Under Panther Mountain

Headstone is pleased to announce the solo exhibition Under Panther Mountain by Michael McGrath. This is McGrath’s second solo exhibition with the gallery. His show features over twenty new works from large oil paintings on linen to pocket-sized, colored pencil and pigment drawings on panel. His cast of characters are back, but the circumstances are more critical - an ominous meteor en route towards Earth.

While it is thought to have been inhabited by panthers in the past, the Catskill region is not known for these creatures. Rather, what makes Panther Mountain fascinating is an ancient meteorite impact crater that creates the foundation of the mountain. McGrath, with a similar hypervelocity, has illustrated this (relative) factoid apropos of our current political climate - domestic and global. It is one thing to know danger is close, and another to ignore it. Each painting is both portrait and vignette, almost all inhabitants seemingly unaware of their surroundings and imminent demise.

However, McGrath is known for his exuberant color palette that is simultaneously light-hearted and soulful. He invites inquiry without trepidation and in doing so, allows one to explore themself - honest and hopeful. The famous author, cultural critic, and feminist theorist, bell hooks, said, “Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.” McGrath captures these silent moments in the act of looking and elongates them, providing the decency of time.

There is a resounding beauty in the landscapes of the Hudson Valley and the community that surrounds it; Panther Mountain is a place of both solace and curiosity for the artist. McGrath is thoroughly generous in his pursuit; he delivers perspectives that all-at-once are inclusive of his own immediate stories, rich and ever-alive in the depths of his own reality, and the others- us - some human and many not. Under Panther Mountain might seem forebodingly dire, but that's only an initial reaction to the unknown. Regardless of the future, McGrath confronts the hidden and mysterious hand in hand - a welcoming invitation that perpetuates love.

Text courtesy of Headstone.