April 7, 2015
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
-- Eleanor Roosevelt
Optimism in the face of uncertainty is a difficult art. The terrain of life is varied and mysterious. I cannot always see the path ahead. At times my view is shadowed by doubt, constricted by fear. The open vistas of optimism are closed to me. In such shortsighted times, I must practice the discipline of positive attitudes. I must consistently choose to expect a benevolent future despite my shaken faith. Grounded in the routine of each day's business, I must act in alignment with my coming good. This means I say "yes" to opportunities for new adventures and acquaintances to enter my life. I say "yes" to unexpected doors opening. Rather than clinging to my known life. I allow that life to alter and expand. I step out in faith despite my misgivings. --- Today, I open my mind and heart to the new vistas before me. I embrace change and accept unfolding possibilities. I am a fertile field available for God's plantings.
-- from: TRANSITIONS - Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life by Julia Cameron
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do."
-- Eleanor Roosevelt
Optimism in the face of uncertainty is a difficult art. The terrain of life is varied and mysterious. I cannot always see the path ahead. At times my view is shadowed by doubt, constricted by fear. The open vistas of optimism are closed to me. In such shortsighted times, I must practice the discipline of positive attitudes. I must consistently choose to expect a benevolent future despite my shaken faith. Grounded in the routine of each day's business, I must act in alignment with my coming good. This means I say "yes" to opportunities for new adventures and acquaintances to enter my life. I say "yes" to unexpected doors opening. Rather than clinging to my known life. I allow that life to alter and expand. I step out in faith despite my misgivings. --- Today, I open my mind and heart to the new vistas before me. I embrace change and accept unfolding possibilities. I am a fertile field available for God's plantings.
-- from: TRANSITIONS - Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life by Julia Cameron
April 6, 2015
This quote has come up several times for me recently...
"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
-- Joseph Campbell
This quote has come up several times for me recently...
"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us."
-- Joseph Campbell
April 5, 2015 Happy Easter!
Be the Bunny!
-- a detail from my painting, Prince of Peace
Be the Bunny!
-- a detail from my painting, Prince of Peace
April 1, 2015
The Fool
One of my favorite representational painters is Utah artist Brian Kershisnik. To begin with, great last name, Kershisnik! I first heard of him one day when I was perusing the stacks over at Tattered Cover Books and found a nice little book titled, Kershisnik: Painting from Life. Not plein air, but inspired by his own life, family and friends. Where the actors in his work are as he says "a sort of mythological autobiography." His humor and observations on living are wonderfully insightful. A painting entitled Forgive and Forget, features a man approaching a seated woman. He says, I forgive you... Have we met?, says she, perplexed... Their words, just emerged from their mouths, scrawled into the wet paint on the canvas. Other scenes include, dancing dogs, people breathing fire or flying as if they are everyday, matter-of-fact occurrences. One that came to mind today is: A Fool with a Tiny Banner from 1996, shown at left. I was trying to recall events from April Fool's Day past. And what stood out is the day I left Boston in 1990. Alas, I was not prepared for big city life on the east coast. Culturally it was amazing, but in every other way from horrendous traffic to impossible roommate situations, I finally surrendered the experience, and raised the white flag and headed southwest! I thought it a great day to begin any adventure. Mine was a 6000 mile, two and a half month trip, camping out every night, rising with the sun and contemplating the campfire most every night. I visited many art museums down the coast and beyond, as well as many natural wonders like the Grand Canyon, which I'd never seen before. Took stock of the good, let go of the bad, and returned home renewed, maybe even resurrected. So I highly reccommend allowing yourself to be the Fool, to not know, to strike out on that journey or project who's call only you can hear, even though you may be uncertain of its final destination. You'll be so glad you did! I finally did get to see some of Kershisnik's work in person last year when I was in Santa Fe. Here's more: http://kershisnik.com
The Fool
One of my favorite representational painters is Utah artist Brian Kershisnik. To begin with, great last name, Kershisnik! I first heard of him one day when I was perusing the stacks over at Tattered Cover Books and found a nice little book titled, Kershisnik: Painting from Life. Not plein air, but inspired by his own life, family and friends. Where the actors in his work are as he says "a sort of mythological autobiography." His humor and observations on living are wonderfully insightful. A painting entitled Forgive and Forget, features a man approaching a seated woman. He says, I forgive you... Have we met?, says she, perplexed... Their words, just emerged from their mouths, scrawled into the wet paint on the canvas. Other scenes include, dancing dogs, people breathing fire or flying as if they are everyday, matter-of-fact occurrences. One that came to mind today is: A Fool with a Tiny Banner from 1996, shown at left. I was trying to recall events from April Fool's Day past. And what stood out is the day I left Boston in 1990. Alas, I was not prepared for big city life on the east coast. Culturally it was amazing, but in every other way from horrendous traffic to impossible roommate situations, I finally surrendered the experience, and raised the white flag and headed southwest! I thought it a great day to begin any adventure. Mine was a 6000 mile, two and a half month trip, camping out every night, rising with the sun and contemplating the campfire most every night. I visited many art museums down the coast and beyond, as well as many natural wonders like the Grand Canyon, which I'd never seen before. Took stock of the good, let go of the bad, and returned home renewed, maybe even resurrected. So I highly reccommend allowing yourself to be the Fool, to not know, to strike out on that journey or project who's call only you can hear, even though you may be uncertain of its final destination. You'll be so glad you did! I finally did get to see some of Kershisnik's work in person last year when I was in Santa Fe. Here's more: http://kershisnik.com
March 29, 2015
"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes,
and the grass grows by itself."
-- Matsuo Basho
"Sitting quietly, doing nothing, Spring comes,
and the grass grows by itself."
-- Matsuo Basho
March 22, 2015
World Water Day
Today is the day we can honor the life giving qualities of water, and its importance here in our arid Colorado landscape and globally as well. It is an opportunity to give back and offer gratitude, blessings and healing to the water on our planet. There is a global meditation to that end being sponsored by Unify.org today at 7pm mountain time. Our world and our bodies are comprised of mostly water, and prayer, loving thought, and harmonious music all affect our collective molecules in a beneficial way! As evidenced in the body of work: Messages from Water by the late Dr. Masaru Emoto, when he photographed frozen water molecules after the water in glass viles were exposed to harmonious or discordant words or music. The positive expressions such as "I love you" formed beautiful crystals, where discordant phrases and music so muddied the energy of the water, it wouldn't form a crystal at all. Positing such exposure can lead to discord and dis-ease or its inverse, wellness in the body as well as the body of the Earth. His work was featured in the film, What the Bleep do we Know?. Painting in acrylics, I bless the water with a positive charge that becomes part of the painting and hopefully a blessing to the viewer who sees it. At left is my 2012 acrylic on paper, Lotus.
To learn more about World Water Day and the global meditation visit: http://unify.org and please visit: http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/index.html to learn more about Messages from Water.
World Water Day
Today is the day we can honor the life giving qualities of water, and its importance here in our arid Colorado landscape and globally as well. It is an opportunity to give back and offer gratitude, blessings and healing to the water on our planet. There is a global meditation to that end being sponsored by Unify.org today at 7pm mountain time. Our world and our bodies are comprised of mostly water, and prayer, loving thought, and harmonious music all affect our collective molecules in a beneficial way! As evidenced in the body of work: Messages from Water by the late Dr. Masaru Emoto, when he photographed frozen water molecules after the water in glass viles were exposed to harmonious or discordant words or music. The positive expressions such as "I love you" formed beautiful crystals, where discordant phrases and music so muddied the energy of the water, it wouldn't form a crystal at all. Positing such exposure can lead to discord and dis-ease or its inverse, wellness in the body as well as the body of the Earth. His work was featured in the film, What the Bleep do we Know?. Painting in acrylics, I bless the water with a positive charge that becomes part of the painting and hopefully a blessing to the viewer who sees it. At left is my 2012 acrylic on paper, Lotus.
To learn more about World Water Day and the global meditation visit: http://unify.org and please visit: http://www.masaru-emoto.net/english/index.html to learn more about Messages from Water.
March 15, 2015
Meet at the Mansion:
A Colorado Artists' Pop-Up show at the Governor's Residence
Tomorrow, Monday, March 16th, 2015 5:30-730pm
Meet at the Mansion, started in 2007 when First Lady Jeannie Ritter opened the doors of Colorado’s Home to cultural event enthusiasts. Each event celebrates art, film, music, performance, and lifestyle. This Monday, enjoy wine and hor d'oeuvres and chat with artists: Quang Ho, Doug Kacena, Robert Spooner, Karen Roehl, Edward Aldrich and Ed Kucera. Also enjoy painting demos by Dave Santillanes and one of my favorites, Kevin Weckbach, who's painting, Untitled, 84x71, appears at left. Admission is $25 and proceeds go to the Governor's Residence Preservation Fund. It's a grand old house! Our house... For more info click:
http://www.coloradoshome.org/meetatthemansion/
Meet at the Mansion:
A Colorado Artists' Pop-Up show at the Governor's Residence
Tomorrow, Monday, March 16th, 2015 5:30-730pm
Meet at the Mansion, started in 2007 when First Lady Jeannie Ritter opened the doors of Colorado’s Home to cultural event enthusiasts. Each event celebrates art, film, music, performance, and lifestyle. This Monday, enjoy wine and hor d'oeuvres and chat with artists: Quang Ho, Doug Kacena, Robert Spooner, Karen Roehl, Edward Aldrich and Ed Kucera. Also enjoy painting demos by Dave Santillanes and one of my favorites, Kevin Weckbach, who's painting, Untitled, 84x71, appears at left. Admission is $25 and proceeds go to the Governor's Residence Preservation Fund. It's a grand old house! Our house... For more info click:
http://www.coloradoshome.org/meetatthemansion/
March 8, 2015
Postcards from Google Earth
In honor of Photography Month: Brooklyn-based artist Clement Valla's magnificently uncanny 'Postcards from Google Earth' consists of a series of Internet sourced images that appear to show highways, bridges and other features of the manmade landscape melting. Valla didn't have to manipulate or distort his materials to create these dystopian visions. "They just look strange because of the competing inputs' he explains. 'The topography from which the three-dimensional model was built and the aerial imagery come from different sources - one is photographic and the other is a map, an information model. Most times the discrepancy between these different inputs is minimal and they add up to a seamless illusion, but in these instances, the discrepancy is hard to ignore. These moments reveal how the system works, how it maps aerial photography on to three-dimensional models. These images draw our attention to the system itself.' (Commentary from the book, Post-Photography, The Artist with a Camera by Robert Shore) The system yes, but I do love the resulting images of the unreality of reality captured by photography. Their appropriation reminds me somehow of Duchamp's or Picasso's Ready Mades. Can you imagine their work if they had had access to the internet?? To see more of Valla's collected images visit: http://www.postcards-from-google-earth.com
Postcards from Google Earth
In honor of Photography Month: Brooklyn-based artist Clement Valla's magnificently uncanny 'Postcards from Google Earth' consists of a series of Internet sourced images that appear to show highways, bridges and other features of the manmade landscape melting. Valla didn't have to manipulate or distort his materials to create these dystopian visions. "They just look strange because of the competing inputs' he explains. 'The topography from which the three-dimensional model was built and the aerial imagery come from different sources - one is photographic and the other is a map, an information model. Most times the discrepancy between these different inputs is minimal and they add up to a seamless illusion, but in these instances, the discrepancy is hard to ignore. These moments reveal how the system works, how it maps aerial photography on to three-dimensional models. These images draw our attention to the system itself.' (Commentary from the book, Post-Photography, The Artist with a Camera by Robert Shore) The system yes, but I do love the resulting images of the unreality of reality captured by photography. Their appropriation reminds me somehow of Duchamp's or Picasso's Ready Mades. Can you imagine their work if they had had access to the internet?? To see more of Valla's collected images visit: http://www.postcards-from-google-earth.com
February 23, 2015
"Every child is an artist.
The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."
-- Picasso
"Every child is an artist.
The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."
-- Picasso
February 22, 2015
George W. Bush, artist
Speaking of Dub-ya, I'm glad to see he is out from under the thumb of his former veep, Mr. Death, and has taken up the brush! His self-portrait in the shower/bath kinda reminds me of a David Hockney or something from the post-impressionist era. I think we all wish he had taken up painting instead of politics. Ditto for a certain art school drop out who became the German fuhrer! Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be politicians... To see more of W's work click:
george w bush paintings
George W. Bush, artist
Speaking of Dub-ya, I'm glad to see he is out from under the thumb of his former veep, Mr. Death, and has taken up the brush! His self-portrait in the shower/bath kinda reminds me of a David Hockney or something from the post-impressionist era. I think we all wish he had taken up painting instead of politics. Ditto for a certain art school drop out who became the German fuhrer! Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be politicians... To see more of W's work click:
george w bush paintings
February 16, 2015 Happy Presidents' Day
"What me worry?"
1965 2005
"What me worry?"
1965 2005
February 15, 2015
Sean O'Meallie, Phil Bender
and rePOPulated at the Arvada Center
I went over to the Arvada Center yesterday. My first stop was the outdoor sculpture garden in the meadow below the center which I thoroughly enjoyed, before going inside to see, rePOPulated: Contemporary perspectives on PopArt. It was great to see some works again by the giants of Pop art, Warhol, Lichenstein, Oldenberg, Indiana, and Rosenquist. But the 'new' take on pop culture left me wanting and a bit dismayed, just like, well, pop culture. Multi-image overload and high tech inquiry left me feeling alienated and not engaged with the work at all. I cut my teeth on original American & Brit Pop art, even the Harry Who variety from Chicago, but I can only compare this show to the original Saturday Night Live. I loved the original with Ackroid, Belushi, Radner, et al, but since, not so much. This show was like that. But I did enjoy the humor in pieces by Louis Recchia and Carlos Fresquez and Floyd Tunson though. Upstairs was Phil Bender's show. I resonate with his multiples of found objects, he was doing similar work way back in 1980 when we were in a sculpture class at Metro State College. And interestingly Phil came into where I work on Friday to deliver some Valentine flowers! Kind of a fun synchronicity! But the biggest surprise for me was Colorado Springs artist Sean O'Meallie's whimsical Freeplay back in the theatre gallery. His pieces are all fabricated of painted wood. But they look like anything but. More like a manufactured plastic or fiberglass or inflatables! Show above is a maquette for Cowboy Pajamas, a sculpture which, I believe, is on display on Champa Street in downtown Denver. He is a former toy maker / inventor and his fun side really is on full display here. His work alone is worth a trip to the 'burbs. All three exhibits are on display thru March 29th, 2015. For more info visit: https://arvadacenter.org/galleries or http://www.pirateartonline.org/pages/artist_pages/phil_bender.htm or http://seanomeallie.com
Sean O'Meallie, Phil Bender
and rePOPulated at the Arvada Center
I went over to the Arvada Center yesterday. My first stop was the outdoor sculpture garden in the meadow below the center which I thoroughly enjoyed, before going inside to see, rePOPulated: Contemporary perspectives on PopArt. It was great to see some works again by the giants of Pop art, Warhol, Lichenstein, Oldenberg, Indiana, and Rosenquist. But the 'new' take on pop culture left me wanting and a bit dismayed, just like, well, pop culture. Multi-image overload and high tech inquiry left me feeling alienated and not engaged with the work at all. I cut my teeth on original American & Brit Pop art, even the Harry Who variety from Chicago, but I can only compare this show to the original Saturday Night Live. I loved the original with Ackroid, Belushi, Radner, et al, but since, not so much. This show was like that. But I did enjoy the humor in pieces by Louis Recchia and Carlos Fresquez and Floyd Tunson though. Upstairs was Phil Bender's show. I resonate with his multiples of found objects, he was doing similar work way back in 1980 when we were in a sculpture class at Metro State College. And interestingly Phil came into where I work on Friday to deliver some Valentine flowers! Kind of a fun synchronicity! But the biggest surprise for me was Colorado Springs artist Sean O'Meallie's whimsical Freeplay back in the theatre gallery. His pieces are all fabricated of painted wood. But they look like anything but. More like a manufactured plastic or fiberglass or inflatables! Show above is a maquette for Cowboy Pajamas, a sculpture which, I believe, is on display on Champa Street in downtown Denver. He is a former toy maker / inventor and his fun side really is on full display here. His work alone is worth a trip to the 'burbs. All three exhibits are on display thru March 29th, 2015. For more info visit: https://arvadacenter.org/galleries or http://www.pirateartonline.org/pages/artist_pages/phil_bender.htm or http://seanomeallie.com
February 14, 2015
Happy Valentine's Day!
-- Roy Lichtenstein
We Rose Up Slowly... (1964)
2 panels, 68 x 92 inches overall
Happy Valentine's Day!
-- Roy Lichtenstein
We Rose Up Slowly... (1964)
2 panels, 68 x 92 inches overall
February 1, 2015
"In the midst of Winter, I found there was within me, an invincible Summer."
-- Albert Camus
This morning I awoke to a "fuego en invierno", a fire in winter. We had a seven inch snowfall last night and when I went into the kitchen this morning, the way the snow had collected on the bars on the window, it looked like little birthday candles! I'm not sure how this happened, perhaps the warmth of the metal initially melted the precipitation as it collected. But none the less I was shown a joyous sight of nature's beauty and mystery. As the quote above alludes... even in times of great difficulty, when the cold wind of circumstance blows in our lives, a spark, a fire still lives within. Do not falter, but keep giving that dream, that goal, that painting, that partnership, your attention, your love and energy and fan it into a Summer of ten thousand suns!
"In the midst of Winter, I found there was within me, an invincible Summer."
-- Albert Camus
This morning I awoke to a "fuego en invierno", a fire in winter. We had a seven inch snowfall last night and when I went into the kitchen this morning, the way the snow had collected on the bars on the window, it looked like little birthday candles! I'm not sure how this happened, perhaps the warmth of the metal initially melted the precipitation as it collected. But none the less I was shown a joyous sight of nature's beauty and mystery. As the quote above alludes... even in times of great difficulty, when the cold wind of circumstance blows in our lives, a spark, a fire still lives within. Do not falter, but keep giving that dream, that goal, that painting, that partnership, your attention, your love and energy and fan it into a Summer of ten thousand suns!
January 19, 2015 MLK Day
"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream."
-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
"If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream."
-- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 18, 2015
Ken Elliott at PACE
A new exhibit by one of my favorite landscape painters has opened in Parker, CO at the PACE center near Old Town. The show is a survey of Ken Elliott's paintings, pastels and prints of American landscapes throughout his career. After college he became a gallery co-owner in Houston before picking up his brushes again here in Colorado. Ken's high key color sensibilities came to fruition after a month long study with artist Wolf Kahn in New Mexico in the '90's. Ken's works are drenched with often non-specific color; purple and blue trees and orange meadows, yet they still emit the sense of spiritual calm that nature brings. The main gallery contains his larger oils, but some of my favorite pieces are displayed a hall down from the main gallery. In the addendum there are examples of his wonderful pastels and two mono prints which I absolutely loved, more abstracted with less detail were a golden sunrise and a dusky sunset with lots of local color mixed in with the blues and grey. I first met Ken at Kirsten Olsen's Willoughby Gallery on Old South Gaylord Street where he was introducing his new book: Manifesting 123 ... and you don't need 3. On Saturday January 31st, he will be doing a workshop for artists and entrepreneurs to create more success using his manifesting techniques. To learn more about his book and workshop, visit: http://manifesting123.com and to see more of his work click: http://kenelliott.com/index.html Ken Elliott's American Landscapes at Parker Arts, Cultural and Events (Pace Center) 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker, CO 80138, continues through March 6th, 2015.
Ken Elliott at PACE
A new exhibit by one of my favorite landscape painters has opened in Parker, CO at the PACE center near Old Town. The show is a survey of Ken Elliott's paintings, pastels and prints of American landscapes throughout his career. After college he became a gallery co-owner in Houston before picking up his brushes again here in Colorado. Ken's high key color sensibilities came to fruition after a month long study with artist Wolf Kahn in New Mexico in the '90's. Ken's works are drenched with often non-specific color; purple and blue trees and orange meadows, yet they still emit the sense of spiritual calm that nature brings. The main gallery contains his larger oils, but some of my favorite pieces are displayed a hall down from the main gallery. In the addendum there are examples of his wonderful pastels and two mono prints which I absolutely loved, more abstracted with less detail were a golden sunrise and a dusky sunset with lots of local color mixed in with the blues and grey. I first met Ken at Kirsten Olsen's Willoughby Gallery on Old South Gaylord Street where he was introducing his new book: Manifesting 123 ... and you don't need 3. On Saturday January 31st, he will be doing a workshop for artists and entrepreneurs to create more success using his manifesting techniques. To learn more about his book and workshop, visit: http://manifesting123.com and to see more of his work click: http://kenelliott.com/index.html Ken Elliott's American Landscapes at Parker Arts, Cultural and Events (Pace Center) 20000 Pikes Peak Ave., Parker, CO 80138, continues through March 6th, 2015.
January 11, 2014
Got yer ORANGE on?
With everyone in town wearing orange in anticipation of the Broncos playoff game with the Indianapolis Colts, it got me to thinking, what is Colorado's best known orange-colored artwork? With apologies to Mark di Suvero's Lao Tsu sculpture on Acoma Plaza between the Denver Art Museum and the Central Branch of Denver Public Library, it has to be Christo's Curtain in Rifle Gap Colorado, located on highway 325 between Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs. It was Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude's first large scale work in the United States. It consisted of over 200,000 square feet of orange nylon fabric, hanging from a hefty cable between two mountain sides over the valley floor. It was 1,285 ft wide, height ranged from 365 feet at the ends and 182 feet in the middle, and weighed 61 tons! It was unfurled on August 10th, 1972 after 28 months of planning and construction. Alas it only lasted 28 hours after 60 mile per hour wind gusts began to shred the work and it had to be taken down. In 1980 Christo and Jeanne-Claude did an artist in residence at CSU in Fort Collins and I went up to their lecture, Q&A and the exhibit about the curtain, which even included the rock core that was removed when the curtains anchors were drilled. We drove up in a leaky VW Karmann-Ghia convertible in the middle of a torrential rain storm. The floor boards were covered with and inch of water by the time we got up there! I was a return student at Metro State and I was the only student who went up that made it back to William Hayes' painting class that night, when he gave me a piece of the curtain which I still have to this day... To learn more about the curtain go to: http://christojeanneclaude.net/projects/valley-curtain#.VLLH5ShM65T or watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuHYC-FXVbg Even though his long-time collaborator and wife, the famously red haired Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009, the 79 year old Christo continues to move forward with his next Colorado endeavor, the Over The River Project, which will suspend translucent fabric over a 42 mile stretch of the Arkansas river between Salida and Canon City along US 50. They have received the go ahead from the state and the Bureau of Land Management and are just waiting on the last legal hurdle to be resolved before moving forward. To learn more about this project visit: http://www.overtheriverinfo.com/ And, oh yeah, GO BRONCOS!!
Got yer ORANGE on?
With everyone in town wearing orange in anticipation of the Broncos playoff game with the Indianapolis Colts, it got me to thinking, what is Colorado's best known orange-colored artwork? With apologies to Mark di Suvero's Lao Tsu sculpture on Acoma Plaza between the Denver Art Museum and the Central Branch of Denver Public Library, it has to be Christo's Curtain in Rifle Gap Colorado, located on highway 325 between Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs. It was Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude's first large scale work in the United States. It consisted of over 200,000 square feet of orange nylon fabric, hanging from a hefty cable between two mountain sides over the valley floor. It was 1,285 ft wide, height ranged from 365 feet at the ends and 182 feet in the middle, and weighed 61 tons! It was unfurled on August 10th, 1972 after 28 months of planning and construction. Alas it only lasted 28 hours after 60 mile per hour wind gusts began to shred the work and it had to be taken down. In 1980 Christo and Jeanne-Claude did an artist in residence at CSU in Fort Collins and I went up to their lecture, Q&A and the exhibit about the curtain, which even included the rock core that was removed when the curtains anchors were drilled. We drove up in a leaky VW Karmann-Ghia convertible in the middle of a torrential rain storm. The floor boards were covered with and inch of water by the time we got up there! I was a return student at Metro State and I was the only student who went up that made it back to William Hayes' painting class that night, when he gave me a piece of the curtain which I still have to this day... To learn more about the curtain go to: http://christojeanneclaude.net/projects/valley-curtain#.VLLH5ShM65T or watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuHYC-FXVbg Even though his long-time collaborator and wife, the famously red haired Jeanne-Claude passed away in 2009, the 79 year old Christo continues to move forward with his next Colorado endeavor, the Over The River Project, which will suspend translucent fabric over a 42 mile stretch of the Arkansas river between Salida and Canon City along US 50. They have received the go ahead from the state and the Bureau of Land Management and are just waiting on the last legal hurdle to be resolved before moving forward. To learn more about this project visit: http://www.overtheriverinfo.com/ And, oh yeah, GO BRONCOS!!
January 4, 2015
Diem Chau's Crayons
I always though if I had to do it all over again I would study fine craft. It doesn't carry the same 'baggage' as fine art. Just creative individuals making objects of beauty, utility and a love of materials used in unique ways. Such is the case in the work of Seattle artist Diem Chau who immigrated with her family to the US in 1986 from Vietnam. Her usual medium is porcelain and silk thread making wonderful dimensional drawings on tea cups and plates. But what really caught my eye are her crayon carvings. Shown here are the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac: Monkey, Pig, Goat, Snake, Rat, Rooster, Dragon, Horse, Dog, Rabbit, Tiger and Ox. Using crayons as her sculptural medium she has also done portraits and images of the Statue of Liberty and the new World Trade Center. I just love these little pieces, no doubt inspired by the totems of the Native Peoples who settled the great northwest! To see more of her work visit:
http://www.diemchau.com/
Diem Chau's Crayons
I always though if I had to do it all over again I would study fine craft. It doesn't carry the same 'baggage' as fine art. Just creative individuals making objects of beauty, utility and a love of materials used in unique ways. Such is the case in the work of Seattle artist Diem Chau who immigrated with her family to the US in 1986 from Vietnam. Her usual medium is porcelain and silk thread making wonderful dimensional drawings on tea cups and plates. But what really caught my eye are her crayon carvings. Shown here are the 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac: Monkey, Pig, Goat, Snake, Rat, Rooster, Dragon, Horse, Dog, Rabbit, Tiger and Ox. Using crayons as her sculptural medium she has also done portraits and images of the Statue of Liberty and the new World Trade Center. I just love these little pieces, no doubt inspired by the totems of the Native Peoples who settled the great northwest! To see more of her work visit:
http://www.diemchau.com/
January 1, 2015 Happy New Year!
"My imagination
will attempt the future..."
-- Sam Francis
Shown is 'Untitled' from a poster for -
Sam Francis: Five Decades of Abstract Expressionism from California Collections
http://www.samfrancisfoundation.com/index.html
"My imagination
will attempt the future..."
-- Sam Francis
Shown is 'Untitled' from a poster for -
Sam Francis: Five Decades of Abstract Expressionism from California Collections
http://www.samfrancisfoundation.com/index.html
December 29, 2014
World Peace Meditation
Join with 1000's of others around the globe to meditate for peace at the same time on Wednesday December 31st, at 12 noon Greenwich time (That's 5am Mountain Time in Denver.) You can pray, dance, chant or just affirm Peace on Earth at this time. You will be joining many other individuals, groups and organizations from all over the world. Meditating with any group, let alone a global one, is very powerful indeed. What the world needs now is your love sweet love, and intention for peace going into the new year! Please join in where ever you are... May Peace Prevail On Earth. Vallitkoon rauha maailmassa. Puisse la Paix régner dans le Monde. Möge Friede auf Erden sein. Legyen béke a földön. Che la pace possa regnare sulla terra. Pax Regniret Super Terram. Må det vaere fred på jorden. Niech ludzkosc swiata zyje w pokoju. Que La Paz Prevalezca En La Tierra. Amani Iwe ul mwenguni. Má fred råda på jorden. Möge vrede heersen op aarde. Go mBeidh Siothchain Go Deo Ar Thalamh An Domhain. Nahasdzáán Bikáági T'áá axtsohóó Hozhóó dooleex. TUWA KWATSI ES LOOMA EYESNI. Ja-wë-on Tha-yö-jeöK Yoë-dza-geh. May Peace Prevail On Earth.
For more info go to: http://www.ourplanet.org/global.html
World Peace Meditation
Join with 1000's of others around the globe to meditate for peace at the same time on Wednesday December 31st, at 12 noon Greenwich time (That's 5am Mountain Time in Denver.) You can pray, dance, chant or just affirm Peace on Earth at this time. You will be joining many other individuals, groups and organizations from all over the world. Meditating with any group, let alone a global one, is very powerful indeed. What the world needs now is your love sweet love, and intention for peace going into the new year! Please join in where ever you are... May Peace Prevail On Earth. Vallitkoon rauha maailmassa. Puisse la Paix régner dans le Monde. Möge Friede auf Erden sein. Legyen béke a földön. Che la pace possa regnare sulla terra. Pax Regniret Super Terram. Må det vaere fred på jorden. Niech ludzkosc swiata zyje w pokoju. Que La Paz Prevalezca En La Tierra. Amani Iwe ul mwenguni. Má fred råda på jorden. Möge vrede heersen op aarde. Go mBeidh Siothchain Go Deo Ar Thalamh An Domhain. Nahasdzáán Bikáági T'áá axtsohóó Hozhóó dooleex. TUWA KWATSI ES LOOMA EYESNI. Ja-wë-on Tha-yö-jeöK Yoë-dza-geh. May Peace Prevail On Earth.
For more info go to: http://www.ourplanet.org/global.html
December 28, 2014
Yarnbombing
It's not your grandmother's crocheting! As the snow and cold weather return, (known as Stock Show weather around here) and we continue to add layers, I was thinking about the male and female knitters who collectively do what is called Yarnbombing. Taking the 'genteel' fiber arts into the realm of guerilla art, installing their projects by cover of night that sometimes last only a day. Such as the Ladies Fancywork Society's (LFS) enormous crocheted ball and chain attached to the leg of The Big Blue Bear, Lawrence Argent's famous sculpture 'I See What You Mean' at the Denver Convention Center. LFS has gone on to do commissions for the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and the Denver Art Museum. To learn more about LFS click on: http://www.ladiesfancyworksociety.com/ You may have also seen Kyle Williams yarnbomb of Colorado flag underwear for one of the 'naked' Dancers sculptures by Jonathan Borofsky at the DCPA along Speer Blvd. But, one of the largest Yarn-splosions was the 580 quilts used to cover the Andy Warhol bridge in Pittsburg, shown. Visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/12/andy-warhol-bridge-yarn_n_3745775.html And another ambitious example, is Steve Duneier's LIzard's Mouth Yarnbombing, wrapping 17 boulders in the Santa Inez mountains above Santa Barbara, CA. His project involved knitters from 36 countries and all 50 states! Growing up in south Florida, he was inspired by Christo and Jeane-Claude when they wrapped eleven islands in Biscayne Bay with pink fabric. He is also working on a 1,000 square foot Granny Square trying to break the Guinness World Record. For more on his endeavors, visit: http://www.yarnbomber.com/ Stay warm out there and Bomb-On!
Yarnbombing
It's not your grandmother's crocheting! As the snow and cold weather return, (known as Stock Show weather around here) and we continue to add layers, I was thinking about the male and female knitters who collectively do what is called Yarnbombing. Taking the 'genteel' fiber arts into the realm of guerilla art, installing their projects by cover of night that sometimes last only a day. Such as the Ladies Fancywork Society's (LFS) enormous crocheted ball and chain attached to the leg of The Big Blue Bear, Lawrence Argent's famous sculpture 'I See What You Mean' at the Denver Convention Center. LFS has gone on to do commissions for the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver and the Denver Art Museum. To learn more about LFS click on: http://www.ladiesfancyworksociety.com/ You may have also seen Kyle Williams yarnbomb of Colorado flag underwear for one of the 'naked' Dancers sculptures by Jonathan Borofsky at the DCPA along Speer Blvd. But, one of the largest Yarn-splosions was the 580 quilts used to cover the Andy Warhol bridge in Pittsburg, shown. Visit: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/12/andy-warhol-bridge-yarn_n_3745775.html And another ambitious example, is Steve Duneier's LIzard's Mouth Yarnbombing, wrapping 17 boulders in the Santa Inez mountains above Santa Barbara, CA. His project involved knitters from 36 countries and all 50 states! Growing up in south Florida, he was inspired by Christo and Jeane-Claude when they wrapped eleven islands in Biscayne Bay with pink fabric. He is also working on a 1,000 square foot Granny Square trying to break the Guinness World Record. For more on his endeavors, visit: http://www.yarnbomber.com/ Stay warm out there and Bomb-On!
December 25, 2014
Christmas trailer
Merry Christmas everyone! At left is a painting I did last holiday season. I went out for a walk one evening, turned the corner at the end of my block and was greeted by this '50's vintage metal trailer that my neighbor had festooned with holiday lights. It just made me smile and I had to paint it. It is the first night scene I've ever done. It presented a challenge to keep the appearance of night, and still keep the palette bright and rich in warm undertones. I like the way it turned out. And so do the painting's new owners; Craig & Lauri of Morrisville, PA.
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All.
Christmas trailer
Merry Christmas everyone! At left is a painting I did last holiday season. I went out for a walk one evening, turned the corner at the end of my block and was greeted by this '50's vintage metal trailer that my neighbor had festooned with holiday lights. It just made me smile and I had to paint it. It is the first night scene I've ever done. It presented a challenge to keep the appearance of night, and still keep the palette bright and rich in warm undertones. I like the way it turned out. And so do the painting's new owners; Craig & Lauri of Morrisville, PA.
Peace on Earth, Goodwill to All.
December 21, 2014 The Winter Solstice
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”
– Hamilton Wright Mabi
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love.”
– Hamilton Wright Mabi
December 21, 2014
Matisse holiday color
Henri Matisse has always been one of my go to guys when I need some lush, vibrant, uplifting color. Friday evening after a stressful day at work I went over to the Matisse and Friends exhibit at the Denver Art Museum which is open late on Fridays. And though the show from the National Gallery is a small one, the quiet atmosphere and the 'parlor' atmosphere with all the couches and easy chairs was just what I needed! Even though the Matisses on display were relatively subdued in palette the other Fauvist works provided vibrant notes of unexpected color in their modern landscapes and figures. The display is up thru February 8th. Also on display thru February 8th of next year is Matisse's Cut-Outs at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. These works are arguably some of his best known pieces and many were produced after a series of health issues that left him no longer able to handle a brush. At times from his sick bed, using a pair of scissors, cutting out shapes from paper coated with solid colors of gauche, he created some of the most memorable work of his long and varied career. I admire that even though he was experiencing health crises that could have stopped his production cold, he was able to create some of his most spiritual and essential work. I was at MoMA back in '93, and they had an amazing retrospective of his work which included just about every piece of Matisse's that I had here to for seen only in books. And some I had never seen, from the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. That show included another massive red version, side by side, with the famous blue version of the Dancers! Even though on different continents and just as a child, I am grateful to have been alive at the same as Mr Matisse, shown above.
For more info on the MoMA show: http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2014/matisse/
and the DAM exhibit: http://www.denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/matisse-and-friends
Matisse holiday color
Henri Matisse has always been one of my go to guys when I need some lush, vibrant, uplifting color. Friday evening after a stressful day at work I went over to the Matisse and Friends exhibit at the Denver Art Museum which is open late on Fridays. And though the show from the National Gallery is a small one, the quiet atmosphere and the 'parlor' atmosphere with all the couches and easy chairs was just what I needed! Even though the Matisses on display were relatively subdued in palette the other Fauvist works provided vibrant notes of unexpected color in their modern landscapes and figures. The display is up thru February 8th. Also on display thru February 8th of next year is Matisse's Cut-Outs at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC. These works are arguably some of his best known pieces and many were produced after a series of health issues that left him no longer able to handle a brush. At times from his sick bed, using a pair of scissors, cutting out shapes from paper coated with solid colors of gauche, he created some of the most memorable work of his long and varied career. I admire that even though he was experiencing health crises that could have stopped his production cold, he was able to create some of his most spiritual and essential work. I was at MoMA back in '93, and they had an amazing retrospective of his work which included just about every piece of Matisse's that I had here to for seen only in books. And some I had never seen, from the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, Russia. That show included another massive red version, side by side, with the famous blue version of the Dancers! Even though on different continents and just as a child, I am grateful to have been alive at the same as Mr Matisse, shown above.
For more info on the MoMA show: http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2014/matisse/
and the DAM exhibit: http://www.denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/matisse-and-friends
December 6, 2014
Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project
Will Stonehenge ever be understood? Even though it is one of the most studied landscapes in the world, my guess is probably not in our lifetimes. But a group of British and Austrian scientists have undertaken an ambitious four year project to try to divine more of the monument's secrets. Combing a four square mile area with magnetometers and ground penetrating radar, the teams have found many new features covered by eons of weather and habitation. They have discovered the monument was surrounded by another row of stones that are now buried. Also found were two massive prehistoric pits that appear to involve astronomical alignment. As well as huge burial mounds. Perhaps someday we will know how the massive 4-8 ton bluestones were transported from Wales over 170 miles away. Also more was revealed about the succeeding Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman settlements. And found nearby is a 'super henge' which has a circumference of over a mile. The Salisbury Plain is a very special place. Stonehenge was built there about 5,000 years ago and was inhabited more than 2,500 years before that! Two BBC documentaries have been created about the project. Vince Gaffney, one of the British leaders of the project, believes Stonehenge was a place of pilgrimage. Evidence of a processional road was found leading to the henge, where right before you come upon the monument you enter a low area, then climb a hill where at last the great linters, sarsens and bluestones come into close view for the first time. He says the effect would be the equivalent of the Jerusalem Syndrome, or the ecstasy of seeing the Holy City for the first time. To learn more about the Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project visit: http://lbi-archpro.org/cs/stonehenge/index.html
Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project
Will Stonehenge ever be understood? Even though it is one of the most studied landscapes in the world, my guess is probably not in our lifetimes. But a group of British and Austrian scientists have undertaken an ambitious four year project to try to divine more of the monument's secrets. Combing a four square mile area with magnetometers and ground penetrating radar, the teams have found many new features covered by eons of weather and habitation. They have discovered the monument was surrounded by another row of stones that are now buried. Also found were two massive prehistoric pits that appear to involve astronomical alignment. As well as huge burial mounds. Perhaps someday we will know how the massive 4-8 ton bluestones were transported from Wales over 170 miles away. Also more was revealed about the succeeding Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman settlements. And found nearby is a 'super henge' which has a circumference of over a mile. The Salisbury Plain is a very special place. Stonehenge was built there about 5,000 years ago and was inhabited more than 2,500 years before that! Two BBC documentaries have been created about the project. Vince Gaffney, one of the British leaders of the project, believes Stonehenge was a place of pilgrimage. Evidence of a processional road was found leading to the henge, where right before you come upon the monument you enter a low area, then climb a hill where at last the great linters, sarsens and bluestones come into close view for the first time. He says the effect would be the equivalent of the Jerusalem Syndrome, or the ecstasy of seeing the Holy City for the first time. To learn more about the Stonehenge Hidden Landscape Project visit: http://lbi-archpro.org/cs/stonehenge/index.html
November 30, 2014
Bald Eagle in Wash Park
Speaking of big birds... I was in the the park a little after 9 this morning and saw a bald eagle in a tree by the Lily Pond behind the Denver Fire Station #21 at Virginia and Franklin! Obviously a celebrity in the park he was being observed by a small group of humans below, and at a respectful distance up in the tree by a noisy bunch of ravens. Who then followed him to another tree nearby. I've seen red-tailed hawks and giant pelicans in the park, but never an eagle. The last eagle I saw was when I was coming down 93 towards Golden from Boulder and saw one circling near 63rd Avenue. But that was on the outskirts of town, this is smack dab in the middle of Denver! Must have been heading over to Wash Perk for a warm chai. I've never seen a Lark Bunting, but it is always a great feeling to see a bald eagle! Even though it has been tarnished of late, whenever I see an eagle, it reminds me that America's majesty and greatness (natural and otherwise) is still alive. And as I proceeded along Smith Lake, the cold north wind began to blow, several hundred honking geese came in for a water landing, somehow I wished congress could be so organized!
