Comet Painting

Gary Passanise, American painter, was born in 1951 in Saint Louis, Missouri. The son of a master craftsman working in the marble and tile trades, he was immersed in the building arts throughout his youth. He spent much of his spare time making objects from found materials and eventually began painting in his early teens. In 1969, at the age of 18, he was drafted during the Vietnam conflict. Without the time, tools and materials of his youth he purchased a 35mm camera and began the study of photography with the eye of a painter. Subject matter became secondary to the study of composition, depth of field, light and shadow, proportion and scale. Photography eventually influenced the early formal development of his paintings. By 1980 Passanise completed a BFA in Painting and Drawing and an MFA in Painting, Drawing & Printmaking. His first solo exhibit in 1981 drew the attention of Chief Curator Jack Cowart of the St. Louis Art Museum who purchased a large abstract painting for the museum’s permanent collection. This first exhibit of large scale paintings was a critical and commercial success. Passanise continued to exhibit nationally and internationally, gaining recognition for large scale abstract paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture. By 1987, Passanise completed his first commission of large scale public sculpture in downtown St. Louis, entitled Cambrian Gate. As part of his continuous inspiration of the elements of nature and the effects of the imposition of humanity, the sculpture is composed of reclaimed granite remnant islands, vertical copper structures clad with black granite, are conveyors of a subtle waterfall, their colors deepening and changing as the patina ages. In this same year, Passanise established a working studio in New York City, in addition to his St. Louis studio, to reach a broader audience of museum and gallery professionals, as well as a collector base that allowed the continued expense of maintaining a studio practice in lower Manhattan. Over the next 25 years he grew in his practice in both metropolises while raising his two sons. In 1989 he was invited to teach painting and drawing at Webster University, and soon became the Director of Painting. After 32 years, he retired as Professor Emeritus in summer 2021 and now continues full time his practice in the visual arts. Passanise continues to work fluidly in a wide variety of mediums as he lives in St. Louis with his wife and his two stepdaughters.