In his latest exhibition entitled Oculus Serenade, Peter D. Gerakaris’s selection of vibrant tondo paintings literally and figuratively focus the gaze on our wondrous natural world, merging microcosmic and macrocosmic apertures. As luminous portals, the works present motifs such as endangered botanicals, exotic avian species, topographical forms, and aquatic life — which the artist has experienced firsthand whether trekking in semi-tropical jungles, scuba diving amongst fragile coral reefs, or hiking along the Housatonic in Cornwall. These oculi reverberate like stereographic, kaleidoscopic lenses that meld nature and culture.

Having favored the tondo format for over two decades, Gerakaris’s exhibit orbits around a hand-painted, original 4ft diameter “Orchid Oculus Tondo.” This painting evokes a dreamlike cosmos where viewers encounter endangered Amazona Versicolor Parrots (from St. Lucia) and larger-than-life tropical orchids flowing amongst rhythmic foliage. With a harmonious compositional layout, the meticulously-layered elements are hand-painted with a call-and-response process over an initial background where the artist allows chance spills, drips, and dyes to remain exposed — an approach likened to “visual jazz” by curator Simon Watson.

Meanwhile, a set of four smaller “satellite” works on paper float in a constellation around the larger tondo. These “Oculus Reprise” works are each uniquely hand-embellished print versions based on larger parent paintings. Using a matrix of cutting-edge digital scanning and photographic technology to capture the original paintings — an aperture-based process befitting of these aperture-esque artworks — Gerakaris then transforms the imagery into smaller archival pigment prints on fine art paper, over which he painstakingly hand-applies new details with gouache, acrylic, and iridescent paints, sometimes collaging and cutting out shallow relief, or hand-gilding with precious metallic leaf over the surface.

American interdisciplinary artist Peter D. Gerakaris creates vibrant paintings, public installations, origami sculptures, & mosaics that engage nature-culture themes through a global lens. Currently based in Cornwall CT, he was raised a free-range child in New Hampshire and later maintained a NYC studio for nearly two decades. Gerakaris earned a BFA from Cornell University and an MFA from Hunter College where he received the Tony Smith Prize.

The work will be on display until February 28th.