Bald Eagle in Wash Park
Speaking of big birds... I was in the the park a little after 9 this morning and saw a bald eagle in a tree by the Lily Pond behind the Denver Fire Station #21 at Virginia and Franklin! Obviously a celebrity in the park he was being observed by a small group of humans below, and at a respectful distance up in the tree by a noisy bunch of ravens. Who then followed him to another tree nearby. I've seen red-tailed hawks and giant pelicans in the park, but never an eagle. The last eagle I saw was when I was coming down 93 towards Golden from Boulder and saw one circling near 63rd Avenue. But that was on the outskirts of town, this is smack dab in the middle of Denver! Must have been heading over to Wash Perk for a warm chai. I've never seen a Lark Bunting, but it is always a great feeling to see a bald eagle! Even though it has been tarnished of late, whenever I see an eagle, it reminds me that America's majesty and greatness (natural and otherwise) is still alive. And as I proceeded along Smith Lake, the cold north wind began to blow, several hundred honking geese came in for a water landing, somehow I wished congress could be so organized!
November 29, 2014
New Colorado State Bird
Move over Lark Bunting, the new state bird is the "Construction Crane"! It seems like everywhere you go in Denver there are cranes sprouting up over new developments. Along with housing prices, rent prices have skyrocketed and the market is very tight. So developers have descended upon our fair city and multi-unit 'luxury apartment homes' are appearing faster than fracking sites! I hear the metro area has exceeded 3 million people now and the once busy streets in the now 'desirable' central part of the city are nearly impassable at peak hours. This has not gone unnoticed by the arts community. Abend gallery has an exhibit up entitled, Denver: Under Construction, which echoes the current state of affairs. Shown is Stephanie Hartshorn's oil, Skyride. There was an old joke about Colorado'd 4 seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring and Road Construction. Now following suit along with network news and shopping opportunities, building construction has gone 24 / 7 / 365. Denver: Under Construction wraps up today at Abend, 2260 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206. http://www.abendgallery.com/html_shows/14-denver-under-construction/
New Colorado State Bird
Move over Lark Bunting, the new state bird is the "Construction Crane"! It seems like everywhere you go in Denver there are cranes sprouting up over new developments. Along with housing prices, rent prices have skyrocketed and the market is very tight. So developers have descended upon our fair city and multi-unit 'luxury apartment homes' are appearing faster than fracking sites! I hear the metro area has exceeded 3 million people now and the once busy streets in the now 'desirable' central part of the city are nearly impassable at peak hours. This has not gone unnoticed by the arts community. Abend gallery has an exhibit up entitled, Denver: Under Construction, which echoes the current state of affairs. Shown is Stephanie Hartshorn's oil, Skyride. There was an old joke about Colorado'd 4 seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring and Road Construction. Now following suit along with network news and shopping opportunities, building construction has gone 24 / 7 / 365. Denver: Under Construction wraps up today at Abend, 2260 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206. http://www.abendgallery.com/html_shows/14-denver-under-construction/
November 27, 2014 Happy Thanksgiving
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
-- A. A. Milne
“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.”
-- A. A. Milne
November 23, 2014
Artist's Magazine finalist
Out of 6,507 entries in the 31st annual Artist's Magazine Art Competition, my painting, Sunspots (Red X), placed among the finalists in the abstract/experimental category. Even though I wasn't one of the top 5 winners, it was nice to receive a "Bravo" along with the other finalists in my category listed on page 65 of the December 2014 issue. On newsstands now... To learn more about the jurors and their comments about the competition please go to: http://www.artistsnetwork.com/the-artists-magazine/behind-scenes-judging-artists-magazines-31st-annual-art-competition Katherine Chang Liu was the juror of the abstract/experimental category. I met her a few years ago when she gave a lecture about choosing the works she juried into the Foothills Art Center's National Watermedia exhibit. Kudos to all, keep on painting!
Artist's Magazine finalist
Out of 6,507 entries in the 31st annual Artist's Magazine Art Competition, my painting, Sunspots (Red X), placed among the finalists in the abstract/experimental category. Even though I wasn't one of the top 5 winners, it was nice to receive a "Bravo" along with the other finalists in my category listed on page 65 of the December 2014 issue. On newsstands now... To learn more about the jurors and their comments about the competition please go to: http://www.artistsnetwork.com/the-artists-magazine/behind-scenes-judging-artists-magazines-31st-annual-art-competition Katherine Chang Liu was the juror of the abstract/experimental category. I met her a few years ago when she gave a lecture about choosing the works she juried into the Foothills Art Center's National Watermedia exhibit. Kudos to all, keep on painting!
November 19, 2014
"Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are thousands of ways we kneel and kiss the earth."
--Rumi
"Let the beauty you love be what you do. There are thousands of ways we kneel and kiss the earth."
--Rumi
November 18, 2014
Jack Bruce 1943-2014
Speaking of power trios, I was sorry to hear that Jack Bruce passed away on October 25th. Shown at left in 1968 is Jack (c) with Ginger Baker (l) and Eric Clapton (r), he was Cream's main song writer and lead vocalist. Penning some of their most well known tunes: Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, I Feel Free, and Spoonful, they sold over 35 million albums in two years. Growing up in Scotland he was classically trained on the cello and went on to become one of the best rock bass players of all time. He said, "Cream was a jazz trio... only we never told Eric!" He was in Manfred Mann and John Mayall's Bluesbreakes before joining up with Baker and Clapton in 1966. A couple of my favorites he wrote not performed by Cream are Theme for an Imaginary Western, performed by Mountain at Woodstock: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNOzw8ufhxE and Smokestack Lightning performed by the Yardbirds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2mFGqPZqRA Enjoy. Thanks Jack...
Jack Bruce 1943-2014
Speaking of power trios, I was sorry to hear that Jack Bruce passed away on October 25th. Shown at left in 1968 is Jack (c) with Ginger Baker (l) and Eric Clapton (r), he was Cream's main song writer and lead vocalist. Penning some of their most well known tunes: Sunshine of Your Love, White Room, I Feel Free, and Spoonful, they sold over 35 million albums in two years. Growing up in Scotland he was classically trained on the cello and went on to become one of the best rock bass players of all time. He said, "Cream was a jazz trio... only we never told Eric!" He was in Manfred Mann and John Mayall's Bluesbreakes before joining up with Baker and Clapton in 1966. A couple of my favorites he wrote not performed by Cream are Theme for an Imaginary Western, performed by Mountain at Woodstock: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNOzw8ufhxE and Smokestack Lightning performed by the Yardbirds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2mFGqPZqRA Enjoy. Thanks Jack...
November 17, 2014
11-17-70
Fourty-four years ago, before Elton John went down the Yellow Brick Road, he released a little known live album recorded at A&R studios in NYC on 11-17-70. It featured just Elton on piano, Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums in front of an audience of 100-125 people. They totally tore it up! Just listen to the crowd reaction to Take me to the Pilot, Honky Tonk Women and the rousing finale of Burn Down the Mission/My Baby Left Me/Get Back. It also contains my favorite version of Sixty Years On... I don't listen to much rock these days, but this is a classic that has the energy and urgency of the progressive rock created before the end of the Vietnam war. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bA9Iuwu0E
If you can get ahold of the original vinyl version without all the heavy vocal reverb of the reissue, its even better!
11-17-70
Fourty-four years ago, before Elton John went down the Yellow Brick Road, he released a little known live album recorded at A&R studios in NYC on 11-17-70. It featured just Elton on piano, Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums in front of an audience of 100-125 people. They totally tore it up! Just listen to the crowd reaction to Take me to the Pilot, Honky Tonk Women and the rousing finale of Burn Down the Mission/My Baby Left Me/Get Back. It also contains my favorite version of Sixty Years On... I don't listen to much rock these days, but this is a classic that has the energy and urgency of the progressive rock created before the end of the Vietnam war. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bA9Iuwu0E
If you can get ahold of the original vinyl version without all the heavy vocal reverb of the reissue, its even better!
November 16, 2014
Popcasso
Popcasso, featured at left, is one of the many stand out paintings by Bob Knox in his show Real Abstract at William Havu Gallery in the Golden Triangle. Knox, who has done many covers for the New Yorker Magazine, is a self-taught painter who says "I don't subscribe to any particular style or movement in art, though I do like them all. And it shows. He samples many artists and includes them in his interiors and other work, many featuring Picasso's women. He always has a nod to art historical references, just like Roy Lichtenstein, and even includes a Lichtenstein-esque image in Popcasso's foreground. He pulls off many a mash up of eras, one painting includes a large Rubens painting obscured by the huge brush strokes of an abstract expressionist action painting! I really like this guys' work. And they are all done in acrylic! (Yay! acrylic painters!) Real Abstract is on display til December 6th at William Havu Gallery. 1040 Cherokee St., Denver, CO 80204 http://www.williamhavugallery.com/
Popcasso
Popcasso, featured at left, is one of the many stand out paintings by Bob Knox in his show Real Abstract at William Havu Gallery in the Golden Triangle. Knox, who has done many covers for the New Yorker Magazine, is a self-taught painter who says "I don't subscribe to any particular style or movement in art, though I do like them all. And it shows. He samples many artists and includes them in his interiors and other work, many featuring Picasso's women. He always has a nod to art historical references, just like Roy Lichtenstein, and even includes a Lichtenstein-esque image in Popcasso's foreground. He pulls off many a mash up of eras, one painting includes a large Rubens painting obscured by the huge brush strokes of an abstract expressionist action painting! I really like this guys' work. And they are all done in acrylic! (Yay! acrylic painters!) Real Abstract is on display til December 6th at William Havu Gallery. 1040 Cherokee St., Denver, CO 80204 http://www.williamhavugallery.com/
November 11, 2014 Veterans Day
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, “GETTYSBURG ADDRESS” (19 NOVEMBER 1863)
Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate-we can not consecrate-we can not hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN, “GETTYSBURG ADDRESS” (19 NOVEMBER 1863)
Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate-we can not consecrate-we can not hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us-that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain-that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.
November 11, 2014
Willem Volkersz at Visions West Gallery
If you liked Nick Cave's exhibit at the Denver Art Museum earlier this year, you may want to get over to Visions West Gallery on Wazee in downtown Denver. There you will find some terrific pieces by Willem Volkersz. I was there about a week ago and I commented to Nikki the gallery manager that with all the vintage birds, tourist mementos and other objects in his work it reminded me of Cave's work. That's when she told me that Cave was Volkersz pupil! His work is a blending of high and low art that makes for a fun viewing experience. But much more subtle than Cave's over the top, thrift store on steroids creations that were at the art museum. Alas, Volkersz' main show has given way to Robert McCauley's paintings, but there are still several pieces still on view. Volkersz is originally from Holland and I love his take on American culture. Shown is Birds of America, 120 x 85 x 9.5 inches. --My friend Horst, a veteran of the German army, who survived WWII, capture by Russian Cossaks and is now in his eighties, concurs that europeans, especially of that generation, have a very different world view than the average american. He and his dog are both vegetarians and we have had many wonderful conversations over the years. Thank you for enlightening this young man with a greater world view.-- Anyway, I am always surprised and delighted by the work I find at this contemporary 'western' gallery. Visit Visons West's site for more on Willem Volkersz: http://www.visionswestgallery.com/artist-work/sculpture-and-bronze/willem-volkersz.html
Willem Volkersz at Visions West Gallery
If you liked Nick Cave's exhibit at the Denver Art Museum earlier this year, you may want to get over to Visions West Gallery on Wazee in downtown Denver. There you will find some terrific pieces by Willem Volkersz. I was there about a week ago and I commented to Nikki the gallery manager that with all the vintage birds, tourist mementos and other objects in his work it reminded me of Cave's work. That's when she told me that Cave was Volkersz pupil! His work is a blending of high and low art that makes for a fun viewing experience. But much more subtle than Cave's over the top, thrift store on steroids creations that were at the art museum. Alas, Volkersz' main show has given way to Robert McCauley's paintings, but there are still several pieces still on view. Volkersz is originally from Holland and I love his take on American culture. Shown is Birds of America, 120 x 85 x 9.5 inches. --My friend Horst, a veteran of the German army, who survived WWII, capture by Russian Cossaks and is now in his eighties, concurs that europeans, especially of that generation, have a very different world view than the average american. He and his dog are both vegetarians and we have had many wonderful conversations over the years. Thank you for enlightening this young man with a greater world view.-- Anyway, I am always surprised and delighted by the work I find at this contemporary 'western' gallery. Visit Visons West's site for more on Willem Volkersz: http://www.visionswestgallery.com/artist-work/sculpture-and-bronze/willem-volkersz.html
November 9, 2014
"Working with painting is mystical. I often don't know what I am doing yet painting seems to know how and what to do. I spend many hours looking at painting as if painting is able to say something. When things are right it does speak. I add one more stroke and wait for her voice to come out. It is a fascinating space."
-- Homare Ikeda
"Working with painting is mystical. I often don't know what I am doing yet painting seems to know how and what to do. I spend many hours looking at painting as if painting is able to say something. When things are right it does speak. I add one more stroke and wait for her voice to come out. It is a fascinating space."
-- Homare Ikeda
November 9, 2014
Denver Arts Week
Denver Arts Week celebrates the Mile High City's vibrant arts and culture milieu featuring visual arts, theater, music, film, museums, and dance at many venues across the metro area. Its a great time to get out and feast upon our city's burgeoning arts scene. We are a continental crossroads and our diversity make for a wonder mix of offerings. The week has truly come into its own since a few years back when I was doing graphic design at the Denver Post and our team was approached by the founders to create the first logo and advertising materials. Yesterday, I took advantage of an Art Students League Demos & Dialogue presentation at Meininger Art Supply. Japanese abstract artist Homare Ikeda came to speak about his technique and approach to painting, and worked on several canvases and paper works... all at one time! I typically only work on piece at a time. But Homare told us has as many as 40 canvases in his studio that he works on for sometimes as long as two years! He is a practitioner of chance and happy accidents. Painting in acrylics, at one point he took a wet canvas he was working on and pressed it against another piece he had in progress, transferring color to the previous one and then switched to working back on that one! Ever the gentle soul, he answered many questions while working. One person asked when does he know when to stop? He told us it's when he gets to a point when the canvas looks like nothing he's ever seen! To learn more about Denver Arts Week and new things you've never experienced, visit: http://www.denver.org/denver-arts-week/ and to see Mr. Ikeda's work click: http://www.homareikeda.com/
Denver Arts Week
Denver Arts Week celebrates the Mile High City's vibrant arts and culture milieu featuring visual arts, theater, music, film, museums, and dance at many venues across the metro area. Its a great time to get out and feast upon our city's burgeoning arts scene. We are a continental crossroads and our diversity make for a wonder mix of offerings. The week has truly come into its own since a few years back when I was doing graphic design at the Denver Post and our team was approached by the founders to create the first logo and advertising materials. Yesterday, I took advantage of an Art Students League Demos & Dialogue presentation at Meininger Art Supply. Japanese abstract artist Homare Ikeda came to speak about his technique and approach to painting, and worked on several canvases and paper works... all at one time! I typically only work on piece at a time. But Homare told us has as many as 40 canvases in his studio that he works on for sometimes as long as two years! He is a practitioner of chance and happy accidents. Painting in acrylics, at one point he took a wet canvas he was working on and pressed it against another piece he had in progress, transferring color to the previous one and then switched to working back on that one! Ever the gentle soul, he answered many questions while working. One person asked when does he know when to stop? He told us it's when he gets to a point when the canvas looks like nothing he's ever seen! To learn more about Denver Arts Week and new things you've never experienced, visit: http://www.denver.org/denver-arts-week/ and to see Mr. Ikeda's work click: http://www.homareikeda.com/
November 4, 2014
VOTE!!
Jasper Johns, Three Flags, 1958, Whitney Museum
VOTE!!
Jasper Johns, Three Flags, 1958, Whitney Museum
November 2, 2014
Yatika Fields' mobile mural
Yesterday, I went up to the Clayton neighborhood (next to North Park Hill) to recycle an old futon at Spring Back Mattress Recycling at 3875 Steele Street, which is behind the new Denver Human Services building. Serving a neighborhood that has weathered tough times, there is an artistic bright spot just just across the street on the corner of 39th and Steele. There you will find an almost vacant lot populated by a few semi trailers, and one is festooned on the side with a wonderfully expressive abstract painting by Brooklyn, NY, native american muralist, Yatika Starr Fields. He was raised in Oklahoma, studied art at OU in Norman, and also at the Art Institute in Boston and abroad in Italy. I don't know the provenance of the piece, which is roughly 10x45 feet, but on a cloudy day its interwoven arching striations of color really caught my eye! I was surprised by the works' location, yet not surprised to find that Fields has shown his work nationally and internationally. In September he was featured in Juxtapose Magazine.
Visit his website at: http://www.yatikastarrfields.com/yatika_starr_fields/Art_Works.html or for an interview, go to: http://www.nativex.net/blog/2013/09/25/artist-interview-yatika-fields/
To learn more about Spring Back, a national social enterprise who's mission is: Breaking down mattresses, Building up lives, visit: http://springbackrecycling.com/
Yatika Fields' mobile mural
Yesterday, I went up to the Clayton neighborhood (next to North Park Hill) to recycle an old futon at Spring Back Mattress Recycling at 3875 Steele Street, which is behind the new Denver Human Services building. Serving a neighborhood that has weathered tough times, there is an artistic bright spot just just across the street on the corner of 39th and Steele. There you will find an almost vacant lot populated by a few semi trailers, and one is festooned on the side with a wonderfully expressive abstract painting by Brooklyn, NY, native american muralist, Yatika Starr Fields. He was raised in Oklahoma, studied art at OU in Norman, and also at the Art Institute in Boston and abroad in Italy. I don't know the provenance of the piece, which is roughly 10x45 feet, but on a cloudy day its interwoven arching striations of color really caught my eye! I was surprised by the works' location, yet not surprised to find that Fields has shown his work nationally and internationally. In September he was featured in Juxtapose Magazine.
Visit his website at: http://www.yatikastarrfields.com/yatika_starr_fields/Art_Works.html or for an interview, go to: http://www.nativex.net/blog/2013/09/25/artist-interview-yatika-fields/
To learn more about Spring Back, a national social enterprise who's mission is: Breaking down mattresses, Building up lives, visit: http://springbackrecycling.com/
November 1, 2014
"Suddenly I realized that each brushstroke is a decision... that has to do with one's gut: It's getting too heavy, too light... The surface is getting to coarse or not fine enough.... Is it airy enough or laden?
In the end I realized that whatever meaning that picture has is the accumulated meaning of ten thousand brushstrokes, each one being decided as it was painted."
-- Robert Motherwell
"Suddenly I realized that each brushstroke is a decision... that has to do with one's gut: It's getting too heavy, too light... The surface is getting to coarse or not fine enough.... Is it airy enough or laden?
In the end I realized that whatever meaning that picture has is the accumulated meaning of ten thousand brushstrokes, each one being decided as it was painted."
-- Robert Motherwell
October 11, 2014
Rocky Mountain Watermedia Exhibit at Foothills Art Center
One of my favorite shows I look forward to every year is the watercolor show at Foothills in Golden. It is a national show and usually only about 10% of the entries get juried in. This year is no exception. So most of the pieces are of high quality. The pieces range from a wonderfully hyper-realistic floral still life by Soon Warren to a few abstract pieces in the show. One of my faves is an artist that was also in last year's show, Peter Gooch from Bryan, Ohio. Shown is his "Sun - Oreti Beach, NZ #2 (Red)". It is from his Southern Oceans series. His work depicts his sense of place, atmosphere and color from his travels and then interprets it into a linear geometric abstraction. The textures and color are rich and varied and I love the presentation with the edges of the paper not hidden behind a mat. Rather than the image existing in two-dimensional space, to me with the edges showing, it feels more sculptural. And I somehow relate in a more visceral way when the object exists in the same space as I do, rather than just relying on pictorial depth. It is always a joy to visit Golden. Even though it has been "discovered" and is not the sleepy little town I lived in in the '80's. If you are heading to the hills to see a little color I recommend a stop here! The Rocky Mountain Watermedia exhibit runs thru Sunday, October 26th at the turn-of-the-century church which is Foothills Art Center at 809 15th Street (at Washington Ave.) in Golden CO 80401. For more info: http://foothillsartcenter.org/fac/portfolio/main-gallery/ to learn more about Peter Gooch see: http://www.chelsearivergallery.com/projects/peter-gooch/
Rocky Mountain Watermedia Exhibit at Foothills Art Center
One of my favorite shows I look forward to every year is the watercolor show at Foothills in Golden. It is a national show and usually only about 10% of the entries get juried in. This year is no exception. So most of the pieces are of high quality. The pieces range from a wonderfully hyper-realistic floral still life by Soon Warren to a few abstract pieces in the show. One of my faves is an artist that was also in last year's show, Peter Gooch from Bryan, Ohio. Shown is his "Sun - Oreti Beach, NZ #2 (Red)". It is from his Southern Oceans series. His work depicts his sense of place, atmosphere and color from his travels and then interprets it into a linear geometric abstraction. The textures and color are rich and varied and I love the presentation with the edges of the paper not hidden behind a mat. Rather than the image existing in two-dimensional space, to me with the edges showing, it feels more sculptural. And I somehow relate in a more visceral way when the object exists in the same space as I do, rather than just relying on pictorial depth. It is always a joy to visit Golden. Even though it has been "discovered" and is not the sleepy little town I lived in in the '80's. If you are heading to the hills to see a little color I recommend a stop here! The Rocky Mountain Watermedia exhibit runs thru Sunday, October 26th at the turn-of-the-century church which is Foothills Art Center at 809 15th Street (at Washington Ave.) in Golden CO 80401. For more info: http://foothillsartcenter.org/fac/portfolio/main-gallery/ to learn more about Peter Gooch see: http://www.chelsearivergallery.com/projects/peter-gooch/
September 28, 2014
Ray Tomasso: Wind and Storm; New Works in Paper -and-
Regina Benson: Catching Fire at Ice Cube Gallery
Ray Tomasso is a master in the medium of paper. His latest offering at Ice Cube Gallery continues in his exploration and observations of nature with his very high relief wall sculptures. In this case, the epic sweep of wind and storms, the building clouds, precipitation and atmospheric effects change our view of nature and the landscape. Some of his pieces appear weathered and deeply carved as canyons in a landscape viewed from above. Yet they are much abstract with colors from bold to subtly nuanced. The show is complimented in the other half of the gallery by Regina V. Benson's Catching Fire, an installation of 11 'burning' fabric monoliths reflecting our experience of the recent forest fires here. And in my opinion the inflamed condition of world affairs at the moment. Coincidentally, I had just watched the Hunger Games sequel 'Catching Fire' for the first time on DVD. Interesting how nature always seems to be reflecting back to us our own state of being. This exhibit certainly got me thinking... I was originally introduced to Ray by a then apprentice of his, Wyoming artist Denise Patton. I was invited over to his studio and was amazed at his dedication to his craft and his art. I was the manager of Meininger Art Supply's paper department at the time and immediately stocked an array of his hand made papers. Showing his humor, he also gave us a small sheet of his paper to display with a quote letter pressed on it: Rags make paper, Paper makes money, Money makes banks, Banks make loans, Loans make beggars, and Beggars make rags." The circle of life... Priceless! You can watch the PBS Arts District segment about Ray & Regina at: http://video.rmpbs.org/video/2365332247/ and see their work at Ice Cube Gallery, 3320 Walnut St., Denver, CO 80205 thru October 11th. http://icecubegallery.com/ or visit: http://www.raytomasso.com/index.html and http://www.reginabenson.com/
Ray Tomasso: Wind and Storm; New Works in Paper -and-
Regina Benson: Catching Fire at Ice Cube Gallery
Ray Tomasso is a master in the medium of paper. His latest offering at Ice Cube Gallery continues in his exploration and observations of nature with his very high relief wall sculptures. In this case, the epic sweep of wind and storms, the building clouds, precipitation and atmospheric effects change our view of nature and the landscape. Some of his pieces appear weathered and deeply carved as canyons in a landscape viewed from above. Yet they are much abstract with colors from bold to subtly nuanced. The show is complimented in the other half of the gallery by Regina V. Benson's Catching Fire, an installation of 11 'burning' fabric monoliths reflecting our experience of the recent forest fires here. And in my opinion the inflamed condition of world affairs at the moment. Coincidentally, I had just watched the Hunger Games sequel 'Catching Fire' for the first time on DVD. Interesting how nature always seems to be reflecting back to us our own state of being. This exhibit certainly got me thinking... I was originally introduced to Ray by a then apprentice of his, Wyoming artist Denise Patton. I was invited over to his studio and was amazed at his dedication to his craft and his art. I was the manager of Meininger Art Supply's paper department at the time and immediately stocked an array of his hand made papers. Showing his humor, he also gave us a small sheet of his paper to display with a quote letter pressed on it: Rags make paper, Paper makes money, Money makes banks, Banks make loans, Loans make beggars, and Beggars make rags." The circle of life... Priceless! You can watch the PBS Arts District segment about Ray & Regina at: http://video.rmpbs.org/video/2365332247/ and see their work at Ice Cube Gallery, 3320 Walnut St., Denver, CO 80205 thru October 11th. http://icecubegallery.com/ or visit: http://www.raytomasso.com/index.html and http://www.reginabenson.com/
September 22, 2014 Happy 1st day of Fall
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
-- Albert Camus
"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
-- Albert Camus
September 20, 2014
The Best of the Arts District on Santa Fe 2014
This exhibit is the juried culmination of the best pieces shown in the Arts District over the past twelve months. This year's show is split between Niza Knoll Gallery and Skylite Station which are right across the street from each other on Santa Fe just north of 9th Avenue. My painting, Sunspots (Red X) is on display at Skylite Station. In both galleries you'll find a strong eclectic mix of representational and abstract paintings and sculpture. For me, one of the most amazing pieces in the exhibit is a sculpture by Leigh Cabell, titled: What, This Tired Old Thing? It is a coat made of small 1" triangles cut from hundreds of bicycle tire inner tubes! They are cut with the curve of the tube so the tips of the triangles curl up slightly giving the whole coat a wonderful, edgy futuristic texture. The whole thing is assembled with a tiny round iridescent fastener on each triangle giving it a luminous glow. Luckily the artist provided a small separate sample of the piece that you can touch, and ooh and ahh over! The Best of the Arts District on Santa Fe Exhibit runs thru November 8th at Niza Knoll Gallery 915 Santa Fe, Denver and Skylite Station 910 Santa Fe, Denver. For more info: http://www.nizaknollgallery.com/Nizaknollgallery/Welcome.html and http://www.skylitestation.com/
The Best of the Arts District on Santa Fe 2014
This exhibit is the juried culmination of the best pieces shown in the Arts District over the past twelve months. This year's show is split between Niza Knoll Gallery and Skylite Station which are right across the street from each other on Santa Fe just north of 9th Avenue. My painting, Sunspots (Red X) is on display at Skylite Station. In both galleries you'll find a strong eclectic mix of representational and abstract paintings and sculpture. For me, one of the most amazing pieces in the exhibit is a sculpture by Leigh Cabell, titled: What, This Tired Old Thing? It is a coat made of small 1" triangles cut from hundreds of bicycle tire inner tubes! They are cut with the curve of the tube so the tips of the triangles curl up slightly giving the whole coat a wonderful, edgy futuristic texture. The whole thing is assembled with a tiny round iridescent fastener on each triangle giving it a luminous glow. Luckily the artist provided a small separate sample of the piece that you can touch, and ooh and ahh over! The Best of the Arts District on Santa Fe Exhibit runs thru November 8th at Niza Knoll Gallery 915 Santa Fe, Denver and Skylite Station 910 Santa Fe, Denver. For more info: http://www.nizaknollgallery.com/Nizaknollgallery/Welcome.html and http://www.skylitestation.com/
September 13, 2014
"A bit of advise, don't copy nature too closely. Art is an abstraction; as you dream amid nature, extrapolate art from it and concentrate on what you will create as a result."
-- Paul Gauguin
"A bit of advise, don't copy nature too closely. Art is an abstraction; as you dream amid nature, extrapolate art from it and concentrate on what you will create as a result."
-- Paul Gauguin
September 11, 2014
Albrecht Durer Grid
When I first met Dan Sprick we talked a lot about painting from life. And the conversation got around to using the Albrecht Durer grid. It was mentioned by the renaissance artist in his treatise The Painters Manual in 1525, with the accompanying illustration show above. (It was actually invented by Italian artist Leon Battista Alberti, who's first works on perspective were published some 90 years earlier). It is a frame with a string or wire grid that you look through at your subject, in this case a nude, while keeping your eye stationary near a center post, to help see perspective properly. Basically back then as now in classical realism training, you are teaching yourself to be a camera! Stories are told that when Degas was teaching, he had a multi-story building. The model was on the 1st floor and the beginning students were there in front of the model. The more advanced a student was, with better memory and measuring skills, they would be higher up in the building, as they needed to run back to the model less often for information to complete their drawing. Dan told me he used the grid for a while and even clamped his head in a device to keep his view constant and the drawing accurate. But it is difficult to see using this monocular (single-eyed) vantage point, when we are used to seeing in stereo. I was doing a lot of plein air work outdoors then, and to help me better find a composition, I needed to create a kind of 'view finder'. So I cut a mat with the opening to scale, half the size of my canvas, with thread dividing the opening into quarters both vertically and horizontally. I also gridded the canvas in pencil as well. This way, if I got the drawing right in each small square, the whole would be good. And as we all know it is easier to correct a composition in the drawing process than while painting. Out in the field your time is limited with the changing light and other distractions, and the Albrecht Durer grid, even as simple as the one I devised was, it is just one of the handy tools in the landscape painters bag. Of course now, if you have an iPad you can just snap a photo, overlay a grid and la-de-da, you are in business. Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) was a German painter, engraver and printmaker from Nuremberg. His most widely known work is of the clasped Praying Hands. It is said he and his brother were both excellent artists but they did not have enough money to train. So his brother agreed to work so Albrecht could study and become a working artist, then he would go to school while being supported by Albrecht. But it was not to be, because his hands were ruined doing manual labor. That drawing is a portrait of his brother's hands. To learn more of Albrecht Durer click: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_Dürer To see more of Dan Sprick's work: http://danielsprick.com/index.asp and to learn more about this 'Drawing Machine' go to London's National Portrait Gallery's site: http://www.npg.org.uk/learning/digital/portraiture/perspective-seeing-where-you-stand/the-drawing-machine.php?searched=Alberti+grid
Albrecht Durer Grid
When I first met Dan Sprick we talked a lot about painting from life. And the conversation got around to using the Albrecht Durer grid. It was mentioned by the renaissance artist in his treatise The Painters Manual in 1525, with the accompanying illustration show above. (It was actually invented by Italian artist Leon Battista Alberti, who's first works on perspective were published some 90 years earlier). It is a frame with a string or wire grid that you look through at your subject, in this case a nude, while keeping your eye stationary near a center post, to help see perspective properly. Basically back then as now in classical realism training, you are teaching yourself to be a camera! Stories are told that when Degas was teaching, he had a multi-story building. The model was on the 1st floor and the beginning students were there in front of the model. The more advanced a student was, with better memory and measuring skills, they would be higher up in the building, as they needed to run back to the model less often for information to complete their drawing. Dan told me he used the grid for a while and even clamped his head in a device to keep his view constant and the drawing accurate. But it is difficult to see using this monocular (single-eyed) vantage point, when we are used to seeing in stereo. I was doing a lot of plein air work outdoors then, and to help me better find a composition, I needed to create a kind of 'view finder'. So I cut a mat with the opening to scale, half the size of my canvas, with thread dividing the opening into quarters both vertically and horizontally. I also gridded the canvas in pencil as well. This way, if I got the drawing right in each small square, the whole would be good. And as we all know it is easier to correct a composition in the drawing process than while painting. Out in the field your time is limited with the changing light and other distractions, and the Albrecht Durer grid, even as simple as the one I devised was, it is just one of the handy tools in the landscape painters bag. Of course now, if you have an iPad you can just snap a photo, overlay a grid and la-de-da, you are in business. Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) was a German painter, engraver and printmaker from Nuremberg. His most widely known work is of the clasped Praying Hands. It is said he and his brother were both excellent artists but they did not have enough money to train. So his brother agreed to work so Albrecht could study and become a working artist, then he would go to school while being supported by Albrecht. But it was not to be, because his hands were ruined doing manual labor. That drawing is a portrait of his brother's hands. To learn more of Albrecht Durer click: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_Dürer To see more of Dan Sprick's work: http://danielsprick.com/index.asp and to learn more about this 'Drawing Machine' go to London's National Portrait Gallery's site: http://www.npg.org.uk/learning/digital/portraiture/perspective-seeing-where-you-stand/the-drawing-machine.php?searched=Alberti+grid
September 8, 2014
Daniel Sprick Fictions
Also on the second floor at the Denver Art Museum, just across the elevator lobby from the Wesselmann exhibit in the Western America wing is Daniel Sprick's Fictions. A series of mainly portraits, and some figures and still lifes done since the economic downturn of 2008. Saying his art sales were at a near standstill (some of his largest pieces sell in the six figure range) he thought he'd embark on a series of portraits. Figurative work is not as great a seller here in the west, as it is on the east coast. With the exception of images depicting cowboys or native americans. Typically his work consists of interior still life, of which there are some fine examples in the show. He is so technically proficient, his work is very cerebral and sometimes surreal. But here he drops down more into the heart chakra and has created a series of portraits, or short stories as he calls them, of people from all walks of life surrounded by an otherworldly white glow with just a touch of cadmium yellow light. It is an amazing juxtaposition of being draw into the glowing realism as we connect to the images as real, yet they begin to deconstruct outside the central focus and evolve into (or from!) loose washes, feathery dry brushing and expressionistic mark making, reminding us that they are indeed of his own creation and design. I have been following his work for some time and had the pleasure of meeting him when I worked at Meininger Art Supply in the 80's, where he would come down from Glenwood Springs with his students and also recently since he has moved to the Denver area. At left is, Jared, which was purchased by the museum. Also in the exhibit are a self-potrait, a touching painting of his father, and one of my faves is a reclining nude facing away from the viewer, her hip and buttock fairly glow with celestial light, but what really made me smile was, dissolving near the edge of the canvas, was the bottom of the model's foot, slightly soiled and subtly specked with paint, presumably picked up from the artist's studio floor. It is a nod to an idealized, historical odalisk brought back to down earth in the 21st century with a few discreet scumbles of paint from the deft hand of Dan Sprick. The exhibit Daniel Sprick Fictions continues through November 2nd. For more info visit: http://www.denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/daniel-sprick-s-fictions-recent-works
Daniel Sprick Fictions
Also on the second floor at the Denver Art Museum, just across the elevator lobby from the Wesselmann exhibit in the Western America wing is Daniel Sprick's Fictions. A series of mainly portraits, and some figures and still lifes done since the economic downturn of 2008. Saying his art sales were at a near standstill (some of his largest pieces sell in the six figure range) he thought he'd embark on a series of portraits. Figurative work is not as great a seller here in the west, as it is on the east coast. With the exception of images depicting cowboys or native americans. Typically his work consists of interior still life, of which there are some fine examples in the show. He is so technically proficient, his work is very cerebral and sometimes surreal. But here he drops down more into the heart chakra and has created a series of portraits, or short stories as he calls them, of people from all walks of life surrounded by an otherworldly white glow with just a touch of cadmium yellow light. It is an amazing juxtaposition of being draw into the glowing realism as we connect to the images as real, yet they begin to deconstruct outside the central focus and evolve into (or from!) loose washes, feathery dry brushing and expressionistic mark making, reminding us that they are indeed of his own creation and design. I have been following his work for some time and had the pleasure of meeting him when I worked at Meininger Art Supply in the 80's, where he would come down from Glenwood Springs with his students and also recently since he has moved to the Denver area. At left is, Jared, which was purchased by the museum. Also in the exhibit are a self-potrait, a touching painting of his father, and one of my faves is a reclining nude facing away from the viewer, her hip and buttock fairly glow with celestial light, but what really made me smile was, dissolving near the edge of the canvas, was the bottom of the model's foot, slightly soiled and subtly specked with paint, presumably picked up from the artist's studio floor. It is a nod to an idealized, historical odalisk brought back to down earth in the 21st century with a few discreet scumbles of paint from the deft hand of Dan Sprick. The exhibit Daniel Sprick Fictions continues through November 2nd. For more info visit: http://www.denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/daniel-sprick-s-fictions-recent-works
September 6, 2014
Tom Wesselmann at Denver Art Museum
I finally got over to the art museum to see the Wesselmann retrospective, Beyond Pop Art. Wesselmann is best know for his monumental paintings of the Great American Nudes, but the exhibit encompasses his earliest work from the late 50's thru his passing in 2004. He was certainly influenced by the titans of Abstract Expressionism. And that tension between the emotion of AE and the cool, detached commercial aesthetic of Pop always seemed evident in his work. He also kept an eye on art history as well, often referencing Matisse and even other contemporary living artists such as Lichtenstein and Warhol, as evidenced by his piece at left, Still life with Liz from 1992. I was truly impressed by the scale of his work. His first studio on Bleeker St. in NYC was so small he said he felt resigned to being a 'miniaturist'! Til he did one large painting that was well received and sold quickly, and from there he was emboldened and revolutionized, particularly still-lifes, using massive scale. The exhibit even includes letters sent to Volkswagen and other companies asking for billboard graphics to use in his giant paintings. My favorites were his 'steel drawings', Still life with Liz is one. They are his enlarged drawings transposed to 1/8" aluminum cut outs. I was doing similar pop oriented 'cut outs' on masonite back in the mid 70's myself. This is a wonderful show, in his early works I could feel how the American populace must have been inundated by the rampant post WWII consumerism. It is a treat to see his Great American Nudes 1 thru 4. They have not been show together since the Beatles first came to the USA. However, its not widely known he was a huge country-western music fan and wrote over 400 songs, one of which was included on the Brokeback Mountain movie soundtrack. “Beyond Pop Art: A Tom Wesselmann Retrospective” runs through Sept. 14th at the Denver Art Museum. For more information, visit http://www.denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/beyond-pop-art-tom-wesselmann-retrospective
Tom Wesselmann at Denver Art Museum
I finally got over to the art museum to see the Wesselmann retrospective, Beyond Pop Art. Wesselmann is best know for his monumental paintings of the Great American Nudes, but the exhibit encompasses his earliest work from the late 50's thru his passing in 2004. He was certainly influenced by the titans of Abstract Expressionism. And that tension between the emotion of AE and the cool, detached commercial aesthetic of Pop always seemed evident in his work. He also kept an eye on art history as well, often referencing Matisse and even other contemporary living artists such as Lichtenstein and Warhol, as evidenced by his piece at left, Still life with Liz from 1992. I was truly impressed by the scale of his work. His first studio on Bleeker St. in NYC was so small he said he felt resigned to being a 'miniaturist'! Til he did one large painting that was well received and sold quickly, and from there he was emboldened and revolutionized, particularly still-lifes, using massive scale. The exhibit even includes letters sent to Volkswagen and other companies asking for billboard graphics to use in his giant paintings. My favorites were his 'steel drawings', Still life with Liz is one. They are his enlarged drawings transposed to 1/8" aluminum cut outs. I was doing similar pop oriented 'cut outs' on masonite back in the mid 70's myself. This is a wonderful show, in his early works I could feel how the American populace must have been inundated by the rampant post WWII consumerism. It is a treat to see his Great American Nudes 1 thru 4. They have not been show together since the Beatles first came to the USA. However, its not widely known he was a huge country-western music fan and wrote over 400 songs, one of which was included on the Brokeback Mountain movie soundtrack. “Beyond Pop Art: A Tom Wesselmann Retrospective” runs through Sept. 14th at the Denver Art Museum. For more information, visit http://www.denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/beyond-pop-art-tom-wesselmann-retrospective
August 26, 2014
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
August 25, 2014
Pareidolia
Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon where we perceive familiar things in random patterns or objects. Such as seeing people or animals in clouds, or even hearing hidden messages when records are played backwards! At left, is a nordic looking face in profile in an antarctic iceberg. This experience first happened to me when I was four years old. In our mid-century house we had a pink and grey bathroom with a white floor spotted with random grey and black speckles. In the the way a few of the dots fell, I saw the image of a helmeted race car driver, and I have been seeing hidden images like this ever since. I've heard this phenomenon occurs because our brains from ancient times on the Serengeti, are hardwired for facial recognition. An important survival instinct, to discern if an approaching individual is dangerous or not. A former classical realism instructor of mine, Elvie Davis, used to tell us when working on a painting, we did not have have to describe everything in detail because a viewer's brain can take incomplete information and extrapolate it into a recognizable image. This was hard for me to grasp, because in Colorado's low humidity, there isn't much 'atmosphere' and you can see detail at a great distance. Unlike when I was in Boston the atmosphere is so heavy, its easy to observe passage, a blending of objects in the distance or shadows. One of the most famous Pareidolia was The Old Man of the Mountain, a 40 ft. natural granite face on the side of Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is emblazoned on their white and green Live Free or Die license plates. Unfortunately it collapsed in 2003 and they are in the process of rebuilding it. It makes me wonder, is it just a psychological phenomena or a synchronistic communication from higher realms? A fun example of this is when a pareidolia in a bad stucco job creates pandemonium and leads to a rebirth in the film; Henry Poole is Here. Featuring Luke Wilson and Radha Mitchell.
Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf97fnD3ed0 or in its entirety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeoRUOxnpa0
Pareidolia
Pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon where we perceive familiar things in random patterns or objects. Such as seeing people or animals in clouds, or even hearing hidden messages when records are played backwards! At left, is a nordic looking face in profile in an antarctic iceberg. This experience first happened to me when I was four years old. In our mid-century house we had a pink and grey bathroom with a white floor spotted with random grey and black speckles. In the the way a few of the dots fell, I saw the image of a helmeted race car driver, and I have been seeing hidden images like this ever since. I've heard this phenomenon occurs because our brains from ancient times on the Serengeti, are hardwired for facial recognition. An important survival instinct, to discern if an approaching individual is dangerous or not. A former classical realism instructor of mine, Elvie Davis, used to tell us when working on a painting, we did not have have to describe everything in detail because a viewer's brain can take incomplete information and extrapolate it into a recognizable image. This was hard for me to grasp, because in Colorado's low humidity, there isn't much 'atmosphere' and you can see detail at a great distance. Unlike when I was in Boston the atmosphere is so heavy, its easy to observe passage, a blending of objects in the distance or shadows. One of the most famous Pareidolia was The Old Man of the Mountain, a 40 ft. natural granite face on the side of Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. It is emblazoned on their white and green Live Free or Die license plates. Unfortunately it collapsed in 2003 and they are in the process of rebuilding it. It makes me wonder, is it just a psychological phenomena or a synchronistic communication from higher realms? A fun example of this is when a pareidolia in a bad stucco job creates pandemonium and leads to a rebirth in the film; Henry Poole is Here. Featuring Luke Wilson and Radha Mitchell.
Watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf97fnD3ed0 or in its entirety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeoRUOxnpa0
August 21, 2014
Mary Morrison
Everything you ever wanted to know about acrylic paints is now available through workshops and demos held by Denver artist Mary Morrison. Shown here at a recent presentation I attended at Meininger Art Supply. She is a member of Golden Paints' Certified Working Artists Program, an elite tier of instructors who have trained and studied with Golden to offer a wide range of participatory workshops based on their extensive knowledge of acrylics and on their personal history as professional artists. Golden Acrylics now have a mind boggling array of mediums, gels and color lines and it is our good fortune to have someone like Mary in the region to empower us with information and techniques that can help take our work to new heights and expanded possibilities. Ms. Morrison has two upcoming workshops: Mixed Media with Acrylic Pours and Skins, Friday August 22nd, and Metallics, Interference and Iridescent Paints on Friday, August 29th. Both are being held at the Washington Street Community Center, 809 S. Washington St. in Denver. For more information and to register for the workshops, contact: [email protected]. To see her artwork visit: http://marymorrison.info/home.html
Mary Morrison
Everything you ever wanted to know about acrylic paints is now available through workshops and demos held by Denver artist Mary Morrison. Shown here at a recent presentation I attended at Meininger Art Supply. She is a member of Golden Paints' Certified Working Artists Program, an elite tier of instructors who have trained and studied with Golden to offer a wide range of participatory workshops based on their extensive knowledge of acrylics and on their personal history as professional artists. Golden Acrylics now have a mind boggling array of mediums, gels and color lines and it is our good fortune to have someone like Mary in the region to empower us with information and techniques that can help take our work to new heights and expanded possibilities. Ms. Morrison has two upcoming workshops: Mixed Media with Acrylic Pours and Skins, Friday August 22nd, and Metallics, Interference and Iridescent Paints on Friday, August 29th. Both are being held at the Washington Street Community Center, 809 S. Washington St. in Denver. For more information and to register for the workshops, contact: [email protected]. To see her artwork visit: http://marymorrison.info/home.html
August 20, 2014
"They'll sell you thousands of greens. Veronese green and emerald green and any sort of green you like; but that particular green, never."
- Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Alas, poor Pablo never had Golden Paints to rely on. Founded in 1980, and based upstate in New Berlin, NY, Golden has become a premier color maker for artists all over the world. Besides their lines of acrylics, and new oils and watercolors, Golden makes custom colors and mediums. About 5,000 to date. One such color, Jenkins Green, my favorite green, is available as an acrylic. It was requested in large quantities over the years by abstract expressionist painter Paul Jenkins (1923-2012). Shown is his Phenomena Kwan Yin from 1969. An 88 x119 inch acrylic, currently held by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The color became so popular, owner Sam Golden decided to include it in his regular acrylic line of colors and asked to name it after Mr. Jenkins, to which he agreed! I've heard many an artist, particularly landscape painters, complain about finding the right green! My friends, relief is only a phone call or email away. I've found them very friendly and approachable. They also have a gallery, a residency program and tours available at the factory. To learn more about Golden, go to: http://www.goldenpaints.com/ and Paul Jenkins: http://www.pauljenkins.net/
"They'll sell you thousands of greens. Veronese green and emerald green and any sort of green you like; but that particular green, never."
- Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
Alas, poor Pablo never had Golden Paints to rely on. Founded in 1980, and based upstate in New Berlin, NY, Golden has become a premier color maker for artists all over the world. Besides their lines of acrylics, and new oils and watercolors, Golden makes custom colors and mediums. About 5,000 to date. One such color, Jenkins Green, my favorite green, is available as an acrylic. It was requested in large quantities over the years by abstract expressionist painter Paul Jenkins (1923-2012). Shown is his Phenomena Kwan Yin from 1969. An 88 x119 inch acrylic, currently held by the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York. The color became so popular, owner Sam Golden decided to include it in his regular acrylic line of colors and asked to name it after Mr. Jenkins, to which he agreed! I've heard many an artist, particularly landscape painters, complain about finding the right green! My friends, relief is only a phone call or email away. I've found them very friendly and approachable. They also have a gallery, a residency program and tours available at the factory. To learn more about Golden, go to: http://www.goldenpaints.com/ and Paul Jenkins: http://www.pauljenkins.net/
August 16, 2014
Walking Magpie, On and Off the Leash
Boulder, Colorado artist Chuck Forsman has brought forth a book, at first glance, is about the most basic of rituals, walking one's dog. Yet much more lies within the covers. The book chronicles the adventures of Magpie, the Forsman family's pooch. That's him taking the right fork in the photo from the book's cover. A rescued animal, he was named by one of his daughters after the bird of the same name because of their similar black and white markings. He is a mutt of Australian Shepard and Blue Healer mix. We follow Chuck and Magpie while exploring the North American landscape from Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia to California, Arizona, Florida, the Mid-West and to the more familiar territory around Boulder. We tag along in wonder as Magpie innocently explores everything from National Parks to graffitied urban environs without judgement. That is poignantly juxtaposed against our own observations of what man in general and industrial interests in particular have done to our natural landscape. This is most evident in his better known paintings. Forsman was a professor of art at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The images in this volume are presented in a quiet, almost snapshot matter-of-fact way which veils the underlying yin yang of perceptions of our world of this man and his companion. If you missed the exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, I highly recommend giving this book a look. I found it at the library. To learn more of Forsman's paintings and photography visit: http://www.robischongallery.com/html/artistresultsFull.asp?&artist=76&artistname=CHUCK%20FORSMAN
Walking Magpie, On and Off the Leash
Boulder, Colorado artist Chuck Forsman has brought forth a book, at first glance, is about the most basic of rituals, walking one's dog. Yet much more lies within the covers. The book chronicles the adventures of Magpie, the Forsman family's pooch. That's him taking the right fork in the photo from the book's cover. A rescued animal, he was named by one of his daughters after the bird of the same name because of their similar black and white markings. He is a mutt of Australian Shepard and Blue Healer mix. We follow Chuck and Magpie while exploring the North American landscape from Alaska, the Yukon and British Columbia to California, Arizona, Florida, the Mid-West and to the more familiar territory around Boulder. We tag along in wonder as Magpie innocently explores everything from National Parks to graffitied urban environs without judgement. That is poignantly juxtaposed against our own observations of what man in general and industrial interests in particular have done to our natural landscape. This is most evident in his better known paintings. Forsman was a professor of art at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The images in this volume are presented in a quiet, almost snapshot matter-of-fact way which veils the underlying yin yang of perceptions of our world of this man and his companion. If you missed the exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, I highly recommend giving this book a look. I found it at the library. To learn more of Forsman's paintings and photography visit: http://www.robischongallery.com/html/artistresultsFull.asp?&artist=76&artistname=CHUCK%20FORSMAN
August 15, 2014
Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. Then go and do that.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
- Harold Whitman
Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive. Then go and do that.
Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
- Harold Whitman
August 10, 2014
Expanding your Happiness
If you missed Deepak's Global Meditation for Peace on Friday, perhaps here's something you might be interested in. Starting tomorrow, Monday August 11th, Chopra in alliance with Oprah Winfrey are presenting another of their free 21-day meditation series "Expanding Your Happiness". I have done three of their other meditation series and I highly recommend them. Typically Oprah starts the guided meditation with a two minute intro, then Deepak explains the days intention and introduces the mantra before leading us to five to ten minutes of quite time. The music is excellent and concludes with a summation of the intention, again by Deepak. About twenty minutes total. And there are online workbook pages with observations and questions that reinforce the day's intention. The meditations are archived for five days, so if you've missed one, started late or just need a tune up, one can go back and re-experience the day's message and quiet time. And of course these and others are available for purchase. Either as CD sets or downloads. To register for Expanding Your Happiness go to: https://chopracentermeditation.com/ I really enjoyed Friday's Global meditation experience live from Toronto. There was a Q&A from participants and music was provided by India.Arie and Blue Miller. I love the sound of Deepak's voice and he had some wonderful quips. When querried by a woman from Chicago on how to respond to the gangs of angry teenagers there, he stressed staying centered and not confronting them, but just be an example of Peace when encountering them stating, "Don't become an angry peace activist." I have not heard if the attempt to break the world's largest meditation gathering record was successful (around 100,000 signed up), but the moderator was excited about the possibility, he agreed yet added, "But who's attached?" My favorite Deepak-ism, again was in response to the moderator gushing about him being there and traveling the world to spread his message, he simply stated, "My body travels... I never leave home."
Expanding your Happiness
If you missed Deepak's Global Meditation for Peace on Friday, perhaps here's something you might be interested in. Starting tomorrow, Monday August 11th, Chopra in alliance with Oprah Winfrey are presenting another of their free 21-day meditation series "Expanding Your Happiness". I have done three of their other meditation series and I highly recommend them. Typically Oprah starts the guided meditation with a two minute intro, then Deepak explains the days intention and introduces the mantra before leading us to five to ten minutes of quite time. The music is excellent and concludes with a summation of the intention, again by Deepak. About twenty minutes total. And there are online workbook pages with observations and questions that reinforce the day's intention. The meditations are archived for five days, so if you've missed one, started late or just need a tune up, one can go back and re-experience the day's message and quiet time. And of course these and others are available for purchase. Either as CD sets or downloads. To register for Expanding Your Happiness go to: https://chopracentermeditation.com/ I really enjoyed Friday's Global meditation experience live from Toronto. There was a Q&A from participants and music was provided by India.Arie and Blue Miller. I love the sound of Deepak's voice and he had some wonderful quips. When querried by a woman from Chicago on how to respond to the gangs of angry teenagers there, he stressed staying centered and not confronting them, but just be an example of Peace when encountering them stating, "Don't become an angry peace activist." I have not heard if the attempt to break the world's largest meditation gathering record was successful (around 100,000 signed up), but the moderator was excited about the possibility, he agreed yet added, "But who's attached?" My favorite Deepak-ism, again was in response to the moderator gushing about him being there and traveling the world to spread his message, he simply stated, "My body travels... I never leave home."
August 7-8, 2014
GLOBAL MEDITATION FOR PEACE
On Friday August 8th at 10am Denver time, Deepak Chopra and friends are hosting the largest synchronized global meditation in history! It will be verified by Guinness Book of World Records. As you know, meditating in groups is a very powerful way to amplify the energy of the intention of the meditation, in this case world peace. Add to that the added power of the coming full moon and the experience should be a powerful one indeed. Deepak states: "Lets create that tipping point, that critical mass, for a more peaceful, just, sustainable, happier, healthier world by coming together in this global synchronized meditation." Join in to create / be the change you want to see in the world. To watch a short video and to sign up go to: http://globalmeditation.chopra.com/?utm_source=eyh-nurture&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eyh-nurture-1 Or you can follow and participate on social media at: #IAMPEACE.
GLOBAL MEDITATION FOR PEACE
On Friday August 8th at 10am Denver time, Deepak Chopra and friends are hosting the largest synchronized global meditation in history! It will be verified by Guinness Book of World Records. As you know, meditating in groups is a very powerful way to amplify the energy of the intention of the meditation, in this case world peace. Add to that the added power of the coming full moon and the experience should be a powerful one indeed. Deepak states: "Lets create that tipping point, that critical mass, for a more peaceful, just, sustainable, happier, healthier world by coming together in this global synchronized meditation." Join in to create / be the change you want to see in the world. To watch a short video and to sign up go to: http://globalmeditation.chopra.com/?utm_source=eyh-nurture&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=eyh-nurture-1 Or you can follow and participate on social media at: #IAMPEACE.
August 7, 2014
Hope Floats Duck Race
Speaking of birds in the park... On Saturday August 16th in Lowry's Great Lawn Park at Yosemite and Lowry Blvd., Metro Crisis Services is holding their 2nd annual Hope Floats Derby Duck Race to benefit their efforts to help individuals and families gain access to behavioral health care, not only in the metro area, but now across the state as well. A fun, festive event is planned which will conclude with an adoptive Duck Race where as many as 5,000 yellow ducks flow down the creek to the finish line and the $2,500 grand prize. Quite a sight to see! The cost to adopt a duck and be entered in the race is only $5.00 and you may adopt as many ducks you like. With recent tragic events making the local and national news, it is important to support and raise awareness of behavioral health and "in-the-moment" crisis intervention services such as MCS's.
To adopt a duck please go to: http://www.duckrace.com/denver To learn more about Metro Crisis Services: http://www.metrocrisisservices.org/ Or if you or someone you know are struggling with a mental or emotional dilemma, have drug or alcohol issues, family/relationship problems, or having difficulties at work or school, please call their Metro Crisis Line at 888-885-1222. It is free and confidential.
Hope Floats Duck Race
Speaking of birds in the park... On Saturday August 16th in Lowry's Great Lawn Park at Yosemite and Lowry Blvd., Metro Crisis Services is holding their 2nd annual Hope Floats Derby Duck Race to benefit their efforts to help individuals and families gain access to behavioral health care, not only in the metro area, but now across the state as well. A fun, festive event is planned which will conclude with an adoptive Duck Race where as many as 5,000 yellow ducks flow down the creek to the finish line and the $2,500 grand prize. Quite a sight to see! The cost to adopt a duck and be entered in the race is only $5.00 and you may adopt as many ducks you like. With recent tragic events making the local and national news, it is important to support and raise awareness of behavioral health and "in-the-moment" crisis intervention services such as MCS's.
To adopt a duck please go to: http://www.duckrace.com/denver To learn more about Metro Crisis Services: http://www.metrocrisisservices.org/ Or if you or someone you know are struggling with a mental or emotional dilemma, have drug or alcohol issues, family/relationship problems, or having difficulties at work or school, please call their Metro Crisis Line at 888-885-1222. It is free and confidential.
August 6, 2014
Pelicans in Wash Park
I was out for my walk in the Washington Park this morning and as I came upon Grasmere Lake on the south end of the park I could see a multitude of pelicans. Some were near a small island in the lake, but most were preening on a small platform in the lake that looks like it holds a small solar panel array. Usually there have been a few transient birds, but this morning I counted fourteen! And they have been around for a while this year. They are magnificent and the biggest thing in the park. They have a huge wingspan and today several did a low fly over while I was there. I love the graceful "S" curve of their neck in flight. For some reason every time I see them flying, I hear the Fanfare from the theme song of Jurassic Park by John Williams... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHalXjs0cDA
Pelicans in Wash Park
I was out for my walk in the Washington Park this morning and as I came upon Grasmere Lake on the south end of the park I could see a multitude of pelicans. Some were near a small island in the lake, but most were preening on a small platform in the lake that looks like it holds a small solar panel array. Usually there have been a few transient birds, but this morning I counted fourteen! And they have been around for a while this year. They are magnificent and the biggest thing in the park. They have a huge wingspan and today several did a low fly over while I was there. I love the graceful "S" curve of their neck in flight. For some reason every time I see them flying, I hear the Fanfare from the theme song of Jurassic Park by John Williams... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHalXjs0cDA
August 3, 2014
"Don't look for your dreams to come true; look to become true to your dreams."
-- Reverend Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith
"Don't look for your dreams to come true; look to become true to your dreams."
-- Reverend Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith
July 31, 2014
Tulo Typo
I was at the Rockies/Pirates game at Coors Field on Saturday and I was one of the 15,000 fans who got one of the Tulo Typo jerseys the ball club handed out. They are missing the second "T" in the Rox All-Star short stop's name. I was sitting in the stands looking at a guy a couple rows down from me, and looking at the name on the back of the shirt, and I wondered, why isn't his nickname Wiz? Then it hit me... Troy Trevor Tulowitzki's (brother to Tiffany and Tyler) name is mis-spelled! Apparently the Rox knew about it beforehand and didn't want to disappoint the fans by not giving anything out. Having worked much of my career as a graphic artist, all I can say is, unfortunately these things happen. With as many eyeballs that must have been on this, you kind of wonder how it happens. Its a drag because not only are your mistakes very public, but they get reproduced many, many times! Yikes! Sometimes the mistake gets caught, but the printer still uses the wrong pdf. Or on the darker side, maybe its on purpose because Tulo wants to play for a contender. Or maybe its hitting a guy while he's down (he's on DL). Oy! A nice Polish boy can't catch a break. Either way, we've got a collector's item here. The game started at 6:10 and by 7:30 it was reported online that the jerseys were already selling on eBay for over $30. Fans wishing to exchange the flawed apparel will be able to do so at a future date (TBD) in September at Coors Field or at the Rockies Dugout Stores. Also, fans exchanging the jersey will receive a complimentary ticket to a future game in 2014 or 2015. I'm keeping mine, but here's a link to connect you to a Rockies Dugout store near you: http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/fan_forum/col_dugout_store_sth.jsp
Tulo Typo
I was at the Rockies/Pirates game at Coors Field on Saturday and I was one of the 15,000 fans who got one of the Tulo Typo jerseys the ball club handed out. They are missing the second "T" in the Rox All-Star short stop's name. I was sitting in the stands looking at a guy a couple rows down from me, and looking at the name on the back of the shirt, and I wondered, why isn't his nickname Wiz? Then it hit me... Troy Trevor Tulowitzki's (brother to Tiffany and Tyler) name is mis-spelled! Apparently the Rox knew about it beforehand and didn't want to disappoint the fans by not giving anything out. Having worked much of my career as a graphic artist, all I can say is, unfortunately these things happen. With as many eyeballs that must have been on this, you kind of wonder how it happens. Its a drag because not only are your mistakes very public, but they get reproduced many, many times! Yikes! Sometimes the mistake gets caught, but the printer still uses the wrong pdf. Or on the darker side, maybe its on purpose because Tulo wants to play for a contender. Or maybe its hitting a guy while he's down (he's on DL). Oy! A nice Polish boy can't catch a break. Either way, we've got a collector's item here. The game started at 6:10 and by 7:30 it was reported online that the jerseys were already selling on eBay for over $30. Fans wishing to exchange the flawed apparel will be able to do so at a future date (TBD) in September at Coors Field or at the Rockies Dugout Stores. Also, fans exchanging the jersey will receive a complimentary ticket to a future game in 2014 or 2015. I'm keeping mine, but here's a link to connect you to a Rockies Dugout store near you: http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/fan_forum/col_dugout_store_sth.jsp
July 28, 2014
PAAC Painters in the Park
I went for an walk this morning in Washington Park hoping to avoid being rained on, which I did, but I was rewarded in another way. There was a small group from Plein Air Artists of Colorado among and near the flower beds working on oil and watercolor paintings! Shown at left are two signature members Deborah McAllister and Jeanne Echternach. With all the bad press the park has rightfully received lately, its nice to see the splendor still remains. And landscape painters are still drawn here, like bees to honey. As bees are necessary for a healthy ecosystem, so is the presence of artists like Jeanne and Deb essential to the vitality of the city. Don't be shy, engage them, most plein air painters are more than happy to talk about their art, and one can always gain something, seeing the beauty of where we live thru their eyes and their gifts. And if looking turns to buying, hey, you'll have a great story to go along with your new painting! Here are some links to learn more: http://jeanneechternachfineart.com/ http://deborahmcallister.com/ http://www.pleinairartistscolorado.com/index.htm
PAAC Painters in the Park
I went for an walk this morning in Washington Park hoping to avoid being rained on, which I did, but I was rewarded in another way. There was a small group from Plein Air Artists of Colorado among and near the flower beds working on oil and watercolor paintings! Shown at left are two signature members Deborah McAllister and Jeanne Echternach. With all the bad press the park has rightfully received lately, its nice to see the splendor still remains. And landscape painters are still drawn here, like bees to honey. As bees are necessary for a healthy ecosystem, so is the presence of artists like Jeanne and Deb essential to the vitality of the city. Don't be shy, engage them, most plein air painters are more than happy to talk about their art, and one can always gain something, seeing the beauty of where we live thru their eyes and their gifts. And if looking turns to buying, hey, you'll have a great story to go along with your new painting! Here are some links to learn more: http://jeanneechternachfineart.com/ http://deborahmcallister.com/ http://www.pleinairartistscolorado.com/index.htm
July 26, 2014
The Water Tank Project
In 2007 filmaker Mary Jordan was in Ethiopia making a documentary and became ill, and was taken in by a local tribe and nursed back to health. She asked how she could ever repay them? Their reply was to tell the world about their need for water. Which in some places of the world requires a daily 8 hour effort to transport safe drinking water to their village. So in response to their plea and through creating Word Above the Street she is presenting The Water Tank Project to raise awareness and funds for this world wide plight. Over 300 tanks that hover above the five boroughs of the New York skyline will be festooned with artworks from many well know artists. Included in the diverse group of luminaries are... Maya Lin, who did the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC, Andy Goldsworthy, an British environmental sculptor who does site specific pieces in natural and urban spaces around the world, Ed Rusha, who among other things did the mural in the Denver Public Library's central branch and Yoko Ono, who most folks forget is a still working artist and not just the widow of John Lennon. This temporary summer project will run from July thru September as the artwork will be digitized and printed on vinyl and then wrapped around the towers. I was relieved to hear this as the natural patina of the tanks is so beautiful, and would have been a shame if this 'history' were lost. At left is Eteri Chkadua's design. She is from the Georgian Republic and in her 'magic feminist' style is a self portrait depicting collecting rain water in pots and pans. Living on the arid Front Range of Colorado we here are all too aware of how precious and scare water can be. I worked for the Denver Water Department the past 3 summers helping to educate people about the watering rules and the need to use water wisely. Through the first part of last summer we were in a Stage 2 drought which strictly limited lawn watering. If the drought had deepened the next stage would have required an outdoor watering ban! Fortunately this year the situation is much improved, but not so for many around the world. Please check out the following links for more art and information, and if you feel so moved, please donate generously to help bring clean, safe water to those in need. http://wordabovethestreet.org/ and https://members.rebny.com/pdf_files/WordAbovetheStreet_ipad_1JUN.pdf
The Water Tank Project
In 2007 filmaker Mary Jordan was in Ethiopia making a documentary and became ill, and was taken in by a local tribe and nursed back to health. She asked how she could ever repay them? Their reply was to tell the world about their need for water. Which in some places of the world requires a daily 8 hour effort to transport safe drinking water to their village. So in response to their plea and through creating Word Above the Street she is presenting The Water Tank Project to raise awareness and funds for this world wide plight. Over 300 tanks that hover above the five boroughs of the New York skyline will be festooned with artworks from many well know artists. Included in the diverse group of luminaries are... Maya Lin, who did the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC, Andy Goldsworthy, an British environmental sculptor who does site specific pieces in natural and urban spaces around the world, Ed Rusha, who among other things did the mural in the Denver Public Library's central branch and Yoko Ono, who most folks forget is a still working artist and not just the widow of John Lennon. This temporary summer project will run from July thru September as the artwork will be digitized and printed on vinyl and then wrapped around the towers. I was relieved to hear this as the natural patina of the tanks is so beautiful, and would have been a shame if this 'history' were lost. At left is Eteri Chkadua's design. She is from the Georgian Republic and in her 'magic feminist' style is a self portrait depicting collecting rain water in pots and pans. Living on the arid Front Range of Colorado we here are all too aware of how precious and scare water can be. I worked for the Denver Water Department the past 3 summers helping to educate people about the watering rules and the need to use water wisely. Through the first part of last summer we were in a Stage 2 drought which strictly limited lawn watering. If the drought had deepened the next stage would have required an outdoor watering ban! Fortunately this year the situation is much improved, but not so for many around the world. Please check out the following links for more art and information, and if you feel so moved, please donate generously to help bring clean, safe water to those in need. http://wordabovethestreet.org/ and https://members.rebny.com/pdf_files/WordAbovetheStreet_ipad_1JUN.pdf
July 23, 2014
COLOR: Outside The Lines
Two of my favorite artists have work in a show, downtown at Republic Plaza. Over her career Madeline Dodge has been one of the most innovative artists I know. Her paintings here are all variations on colored stripes presented in unique formats. At left is the undulating "The Mountains of the Eight Directions" mixed media on steel. Her paintings relate to her study of ancient Greek & Russian masters of iconography who speak of the '3 Lights': Reflected, Created and and Uncreated Light. Her work can be seen as the uncreated
COLOR: Outside The Lines
Two of my favorite artists have work in a show, downtown at Republic Plaza. Over her career Madeline Dodge has been one of the most innovative artists I know. Her paintings here are all variations on colored stripes presented in unique formats. At left is the undulating "The Mountains of the Eight Directions" mixed media on steel. Her paintings relate to her study of ancient Greek & Russian masters of iconography who speak of the '3 Lights': Reflected, Created and and Uncreated Light. Her work can be seen as the uncreated
light, before the Big Bang. Dodge states: "Goethe said color is "troubled light", that is fragmented light. My paintings represent that light." Her last show at Spark Gallery spoke to the process of creating, with photos of tangles of tape from the painting process and my favorite, rows of wooden stirring sticks covered in paint.
Ron Trujillo's paintings have a wonderful asian influence. Usually dividing the painting into three sections, his imagery is so diverse each section could stand alone as an individual painting. The works here are more high key than usual, but still retain use of his abstract flower motif. They now have a trompe l'oeil addition of what looks like colored pieces of paper taped to the canvas' surface, but are actually painted. Nature has been his subject of choice for decades. His first works I saw years ago I called the Secret Life of Plants, as they were richly colored, soft focus views of plants and flowers from the ground up, revealing an intimate and mysterious view of the garden around us. Later his work evolved to multi-panel pieces and more abstracted images. I've loved watching these two artists grow and evolve over the years, their work just keeps getting better and better! COLOR: Outside the Lines, Color pushed ten different ways by ten distinctive artists, is on view thru August 21st in the Republic Plaza Lobbies at 370 17th Street (at Tremont), Denver, CO 80202.
To see more of the artists' work visit Madeleine Dodge's site at: http://madeleinedodge.com/recent.html and Ron Trujillo's site: http://rontrujilloart.com/
Ron Trujillo's paintings have a wonderful asian influence. Usually dividing the painting into three sections, his imagery is so diverse each section could stand alone as an individual painting. The works here are more high key than usual, but still retain use of his abstract flower motif. They now have a trompe l'oeil addition of what looks like colored pieces of paper taped to the canvas' surface, but are actually painted. Nature has been his subject of choice for decades. His first works I saw years ago I called the Secret Life of Plants, as they were richly colored, soft focus views of plants and flowers from the ground up, revealing an intimate and mysterious view of the garden around us. Later his work evolved to multi-panel pieces and more abstracted images. I've loved watching these two artists grow and evolve over the years, their work just keeps getting better and better! COLOR: Outside the Lines, Color pushed ten different ways by ten distinctive artists, is on view thru August 21st in the Republic Plaza Lobbies at 370 17th Street (at Tremont), Denver, CO 80202.
To see more of the artists' work visit Madeleine Dodge's site at: http://madeleinedodge.com/recent.html and Ron Trujillo's site: http://rontrujilloart.com/
July 20, 2014
Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
Its 45 years ago today (1969) that we all watched in wonder as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo 11 lunar module, Eagle, on the moon, and six hours later stepped foot onto the surface, while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module, Columbia. For the moon walk, we gathered in my friend Louie's kitchen late that night, transfixed as Walter Cronkite paused his commentary and Armstrong came down the ladder and uttered those first famous words on the moon, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind". Thus fulfilling President Kennedy's call to action to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth before the end of the decade. It was quite a summer. We were still reeling from the assassinations the year before of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. The moon landing was momentous. (For a decade afterwards many statements were uttered prefaced by, If they can land a man on the moon, why can't they...) Woodstock happened that summer too. Also the Denver Pop Festival was held at Mile High Stadium for 3 days in June. We didn't have tickets, but the last night we sat out in the parking lot and listened to the Jimi Hendrix Experience which as it turned out was the last time they played together. (Hendrix later formed Band of Gypsys with Buddy Miles and recorded an album of the same name at the Fillmore East on New Years Eve, here's Message to Love from that album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bti9Eifhjc ) And sadly my dad also passed away on July 4th that year. Which I don't want to dwell on here. But I like to think of it as his independence day into the greater expression of life! Not long after his passing I got my drivers license which was indeed a right of passage into adulthood. I came of age that summer. Funny, it was such a 'colorful' time with psychedelic and pop art, but the images I remember most are those grainy black and white TV pictures streamed back live from the moon. Here is a NASA montage of the Apollo 11 mission, at least the first couple minutes of it anyway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A In case you were wondering... what were the last words spoken on the moon? There is some lack of agreement about this. But to relate a story I read... the only system not to have a redundant backup on the moon missions was the switch that ignited the ascent engine that would lift the lunar module crew off the moon. The Apollo missions were so complex that if everything went 99.9% perfect, 2000 things would still go wrong. So it must have always been a tense moment! It was reported Apollo 17's commander Gene Cernan's final words on the moon were: "Let's get this mutha out of here."
Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
Its 45 years ago today (1969) that we all watched in wonder as Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo 11 lunar module, Eagle, on the moon, and six hours later stepped foot onto the surface, while Michael Collins orbited above in the command module, Columbia. For the moon walk, we gathered in my friend Louie's kitchen late that night, transfixed as Walter Cronkite paused his commentary and Armstrong came down the ladder and uttered those first famous words on the moon, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind". Thus fulfilling President Kennedy's call to action to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth before the end of the decade. It was quite a summer. We were still reeling from the assassinations the year before of Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. The moon landing was momentous. (For a decade afterwards many statements were uttered prefaced by, If they can land a man on the moon, why can't they...) Woodstock happened that summer too. Also the Denver Pop Festival was held at Mile High Stadium for 3 days in June. We didn't have tickets, but the last night we sat out in the parking lot and listened to the Jimi Hendrix Experience which as it turned out was the last time they played together. (Hendrix later formed Band of Gypsys with Buddy Miles and recorded an album of the same name at the Fillmore East on New Years Eve, here's Message to Love from that album: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bti9Eifhjc ) And sadly my dad also passed away on July 4th that year. Which I don't want to dwell on here. But I like to think of it as his independence day into the greater expression of life! Not long after his passing I got my drivers license which was indeed a right of passage into adulthood. I came of age that summer. Funny, it was such a 'colorful' time with psychedelic and pop art, but the images I remember most are those grainy black and white TV pictures streamed back live from the moon. Here is a NASA montage of the Apollo 11 mission, at least the first couple minutes of it anyway: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwZb2mqId0A In case you were wondering... what were the last words spoken on the moon? There is some lack of agreement about this. But to relate a story I read... the only system not to have a redundant backup on the moon missions was the switch that ignited the ascent engine that would lift the lunar module crew off the moon. The Apollo missions were so complex that if everything went 99.9% perfect, 2000 things would still go wrong. So it must have always been a tense moment! It was reported Apollo 17's commander Gene Cernan's final words on the moon were: "Let's get this mutha out of here."
July 16, 2014
Site Visit Record
I just wanted to thank everyone who has tuned in to my website and blog. Yesterday, for the first time, stats surpassed 100 unique visitors in a day! I am grateful for your interest in my artwork and would love to get your feedback at: [email protected] Thank you!
Site Visit Record
I just wanted to thank everyone who has tuned in to my website and blog. Yesterday, for the first time, stats surpassed 100 unique visitors in a day! I am grateful for your interest in my artwork and would love to get your feedback at: [email protected] Thank you!
July 16, 2014
Culver City Arts District
I was researching an artist represented by the Tansey Gallery in Santa Fe that I had visited in May. I began looking at her's and some other abstract painters' videos on YouTube and one of them was having an opening at Fresh Paint in LA, which just happened to be just a few miles from where we were staying in Playa del Rey, near the marina. So I had to make a visit. One of the concierge at the B&B who is an art history major said the gallery is part of a larger Culver City Arts District there, with the galleries clustered along Washington and La Cienega Boulevards. http://culvercityartsdistrict.com/ All the galleries were showing excellent quality work. One of my favorites was Von Lintel that had moved from New York City. They have a group show up called Ambitious thru August 23rd. To view the work click: http://www.vonlintel.com/ And of course Fresh Paint, who was having a "Summer Solstice" group exhibit also thru the 23rd of August. http://www.freshpaintart.com/exhibitions On display was a grouping of pieces from Paul Ecke's Fractal series, shown above. Amazingly enough, he is also represented here in Denver at Space Gallery that has recently relocated to their new building at 400 Santa Fe Blvd. Although his work here is visually very different than the pieces in LA, circles rather than stripes, you can tell they are made by the same deft hand. http://spacegallery.org/artist/paul-ecke/ If you are along the coast in LA, I highly recommend a trip a few miles inland from Santa Monica to the CCAD!
Culver City Arts District
I was researching an artist represented by the Tansey Gallery in Santa Fe that I had visited in May. I began looking at her's and some other abstract painters' videos on YouTube and one of them was having an opening at Fresh Paint in LA, which just happened to be just a few miles from where we were staying in Playa del Rey, near the marina. So I had to make a visit. One of the concierge at the B&B who is an art history major said the gallery is part of a larger Culver City Arts District there, with the galleries clustered along Washington and La Cienega Boulevards. http://culvercityartsdistrict.com/ All the galleries were showing excellent quality work. One of my favorites was Von Lintel that had moved from New York City. They have a group show up called Ambitious thru August 23rd. To view the work click: http://www.vonlintel.com/ And of course Fresh Paint, who was having a "Summer Solstice" group exhibit also thru the 23rd of August. http://www.freshpaintart.com/exhibitions On display was a grouping of pieces from Paul Ecke's Fractal series, shown above. Amazingly enough, he is also represented here in Denver at Space Gallery that has recently relocated to their new building at 400 Santa Fe Blvd. Although his work here is visually very different than the pieces in LA, circles rather than stripes, you can tell they are made by the same deft hand. http://spacegallery.org/artist/paul-ecke/ If you are along the coast in LA, I highly recommend a trip a few miles inland from Santa Monica to the CCAD!
