Green Door features offbeat work of John Henry Haseltine
Green Door Gallery will host the work of John Henry Haseltine this fall. “Westward & Miserable” will be on display through October 28th at the Downtown Livingston space.
The artist, filmmaker and performer previously resided in Los Angeles and graduated from Emerson College with a degree in film production. He relocated to Livingston to dedicate more time to his art, finding inspiration in Montana’s geography and history.
“‘Westward & Miserable’ is equally influenced by the bizarre realm of western culture between John Ford films and Howdy Doody, and the practical realizations the socially conscious are able to make while inhabiting western regions today,” Haseltine says. “Within a painting, I don’t worry about separating western mythology from more revisionist historical realities, because from my perspective, revising the mythology of the west is a practice as old as the myths themselves and is a fundamental part of the medium. I paint with acrylic craft paint – it’s paint intended for derby racing cars, bird houses or paper mâché crafts, but it’s also ideal on canvas if you want everything to look like a giant, unmovable roadside Paul Bunyan statue.
“So much of this region’s aesthetics, history and rituals strike me as natural subjects for jarring narrative paintings. Apart from a tremendous amount of brush strokes, my job mainly comes down to figuring out how hunched over the guys in the painting should be, what beard lengths will be the funniest, and which people are crying or just about to start crying. I enjoy saddling these historical figures and stoic archetypes with some of the less glamorous emotions that occupy an awful lot of our brain space today (anxiety, neuroticism, self-centered despair…). It’s why many of the ‘heroes’ look like babies or little boys. These emotions aren’t ever included in our myths and folklore, but I find it hard to believe they weren’t there when these stories happened to whatever extent they actually did.”
The Synergigi-designed Green Door Gallery can be found just above Wheatgrass Saloon, a cold-press juice bar and eco-boutique in historic Downtown Livingston. Green Door celebrates the work of local and regional artists and presents a culturally engaging experience for the viewer. The gallery is located at 120 N Main St. Learn more by visiting www.wheatgrasssaloon.com. Note: face coverings are required for entry. Masks and hand sanitizer available. •
