Roark Gourley

Roark Gourley is an American painter, sculptor, and mixed media artist. He is best known for his 2.5 Dimensional wall sculptures that depict humorous subject matter. He has been working in Laguna Beach, California, for over thirty years.

One of his most notable works is a piece that was commissioned by the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History in 1992 called "Spaghetti Meets Tomato in the Collision of the Continental Plates". The 10'x10'x5' sculpture is a high relief map of the world with depictions of various foods making up the topography and borders of countries. [ [http://www.ocmetro.com/archives/ocmetro_2003/metro103003/hot25/05_gourley.html OC Metro's Hot 25 2003 ] ]

Bio

Roark was born in Lynwood, California 1949. He received his art training at Orange Coast College, The Art Institute of Southern California Laguna Beach and the University of Colorado where he studied electronic optics, physics, holography, and photography. [ [http://www.sherwoodgallery.com/Roark%20Gourley.htm Roark Gourley Artwork, Sherwood Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA ] ]

He is best known for his signature 2.5 dimensional wall sculptures made from wood, resin, and acrylic. They usually depict humorous scenarios: pets that match sofas, an out of control executive with 4 arms, chefs cooking up a storm and other whimisical subject matter including, hearts, martinis, shoes, and coffee cups. [ [http://www.ocmetro.com/archives/ocmetro_2003/metro103003/hot25/05_gourley.html OC Metro's Hot 25 2003 ] ]

In the 70's and 80's he was known for his larger than life-sized soft sculptures. It was during this period that he also opened and ran the [http://www.sherwoodgallery.com/ The Sherwood Gallery] in Laguna Beach from 1979-1988.

In the 1980s Roark was picked up by Warner Bros. He created several 2.5 dimensional pieces for them depicting their characters in humorous scenarios, including his "Daffy Executive" and "Golfer Taz".

While Roark is best known for his more light-hearted work, there is also a more serious side to him. For many years he has been painting and sketching realistic portraits of his friends and family . He told Dawn Pettit of" Orange Coast Magazine" that his most favorite pieces are the two portraits of his wife that are displayed in his Laguna Beach home. [Pettit, Dawn "The Artists; Creative Expression is a Way of Life for these Nine Locals" Orange Coast Magazine, Sept. 2006 p.83 ]

In recent years he has been able to further explore this more serious side as new technologies have become available for him to use as artistic tools. In 2007 he debuted his B-Side, a more serious body of abstract contemporary work featuring light paintings, underwater photography, and 3D Abstract sculpture printed on both traditional and untraditional materials (plexi-glass and metal). [ [http://www.ocmetro.com/archives/ocmetro_2003/metro103003/hot25/05_gourley.html OC Metro's Hot 25 2003 ] ]

Projects

mithsonian Seeds of Change Exhibition

In 1992 Roark Gourley was invited to create a work of art by the heads of The Smithsonian's Natural History Museum, Herman J. Viola, and Carolyn Margolis for the upcoming "Seeds of Change" exhibit. The exhibit was to commemorate the 5th centennial of Columbus discovering the Americas. The exhibit was an attempt to interpret the true meaning of Columbus' voyage and both the negative and positive consequences that followed. The exhibit is named for five "seeds": corn, potatoes, sugar, diseases and horses that through their roles in initiating changes 500 years ago shaped the course of human history in the Americas and altered the lives of people around the world. [Stauffer, Barbara "Seeds of Change" "The New Worls" Spring/Summer 1991 No.2 pp.6-7]

"Spaghetti Meets Tomato" was commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution to capture the biological and cultural impacts of the encounter between Old and New Worlds. Roark's piece was to tell the story of how the spaghetti met the tomato in a humorous way. The result was a 10'x10'x5' high relief map of the world with depictions of various foods making up the topography and borders of countries.

The Foark Tour

In 1999 Roark launched his infamous guerrilla art project, "Forks by Roark". He gathered a team of art students and planted several over-sized brightly colored forks into off-limits Laguna Beach City soil across the street form the annual Festival of the Arts. The purpose of the project he claimed was to amuse people with "giant, unauthorized floating untensils" [Saar, Mayray "Rebel Artist Takes to the Hills in Laguna" The Orange County Register, Wednesday, June 9, 1999] Not only did the project amuse, it also poked fun at the absurdities of the system.

After several unauthorized "Foarking" stints in the Laguna Canyon, "Team Foark" was officially invited by several cities around the country to get "Foarked". The first stop was Portland, Oregon where Roark's Foarks graced the elegant grounds of the historic Pittock Mansion. A reception was hosted for the "Foark Team" at The First Avenue Gallery. [Hunsberger, Brent "Forks in the Road"The Oregonian, August 18, 2000] Other locations included The Rhode Island School of Design.

Edinburg Children's Hospital Installation

In February 2006, Roark Gourley worked with The Edinburg Children's Hospital to create a light-hearted environment for children suffering from terminal illnesses. He worked with the hospital to create a jungle themed environment that would feel more like a play room than a hospital. [ [http://asimodulex.com/default.asp?NodeID=3221 Edinburg Children's Hospital ] ] [Charlene Rodriguez "Artist Gives Kids Joy", May 26-28, 2006]

References

Printed Sources

*Pettit, Dawn "The Artists; Creative Expression is a Way of Life for these Nine Locals" Orange Coast Magazine, Sept. 2006 p.83
*Andrews, Jennifer "Take a Walk for Art's Sake" 944 Magazine, Oct. 2007 p.35
*Rodriguez, Charlene "Artist Gives Kids Joy" The Edinburg Review" May 26-28 2006
*Stauffer, Barbara "Seeds of Change" "The New World" Spring/Summer 1991 No.2 pp.6-7
*Saar, Mayray "Rebel Artist Takes to the Hills in Laguna" The Orange County Register, Wednesday, June 9, 1999
*Hunsberger, Brent "Forks in the Road"The Oregonian, August 18, 2000

Online Sources

*Goldner, Liz " [http://www.ocmetro.com/archives/ocmetro_2003/metro103003/hot25/05_gourley.html Roark Gourley: Artist with a Mission] " OC Metro, 2003