Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Examiner
Christopher Schmidt from the Exmanier.com recently published a review of Dublin Square, a cool San Diego spot I had the pleasure of visiting and grabbing a beer with a friend. As the photo junky I am, my camera was going off in every direction. My Flickr page has more than 4000 images, I have lost the count but thank God they keep track of that for me. As part of the review for Dublin Square, one of my photos was used and published. You can view the article and photo here.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Back to Steve

"It's damn hard to make a canvas interesting with only one person. And it's not enough to get the likeness. There's also the background that has to be supple, alive, for the background lives. If that is opaque, dead, then there's nothing left."
- Edouard Manet -
I've been working on Steve's second portrait in the past few days. Since the last post on the progress of this painting I had intended to have a rich blue background, similar to those found in Holbein's portraits. But it was not going in the right direction. Working with a flat color that is that bright can be tricky, and I found out the hard way. It was a good idea to leave the painting alone for a few months, although I did look at it everyday as it sat around my studio near other works in progress. I was not happy with the blue look, and finally one day I gave up on my stubborn idea that it had to be blue, and started working in a neutral tone. I think it was a the right choice. The color of the tank top and Steve's skin color are no longer fighting for attention as they did with the blue background. Now they stand up and I believe that this is a better harmony. I'm starting to paint the face, something that will take me a while to nail down.
Labels:
portrait,
process,
Steve in a Tank Top
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Scammers are Back
In December of 2006 I almost fell victim to an art scam. I was contacted by a possible buyer for some of my paintings and after getting an uneasy feeling about the email I received, I asked a friend's opinion. He got on the computer and did a search, resulting on a long list of people who had been scammed.
Yesterday I received another email, and had the same uneasy feeling. I responded with the cost of the two paintings "Vanlentine" was interested in. This is the response I received:
I copied and pasted the body of the letter on google and I was right. This was another scam. What can I say, these people do make me sad and angry. I do not wish them any good in this life. Artists work hard on their art and push themselves to make the best work they can produce. It is always nice to hear feedback from others and yes even better if some one wants to purchase the work. But this kind thing can be very discouraging, and even disrespectful. To all you other artists, be very careful.
Here is the link to the post I wrote in December of 2006 about the first scam. You will find here more information about how the scam works and how you may end up loosing your money and your art.
Yesterday I received another email, and had the same uneasy feeling. I responded with the cost of the two paintings "Vanlentine" was interested in. This is the response I received:
Hi Luis,
Good to hear back from you. Yes,i will like to proceed with the purchase of both works . I think they are lovely works and i hope to give them good home. Advise if it is possible to give any discount for the purchase of both works.
I am presently away in London for my twin sister's wedding eventhough it comes at a time when i was preparing for a big move and also expecting a baby but it means so much to her. I should be back in few days.
Meanwhile,i will like you to forward your mailing address and phone number so i can inform my husband still shutling between our home in New Jersey and Jo'burg, SA on where to forward the payment . He has just been transfer to head the IT section of their head Office in Jo'burg.
I can also forward your contact info to the local cartage company that will be moving all our house decors so they can get in touch with you to arrange shipping details. They can arrange pick up FedEx pick up of the artworks from your studio.
I will look forward to hearing from you so i can know how best to proceed. Cheers.
Best Regards,
Valentine.I am presently away in London for my twin sister's wedding eventhough it comes at a time when i was preparing for a big move and also expecting a baby but it means so much to her. I should be back in few days.
Meanwhile,i will like you to forward your mailing address and phone number so i can inform my husband still shutling between our home in New Jersey and Jo'burg, SA on where to forward the payment . He has just been transfer to head the IT section of their head Office in Jo'burg.
I can also forward your contact info to the local cartage company that will be moving all our house decors so they can get in touch with you to arrange shipping details. They can arrange pick up FedEx pick up of the artworks from your studio.
I will look forward to hearing from you so i can know how best to proceed. Cheers.
Best Regards,
I copied and pasted the body of the letter on google and I was right. This was another scam. What can I say, these people do make me sad and angry. I do not wish them any good in this life. Artists work hard on their art and push themselves to make the best work they can produce. It is always nice to hear feedback from others and yes even better if some one wants to purchase the work. But this kind thing can be very discouraging, and even disrespectful. To all you other artists, be very careful.
Here is the link to the post I wrote in December of 2006 about the first scam. You will find here more information about how the scam works and how you may end up loosing your money and your art.
Monday, August 17, 2009
New Painting: Onion IV
Onion IV, 2009, oil on canvas, 7 x 6 inches
This is the painting I started as a tester for Graham oil paint. I was not able to get used to the slippery qualities of that paint, so I switched back to Williamsburg and Old Holland. More new work to come soon.
Labels:
Onion IV,
painting,
still life
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Mad About Titian!


