Artist and mentalist on display at Gallery 54
By Tom Dwyer
Gallery 54
Renowned singer Tony Bennett told Gallery 54’s guest artist for August painting “. . . will help you with all aspects of our life . . . I paint every day and you should as well.” Fortunately Bob Lawson, mentalist and abstract painter, took Bennett’s advise to heart.
Lawson’s artistic roots are definitely in Central New York having apprenticed working with scenic design for the Famous Artists Theater in Fayetteville, NY as a youth. “The idea of creating something that would bring people happiness was always what gave me the most satisfaction,” he says.
Lawson loves abstract because, “it gives me the freedom to express what I feel inside and to truly create from scratch.” While many of his friends are realists and very good at painting what they see, he enjoys the opportunity to create something “that has never been seen before I painted it.”
In addition to his paintings that have been regularly exhibited at Gallery 54, August will also feature free standing “sculptures”. “I have so many people,” says Lawson, “who have loved my work but didn’t have wall space for more of it.” His abstract sculptures became free standing pieces that are paintings that stand alone on a table or on a shelf in different sizes and shapes. He call this his “Off the Wall Series.”
Lawson points to one of Syracuse’s great artists, the late Jans Junga, who he took water color classes from, as one of his inspirations for the work he does today. He also studied art with John Morrow of Ogdensburg, NY.
“I love to paint, to have something in my mind and to be able to put it on canvas and make people react in a positive way, to make people happy, to reach that innermost place inside them . . . that gives me joy,” he says, adding “To me, this is the most rewarding thing in life.”
That also explains why Lawson likes doing his theater shows. “I get do take people on a journey into places they have never been, to see things they have never seen or done before, amazing things, pretty much like art,” he adds. Lawson was mentored by the late Joan Fontaine, who opened many doors for him in theater including his opportunity to become a technical adviser to the TV show, The Mentalist for six years.
Gallery 54 is in pretty elite company as it features Bob Lawson’s art. He also has work in such prestigious venues as the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Fine Art in Tarpon Springs, FL; the Wandering Eye Gallery in Ybor City, the National Historic Landmark City in Tampa, FL as well as the Galeria Berata in Venice, Italy. In addition, Lawson’s work was part of the set for the major motion picture, The Bastards, starring Owen Wilson. His work was also part of Joan Fontaine’s collection auctioned for charity by Christies in New York.
Lawson’s show, titled The Colors of My Mind opened at Gallery 54 on the First Friday of August, Aug. 5, with a meet-the-artist event from 5 to 8 p.m. It will continue on display throughout August.
Gallery 54 is an upscale gallery of fine art and crafts, located at 54 E. Genesee St., Skaneateles, NY.
August gallery hours are Sunday through Thursday, 10-5 and Friday and Saturday, 10 to 6 p.m. Visit gallery54cny.com 685-5470.
