Hello friends and fans (hiccup),

I attended the Victoria Emerging Art Awards last night at the Avenue Gallery in Oak Bay and reconnected with friends and clients from my graphic design / web development life, and met some Facebook friends in person for the first time (holy cow it was great).

AND because I’m so vain - I’d like to point out my guest appearance in this Exhibit-V video (which will no doubt encourage you even more to watch it.

Now back to the people I met at the VEAA event.

First was the dear, and entertaining Peter Such, President of the Victoria College of Art. He knows me from my web development/graphic design days, plus from when I took evening classes with Alain Costaz, and Carol Thompson there.

The first Facebook friend I met was Tara Juneau. She’s super cute in real life, a truly lovely woman. I look forward to connecting with her again much more in the future.

Second, it was great to meet Efren Quiroz, the owner of Exhbit-V . He provides an amazing gift to the local arts community by filming and publishing art events at his website. I’ve watched nearly all of them, and it’s given me the opportunity to see great art, amazing galleries, and to get to know the local artist community. I feel more connected, and above all, more educated about the art that is available for purchase. A big thank-you to Efren for providing this invaluable, and complimentary service. I hope he accepts donations or corporate sponsorship in future to keep him motivated for years, and years to come. I think he could make a great television program out of his work. And a big thank-you to him for my guest appearance on his latest vid!

The World Famous Gopher Hole Musuem

I knew there were people out there like me. About the size of an RV, Torrington Gopher Hole Museum features stuffed gophers (actually, “Richardson’s Ground Squirrels) posed to resemble the townspeople. Exhibits include gophers dressed as a priest, bank robber, RCMP officer, duck hunter, firefighter, and beautician, among others. Dressed in elaborate costumes and framed by elaborately painted backdrops, the gophers pose in cabinets, their glassy eyes indifferent to the media attention they provoke and the letters pouring in on their behalf.

• HOURS Daily 10 am - 5 pm. (Call to verify)
• ADDRESS 208 1 St S, Torrington, Alberta, Canada
• COST$2.00

See the photogallery

Torrington Beauty Salon, Photograph by Brian Gavriloff, edmontonjournal.com

As discussed in an earlier post, I went to Santa Fe, New Mexico in July to take a two week portrait painting class from Tony Ryder (Ryder Studio School).

During the morning of each day (Monday to Friday), Tony would demonstrate the techniques by painting his own canvas using the live model. This began with vine charcoal on canvas for the Block In, the Ink In with oil paint and Gamsol, the Under painting, troubleshooting the Under painting, and finally the Form painting.

This process is about seeing the form as 3D - turning, twisting, weaving through and the effect of the light. We were reminded every day to look at where the large complex forms meet, focused on the highest point rather than the lowest point.

Overall, it was an amazing, disciplined, equation by colour, draftsman-like style of painting from a live model. I took photographs of Tony’s demonstration and have posted a short video of still photos here, so you get an idea of the steps to create the 3D illusion. Please remember this is Tony Ryder’s painting (not mine), as I thought this would be a better representation of what the end result is supposed to look like (smile).

It is interesting to note that Tony Ryder studied in New York with Ted Seth Jacobs, and through a chart called The Flowering Staircase (1435 - 1935) posted at Studio Escalier (by Timothy Stotz) you can read the trace of Master-Apprentice or Teacher-Student Relationship (4-6 years minimun, as a rule) - linked back to Michelangelo.

The Flowering Staircase by Timothy Stotz | click to see larger version

Tony Ryder’s Ryder Studio School offers a 9 month course during the school year, but to my delight, they also offer 3 different 2 week intensive courses. I chose the 2 week portrait painting in oil. We worked on a single portrait for two weeks.

Tony Ryder (Ryder Studio School) demonstrating the Poster Study during two week intensive portrait painting class

My first day of class at the Ryder Studio School was like the first day of elementary school. I’ve always had such good memories of the first day; new faces, people to meet, and things to learn. Toby (M. Tobias Hall) was our live model for the 2 weeks. We worked on painting his portrait the entire time.

Toby is also an amazing artist in his own right, and is moving to Seattle, WA, with his artist girlfriend Mercia in September 2010 (hint, hint if you want to commission a portrait by him and you live in Victoria, BC).

There were 14 students in our class, some of whom have been learning under Tony Ryder for up to 2 years (including Toby), and they came from all over the United States, Saudi Arabia, Australia, New Zealand, and of course Canada!

I love the process, system, and order that is immediately evident from day 1. First, we were designated a cubby hole for our art supplies (yippee since I dislike the burden of carrying around art supplies). Next, we were allocated out own painting position, where our easel would remain for two weeks (you need the same position to paint a portrait from a live model).

Palette Layout for oil paints on Corian surface

I ended up with Position 5, where I had the model almost full face on. I felt pretty good about my position (won by lottery), until I realized I was the only one who had to paint TWO EARS. Everyone else had profile, or just enough that only one ear was showing.

It didn’t matter once I got the ears drawn in, and subsequently realized I would probably only touch on the form painting anyway.  It occurred to me early into the following week, when all of us (the whole class included) realized how much work and precision this colour mixing thing is, and the million little math formulas it requires to get the desired results! It’s hard, and disciplined work, man!

Tony Ryder's poster study (demonstration)

On the first day we watched Tony (as we did every morning) demonstrate the poster study. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate some ideas about colour mixing and value scales of the subject. It reminded me of the Photoshop effect by the same name, having the same effect when manipulating a photograph.

