter Gurbo asks you to look again. She is sort of prepared with her too-small umbrella, and as she marches forcefully forward her feet point backward.

"We do not have that much control," says Gurbo. "Determination is not enough."

Like all the painting in Gurbo's newest series, "We, God's Clowns," the clown - woman reveals the world view of an artist who has seen, and lived, a great deal.

Before settling upstate into the home and studio he built on an old barn foundation, Gurbo lived and worked in Manhattan. A student of the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, he was called the pen and ink king by a favorite art teacher.

Gurbo went on to study at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and later taught at the School for Visual Arts in Manhattan for many years. His Drawing Room, an editorial drawing feature, appeared weekly in the Village Voice for more than a decade.

His work also appeared regularly in the New York Times Week in Review and Business sections, Playboy, Ms., New York Magazine, Atlantic Monthly, as well as in newspapers in Chicago, Los Angeles and Baton Rouge.

Occasional visits to Upstate New York proved too temporary for Gurbo, "I was living in Manhattan and needed to get out. I started as a summer resident but I cried at the end of the summer. I just didn't want to leave. Here, it felt like I was going back in time. It's an easier life here."

"The winters can be rough, but here there is a different kind of pace. I felt claustrophobic downstate, but here is more like the ocean with wide - rolling, open hillsides and vistas, lots of sky. There's a great tradition of reclusive artists who seek to get more in touch with their inner life. I've eliminated most of the distractions and frenzy of city life."

Has the change of scene made a difference in his artwork? "I think my work has evolved," mused Gurbo. "It's more me, more natural. And it's often inspired by nature."

Much of Gurbo's studio work has been moved into what used to be his living room. It's warmer there, he chuckled, but the abundance of glass and light makes for a hospitable work space. " I work all the time. I'll be walking by a painting and stop to start working. It's continual. It's so much fun, it's obsession."

Any media can be tools for creation and inspiration in Gurbo's hands. Scratchboard became the "drawing board." but he also works in oil, acrylic, ceramics, brick, and wood. Even the computer is a means for artistic expression.

Giclee prints, which are actually archival computer prints, are produced in limited editions by Triumphant Press in Oneonta. Gurbo's computer stylus can draw on a Wacom tablet, and the disc is taken to the printer to create the actual artwork. The look is silk screen or lithograph, but the medium allows the marriage of new technology with original art.

The reclusive life Gurbo imagined hasn't worked out quite the way he planned, however. When his fiancee died unexpectedly, Gurbo chose to continue raising her 11-year old son. Charlie is a musician, and his piano sits in the studio with Gurbo's works-in-progress.

This isn't the first time Gurbo has been a single parent. He raised his daughter by himself and is looking forward to her imminent move to Chenango County with her new baby. Suddenly Gurbo's world is becoming increasingly populated, and the value of community is even clearer.

The picture that emerges is a new kind of family group for Gurbo - a nontraditional family unit, and extended family among a community of artists.

Gurbo didn't script this, but a balance between the artist's solitary life and the nourishment of family and friends, and between traumatic loss and increasing hope, is increasingly possible.

"Art makes you feel less alone in the world," it erases time and is immortal."

Apparently, so does hope. That's where the loft idea comes in. Gurbo envisions a loft in the New Berlin area where a number of artist studios will be available. A mix of work and exhibit space will draw together artists with a common interest in artistic community.

"This whole loft thing will actually bring artists together, and I'm looking for that feedback," he said. "Several things could happen: there may be threads in common with a number of artists. Maybe a school of art could develop. My own work is eccentric, but I have a feeling there may be more like me. Anyone who's all the way out here is not really concerned with the metropolitan art scene, with making it in the New York City environment. They wouldn't be here unless they were seeking some kind of artistic independence."

In the meantime, Gurbo has decided to begin teaching again and to publish teaching again and to publish and syndicate his drawing. It's hard to part with his work, hence the ample exhibit space in the loft, but publication is ideal. He currently works with the Arts in Education program connected with the Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts, and with multiple schools in the Oneonta area. Gurbo also worked with Afton High School's art teacher Sharon MacArthur, and director Michelle Westover on set design for this year's production of the musical Children of Eden.

"I would love to communicate to as many young artistically inclined people as I can that there are opportunities for making a living at art. My main objective is to encourage. Just giving credibility to each person is recognizing their worth and allowing and encouraging them to bring it forth."

"We, God's Clowns," is on display at the Night Eagle in Oxford.

The Night Eagle is a great accidental gallery, said owner Ken Millet. "Both audience members and our performers spent time with this art for whole evenings at a time. Walter's art has a strong presence, and it feels very available. Everyone has something to say about it."

It's hard not to respond to clowns with an edge. A juggler losing his grip, a face shyly peering behind a curtain - viewers might find more that's familiar than they expect.

"It makes sense to me that we are here for God's entertainment," Gurbo said. "He's getting a kick out of this. ...I've taken that thought in my own direction and found that you can think of everyone as clowns, including myself. We are all wearing outfits and acting pretty silly and taking ourselves pretty seriously. If you're aware of that, you can't take yourself too seriously."