Turn and Return

The complexities of nature as revealed in this long overturned stump, and, nowhere is there to be found a straight line.

Review, Regroup, Reswizzle

A new exhibit at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art entitled “Hidden Treasures”, works from the permanent collection, featuring a broad array of art from around the world and spanning the centuries, was enticing enough to draw me in quickly to see what had been down in storage. I especially enjoyed seeing some drypoint etchings by John Sloan and Edward Hopper, and a series of colorful, if understated, silkscreen prints by a variety of artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Motherwell. A display of pre-Columbian Mexican artifacts was also of keen interest.

The museum is doing some updating and has temporarily relocated some artwork to new exhibition rooms. It was good to see some old favorites, like a rather unique Van Gogh self portrait, hanging in a new location, with new friends in its midst.

The highlight of the visit had to be viewing two striking paintings by Balthus, but, aren’t they all?

Attavanti, Come to Pray

SACRISTAN Her picture!

CAVARADOSSI Whose?

SACRISTAN That strange girl who has been coming here these past few days to pray. Such devotion… such piety.

CAVARADOSSI It is so. And she was so absorbed in fervent prayer that I could paint her lovely face unnoticed.

SACRISTAN Away, Satan, away!

CAVARADOSSI Give me my paints. Oh hidden harmony of contrasting beauties! Floria is dark, my love and passion…

SACRISTAN Jest with knaves and neglect the saints …

CAVARADOSSI And you, mysterious beauty… Crowned with blond locks, your eyes are blue and Tosca's black!

Blond Nude

I completed an oil painting today, tentatively entitled “Attavanti, Come to Pray”, shown above. This one had a rather long gestation period of some six to eight months. I am of the mindset these days of not to rush or push the completion of a work. At present, I prefer to let the work evolve in its own time, emerging when the time is right.

I look forward to seeing how I will feel about it going forward, but for right now, I enjoy displaying it on my wall.

Icons, Part 3

Oh, who could resist?! Here she is. My take on Jackie.

She is the best single thing that ever happened to Jack.

Icons, Part 2

Art, politics, culture. Icons are where we blur the lines. My pick for top icon of the twentieth century? Hands down, Chairman Mao.

If only it could have been Jackie!

Icons of the Twenty First Century?

Lenin, Mao, Gandhi, Stalin, Marlene Dietrich, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, all of them were, by any measure, twentieth century icons.

Is there a new set of enduring icons? Is it too early to tell in the twenty first century? Can you identify an enduring icon alive today, especially one who captivates the public imagination at present?

Leave me a comment. I would be very interested to hear your view!

The System and The Bee’s Knees

Hard to fathom that the linchpin that holds all of life together on this planet rests on the fervent and relentless activity of this little fellow shown above, sucking nectar out of the style of a flower. As he gathers the nectar, going flower to flower, he spreads the pollen stuck to his body securing the pollination and ensuring the continuation of all plant life, and thus the vast animal food chain that relies on it.

If we were to properly value this pollination effort, we would do everything in our power, and base every decision on the health and wellbeing of the bees. Instead of applying our cunning for war and conquering and mayhem, we would help our little friends who labor on our behalf. Then we would truly live in a world abundant with milk and honey.

Designed and Manufactured with Available Materials and Technology

While hiking in what had been the summer hunting grounds of the Eastern Abenaki Indians, I came across this small stone on the trail. Though grouped with other like sized stones, this one caught my eye and I decided to examine it. Could it be an Indian artifact, a tool of some kind? It seemed to me that it might well be!

The stone was symmetrical side to side and front to back. It clearly seemed to have been worked. If anything, it appeared to have a dual purpose with a full radius, uniformly sharp, serrated blade on one end, and a blunter, straighter serrated scraping blade on the other. It appeared to have been crafted by deft striking. It felt good in my hand.

Where is the stone now? It is right where I found it on the trail. Now I will always know where it is!

Stonescape

I just returned from a week of camping and hiking in Acadia National Park, on Mount Desert Island, Maine. I was far from the world of work, the web, buttons and screens. It was a welcome respite, with my eyes to the mountains, and the skies, to read the heavens for signs of rain or stars. I also found time for the guitar and books, to soothe and nourish the inner man.

On a return visit to the summit of Mount Pemetic, I came across this wonder in 3 dimensions, like a friend to greet the temporal visitor, whether on two legs, four, or in flight. On par with any abstract creation that I have seen, with profound dimensions of form, mass, and color, and placed as though by the thumb and forefinger of the Maker.

Homage

My drawing professor from design school, the great, Jak Kovatch, used to say, among many other things, “color attracts the eye.” I think, well, yes it really does.

Countless times, often while drawing or painting, or sometimes, just while driving in the car, I think of Jak and his words, put out softly, like nuggets of gold, or gems lying on the ground. Many will pass by, but will they value or even notice?