After class ended on day 1, some of us learned how to stretch a canvas (a first for me). Mine was stretched by the famous M.Tobias Hall - which I’m sure I’ll regret not having him sign it. It was also my first experience using oil paints, and learning how to  lay out a paint palette as recommended by Tony. This was combined with some good housekeeping tips for best results.

My poster study from class

After watching Tony in the morning, it was then our turn to set up and begin the poster study. We began by outlining the shape of Toby’s head with brown, using a dab of paint and Gamsol, and our other solvent medium mixture.

As instructed, we began with the darkest accents first called the base mixture, and then began to mix the next value up. If there is a value change, then there is a colour change.

We were constantly reminded to think of colour, hue, value, and intensity. We mixed paint and added in colour like pixels. We all had a brush washers filled with Gamsol, and learned the best way to wash them.

One student asked Tony how an artist can become confident about a colour choice, and Tony’s quote of the day in response was,

” Never get in a whale boat with a person who’s not afraid of a whale”. I took this to mean that it’s good to be scared. This keeps you on your toes, and aware at all times!

Marmot - seen on the way home from class

Next post will include the Vine Charcoal phase and how Mighty Mouse is the patron saint of the Block In, along with more tour info like local churches and museums.

My friend Elena gave me a tourist guide for Santa Fe about 3 years ago. The one gallery that stood out in my mind, which I bookmarked and linked from my blogroll was the Pop Gallery Santa Fe.

CJ Metzger Dead Love-Muertos in the Forest, 2009 MIXED MEDIA original on boar

They focus on the type of art that I really like best. The Pop Gallery was established in January 2007. Representing POP Art in numerous media with an esteemed focus on POP Modernism, Illustration Art, Animation, Photography & Sculpture. Nestled across from the historic Coyote Café on Water Street the gallery hosts an environment unique to the city with vibrant color and a European salon atmosphere thus embracing locals and tourists alike.

Owners & curators Michael McDowell & Sharla Throckmorton-McDowell bring over 20 years of diverse high end fine art experience to the gallery which serves private and corporate collections throughout the world, and are a real treat to  interact with when making an art purchase.

I’ve been following different shows and represented artists (through the Pop Gallery email newsletter and Facebook fan page) like CJ Metzger & Miss Mindy (known as the Artist Sisters), Brandon Maldonado (whose art I will post in future blog post), and more. When I walked through the doors - I had a religious experience. Sharla, the owner  (she owns it with her husband), greeted us at the door and made us welcome right away. To make a long story short, I fell in love with a CJ Metzger painting called, Dead Love-Muertos in the Forest, 2009, MIXED MEDIA original on board. It has all the elements I love such as big eyed girls, animals, yummy colours, religious iconography (Día de los Muertos, Day of the Dead - mask), and nice boobs.

I highly recommend you sign up to receive their newsletter at the Pop Gallery website to receive notices about events and new pieces for sale.

Visit Pop Gallery website here

Pop Gallery, Santa Fe

Acrobat Squirrel

Cone of Starvation

My fascination with squirrels can be said to be, “for the birds.” My inspiration to paint them as characters, perhaps too.

But, so are the bird feeders.

We have many squirrels in our yard, and yes, we feed them peanuts. No shells or skins, and always unsalted, of course. We also have bird feeders made of seeds, in the shape of  bells, and suet hanging from what used to be for plant baskets.

After watching their behaviour for the last three years, I have noticed that squirrels are not only mysterious with their interspecies relationships, but they are a little bit greedy too.

Here are some photos snapped the other day. See the photo with the black cone attached to the pole? This is a technique we call, “the cone of starvation,” which is an attempt to keep the bird feed - for the birds. Earlier, we tried a mixture of tabasco sauce and olive oil to grease up the pole, thinking the squirrels would slide down unsuccessfully with hot little hands.

You can only imagine our surprise when the mixture not only seemed to encourage them, but resulted in a note being left at our door asking for spicy flavoured peanuts. The Greek Squirrel demanded a better quality olive oil.

{original post at New York Times By SUZY MENKES
Published: May 24, 2010}

PARIS — It has been dismissed by opinion makers as “the decade that taste forgot” — the era of bell-bottom pants, glam rock glitter, clammy polyester, shrunken sweaters and a palette of orange, brown and avocado.

Yet suddenly ’70s style is being re-assessed — and not just by women embracing platform shoes as though the love affair were even more intense the second time around.

“The 1970s suffers from being discredited — but the reality is entirely different,” claims Olivier Saillard, the curator of a Paris exhibition that brings to virtual life an era of dancing, prancing models, experimental ready-to-wear fashion and, by the time the decade had segued into the ’80s, almost every trend that marked the final part of the last century.

“An Idealized History of Fashion” is the English translation of the show at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs (until Oct. 10). And Mr. Saillard has done something few museums have the imagination to achieve: multimedia installations to bring each designer’s spirit to screen life.

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Original article from Arts Beat - The Culture at Large

Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society, New York, via Christie’s | Picasso’s 1932 painting “Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur (Nude, Green Leaves and Bust).”

A painting that Picasso created in a single day in March 1932, “Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur (Nude, Green Leaves and Bust),” sold for $106.5 million, a world record auction price for a work of art, at Christie’s May 04th, 2010. The painting, more than 5 feet by 4 feet, shows Picasso’s mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter, both reclining and as a bust. Picasso’s profile can be discerned in the blue background.
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