It is impossible to post images of all the paintings in the exhibit. I had to choose Titian since he made the biggest impression on me. His light, color, and use of paint reached a place very deep in me. The amount of beauty from these paintings made it all too surreal, too much of a good thing to come from a single man. But he did paint all these works, among other great altar pieces, portraits, and mythological scenes, now scattered through out the world.



A museum visitor came up to me after seeing me sketch The Entombment. She wondered if any one out there these days was painting as beautiful as the three Venetian masters; I gasped for air and told her that I hoped so. It would be a shame if this kind of beauty is lost.
Labels:
art scene,
exhibitions,
museum,
Titian
Friday, August 14, 2009
A Night of Thinking!

Things have been brewing in my mind and last night my head boiled as my friend told me that he's had conversations with another mutual friend about why I'm not going any where with my art. "We think you are sitting on a gold mine with your talent, but you have to decide how you want to proceed." As agreed, I'm not trying hard enough, OK, not trying at all, to get ,my work out there to be seen by the right people. It is not enough for me to post paintings and endless works in progress in this blog. I have to make this happen and be more aggressive. "You have incredible resources in us, him being a business developer, and I working at the top of an important international news organization!" My friends, who I love to death, have been offering their opinions and ideas about how I should do things, but in the end it is I who needs to decided what's best and go at it full force. The truth can hurt, but truth is also a damn good eye opener and most times the best remedy. I, from now on, will be more focused. I'm not sure how to get my work out there, most artists don't since there is no specific set of guidelines for us to follow. I'll figure it out as I go along. But one thing is for sure, I have to paint more!
With my heart now set on the right path, I can say I'm starting to feel better about myself. Even more so knowing that I'll be taking a day trip to Boston to see the Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto show at the MFA. I think this will be a good way to get the gears going.
Sunday, August 09, 2009
A New Onion



Labels:
Onion IV,
process,
still life
Friday, August 07, 2009
Hell Gate Bridge Progress

Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Painting by the Gate of Hell





Sunday, August 02, 2009
Mr. Blue Sky
Slowly but steady I have been working on the larger version of San Remo. What struck me most the morning I painted the study was the clear beautiful blue spring sky above Central Park. I didn't realize that painting a bright beautiful sky would turn out to be a little difficult. I have been looking through books and online at different artists to see how they dealt with painting the sky. Here are a few examples of the work I have been admiring. Mr. Julina Merrow-Smith, above, always hits the right notes in every little painting he does.
Kim Cogan is one of my favorite contemporary artists. I ran into his work online while surfing the net a while ago. Since then I seem to see his work more often, especially now that he shows in NYC. I will be doing a post dedicated to him soon.
Marc Dalessio, a painter living in Italy, travels around the globe to exotic places in search for the perfect plein air landscape. Every time I look at his work and, countries and people he has seen makes want to have his life.
Camille Pissarro, Route de Versaille, Rocquencourt, 1871, oil on canvas, Amsterdam, Van Gogh Museum, the Netherlands
Kim Cogan is one of my favorite contemporary artists. I ran into his work online while surfing the net a while ago. Since then I seem to see his work more often, especially now that he shows in NYC. I will be doing a post dedicated to him soon.
Marc Dalessio, a painter living in Italy, travels around the globe to exotic places in search for the perfect plein air landscape. Every time I look at his work and, countries and people he has seen makes want to have his life.

Thomas Eakins, Starting out After Rail, 1974, oil on canvas mounted on masonite, 24 1/4 x 19 7/8 inches, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
I don't think I need to introduce, or say much, abut the three artists and paintings above. All done in different time periods, styles, and from different areas of the world. But they are all great landscape paintings. Out of all three, Eakins' boating scene draws me in the most. His blue is like no other, and the reflections in the water are pure magic. With all these artists in mind I continue work on my landscape, wishing that it will turn out at least a small fraction as good as these guys' work.
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