Artist’s Statement

In a world that often flattens masculinity into performance, I work to restore its texture and tenderness—to reveal the spaces where men are allowed to feel. My practice moves fluidly between image and word, between canvas and page. Whether through oil paint, collage, glass, or prose, I explore the emotional interior of male relationships: the quiet moments of intimacy, reflection, loss, and longing that too often go unseen.

Each piece—whether painted, assembled, or written—begins with observation and memory. I’m drawn to gestures that hover between strength and vulnerability, to glances that carry unspoken stories. My visual work and my writing are in constant conversation: a painting may become the spark for a story, a paragraph might evolve into a visual composition. Together, they form an ongoing exploration of how we see and are seen—how tenderness takes shape when we dare to look a little longer.

My background in theater, literature, and glasswork informs both disciplines. Theater taught me to read human presence—the pauses, the silences, the emotional architecture of a scene. Glass taught me about transparency and fracture, how light finds its way through imperfection. Collage and oil painting allow me to build surfaces that feel lived-in, layered like memory itself. Writing allows me to name what image alone cannot.

I’m interested in what happens at the intersection of mediums—where text becomes texture, and image becomes language. Sometimes the work is direct, other times coded, hidden in gesture and gaze. But always, it’s an invitation toward empathy: a reminder that vulnerability is not weakness but a form of strength, and that connection is an art in itself.

Ultimately, my work—visual and written—seeks to create spaces where men can be seen in their full complexity. Spaces where emotion, memory, and imagination converge. Spaces where beauty resides not in perfection, but in the honesty of being human.

Biography

Gary LaParl is a multidisciplinary artist whose work centers on the emotional depth of male relationships. Originally from West Virginia by way of Baltimore, he’s lived and created in cities like Chicago, Philadelphia, and Salem, Massachusetts—each leaving its own imprint on his evolving practice.

Gary’s early creative life was rooted in theater, a passion that still informs the narrative pull of his visual art and creative writing. He spent over a decade apprenticing as a stained glass craftsperson, and now works primarily in oil and mixed media, often incorporating collage techniques to echo the layered nature of memory and identity. His visual work is deeply influenced by the Arts & Crafts Movement, the pull of the ocean, and the beauty tucked inside ordinary moments.

Now based in Bradenton, Florida, Gary lives with his husband Craig and their cat, Camden. 

Whether in paint, glass, or prose, his work continues to explore the delicate balance of tenderness, strength, and the yearning to be seen.