gary carmody conway Gary was painting in earnest at the age of five

the land, the firmament, the tectonic forces
gary carmody conway
Gary was painting in earnest at the age of five. He was considered a child
prodigy and was the youngest artist to win a major prize at the LA County Art
Exhibition. Even before his teens, Gary was awarded scholarships to study art in
the leading Los Angeles art schools, and before age sixteen Gary was granted
full scholarships to the three most prestigious art schools in the country.
Graduating from UCLA, he not only dedicated himself to fine art as a life long
pursuit, but also went on to become an accomplished violinist who appeared
at the Hollywood Bowl, and an architect whose work has been featured in
Design West.
His remarkable talents expanded to include TV star, and it was in television
where he became an instant worldwide celebrity, first with a starring role in the
TV series Burke's Law. While on this classic series he had the rare opportunity to
work with a grand array of legendary stars of the silver screen, from Mary Astor,
to Bette Davis, to Gloria Swanson, to ZaZu Pitts.
Gary followed Burke’s Law with Land of the Giants, considered the most
successful program ever produced on a worldwide basis. Besides starring in
series and a multitude of episodic television shows and pilots, he starred in
many motion pictures. He had leading roles and production credits in The
Farmer, Black Gunn, Once is Not Enough, to name a few.
Gary became highly regarded as a screenwriter and wrote the scripts for such
popular films as Over the Top, as well as the highly successful American Ninja
series. He also originated films scripts for such stars as Laurence Harvey,
Catherine Dueneve and Eddie Murphy.
the land, the firmament, the tectonic forces
gary carmody conway
Painting was always essential to Gary Carmody Conway; the passion and commitment never
waned. He knew instinctively the road to painting maturity was long and arduous and painting
technique itself was only the beginning.
Gary built his present studio and gallery in the middle of his vineyard in the Central Coast of
California. The artist first beheld the idyllic beauty of this land -- “the sublime light” -- aboard a
helicopter moments before it crashed. Emerging from the wreckage, Gary exclaimed to the still
stunned real estate broker, “I'm going to buy this place!” This is the stuff of legends; and, indeed,
in the ensuing years the vineyard and its supersoils and textbook microclimates are legendary by
way of Carmody McKnight Estate Wines.
The story of Gary’s odyssey with the land, Art of the Vineyard, has been published by the
prestigious Journey Editions of the Charles E. Tuttle Company. Besides authoring Art of the
Vineyard, the book includes over a hundred of Gary's brilliant landscapes which are indicative of
his outstanding reputation as an artist.
Art of the Vineyard has received overwhelming praise from all quarters of the country. Connie
Martinson on her television show Let's Talk Books, said, "Gary's Art of the Vineyard would be a
wonderful book on its own let alone an extraordinary book of art." In a review in New Times and
on PBS, his work was described as "magnificent, exhilarating, vibrating, extraordinary." In the
review in Booklist, perhaps the most significant in the publishing industry, his book and its art were
referred to as "vivid, nearly neon color palette...the images demonstrate the human capacity to
love, desire, create, and persevere...a rendering of Conway's passion."
The SLO art critic, Glen Starkey, voiced the opinion shared by many others, when he commented
in his review of Gary’s art that “his work is influenced by the landscapes of Richard Diebenkorn,
although Gary’s palette is much brighter. His vineyard series features verdant greens, wild
magentas, shimmering yellows, rich blues, warm reds and oranges... even the palette of the
French impressionists were perhaps not as bright as Conway’s. His paintings are positively dazzling
with color. And his compositions are simple yet effective.”
Recently, Gary wrote and directed the film Woman's Story. Woman's Story is already being
heralded as: “an extraordinary film... a stunning filmmaking achievement... with such artistry that
it becomes a genuine work of art. The look of the film is much like a great painting.” Critics and
writers around the country are calling the film "amazing," "a shining moment," "tremendous,"
"awesome," “fantastic.” For Gary, the film is indeed an extension of his painting as well as
articulating a vital social message.
Gary’s current work as a painter is being displayed on both coasts. He is represented in
Georgetown, D.C. at Susan Calloway http://www.callowayart.com/gallery.php?E=ID_collection&T=&ID=10.
Gary is considered one of the foremost landscape painters in the U. S. as well as an outstanding
portrait painter.
Gary’s vibrant paintings personify art as experience and energy. His landscapes dwell before and
beyond time… but always the land, the firmament, the tectonic forces. His landscapes as well as
his figurative art and portraits search the essence of the earth and its eternal evolution.