J. Adam McGalliard

 
 

Erewhon

Erewhon is a new series of oil paintings and pastel drawings composed of unreal figures in unreal places and time. The word “Erewhon” is an anagram of “nowhere” and first surfaced as the title of a novel by Samuel Butler, written in 1874 as a satirical take on British attitudes of the time towards religion, science and the law. In this current time of polarization and the rise of extreme weather events, these images explore possible futures in which the social order has collapsed and the relationship between humans and nature is being rewritten. This body of work is a collaborative project with AI Artist Jenny Lee Corvo. The paintings and drawings are based on references that were created using various artificial intelligence systems, including DALL.E 2, Stable Diffusion and MidJourney, that can generate images from a description in natural language, attributes and styles.

If you are interested in purchasing original artwork, click on the image you are interested in. For availability and pricing of artworks without a clickable link, please use the email contact form at the bottom of this page.

Projections

Projections is a series of oil paintings that breaks from traditional portraiture and incorporates multiple layers of imagery that personify the identities, beliefs and expressions that individuals present to the world.  These projections act as a double-edged sword.  If spoken loudly, they can starkly reveal something that is hidden, like the writhing tattoos of the Illustrated Man.  If used covertly, they can conceal by creating a protective outer hull. The intention is to depict a combination of someone's conscious and unconscious spheres, rather than merely capture his or her outward appearance.

If you are interested in purchasing original artwork, click on the image you are interested in. For availability and pricing of artworks without a clickable link, please use the email contact form at the bottom of this page.

 

Personas

With the paintings in Personas, I depict and expand individuals' traits and personal narratives, distilling archetypes and the various roles people choose in order to participate and function in society. As we lose touch with old myths and outdated identities, I want to create fresh stories for our exponentially evolving contemporary culture.

If you are interested in purchasing original artwork, click on the image you are interested in. For availability and pricing of artworks without a clickable link, please use the email contact form at the bottom of this page.

 

Hindsight

In my series "Hindsight," created in 2020 during the early stages of Covid pandemic, I explore themes of reflection and perspective through pen and ink drawings. This work examines ways in which our past informs our understanding of the present. Through varied subject matter, "Hindsight" invites viewers to consider how past experiences shape our view of today's world, using the versatility of ink to challenge and engage in a visual dialogue about change and perception.

If you are interested in purchasing original artwork, click on the image you are interested in. For availability and pricing of artworks without a clickable link, please use the email contact form at the bottom of this page.

Hindsight Book

Hindsight is a coffee table art book featuring 31 pen and ink drawings by J. Adam McGalliard. You can preview each page and purchase a copy by clicking below