Glendale Arts presents All Unfinished, a solo exhibition by contemporary artist, director, concept artist and background painter Nic Gregory, on view through Oct. 17 at ace/121 Gallery in Glendale. 

Where perfection and the finished product are often the focus, All Unfinished welcomes viewers to step back from the finish line and discover the beauty of what happens along the way. Through contemporary portraiture and landscapes, Gregory brings the often-hidden beginnings of a work of art into the spotlight. Rough sketches, expressive line work, simple shapes, patterns and bold fields of color become central elements of each composition rather than foundations to be concealed beneath subsequent layers of paint. 

By allowing that underlying structure to remain visible, Gregory captures the immediacy of an idea taking shape and the creative energy that can disappear as a work moves toward completion. 

“Most of the world will focus on the end product, the best of the best, achieving perfection,” Gregory said. “I have always seen the beauty in the rough sketch, painters blocking in shapes, and the simple joy of mixing and finding your color of choice. This is where art has the most life.”

That fascination with process is informed by a creative career spanning both fine art and entertainment. Originally from Australia, Gregory moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as an entertainment artist and has since created work for Marvel Studios, Disney, Cartoon Network, Imagineering, Warner Bros., Bento Box, Stoopid Buddy and others. His work has contributed to some of popular culture’s most recognizable characters and worlds, including Spider-Man, Batman, Beavis and Butthead, Mickey and Friends, and Harry Potter.

While billions around the world have encountered Gregory’s work through television, film, publishing, games and theme parks, All Unfinished turns the focus to his personal artistic practice and the ideas, marks, shapes, and colors that define his own visual language.

Gregory describes the work as “unfinished,” not to suggest something incomplete but to challenge the assumption that refinement is always the ultimate goal. The exhibition gives the sketch permission to remain visible, lets line work move to the forefront, and creates space for color and form to retain the vitality of their earliest stages.

“Step back from the finish line because that is where life is lived,” said Gregory. Through All Unfinished, viewers are invited to do just that: spend time in the space between the first mark and the final one, and experience the inspiration, experimentation, and joy found there.

This exhibition is made possible through support from Kazaryan & Harutyunyan, A Professional Law Corporation.

ace/121 Gallery is operated by Glendale Arts and located at 121 N. Kenwood St. in Glendale. The gallery is open Wednesday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to check ace121gallery.com for additional details.

Submitted by ace/121