July 15, 2014
The Getty Center and LACMA
On my birthday, I treated myself to a first time trip to The Getty Center. The campus of 5 buildings surrounding a central courtyard was designed by Richard Meier and completed in 1997. Anticipation builds as you ride the tram up from the subterranean parking area. The design is modern with some curvilinear shapes softening the travertine stone of the walls and walkways. Similar to the Getty Villa it is built high on a hill, this time in the Santa Monica mountains just off the 405 freeway. The place has a wonderful open energy, even though there were thousands of tourists there that day. Interestingly, dominated by a great percentage of young fashionista Japanese women, presumably on holiday from university? My favorite places to hang out were on the terraces overlooking the city where the views were incredible above the density and zoom zoom of the town. In the galleries, there were displayed everything from medieval illuminated manuscripts and stained glass to early 20th century abstracts and symbolists. There was a show of 18th century French drawings, Rococo to the Revolution, that plucked my classical realist heartstings. As well as lots of photography including contemporary luminaries Ansel Adams and Minor White, who's birthday it also was. One painting that caught my eye was Monet's Morning, at left. It is one of over 30 works he created in the mid 1890's depicting the light and atmospheric effects on the facade of Rouen Cathedral. When I was in Boston studying art, there was an exhibit of his various 'series' paintings including several of the cathedral at the MFA. I hadn't see one since, so that was a treat as was the rest of my visit!
I read in the LA Times the next day that the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is planing several expansions. One on the main campus and another across Wilshire Blvd. It is said to be a 76 story tower to be designed by 'cubist' architect Frank Gehry of the curvilinear titanium Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim's Bilbao Spain Museum fame. They are in preliminary discussions with Gehry to house his substantial archives there and create an Architecture & Design wing in the building, as well as a hotel and condos with a stop from the new light rail line below the building. It will be a wonderful addition to Museum Row on Miracle Mile. Alas residents are bracing for 10 years of construction!
The Getty Center and LACMA
On my birthday, I treated myself to a first time trip to The Getty Center. The campus of 5 buildings surrounding a central courtyard was designed by Richard Meier and completed in 1997. Anticipation builds as you ride the tram up from the subterranean parking area. The design is modern with some curvilinear shapes softening the travertine stone of the walls and walkways. Similar to the Getty Villa it is built high on a hill, this time in the Santa Monica mountains just off the 405 freeway. The place has a wonderful open energy, even though there were thousands of tourists there that day. Interestingly, dominated by a great percentage of young fashionista Japanese women, presumably on holiday from university? My favorite places to hang out were on the terraces overlooking the city where the views were incredible above the density and zoom zoom of the town. In the galleries, there were displayed everything from medieval illuminated manuscripts and stained glass to early 20th century abstracts and symbolists. There was a show of 18th century French drawings, Rococo to the Revolution, that plucked my classical realist heartstings. As well as lots of photography including contemporary luminaries Ansel Adams and Minor White, who's birthday it also was. One painting that caught my eye was Monet's Morning, at left. It is one of over 30 works he created in the mid 1890's depicting the light and atmospheric effects on the facade of Rouen Cathedral. When I was in Boston studying art, there was an exhibit of his various 'series' paintings including several of the cathedral at the MFA. I hadn't see one since, so that was a treat as was the rest of my visit!
I read in the LA Times the next day that the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is planing several expansions. One on the main campus and another across Wilshire Blvd. It is said to be a 76 story tower to be designed by 'cubist' architect Frank Gehry of the curvilinear titanium Disney Concert Hall and the Guggenheim's Bilbao Spain Museum fame. They are in preliminary discussions with Gehry to house his substantial archives there and create an Architecture & Design wing in the building, as well as a hotel and condos with a stop from the new light rail line below the building. It will be a wonderful addition to Museum Row on Miracle Mile. Alas residents are bracing for 10 years of construction!
July 9, 2014
21/61
Well... Today I'm celebrating the 40th anniversary of my 21st birthday. Yep, that's me in the photo at left in my studio in 1974. My hair was a bit longer back then. In the background is my painting, Heat Wave: Our Men in Blue Sayin' Hello to You. My rendition of a no knock raid. My favorite part was a little orange tabby cat hiding behind the just burst open door, which you can't see in this picture. Alas its the only surviving photo of this painting, which was about 4 x 5.5 feet. It is acrylic on panel, and cut out around the edges, to make it look like it was painted on the wall. And here it is so many years and detours later and I'm again painting in acrylics on panels! The more things change, the more they stay the same! (In case you were wondering, the first person to say that was Jean-Baptiste Alphons Karr, a french journalist and editor of Le Figaro in 1839 said: "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose". He later went on to found Le Journal, who's images figure so prominently in Picasso & Braque's early cubist paintings and collages.)
21/61
Well... Today I'm celebrating the 40th anniversary of my 21st birthday. Yep, that's me in the photo at left in my studio in 1974. My hair was a bit longer back then. In the background is my painting, Heat Wave: Our Men in Blue Sayin' Hello to You. My rendition of a no knock raid. My favorite part was a little orange tabby cat hiding behind the just burst open door, which you can't see in this picture. Alas its the only surviving photo of this painting, which was about 4 x 5.5 feet. It is acrylic on panel, and cut out around the edges, to make it look like it was painted on the wall. And here it is so many years and detours later and I'm again painting in acrylics on panels! The more things change, the more they stay the same! (In case you were wondering, the first person to say that was Jean-Baptiste Alphons Karr, a french journalist and editor of Le Figaro in 1839 said: "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose". He later went on to found Le Journal, who's images figure so prominently in Picasso & Braque's early cubist paintings and collages.)
July 1, 2014
Bravura Brushwork at Abend
When I paint representationally, which isn't often these days, I work in a more classical style with a smoother finish. Well, this month Abend Gallery presents 2 & 3 person shows on the opposite end of the spectrum. Plenty of emotion and brushwork here! In the west gallery is the talented Clyde Steadman who I met at the Art for Life auction for Project Angel Heart and later saw doing a painting demo at the Art Student's League Summer Art Market. And David Shingler, a young guy who's work I'd never seem before. His oil, Idaho Springs is at left. Working mostly from photos taken on sight, I was really impressed with his freedom and economy of brushwork. His maturity of work is well beyond his years. He definitely hits all the right notes. In the main gallery are Robert Spooner, Stephanie Hartshorn and Jim Beckner and Matthew Saba. I was at the opening and didn't get to chat with Jim or Matthew. But I did get a chance to meet Stephanie. Her buoyant personality is truly represented in her paintings. I like most her urban subject matter pared down to its essential forms. And I enjoyed finding out one of our favorite painting tools is a 'rubber kidney' made by Catalyst! Earlier, I had sat in on a conversation with Robert Spooner. He had just given a class and was admittedly still in teaching mode with the circle gathered around him. His path has somewhat paralleled mine. Going from graphic arts to painting and moving in some pieces to very loosely suggested landscapes done with palette knives, allowing the 'muse' to dictate the outcome of the painting rather than control it from start to finish. I seem to be aware of that happening much more these days! One thing he said that got me engaged was, that he was often asked who his favorite painter is. He paused, while I'm sure we were all thinking of our own favorites, when he said, "Me." He acknowledged our momentary shock and explained influences are important yes, but there is nothing else like standing at your easel, being present with your own work, and yourself, at the moment of creation! I couldn't agree more!
3 & 2 Person Shows at Abend thru July 31st. 2260 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80206. 303-355-0950, 800-288-3726. Hours: Tue-Sat, 10am - 6pm.
To see more: http://www.abendgallery.com/html_shows/14-beckner-hartshorn-spooner-shingler-steadman/
Bravura Brushwork at Abend
When I paint representationally, which isn't often these days, I work in a more classical style with a smoother finish. Well, this month Abend Gallery presents 2 & 3 person shows on the opposite end of the spectrum. Plenty of emotion and brushwork here! In the west gallery is the talented Clyde Steadman who I met at the Art for Life auction for Project Angel Heart and later saw doing a painting demo at the Art Student's League Summer Art Market. And David Shingler, a young guy who's work I'd never seem before. His oil, Idaho Springs is at left. Working mostly from photos taken on sight, I was really impressed with his freedom and economy of brushwork. His maturity of work is well beyond his years. He definitely hits all the right notes. In the main gallery are Robert Spooner, Stephanie Hartshorn and Jim Beckner and Matthew Saba. I was at the opening and didn't get to chat with Jim or Matthew. But I did get a chance to meet Stephanie. Her buoyant personality is truly represented in her paintings. I like most her urban subject matter pared down to its essential forms. And I enjoyed finding out one of our favorite painting tools is a 'rubber kidney' made by Catalyst! Earlier, I had sat in on a conversation with Robert Spooner. He had just given a class and was admittedly still in teaching mode with the circle gathered around him. His path has somewhat paralleled mine. Going from graphic arts to painting and moving in some pieces to very loosely suggested landscapes done with palette knives, allowing the 'muse' to dictate the outcome of the painting rather than control it from start to finish. I seem to be aware of that happening much more these days! One thing he said that got me engaged was, that he was often asked who his favorite painter is. He paused, while I'm sure we were all thinking of our own favorites, when he said, "Me." He acknowledged our momentary shock and explained influences are important yes, but there is nothing else like standing at your easel, being present with your own work, and yourself, at the moment of creation! I couldn't agree more!
3 & 2 Person Shows at Abend thru July 31st. 2260 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80206. 303-355-0950, 800-288-3726. Hours: Tue-Sat, 10am - 6pm.
To see more: http://www.abendgallery.com/html_shows/14-beckner-hartshorn-spooner-shingler-steadman/
June 24, 2014
Unfinished
I did this painting in the summer of 1989, right before I left for Boston to study classical realism. It was a very hot day and I was positioned next to the South Platte River in the shade of the 15th Street bridge which you can see in the foreground. Pictured is 16th Street, the next bridge over. I loved the graceful arches and the movement in the way the span took just a single 'step' into and out of the river. (Alas, both bridges have since been torn down.) I was set up with my french easel and camping stool with my brushes sticking out of the sand next to me. I can get a little low blood sugar when its warm, so after several hours, I stopped for lunch and to my dismay found that instead a big container of coleslaw (I was a vegetarian at the time) I had mistakenly purchased what was a frothy mixture of green jello and cool whip with, I think, coconut and walnuts. I ate it anyway. Well it wasn't enough substance and I must have unknowingly gotten a little woozy. I returned to my easel, grabbed a few brushes out of the sand and after contemplating my next move, began dabbing at the painting. As I focused in, I sat down, forgetting that I had left my palette on the camping stool!! Yikes! Oil paint all over the back of my shorts. Definitely flying my colors, ha-ha! Okay... painting over! I got as much paint off my bottom as I could. Packed up my gear, reversed my apron so I could get in the car and promptly drove to an Alfalfa's for some needed carbs, whole wheat bread and OJ. So you see, for me, painting Plein Air in the extremes of weather is challenging. I admire the stamina of those who's main focus is painting outdoors! To conclude, later that week my friend Art Supple who lived above Vallicito Lake near Durango arrived. He would come bunk on my couch while he was at the VA hospital. (He was wounded on Iwo Jima in WWII and needed periodic treatment.) He took a liking to the painting even though it was unfinished, so I gave it to him, he liked the funny story that came with it! As he got older, he eventually could no longer live at altitude and moved to Why, Arizona near the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, where sadly, he passed several years later. Currently, the whereabouts of the painting are unknown.
Unfinished
I did this painting in the summer of 1989, right before I left for Boston to study classical realism. It was a very hot day and I was positioned next to the South Platte River in the shade of the 15th Street bridge which you can see in the foreground. Pictured is 16th Street, the next bridge over. I loved the graceful arches and the movement in the way the span took just a single 'step' into and out of the river. (Alas, both bridges have since been torn down.) I was set up with my french easel and camping stool with my brushes sticking out of the sand next to me. I can get a little low blood sugar when its warm, so after several hours, I stopped for lunch and to my dismay found that instead a big container of coleslaw (I was a vegetarian at the time) I had mistakenly purchased what was a frothy mixture of green jello and cool whip with, I think, coconut and walnuts. I ate it anyway. Well it wasn't enough substance and I must have unknowingly gotten a little woozy. I returned to my easel, grabbed a few brushes out of the sand and after contemplating my next move, began dabbing at the painting. As I focused in, I sat down, forgetting that I had left my palette on the camping stool!! Yikes! Oil paint all over the back of my shorts. Definitely flying my colors, ha-ha! Okay... painting over! I got as much paint off my bottom as I could. Packed up my gear, reversed my apron so I could get in the car and promptly drove to an Alfalfa's for some needed carbs, whole wheat bread and OJ. So you see, for me, painting Plein Air in the extremes of weather is challenging. I admire the stamina of those who's main focus is painting outdoors! To conclude, later that week my friend Art Supple who lived above Vallicito Lake near Durango arrived. He would come bunk on my couch while he was at the VA hospital. (He was wounded on Iwo Jima in WWII and needed periodic treatment.) He took a liking to the painting even though it was unfinished, so I gave it to him, he liked the funny story that came with it! As he got older, he eventually could no longer live at altitude and moved to Why, Arizona near the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, where sadly, he passed several years later. Currently, the whereabouts of the painting are unknown.
June 21, 2014
Happy First Day of Summer
Ahh, the sweet days of Summer! Natures bounty is in full expression at all altitudes and artists of all stripes head for the hills, open spaces and city vistas to capture the beauty that is Colorado. Plein Air Artists of Colorado (PAAC) is an organization dedicated to that end. Comprised of master signature members to beginners, all eschew the confines of the studio, and are dedicated to painting in nature first hand in any kind of weather. Some paint shaded by the hatchback of their vehicles, while others venture further, sometimes hiking for days with their french easels or pochade boxes filled with their colors and brushes or pastels to reach their favorite scenes. At left is 'From the Top' by John David Phillips which was purchased by the Denver Art Museum. John initiated me into Plein Air painting on an early spring day many years ago. We were near Stone House Park along Bear Creek. Not long after I got my easel set up and began laying in the first notes, a storm started coming in. John warned me not to linger too long, but I was determined to come away with a painting. It started to snow in ernest, but I held steadfast. John finished his oil sketch and I doggedly continued to paint, until the rather large snowflakes began to collect and freeze on the metal ferrules of my brushes! So much so, that I could no longer see the tip of my brush on the canvas!! Alas, I had to throw in the towel, or painting rag, as it were, and live to paint another day... Now that the solstice has arrived, snow shouldn't be a problem. (Although I have been snowed on in July on top of Mt. Evans!) For information about PAAC's statewide painting groups, including the 2nd annual Plein Air Painting Marathon held in Boulder County next Saturday, June 28th. Go to: http://www.pleinairartistscolorado.com/ Registration is required. Also PAAC is hosting their 18th Annual National Juried Exhibition, August 9th - 30th at Abend Gallery in Denver. For show info or a prospectus for entry, contact Abend at: http://www.abendgallery.com/ To see more of John Phillips' work go to: http://www.johndavidphillips.com/ Happy painting!
Happy First Day of Summer
Ahh, the sweet days of Summer! Natures bounty is in full expression at all altitudes and artists of all stripes head for the hills, open spaces and city vistas to capture the beauty that is Colorado. Plein Air Artists of Colorado (PAAC) is an organization dedicated to that end. Comprised of master signature members to beginners, all eschew the confines of the studio, and are dedicated to painting in nature first hand in any kind of weather. Some paint shaded by the hatchback of their vehicles, while others venture further, sometimes hiking for days with their french easels or pochade boxes filled with their colors and brushes or pastels to reach their favorite scenes. At left is 'From the Top' by John David Phillips which was purchased by the Denver Art Museum. John initiated me into Plein Air painting on an early spring day many years ago. We were near Stone House Park along Bear Creek. Not long after I got my easel set up and began laying in the first notes, a storm started coming in. John warned me not to linger too long, but I was determined to come away with a painting. It started to snow in ernest, but I held steadfast. John finished his oil sketch and I doggedly continued to paint, until the rather large snowflakes began to collect and freeze on the metal ferrules of my brushes! So much so, that I could no longer see the tip of my brush on the canvas!! Alas, I had to throw in the towel, or painting rag, as it were, and live to paint another day... Now that the solstice has arrived, snow shouldn't be a problem. (Although I have been snowed on in July on top of Mt. Evans!) For information about PAAC's statewide painting groups, including the 2nd annual Plein Air Painting Marathon held in Boulder County next Saturday, June 28th. Go to: http://www.pleinairartistscolorado.com/ Registration is required. Also PAAC is hosting their 18th Annual National Juried Exhibition, August 9th - 30th at Abend Gallery in Denver. For show info or a prospectus for entry, contact Abend at: http://www.abendgallery.com/ To see more of John Phillips' work go to: http://www.johndavidphillips.com/ Happy painting!
June 19, 2014
HELP!
Back in the day before giant SUV's with blacked out windows and reflective mylar sun screens, there were the lowly folding cardboard window shades. Most designs had simple graphics of sunglasses or a scene from nature on them. But the now long gone Denver Art Supply downtown on California St. used to sell blank ones and you could make your own! In case of breakdowns, all shades had a message on the back in large block letters, 'Need Help. Please call Police' as this was before the advent of cell phones. So I thought, Help on the back... why not Help! on the front? Et voila! The Fab Four dancing across my windscreen! The sound track from the Beatles movie Help! was my first vinyl LP ever, which I asked for for Christmas. I still have it. Before that, while in elementary school, the neighborhood kids and I would get together and pretend we were the Beatles. We made microphone stands out of Tinker Toys and sang along at the top of our lungs to the blasting music of their early singles on 45's. Somehow, I always got 'stuck' playing the drums. Perhaps because Ringo's birthday, July 7th, is 2 days before mine. (Paul's b-day was yesterday, June 18th, George's was February 25th and John's October 9th). Mom always gave me grief for ruining the edges of my plastic rulers from banging on my metal coffee can drum kit! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! (In case you were wondering, what was my 2nd LP? It was The Yardbirds Greatest Hits). To listen to the original motion picture soundtrack of Help! click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFFTTM_tWVs
HELP!
Back in the day before giant SUV's with blacked out windows and reflective mylar sun screens, there were the lowly folding cardboard window shades. Most designs had simple graphics of sunglasses or a scene from nature on them. But the now long gone Denver Art Supply downtown on California St. used to sell blank ones and you could make your own! In case of breakdowns, all shades had a message on the back in large block letters, 'Need Help. Please call Police' as this was before the advent of cell phones. So I thought, Help on the back... why not Help! on the front? Et voila! The Fab Four dancing across my windscreen! The sound track from the Beatles movie Help! was my first vinyl LP ever, which I asked for for Christmas. I still have it. Before that, while in elementary school, the neighborhood kids and I would get together and pretend we were the Beatles. We made microphone stands out of Tinker Toys and sang along at the top of our lungs to the blasting music of their early singles on 45's. Somehow, I always got 'stuck' playing the drums. Perhaps because Ringo's birthday, July 7th, is 2 days before mine. (Paul's b-day was yesterday, June 18th, George's was February 25th and John's October 9th). Mom always gave me grief for ruining the edges of my plastic rulers from banging on my metal coffee can drum kit! Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! (In case you were wondering, what was my 2nd LP? It was The Yardbirds Greatest Hits). To listen to the original motion picture soundtrack of Help! click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFFTTM_tWVs
June 17, 2014
Good Ol' Freda
This is one of the greatest stories, never told... until now. It was just over 50 years ago the Beatles' new manager Brian Epstein hired Freda Kelly as a secretary for the band. She had met them at The Cavern, an underground club in Liverpool. She would often steal away during her lunch hour to listen to the band where they played almost 300 noon time and evening concerts. It was all very informal and she would hang out with them in their back stage 'band room'. This was in the early days after Stuart Sutcliff had dropped out of the band and Paul took over bass playing duties and Pete Best was the drummer. The Beatles were thrilled to have her on board as secretary and she became the head of their fan club, getting together with 'the lads' as she called them to answer the growing multitude of fan mail, write the monthly magazine, get autographs and fulfill requests for hair! She spent hours with their families doing this as well. The Beatles were together for 10 years and she worked for them for 11, beginning at age 17. It is an amazing story, watching as she goes up into her attic and goes thru cardboard boxes of memorabilia from that time. She is a very private and loyal person and never sought fame or money, even though she was intimately connected with the band. (I'm currently reading an enjoyable 600 page tome about the band and their time called "Can't Buy Me Love" by Jonathan Gould from 2007. It is exhaustive in its research, but even despite rumors of her being engaged to Paul at one point, she is never mentioned!) I truly loved the film, seeing archival film, photos and music from the day, as well as interviews from those who were there and knew her. But the best part is Freda herself, getting close to 70, and telling her story for the first time, being behind the scenes of history with her 'brothers' and the extended family told in such an unpretentious way. She always referred to Ringo as Ritchie, never Ringo, and had a wonderful relationship with his mom and the rest of the families. It was so much more than a job, she was family and she was a fan. You just want to hug her, and I wish the film could have gone on another couple hours! The film is fun, and engaging, and sad near end when she recalls all those from the circle that have passed on. Yet, as the Blu-ray cover says, it is: "Pure Joy", "Heartwarming...[and] Highly Recommended"! To learn more: http://www.goodolfreda.com/home.html To watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqO3DIaKTXM&feature=kp
Good Ol' Freda
This is one of the greatest stories, never told... until now. It was just over 50 years ago the Beatles' new manager Brian Epstein hired Freda Kelly as a secretary for the band. She had met them at The Cavern, an underground club in Liverpool. She would often steal away during her lunch hour to listen to the band where they played almost 300 noon time and evening concerts. It was all very informal and she would hang out with them in their back stage 'band room'. This was in the early days after Stuart Sutcliff had dropped out of the band and Paul took over bass playing duties and Pete Best was the drummer. The Beatles were thrilled to have her on board as secretary and she became the head of their fan club, getting together with 'the lads' as she called them to answer the growing multitude of fan mail, write the monthly magazine, get autographs and fulfill requests for hair! She spent hours with their families doing this as well. The Beatles were together for 10 years and she worked for them for 11, beginning at age 17. It is an amazing story, watching as she goes up into her attic and goes thru cardboard boxes of memorabilia from that time. She is a very private and loyal person and never sought fame or money, even though she was intimately connected with the band. (I'm currently reading an enjoyable 600 page tome about the band and their time called "Can't Buy Me Love" by Jonathan Gould from 2007. It is exhaustive in its research, but even despite rumors of her being engaged to Paul at one point, she is never mentioned!) I truly loved the film, seeing archival film, photos and music from the day, as well as interviews from those who were there and knew her. But the best part is Freda herself, getting close to 70, and telling her story for the first time, being behind the scenes of history with her 'brothers' and the extended family told in such an unpretentious way. She always referred to Ringo as Ritchie, never Ringo, and had a wonderful relationship with his mom and the rest of the families. It was so much more than a job, she was family and she was a fan. You just want to hug her, and I wish the film could have gone on another couple hours! The film is fun, and engaging, and sad near end when she recalls all those from the circle that have passed on. Yet, as the Blu-ray cover says, it is: "Pure Joy", "Heartwarming...[and] Highly Recommended"! To learn more: http://www.goodolfreda.com/home.html To watch the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqO3DIaKTXM&feature=kp
June 15, 2014
Happy Father's Day
This is my favorite photo of my father and me. It was taken by my mom in our kitchen on 156 Eddy Street, back in Springfield, Mass. Dad was trying to rock me to sleep, and I've always been a bit of a night owl, so he ended up falling asleep before I did. We would tease him about it. "Hey Dad, remember that time..." And the best thing was, we had photographic evidence! Another thing I love about that picture is that of all photos we have of him, it is the one that he and my younger brother Paul look the most alike.
Thanks for everything Dad... As you held me in your arms, I hold you always in my heart.
Edward John Kosinski, Sr.
October 8, 1928 – July 4, 1969
Happy Father's Day
This is my favorite photo of my father and me. It was taken by my mom in our kitchen on 156 Eddy Street, back in Springfield, Mass. Dad was trying to rock me to sleep, and I've always been a bit of a night owl, so he ended up falling asleep before I did. We would tease him about it. "Hey Dad, remember that time..." And the best thing was, we had photographic evidence! Another thing I love about that picture is that of all photos we have of him, it is the one that he and my younger brother Paul look the most alike.
Thanks for everything Dad... As you held me in your arms, I hold you always in my heart.
Edward John Kosinski, Sr.
October 8, 1928 – July 4, 1969
June 14, 2014
Happy Flag Day!
I think Colorado's flag is the most beautiful of all the states, with New Mexico and Arizona's running a close second. It was designed in 1911 by Andrew Carlisle Johnson and replaced the previous flag which had, as many other states have, the state seal on a colored field, blue in our case. But when introduced, it met with a firestorm of controversy, just like our new state 'corporate mark' of the green triangular snow capped mountain with the letters CO on it. The more things change, the more they stay the same... The following is an item by columnist Jeff Rundles, former editor of CoBiz magazine: (The commentary in italics are mine.)
DENVER, COLORADO, JUNE 1911 – Controversy erupted in the State House today with the introduction of a bill to approve a new State Flag, which bears two blue bands on the top and bottom, a white band in the middle and a red “C” slightly off center, filled with a yellow ball. The colors are said to symbolize Colorado’s abundant blue skies, snow-covered mountains, our ruddy soil and the plentiful sunshine, but oppositionists said the “C” flag would confuse people. Gov. John Shafroth, a champion of the new state symbol, said the “C” flag was an example of modern “branding,” that will set Colorado apart from the other 45 states and will have a unifying effect on statewide marketing efforts, as each of the state’s agencies band together under the new banner. The effort for a new design was one of six objectives Gov. Shafroth announced last year as part of the “Colorado Outline” to prepare the state for new business initiatives. The new flag will adorn state carts, wagons and drays, and will be featured on state office doors and stationary. “We did extensive testing of the new design with the state’s leading industrialists, and most all agreed that it was time for us to enter the 20th Century,” the governor said. “The existing flag says ‘Nil Sine Numine.’ What the hell does that mean? Latin is so 19th Century.” (Actually it means "Nothing without Providence". Yes... God help us if we try anything new!) (Shafroth served one term as governor before being elected to the US Senate in 1913.)
Detractors, led by Denver Mayor Robert Speer, countered that the proposed “C” symbol lacks dignity, doesn’t address the state’s strength in mining and will have visitors thinking something is wrong.“I just don’t know what is wrong with the state flag as it is,” said Speer. “People will think we’re California or something. (Ha-ha!) Besides, the new design looks like one of those warning signs the health department slaps on a tenement when the residents come down with consumption.” Added Kristine Wagon Blue, head of the state’s new-fangled “advertising” agency Cart and Wagon: “It’s not a design I would put my name on. It looks like a drawing my kid did that I taped onto the ice box.” (So, kid's art displays on refrigerators have a long and noble history!)
The proposed new state flag was designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson, named head of Gov. Shafroth’s new branding commission, “Making Colorado Better.” Johnson is no stranger to the pitfalls of image changing. The former chief of a soft drink company changed the name of his signature drink from Carlisle’s Sarsaparilla to “Root Beer,” and much consternation among loyalists ensued. “Our customers eventually came around,” said Johnson. “The new name set us up for the future, and that’s exactly what will happen with Colorado’s new flag.”
Not everyone is buying it, however. Mel Black, executive director of the Colorado Office of Mining, said the existing state flag, featuring mining implements, is proven to be the best builder of business since the state was founded in 1876. “We’ve had a very successful mining development plan in place for many years under the existing flag and our slogan ‘Come to Mine,’ and we’re not about to change that,” said Black. (The mind set of the mining industry hasn't changed in 100 years!)
Word from around the state is mostly negative. The sentiments are best summed up by the lead editorial in the state’s oldest newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, which simply stated, “Is this the best we can do? We think not.” And state switchboards are a-twitter with social commentary from state citizens, many of whom, in short commentaries, have called for the firing of the whole Making Colorado Better board.
State identity chief Johnson defended the new “C” flag, arguing that it goes beyond mining and unifies all of the efforts in the state. “The current state flag speaks to mining and construction, but it doesn’t do anything for the farmers and ranchers, and our new industries, like brewing and rubber making, want something that can help them advance,” he noted. “We need to move forward."
“Many people are afraid of change,” Johnson added, “but change is good for Colorado. It’s our nature.” (And it is a grand old flag! Thank you Mr. Johnson.)
Happy Flag Day!
I think Colorado's flag is the most beautiful of all the states, with New Mexico and Arizona's running a close second. It was designed in 1911 by Andrew Carlisle Johnson and replaced the previous flag which had, as many other states have, the state seal on a colored field, blue in our case. But when introduced, it met with a firestorm of controversy, just like our new state 'corporate mark' of the green triangular snow capped mountain with the letters CO on it. The more things change, the more they stay the same... The following is an item by columnist Jeff Rundles, former editor of CoBiz magazine: (The commentary in italics are mine.)
DENVER, COLORADO, JUNE 1911 – Controversy erupted in the State House today with the introduction of a bill to approve a new State Flag, which bears two blue bands on the top and bottom, a white band in the middle and a red “C” slightly off center, filled with a yellow ball. The colors are said to symbolize Colorado’s abundant blue skies, snow-covered mountains, our ruddy soil and the plentiful sunshine, but oppositionists said the “C” flag would confuse people. Gov. John Shafroth, a champion of the new state symbol, said the “C” flag was an example of modern “branding,” that will set Colorado apart from the other 45 states and will have a unifying effect on statewide marketing efforts, as each of the state’s agencies band together under the new banner. The effort for a new design was one of six objectives Gov. Shafroth announced last year as part of the “Colorado Outline” to prepare the state for new business initiatives. The new flag will adorn state carts, wagons and drays, and will be featured on state office doors and stationary. “We did extensive testing of the new design with the state’s leading industrialists, and most all agreed that it was time for us to enter the 20th Century,” the governor said. “The existing flag says ‘Nil Sine Numine.’ What the hell does that mean? Latin is so 19th Century.” (Actually it means "Nothing without Providence". Yes... God help us if we try anything new!) (Shafroth served one term as governor before being elected to the US Senate in 1913.)
Detractors, led by Denver Mayor Robert Speer, countered that the proposed “C” symbol lacks dignity, doesn’t address the state’s strength in mining and will have visitors thinking something is wrong.“I just don’t know what is wrong with the state flag as it is,” said Speer. “People will think we’re California or something. (Ha-ha!) Besides, the new design looks like one of those warning signs the health department slaps on a tenement when the residents come down with consumption.” Added Kristine Wagon Blue, head of the state’s new-fangled “advertising” agency Cart and Wagon: “It’s not a design I would put my name on. It looks like a drawing my kid did that I taped onto the ice box.” (So, kid's art displays on refrigerators have a long and noble history!)
The proposed new state flag was designed by Andrew Carlisle Johnson, named head of Gov. Shafroth’s new branding commission, “Making Colorado Better.” Johnson is no stranger to the pitfalls of image changing. The former chief of a soft drink company changed the name of his signature drink from Carlisle’s Sarsaparilla to “Root Beer,” and much consternation among loyalists ensued. “Our customers eventually came around,” said Johnson. “The new name set us up for the future, and that’s exactly what will happen with Colorado’s new flag.”
Not everyone is buying it, however. Mel Black, executive director of the Colorado Office of Mining, said the existing state flag, featuring mining implements, is proven to be the best builder of business since the state was founded in 1876. “We’ve had a very successful mining development plan in place for many years under the existing flag and our slogan ‘Come to Mine,’ and we’re not about to change that,” said Black. (The mind set of the mining industry hasn't changed in 100 years!)
Word from around the state is mostly negative. The sentiments are best summed up by the lead editorial in the state’s oldest newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, which simply stated, “Is this the best we can do? We think not.” And state switchboards are a-twitter with social commentary from state citizens, many of whom, in short commentaries, have called for the firing of the whole Making Colorado Better board.
State identity chief Johnson defended the new “C” flag, arguing that it goes beyond mining and unifies all of the efforts in the state. “The current state flag speaks to mining and construction, but it doesn’t do anything for the farmers and ranchers, and our new industries, like brewing and rubber making, want something that can help them advance,” he noted. “We need to move forward."
“Many people are afraid of change,” Johnson added, “but change is good for Colorado. It’s our nature.” (And it is a grand old flag! Thank you Mr. Johnson.)
