In the late sixties Gary Conway discovered and fell in love with a broken-down ranch on 320 acres in Paso Robles, California. Arriving via helicopter crash, Conway landed thick in the midst of a landscape that would take him on a journey from actor to rancher to vintner. Art of the Vineyard is an odyssey, covering the trials and tribulations of a man on a quest to rediscover the land and “the farmer within.” Nature’s rich palette seduces Conway as it is sure to tantalize readers. The serene Santa Lucia Mountains, the woodlands and rich pastures, and skies of brilliant hues become a spiritual landscape leading him down a path of adventure and self-discovery, and is reflected in his stunning oil paintings. Refreshingly insightful and at times gritty, Conway cultivates a narrative sure to be a bountiful harvest for all those who have ever tilled the land or enjoyed its plenty.
Acknowledgments
“This book evolved out of a chance scattering of wild seeds. Jim McMullan happened at the germination. He and Dick Gautier tirelessly produced a book, Actors as Artists. One of my paintings, The Farmer, was included. Prophetic, it was.”
“Jim’s publisher entered the scene: Peter Ackroyd. Peter encouraged and inspired an art form. He thought there might be a book of paintings somewhere in the studio of my life. Peter and his wife Roberta Scimone, visited one day to take a look. Amongst the clutter there were vineyards and landscapes and a germ of a story … and with Peter’s cultivating and my digging into my past … they grew and grew.”
“Even before I came upon the land, this was a journey with many supporting hands joining on the way. From the nurturing of my beloved mother and father and family, who first declared me an artist, to my cherished wife and children, who went along with it all and brought their boundless loyalty and love.”
“When the horizon appeared, Allan McDonell took up his shears and pruned in just the right places. Cynthia Patterson shared her artist’s vision and studio to design the landscape. Amy Inouye picked the stray weeds. Kathryn Sky-Peck and the Journey Editions staff provided the fertile ground and ever enriching … and it was a bountiful harvest.”
First published in 1995 by Journey Editions Boston, MA
Copyright by Gary Conway
Edited by Allan McDonell
Designed by Cynthia Patterson