On Balance

A day in the home office, off the roads, catching up on paperwork, conducting business, with time for social interaction, some drawing, some painting, some planning, and, a light workout.

Net out: fulfillment.

Plastic Phantasm

My favorite museum goer checks out Dutch artist Folkert de Jong's "The Shooting... At Watou", on exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. Bold and interesting, but not a place that you would want to linger due to the violent depiction, the freakish figures, and the terrifying and wholesale use of such disquieting materials as polystyrene and polyurethane. It was the first time I wanted to wear a dust mask at a museum. Still, a memorable work.

Wonder and Action

What an age we live in.

All the tools are at hand for the positive and good, or for mayhem and destruction. Man seems hard wired either to create or to destroy, depending on the ideas entertained by the individual.

To build takes creativity, focus, acumen and perseverance. To destroy requires very little really, and those without the drive and purpose to create are prone to destroy what they cannot produce. The weak succumb to their weakness, would deny others of the good, and destroy themselves in the process.

Good design, good art, and fun. These, and other good things, like compassion and hope, are what will elevate us and provide the critical mass to make the day, this day, and tomorrow.

Photo Finish

I am in the midst of a couple of quieter days in the home office, just prior to the long holiday weekend. It’s a chance to catch up on paperwork and get a little better organized, hopefully to step back a bit and get some perspective on the bigger picture.

While in the process of clearing off my drawing board, in the hopes of actually using it for drawing, I came across some old brochures from art exhibits I had attended. One particularly caught my attention, entitled “again, serial practices in contemporary art.” This was largely a photography exhibit, but also included other media, and was on display at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, an exhibit in conjunction with The Cartin Collection. The exhibition took place back in the fall of 2007.

I recall several images from the exhibit, particularly some odd portraits and a large number of photos of electric chairs and the chambers that housed them. What struck me most was, off to the side, in a partially enclosed darkened area, a collection of small, almost crudely produced, and seemingly badly archived, portraits of women. This was the work of Miroslav Tichy, a Czech artist and photographer. For better or for worse, mostly for lacking the patience at museums and galleries, I tend to focus on the work and less on the write ups. I knew nothing of Miroslav Tichy, but attempted to decipher, for myself, what I was looking at. It appeared that none of these women were aware that they were being photographed. The artist loved the female form, to be sure. This was at the other end of the spectrum from fashion photography. It appeared that he had many busy days at the beach, stealth camera in hand, and many subsequent busy hours in the darkroom. Hours and minutes of private joy, no doubt.

I thought one photograph was particularly lovely, of a young woman, caught unawares, in all likelihood, walking home from a swim on a summer afternoon. She appeared quite relaxed, in bathing suit and top, and flush with a generous dose of vitamin D. Miroslav Tichy was at the ready, silently seizing the moment. Perhaps he used one of his homemade cameras fashioned from found materials, lenses having been cleaned with toothpaste and mounted in old toilet paper rolls. No viewfinder here, just point and shoot. Who knew?! The photo would be lovingly developed at home and custom printed. Later, he would often sketch right on the photograph enhancing it to his liking, and perhaps make one of his homemade frames, playfully decorating it with colored pencil or ink. This work was not produced for commercial success. This was the eccentric “artist in his own garden” at work. This was the work of a confirmed recluse and a political and social outcast.

Miroslav Tichy is in his mid eighties now and by all accounts his output has tapered considerably. The story has a peculiar twist near the end of his career, with his work being “discovered” sometime around 2005, widely exhibited and commanding big money. It is difficult to find much written about him except in blogs. He has no listing in Wikipedia as of this writing. When profiling his work, bloggers often begin by saying some such thing as, “where do I begin?!” He defies convention, in every sense of the word, and walks a fine line between the acceptable and the unacceptable. He sought to document his environment, and, I believe he succeeded.

Design and Utility

I just discovered, nearly by accident, that an additional two new patents were registered on a project I worked on for a client, one in the USA, and one in China. This brings the number of patents I have to a grand total of four. That and a subway token will get me a good ride. That and a glass of port on a winter evening will give me a warm glow. But, it does feel so good! To view the patents, click here, here, and here. For the link to the patent in China, click here. For the Chinese patent, when asked to install the "Language Pack Installation", click "cancel."

As Art As Life

Performance art, music, dance, party, science fiction, fun.

The B-52's have it all.

It was that good.

True and Blue

Every few months or so, I check images listed under my brush name, Rachmeal, on Google images. It can be an especially fun exercise when using the free software, Cool Iris, which displays the images in gallery fashion. Cool Iris is great any time you are performing an especially visual search.

