John McGiff, Friday Night at Green Kill, March 2026
Friday Night at Green Kill takes place twice a month every month. March event dates are March 6 7-10 PM and March 20, 7 - 10 PM.
Join John McGiff at Friday Night at Green Kill, March 6, 7-10 PM and March 20, 7 - 10 PM.
John McGiff
I make images to help map the terrain of the journey I find myself on and figurative narratives are my chosen stage.
I am naturally inclined towards making series of paintings that are bound by a central narrative idea that often stems from an old story. A reoccurring theme in my work is about the individual journey from innocence to loss to redemption. This is a culturally charged tale and by retelling some of the Greek myths, I benefit from working with archetypal narratives that are capable of shifting in their focus and, therefore, quite elastic in the vision that they imply.
What, for example, would Icarus do if he had landed differently and had a second chance at building a life? If Acteon was made to fall asleep by Diana’s pool, a prelude to his prescribed fate, what parade of figures would haunt and tantalize his dreams? How did the abduction of Persephone by Hades inform her adulthood and rebirth? This emphasis on one’s ability to transform experience in positive ways is the alchemy I seek from my painting practice
The figure is central to the compositions I make in the studio, as is color and the thrill of moving through pictorial space. I am as interested in humor and grace, as I am in the dramatics of the narrative, for the goal is to bring new ways of thinking about how we open up vistas for ourselves as we mark these passages we are on.
Friday Night at Green Kill
Starting March 2026, Green Kill invites visual artists to be part of Friday Night at Green Kill, a lively salon-like monthly exhibition program where creativity meets community. Each artist can display one artwork (painting, print, or photograph) up to 30” x 60”. To join, send an image of your piece, a short artist statement, and a participation request to 229greenkill@greenkill.org. If accepted, your work will be featured online and exhibited during first and third Friday events—with up to 15 artists per night. There’s no entry fee, and you can sell your artwork (up to $2,000) with a 30% gallery commission on sales. Come enjoy an evening of art, open mic performances, and good company! Learn more.