June 12, 2014
Cuba and Places in Life at Abend
If you missed Dan Oakleaf or Kevin Weckbach's shows at Evergreen Art Center, here's a chance to see their work without heading up the hill. In Places in Life in the front gallery, Weckbach shows mostly watercolor landscapes and figures. His loose but considered application of marks is reminiscent of Chinese brush paintings and calligraphy. The Evergreen show was more urban and the landscapes included structures. Even the presentation was unique with the edges of the paintings not cropped by the mat, but allowed to 'break up' around the edges, giving for me, a preferred bolder and raw painterly presentation. Sascha Rips landscapes were similar to Joellyn Dueseberry's large plein air pieces, but are studio paintings. And Dan Oakleaf's work was the tightest in application, but all worked well together. In the back gallery was Peggy McGivern's Cuba series with accompanying verse by Peter Stravlo. I've enjoyed her work there for many years and it was nice to see such a large oeuvre. It was surprisingly diverse, with some of her mixed media pieces verging on pure abstraction, while others were in much tighter focus with many gradients in between. Some with exotic subject matter appeared a nod towards Gaugain. And her wonderful color sense and visual shorthand shown in all. Places in Life and Cuba, at Abend Gallery, 2260 E. Colfax Ave. at York, Denver, CO 80206. Thru this Saturday June 14th. Hours are 10am-6pm. For more info: http://www.abendgallery.com/
Cuba and Places in Life at Abend
If you missed Dan Oakleaf or Kevin Weckbach's shows at Evergreen Art Center, here's a chance to see their work without heading up the hill. In Places in Life in the front gallery, Weckbach shows mostly watercolor landscapes and figures. His loose but considered application of marks is reminiscent of Chinese brush paintings and calligraphy. The Evergreen show was more urban and the landscapes included structures. Even the presentation was unique with the edges of the paintings not cropped by the mat, but allowed to 'break up' around the edges, giving for me, a preferred bolder and raw painterly presentation. Sascha Rips landscapes were similar to Joellyn Dueseberry's large plein air pieces, but are studio paintings. And Dan Oakleaf's work was the tightest in application, but all worked well together. In the back gallery was Peggy McGivern's Cuba series with accompanying verse by Peter Stravlo. I've enjoyed her work there for many years and it was nice to see such a large oeuvre. It was surprisingly diverse, with some of her mixed media pieces verging on pure abstraction, while others were in much tighter focus with many gradients in between. Some with exotic subject matter appeared a nod towards Gaugain. And her wonderful color sense and visual shorthand shown in all. Places in Life and Cuba, at Abend Gallery, 2260 E. Colfax Ave. at York, Denver, CO 80206. Thru this Saturday June 14th. Hours are 10am-6pm. For more info: http://www.abendgallery.com/
June 10, 2014
Art History
With my birthday approaching in about a month I thought, between now and then, it would be fun to dust off some of my artwork from the archives and bring them out into the digital light of day! Back on February 20th, 1962, John Glenn made his historic orbital flight around the earth. A first for an American. He circled the globe 3 times and the flight lasted just under 5 hours. This was 9 months after the first American in space Alan Shepard's suborbital flight and President John F. Kennedy's famous speech to a joint session of congress urging the nation to put a man on the moon and return him safely to earth within the decade. Which we did in July 1969. It was pretty heady times and the space program had certainly captured my young imagination and that of the nation and the world. The Russians had launched Sputnik, the first satellite into space in October 1957 and Yuri Gagarin was the first person to orbit the earth in April 1961. We had some catching up to do and the space race was on! There were no street lights in my neighborhood in unincorporated Jefferson County and we used to lay out in the backyard at night and occasionally see the spacecraft fly over as they made their way among the stars. My watercolor from 3rd grade in 1962 was of the helicopter coming to retrieve Glenn's Friendship 7 Mercury capsule after splash down in the Atlantic Ocean just north of the Dominican Republic. To learn more: http://history.nasa.gov/friendship7/
Art History
With my birthday approaching in about a month I thought, between now and then, it would be fun to dust off some of my artwork from the archives and bring them out into the digital light of day! Back on February 20th, 1962, John Glenn made his historic orbital flight around the earth. A first for an American. He circled the globe 3 times and the flight lasted just under 5 hours. This was 9 months after the first American in space Alan Shepard's suborbital flight and President John F. Kennedy's famous speech to a joint session of congress urging the nation to put a man on the moon and return him safely to earth within the decade. Which we did in July 1969. It was pretty heady times and the space program had certainly captured my young imagination and that of the nation and the world. The Russians had launched Sputnik, the first satellite into space in October 1957 and Yuri Gagarin was the first person to orbit the earth in April 1961. We had some catching up to do and the space race was on! There were no street lights in my neighborhood in unincorporated Jefferson County and we used to lay out in the backyard at night and occasionally see the spacecraft fly over as they made their way among the stars. My watercolor from 3rd grade in 1962 was of the helicopter coming to retrieve Glenn's Friendship 7 Mercury capsule after splash down in the Atlantic Ocean just north of the Dominican Republic. To learn more: http://history.nasa.gov/friendship7/
June 7, 2014
Art Student's League Summer Art Market
This is one of my favorite events of the year! The Art Students League of Denver, is having its annual Summer Art Market this weekend. This free outdoor art exhibit and sale lines the streets adjacent to the League, with over 200 professional and student artists present to sell and talk about their work which includes, painting and drawing, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media/book arts, and ceramics in styles ranging from traditional to contemporary to abstract. All sales go to the individual artists, and booth fees go to support the ASL and its classes. There is also live music, food, drink and free kids’ art activities. And the landmark building, at left, is open to tour as well... Founded in 1987 and modeled after the ASL in New York, ASLD is located in the historic Sherman School at 2nd & Grant in the West Washington Park area. The League engages over 800 students a month with over 100 noted artists who teach classes throughout the year. It is a membership-based 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, supported by private donations, tuition, foundation grants, and the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District. The Art Students League of Denver Summer Art Market, 200 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203. Event times: Saturday June 7th-10am-7pm & Sunday June 8th-10am-5pm. Free and open to all. For more info: http://asld.org/summerartmarket/index.php
Art Student's League Summer Art Market
This is one of my favorite events of the year! The Art Students League of Denver, is having its annual Summer Art Market this weekend. This free outdoor art exhibit and sale lines the streets adjacent to the League, with over 200 professional and student artists present to sell and talk about their work which includes, painting and drawing, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media/book arts, and ceramics in styles ranging from traditional to contemporary to abstract. All sales go to the individual artists, and booth fees go to support the ASL and its classes. There is also live music, food, drink and free kids’ art activities. And the landmark building, at left, is open to tour as well... Founded in 1987 and modeled after the ASL in New York, ASLD is located in the historic Sherman School at 2nd & Grant in the West Washington Park area. The League engages over 800 students a month with over 100 noted artists who teach classes throughout the year. It is a membership-based 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, supported by private donations, tuition, foundation grants, and the Scientific & Cultural Facilities District. The Art Students League of Denver Summer Art Market, 200 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203. Event times: Saturday June 7th-10am-7pm & Sunday June 8th-10am-5pm. Free and open to all. For more info: http://asld.org/summerartmarket/index.php
June 5, 2014
Windows to the Divine
The Windows to the Divine exhibit, this year is at Arthaus in the RiNo Arts District. It is a show of mostly spiritually inspired art presented every other year by the Colorado Dominican Foundation. The mission of the exhibition is to honor the special calling of artists and to create opportunities for people of diverse traditions to understand better the sacred nature of all creation. This juried show is not confined to explicitly religious or sacred subjects, but includes diverse styles ranging from representational and realistic to contemporary and abstract. The Fra Angelico award for artist of the year was given to William Hook, the long time painter of landscapes in acrylics. There are 57 artists from 11 states represented and one from Germany. At left is Lu Cong's oil on panel, La Petite Saint, with an asking price of $16,000 for the 24x24. He has come a long way in his career. The first piece I saw of his was at a gallery many years ago on upper Larimer. The painting was a larger than life self-portrait of the artist with a vest of dynamite strapped to his torso. Needless to say it made an impression and we have enjoyed his evolution ever since. Other favorites were Ernie Gallegos, Madeline Dodge and Scott Fraser. Gallery owners and co-directors Aliki McCain and Michael Gadlin, who also have work in the show, are wonderful hosts and always take time to chat and ask about your experience of the presentation. Windows to the Divine runs thru tomorrow, June 6th. At Arthaus, 3343 Larimer St., Denver CO 80205. Hours thru Friday are 10am-4pm. For more info visit: http://arthausdenver.com/ and http://www.cdvf.org/upcoming_events.html
Windows to the Divine
The Windows to the Divine exhibit, this year is at Arthaus in the RiNo Arts District. It is a show of mostly spiritually inspired art presented every other year by the Colorado Dominican Foundation. The mission of the exhibition is to honor the special calling of artists and to create opportunities for people of diverse traditions to understand better the sacred nature of all creation. This juried show is not confined to explicitly religious or sacred subjects, but includes diverse styles ranging from representational and realistic to contemporary and abstract. The Fra Angelico award for artist of the year was given to William Hook, the long time painter of landscapes in acrylics. There are 57 artists from 11 states represented and one from Germany. At left is Lu Cong's oil on panel, La Petite Saint, with an asking price of $16,000 for the 24x24. He has come a long way in his career. The first piece I saw of his was at a gallery many years ago on upper Larimer. The painting was a larger than life self-portrait of the artist with a vest of dynamite strapped to his torso. Needless to say it made an impression and we have enjoyed his evolution ever since. Other favorites were Ernie Gallegos, Madeline Dodge and Scott Fraser. Gallery owners and co-directors Aliki McCain and Michael Gadlin, who also have work in the show, are wonderful hosts and always take time to chat and ask about your experience of the presentation. Windows to the Divine runs thru tomorrow, June 6th. At Arthaus, 3343 Larimer St., Denver CO 80205. Hours thru Friday are 10am-4pm. For more info visit: http://arthausdenver.com/ and http://www.cdvf.org/upcoming_events.html
May 30, 2014
Denver Chalk Art Festival
This weekend at Larimer Square in downtown Denver, the streets will be filled with art. Literally! As over 200 artists descend on the location to create everything from contemporary to old master style chalk art on the streets for several blocks in each direction. I love it when the arts take over the town! This form of art has a long history. The event follows street painting traditions that originated in 16th century Renaissance Italy when artists began transforming asphalt into canvas using chalk. The artists were called “madonnari,” after their customary practice of recreating chalk paintings of the Madonna. Historically, madonnari were known for their life of travel and freedom, making their living from coins received from passers-by. With World War II came many hardships, greatly reducing the number of these artists. The art form was not officially brought back to life until 1972 when the small town of Grazie di Curtatone in Italy started the first International Street Painting Competition. Today, artists worldwide are taking to the streets, bringing with them new ideas, techniques, and excitement for this ancient form of expression. It is a treat to watch artists at work on such a scale! Guests often wonder and lament the removal of the chalk drawings with a special street sweeper on Sunday night. The reason is simple: Each year during festival, the artists layer more than 175 pounds of fine pastel chalks on the pavement. By using a street sweeper to “pick up” the chalk at the end of the event, it ensures that the chalk will be properly disposed of and not pollute the Cherry Creek—keeping water clean and wildlife safe. The Denver Chalk Art Festival in Larimer Square is free and open to the public, Saturday May 31st – 10am-10pm, and Sunday June 1st – 10am-7pm. To learn more visit: http://www.denverchalkart.org/
Denver Chalk Art Festival
This weekend at Larimer Square in downtown Denver, the streets will be filled with art. Literally! As over 200 artists descend on the location to create everything from contemporary to old master style chalk art on the streets for several blocks in each direction. I love it when the arts take over the town! This form of art has a long history. The event follows street painting traditions that originated in 16th century Renaissance Italy when artists began transforming asphalt into canvas using chalk. The artists were called “madonnari,” after their customary practice of recreating chalk paintings of the Madonna. Historically, madonnari were known for their life of travel and freedom, making their living from coins received from passers-by. With World War II came many hardships, greatly reducing the number of these artists. The art form was not officially brought back to life until 1972 when the small town of Grazie di Curtatone in Italy started the first International Street Painting Competition. Today, artists worldwide are taking to the streets, bringing with them new ideas, techniques, and excitement for this ancient form of expression. It is a treat to watch artists at work on such a scale! Guests often wonder and lament the removal of the chalk drawings with a special street sweeper on Sunday night. The reason is simple: Each year during festival, the artists layer more than 175 pounds of fine pastel chalks on the pavement. By using a street sweeper to “pick up” the chalk at the end of the event, it ensures that the chalk will be properly disposed of and not pollute the Cherry Creek—keeping water clean and wildlife safe. The Denver Chalk Art Festival in Larimer Square is free and open to the public, Saturday May 31st – 10am-10pm, and Sunday June 1st – 10am-7pm. To learn more visit: http://www.denverchalkart.org/
May 28, 2014
2014 COLORADO GOVERNOR'S ART SHOW at the Loveland Museum/Gallery
Now that the storms have abated and warmer weather is upon us, you may want to get out for a drive up to the 23rd annual Colorado Governor's Art Show presented by the Loveland Rotary Clubs. This popular exhibit showcases the very best of Colorado’s creative talent and features a wide variety of different mediums, artistic techniques, and styles. It also benefits Rotary-sponsored charitable projects. Among the featured artists is Teresa Vito of Pueblo. At left is one of her paintings from the exhibit, Equipose. We used to work together at Meininger Art Supply in Denver back in the early 90's. She was a creative force back then and has continued her award winning successes nationally and internationally with her figurative, still life and landscape work. She has conducted workshops and painted in various locations in Colorado and New Mexico as well as France, Mexico, Italy, Thailand, Laos, Spain and Morocco. I particularly love her paintings of the female gypsy circus performer, which can be seen on her website: http://teresavito.com/ To learn more about the exhibit visit: http://governorsartshow.org/ Colorado Governor's Art Show and Sale at the Loveland Museum and Gallery, 503 N. Lincoln Ave. Loveland, CO 80537. 970-962-2410. The exhibit is on display thru June 15th. Admission is $5, with a free day, Wednesday, June 4th.
2014 COLORADO GOVERNOR'S ART SHOW at the Loveland Museum/Gallery
Now that the storms have abated and warmer weather is upon us, you may want to get out for a drive up to the 23rd annual Colorado Governor's Art Show presented by the Loveland Rotary Clubs. This popular exhibit showcases the very best of Colorado’s creative talent and features a wide variety of different mediums, artistic techniques, and styles. It also benefits Rotary-sponsored charitable projects. Among the featured artists is Teresa Vito of Pueblo. At left is one of her paintings from the exhibit, Equipose. We used to work together at Meininger Art Supply in Denver back in the early 90's. She was a creative force back then and has continued her award winning successes nationally and internationally with her figurative, still life and landscape work. She has conducted workshops and painted in various locations in Colorado and New Mexico as well as France, Mexico, Italy, Thailand, Laos, Spain and Morocco. I particularly love her paintings of the female gypsy circus performer, which can be seen on her website: http://teresavito.com/ To learn more about the exhibit visit: http://governorsartshow.org/ Colorado Governor's Art Show and Sale at the Loveland Museum and Gallery, 503 N. Lincoln Ave. Loveland, CO 80537. 970-962-2410. The exhibit is on display thru June 15th. Admission is $5, with a free day, Wednesday, June 4th.
May 20, 2014
Daughter Cells at Monkey Town 4
Monkey Town is a legendary New York City video cinema and dining experience now open for a limited time in Denver. The audience sits inside a giant cube of four 24-foot screens. Denver marks the first city outside of New York to host the event, in what is expected to be a three year national and international tour. There are two seatings each night at 6pm and 8:30pm. In addition to the film and dining there are weekly performances by local and national artists. Today thru Sunday the 25th its Daughter Cells, a contemporary dance company co-directed by two sisters, Candess Giyan and Kaila June. Based in Denver, the company is passionate about exploring unusual spaces in unusual ways and collaborating with other artists. The Monkey Town performance is a duet of connection and disconnection, satisfaction and ego, and the vulnerability of being seen. Candess is a friend, and I have attended her yoga and energy healing classes as well as her dance performances. And they are very powerful, unexpected and indeed mesmerizing! Monkey Town continues through June 1st at 3545 Larimer in the RiNo Arts District.
To learn more: http://www.monkeytown4.com/ and http://www.daughtercells.com/
Daughter Cells at Monkey Town 4
Monkey Town is a legendary New York City video cinema and dining experience now open for a limited time in Denver. The audience sits inside a giant cube of four 24-foot screens. Denver marks the first city outside of New York to host the event, in what is expected to be a three year national and international tour. There are two seatings each night at 6pm and 8:30pm. In addition to the film and dining there are weekly performances by local and national artists. Today thru Sunday the 25th its Daughter Cells, a contemporary dance company co-directed by two sisters, Candess Giyan and Kaila June. Based in Denver, the company is passionate about exploring unusual spaces in unusual ways and collaborating with other artists. The Monkey Town performance is a duet of connection and disconnection, satisfaction and ego, and the vulnerability of being seen. Candess is a friend, and I have attended her yoga and energy healing classes as well as her dance performances. And they are very powerful, unexpected and indeed mesmerizing! Monkey Town continues through June 1st at 3545 Larimer in the RiNo Arts District.
To learn more: http://www.monkeytown4.com/ and http://www.daughtercells.com/
May 16, 2014
8th Annual RiNo Art Safari
River North Arts District located just north of Downtown Denver is having a free studio and gallery tour this Saturday, May 17th from noon to 5pm. You can tour over 30 locations in the district, including over 50 art studios and creative spaces. Many locations will have special exhibitions and programming for the tour. RiNo is bounded by I-70 to the North, I-25 to the West, Park Avenue West to the South, and Lawrence to the East. While retaining its industrial roots, the RiNo neighborhood is now fertile ground for arts and artists. A free shuttle bus will be available to tour the area, with many stops throughout the district, or you may opt for a VIP tour for which there is a fee. This is the most creative neighborhood in the Denver/Boulder area and the self guided tour is a great opportunity to visit artists you love and meet new ones in their natural habitat! To learn more about how to "Trek the Wilds of RiNo" visit: http://www.rivernorthart.com/2014-rino-art-safari/
8th Annual RiNo Art Safari
River North Arts District located just north of Downtown Denver is having a free studio and gallery tour this Saturday, May 17th from noon to 5pm. You can tour over 30 locations in the district, including over 50 art studios and creative spaces. Many locations will have special exhibitions and programming for the tour. RiNo is bounded by I-70 to the North, I-25 to the West, Park Avenue West to the South, and Lawrence to the East. While retaining its industrial roots, the RiNo neighborhood is now fertile ground for arts and artists. A free shuttle bus will be available to tour the area, with many stops throughout the district, or you may opt for a VIP tour for which there is a fee. This is the most creative neighborhood in the Denver/Boulder area and the self guided tour is a great opportunity to visit artists you love and meet new ones in their natural habitat! To learn more about how to "Trek the Wilds of RiNo" visit: http://www.rivernorthart.com/2014-rino-art-safari/
May 14, 2014
Wesak Full Moon
Happy Buddha Day! This is the time around the world when the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and liberation from the body into Universal Oneness is celebrated. Typically the energy during a full moon is very strong and energizes what is being held in our mental and emotional consciousness, good or bad. Hence busy police and emergency rooms during these times! But the Taurian full moon is said to be the most powerful of all. So today, while the added vivacity is further animating our desires, it is best to keep our attention on our best intentions and affirm that positive vision we have for ourselves and the world.
Above is my painting, Nearing Nirvana, that time just before he left the body and entered Samadhi. Previous to this, he saw his faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to understand the universal law that all things (including his own body) must disintegrate. He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on, because only the Dhamma truth is eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely by offering flowers, incense, and lights, but by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. Everyone is asked to celebrate Wesak as an opportunity to reiterate their determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practice loving-kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity.
Wesak Full Moon
Happy Buddha Day! This is the time around the world when the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and liberation from the body into Universal Oneness is celebrated. Typically the energy during a full moon is very strong and energizes what is being held in our mental and emotional consciousness, good or bad. Hence busy police and emergency rooms during these times! But the Taurian full moon is said to be the most powerful of all. So today, while the added vivacity is further animating our desires, it is best to keep our attention on our best intentions and affirm that positive vision we have for ourselves and the world.
Above is my painting, Nearing Nirvana, that time just before he left the body and entered Samadhi. Previous to this, he saw his faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to understand the universal law that all things (including his own body) must disintegrate. He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on, because only the Dhamma truth is eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely by offering flowers, incense, and lights, but by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. Everyone is asked to celebrate Wesak as an opportunity to reiterate their determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practice loving-kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity.
May 11, 2014
Happy Mother's Day!
In gratitude for all the love given so freely, we can never repay, only reflect...
Alice M. Delgado - Kosinski - Miller
1927 - 2006
Happy Mother's Day!
In gratitude for all the love given so freely, we can never repay, only reflect...
Alice M. Delgado - Kosinski - Miller
1927 - 2006
May 9, 2014
Project Angel Heart's – Art for Life Auction tonight
Since 1991, Project Angel Heart has been delivering nutritious meals to improve quality of life, at no cost, for those coping with life-threatening illness. Each year, Project Angel Heart prepares and delivers more than 530,000 meals to 2,300 Coloradans. To date over 5 million meals have been delivered to those in need in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas! One of their main fundraisers is the Art for Life Auction, where over 100 locally and nationally known artist's works are auctioned off to support PAH's mission. The auction is tonight, Friday, May 9th, with a preview starting at 5:30 until 6:30 when bidding begins. Most of the artists will be in attendance, including myself. And several will be painting and sketching from live from models. These works will also be available for purchase. At left is my donation: Crayons 8-1, a 12x12 acrylic on canvas. This is the third year I have provided a piece for the auction. Please come out and enjoy art, cocktails, food and good company and support a good cause. Project Angel Heart's - Art for Life Auction at Abend Gallery, 2260 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206, the SW corner of Colfax & York. Tickets are $65 each or $120 for two.
To purchase tickets or learn more: http://www.projectangelheart.org/events/art-for-life.html
Project Angel Heart's – Art for Life Auction tonight
Since 1991, Project Angel Heart has been delivering nutritious meals to improve quality of life, at no cost, for those coping with life-threatening illness. Each year, Project Angel Heart prepares and delivers more than 530,000 meals to 2,300 Coloradans. To date over 5 million meals have been delivered to those in need in the Denver and Colorado Springs areas! One of their main fundraisers is the Art for Life Auction, where over 100 locally and nationally known artist's works are auctioned off to support PAH's mission. The auction is tonight, Friday, May 9th, with a preview starting at 5:30 until 6:30 when bidding begins. Most of the artists will be in attendance, including myself. And several will be painting and sketching from live from models. These works will also be available for purchase. At left is my donation: Crayons 8-1, a 12x12 acrylic on canvas. This is the third year I have provided a piece for the auction. Please come out and enjoy art, cocktails, food and good company and support a good cause. Project Angel Heart's - Art for Life Auction at Abend Gallery, 2260 E. Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80206, the SW corner of Colfax & York. Tickets are $65 each or $120 for two.
To purchase tickets or learn more: http://www.projectangelheart.org/events/art-for-life.html
May 7, 2014
Robert Buelteman at The Denver Botanic Gardens
One of my favorite 'photographers' doesn't use a camera or lens at all. California artist Robert Buelteman engages in a type of Kirlian photography, which captures a plant or person's aura. And his images are stunning! Especially in the larger 35x75" images, the glow, color and detail are wondrous. He begins by placing a recently cut plant on a light sensitive plate and then electrifies it with 60,000 volts to capture the image and later goes back in with a fiber optic brush to create highlights. Shown at left is Indian Paintbrush.
Buelteman states: The imagery succeeds when I reach a point where my conscious intention dissipates, and, dependent as it is on my hands and my heart, is replaced by a sense of being a conduit for the serendipitous dance I’ve imagined between subject and spirit. This development creates a perilous condition, moving me into a world that is unfamiliar and full of risk yet seems to be a place I must explore for what it might reveal.
With this work, I am pursuing something that I cannot define, anticipate or manipulate into existence. In surrendering to the dance of art, I see my life and my work as parts of that design of being which I seek to understand.
Signs of Life: Photograms of Robert Buelteman is presented in collaboration with Walker Fine Art who represents the artist. A reception at The Denver Botanic Gardens, Gates Garden Court Gallery, 1007 York Street, Denver, CO 80206 is free and open to the public, tonight, May 7th, from 5:30-7:30pm, with an artist's talk at 6:30. The exhibit continues through August 3rd.
Please RSVP for the reception at [email protected]. or 720-865-3636.
To see and learn more visit: http://www.walkerfineart.com/robertbuelteman
Robert Buelteman at The Denver Botanic Gardens
One of my favorite 'photographers' doesn't use a camera or lens at all. California artist Robert Buelteman engages in a type of Kirlian photography, which captures a plant or person's aura. And his images are stunning! Especially in the larger 35x75" images, the glow, color and detail are wondrous. He begins by placing a recently cut plant on a light sensitive plate and then electrifies it with 60,000 volts to capture the image and later goes back in with a fiber optic brush to create highlights. Shown at left is Indian Paintbrush.
Buelteman states: The imagery succeeds when I reach a point where my conscious intention dissipates, and, dependent as it is on my hands and my heart, is replaced by a sense of being a conduit for the serendipitous dance I’ve imagined between subject and spirit. This development creates a perilous condition, moving me into a world that is unfamiliar and full of risk yet seems to be a place I must explore for what it might reveal.
With this work, I am pursuing something that I cannot define, anticipate or manipulate into existence. In surrendering to the dance of art, I see my life and my work as parts of that design of being which I seek to understand.
Signs of Life: Photograms of Robert Buelteman is presented in collaboration with Walker Fine Art who represents the artist. A reception at The Denver Botanic Gardens, Gates Garden Court Gallery, 1007 York Street, Denver, CO 80206 is free and open to the public, tonight, May 7th, from 5:30-7:30pm, with an artist's talk at 6:30. The exhibit continues through August 3rd.
Please RSVP for the reception at [email protected]. or 720-865-3636.
To see and learn more visit: http://www.walkerfineart.com/robertbuelteman
May 3, 2014
Rolling Route 40: The Hubcaps Show
If you loved the exhibit Scrounge, a show of art made from found objects (see April 22nd blog), you'll love 40 West Arts' Hub Cap Show, celebrating the historic car culture of Colfax Avenue, the longest street in America. Artists are asked to start their piece with a hub cap and build from there. It is part of Lakewood's city-wide INSPIRE Festival of the Arts. The show will be juried by Phil Bender. His work 9 Chevy Truck Hub Caps is shown at left. He is known for his exhibits of multiple, like objects and has a set of hubcaps in the Denver Art Museum's Collection. I was in Robert Mangold's sculpture class with Phil at Metro State College in 1979. The project I remember him working on at the time was embedding thrift store sunglasses in plaster filled sewing machine draws! He soon turned his attention to co-founding Pirate, a contemporary art oasis, one of Denver's first co-op galleries. It was located at 17th & Market where RTD's Market Street Station is now. The first show was a member's Insiders show. I was in the 2nd exhibit an Outsiders show, showing a proposal for a public art piece for the Auraria campus Science Building. Phil's first solo show at Pirate was a room full of hubcaps he had collected off the street on his rounds as a plane ticket delivery person for a travel agency. He was mulling what to do with all the hubcaps after the show closed. I recommended he recycle them and offered to take them to the scrap yard.So early Sunday morning after the show, I pulled my '49 Chevy pick up onto the sidewalk below the 2nd floor window of the gallery and Phil threw them down to me and I lined then up in the bed of the truck. The building owner happened to come by and saw what we were up to and promptly stormed upstairs and got in an argument with Phil. After it was over Phil poked his head out the window and I asked him what it was all about? Unknown to us, the basement of the building extended under the sidewalk where my truck was parked and he was concerned it would fall through!! Yikes! We hurried to finish our task and lived to tell about it... Ah, the things we do for art! So dust off those old hubcaps out in the garage and create an artwork with them, the deadline for entry into the Rolling Route 40 exhibit is May 28th. The show will be at 40 West Gallery at 1560 Teller St., Lakewood, CO 80214, from June 6th-June 28th. For more info: http://www.40westarts.org/Hubcaps.html
Rolling Route 40: The Hubcaps Show
If you loved the exhibit Scrounge, a show of art made from found objects (see April 22nd blog), you'll love 40 West Arts' Hub Cap Show, celebrating the historic car culture of Colfax Avenue, the longest street in America. Artists are asked to start their piece with a hub cap and build from there. It is part of Lakewood's city-wide INSPIRE Festival of the Arts. The show will be juried by Phil Bender. His work 9 Chevy Truck Hub Caps is shown at left. He is known for his exhibits of multiple, like objects and has a set of hubcaps in the Denver Art Museum's Collection. I was in Robert Mangold's sculpture class with Phil at Metro State College in 1979. The project I remember him working on at the time was embedding thrift store sunglasses in plaster filled sewing machine draws! He soon turned his attention to co-founding Pirate, a contemporary art oasis, one of Denver's first co-op galleries. It was located at 17th & Market where RTD's Market Street Station is now. The first show was a member's Insiders show. I was in the 2nd exhibit an Outsiders show, showing a proposal for a public art piece for the Auraria campus Science Building. Phil's first solo show at Pirate was a room full of hubcaps he had collected off the street on his rounds as a plane ticket delivery person for a travel agency. He was mulling what to do with all the hubcaps after the show closed. I recommended he recycle them and offered to take them to the scrap yard.So early Sunday morning after the show, I pulled my '49 Chevy pick up onto the sidewalk below the 2nd floor window of the gallery and Phil threw them down to me and I lined then up in the bed of the truck. The building owner happened to come by and saw what we were up to and promptly stormed upstairs and got in an argument with Phil. After it was over Phil poked his head out the window and I asked him what it was all about? Unknown to us, the basement of the building extended under the sidewalk where my truck was parked and he was concerned it would fall through!! Yikes! We hurried to finish our task and lived to tell about it... Ah, the things we do for art! So dust off those old hubcaps out in the garage and create an artwork with them, the deadline for entry into the Rolling Route 40 exhibit is May 28th. The show will be at 40 West Gallery at 1560 Teller St., Lakewood, CO 80214, from June 6th-June 28th. For more info: http://www.40westarts.org/Hubcaps.html
May 1, 2014
Just us Folk
I was in in Santa Fe this past week and one of the stops we made was to the Museum of International Folk Art. It is dominated by Multiple Visions: A Common Bond, a long term exhibit designed and donated by Alexander Girard. Gathered from over 100 countries it is composed of a rich and an almost endless variety of displays with environments featuring whole town celebrations including hundreds of buildings and figures in native dress. Shown is a scene from Poland, featuring a 5 foot tall church covered in metal foil. One of my favorites were an environment with dozens of antique pull-toy boats 'floating' down a river, and lots of carved or cast toy cars and trains. In another wing was Wooden Menagerie: Made in Mexico, an exhibit of powerful and humorous Hispano animal carving, featuring Felipe Archuleta and others thru February 15, 2015. Another favorite was the Japanese kite exhibit from small hand-sized fliers to giant 15' tall kites depicting legendary warriors and other folklore, thru July 27th. To see more visit: http://www.internationalfolkart.org/
Just us Folk
I was in in Santa Fe this past week and one of the stops we made was to the Museum of International Folk Art. It is dominated by Multiple Visions: A Common Bond, a long term exhibit designed and donated by Alexander Girard. Gathered from over 100 countries it is composed of a rich and an almost endless variety of displays with environments featuring whole town celebrations including hundreds of buildings and figures in native dress. Shown is a scene from Poland, featuring a 5 foot tall church covered in metal foil. One of my favorites were an environment with dozens of antique pull-toy boats 'floating' down a river, and lots of carved or cast toy cars and trains. In another wing was Wooden Menagerie: Made in Mexico, an exhibit of powerful and humorous Hispano animal carving, featuring Felipe Archuleta and others thru February 15, 2015. Another favorite was the Japanese kite exhibit from small hand-sized fliers to giant 15' tall kites depicting legendary warriors and other folklore, thru July 27th. To see more visit: http://www.internationalfolkart.org/
April 24, 2014
Joseph Raffael
My favorite watercolorist is Joseph Raffael and Artist's Magazine has interviewed him for the cover story in their May 2014 issue. Raffael (b. 1933) an American contemporary realist, currently lives on the Cote d'Azur, the French Riviera, and his monumentally scaled work reflects his lush environment. The spirit of light shimmers through his florals, his paintings of nature and some of my favorites, the koi pond paintings. The last show I've seen of his was at the Arvada Center a few years ago. It was populated with his huge watercolors, many times each piece covering several large sheets of paper mounted together. I love his color and his painting technique with images floating in "celestial squiggles". About 5 years ago I was in NYC and stopped by Nancy Hoffman Gallery where he shows. There was a group show up and only one of his pieces was on dispay. I told them I was from Denver and had come specifically to see his work. Ms. Hoffman showed great compassion for this weary traveler and with the aid of two assistants took me into their storage area and brought out two of his massive watercolors. Both were about 6x9 foot horizontals and were of his studio interior, with paintings in process on the walls and tropical views looking out of the sliding glass doors. What a treat! I love New York! And I love Joseph Raffael's work! The May edition of Artist's Magazine is on newsstands now. To see more: http://josephraffael.com/ and http://www.nancyhoffmangallery.com/
Joseph Raffael
My favorite watercolorist is Joseph Raffael and Artist's Magazine has interviewed him for the cover story in their May 2014 issue. Raffael (b. 1933) an American contemporary realist, currently lives on the Cote d'Azur, the French Riviera, and his monumentally scaled work reflects his lush environment. The spirit of light shimmers through his florals, his paintings of nature and some of my favorites, the koi pond paintings. The last show I've seen of his was at the Arvada Center a few years ago. It was populated with his huge watercolors, many times each piece covering several large sheets of paper mounted together. I love his color and his painting technique with images floating in "celestial squiggles". About 5 years ago I was in NYC and stopped by Nancy Hoffman Gallery where he shows. There was a group show up and only one of his pieces was on dispay. I told them I was from Denver and had come specifically to see his work. Ms. Hoffman showed great compassion for this weary traveler and with the aid of two assistants took me into their storage area and brought out two of his massive watercolors. Both were about 6x9 foot horizontals and were of his studio interior, with paintings in process on the walls and tropical views looking out of the sliding glass doors. What a treat! I love New York! And I love Joseph Raffael's work! The May edition of Artist's Magazine is on newsstands now. To see more: http://josephraffael.com/ and http://www.nancyhoffmangallery.com/
April 22, 2014
Scrounge: An Earth Day Celebration
Some artists love the hunt for rejected and discarded objects of all shapes, sizes and materials and then, in the most creative ways, reconstruct them to present the world with a new object – a work of art. These are the artists who scrounge.SCROUNGE is a two-month art exhibition themed around Earth Day and features a diverse assemblage of work by 26 artists. Whether driven by their content, their materials, and/or their creative process, the artists in SCROUNGE honor and sustain our planet with their work. This “scrappy” group displays grit, exuberance and thoughtfulness in spinning visual tales of consciousness, humor and positive action. On display thru June 8th at Republic Plaza in downtown Denver at 370 17th Street, Denver, CO 80202. http://artsbrookfield.com/event/scrounge-an-earth-day-celebration/#.U1bytiiwXHg Happy Earth Day!
Scrounge: An Earth Day Celebration
Some artists love the hunt for rejected and discarded objects of all shapes, sizes and materials and then, in the most creative ways, reconstruct them to present the world with a new object – a work of art. These are the artists who scrounge.SCROUNGE is a two-month art exhibition themed around Earth Day and features a diverse assemblage of work by 26 artists. Whether driven by their content, their materials, and/or their creative process, the artists in SCROUNGE honor and sustain our planet with their work. This “scrappy” group displays grit, exuberance and thoughtfulness in spinning visual tales of consciousness, humor and positive action. On display thru June 8th at Republic Plaza in downtown Denver at 370 17th Street, Denver, CO 80202. http://artsbrookfield.com/event/scrounge-an-earth-day-celebration/#.U1bytiiwXHg Happy Earth Day!
April 21, 2014
Beijing's Forbidden City
I've often wondered how the ancients built many of the wonders of the world from the Pyramids to Stonehenge. Our ideas about how things came to be change with each new discovery. Take for example the massive Large Stone Carvings outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony (shown) which now weigh about 220 tons, and were closer to 330 tons when transported from their quarry about 43 miles away. It was always thought they were moved by wheeled wagons which were pulled by mules. But a 500 year old document recently translated by engineer Jiang Li revealed the stones were slid on sleds along frozen roads, and wells were dug every 1600 feet to provide water as a lubricant. This was a more expensive but safer more reliable endeavor. It is estimated it took 46 men to move a 126 ton stone about 3 inches per second. That's under 11 days to go from quarry to building site if they worked 24 hours a day. The walled forbidden city which houses 980 buildings and palaces was built over 14 years and was begun in 1406 and is nearly 8 million acres in size. For more info: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/439
Beijing's Forbidden City
I've often wondered how the ancients built many of the wonders of the world from the Pyramids to Stonehenge. Our ideas about how things came to be change with each new discovery. Take for example the massive Large Stone Carvings outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony (shown) which now weigh about 220 tons, and were closer to 330 tons when transported from their quarry about 43 miles away. It was always thought they were moved by wheeled wagons which were pulled by mules. But a 500 year old document recently translated by engineer Jiang Li revealed the stones were slid on sleds along frozen roads, and wells were dug every 1600 feet to provide water as a lubricant. This was a more expensive but safer more reliable endeavor. It is estimated it took 46 men to move a 126 ton stone about 3 inches per second. That's under 11 days to go from quarry to building site if they worked 24 hours a day. The walled forbidden city which houses 980 buildings and palaces was built over 14 years and was begun in 1406 and is nearly 8 million acres in size. For more info: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/439
April 20, 2014
The Healing Power of Art
I was reminded of this over and over again this week. When an artist, or anyone for that matter, is creating with joy and love for what they are doing, it cannot help being passed along. When we are in that flow of creation when time seems suspended, we are connected with Source. We forget about our small selves and in our own unique way channel that Higher Self. We bring that energy into the world. And when we view an artwork or other creation brought forth from that connection, it is a healing balm. For me as a viewer, it brings me back into a state of remembrance of my own oneness. And any time you are in that awareness or state of being, a healing occurs. Either subtle or profound, we are aware of a singular resonance and for a time however briefly everything is right with ourselves and the world. That is why many times when I'm in a museum or gallery, it feel more like being 'in church'. In our busy, overstimulated world, I encourage you to seek out and be aware of those moments however and wherever you can find them and savor the sublime. Today, may you be enfolded in that healing embrace of Love and Joy. Be the bunny! Happy Easter!
The Healing Power of Art
I was reminded of this over and over again this week. When an artist, or anyone for that matter, is creating with joy and love for what they are doing, it cannot help being passed along. When we are in that flow of creation when time seems suspended, we are connected with Source. We forget about our small selves and in our own unique way channel that Higher Self. We bring that energy into the world. And when we view an artwork or other creation brought forth from that connection, it is a healing balm. For me as a viewer, it brings me back into a state of remembrance of my own oneness. And any time you are in that awareness or state of being, a healing occurs. Either subtle or profound, we are aware of a singular resonance and for a time however briefly everything is right with ourselves and the world. That is why many times when I'm in a museum or gallery, it feel more like being 'in church'. In our busy, overstimulated world, I encourage you to seek out and be aware of those moments however and wherever you can find them and savor the sublime. Today, may you be enfolded in that healing embrace of Love and Joy. Be the bunny! Happy Easter!
April 19, 2014
Google Glass
People either love 'em or hate 'em. Its either the best thing since sliced bread or its Future Shock and we're all slowly becoming The Borg. It is an interesting piece of technology that had its origins with the military. I can see how valuable a hands free device such as this could be in medical or emergency situations. But it is also another way to be distracted and potentially dangerous to use while driving. Someone has already been ticketed, but it was thrown out since the police couldn't prove it was on at the time. I feel like they are a huge invasion of privacy and certainly may pose the same threat for tumors as cell phones do. Do we really need to record and share every waking moment of our lives? This is like reality TV run amok. Although, I think we should require our politicians to each be outfitted with a pair. That way we would really know what they are up to. Transparency would become the norm and due to fear of self incrimination, we would hopefully keep our 'honest' politicians honest! Google Glass just became available to the public this week with prices starting around $1500, but stock sold out so quickly they had to limit it to a one day sale. To learn more or get on the wait list go to: http://www.google.com/glass/start/ RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
Google Glass
People either love 'em or hate 'em. Its either the best thing since sliced bread or its Future Shock and we're all slowly becoming The Borg. It is an interesting piece of technology that had its origins with the military. I can see how valuable a hands free device such as this could be in medical or emergency situations. But it is also another way to be distracted and potentially dangerous to use while driving. Someone has already been ticketed, but it was thrown out since the police couldn't prove it was on at the time. I feel like they are a huge invasion of privacy and certainly may pose the same threat for tumors as cell phones do. Do we really need to record and share every waking moment of our lives? This is like reality TV run amok. Although, I think we should require our politicians to each be outfitted with a pair. That way we would really know what they are up to. Transparency would become the norm and due to fear of self incrimination, we would hopefully keep our 'honest' politicians honest! Google Glass just became available to the public this week with prices starting around $1500, but stock sold out so quickly they had to limit it to a one day sale. To learn more or get on the wait list go to: http://www.google.com/glass/start/ RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
April 17, 2014
Happy 50th Birthday Mustang!
Yep, it was 50 years ago today that Ford unveiled the pony car. And it was love at first sight. Even though I was only 10, I started noticing them everywhere. If one pulled up along side our old Pontiac I would yell out the window in approval and often I would be rewarded when they would burn some rubber, zooming away from the stop light! My favorite is the '67 fastback. Although the green '68 from the movie Bullitt runs a close second. A guy in my old neighborhood worked for a Ford dealer and would bring a new car home every night. The first time I saw the tail of that white '67 fastback sticking out of his garage, I was totally smitten! Alas, I've never owned one. My first car that I bought for $500 in 1969 was a white '62 Falcon, with a mighty 144 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine mated to a 3-on-the-tree manual transmission, to which I added tuck and roll seat covers, baby moon hubcaps and pin striping, trying to make it look more like the Falcon Futura, the forerunner to the Mustang. It had a tube radio, and I destroyed the clutch drag racing a friend who had a Rambler along the I-70 frontage road. Those were the days, before pollution controls and planned obsolescence, when growling muscle cars ruled the earth!
Happy 50th Birthday Mustang!
Yep, it was 50 years ago today that Ford unveiled the pony car. And it was love at first sight. Even though I was only 10, I started noticing them everywhere. If one pulled up along side our old Pontiac I would yell out the window in approval and often I would be rewarded when they would burn some rubber, zooming away from the stop light! My favorite is the '67 fastback. Although the green '68 from the movie Bullitt runs a close second. A guy in my old neighborhood worked for a Ford dealer and would bring a new car home every night. The first time I saw the tail of that white '67 fastback sticking out of his garage, I was totally smitten! Alas, I've never owned one. My first car that I bought for $500 in 1969 was a white '62 Falcon, with a mighty 144 cubic inch 6 cylinder engine mated to a 3-on-the-tree manual transmission, to which I added tuck and roll seat covers, baby moon hubcaps and pin striping, trying to make it look more like the Falcon Futura, the forerunner to the Mustang. It had a tube radio, and I destroyed the clutch drag racing a friend who had a Rambler along the I-70 frontage road. Those were the days, before pollution controls and planned obsolescence, when growling muscle cars ruled the earth!