Recently, while searching for the term "Rachmeal" at Google images, I was surprised to see a large number of images that were posted, including several images from this blog. I was most surprised to see one of my paintings, “Blue Nude 04”, seen above, embedded within a composite image of paintings posted on what seemed to be a blog originating in Portugal. While not one of my favorite works, my painting was posted and credited alongside master works created by Matisse, Picasso, Egon Schiele, Roy Lichtenstein and others, as well as a small host of other, more contemporary and largely successful artists. The theme of the grouping had to do with the blue nude. I was thrilled to have one of my paintings selected for this, although, friends and colleagues had suggested that I should have been contacted for approval beforehand. Since the posting did not have commercial implications, I decided to let it go and just enjoy the exposure. To view the web page, click here.

Red Sky at Night

The land of my boyhood imaginings.

Tectonic Design Advance

It is very refreshing to experience an architectural design that surpasses the previous solution in quantum fashion as in the case here of the updated Seattle Public Library, Central Branch. This design takes into account, not only usability, but imagination and the people's quest for beauty, institution as temple and refuge. I have seen library updates that take something quaint and lovely, if imperfect, the village center, and reinvent it as fortress, even prison-like, with blockades to impede your coming and going. Designs that fail to deliver on the promise to the public. Designs that fail to elevate and inspire.

We have all seen anemic art, and we can keep passing by. A poorly designed building, especially one designed for the public benefit is a crime.

Expand Contract Center

spring receive opportune renew mirror reach regenerate
generate breathe sense restore sustain endure spring

Design in Pocket

Here is a little design gem to discover right in the palm of your hand, and with more face value than ever, both real and imagined. The stories of this little copper time traveler are written all over it.

Must Have... Art

Mind blown... I don't think we are in Connecticut anymore. No, you are not. You are in the Seattle Public Library, Central Branch.

Huh?!

Future at Present

Is it industrial design, is it architecture, is it sculpture? It is an icon. It is magic, circa 1962.

Atelier Ground

I did something that I very rarely do, I purchased a piece of original art, and, on line no less!

After arriving at work one day last week, a colleague told me about etsy, an on line market for handmade items, including original art. Somehow, very quickly, I focused in on the paintings of Anna Bergin. I found her work very engaging and personal. I particularly responded to a piece entitled “Lounge.”, although, I responded to several other pieces as well and her work as a whole. The work moved me.

I felt ready to click and buy, but decided to sleep on it, because I think I may be too impulsive lately. I get really hot on an idea, and later find that, with time, I have cooled considerably. A few days went by, and I thought that if the painting had been sold to someone else, I would not feel good about that. It was time to act.

The painting arrived and was packed quite well. It looks every bit as good as I had hoped!

It was interesting to be in the position of acquiring art, not producing it. I have fifty oil paintings of my own on my walls at home, and, a few dozen others in storage, ready to be rotated into the mix. I also have dozens of pastels and charcoals as well as hundreds of drawings. Yet, lately, on occasion, I have had the urge to collect the work of others. It is a good feeling.

I think that Anna Bergin, like the Australian artist, Hazel Dooney, is in the vanguard of artists who take control of the whole process of producing art and getting it on people’s walls. These artists leverage all the new tools at hand, and, often bypass the increasingly antiquated, and sometimes distasteful, gallery system. I admire that.

I enjoy visiting Anna Bergin’s blog, and look forward to seeing the kind of art she produces in the future.

Sculpture at Eventide

A Seattle Center sculpture during Le Purple, the purple hour.

Architectural Refresh, Part 2

This was the view from the neighborhood on my daily walk, that is, a couple of decades ago. What an uplifting sight! Digitally enhanced, of course, for emotional impact.

Snap Fit

Back to basics, and, it feels so good!

Art on Walls

"The Source", and other works, on display at the pARTy of 4 art show, Hartford Artspace Galley.

Sensory Alchemy

Brush in hand, with a whisper of Picasso, the invention of Ingres, and a hint of Puccini. The result? “The Source” herself!

CAVARADOSSI
Dissimilar beauties are together blended
By the mystery of art,
Yet as I paint her portrait, Tosca,
My sole thought is of you.

Architectural Refresh

Sometimes, you just want a fresh image to look at. Sometimes that image can help you transcend your environment, within and without, if only for a few moments. Consider the Seattle landmark known colloquially as, The Pencil Building, shown here with a splash of color. For a moment, I am back on the sidewalk, in parallel with the monolith that touches the sky.

The Place

Above, in front. Below, looking back.

In my dreams, I often return to a few sites from my past. Invariably, these seem to be places of transition, sites along the way, neither at home, or, at my destinations. Again, there I am, gazing at my surroundings, at this place that in real life I had only experienced in passing. The places seem benign enough, but, when I explore their secrets, will this unleash a maelstrom? And yet, I am sure that in so doing, there is my redemption and wholeness.

