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GREGORY HALILI
Gregory Halili was born in the Philippines in 1975. He received his B.F.A. from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He resides in New Jersey. Halili was born and raised in the Philippines, surrounded by lush vegetation, tropical wildlife and warm people. As a teenager, he moved to this country in 1988.
Gregory Halili, BEFORE THE FIGHT, 1999,
watercolor on paper, 7 x 5 inches
Gregory Halili, LANDSCAPE, 1998,
gouache on paper, 7 x 9 inches
The
artist's memories of childhood infused with the perfume of the tropics
are a touchstone to many of his paintings. Working in gouache, the miniatures
range in size from 1 x 1 inch to 4 x 12 inches. In this small scale, Halili
creates an entire world filled with light, atmosphere, mood with meticulous
precision and immense detail. He draws us into an enchanted garden, a
kinder, gentler place. An important theme in his early paintings was the
butterfly--a constant presence in his growing-up years.
Link to Gregory Halili's 2002 Butterfly Collection
small scale group exhibition link
Link to Gregory Halili's 2002 Butterfly Collection
small scale group exhibition link
Gregory Halili, AUTUMN SILK, 1998,
gouache on paper, 9 x 9 inches
Gregory Halili, MAGIC AT TWILIGHT, 1999,
watercolor on paper, 9 x 7 inches
Gregory Halili, LOVEBIRDS, 1998,
watercolor on paper, 9 x 7 inches
Each painting depicted a splendiferously colored flying creature, a symbol of change, transformation, life's fragility. In some of his new works he captures the marketplace in the Philippines from his memory fecund with ripe fruits, bathed in light and warmth with graceful women waiting for customers under thatched roofs. A slower pace of life from another time and place pervades these full, yet tiny works.
Gregory Halili, OBJECT OF DESIRE (MOONLIT), 1999,
watercolor on paper, 6 x 4 1/2 inches
Gregory Halili, SILENT REVERIE, 2000,
watercolor on paper, 12 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches
In his most
recent gouaches Halili paints patterned fabrics, draping them into
landscapes with moonlit skies.
The fabrics have birds, flowers, nature adorning the folds.
The folds sometimes seem like hills and mountains, at other times like
a flower- filled field under azure skies.
The new works are simultaneously poetic, suggestive and mysterious.
