Easter

I am not all that comfortable in multitudinous family gatherings but they are a great chance to paint if you want to make good use of your time. Relatives are usually at ease even if somewhat fidgety and highly opinionated. (All 300 of them DEMAND to be in squeezed in the painting and complain bitterly if the composition doesn't allow for it. "What do you mean adding little Christopher in the painting will ruin the piece?" "How come I am *never* included?" etc...) During our annual Easter picnic I painted these two oil "sketches" which turned out quite charming.

La modelo dormida

Sarah, the shy model

Our watercolor workshop at work is going well. We did two days with a live model and it was quite eye-opening. I encouraged the participants to create a bight wash first leaving some areas untouched for the lighter spots. Then, while the paper was still wet, sling some complementary color to create that pearly effect only watercolor can achieve. After some drying, start creating the soft and hard edges . Sounds easy but it is not . It mostly demands some self-control. Our model the second day didn't have much experience which made for some timid but endearing poses.

We won an Academy Award!

We at Rhythm and Hues won a very deserved Academy Award, an Oscar, for best Visual Effects in the movie "The Golden Compass". I thought "Transformers" had it in the bag but no peanuts. Here I am holding the Oscar with Bill Westenhoffer , the visual effects supervisor. Not only is he disarmingly nice and humble but he has talents that most people only dream of *both* in the technical aspects of visual effects and in their artistic flair. He has an "eye" most painters would envy.



Since this blog is about art, let me just explain that I consider Bill and many other people that toil in the visual effects field true fully realized artists. Not only do they make stunning imagery but they make it in movement. Like Leonardo and Michelangelo, they harness the power of cutting edge science to create images that truly define our culture. Millions see the pictures put forth by these people and millions are awed. Not many artists can claim that .

Most people that have worked or work in computer graphics and animation or any collaborative work really, me included, have little patience for the snobs , divas and egos that sometimes creep into the art world precisely because we have been in touch with people that humbled us with their knowledge and talent. I find again and again that the most talented individuals are usually those who don't need to "stand out" or put on airs.

Back to watercolor

I've heard form some people now. My watercolors have "a warmth". So I am picking where I left and re-inaugurating a new watercolor year. I had a consultation with an artist rep: Mrs Margaret Danielak, she had many good marketing and promotion suggestions and watercolor came up again. May be as a way of becoming more distinct among a landscape of urban plein-air virtuosos. Her father was a very accomplished artists in this medium so that makes Mrs Danielak a little partial. But who couldn't be partial to such a wonderful means of expression. Plus I am teaching a watercolor class in two weeks so I better get good in a hurry. I did this little piece in less than 30 minutes.

Armando Ortiz fast asleep

So many times we underestimate the importance of a supportive spouse or significant other. They can make us or break us with a single word. Armando is a very loving and a very difficult person at the same time. He is overwhelmed with passion and impatience for life. I love him to pieces while he drives me to thumping exasperation. He can be sweet and earthy but also launch tantrums of irrational despair. He call ist "sponatenous". I am so afraid of "spontaneity" lately.

Timothy J. Clark and Milford Zornes

Visited the Timothy J. Clark and Milford Zornes show at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. What can I say. I'm floored. Timothy was doing urban impressionism before it was even an issue , nocturnal Chevron gas stations, Ralph's parking lots, crepuscular semi-abstract freeways...Then suddenly he turned to watercolor and never looked back. His watercolors are brilliant even though he left behind the more "daring" subject matter. May be he had to pay bills and cater to more conventional taste? I bought the catalog so I guess I'll find out.

"Artist on a hill" T. J. Clark

Reproduced without permission for educational purposes

I used to think Milfor Zornes was cartoony and abused blacks. Well, I've been disabused. This 100 year old man is a magnificent painter. The show at PMCA was so dazzling , so bold and intense that I have gained a new name to my list of idols.

On a side note : Sometimes catalogs use euphemism to express common shortcomings of artists. museums and the art world in general. Just like in real estate an "eclectic" neighborhood means there are shoot-outs daily, in art-speech, euphemisms abound also. For example : "catering to new patrons" usually means "selling out"; a "vital" artists would be considered a drunk in most venues and "flamboyant" is sometimes shorthand for "egotistical asshole". A "sensualist" or "proteic" artist is usually a serial rapist . A "stipend" means he had to borrow money from his or her sister. And so on....