Elegance and power exhibition walk through

If you didn't get the chance to visit my exhibition last year, here's a video showing a quick walkthrough of the paintings in the gallery.

Elegance and Power - "Your company is mine"

My version of the story behind the painting

It's a classic cocktail party and one of the guests has a hostile takeover of one of the other guests in mind. Or actually the other guests' company - both personally and financially. The red poison bottle hidden behind her back has already been opened and a drop landed in her target's martini, all in a very subtle and unobserved manner. The couple say 'Cheers' to each other and soon her target is feeling slightly dizzy. But not so dizzy that they can't write their signature on what looks like an autograph book, and the lady walks away from the party with ownership of another company.

Detail from "Your company is mine"

The making of "Your company is mine"

My wife was heavily pregnant when I took the reference photos for this, but of course it doesn't show due to the areas of black. The poison was a drink called fun light (strawberry flavour) and the martini was water. The olives were real! I really like the composition and lighting, the lack of detail and the parts that are there but not at all painted - like the small of her back and her behind. One of my favourites.

Detail from "Your company is mine"

This painting is for sale. 7000 swedish kronor.
A limited edition of canvas prints of this painting are also available. An edition of ten at the same size as the originals (100 x 100 centimeters) for 2700 kronor each and an edition of twenty at 60 x 60 centimeters for 1400 kronor each. All signed and numbered by me. Please get in touch by mail viagary.rychter@gmail.com or telephone 0046 (0)706 391848 if you are interested in buying.

Elegance and power - "My little catastrophe"

My version of the story behind the painting

The plant in the painting holds a very special power, and the woman is about to release this power to the world. Or is she? Perhaps she is playing with the thought of releasing her 'little catastrophe", without the intention of doing it. The plant is mugwort, which in Ukranian is "Chornobyl". The woman here is a goddess, playing with the symbolic power in her hands.

Detail from "My little catastrophe"

The making of "My little catastrophe"

My wife loves these glass cake-holders and wanted this one to feature in a painting, and I love the dress she is wearing, even though it was difficult to paint. The Chernobyl disaster has a special meaning for my wife as she was out cycling with her family when she was six years old. They got caught in the rain and it wasn't till afterwards that the family realised the rain was probably radioactive. Her mother suspects a connection between that rainfall and a blood condition my wife had afterwards. She's fine now though!

Detail from "My little catastrophe"

A limited edition of canvas prints of this painting are available. An edition of ten at the same size as the originals (100 x 100 centimeters) for 2700 kronor each and an edition of twenty at 60 x 60 centimeters for 1400 kronor each. All signed and numbered by me. Please get in touch by mail gary.rychter@gmail.com or telephone 0046 (0)706 391848 if you are interested in buying.

Elegance and power - "Take a sniff Mr. President"

My version of the story behind the painting

This is a classic tale of seduction and power. The woman in the painting is saying the lines to herself as she sprays her neck with the perfume, practicing for what will come later that evening - she has an invitation to a very special party in which the president himself will be there. She has created a special perfume which casts its fragrance out and creates a curiousity. The president will smell the perfume and wonder what it is, and also wonder why he knows straight away that the woman in purple is the wearer. He asks "What perfume is that you're wearing?" to which she replies "Take a sniff, Mr. President." If you look closely at the painting, you'll see there's a worm in the bottom of the perfume bottle. An hour after taking a close sniff, the president is dead.

Detail from "Take a sniff, Mr. President"

The making of "Take a sniff Mr. President"

It took my wife and I several months to get the perfume bottle. It's an ikea product and every time we were there, the product was sold out, leaving us staring frustratingly at the glued-down display product. Until one day we decided to rip the display product off the shelf. My wife (I'm amazed she has the guts) took the perfume dispenser to the bargain corner and after a few persuasive conversations, managed to get them to put a 'bargain' sticker on it. We've never been happier after a trip to ikea. The rest of the painting went well apart from the title which took a long time and many variants.