April 16, 2014
Modern Masters
I was at the Denver Art Museum yesterday an saw the exhibit Modern Masters: 20th Century Icons from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, in Buffalo, New York. And for me it was like an inspirational trip to church! The exhibit covers modern, groundbreaking artists' work from 1880 to 1980. What was once avant-garde is now the accepted mainstream. There are large quotes on the wall juxtaposing the conflicting attitudes of the time. Such as the Academic painter Bouguereau (whose work I love by the way) saying the best they (a painter) can hope for is to do as well as the masters... and in the same year (1895) Gauguin is quoted: "Follow the masters! But why should we follow them? The only reason they are masters is that they didn't follow anybody!" After years of doing classical realism & representational painting, and now doing abstracts, this show appeals to my rebel spirit! I loved the huge color field painters, and its always great to have Matisse, pre-cubist Picasso and van Gogh 'in the house'. One piece that surprised me was Futurist Giacomo Balla's 1912 Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, expressing the hustle and bustle of modern life with the expressed movement of the owner and dog's feet. I guess I'd only seen bad reproductions of it and looked more like a muddy ink wash painting. But the color and detail and craftsmanship is amazing! The show is light on Pop but has the early Lichtenstein shown above. I emulated him for a semester in a painting class when I was in college. Roy is the man! The show is presented chronologically, with insightful quotes and observation throughout. Its definitely worth several visits and with your ticket you get a free admission to the Clifford Still museum next door to boot! Modern Masters is up thru June 8th. To quote Roy, "Art doesn't transform. It just plain forms." Go and be transfixed... http://www.denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/modern-masterworks-albright-knox-art-gallery
Modern Masters
I was at the Denver Art Museum yesterday an saw the exhibit Modern Masters: 20th Century Icons from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, in Buffalo, New York. And for me it was like an inspirational trip to church! The exhibit covers modern, groundbreaking artists' work from 1880 to 1980. What was once avant-garde is now the accepted mainstream. There are large quotes on the wall juxtaposing the conflicting attitudes of the time. Such as the Academic painter Bouguereau (whose work I love by the way) saying the best they (a painter) can hope for is to do as well as the masters... and in the same year (1895) Gauguin is quoted: "Follow the masters! But why should we follow them? The only reason they are masters is that they didn't follow anybody!" After years of doing classical realism & representational painting, and now doing abstracts, this show appeals to my rebel spirit! I loved the huge color field painters, and its always great to have Matisse, pre-cubist Picasso and van Gogh 'in the house'. One piece that surprised me was Futurist Giacomo Balla's 1912 Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash, expressing the hustle and bustle of modern life with the expressed movement of the owner and dog's feet. I guess I'd only seen bad reproductions of it and looked more like a muddy ink wash painting. But the color and detail and craftsmanship is amazing! The show is light on Pop but has the early Lichtenstein shown above. I emulated him for a semester in a painting class when I was in college. Roy is the man! The show is presented chronologically, with insightful quotes and observation throughout. Its definitely worth several visits and with your ticket you get a free admission to the Clifford Still museum next door to boot! Modern Masters is up thru June 8th. To quote Roy, "Art doesn't transform. It just plain forms." Go and be transfixed... http://www.denverartmuseum.org/exhibitions/modern-masterworks-albright-knox-art-gallery
April 15, 2014
Phantom Tattoo
The second time that I met Vance Kirkland in 1974 was at the Denver Art Museum. Artcraft was called in to prepare a canvas that Mr. Kirkland had purchased from a friend and was donating to the museum. We were ushered to a large workspace in the Ponti Building, now the North Building were we opened a rather large & long crate. I was unprepared for what was inside. It was Washington DC artist Gene Davis' Phantom Tattoo, an almost 10'x19' painting rolled around a large metal cylinder. The wooden structure was dismantled and inside the cylinder. For the better part of the morning we reassembled the stretcher bars and bracing across four banquet tables and then restretched the canvas. Doing a raw canvas is easy compared to a previously painted one, which had to be rebuilt perfectly, as the chrome frame we attached to the edge of the canvas left no margin for error. My hands were pretty raw by the end of the task. I counted 222 strips of about 1" in width all vibrating vividly before our eyes. Davis (1920-1985) made works in a wide variety of sizes, from 3/8 of an inch square to, at the time in 1972, the largest artwork ever created, another striped painting on a street in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Phantom Tattoo is a crowd favorite and is still on display at the art museum on the back wall of an event room next to Palettes Restaurant in the North Building. Visit The Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver, CO 80204 http://denverartmuseum.org
Phantom Tattoo
The second time that I met Vance Kirkland in 1974 was at the Denver Art Museum. Artcraft was called in to prepare a canvas that Mr. Kirkland had purchased from a friend and was donating to the museum. We were ushered to a large workspace in the Ponti Building, now the North Building were we opened a rather large & long crate. I was unprepared for what was inside. It was Washington DC artist Gene Davis' Phantom Tattoo, an almost 10'x19' painting rolled around a large metal cylinder. The wooden structure was dismantled and inside the cylinder. For the better part of the morning we reassembled the stretcher bars and bracing across four banquet tables and then restretched the canvas. Doing a raw canvas is easy compared to a previously painted one, which had to be rebuilt perfectly, as the chrome frame we attached to the edge of the canvas left no margin for error. My hands were pretty raw by the end of the task. I counted 222 strips of about 1" in width all vibrating vividly before our eyes. Davis (1920-1985) made works in a wide variety of sizes, from 3/8 of an inch square to, at the time in 1972, the largest artwork ever created, another striped painting on a street in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Phantom Tattoo is a crowd favorite and is still on display at the art museum on the back wall of an event room next to Palettes Restaurant in the North Building. Visit The Denver Art Museum, 100 W. 14th Avenue Parkway, Denver, CO 80204 http://denverartmuseum.org
April 13, 2014
Vance Kirkland
Our last stop on our Doors Open Denver tour yesterday was the Vance Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art. I had not been there for over 40 years! I was a 21 year old kid working at Artcraft Picture Frames at 383 Corona in Denver, we were the framers for Mr. Kirkland. We had been preparing several canvases of his for an upcoming show. My boss had driven them over to his studio, which is now the museum, in a trailer we used to carry large work, when he phoned to say he had forgotten one of his paintings. I volunteered to bring it to his studio, since I had an old Dodge panel truck at the time. No one else had a vehicle big enough to fit the painting in. So I drove it over and got to meet Mr. Kirkland (1904-1981). He was dressed very similarly to the photo, in a dark suit and holding his cane. I was introduced as a fellow artist, (and his neighbor in the same block at 1356 Pearl), and he was kind enough to show me the workspace where his assistant was suspended over a large Nubula canvas and dipping various sized dowels in paint to create the dot patterns! I'll never forget that moment, and it was a treat to return to his studio. The museum is relocating to the Golden Triangle and will be near 12th & Bannock close to The Denver Art Museum and the Clifford Still Museum. It is still in the design phase and plans are to break ground mid 2015 and be open late '16 or early '17. But for now the museum is still at 1311 Pearl Street, Denver, CO 80203. 303-832-8576. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday 11-5. To learn more visit: http://www.kirklandmuseum.org/
Vance Kirkland
Our last stop on our Doors Open Denver tour yesterday was the Vance Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Art. I had not been there for over 40 years! I was a 21 year old kid working at Artcraft Picture Frames at 383 Corona in Denver, we were the framers for Mr. Kirkland. We had been preparing several canvases of his for an upcoming show. My boss had driven them over to his studio, which is now the museum, in a trailer we used to carry large work, when he phoned to say he had forgotten one of his paintings. I volunteered to bring it to his studio, since I had an old Dodge panel truck at the time. No one else had a vehicle big enough to fit the painting in. So I drove it over and got to meet Mr. Kirkland (1904-1981). He was dressed very similarly to the photo, in a dark suit and holding his cane. I was introduced as a fellow artist, (and his neighbor in the same block at 1356 Pearl), and he was kind enough to show me the workspace where his assistant was suspended over a large Nubula canvas and dipping various sized dowels in paint to create the dot patterns! I'll never forget that moment, and it was a treat to return to his studio. The museum is relocating to the Golden Triangle and will be near 12th & Bannock close to The Denver Art Museum and the Clifford Still Museum. It is still in the design phase and plans are to break ground mid 2015 and be open late '16 or early '17. But for now the museum is still at 1311 Pearl Street, Denver, CO 80203. 303-832-8576. Hours are Tuesday-Sunday 11-5. To learn more visit: http://www.kirklandmuseum.org/
April 11, 2014
10th Annual Doors OPEN Denver – April 12th & 13th
This free two-day event invites you to seek out the architecture of Denver’s most interesting buildings, take special guided tours, bike to historic places or walk through several neighborhoods.
This year's headquarters will be in the beautifully remodeled white marble lobby of 1801 California Street, the Century Link tower pictured at left. Here you can get the Event Guide and map, sign-up for Expert Tours and purchase a copy of Guide to Denver Architecture. 2014 is Celebrating Neighborhood Architecture with 61 buildings open to the public, a wide variety of Expert Tours and activities in 12 Neighborhoods. Buildings will be open generally from 10am to 4pm with additional buildings open for tours. Sites include federal, state and city structures, schools, re-purposed buildings, churches, libraries, and mansions in the neighborhoods of Downtown, Capitol Hill, LoDo, Santa Fe, Park Hill, Five Points, Highlands, Hill Top, Uptown, Cherry Creek, The Mariposa District, Golden Triangle, Baker (South Broadway), RiNo and the Auraria Campus. Additional biking, parks and walking tours will be scheduled. You are encouraged to create your own Architectural Urban Adventure! The event is free thanks to sponsor, Denver Architectural Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to increase public awareness and appreciation for architecture and its influence on our quality of life through education, participation, and advocacy for excellence. To learn more: http://doorsopendenver.com/
10th Annual Doors OPEN Denver – April 12th & 13th
This free two-day event invites you to seek out the architecture of Denver’s most interesting buildings, take special guided tours, bike to historic places or walk through several neighborhoods.
This year's headquarters will be in the beautifully remodeled white marble lobby of 1801 California Street, the Century Link tower pictured at left. Here you can get the Event Guide and map, sign-up for Expert Tours and purchase a copy of Guide to Denver Architecture. 2014 is Celebrating Neighborhood Architecture with 61 buildings open to the public, a wide variety of Expert Tours and activities in 12 Neighborhoods. Buildings will be open generally from 10am to 4pm with additional buildings open for tours. Sites include federal, state and city structures, schools, re-purposed buildings, churches, libraries, and mansions in the neighborhoods of Downtown, Capitol Hill, LoDo, Santa Fe, Park Hill, Five Points, Highlands, Hill Top, Uptown, Cherry Creek, The Mariposa District, Golden Triangle, Baker (South Broadway), RiNo and the Auraria Campus. Additional biking, parks and walking tours will be scheduled. You are encouraged to create your own Architectural Urban Adventure! The event is free thanks to sponsor, Denver Architectural Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to increase public awareness and appreciation for architecture and its influence on our quality of life through education, participation, and advocacy for excellence. To learn more: http://doorsopendenver.com/
April 10, 2014
The Chobi CAM Cheese
OK, we all knew this was coming! A miniature Japanese digital camera about 1.8 x 1.2 inches, and weighs .6 ounces. You don't even have to say it. Available online for about fifty bucks.
The Chobi CAM Cheese
OK, we all knew this was coming! A miniature Japanese digital camera about 1.8 x 1.2 inches, and weighs .6 ounces. You don't even have to say it. Available online for about fifty bucks.
April 10, 2014
"Say Cheese!"
I was wondering where this phrase came from... Its obvious saying the 'ch' and 'ee' sounds require us to spread our lips and show our teeth getting us to form a smile. With the French being the first photographers, I thought it may had started with them. But their word for cheese is 'fromage'. No smile there. Actually they say "dit souris" - say mouse. Hmmm. the 'is' sound does bring a smile and there's the rodentian connection there. But I understand 'saying cheese', or smiling when your picture is being taken is a more recent cultural phenomenon, owing to faster shutter speeds and better dental hygiene. This is probably why no one ever smiled in old photos. Bad teeth and trouble holding a grin for those long shutter speeds was probably exhausting. I read that it was reported by the US Belgian ambassador, Joseph Davies in 1943, that a well known politician told him when he needed to smile for the press all he had to do was say "cheese". Davies' boss just happened to be president Franklin D. Roosevelt. So what do people in other countries say? Here's a few examples from Wikipedia:
"Say Cheese!"
I was wondering where this phrase came from... Its obvious saying the 'ch' and 'ee' sounds require us to spread our lips and show our teeth getting us to form a smile. With the French being the first photographers, I thought it may had started with them. But their word for cheese is 'fromage'. No smile there. Actually they say "dit souris" - say mouse. Hmmm. the 'is' sound does bring a smile and there's the rodentian connection there. But I understand 'saying cheese', or smiling when your picture is being taken is a more recent cultural phenomenon, owing to faster shutter speeds and better dental hygiene. This is probably why no one ever smiled in old photos. Bad teeth and trouble holding a grin for those long shutter speeds was probably exhausting. I read that it was reported by the US Belgian ambassador, Joseph Davies in 1943, that a well known politician told him when he needed to smile for the press all he had to do was say "cheese". Davies' boss just happened to be president Franklin D. Roosevelt. So what do people in other countries say? Here's a few examples from Wikipedia:
- In Brazil the phrase is "Olha o passarinho" ("Look at the little bird") or "Digam 'X'" ("Say 'X'") (the name of the letter "X" in Portuguese sounds a lot like the word "cheese").
- In China, the word used is 茄子 (qie2zi), meaning "eggplant". The pronunciation of this word is notably similar to that of the English word "cheese".
- In Bulgaria, "Zele", meaning "Cabbage"
- In Czech Republic, the word used is "sýr", meaning cheese in Czech."
- In Denmark, "Sig 'appelsin'", meaning "Say 'orange'" is often used.
- In Finland, "Muikku" is the word often used by photographers to make people smile.
- In Germany, food-related words like "Spaghetti", "Käsekuchen" (cheesecake), Wurst are used, mainly to make children laugh for the picture.
- In Hungary, the photographer says Itt repül a kis madár [here flies the little bird], but also the English "cheese" is used mostly by younger people.
- In India, they say "paneer" (Hindi: पनीर).
- In Iran, the word used is سیب (saib), meaning "Apple."
- In Israel, the word used is תגיד גבינה (Tagid Gvina), meaning "say cheese".
- In Japan, "Sei, No..." meaning "Ready, Set!" is often used. Also チーズ (chïzu), meaning cheese, is used.
- In Vietnam, they often say "2...3...Cười lên nào!!!".
- In Korea, one says "kimchi".[2]
- In most Latin American countries, the phrase used is "Diga 'whiskey'" ("Say 'whiskey'").
- In Nigeria many photographers prompt the subjects of their photographs to say "Ode" which can be translated to mean "dumb person"
- In Russia, they say "сыр", pronounced seer, which means "cheese" in Russian. The pronunciation is extended, to lengthen the time the "smile" is on the face.
- In Slovakia, the word used is "syr", meaning cheese in Slovak. The pronunciation is extended, to lengthen the time the "smile" is on the face."
- In Spain, the equivalent form is "di/decid patata"[citation needed] ("say potato"). An alternative command when taking a picture is "mirar al pajarito"[3] ("look at the birdie"), intended to make people look directly at the camera.
- In Sweden, "Säg 'omelett'", meaning "Say 'omelette'" is often used.
April 9, 2014
175 years of Photography
Photography is a relatively new medium compared to other fine art modalities. The first attempts were made around 1800. Nicephore Niepce created the first surviving image using a camera in 1826/27. It was a grainy black & white rooftop view from a window. The exposure took days. Niepce's associate Louis Daguerre created a new process called the daguerreotype that required only minutes' exposure time. The image at left is acknowledged as the first photograph of people. The 10 minute exposure was too slow to capture most people on the street except for two individuals on the walkway as it curves in the lower left quadrant. It is believed it was someone getting their boots shined and was in place long enough to be captured by the lengthy exposure. The new process was introduced to the public in 1839 and is considered the birth of practical photography! The first stable color image (of a Scottish Tartan plaid sash) was created by Thomas Sutton in 1861. Previous images were fleeting and could only be viewed in dim light. The first digital image was created by Russell Kirsch at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 1957. The 176 x 176 pixel image was scanned so it could be entered into a computer's memory bank. Back then computers were the size of huge warehouses! How did we ever survive without our iPhones and Photoshop?
175 years of Photography
Photography is a relatively new medium compared to other fine art modalities. The first attempts were made around 1800. Nicephore Niepce created the first surviving image using a camera in 1826/27. It was a grainy black & white rooftop view from a window. The exposure took days. Niepce's associate Louis Daguerre created a new process called the daguerreotype that required only minutes' exposure time. The image at left is acknowledged as the first photograph of people. The 10 minute exposure was too slow to capture most people on the street except for two individuals on the walkway as it curves in the lower left quadrant. It is believed it was someone getting their boots shined and was in place long enough to be captured by the lengthy exposure. The new process was introduced to the public in 1839 and is considered the birth of practical photography! The first stable color image (of a Scottish Tartan plaid sash) was created by Thomas Sutton in 1861. Previous images were fleeting and could only be viewed in dim light. The first digital image was created by Russell Kirsch at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 1957. The 176 x 176 pixel image was scanned so it could be entered into a computer's memory bank. Back then computers were the size of huge warehouses! How did we ever survive without our iPhones and Photoshop?
April 8, 2014
Vintage Times
Back in the late 70's, I used to be the photographer for Metropolitan State College's (now University) student newspaper. I was also the production manager and sole graphic artist. Actually four of us cranked out a 20 page paper every week. We took the paper off campus and were not supported by student fees, only ad revenues. Denver's Westword got its start at that time as well. We had early Compugraphics computers. One had a single line readout for body copy. I typeset all headlines above 20 pt. and didn't have a readout. Just typed it in and hoped for the best. Everything was done by paste up, using wax to hold it all together. I had never used a 35mm camera before, and it was always an adventure developing and printing my own black and white film! The cover art was my responsibility. The day I got our most popular cover from March 13, 1978, we were doing an opinion poll on campus and taking respondent's photos. I had a couple of exposures left with my Cannon AE-1 and wandered over to a plant sale and took a shot over a balcony of some palms which became the background. And when I walked down to see more, this little Buster Brown guy was standing there with ice cream dribbling down his chin! I captured his image with the last shot on the roll, and superimposed the two for the cover. Photos were screened on an old horizontal process camera with wooden framed bellows, glass dot screens and a carbon-arc lighting system which smoked profusely when exposing. I felt a bit like Dr. Frankenstein at times when the electricity passed between the carbon filaments and the room lit up and there was a loud crackling sound. We had taken over Senna's Photoengraving shop at 1066 Bannock. Which is now a beautiful old home across the street from RMPBS Channel 6. Alas, as many newspapers have done, the paper folded not long after and was replaced in 1979 by the on campus, student fee supported Metropolitan, which is still in operation today. Here's their site: http://www.metnews.org/
Vintage Times
Back in the late 70's, I used to be the photographer for Metropolitan State College's (now University) student newspaper. I was also the production manager and sole graphic artist. Actually four of us cranked out a 20 page paper every week. We took the paper off campus and were not supported by student fees, only ad revenues. Denver's Westword got its start at that time as well. We had early Compugraphics computers. One had a single line readout for body copy. I typeset all headlines above 20 pt. and didn't have a readout. Just typed it in and hoped for the best. Everything was done by paste up, using wax to hold it all together. I had never used a 35mm camera before, and it was always an adventure developing and printing my own black and white film! The cover art was my responsibility. The day I got our most popular cover from March 13, 1978, we were doing an opinion poll on campus and taking respondent's photos. I had a couple of exposures left with my Cannon AE-1 and wandered over to a plant sale and took a shot over a balcony of some palms which became the background. And when I walked down to see more, this little Buster Brown guy was standing there with ice cream dribbling down his chin! I captured his image with the last shot on the roll, and superimposed the two for the cover. Photos were screened on an old horizontal process camera with wooden framed bellows, glass dot screens and a carbon-arc lighting system which smoked profusely when exposing. I felt a bit like Dr. Frankenstein at times when the electricity passed between the carbon filaments and the room lit up and there was a loud crackling sound. We had taken over Senna's Photoengraving shop at 1066 Bannock. Which is now a beautiful old home across the street from RMPBS Channel 6. Alas, as many newspapers have done, the paper folded not long after and was replaced in 1979 by the on campus, student fee supported Metropolitan, which is still in operation today. Here's their site: http://www.metnews.org/
April 7, 2014
Underwater Dogs
More great critter pix! Award winning photographer Seth Casteel has created a New York Times best selling book of unique photos of dogs and water. Sometimes just testing the water, others plunging in, spray and bubbles flying, Casteel brings us views of man's best friend we rarely see. In 2007, Seth began volunteering to photograph homeless pets to help them find new families. These improved, positive photos showcased their unique personalities, resulting in countless adoptions. Since then, his career has really taken off as a Lifestyle Pet Photographer, accepting commissions and commercial assignments, collaborating with dozens of publishers and exhibiting his artwork in galleries around the world. He has created a non-profit campaign, One Picture Saves a Life, which empowers and educates animal ambassadors world world wide to improve the image of rescue and adoption animals through positive photography. Underwater Dogs sold over 250,000 copies in the first year and has now been translated into 8 languages. He has also created a kids version of his book, and look for his new offering Underwater Puppies coming in September 2014. Yep, we love our critters and Casteel has created a small industry from it! To learn and see more go to: http://www.littlefriendsphoto.com/index2.php#!/home
Underwater Dogs
More great critter pix! Award winning photographer Seth Casteel has created a New York Times best selling book of unique photos of dogs and water. Sometimes just testing the water, others plunging in, spray and bubbles flying, Casteel brings us views of man's best friend we rarely see. In 2007, Seth began volunteering to photograph homeless pets to help them find new families. These improved, positive photos showcased their unique personalities, resulting in countless adoptions. Since then, his career has really taken off as a Lifestyle Pet Photographer, accepting commissions and commercial assignments, collaborating with dozens of publishers and exhibiting his artwork in galleries around the world. He has created a non-profit campaign, One Picture Saves a Life, which empowers and educates animal ambassadors world world wide to improve the image of rescue and adoption animals through positive photography. Underwater Dogs sold over 250,000 copies in the first year and has now been translated into 8 languages. He has also created a kids version of his book, and look for his new offering Underwater Puppies coming in September 2014. Yep, we love our critters and Casteel has created a small industry from it! To learn and see more go to: http://www.littlefriendsphoto.com/index2.php#!/home
April 6, 2014
Landscape at Abend
Up now at Abend thru May 3rd is a great show of landscape paintings in oils and pastels, inspired by natural vistas here in the Rockies and beyond. There are a couple abstracts but most are a diverse presentation of representational pieces from plein air to impressionist inspired studio paintings. Abend has a large stable of artists that bring the much needed beauty of the state and region here to us urban dwellers in Denver. A necessary antidote for the sometimes nature-deprived life in the city. That which we sometimes only see in passing thru the windows of our cars. I was there yesterday and as an added treat several artists were there working on their paintings, including David Harms, Tracy Wall and Tammi Otis, among others. At left is the pastel "Riverdance" by Elizabeth Sandia. Abend has come a long way from their early days in a little shop on E. 12th Avenue in the early 90's. They are now one of the largest galleries in the city. I worked for a time in that building when it was previously a Wild Oats, I was the asst mgr of the vitamin dept. I love what they've done with the place. Come drink in the beauty!
Abend Gallery, 2260 E. Colfax Ave @ York, Denver, CO 80206. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10-6. http://www.abendgallery.com/
Landscape at Abend
Up now at Abend thru May 3rd is a great show of landscape paintings in oils and pastels, inspired by natural vistas here in the Rockies and beyond. There are a couple abstracts but most are a diverse presentation of representational pieces from plein air to impressionist inspired studio paintings. Abend has a large stable of artists that bring the much needed beauty of the state and region here to us urban dwellers in Denver. A necessary antidote for the sometimes nature-deprived life in the city. That which we sometimes only see in passing thru the windows of our cars. I was there yesterday and as an added treat several artists were there working on their paintings, including David Harms, Tracy Wall and Tammi Otis, among others. At left is the pastel "Riverdance" by Elizabeth Sandia. Abend has come a long way from their early days in a little shop on E. 12th Avenue in the early 90's. They are now one of the largest galleries in the city. I worked for a time in that building when it was previously a Wild Oats, I was the asst mgr of the vitamin dept. I love what they've done with the place. Come drink in the beauty!
Abend Gallery, 2260 E. Colfax Ave @ York, Denver, CO 80206. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10-6. http://www.abendgallery.com/
April 6, 2014
How to make a Pinhole Camera
Just in case you were wondering... here is a link from Kodak on how to make and use a Pinhole camera... David also teaches pinhole photography, please contact him thru Robischon. http://www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Pinhole_Camera.htm
How to make a Pinhole Camera
Just in case you were wondering... here is a link from Kodak on how to make and use a Pinhole camera... David also teaches pinhole photography, please contact him thru Robischon. http://www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Pinhole_Camera.htm
April 5, 2014
David Sharpe at Robischon
"Waterthread" is the title of Denver photographer David Sharpe's new body of work at Robischon Gallery in downtown Denver. The four pieces are an exploration of Clear Creek as it flows through the Front Range to the South Platte River. He captures these otherworldly scenes with the use of a pinhole camera. Using either a tea tin or a round oatmeal container, he adheres a single square of film paper or unexposed negative to the back of the box, and a pinhole has been made on the opposite side to make the exposure. There is no shutter or lens! Just a flap, usually an opaque piece of tape that is briefly removed to take the picture. The optical peculiarities are caused by the lack of a lens, the curve of the film, and the variations of weather and sunlight during the exposure. His is a unique view of a familiar subject, and presented in a large format, 42x65" and framed without glass, so the subtlety and richness of tone are easily accessible. His work meshes nicely with the other three concurrent solo shows at Robischon "by artists whose view of the natural world reflects its irrepressible beauty reframed by a complex condition of change." And water is certainly on the forefront of our minds lately. Given such a low-tech genesis, David's work is a wonder to behold, and I have been following his evolution since the mid 80's when we worked together at Meininger Art Supply. David Sharpe, Elena Dorfman, Isabelle Hayeur and Chuck Forsman at Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee St., Denver, CO 80202. 303-298-7788. The exhibit is up thru May 10th. For more info: http://www.robischongallery.com/html/home.asp
David Sharpe at Robischon
"Waterthread" is the title of Denver photographer David Sharpe's new body of work at Robischon Gallery in downtown Denver. The four pieces are an exploration of Clear Creek as it flows through the Front Range to the South Platte River. He captures these otherworldly scenes with the use of a pinhole camera. Using either a tea tin or a round oatmeal container, he adheres a single square of film paper or unexposed negative to the back of the box, and a pinhole has been made on the opposite side to make the exposure. There is no shutter or lens! Just a flap, usually an opaque piece of tape that is briefly removed to take the picture. The optical peculiarities are caused by the lack of a lens, the curve of the film, and the variations of weather and sunlight during the exposure. His is a unique view of a familiar subject, and presented in a large format, 42x65" and framed without glass, so the subtlety and richness of tone are easily accessible. His work meshes nicely with the other three concurrent solo shows at Robischon "by artists whose view of the natural world reflects its irrepressible beauty reframed by a complex condition of change." And water is certainly on the forefront of our minds lately. Given such a low-tech genesis, David's work is a wonder to behold, and I have been following his evolution since the mid 80's when we worked together at Meininger Art Supply. David Sharpe, Elena Dorfman, Isabelle Hayeur and Chuck Forsman at Robischon Gallery, 1740 Wazee St., Denver, CO 80202. 303-298-7788. The exhibit is up thru May 10th. For more info: http://www.robischongallery.com/html/home.asp
April 4, 2014
GO ROCKIES !!!!
Ah, Spring, and even a not so young man's thoughts turn towards... Baseball! (Among other things!) It doesn't seem so long ago that we said goodbye to #17. We were at that September game when we got our Helton bobble doll and said an en mass teary fare well to our franchise player. And he and his family rode off into the night, with the horse he was given in gratitude for so many great years. The bobble head brings back so many memories of his homeruns and triumphantly running the bases. Remember, not so long ago, the Rox were known as Todd and The Toddlers? We've come a long way since then and now we move forward in our first season without him. All right guys, have a great Opening Day at Coors FIeld and a fantastic 2014 season! GO ROX! Their official site: http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=col
GO ROCKIES !!!!
Ah, Spring, and even a not so young man's thoughts turn towards... Baseball! (Among other things!) It doesn't seem so long ago that we said goodbye to #17. We were at that September game when we got our Helton bobble doll and said an en mass teary fare well to our franchise player. And he and his family rode off into the night, with the horse he was given in gratitude for so many great years. The bobble head brings back so many memories of his homeruns and triumphantly running the bases. Remember, not so long ago, the Rox were known as Todd and The Toddlers? We've come a long way since then and now we move forward in our first season without him. All right guys, have a great Opening Day at Coors FIeld and a fantastic 2014 season! GO ROX! Their official site: http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=col
April 3, 2014
I survived a trip to Trader Joe's!
Always up on Denver's newest cultural amenities and trends... NOT! I hesitantly ventured over to the new Trader Joe's on 8th & Colorado Blvd and discovered a little bit of LA right here in Denver! An insanely jammed parking lot with security from the bank next door roving the border to keep the curious from clogging their customer's lot. Luckily I was able to get a spot after sitting in gridlock for a while, and this was at 2 o'clock in the afternoon! Entering the establishment, I encountered the multitudes, such as myself, scanning the shelves, finding unfamiliar brands and layout. The chip aisle was almost impassable, and I decided to park the buggy and venture into the aisles on foot. Thankfully the crowd was less surly once inside the store. I did find prices very good, but this is a boutique type store, those expecting the selection of a King Soopers or the natural foods of a Vitamin Cottage, will be disappointed. Checkout was fast and my cashier was actually from Laguna Beach. He struck up a conversation when he saw my bag from Ralph's with the surf boards and beach names on it, that I recently got on my trip to southern California. The staff was happy and helpful, if not a little shell shocked by the onslaught. I totally understand what they are going through. When I was living in Boston I worked at what was then the busiest natural foods store in the country: Bread & Circus in Newton, MA. Yes, the same town that Fig Newtons were named after! (It has since been gobbled up by Whole Foods). We were also a new store, and it was so crowded that you could only bring out one box at a time to stock. No room for carts. There were two police officers directing traffic in the parking lot on weekends. I used to affectionately call it "Dancing with the Lion", after an Andreas Vollenweider album of the same name. And just like here, BEWARE, the Lion is hungry!!
I survived a trip to Trader Joe's!
Always up on Denver's newest cultural amenities and trends... NOT! I hesitantly ventured over to the new Trader Joe's on 8th & Colorado Blvd and discovered a little bit of LA right here in Denver! An insanely jammed parking lot with security from the bank next door roving the border to keep the curious from clogging their customer's lot. Luckily I was able to get a spot after sitting in gridlock for a while, and this was at 2 o'clock in the afternoon! Entering the establishment, I encountered the multitudes, such as myself, scanning the shelves, finding unfamiliar brands and layout. The chip aisle was almost impassable, and I decided to park the buggy and venture into the aisles on foot. Thankfully the crowd was less surly once inside the store. I did find prices very good, but this is a boutique type store, those expecting the selection of a King Soopers or the natural foods of a Vitamin Cottage, will be disappointed. Checkout was fast and my cashier was actually from Laguna Beach. He struck up a conversation when he saw my bag from Ralph's with the surf boards and beach names on it, that I recently got on my trip to southern California. The staff was happy and helpful, if not a little shell shocked by the onslaught. I totally understand what they are going through. When I was living in Boston I worked at what was then the busiest natural foods store in the country: Bread & Circus in Newton, MA. Yes, the same town that Fig Newtons were named after! (It has since been gobbled up by Whole Foods). We were also a new store, and it was so crowded that you could only bring out one box at a time to stock. No room for carts. There were two police officers directing traffic in the parking lot on weekends. I used to affectionately call it "Dancing with the Lion", after an Andreas Vollenweider album of the same name. And just like here, BEWARE, the Lion is hungry!!
April 2, 2014
Mo'Print / McGuinness
Month of Printmaking Denver (Mo’Print) is a celebration of the art of making original prints to inspire, educate and promote awareness through a variety of public events and exhibitions in Denver and the metropolitan region. Even though most of the events for Mo'Print were in March there is still a lot going on. One of my favorite printmakers and long time acquaintance is Denver artist Katherine McGuinness. Her monotypes are subtly layered with multiple passes thru the press. This gives her nature inspired abstracts a wonderful visual and emotional depth. I love her colors and I own one of her pieces myself. Shown is a piece from Kate's upcoming exhibit: One Fine Day, coming to Valkarie Gallery at 445 S. Saulsbury St., Lakewood, CO 80226. The exhibit runs April 9th thru May 4th with an artist's reception April 11th 6-9pm. To learn more visit: http://www.mcguinnessstudio.com/ --- http://www.valkariefineart.com/ -- http://moprint.org/
Mo'Print / McGuinness
Month of Printmaking Denver (Mo’Print) is a celebration of the art of making original prints to inspire, educate and promote awareness through a variety of public events and exhibitions in Denver and the metropolitan region. Even though most of the events for Mo'Print were in March there is still a lot going on. One of my favorite printmakers and long time acquaintance is Denver artist Katherine McGuinness. Her monotypes are subtly layered with multiple passes thru the press. This gives her nature inspired abstracts a wonderful visual and emotional depth. I love her colors and I own one of her pieces myself. Shown is a piece from Kate's upcoming exhibit: One Fine Day, coming to Valkarie Gallery at 445 S. Saulsbury St., Lakewood, CO 80226. The exhibit runs April 9th thru May 4th with an artist's reception April 11th 6-9pm. To learn more visit: http://www.mcguinnessstudio.com/ --- http://www.valkariefineart.com/ -- http://moprint.org/
April 1, 2014
Fool on the Hill...
...the unofficial theme song of April Fools Day, was written by Paul McCartney and included on The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour album, and had an interesting genesis. Paul, along with his dog Martha (the inspiration for Martha My Dear on the White Album) and friend Alistair, went to the top of Primrose Hill near his home to see the sun rise. They were deep in conversation about the beauty of the view and the existence of God, when he noticed the dog had wandered off. They turned around astonished to see a man behind them, wearing a belted trench coat, the inspiration for the one Paul wears in the Fool on the Hill video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDtK7xUIDxk He had suddenly appeared, where moments before, he simply wasn't there. He and Paul chatted briefly about the beautiful view of London below. Paul then turned to scan for his dog and when he looked back, the man had vanished as quickly as he had mysteriously appeared! They swear they weren't stoned! It is also speculated the song refers to George Harrison and his emersion in Hinduism "the man of a thousand voices" (of the many Hindi gods) with his "head in a cloud", (meditation?) He is "talking perfectly loud, but nobody ever hears him" (the others in the band aren't as smitten with his new found faith). I always admired George for expressing his spirituality thru his gift. I guess that makes me a 'fool' as well!
No one is sure how April Fools Day came about, but it is hypothesized that when the old roman Julian Calendar was used, New Years Day was celebrated near the Spring Equinox on April 1st. Then to more accurately measure the year, the Gregorian Calendar was adopted in 1582, and New Years was moved to January 1st! Those who were ignorant of the change or refused to adapt, were taunted, and had jokes played upon them.
Fool on the Hill...
...the unofficial theme song of April Fools Day, was written by Paul McCartney and included on The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour album, and had an interesting genesis. Paul, along with his dog Martha (the inspiration for Martha My Dear on the White Album) and friend Alistair, went to the top of Primrose Hill near his home to see the sun rise. They were deep in conversation about the beauty of the view and the existence of God, when he noticed the dog had wandered off. They turned around astonished to see a man behind them, wearing a belted trench coat, the inspiration for the one Paul wears in the Fool on the Hill video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDtK7xUIDxk He had suddenly appeared, where moments before, he simply wasn't there. He and Paul chatted briefly about the beautiful view of London below. Paul then turned to scan for his dog and when he looked back, the man had vanished as quickly as he had mysteriously appeared! They swear they weren't stoned! It is also speculated the song refers to George Harrison and his emersion in Hinduism "the man of a thousand voices" (of the many Hindi gods) with his "head in a cloud", (meditation?) He is "talking perfectly loud, but nobody ever hears him" (the others in the band aren't as smitten with his new found faith). I always admired George for expressing his spirituality thru his gift. I guess that makes me a 'fool' as well!
No one is sure how April Fools Day came about, but it is hypothesized that when the old roman Julian Calendar was used, New Years Day was celebrated near the Spring Equinox on April 1st. Then to more accurately measure the year, the Gregorian Calendar was adopted in 1582, and New Years was moved to January 1st! Those who were ignorant of the change or refused to adapt, were taunted, and had jokes played upon them.
March 31, 2014
Auto Overload
You hear about Denver being a car culture, but we ain't got nothin' on LA. Perhaps it is because of the densely packed coastal area where we were, but one cannot escape the constant presence and roar of automobiles, trucks and motorcycles. We stayed for a time in Playa del Ray near where my brother had business, which was close LAX, the airport, so add to the mix the sound of airplanes taking off. It was all quite overwhelming at times, and intruded on the abundant natural beauty. It was never quiet, except for when I went to visit the Venice canals. There the din subsides while surrounded by beautifully landscaped narrow walkways next to the water. Residents access their homes via alleys between the rows of houses or walk from the streets just outside the canal district. At left, the 1962 sculpture, on view at LACMA, by John Chamberlain (1927-2011) pretty much sums up the LA experience. A cacophony of crushed and welded automobile fenders and parts. He is considered an Abstract Expressionist sculptor, but is in that tweener generation between AE and Pop that includes Robert Rauchenberg, Jasper Johns and Larry Rivers whom he was staying with when he began using automobile parts exclusively for his sculptures. I often muse when viewing sculpture in the hushed gallery / museum environment, they sit there so quietly, sublimely in contrast to the sound of their own making. To find out more about John Chamberlain go to: https://www.gagosian.com/artists/john-chamberlain
Auto Overload
You hear about Denver being a car culture, but we ain't got nothin' on LA. Perhaps it is because of the densely packed coastal area where we were, but one cannot escape the constant presence and roar of automobiles, trucks and motorcycles. We stayed for a time in Playa del Ray near where my brother had business, which was close LAX, the airport, so add to the mix the sound of airplanes taking off. It was all quite overwhelming at times, and intruded on the abundant natural beauty. It was never quiet, except for when I went to visit the Venice canals. There the din subsides while surrounded by beautifully landscaped narrow walkways next to the water. Residents access their homes via alleys between the rows of houses or walk from the streets just outside the canal district. At left, the 1962 sculpture, on view at LACMA, by John Chamberlain (1927-2011) pretty much sums up the LA experience. A cacophony of crushed and welded automobile fenders and parts. He is considered an Abstract Expressionist sculptor, but is in that tweener generation between AE and Pop that includes Robert Rauchenberg, Jasper Johns and Larry Rivers whom he was staying with when he began using automobile parts exclusively for his sculptures. I often muse when viewing sculpture in the hushed gallery / museum environment, they sit there so quietly, sublimely in contrast to the sound of their own making. To find out more about John Chamberlain go to: https://www.gagosian.com/artists/john-chamberlain
March 27, 2014
Pacific Specific
It was in the summer July of 1970 that I first saw the Pacific Ocean. I was in high school and it was the first time I had gone anywhere really. I was trudging thru the sand in my hiking boots, savoring getting to touch the Pacific for the first time, when I thought I needed to honor the occasion. I decided to sit and do a meditation. I had never meditated before, but it seemed like the right thing to do. So there I sat trying to be still and savor the moment. I'm not sure how long I sat for, but when I finally opened my eyes, my vision was seriously blurry. I started to freak out. Oh my God! Meditation ruined my eyes!! Oh no!!! Well, as it turns out, I hadn't taken my glasses off (big round John Denver style glasses, hey it was 1970!) and the sea breeze had blown a lot of salt onto them! I just have to laugh about it now. Being back here has brought those early memories of so long ago flooding back.
