News
Opening tonight
July 29, 2010
…at Susan Powell Fine Arts. I have three pieces in the show, including my first trompe l’oeil. Pictures to come
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Recipes?
January 06, 2010
There are a lot of people reading this blog every day, and assume that most are artists or students. Would anyone be interested in me posting recipes for mediums, gesso, stretching canvas, etc.? If so, please leave a comment.
OKAY! Here’s one I like that gives a quick-drying, glossy medium:
Ingredients:
1 part copal concentrate
1 part canada balsam
1. Stir copal concentrate into canada balsam until blended
2. Use as is for a painting medium.
3. Dilute with turpentine at a 1:1 ratio of medium to turps.
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Sold!
December 02, 2009
Bouguereau Study at Arcadia Gallery
This painting was shown at the Boston International Fine Art Show last month. I didn’t get a chance to see the show, but apparently it was hanging on the outside wall of Arcadia’s booth, facing the show’s entrance. The gallery got a call yesterday from a collector whose wife saw it at the show and “fell in love with it.”
It’s getting shipped out today…
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I’m Too Busy…
November 19, 2009
…to post much these days. But I am planning to post progress shots from one of the new figure paintings I’m working on. The progression will begin at the first step, which, according to Glinda from OZ, is where one should start. I’ve got five new figure pieces in various stages of development, as well as a new endeavor: A portrait! I’ll post some shots of my first one soon, and if anyone wants a portrait, or knows someone who wants a portrait get in touch.
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Stupidity in Art?
September 24, 2009
Can there be such a thing as an art “crutch?” Does using a system to mix color, or measuring to draw accurately mean we are crippling our growth? Can a person use color well before they can draw well? Should an artist avoid using any tool at their disposal to help them make the best art they can?
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In Arcadia’s window!
September 15, 2009
I rarely get a chance to spend solid time with either of my older boys, and to get to have a day with my oldest son while heading to the gallery is my idea of perfect. To get to see my latest in the window just tops it off wonderfully.
Bouguereau Study at Arcadia Gallery
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Surprised Recognition?
August 01, 2009
In writing this post I found two images that are near-identical, but with different titles.
The one on the left, “Head of a Child 5″ 1998, is now in the Denver Art Museum, as seen below with its former owners, Vicki and Kent Logan, standing in front of it. The image on the left is from http://www.helnwein.com/ and is called “Untitled” [Detail] 1998.
On Helnwein’s site (http://www.helnwein.com/), is a quote from William S. Burroughs stating that “It is the function of the artist to evoke the experience of surprised recognition: To show the viewer what he knows but does not know that he knows. Helnwein is a master of surprised recognition”
I agree that Helnwein can indeed provoke surprised recognition, and can agree with Burrough’s definition of the artist’s function, although I think it is rather narrow in its scope. What I wonder about is whether his current painting method can really be called painting? According to another site, http://www.helnwein-museum.com/article1801.html, Helnwein prints digital photos onto large canvases and then dabs paint onto them. I would describe that as retouching a photograph, or something like that. Calling them “oil and acrylic on canvas” seems disingenuous. If Helnwein’s objective is to create images that spur “surprised recognition” then I wouldn’t think it would matter how the image is constructed, because the image’s impact is not keyed to painting. Why not create a new description for the process, one that doesn’t leave out a key component in order to prevent “the initial dazzle of Helnwein’s technique fad[ing] slightly with the knowledge that he begins with a photograph.”
Irish Landscape3 (Nire Valley) 2003
All this leaves me mainly unmoved. Part of me is glad to know how Helnwein manages to pull off these images. Part of me is glad he is making such big, impacting images.
But can it be called painting?
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Always use the biggest brush possible?
June 15, 2009
This aphorism, “Always use the biggest brush possible” was posted on Rational Painting on June 12th, and engendered a very interesting debate. One side thought that it was good to tell students and beginners to work with the largest brush possible, while the other side thought it to be an incomplete belief better replaced by an awareness of the reasons behind choosing a particular brush: Desired stroke, opacity, edge, etc.
The pro side countered with some of the advantages of using a large brush, namely saving time, being forced to consider the large forms first, and the painterly quality a large brush provides.
The con side didn’t dispute the advantages, but questioned the issues inherent in holding such an all-inclusive thought.
Is it not more important to know why one chooses a certain brush? Its material, shape, spring and size all contribute to the marks it makes, and paintings are built with brush marks, even when those marks are hidden such as in my friend Tony Curanaj’s work.
The debate raised some hackles and good questions. People always react when a belief is challenged, and artists seem to hold quite a few beliefs that can be challenged, such as the “never use black” belief.
What do you think?
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Jim Thalassoudis Solo Show
May 29, 2009
Jim’s solo exhibition in Perth.
Check it out if you like…….
http://www.greenhillgalleries.com/exhibitions/exhibition_details_thalassoudis.html