When most people’s vacation plans get ruined, they pack it in and say, “Oh well.” But Toledo artist Jerry Gray decided to make something out of his misfortunes.
“This last summer, I took like a two-month road trip, and I was out west in Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming [and] Utah,” Gray says. “I originally went out there to go hiking on the Colorado trail and got some soft tissue damage in my left foot, and I had to get off the trail […] I laid myself up for four days and it wasn’t getting any better, and I was antsy, so I just started driving.” Gray’s 10,000-mile trip took him across the American southwest, where he took over 2,000 photographs that would become the basis for his new exhibit, “Wanted/Missing,” premiering at the Secor Building Friday, April 5 at 7 pm.
The opening night will also feature music by Dooley Wilson and Mr. John Roundcity. The exhibit will then be open every Tuesday through Saturday, from 5 to 10 pm.
“A lot of the show is based […] off imagery that I captured from that trip; that’s a good chunk of the show. There’s some older work that’s going to be included that I’ve finally gotten framed or presentable,” Gray says.
Gray has been part of the Toledo art scene since 2000, as the owner of Bozarts, a five-year passion project opened in 2009, and as the co-owner (along with fellow artist Kerry Krow) of Quest for Fire studios.
Gray said the exhibit’s title sums up his emotions about the trip. “The 'Wanted/Missing’ was kind of like wanting to [travel] and missing home, but also wanting to be home and missing [those places].”
Both the creative process and finished products turned out very differently from Gray’s past works. “It’s definitely been a weird experience with it. I’ve never worked on a group of [projects] from one experience. It’s always been kind of ADD — I work however I want to work. It’s very mixed media.”
This should not be news to local art junkies familiar with his work; Gray's career has progressed from one medium to another. “A lot of my work … I could pull out 10 different pieces and if you were a stranger, you probably wouldn’t know they’re all from the same artist.”
Gray said the works will include lots of landscapes, bright colors and manipulated photos. “In the past, [my works have] been — I don’t want to say dark, but definitely edgy, not necessarily pretty,” Gray explains. “I’m kind of flipping that quite a bit in this show.”
A unique aspect of Gray’s photography work is what he describes as “exploiting the ease of technology,” citing Instagram as a useful artistic tool, which will allow him to sell $10 prints of certain works.
Although Gray owns Bozarts, he opted to exhibit at the Secor Building since, “I know and love the space, and I have a great relationship and history with the people there.”
Gray said he hopes visitors to his exhibit get a sense of “nostalgia and intrigue” from his work.
Jerry Gray’s “Wanted/Missing” exhibit will debut at the Secor Building (at the corner of Jefferson and Superior in downtown Toledo) on Friday, April 5 at 7 pm. For more info on Jerry, visit
www.facebook.com/jerrythegray.
