Half-Cocked & Loaded - Original & giclee available
Half-Cocked & Loaded
(oil on canvas)
This painting is an update of my 20 year old painting, Ma Nature: This Time It’s Personal. This revisited version examines Mother Nature's reaction to years of environmental neglect and in particular, the probable results of the current Pruitt-led EPA's oversight, or lack thereof. Remnants of Trump donors lie in the rubble.
Ma Nature Revisited  (oil on canvas)
Gary Aagaard
Trumpcula: Old Habits Die Hard
(oil on canvas)

 

As a fledgling illustrator in Brooklyn during the 1980’s, I took on any project thrown my way. I refer to that time as my “snack or famine days”. Eventually, I zeroed in on editorial work and soon scored assignments at publications like The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, NY Newsday and The Village Voice (primarily covers).

Since the early 2000’s, I’ve concentrated on gallery work with an editorial, satirical slant….. essentially larger oil paintings with conceptual content reminiscent of my illustration years. Lampooning politicians, pundits or spiritual leaders who specialize in alternative facts, manufactured outrage, false equivalents, convoluted conspiracy theories and tunnel-visioned tribalism (whew) is my form of protest and provides a satisfying outlet (i.e., it minimizes shouting at the TV, reduces those pesky nightmares & eliminates my quest to prove Jeff Sessions is actually an interloper from The Shire).

Of course, visually addressing the daily insanity of politics, punditry or social upheaval requires an occasional break, which is when I paint relatively non-confrontational pieces. That said, please proceed to the Portfolio Page to see samples of The World According to Gar.

This painting was inspired by Trump's statement that he thought he looked like the Lone Ranger while wearing his protective black mask. Trump's silver bullet is Hydroxychloroquine aka HCQS (stamped on every pill). As usual, he's blind to Covid-19, despite being infected by it.
The Lone Danger  (oil on canvas)