Pacific Specific
It was in the summer July of 1970 that I first saw the Pacific Ocean. I was in high school and it was the first time I had gone anywhere really. I was trudging thru the sand in my hiking boots, savoring getting to touch the Pacific for the first time, when I thought I needed to honor the occasion. I decided to sit and do a meditation. I had never meditated before, but it seemed like the right thing to do. So there I sat trying to be still and savor the moment. I'm not sure how long I sat for, but when I finally opened my eyes, my vision was seriously blurry. I started to freak out. Oh my God! Meditation ruined my eyes!! Oh no!!! Well, as it turns out, I hadn't taken my glasses off (big round John Denver style glasses, hey it was 1970!) and the sea breeze had blown a lot of salt onto them! I just have to laugh about it now. Being back here has brought those early memories of so long ago flooding back.
March 26, 2014
L A C M A
Our next order of business, pleasure actually, was to visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. A huge sprawling campus of 8 main buildings located in west LA next to the La Brea Tar Pits. Its about as expensive as going to a major league baseball game, but worth it. It is the largest museum complex in the west and is easily recognizable out front by Urban Lights, the Chris Burden sculpture comprised of over 200 closely gathered old fashioned street lights. Inside is a vast collection of over 115,000 objects. I enjoyed everything from the Pop & Abstract Expressionism to Medieval thru the Impressionists. But from everyone's reaction / interaction, the odds on favorite was Penetrable, a 1990 outdoor sculpture by Jesus Rafael Soto (1923-2005). Basically a tight grouping of hundreds of yellow plastic tubes hanging from 20 foot square metal grid, which you could walk thru and play with. After spending hours in the museum where it is forbidden to touch anything, the release of joy for young and old alike was palpable! http://www.lacma.org
L A C M A
Our next order of business, pleasure actually, was to visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. A huge sprawling campus of 8 main buildings located in west LA next to the La Brea Tar Pits. Its about as expensive as going to a major league baseball game, but worth it. It is the largest museum complex in the west and is easily recognizable out front by Urban Lights, the Chris Burden sculpture comprised of over 200 closely gathered old fashioned street lights. Inside is a vast collection of over 115,000 objects. I enjoyed everything from the Pop & Abstract Expressionism to Medieval thru the Impressionists. But from everyone's reaction / interaction, the odds on favorite was Penetrable, a 1990 outdoor sculpture by Jesus Rafael Soto (1923-2005). Basically a tight grouping of hundreds of yellow plastic tubes hanging from 20 foot square metal grid, which you could walk thru and play with. After spending hours in the museum where it is forbidden to touch anything, the release of joy for young and old alike was palpable! http://www.lacma.org
March 25, 2014
Greetings from Sunny California!
It has been a while since I've been in L.A. So we wasted little time, and made a b-line for the Getty Villa, which I've always wanted to see! It's high up on a hill overlooking the beach near Malibu. And is filled with many sculptures and artifacts from the Greek and Roman era. Its amazing to think that any of these pieces have survived the as much as 25 centuries! One of my favorites is the Greek Victorious Youth. Athletic competitions were of paramount importance in the day and a tour guide told us the male form was considered the pinnacle of beauty! The women in the group nodded in agreement. The winers of these athletic competitions were given 150 amphoras of olive oil and were immortalized with 2 statues. One for his home town and the other to be placed along The Appian Way. No Wheaties boxes here. There were thousands of these statues at one time but only about 15 remain, as most were melted down to create bullets for war. This one was found in the Aegean Sea by 2 Italian fishermen in 1965. Shown is before and after restoration. To find out more about the Getty click: http://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/
Greetings from Sunny California!
It has been a while since I've been in L.A. So we wasted little time, and made a b-line for the Getty Villa, which I've always wanted to see! It's high up on a hill overlooking the beach near Malibu. And is filled with many sculptures and artifacts from the Greek and Roman era. Its amazing to think that any of these pieces have survived the as much as 25 centuries! One of my favorites is the Greek Victorious Youth. Athletic competitions were of paramount importance in the day and a tour guide told us the male form was considered the pinnacle of beauty! The women in the group nodded in agreement. The winers of these athletic competitions were given 150 amphoras of olive oil and were immortalized with 2 statues. One for his home town and the other to be placed along The Appian Way. No Wheaties boxes here. There were thousands of these statues at one time but only about 15 remain, as most were melted down to create bullets for war. This one was found in the Aegean Sea by 2 Italian fishermen in 1965. Shown is before and after restoration. To find out more about the Getty click: http://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/
March 22, 2014
BFF Pet Paintings
"Your BFF already has a special place in your heart, now give it a place on your wall" says Denver artist David Kennett. I met David in Washington Park. (Lots of painters working in the park!) He was working on a dog portrait right there under a shade tree. And had several examples of his work by his easel. Using client's photos he creates beautiful paintings that are a keepsake for a lifetime! He attracted a lot of attention and got two commissions while I was there. His pet portraits in oil start at $350. For more info see David's website at: http://bffpetpaintings.com/
BFF Pet Paintings
"Your BFF already has a special place in your heart, now give it a place on your wall" says Denver artist David Kennett. I met David in Washington Park. (Lots of painters working in the park!) He was working on a dog portrait right there under a shade tree. And had several examples of his work by his easel. Using client's photos he creates beautiful paintings that are a keepsake for a lifetime! He attracted a lot of attention and got two commissions while I was there. His pet portraits in oil start at $350. For more info see David's website at: http://bffpetpaintings.com/
March 21, 2014
SHAKE
The fur is certainly flying on this one! But in a good way. "Shake" is a new book by Portland, Oregon photographer Carli Davidson. In this wonderful picture book, she photographs a multitude of dogs, her own, friends' and foster animals, in mid shake. The black & white and color photos are taken at 1/13,000th of a second, much faster than the human eye can see. And the results are fascinating and hilarious! The fur, spittle, jowls and ears certainly do fly! All the 'models' are non-professional and the expressions on their faces are priceless. Some are so contorted from the centrifugal force of their shake, they look like they've been Photoshopped, but have not. We do love our critters! Shown at left is Dex. If you are in need of an antidote to this stressful world, give this book a look. It is sure to bring a smile. To see more: http://carlidavidson.photoshelter.com/gallery/Shake/G0000s_trsF9CDFI/
SHAKE
The fur is certainly flying on this one! But in a good way. "Shake" is a new book by Portland, Oregon photographer Carli Davidson. In this wonderful picture book, she photographs a multitude of dogs, her own, friends' and foster animals, in mid shake. The black & white and color photos are taken at 1/13,000th of a second, much faster than the human eye can see. And the results are fascinating and hilarious! The fur, spittle, jowls and ears certainly do fly! All the 'models' are non-professional and the expressions on their faces are priceless. Some are so contorted from the centrifugal force of their shake, they look like they've been Photoshopped, but have not. We do love our critters! Shown at left is Dex. If you are in need of an antidote to this stressful world, give this book a look. It is sure to bring a smile. To see more: http://carlidavidson.photoshelter.com/gallery/Shake/G0000s_trsF9CDFI/
March 20, 2014
First Robin of Spring
After years of painting representational images, I have begun working on several abstracts. (To see more, please go to the pull down menu under the 'Art 1 & 2' tab). I'm not sure what has caused the shift. For now, I'm letting go of the image and just having fun with color and paint! My classical training mind says I've gone over to the dark side. Ha-ha! I think I'm making a balance. I see painting abstractly similar to experiencing our sense of smell. It kind of just goes straight to the brain, or heart, and evokes an emotional response without having to be processed in the language center. Representational images carry a little more baggage so to speak and require more processing. I'm just eliminating the middleman. For me, abstracts are like speaking a new language, but not using the words. And therefore involves much more layering and a more nuanced approach. Kind of like communicating with subtle body language as I've heard horses do. I'm still working on a series of Crayola Crayon paintings, but this, this is a daring new adventure for me.
A new season in my life if you will... Happy Spring everybody!
First Robin of Spring
After years of painting representational images, I have begun working on several abstracts. (To see more, please go to the pull down menu under the 'Art 1 & 2' tab). I'm not sure what has caused the shift. For now, I'm letting go of the image and just having fun with color and paint! My classical training mind says I've gone over to the dark side. Ha-ha! I think I'm making a balance. I see painting abstractly similar to experiencing our sense of smell. It kind of just goes straight to the brain, or heart, and evokes an emotional response without having to be processed in the language center. Representational images carry a little more baggage so to speak and require more processing. I'm just eliminating the middleman. For me, abstracts are like speaking a new language, but not using the words. And therefore involves much more layering and a more nuanced approach. Kind of like communicating with subtle body language as I've heard horses do. I'm still working on a series of Crayola Crayon paintings, but this, this is a daring new adventure for me.
A new season in my life if you will... Happy Spring everybody!
March 19, 2014
Together We Build Success!
Okay... Good press is way better than bad press or no press! While doing graphic arts for Van Schaack & Company Real Estate, we won an Alfie Award for excellence in graphic design for this recruitment brochure back in the early '80s. As you recall, 'stagflation', a stagnating economy and high inflation were prevailing back then. And interest rates were above 20%! Needless to say the housing market had tanked and people were walking away from their condos. Properties weren't moving at those interest rates and we were having trouble retaining realtors and managers. My boss in residential marketing, AJ Otjen, collaborated with a photographer and came up with these wonderfully bright images of building blocks, hence the tag line, "Together we build success". I took these images and designed the typography and did the production on the brochure. Mind you this was done back in the paste up days. No Word Docs, only typewriters. Lines of characters were counted and spec'd and sent off to a typographic firm to be formatted and printed out. Cut & paste was the term used in doing layouts. The copy in this case, was laid out on acetate sheets above xeroxed copies of the photos pasted on illustration board with rubber cement. Crops were indicated with non-photo blue pencil and Rapidographs, a finicky ink pen available in varying line widths. No Mac here. No Adobe Photoshop fx. Just old school baby! X-acto knives... T-squares... triangles... PMTs (photo mechanical transfers), etc. Then off the layout went to the printer via courier. No PDFs. No email! How did we ever function?!! Anyway, we entered samples of the finished piece and won our category! We 'zapped' an Alfie! Yes, Charlie Brown, good press is way better :) Not long after because of the economy, I left to pursue my fine art and work at Meininger Art Supply. Van Schaack at the time was the largest Colorado owned real estate firm, and was later bought out by Moore and Company, which in turn was absorbed by Coldwell Banker, and survives to this day.
Together We Build Success!
Okay... Good press is way better than bad press or no press! While doing graphic arts for Van Schaack & Company Real Estate, we won an Alfie Award for excellence in graphic design for this recruitment brochure back in the early '80s. As you recall, 'stagflation', a stagnating economy and high inflation were prevailing back then. And interest rates were above 20%! Needless to say the housing market had tanked and people were walking away from their condos. Properties weren't moving at those interest rates and we were having trouble retaining realtors and managers. My boss in residential marketing, AJ Otjen, collaborated with a photographer and came up with these wonderfully bright images of building blocks, hence the tag line, "Together we build success". I took these images and designed the typography and did the production on the brochure. Mind you this was done back in the paste up days. No Word Docs, only typewriters. Lines of characters were counted and spec'd and sent off to a typographic firm to be formatted and printed out. Cut & paste was the term used in doing layouts. The copy in this case, was laid out on acetate sheets above xeroxed copies of the photos pasted on illustration board with rubber cement. Crops were indicated with non-photo blue pencil and Rapidographs, a finicky ink pen available in varying line widths. No Mac here. No Adobe Photoshop fx. Just old school baby! X-acto knives... T-squares... triangles... PMTs (photo mechanical transfers), etc. Then off the layout went to the printer via courier. No PDFs. No email! How did we ever function?!! Anyway, we entered samples of the finished piece and won our category! We 'zapped' an Alfie! Yes, Charlie Brown, good press is way better :) Not long after because of the economy, I left to pursue my fine art and work at Meininger Art Supply. Van Schaack at the time was the largest Colorado owned real estate firm, and was later bought out by Moore and Company, which in turn was absorbed by Coldwell Banker, and survives to this day.
March 18, 2014
"Bad Press is Better than No Press, Charlie Brown!"
I love this sage quote by Linus from Charles Schultz's Peanuts. I used to do graphic arts for The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News until The Rocky folded in 2009 and about 400 of us got laid off. So I have occasion to comment on advertising in the blog. In that business, sometimes no matter what you do, you can't please everyone. Case in point: I was embedded with a great sales crew at the YourHub.com part of the paper, when I did several ads for a home theatre design company. They loved my first ad showing a 10 foot high stack of old TVs with the headline: How does your entertainment system stack up? But after that the owner never really warmed up to any other ideas. Such as: Has your coffee table turned into a 'remote' island, with the word HELP spelled out using several remote controls - or - Is your formerly hi-tech system looking a little ancient? With a remote control photoshopped onto the top of a Stonehenge monolith. But the one that got the bad press, was one aimed at women, rather than the usual man cave inhabitant. Using the metaphor of seeing the company like a detangler to unsnarl the complexities of home theatre, it depicted a women struggling with TV cables rather than her hair. He chose to run this one over several other ad possibilities we presented and later complained all the way to the publisher. It became known as the "Hangman Ad", as he called it. I've done production and design on 1000's of ads over my 13 years at the Post & News and received a folder full of kudos. But the one that is seen by the top brass is attached to a complaint! How is that? All the good work seems invisible under the glare of one individual's negative 'headlines'. When in the visual arts, I guess its always good to get noticed! But sometimes its tough when you are up there on the pitchers mound for all to see like Charlie Brown, and your best shot doesn't go as planned. Thankfully, I can laugh about it now, and have learned to look for the silver lining in all things... and to keep dreaming about the 'Little Red Haired Girl' and better things to come.
"Bad Press is Better than No Press, Charlie Brown!"
I love this sage quote by Linus from Charles Schultz's Peanuts. I used to do graphic arts for The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News until The Rocky folded in 2009 and about 400 of us got laid off. So I have occasion to comment on advertising in the blog. In that business, sometimes no matter what you do, you can't please everyone. Case in point: I was embedded with a great sales crew at the YourHub.com part of the paper, when I did several ads for a home theatre design company. They loved my first ad showing a 10 foot high stack of old TVs with the headline: How does your entertainment system stack up? But after that the owner never really warmed up to any other ideas. Such as: Has your coffee table turned into a 'remote' island, with the word HELP spelled out using several remote controls - or - Is your formerly hi-tech system looking a little ancient? With a remote control photoshopped onto the top of a Stonehenge monolith. But the one that got the bad press, was one aimed at women, rather than the usual man cave inhabitant. Using the metaphor of seeing the company like a detangler to unsnarl the complexities of home theatre, it depicted a women struggling with TV cables rather than her hair. He chose to run this one over several other ad possibilities we presented and later complained all the way to the publisher. It became known as the "Hangman Ad", as he called it. I've done production and design on 1000's of ads over my 13 years at the Post & News and received a folder full of kudos. But the one that is seen by the top brass is attached to a complaint! How is that? All the good work seems invisible under the glare of one individual's negative 'headlines'. When in the visual arts, I guess its always good to get noticed! But sometimes its tough when you are up there on the pitchers mound for all to see like Charlie Brown, and your best shot doesn't go as planned. Thankfully, I can laugh about it now, and have learned to look for the silver lining in all things... and to keep dreaming about the 'Little Red Haired Girl' and better things to come.
March 17, 2014
Kosinski, huh? A nice Irish name!
I used to get that alot. Mostly by old codgers who were probably around in the early 1900's when Irish and Polish immigration were at their height. My grandfather Frank Kosinski and his brother Staj, came to the United States from Poland around 1910. I was told that at that time Russia & Japan were wrangling over some islands both had claimed as theirs. (Does this sound familiar? The more things change, the more they stay the same.) Their town was near the Russian border, and when the Russians came across to shanghai young men for their army, they decided to leave. Originally Frank worked in a Pennsylvania coal mine, got married to wife Balbina and had 3 kids. They returned to Poland, but after 3 years came back to Massachusetts where he worked for the rail roads. Afterwards, my father was born in Springfield in 1928. He showed artistic promise and a priest in his parish offered him a scholarship to study art in New York City. He decided that wasn't far enough away from his domineering parents and joined the Air Force. He was stationed at Lowry and met my mom on a blind date. They were married for 2 weeks when the Korean war broke out and he got stationed there for more than a year. He returned home safely and I was born soon after. This is my father's portrait of me as a young child.
Its odd to think that if he had gone to art school, I might not be here... The luck o' the 'Irish' I guess!
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh! - Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Kosinski, huh? A nice Irish name!
I used to get that alot. Mostly by old codgers who were probably around in the early 1900's when Irish and Polish immigration were at their height. My grandfather Frank Kosinski and his brother Staj, came to the United States from Poland around 1910. I was told that at that time Russia & Japan were wrangling over some islands both had claimed as theirs. (Does this sound familiar? The more things change, the more they stay the same.) Their town was near the Russian border, and when the Russians came across to shanghai young men for their army, they decided to leave. Originally Frank worked in a Pennsylvania coal mine, got married to wife Balbina and had 3 kids. They returned to Poland, but after 3 years came back to Massachusetts where he worked for the rail roads. Afterwards, my father was born in Springfield in 1928. He showed artistic promise and a priest in his parish offered him a scholarship to study art in New York City. He decided that wasn't far enough away from his domineering parents and joined the Air Force. He was stationed at Lowry and met my mom on a blind date. They were married for 2 weeks when the Korean war broke out and he got stationed there for more than a year. He returned home safely and I was born soon after. This is my father's portrait of me as a young child.
Its odd to think that if he had gone to art school, I might not be here... The luck o' the 'Irish' I guess!
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh! - Happy St. Patrick's Day!
March 17, 2014
Caboodle's Grand Re-Opening!
Caboodle has moved! Just a few doors up to 1507 S. Holly St., Denver, CO 80222, right next to Sojourner's Coffee Shop. Today is their first day in the new location. They have a wonderful array of fine craft and gifts from many local artists (including some connect-the-dot drawings by yours truly). They were voted Denver's Best Gift Shop in 2013 by Denver's A*List and Best Local Place to Shop by Westword in 2009. In addition offering craft classes, they are a shop with a conscience, and support many local organizations, including: Montessori School of Denver, Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning (RMSEL), Denver Academy of Ballet, Jobs With Justice, SAME Cafe,
Cook Park Neighborhood Association, MDS Counseling Center, Mile High Business Alliance, Sewall Child Development Center, RhythmVision, National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, Beanstalk Foundation, Morey Middle School, Denver Sister Cities International, and One Colorado. Stop by and say hello to Marlena. Caboodle's hours are Mon-Fri 10-6 and Sat 10-5. Call 303-759-3066 or click: http://caboodlegifts.net/index.html
Caboodle's Grand Re-Opening!
Caboodle has moved! Just a few doors up to 1507 S. Holly St., Denver, CO 80222, right next to Sojourner's Coffee Shop. Today is their first day in the new location. They have a wonderful array of fine craft and gifts from many local artists (including some connect-the-dot drawings by yours truly). They were voted Denver's Best Gift Shop in 2013 by Denver's A*List and Best Local Place to Shop by Westword in 2009. In addition offering craft classes, they are a shop with a conscience, and support many local organizations, including: Montessori School of Denver, Rocky Mountain School of Expeditionary Learning (RMSEL), Denver Academy of Ballet, Jobs With Justice, SAME Cafe,
Cook Park Neighborhood Association, MDS Counseling Center, Mile High Business Alliance, Sewall Child Development Center, RhythmVision, National Federation of the Blind of Colorado, Beanstalk Foundation, Morey Middle School, Denver Sister Cities International, and One Colorado. Stop by and say hello to Marlena. Caboodle's hours are Mon-Fri 10-6 and Sat 10-5. Call 303-759-3066 or click: http://caboodlegifts.net/index.html
March 15, 2014
Et tu Brute?
Beware the Ides of March. American weapons manufacturer ArmaLite has published an ad in an Italian newspaper, depicting the statue of David holding their AR-50A1 assault rifle. Italy's cultural minister and the director of the Accademia Gallery where the actual unarmed David is located, have shot back saying the ad is in poor taste and completely illegal, as their country holds the copyright on any use of the image of David. Another ad in the company's 'Work of Art' advertising campaign shows another rifle on the wall of a museum between Grant Woods iconic American Gothic on one side and the barrel pointing at the head of the Mona Lisa on the other. And you wonder why Europeans don't like us! So much for international cultural goodwill. Closer to home the Illinois based company is holding a "McArmaLite March Sale" featuring a Leprechaun brandishing one of their assault rifles.Yikes! Even though the statue depicts a scene from a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, where David famously killed the giant Goliath with a single stone, its not hard to see who the 'Philistines' are in this scenario. I'm not liking these Americans very much either...
Et tu Brute?
Beware the Ides of March. American weapons manufacturer ArmaLite has published an ad in an Italian newspaper, depicting the statue of David holding their AR-50A1 assault rifle. Italy's cultural minister and the director of the Accademia Gallery where the actual unarmed David is located, have shot back saying the ad is in poor taste and completely illegal, as their country holds the copyright on any use of the image of David. Another ad in the company's 'Work of Art' advertising campaign shows another rifle on the wall of a museum between Grant Woods iconic American Gothic on one side and the barrel pointing at the head of the Mona Lisa on the other. And you wonder why Europeans don't like us! So much for international cultural goodwill. Closer to home the Illinois based company is holding a "McArmaLite March Sale" featuring a Leprechaun brandishing one of their assault rifles.Yikes! Even though the statue depicts a scene from a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines, where David famously killed the giant Goliath with a single stone, its not hard to see who the 'Philistines' are in this scenario. I'm not liking these Americans very much either...
March 14, 2014
Flinging a Pot of Paint in the Public's Face
Artists historically are no strangers to controversy. Massachusetts born artist James Abbott MacNeill Whistler (1834-1903) most famous for his beloved "Whistler's Mother", was accused of "Flinging a pot of paint in the public's face" by art critic John Ruskin, who at the time admittedly had no idea of the theory behind the painting "Nocturne in Black and Gold - The Falling Rocket" when it was displayed at London's Grosvenor Gallery in 1877. This was an era when the traditional Academic painters of the time were losing ground to the up and coming Impressionists. The work depicts the falling embers of fireworks through a misty night sky on the shores of a lake at Cremorne Gardens. "Whistler believed that certain experiences were often best expressed by nuance and implication. These compositions were not designed to avoid the truth of a scene, but instead served as a means of reaching deeper, more hidden truths." (Tom Prideaux, The World Of Whistler. New York: Time-Life Books, 1970). Ruskin's criticism was so harsh, Whistler's collectors began to loose faith and his 'stock' began to tumble. Whistler had no choice but to sue Ruskin for libel. Although the fight eventually bankrupted him, Whistler won and received a farthing in damages. Which afterward he reportedly wore as a fob on his watch chain. Whistler included a transcript of the case in his 1890 book, The Gentle Art of Making Enemies. Today, Ruskin is believed to have suffered from CADASIL syndrome which includes visual disturbances that may have led to his scathing interpretation of the painting.
Flinging a Pot of Paint in the Public's Face
Artists historically are no strangers to controversy. Massachusetts born artist James Abbott MacNeill Whistler (1834-1903) most famous for his beloved "Whistler's Mother", was accused of "Flinging a pot of paint in the public's face" by art critic John Ruskin, who at the time admittedly had no idea of the theory behind the painting "Nocturne in Black and Gold - The Falling Rocket" when it was displayed at London's Grosvenor Gallery in 1877. This was an era when the traditional Academic painters of the time were losing ground to the up and coming Impressionists. The work depicts the falling embers of fireworks through a misty night sky on the shores of a lake at Cremorne Gardens. "Whistler believed that certain experiences were often best expressed by nuance and implication. These compositions were not designed to avoid the truth of a scene, but instead served as a means of reaching deeper, more hidden truths." (Tom Prideaux, The World Of Whistler. New York: Time-Life Books, 1970). Ruskin's criticism was so harsh, Whistler's collectors began to loose faith and his 'stock' began to tumble. Whistler had no choice but to sue Ruskin for libel. Although the fight eventually bankrupted him, Whistler won and received a farthing in damages. Which afterward he reportedly wore as a fob on his watch chain. Whistler included a transcript of the case in his 1890 book, The Gentle Art of Making Enemies. Today, Ruskin is believed to have suffered from CADASIL syndrome which includes visual disturbances that may have led to his scathing interpretation of the painting.
March 12, 2014
Another Sleepwalker
I wonder if this female incarnation of Tony Matelli's Sleepwalker sculpture from 2009 would have created such a controversy at Wellesley? To view more of Mr. Matelli's work visit his US gallery's website: http://marlboroughchelsea.com/chelsea/artists/tony-matelli
Another Sleepwalker
I wonder if this female incarnation of Tony Matelli's Sleepwalker sculpture from 2009 would have created such a controversy at Wellesley? To view more of Mr. Matelli's work visit his US gallery's website: http://marlboroughchelsea.com/chelsea/artists/tony-matelli
March 12, 2014
Sleepwalker
Tony Matelli, a 43 year old international artist from Brooklyn has created an uproar with a sculpture from his exhibit "New Gravity" at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College, an all female school with 2,400 students west of Boston. The piece in the middle of the controversy is Sleepwalker, a hyper-realistic sculpture of a sleepwalking man, wandering in his undies with arms outstretched. It was placed outside to take art out of the museum box and into the real world. (One can see it from a window in the gallery.) And here it has met with a vehement protest of its presence among the women. The complaint is that the sculpture 'triggers' a collective post/pre tramatic response to sexual assault against women. A petition is being circulated for its removal and has gotten 700 supporters on Change.org. Lisa Fischman, director of the Davis Museum responded: "Art has an extraordinary power to evoke personal response, and to elicit the unexpected... Matelli’s Sleepwalker — considered up close — is a man in deep sleep. Arms outstretched, eyes closed, he appears vulnerable and unaware against the snowy backdrop of the space around him. He is not naked. He is profoundly passive. He is inert, as sculpture. But he does inspire narrative. He appears to have drifted away from wherever he belongs and one wonders why; one wonders also how he has gotten so lost, so off course. He is a figure of pathos, and one that warrants measured consideration. Perhaps he carries metaphorical weight." Another of Mr. Matelli's sculptures, "Seeing Eye Dog" also installed outdoors on the campus during the exhibit, has received little attention. The New Gravity exhibition continues thru July 20th. http://www.wellesley.edu/davismuseum/whats-on/current/node/40702
Sleepwalker
Tony Matelli, a 43 year old international artist from Brooklyn has created an uproar with a sculpture from his exhibit "New Gravity" at the Davis Museum at Wellesley College, an all female school with 2,400 students west of Boston. The piece in the middle of the controversy is Sleepwalker, a hyper-realistic sculpture of a sleepwalking man, wandering in his undies with arms outstretched. It was placed outside to take art out of the museum box and into the real world. (One can see it from a window in the gallery.) And here it has met with a vehement protest of its presence among the women. The complaint is that the sculpture 'triggers' a collective post/pre tramatic response to sexual assault against women. A petition is being circulated for its removal and has gotten 700 supporters on Change.org. Lisa Fischman, director of the Davis Museum responded: "Art has an extraordinary power to evoke personal response, and to elicit the unexpected... Matelli’s Sleepwalker — considered up close — is a man in deep sleep. Arms outstretched, eyes closed, he appears vulnerable and unaware against the snowy backdrop of the space around him. He is not naked. He is profoundly passive. He is inert, as sculpture. But he does inspire narrative. He appears to have drifted away from wherever he belongs and one wonders why; one wonders also how he has gotten so lost, so off course. He is a figure of pathos, and one that warrants measured consideration. Perhaps he carries metaphorical weight." Another of Mr. Matelli's sculptures, "Seeing Eye Dog" also installed outdoors on the campus during the exhibit, has received little attention. The New Gravity exhibition continues thru July 20th. http://www.wellesley.edu/davismuseum/whats-on/current/node/40702
March 11, 2014
no got milk
The advertising campaign of got milk? is no more. It was created in 1993 by the advertising agency of Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor board, and officially ended last month. It grew into a world wide phenomenon with many spin offs and parodys. It also spawned the celebrity milk mustache ads. Even in its heyday the campaign never increased milk sales nationally. It has now been abandoned for the hipper, healthier spin of Milk Life. The change is being precipitated by people looking for healthier alternatives to expensive high carb/sugar drinks such as soda, fruit juices and yes, milk. The new beverage of choice? Water!
no got milk
The advertising campaign of got milk? is no more. It was created in 1993 by the advertising agency of Goodby Silverstein & Partners for the California Milk Processor board, and officially ended last month. It grew into a world wide phenomenon with many spin offs and parodys. It also spawned the celebrity milk mustache ads. Even in its heyday the campaign never increased milk sales nationally. It has now been abandoned for the hipper, healthier spin of Milk Life. The change is being precipitated by people looking for healthier alternatives to expensive high carb/sugar drinks such as soda, fruit juices and yes, milk. The new beverage of choice? Water!
March 10, 2014
The Dark Side of Life in Barbie's Dream House
Taking a cue from today's celebrity headlines, Denver artist/photographer Sarah Haney muses on Ken & Barbie's shadow side. "On the surface, Barbie appears perfect. She’s beautiful, has great clothes, several good careers, and a perpetual smile on her face." Haney says, but in her black & white photographs she exposes "all the dirty little secrets they attempt to hide as they present themselves as icons of the American Dream." No rainbows and unicorns here. In Haney's universe Ken and Barbie are candidates for therapy and rehab. The juxtaposition between Barbie's good girl image and the scenes of tabloid reality and dysfunctional relationships are very humorous and poignant. At left is an early work from 2002, Monday Morning Blues, with our star nursing a wicked hangover. To see more visit: http://sarahhaney.com/
The Dark Side of Life in Barbie's Dream House
Taking a cue from today's celebrity headlines, Denver artist/photographer Sarah Haney muses on Ken & Barbie's shadow side. "On the surface, Barbie appears perfect. She’s beautiful, has great clothes, several good careers, and a perpetual smile on her face." Haney says, but in her black & white photographs she exposes "all the dirty little secrets they attempt to hide as they present themselves as icons of the American Dream." No rainbows and unicorns here. In Haney's universe Ken and Barbie are candidates for therapy and rehab. The juxtaposition between Barbie's good girl image and the scenes of tabloid reality and dysfunctional relationships are very humorous and poignant. At left is an early work from 2002, Monday Morning Blues, with our star nursing a wicked hangover. To see more visit: http://sarahhaney.com/
March 9, 2014
Meet Lammily, an alternative to Barbie
Oh, the times they are a' changin'! And I'm not referring to setting our clocks ahead an hour today. In response to all the less than positive reaction to Barbie's unrealistically proportioned figure and the possibly adverse affect it has had on girl's and young women's body image and self esteem, twenty-five year old Pittsburgh artist and researcher Nickolay Lamm has created a different doll. Her name is Lammily, and her proportions are based on the average real woman. "Rather than just criticizing Barbie, I wanted to make an alternative," says Lamm. "I wanted her to look like the girl next door, sweet and wholesome." And in order to do this he has launched a 30-day crowd funding effort to raise $95,000 to begin production. As of this writing with 26 days to go, he has raised over $350,000 from more than 10,000 donors! It looks like many, many people share his vision. Lammily is expected to cost about $25 and should be available around November 2014.To learn more or to donate go to: https://www.lammily.com/average-is-beautiful or to see more of his work visit: http://nickolaylamm.com
Meet Lammily, an alternative to Barbie
Oh, the times they are a' changin'! And I'm not referring to setting our clocks ahead an hour today. In response to all the less than positive reaction to Barbie's unrealistically proportioned figure and the possibly adverse affect it has had on girl's and young women's body image and self esteem, twenty-five year old Pittsburgh artist and researcher Nickolay Lamm has created a different doll. Her name is Lammily, and her proportions are based on the average real woman. "Rather than just criticizing Barbie, I wanted to make an alternative," says Lamm. "I wanted her to look like the girl next door, sweet and wholesome." And in order to do this he has launched a 30-day crowd funding effort to raise $95,000 to begin production. As of this writing with 26 days to go, he has raised over $350,000 from more than 10,000 donors! It looks like many, many people share his vision. Lammily is expected to cost about $25 and should be available around November 2014.To learn more or to donate go to: https://www.lammily.com/average-is-beautiful or to see more of his work visit: http://nickolaylamm.com
March 8, 2014
Air Cooled VW Exhibit at The Forney
There is a groovy new exhibit of all kinds of Volkswagens from the 50's, 60's and 70's at the Forney Transportation Museum in the RiNo neighborhood. There are many original condition and restored Beetles, Karmann Ghias, Micro buses, campers and convertibles. There was even a 411 that was in the process of being restored and my favorite of the show was a '63 Notchback that was elegantly restored. I also liked the yellow camper at left with the pop-out front windows! My brother and I went together and relived our sordid youth. Of course we have rehabilitated ourselves! He had a '75 Apple Green Beetle and I had a '65 Bus that I painted Cloud White over Delta Green. The air was certainly thick with memories! We were laughing about how cold they were during the winter, and having to scrape the windows on the inside! They were pretty under powered at Denver's altitude. But I drove mine to San Francisco in 1973 and it had plenty of pep at sea level. The Trans America building was just being finished and Market Street was all wooden planks because below they were building the BART: Bay Area Rapid Transit. We made it there and back, but not with breaking a push rod in Berkeley, the lights going out in Nevada, the gear shifter breaking in Salt Lake and also running out of gas in a snow storm! Phew! But lived to tell about it! They were so simple and cheep to keep. And if you were driving one, it was like being in the unofficial counter culture club! (I also owned a '79 Rabbit for 11 years. It was the first year of the American built ones with the square headlights). I highly recommend a visit to see the V-Dubs and the rest of the amazing collection of vehicles. The ehxibit runs thru April 30th. The Forney Museum of Transportation, 4303 Brighton Blvd., Denver, CO 80216. 303-297-1113. http://www.forneymuseum.org/
Air Cooled VW Exhibit at The Forney
There is a groovy new exhibit of all kinds of Volkswagens from the 50's, 60's and 70's at the Forney Transportation Museum in the RiNo neighborhood. There are many original condition and restored Beetles, Karmann Ghias, Micro buses, campers and convertibles. There was even a 411 that was in the process of being restored and my favorite of the show was a '63 Notchback that was elegantly restored. I also liked the yellow camper at left with the pop-out front windows! My brother and I went together and relived our sordid youth. Of course we have rehabilitated ourselves! He had a '75 Apple Green Beetle and I had a '65 Bus that I painted Cloud White over Delta Green. The air was certainly thick with memories! We were laughing about how cold they were during the winter, and having to scrape the windows on the inside! They were pretty under powered at Denver's altitude. But I drove mine to San Francisco in 1973 and it had plenty of pep at sea level. The Trans America building was just being finished and Market Street was all wooden planks because below they were building the BART: Bay Area Rapid Transit. We made it there and back, but not with breaking a push rod in Berkeley, the lights going out in Nevada, the gear shifter breaking in Salt Lake and also running out of gas in a snow storm! Phew! But lived to tell about it! They were so simple and cheep to keep. And if you were driving one, it was like being in the unofficial counter culture club! (I also owned a '79 Rabbit for 11 years. It was the first year of the American built ones with the square headlights). I highly recommend a visit to see the V-Dubs and the rest of the amazing collection of vehicles. The ehxibit runs thru April 30th. The Forney Museum of Transportation, 4303 Brighton Blvd., Denver, CO 80216. 303-297-1113. http://www.forneymuseum.org/
March 7, 2014
George's Vermeer
George Deem (1932-2008) was an artist who meticulously reconstructed and reinterpreted the art of the past with insight and wit. Art about Art History if you will. Long before the digital sampling of today, artists have been 'quoting' other artists for centuries! At left is Deem's Diptych: The Artist in His Studio, 1979. In the right panel he faithfully reproduces Vermeer's circa 1662 painting of the same name. In the left panel, he reimagines what the same scene would look like painted by a contemporary artist! I will let him describe this panel for you... "The other painting in my diptych, the painting on the left, is The New York Artist in His Studio. It is painted the same size as Vermeer’s The Artist in His Studio and with a matching unpainted border. The elements in Vermeer’s painting are repeated but with a different palette. Vermeer’s map is a map of Holland with illustrations of Dutch cities in the ovals of the border. My map is a map of the United States with American art museums depicted in the corresponding ovals. The chair placed against the back wall under the map is a canvas director’s chair. The model wears a model’s purple kimono. She holds the yellow pages of the New York telephone directory and in her right hand, instead of the horn, a telephone. The New York artist works under an electric light suspended from a pressed-tin ceiling. Vermeer’s tapestry has been replaced by a down-home American quilt. The artist seated at the easel works with the same tools and equipment used by the artist in Vermeer’s painting: the same easel, the same stool, the same brush and mahlstick. These things have not changed. The articles on the table have changed. The bulky manuscript on Vermeer’s table is now the New York Times. Instead of fabric piled on the table, there is a green winter downcoat and a red-and-white striped scarf. The book has become a video monitor, on the screen of which the artist, seated with his back to the video camera, sees himself in the act of painting. In this painting, I am the artist in his studio." (George Deem May 27, 1989). To see more of George Deem's work click here: https://georgedeem.org/
George's Vermeer
George Deem (1932-2008) was an artist who meticulously reconstructed and reinterpreted the art of the past with insight and wit. Art about Art History if you will. Long before the digital sampling of today, artists have been 'quoting' other artists for centuries! At left is Deem's Diptych: The Artist in His Studio, 1979. In the right panel he faithfully reproduces Vermeer's circa 1662 painting of the same name. In the left panel, he reimagines what the same scene would look like painted by a contemporary artist! I will let him describe this panel for you... "The other painting in my diptych, the painting on the left, is The New York Artist in His Studio. It is painted the same size as Vermeer’s The Artist in His Studio and with a matching unpainted border. The elements in Vermeer’s painting are repeated but with a different palette. Vermeer’s map is a map of Holland with illustrations of Dutch cities in the ovals of the border. My map is a map of the United States with American art museums depicted in the corresponding ovals. The chair placed against the back wall under the map is a canvas director’s chair. The model wears a model’s purple kimono. She holds the yellow pages of the New York telephone directory and in her right hand, instead of the horn, a telephone. The New York artist works under an electric light suspended from a pressed-tin ceiling. Vermeer’s tapestry has been replaced by a down-home American quilt. The artist seated at the easel works with the same tools and equipment used by the artist in Vermeer’s painting: the same easel, the same stool, the same brush and mahlstick. These things have not changed. The articles on the table have changed. The bulky manuscript on Vermeer’s table is now the New York Times. Instead of fabric piled on the table, there is a green winter downcoat and a red-and-white striped scarf. The book has become a video monitor, on the screen of which the artist, seated with his back to the video camera, sees himself in the act of painting. In this painting, I am the artist in his studio." (George Deem May 27, 1989). To see more of George Deem's work click here: https://georgedeem.org/
March 6, 2014
St. Francis Cathedral - Santa Fe, NM
At left is my painting of the Cathedral where my maternal grandparents Christobal Delgado and Onofre Antonia Chavez were married in 1922, before they came to Denver. The current basilica was completed in 1886, but was built on the site of a much older adobe church La Parroquia (The Parrish) that was destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. Remnants of that church remain as the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, which houses a statue of the Virgin from 1625. I still have many primos (cousins) in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. My Auntie Lupe's old house at 409 Canyon Road, near the intersection of Delgado Street, is now a... you guessed it, an art gallery. My second cousin Larry Delgado was the mayor of Santa Fe from 1998-2006.