If you want a look at this painting in real life then go to the gallery Rönnquist & Rönnquist in Malmö and ask to be taken to the basement... :)

Detail from "Take a sniff, Mr. President"

This painting is for sale. 7000 swedish kronor.
A limited edition of canvas prints of this painting are also available. An edition of ten at the same size as the originals (100 x 100 centimeters) for 2700 kronor each and an edition of twenty at 60 x 60 centimeters for 1400 kronor each. All signed and numbered by me. Please get in touch by mail viagary.rychter@gmail.com or telephone 0046 (0)706 391848 if you are interested in buying.

Elegance and Power - "I have the last word"

My version of the story behind the painting
The reporter is listening to someone in a position of power - perhaps a politician, who likes to hear the sound of their own voice and loves to dominate any conversation. The reporter listens silently, taking her notes, knowing that it doesn't matter what the politician says, or how much he tries to take over the situation, that it all depends on which of his words she uses, and in which order, that will define how his words are taken. Despite everything he wants, she has the last word.

Detail from "I have the last word"

The making of "I have the last word"
My wife loves this coat and the hat was a present from me. We didn't really have any ideas but after a while of taking reference photographs the reporter emerged by herself, and especially when my wife found that head angle. I really like the position of her right hand, which is like an uppercut or another unfriendly gesture.

Detail from "I have the last word"

This painting is for sale. 7000 swedish kronor.
A limited edition of canvas prints of this painting are also available. An edition of ten at the same size as the originals (100 x 100 centimeters) for 2700 kronor each and an edition of twenty at 60 x 60 centimeters for 1400 kronor each. All signed and numbered by me. Please get in touch by mail viagary.rychter@gmail.com or telephone 0046 (0)706 391848 if you are interested in buying.

2012 calendar

I've just received the print edition of my 2012 calendars. They are a limited edition of 25, and cost 200 swedish kronor (or £18, or $28 or €21) so if you'd like one before Christmas, get in touch via mail (or twitter or facebook or talking to me) and I'll do my best!

The text is in Swedish, but it's really similar to English so there won't be any problem, and it'll be unusual to say the least. Guess which month Januari is? Februari? Maj? September? Etc. Piece of cake!

Click on each picture below for a larger version:

Elegance and power - "Everybody thinks you've gone home"

Behind this painting is one of my favourite stories. But if you'd rather make up your own story and not be influenced by mine, skip over the next paragraph!

Detail from "Everybody thinks you've gone home"

My version of the story behind the painting
There was a very elegant party, perhaps at the end of the year, in a big city, and someone was not being very nice to the other guests. The hostess wasn't particularly pleased with the behaviour of this unpleasant person but couldn't do anything about them due to taking care of her other guests. A moment came during the night in which she realised she could use the power of flirtation to get rid of the only negative person in the party. The person followed her flashing eyelids and suggestive glances into a dark room far away from the rest of the group. She made the person sit down on a chair, then watch her back away while dancing, reaching behind to unfasten her bra strap but instead taking out and key while at the same time kicking a door which slammed closed between them, locking the person into the room. On the other side, the hostess dangles the key before the person, saying with a smile "Everybody thinks you went home". She then turns and ignores the demands of the person while walking back to her champagne in the party.

Detail from "Everybody thinks you've gone home"

The making of "Everybody thinks you've gone home"
The origin of this painting is a photograph where my wife is getting herself prepared for a New Year's party. In the photograph she's holding some makeup and brushing her cheeks with the other hand. I didn't have the idea for the key until afterwards, but at the start I knew she had to be holding something. I really liked the pose in the photograph and the clothes my wife was wearing. My initial thoughts were to put a gun in her hand but I thought that would be too obvious, and I'd already painted "Let me think". So I took some more reference photos with a key later and it fitted in really well. I then came up with the story behind the painting and lastly the title itself - which was "I told them you went home" for a while until I changed it to the current title which I like (of course) much better.

This painting is for sale. 7000 swedish kronor.
A limited edition of canvas prints of this painting are also available. An edition of ten at the same size as the originals (100 x 100 centimeters) for 2700 kronor each and an edition of twenty at 60 x 60 centimeters for 1400 kronor each. All signed and numbered by me. Please get in touch by mail viagary.rychter@gmail.com or telephone 0046 (0)706 391848 if you are interested in buying.