Brushstrokes

Though I live in Connecticut, my work as an industrial designer takes me across the New York border, on a regular basis, back to my old stomping grounds in Westchester County. It is something like the life of a steelhead, venturing out to sea, in my case, Seattle, by way of Massachusetts, and then back to the place of my salad days. Lately, quite tired of The Road, I have, on occasion, taken to staying over at my parent’s home, the place of my becoming of age, to enjoy their mellow company and save myself and the environment from the ravages of life on the highway.

A few weeks ago while staying over at my boyhood home I woke up early to get to work. The morning was cold and crisp. A fresh light snowfall covered the landscape and showed this wonderful town of Croton-on-Hudson, quite nearly at its best. I grabbed my camera and took the opportunity while defrosting the car to record the scene. I took a number of photos, and, at the last, I took the above image, gazing across to view, through the trees, what had been the home of George Biddle, artistic giant of the twentieth century, a shaper of modern art history.

Standing there, looking through the trees, I recalled meeting George Biddle.

In my youth, to say I was a walker was an understatement. A peregrinator is probably a more apt description. As a teen, while heading home, on a few rare occasions, I would see George Biddle, walking ahead, a fit, tall, rail thin man in his upper eighties. As I recall, he would be on the left side of the road, facing any oncoming back road traffic. I would be overtaking him on the right side, at the ready for a kind offer of a ride. We would both look over and give a warm and friendly “hello”. A conversation would start and I would cross over to his side. We would walk along together, at his pace, until he reached his driveway, me continuing on. I had no idea of the greatness in whose presence I was in. I had stumbled across his house a few times while traversing the woods, and was in complete awe of his home; stone, beautiful, with a heavenly quality.

It would be impossible to do his life and career justice in these few paragraphs. This was a man who attended Harvard and Harvard Law School, and later abandoned a promising career in law to pursue his passion for art. He traveled the world and was well acquainted with twentieth century icons of the arts and literature, all the while experimenting and exploring media, in both two and three dimensions. He taught, served his country in the world wars, and, through his friendship with FDR, was integral in launching the Federal Art Project. Of his artwork, of the work that I have seen, it may be said, that it possessed a reality all its own, a benchmark of greatness. I noticed, at times, a high horizon line, I think, owing to his Lincolnesque stature. This was how he saw the world. I find his paintings magnificent in composition, color and subject matter.

There is so much more to tell. This was a full, engaged life.

The last time I saw him, we walked along as before, conversing and getting further acquainted. As we approach his driveway he looked right at me and invited me to just stop in at his house sometime. I think I just smiled and said nothing. He took a few more steps, turned to me and invited me again with purpose. It was clear, he really meant this. I mentioned the invitation to my father who lit up when he heard this and said that I really should visit. I never did.

A few months later I went to college. In a phone call home, my mother mentioned that George Biddle had passed on. Right then, I learned a lesson that, unfortunately would be reinforced with time, a lesson to be honored.

On Air

I had the honor and good fortune of being interviewed by Rick Hancock on Fox 61 News this past week. Rick read this blog “Hope and Fury” and featured the story of this art and design blog on his weekly “Rick’s RSS” technology spot on the local Hartford Fox affiliate. Rick is a very personable man and a great blogger!

As Often As Not, Something Does Lie Beneath

There is an exhibit at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford entitled “What Lies Beneath? Revealing Painter’s Secrets.” The exhibit features ten paintings by various artists, including Rousseau, Homer, Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh, where, upon examination through x-radiography or infrared reflectography, either a distinctly different painting lies beneath the painted surface, sometimes at a 90 degrees portrait versus landscape reorientation, or, a previously explored composition has been changed, simplified, or abandoned. This exhibit has generated a lot of interest and surprise.

I remember some years back, before I got into oil painting in a more dedicated way, I read an article going into some depth about a Picasso painting that, when x-rayed, revealed an earlier complete painting of a bull fight beneath. Somehow this idea was unthinkable! How could this happen, how could a work of art be obliterated, even by the artist! I understand now. Many of my paintings go through a layered process of creation. Even while hidden below the surface, these previous works can build strength in the finished piece. Sometimes only a hint of this process is evident, and only that to a discerning eye.

Consider my work posted above, at the top, entitled “Dispersal”, a rather tame abstract. Now, see what lies beneath, my version of Courbet’s, “Sleep”, by any standard a rather racy themed painting. Pretty shocking, then as now! The painting was not destined to last more than a few months, before a warm up session of gesso painting covered the previous effort making way for something new.

Syncretism

There is a wonderful exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford entitled “The Ballets Russes”, a centennial celebration of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. This was the collaborative effort of the early twentieth century's top talent in dance, music and art; too many to list here, however, I will mention Nijinsky, Stravinsky and Picasso. Ballets Russes was a striving for art and beauty, and not, as is so often the case, a quest for mayhem and horror.