St. Francis Cathedral - Santa Fe, NM
At left is my painting of the Cathedral where my maternal grandparents Christobal Delgado and Onofre Antonia Chavez were married in 1922, before they came to Denver. The current basilica was completed in 1886, but was built on the site of a much older adobe church La Parroquia (The Parrish) that was destroyed in the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. Remnants of that church remain as the Chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, which houses a statue of the Virgin from 1625. I still have many primos (cousins) in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. My Auntie Lupe's old house at 409 Canyon Road, near the intersection of Delgado Street, is now a... you guessed it, an art gallery. My second cousin Larry Delgado was the mayor of Santa Fe from 1998-2006.
March 5th, 2014
The future is here! HUVr Boards...
This is amazing! You've got to see the video. It was unveiled in Los Angeles recently that Hover Boards will soon be available! In the video, Christopher Lloyd, the professor in the Back to the Future movies arrives in a silver DeLorean. He carries a black case over to an awaiting crowd which erupts in jubilation when when its contents are revealed... a HUVr Board. Soon many people were 'flying' around the parking lot and even doing some half-pipe maneuvers that send them what looks like 5-6 feet in the air! What a thrill! Similar in size to a skateboard, but with technology more sophisticated than spacecraft of only 4 years ago, say the creators. Watching the video, I envisioned the future: Flying cars, greater mobility for the disabled... and QUIET. No more thundering traffic, just the ability to hear yourself think! The inventors gave no clue as to the technology involved, or what the price will be, but according to their website, the HUVr Boards will be available in December 2014. Click the link to watch the video: http://huvrtech.com/ Forgive me, for reiterating the quote from my post of two days ago, but it seems apropos: The future is here, its just not widely distributed... yet!
The future is here! HUVr Boards...
This is amazing! You've got to see the video. It was unveiled in Los Angeles recently that Hover Boards will soon be available! In the video, Christopher Lloyd, the professor in the Back to the Future movies arrives in a silver DeLorean. He carries a black case over to an awaiting crowd which erupts in jubilation when when its contents are revealed... a HUVr Board. Soon many people were 'flying' around the parking lot and even doing some half-pipe maneuvers that send them what looks like 5-6 feet in the air! What a thrill! Similar in size to a skateboard, but with technology more sophisticated than spacecraft of only 4 years ago, say the creators. Watching the video, I envisioned the future: Flying cars, greater mobility for the disabled... and QUIET. No more thundering traffic, just the ability to hear yourself think! The inventors gave no clue as to the technology involved, or what the price will be, but according to their website, the HUVr Boards will be available in December 2014. Click the link to watch the video: http://huvrtech.com/ Forgive me, for reiterating the quote from my post of two days ago, but it seems apropos: The future is here, its just not widely distributed... yet!
March 4, 2014
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Happy Fat Tuesday! One can only imagine the frolicking going on in New Orleans right now! My family's history in New Orleans goes back to 1777, when two brothers, who were officers in the Spanish army, came into the port 26 years before President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with Napoleon Bonaparte and the French in 1803. Louisiana statehood came in 1812. My mother's maiden name was Delgado, which means 'slender' in spanish. We are related to Isaac Delgado who built the art museum there in 1911. It was called Delgado Museum of Art until it was expanded and renamed New Orleans Museum of Art in 1971. (Upper photo). He also started a trade school for young boys, which is now Delgado Community College. (Thats me wearing my DCC sweatshirt today. Yay Dolphins!) Now on the eve of the Lenten season, it is time to don our beads and feathers and... Let the Good Time Roll, Happy Mardi Gras!
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Happy Fat Tuesday! One can only imagine the frolicking going on in New Orleans right now! My family's history in New Orleans goes back to 1777, when two brothers, who were officers in the Spanish army, came into the port 26 years before President Thomas Jefferson negotiated the Louisiana Purchase with Napoleon Bonaparte and the French in 1803. Louisiana statehood came in 1812. My mother's maiden name was Delgado, which means 'slender' in spanish. We are related to Isaac Delgado who built the art museum there in 1911. It was called Delgado Museum of Art until it was expanded and renamed New Orleans Museum of Art in 1971. (Upper photo). He also started a trade school for young boys, which is now Delgado Community College. (Thats me wearing my DCC sweatshirt today. Yay Dolphins!) Now on the eve of the Lenten season, it is time to don our beads and feathers and... Let the Good Time Roll, Happy Mardi Gras!
March 3, 2014
UNCHARTED by Erez Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel
Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture
(and the Ngram Viewer)
Just as explorers and scientists such as Galileo changed our world by looking at it thru new lenses such as telescopes or microscopes, so have authors and Harvard PHD's Aiden and Michel opened up new perspectives on humanity using Big Data. Never has so much information on language and culture been available in the history of the world, and this book is the story of our intrepid duo's story to make it accessible to not only those in the sciences and humanities, but to everyone. This is an adventure in accessing Google's vast store of data. They are in the process of digitizing every book ever written! So far they have digitized 30 million of the surviving 130 million books. Which in essence makes it the worlds largest library. They document their trials, tribulations and breakthroughs in accessing and making sense of it all in a humorous and accessible way. The fun part is the way they present their insights into our history thru ever changing word usage, commenting on everything from censorship to fame from past to present, with a possible peek into the future. And of course, may I say, the inevitability of the misuse of all this exponentially mounting information. Yikes! Google initially resisted, but once they got onboard, Aiden & Michel were able to create a word search program called an Ngram Viewer which is free for everyone to use. Here's the link: https://books.google.com/ngrams I got hooked when I saw the charts of evolving word usages over time... They stated upward trends in word usage tend to continue to trend up, and the opposite is true as well. Of note, they searched for the words man/women. The chart revealed an X on the graph with woman gaining the ascendency in usage around 1983! Tell me about it!! Get used to it guys, its a woman's world and we just live in it! LOL! :) By looking at our collective past, we can get a glimpse of our future. What is that quote... The future is already here, its just not widely distributed yet! I must caution you the Ngram Viewer can be totally fun, enlightening and highly addictive! Enjoy!
UNCHARTED by Erez Aiden and Jean-Baptiste Michel
Big Data as a Lens on Human Culture
(and the Ngram Viewer)
Just as explorers and scientists such as Galileo changed our world by looking at it thru new lenses such as telescopes or microscopes, so have authors and Harvard PHD's Aiden and Michel opened up new perspectives on humanity using Big Data. Never has so much information on language and culture been available in the history of the world, and this book is the story of our intrepid duo's story to make it accessible to not only those in the sciences and humanities, but to everyone. This is an adventure in accessing Google's vast store of data. They are in the process of digitizing every book ever written! So far they have digitized 30 million of the surviving 130 million books. Which in essence makes it the worlds largest library. They document their trials, tribulations and breakthroughs in accessing and making sense of it all in a humorous and accessible way. The fun part is the way they present their insights into our history thru ever changing word usage, commenting on everything from censorship to fame from past to present, with a possible peek into the future. And of course, may I say, the inevitability of the misuse of all this exponentially mounting information. Yikes! Google initially resisted, but once they got onboard, Aiden & Michel were able to create a word search program called an Ngram Viewer which is free for everyone to use. Here's the link: https://books.google.com/ngrams I got hooked when I saw the charts of evolving word usages over time... They stated upward trends in word usage tend to continue to trend up, and the opposite is true as well. Of note, they searched for the words man/women. The chart revealed an X on the graph with woman gaining the ascendency in usage around 1983! Tell me about it!! Get used to it guys, its a woman's world and we just live in it! LOL! :) By looking at our collective past, we can get a glimpse of our future. What is that quote... The future is already here, its just not widely distributed yet! I must caution you the Ngram Viewer can be totally fun, enlightening and highly addictive! Enjoy!
March 2, 2014
Zefiro Torna
I was thinking still about Vermeer and how several of his paintings are musically themed. I was wondering, what kind of music was he listening to at that time? I want to share with you an offering or two from that era that frankly I've become addicted to their YouTube videos!! A little back story... It all started when I was watching another movie: 2012's Liberal Arts. (Hey it's Oscar night and movie energy is in the air). In it, director and star Josh Radnor and classical music loving co-star Elizabeth Olsen share books and musical playlists. Among the classics was a snippet of Claudio Monteverdi's lively Zefiro Torna, circa 1635, and it immediately captured my ear! Translated from Italian, Zefiro Torna means Zephyr Returns. The West Winds bringing Spring back to us. (A longing I acutely feel, the last few days not being above freezing here in the Mile High City). I found the video by the group L'Arpeggiata, featuring Catalan soprano Nuria Rial and French counter-tenor Philippe Jaroussky. His high registers are equal in beauty to hers, with playful acoustic accompaniment from period instruments. Give a listen, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq49rymjvNg . Okay, now I hear some of you saying... this type of vocal music is not my thing. So I offer you this instead: An instrumental Chiacona by Antonio Bertali from the same era also performed by L'Arpeggiata, but featuring talented cutie Veronika Skuplik on violin in an equally inspiringing performance. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8p9rolham8
Zefiro Torna
I was thinking still about Vermeer and how several of his paintings are musically themed. I was wondering, what kind of music was he listening to at that time? I want to share with you an offering or two from that era that frankly I've become addicted to their YouTube videos!! A little back story... It all started when I was watching another movie: 2012's Liberal Arts. (Hey it's Oscar night and movie energy is in the air). In it, director and star Josh Radnor and classical music loving co-star Elizabeth Olsen share books and musical playlists. Among the classics was a snippet of Claudio Monteverdi's lively Zefiro Torna, circa 1635, and it immediately captured my ear! Translated from Italian, Zefiro Torna means Zephyr Returns. The West Winds bringing Spring back to us. (A longing I acutely feel, the last few days not being above freezing here in the Mile High City). I found the video by the group L'Arpeggiata, featuring Catalan soprano Nuria Rial and French counter-tenor Philippe Jaroussky. His high registers are equal in beauty to hers, with playful acoustic accompaniment from period instruments. Give a listen, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq49rymjvNg . Okay, now I hear some of you saying... this type of vocal music is not my thing. So I offer you this instead: An instrumental Chiacona by Antonio Bertali from the same era also performed by L'Arpeggiata, but featuring talented cutie Veronika Skuplik on violin in an equally inspiringing performance. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8p9rolham8
March 1, 2014
The Mask Project - Girl with a Pearl Earring
Vermeer being one of my all-time favorite artists (and I'm sure many other folks' as well), I chose to paint an homage of his work, The Girl with a Pearl Earring for the last Mask Project to benefit Denver Hospice. It is an event where various local and national celebrities and artists are recruited to decorate or create artworks using a supplied white plaster mask. It is an oval shape, with a three-dimensional man in the moon appearance. I wanted to paint 'a face on a face' and chose Vermeer's image since it has gained in popularity from the book and the sensual 2004 film of the same name, starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. It is quite a challenge to paint on an undulating surface. Can you make out the features of the mask? The lines of the brow are in her blue turban. The nose proceeds down next to her ear and the mouth is by the pearl earring. The 2014 Mask Project happens from September 8th-October 15th. The masks are displayed at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, 3000 E. 1st Ave. in Denver and the masks are auctioned online. Over the years more than $4 million has been raised for Denver Hospice. For more information or to become a Mask artist go to: www.themaskproject.org.
The Mask Project - Girl with a Pearl Earring
Vermeer being one of my all-time favorite artists (and I'm sure many other folks' as well), I chose to paint an homage of his work, The Girl with a Pearl Earring for the last Mask Project to benefit Denver Hospice. It is an event where various local and national celebrities and artists are recruited to decorate or create artworks using a supplied white plaster mask. It is an oval shape, with a three-dimensional man in the moon appearance. I wanted to paint 'a face on a face' and chose Vermeer's image since it has gained in popularity from the book and the sensual 2004 film of the same name, starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth. It is quite a challenge to paint on an undulating surface. Can you make out the features of the mask? The lines of the brow are in her blue turban. The nose proceeds down next to her ear and the mouth is by the pearl earring. The 2014 Mask Project happens from September 8th-October 15th. The masks are displayed at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, 3000 E. 1st Ave. in Denver and the masks are auctioned online. Over the years more than $4 million has been raised for Denver Hospice. For more information or to become a Mask artist go to: www.themaskproject.org.
March 1, 2014
Stolen: Jan Vermeer's The Concert
I was living in Boston studying classical realism drawing and painting when The Concert was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum on March 18th, 1990. It was St. Patrick's Day late at night when two thieves posing as police officers began banging on a door saying the silent alarm was going off. When the guards opened the door, they were maced and tied up. Besides the Vermeer, which was cut out of its frame (Yikes!), they took three Rembrandts, and also works by Degas and Manet. Thirteen pieces in all were taken. When I returned to Denver later that year, I when down the east coast to NYC and Washington DC to see all the Vermeer's I could before they are put behind glass like the Mona Lisa. There are only about 35 Vermeers known to exist. A few years ago I went to a lecture at the Denver Art Museum by a former curator at the Gardener. He said none of the art has been recovered. And none were insured. He theorized works of that magnitude were used as collateral for huge drug deals. The Gardener is offering a $5 million reward for their return.
Stolen: Jan Vermeer's The Concert
I was living in Boston studying classical realism drawing and painting when The Concert was stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum on March 18th, 1990. It was St. Patrick's Day late at night when two thieves posing as police officers began banging on a door saying the silent alarm was going off. When the guards opened the door, they were maced and tied up. Besides the Vermeer, which was cut out of its frame (Yikes!), they took three Rembrandts, and also works by Degas and Manet. Thirteen pieces in all were taken. When I returned to Denver later that year, I when down the east coast to NYC and Washington DC to see all the Vermeer's I could before they are put behind glass like the Mona Lisa. There are only about 35 Vermeers known to exist. A few years ago I went to a lecture at the Denver Art Museum by a former curator at the Gardener. He said none of the art has been recovered. And none were insured. He theorized works of that magnitude were used as collateral for huge drug deals. The Gardener is offering a $5 million reward for their return.
February 28, 2014
Tim's Vermeer
I just saw this movie about the probable working methods of one of my favorite artists Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) who is acknowledged to be one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. In it, inventor and self described non-painter Tim Jenison embarks on a 5 year journey to recreate a Vermeer painting, The Music Lesson, using the same technologies available in his era. After thoroughly researching the painter's work, the obsessive Mr. Jenison builds an exact replica of the scene in a rented warehouse in San Antonio Texas. Making the furniture, the stained glass windows, etc., all from scratch! He even cast and polished the glass for the lens of the camera obscura used to help project the created environment onto a canvas. All the while talking about how the human eye observes differently than a lens, and how evidence of its use is visible in Vermeer's paintings. He traveled to England to see the original in possession of Queen Elizabeth II, and to speak with artist David Hockney (who I share my birth date with). Overall it took him 130 days to just paint the scene using his 'rediscovered' optical aids. I enjoyed his curmudgeonly humor throughout, nearing the end he was so ready for the journey's completion. It was touching when he teared up as he presented the finished painting. Quite an accomplishment for someone who had never painted before! Directed by Penn Jillette it is at the Esquire Theatre in Denver until about March 14th.
PS: One of the scenes that got a big laugh from me was when Tim received one of the few items included in the scene he didn't build himself, it was a Viola de Gamba (played between the legs like a cello). He sat down with it and sawed out the opening refrain of Smoke on the Water! Da Da Daaa, Da Da Dee Daaaaaaa.... Hilarious and unexpected! Find out more at: http://www.sonyclassics.com/timsvermeer/
Tim's Vermeer
I just saw this movie about the probable working methods of one of my favorite artists Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) who is acknowledged to be one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. In it, inventor and self described non-painter Tim Jenison embarks on a 5 year journey to recreate a Vermeer painting, The Music Lesson, using the same technologies available in his era. After thoroughly researching the painter's work, the obsessive Mr. Jenison builds an exact replica of the scene in a rented warehouse in San Antonio Texas. Making the furniture, the stained glass windows, etc., all from scratch! He even cast and polished the glass for the lens of the camera obscura used to help project the created environment onto a canvas. All the while talking about how the human eye observes differently than a lens, and how evidence of its use is visible in Vermeer's paintings. He traveled to England to see the original in possession of Queen Elizabeth II, and to speak with artist David Hockney (who I share my birth date with). Overall it took him 130 days to just paint the scene using his 'rediscovered' optical aids. I enjoyed his curmudgeonly humor throughout, nearing the end he was so ready for the journey's completion. It was touching when he teared up as he presented the finished painting. Quite an accomplishment for someone who had never painted before! Directed by Penn Jillette it is at the Esquire Theatre in Denver until about March 14th.
PS: One of the scenes that got a big laugh from me was when Tim received one of the few items included in the scene he didn't build himself, it was a Viola de Gamba (played between the legs like a cello). He sat down with it and sawed out the opening refrain of Smoke on the Water! Da Da Daaa, Da Da Dee Daaaaaaa.... Hilarious and unexpected! Find out more at: http://www.sonyclassics.com/timsvermeer/
February 26, 2014
Joy of Floating by Lyudmila Agrich
This painting by my friend, Ukrainian artist Lyudmila Agrich, I'm sure, depicts how she is feeling now that the impasse between the protesters and the president has ended with his fleeing Kiev. She has been in touch with her sister who still lives there. They are relieved that the violence and oppression has ended, but are still wary but hopeful about what is yet to come. We send our love and prayers to everyone there. Lyudmila, her husband Sergei and daughter Sasha emigrated to the US after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1992. Originally trained in architecture and fine arts, she now paints full time in a style she calls "expressionistic impressionism", replacing her brushes with a palette knife. To see more of Lyudmila's bold, energetic work, please visit www.lyudmilaagrich.com. Or go see her work at her next upcoming show beginning March 28th at Mirada Fine Art Gallery, 5490 Parmalee Gulch Road in Indian Hills, CO. 303-697-9006.
Joy of Floating by Lyudmila Agrich
This painting by my friend, Ukrainian artist Lyudmila Agrich, I'm sure, depicts how she is feeling now that the impasse between the protesters and the president has ended with his fleeing Kiev. She has been in touch with her sister who still lives there. They are relieved that the violence and oppression has ended, but are still wary but hopeful about what is yet to come. We send our love and prayers to everyone there. Lyudmila, her husband Sergei and daughter Sasha emigrated to the US after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1992. Originally trained in architecture and fine arts, she now paints full time in a style she calls "expressionistic impressionism", replacing her brushes with a palette knife. To see more of Lyudmila's bold, energetic work, please visit www.lyudmilaagrich.com. Or go see her work at her next upcoming show beginning March 28th at Mirada Fine Art Gallery, 5490 Parmalee Gulch Road in Indian Hills, CO. 303-697-9006.
February 23, 2014
Art - Bike Yin Yang & Long Legged Woman
An interesting synchronicity has happened. I was represented for a couple of years by Denver Art Gallery (behind Tattered Cover Books on East Colfax) until they closed in October of last year. I went by there this weekend and the space is again occupied... by Velowood Cyclery... Now, the new space exhibiting my work, Duel Design Shop (see 2/19/14 posting below) was formerly a Bike Shop!!! (Denver Bike Repair moved next door to 86 Pennsylvania). A most interesting development. Somehow the Universe is making a balance here! The painting at left I had on display at Duel before this little revelation occurred. I saw the bike locked to a sign post at Sakura Square in downtown Denver, and immediately was attracted to the image. It wasn't until I was in the process of painting it that the title came to me: On every bike I've ever had, the seat is always sitting right on top of the frame. (Alas, genetically I've been given short legs, but a long torso - my shirts never stay tucked in!) On this bike, the seat is raised to such a height, I realized she is certainly a "Long Legged Woman".
Art - Bike Yin Yang & Long Legged Woman
An interesting synchronicity has happened. I was represented for a couple of years by Denver Art Gallery (behind Tattered Cover Books on East Colfax) until they closed in October of last year. I went by there this weekend and the space is again occupied... by Velowood Cyclery... Now, the new space exhibiting my work, Duel Design Shop (see 2/19/14 posting below) was formerly a Bike Shop!!! (Denver Bike Repair moved next door to 86 Pennsylvania). A most interesting development. Somehow the Universe is making a balance here! The painting at left I had on display at Duel before this little revelation occurred. I saw the bike locked to a sign post at Sakura Square in downtown Denver, and immediately was attracted to the image. It wasn't until I was in the process of painting it that the title came to me: On every bike I've ever had, the seat is always sitting right on top of the frame. (Alas, genetically I've been given short legs, but a long torso - my shirts never stay tucked in!) On this bike, the seat is raised to such a height, I realized she is certainly a "Long Legged Woman".
February 20, 2014
Sean Conroy painting in Washington Park
I went to the park for some exercise yesterday and saw Sean painting en plein air next to Smith Lake. He had drawn quite the gathering of onlookers, including this young girl who was inspired by their meeting. Maybe she will choose the arts for her career path, if she hasn't already! I know for myself, it is always 'magic' to watch someone paint. I hope to join Sean painting outside in the near future. He is a great guy and a talented artist and teacher! Learn more about him and see more of his work at: www.oceaninashell.com
Sean Conroy painting in Washington Park
I went to the park for some exercise yesterday and saw Sean painting en plein air next to Smith Lake. He had drawn quite the gathering of onlookers, including this young girl who was inspired by their meeting. Maybe she will choose the arts for her career path, if she hasn't already! I know for myself, it is always 'magic' to watch someone paint. I hope to join Sean painting outside in the near future. He is a great guy and a talented artist and teacher! Learn more about him and see more of his work at: www.oceaninashell.com
February 19, 2014
Now showing at Duel Design Shop!
Newly opened in a turn-of-the-century storefront at 84 Pennsylvania Street in Denver (just south 1st Avenue and a five blocks east of Broadway), proprietors Megan & Kelly Gilligan have created a wonderful business based on the idea that great design can and should be available and customized for everyone! They offer everything from wedding invitations & accessories, to logos and branding to commercial and residential interior design. The shop features a great selection of art, photography, furniture and accessories. Please stop by and see my latest work in their new space! Call 303-733-3534 or visit: www.dueldesignshop.com.
Now showing at Duel Design Shop!
Newly opened in a turn-of-the-century storefront at 84 Pennsylvania Street in Denver (just south 1st Avenue and a five blocks east of Broadway), proprietors Megan & Kelly Gilligan have created a wonderful business based on the idea that great design can and should be available and customized for everyone! They offer everything from wedding invitations & accessories, to logos and branding to commercial and residential interior design. The shop features a great selection of art, photography, furniture and accessories. Please stop by and see my latest work in their new space! Call 303-733-3534 or visit: www.dueldesignshop.com.
February 18, 2014
Museum of Broken Relationships
It seems everywhere I have gone in the past few days all everyone is talking about is relationships! Valentine's Day, under a full moon no less, is an emotionally charged time. I even came across mention of the Museum of Broken Relationships while reading a back issue of ARTnews at the library. Created by artists and former couple Olinka Vistica & Drazen Grubisic in Croatia's capital of Zagreb, the museum has amassed a global cult following! It started with wondering what to do with a windup toy bunny that symbolized their relationship. So they put it on display. Now along with a myriad of other Objets de Dissolution, they posit it is cathartic to donate a once treasured object and pen a mini back story. Grubisic says the process allows people to "move on in a much gentler, humane way." See more at Brokenships.com.
Museum of Broken Relationships
It seems everywhere I have gone in the past few days all everyone is talking about is relationships! Valentine's Day, under a full moon no less, is an emotionally charged time. I even came across mention of the Museum of Broken Relationships while reading a back issue of ARTnews at the library. Created by artists and former couple Olinka Vistica & Drazen Grubisic in Croatia's capital of Zagreb, the museum has amassed a global cult following! It started with wondering what to do with a windup toy bunny that symbolized their relationship. So they put it on display. Now along with a myriad of other Objets de Dissolution, they posit it is cathartic to donate a once treasured object and pen a mini back story. Grubisic says the process allows people to "move on in a much gentler, humane way." See more at Brokenships.com.
February 18, 2014
I Dreamed of a Ribbon of Light
Relating to the story above, here would be my offering to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Many years ago I began seeing a red head who shall remain nameless. She was out of town on business, when I had a dream about her... in it, we were both asleep in our separate beds, but our hearts were connected by a ribbon of light! I took this as a positive sign. And though I typically paint from life or a photograph, that morning I decided to paint my dream from memory. And while I was working on the painting, out of the blue, she called! "Whatcha doin'?" she said. Well, I explained the dream and what a coincidence it was that she called at that particular moment. (Insert sound of crickets here). She never saw the painting, and we never went out again!
I Dreamed of a Ribbon of Light
Relating to the story above, here would be my offering to the Museum of Broken Relationships. Many years ago I began seeing a red head who shall remain nameless. She was out of town on business, when I had a dream about her... in it, we were both asleep in our separate beds, but our hearts were connected by a ribbon of light! I took this as a positive sign. And though I typically paint from life or a photograph, that morning I decided to paint my dream from memory. And while I was working on the painting, out of the blue, she called! "Whatcha doin'?" she said. Well, I explained the dream and what a coincidence it was that she called at that particular moment. (Insert sound of crickets here). She never saw the painting, and we never went out again!
February 14, 2014
The Gift
Happy Valentine's Day! This painting idea came to me while sitting in church at the Denver Center for Spiritual Living. I was listening to the talk and all of a sudden, in my minds eye, I could see Van Gogh's Starry Night. But within that familiar landscape I also saw a couple sitting on a bench, looking at each other with rapt attention. Sharing the gift of love. The gift is both in the giving and receiving. I have often wondered about the residents of the village depicted in the original. For me it was always kind of an idealized "Pepperland". With residents living in Peace and Love, under a benevolent cosmos. And in keeping with the renaissance tradition of onlookers seemingly always surrounding the protagonists, I included a small bunny off to the left of the couple, with its heart aglow reflecting the emotions of the moment.
The Gift
Happy Valentine's Day! This painting idea came to me while sitting in church at the Denver Center for Spiritual Living. I was listening to the talk and all of a sudden, in my minds eye, I could see Van Gogh's Starry Night. But within that familiar landscape I also saw a couple sitting on a bench, looking at each other with rapt attention. Sharing the gift of love. The gift is both in the giving and receiving. I have often wondered about the residents of the village depicted in the original. For me it was always kind of an idealized "Pepperland". With residents living in Peace and Love, under a benevolent cosmos. And in keeping with the renaissance tradition of onlookers seemingly always surrounding the protagonists, I included a small bunny off to the left of the couple, with its heart aglow reflecting the emotions of the moment.
February 13, 2014
Luminaria
Yesterday I went down to Pueblo to see the Sangre de Cristo Art Invitational, Feb 7-March 22, at Arts Center. It is definitely worth the trip. A stand out for me was this small painting by Frank LaLumia. He captured the moment perfectly with an economy of marks. Best of show went to friend Lorenzo Chavez for his March Winds pastel. Also of note were two painting of a gypsy performer by Teresa Vito, who I used to work with 20 years ago at Meininger Art Supply. And John Phillips had two shimmering landscapes. I went with him on my first attempt at painting En Plein Air. We were down along Bear Creek and it started snowing really hard. I was determined to capture an image but finally had to throw in the towel when the oddest thing started happening. The large flakes of snow started accumulating on the metal ferrules of my brushes. So much so I could no longer see the brush touching the canvas to paint! Those plein air painters are a hardy lot!!
Luminaria
Yesterday I went down to Pueblo to see the Sangre de Cristo Art Invitational, Feb 7-March 22, at Arts Center. It is definitely worth the trip. A stand out for me was this small painting by Frank LaLumia. He captured the moment perfectly with an economy of marks. Best of show went to friend Lorenzo Chavez for his March Winds pastel. Also of note were two painting of a gypsy performer by Teresa Vito, who I used to work with 20 years ago at Meininger Art Supply. And John Phillips had two shimmering landscapes. I went with him on my first attempt at painting En Plein Air. We were down along Bear Creek and it started snowing really hard. I was determined to capture an image but finally had to throw in the towel when the oddest thing started happening. The large flakes of snow started accumulating on the metal ferrules of my brushes. So much so I could no longer see the brush touching the canvas to paint! Those plein air painters are a hardy lot!!
February 6, 2014
Monkey Mind
This is the first self-portrait I have done in a really, really long time. Every artwork is a self-portrait in a way, unique to its creator. But this is the first time I've used my own image in a painting. And it is truly a statement of condition, which makes it very personal. The painting depicts that moment in meditation, when once again, I realize that instead of following my breath, my attention has wandered off to the myriad random thoughts and ideas that pass thru my head... the Monkey Mind. Now perturbed, still trying to stay in the moment, I open one eye, and look up to see the Monkey Mind, symbolized by the banana. This yellow apparition floating above my head, smiling back down at me. Tauntingly saying, Hello there, its me again! Grrrr... This experience was wonderfully portrayed by Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love. It is funny in the movies, but when it happens repeatedly in real life (I've been meditating since the late '70's) its not funny, man!
Monkey Mind will be on display in the Divine Humor exhibit at Mile Hi Church, February 9th-April 18th, 2014. See the Events Tab for more details.
Monkey Mind
This is the first self-portrait I have done in a really, really long time. Every artwork is a self-portrait in a way, unique to its creator. But this is the first time I've used my own image in a painting. And it is truly a statement of condition, which makes it very personal. The painting depicts that moment in meditation, when once again, I realize that instead of following my breath, my attention has wandered off to the myriad random thoughts and ideas that pass thru my head... the Monkey Mind. Now perturbed, still trying to stay in the moment, I open one eye, and look up to see the Monkey Mind, symbolized by the banana. This yellow apparition floating above my head, smiling back down at me. Tauntingly saying, Hello there, its me again! Grrrr... This experience was wonderfully portrayed by Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love. It is funny in the movies, but when it happens repeatedly in real life (I've been meditating since the late '70's) its not funny, man!
Monkey Mind will be on display in the Divine Humor exhibit at Mile Hi Church, February 9th-April 18th, 2014. See the Events Tab for more details.
February 1, 2014
GO BRONCOS!!!
This town is crazy orange for the home team. Even the sculptures are getting into the act! Here, this life size buffalo out in front of the History Colorado Museum is festooned with an XXXXXXXL Peyton Manning jersey!
GO BRONCOS!!!
This town is crazy orange for the home team. Even the sculptures are getting into the act! Here, this life size buffalo out in front of the History Colorado Museum is festooned with an XXXXXXXL Peyton Manning jersey!
January 21, 2014
Nightlight
While walking down Colfax during the Marade, it was nice to see the capitol dome emerging from its cocoon of scaffolding installed during the restoration. See photo below. The painting at left is a view of the dome at night. When I first moved into Denver's Capitol Hill in 1973, I lived at 1356 Pearl. A turn of the century 3 story walk up. Above the building across the street, I could see whole dome glowing at night. I had never lived in the big city before and it was a comforting "Nightlight" watching over me!
Nightlight
While walking down Colfax during the Marade, it was nice to see the capitol dome emerging from its cocoon of scaffolding installed during the restoration. See photo below. The painting at left is a view of the dome at night. When I first moved into Denver's Capitol Hill in 1973, I lived at 1356 Pearl. A turn of the century 3 story walk up. Above the building across the street, I could see whole dome glowing at night. I had never lived in the big city before and it was a comforting "Nightlight" watching over me!
January 20, 2014
MLK Marade Denver 2014
Holding the dream. The laying of the wreath at the MLK monument in City Park. It is by sculptor Ed Dwight and depicts Dr. King "standing on the shoulders" of Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth. Also, a view of the Marade proceeding east on Colfax Avenue.
MLK Marade Denver 2014
Holding the dream. The laying of the wreath at the MLK monument in City Park. It is by sculptor Ed Dwight and depicts Dr. King "standing on the shoulders" of Gandhi, Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth. Also, a view of the Marade proceeding east on Colfax Avenue.
January 18th, 2014
Monet's swirls
At the Passport to Paris exhibit, right next to Renoir's Monet painting in his garden (below) was this Monet Water Lilies painting from 1907. And while looking at it I had a distant memory surface. I was in 2nd grade and my teacher called me up to her desk to discuss one of my drawings. It was of a car and I had filled in the lines with swirls of crayon color. Art time was my favorite time of the day already. She informed me that 'we' don't color in circles, we do it in straight lines, therefor I was getting an "F" on my drawing. Well...
I immediately burst into tears! Thru my sobs I tried to explain to her I was still able to color within the lines even though my technique was not the norm. Seeing she had a situation on her hands, compromised and gave me an "A" for effort, and combined with the "F" gave me an overall "C" for the drawing. Now a lifetime later seeing this Monet with new eyes, left me with such a good feeling! That my swirls were truly okay, and a long forgotten (suppressed?) demon had been excised.
Monet's swirls
At the Passport to Paris exhibit, right next to Renoir's Monet painting in his garden (below) was this Monet Water Lilies painting from 1907. And while looking at it I had a distant memory surface. I was in 2nd grade and my teacher called me up to her desk to discuss one of my drawings. It was of a car and I had filled in the lines with swirls of crayon color. Art time was my favorite time of the day already. She informed me that 'we' don't color in circles, we do it in straight lines, therefor I was getting an "F" on my drawing. Well...
I immediately burst into tears! Thru my sobs I tried to explain to her I was still able to color within the lines even though my technique was not the norm. Seeing she had a situation on her hands, compromised and gave me an "A" for effort, and combined with the "F" gave me an overall "C" for the drawing. Now a lifetime later seeing this Monet with new eyes, left me with such a good feeling! That my swirls were truly okay, and a long forgotten (suppressed?) demon had been excised.
January 18th, 2014
Monet painting in his garden by Renoir
I went to the Passport to Paris exhibits at the Denver Art Museum this week and lo and behold there was Monet painting in his garden by Renoir. When I was studying classical realism in Boston, I went to the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford Connecticut to see this painting. But it was unavailable for viewing as it was being cleaned! So it has come to town and I finally get to see it after more than twenty years!
Monet painting in his garden by Renoir
I went to the Passport to Paris exhibits at the Denver Art Museum this week and lo and behold there was Monet painting in his garden by Renoir. When I was studying classical realism in Boston, I went to the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford Connecticut to see this painting. But it was unavailable for viewing as it was being cleaned! So it has come to town and I finally get to see it after more than twenty years!
January 13th, 2014
Silver Lining
My painting, Kaiser Caduceus (Sharing News), is in this Art Students League Exhibit through February 9th. The exhibit description is: "In moments of darkness, artists often turn to their work to find some explanation that makes sense of tragedy. The results are sometimes beautiful but often compelling expressions that tap into our shared laments: the loss of loved ones, the trials of disease, or any number of quiet tragedies. The art that results speaks to our shared humanity, forming a bridge from artist to viewer that becomes a collective understanding. This exhibit features artworks that are the silver linings to dark clouds.
I was at Kaiser Permanente getting some blood drawn when I looked down and saw this scene from the 2nd story of the parking garage. I was initially attracted to the beautiful serpentine shadow from the bicycle racks the woman was leaning against. Looking closer I noticed she was texting, sharing news of her visit to the clinic. I tried to capture this fleeting moment of reaching out between our myriad daily obligations. It gave me a sense of connectedness thru all our shared experiences. I firmly believe that even so called "bad" experiences come with a gift. Back in the mid-70's I had a skydiving accident in which I broke my tailbone. It could have been much worse, and my back kept going out afterwards. Because of that, I started investigating alternative healing modalities and spirituality. That experience put me on the path I'm still on today. It was a revelation to realize the Silver Lining that had come from the events of that day so long ago. Please join us at the artists' reception this Friday, January 17th from 5:30-8pm.
Silver Lining
My painting, Kaiser Caduceus (Sharing News), is in this Art Students League Exhibit through February 9th. The exhibit description is: "In moments of darkness, artists often turn to their work to find some explanation that makes sense of tragedy. The results are sometimes beautiful but often compelling expressions that tap into our shared laments: the loss of loved ones, the trials of disease, or any number of quiet tragedies. The art that results speaks to our shared humanity, forming a bridge from artist to viewer that becomes a collective understanding. This exhibit features artworks that are the silver linings to dark clouds.
I was at Kaiser Permanente getting some blood drawn when I looked down and saw this scene from the 2nd story of the parking garage. I was initially attracted to the beautiful serpentine shadow from the bicycle racks the woman was leaning against. Looking closer I noticed she was texting, sharing news of her visit to the clinic. I tried to capture this fleeting moment of reaching out between our myriad daily obligations. It gave me a sense of connectedness thru all our shared experiences. I firmly believe that even so called "bad" experiences come with a gift. Back in the mid-70's I had a skydiving accident in which I broke my tailbone. It could have been much worse, and my back kept going out afterwards. Because of that, I started investigating alternative healing modalities and spirituality. That experience put me on the path I'm still on today. It was a revelation to realize the Silver Lining that had come from the events of that day so long ago. Please join us at the artists' reception this Friday, January 17th from 5:30-8pm.
January 5th, 2014
Fare well Creator Mundi....
Sadly, my gallery in Cherry Creek North of almost 4 years is closing their doors on January 18th, 2014.
I have already removed my work, as they prepare for the final clearance sale Jan. 13-18.
They may continue as an online only business. Please check their website in the future for further details... CreatorMundi.com. Until then, their hours are 11am-4pm.
Thank you Hildegarde, Suzanne, David, Kathleen, Mary and Gianna.
Fare well Creator Mundi....
Sadly, my gallery in Cherry Creek North of almost 4 years is closing their doors on January 18th, 2014.
I have already removed my work, as they prepare for the final clearance sale Jan. 13-18.
They may continue as an online only business. Please check their website in the future for further details... CreatorMundi.com. Until then, their hours are 11am-4pm.
Thank you Hildegarde, Suzanne, David, Kathleen, Mary and Gianna.