Artwork of the Month: Wedding art

After a night of drinking and dancing, Athena told me that she can relate to this oil painting now.  We have looked at this painting in passing, not really thinking very much about it until now.  It is on view at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.  

Douglas Volk

American, 1856-1935

"After the Reception"

1887, oil on canvas

She looks completely wiped out. A wedding, drinking, dancing, eating and talking will do that to you.  Athena and I were both completely wiped out the day after our wedding. We had a blast!

A new Chuck Close

I remember the first time I saw this painting.  I was in grade school, probably 10 or 11 years old and it was the coolest thing I had ever seen.  After 20+ years of looking at the same painting the wonder wore off.

Chuck Close

American, born 1940

"Frank"

1969, acrylic on canvas

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts recently purchased this screen print by Close.
It is awesome, go see it.

"James"

2004, color screen print

Edition 45 out of 80

Now with the newer work by Close, I can look back at his painting of Frank and see it with an idea of his development as an artist.  You can see both of these paintings on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Artork of the month: Joan

This sculpture is amazing.  The first time I saw it at the museum I was slightly fooled for a second (okay, I allowed myself to be fooled, it was fun).  This work portrays reality so well that her feet are dirty just as if she has simply walked barefoot across the floor.  I love it, and I am pleased to say it is at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts as part of its permanent collection.

John DeAndrea

American, born 1941

"Joan"

1987, Polyester resin, pigments, synthetic (?) hair

Go take a look at this for yourself...

...it is a graceful illusion. 

I quit smoking!!!

I have been a smoker since 1990.  I half tried to quit many times, although I never really wanted to quit. I had been very lazy about it and although I was completely disgusted with smoking for many reasons, I never had the motivation to stop.

I am now a nonsmoker.  I quit cold turkey and I have not looked back. I was able to stop smoking so easily this time because my reasons for quitting were more powerful than any desire to smoke. In fact I have experienced little to no craving for a smoke.

So in celebration of officially being a nonsmoker I want to share one of my favorite oil paintings at the Minneapolis Institute of arts with you.

Edouard Manet

French 1832-1883

"The Smoker"

1866, oil on canvas

"No one can be a painter unless he cares for painting above all else."

-Edouard Manet

BitTorrent #6 Auction

I am trying out Ebay for sales of my paintings, here is the listing of the piece I have available.

BitTorrent #6 is up for auction...

Let the bidding begin...
...lets just see what happens with this.

The big move

I have been a professional artist in Minneapolis, Minnesota since 1996.  My time here has been both productive and romantic.  I could afford to live as an artist, and simply create works of art on an almost daily biases.  I can not remember a time that I was not painting and creating works of art.  Minneapolis has been very good to me, as I was able to easily establish myself here as an artist.  

My wife Athena and I have decided to move for a better climate, and greater opportunities for us both in our chosen professions.  We are moving to Maui, Hawaii this August.  I will be able to continue to be a professional full-time artist, and Athena will be able to be a full-time dog trainer.

Our dreams have come true, now all we have to do is work, and that is the easy part.

Thanks Minneapolis...

...you are currently the center of the art of the world.

Youtube: Bike to Burgers

I just bought a "GoPro Hero 2" camera for my snorkeling adventures coming up, and I needed to play with it, test it out, and see how it looks.

Chris and I took a ride through Minneapolis for Burgers and Beer.

Minneapolis is the #1 bike city in the USA...

...I have been an urban rider since 1996.

Artwork of the month: "Married Life"

Married life is a big deal to me, being a new husband and wanting my marriage to be successful, I tend to look at couples in happy marriages that have lasted a very long time and wonder.  Everyone has a different view on what makes a marriage a success.  For me, I want to be able to always improve the quality of our lives as a couple, and to simply maintain our happiness.  That said, I want to show you a work of art that I see as comedy, and brilliance.

The painting "Married Life" by Roger de la Fresnaye, depicts a man reading the paper and smoking a pipe with his naked wife around his arm.  That being how the artist views marriage is funny, seriously funny, and I am sure that artist laughed at it.  If you can't see the humor in that, I can not help you.  Oddly, this painting has had a profound impact on my compositional choices over the last 10 years.  I truly admire the composition, the placement and bend of the objects, and the line work on the figures.  it is a strong cubist work, and I'll bet the artist was proud of his little joke.  "Married Life" is hanging out at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts on permanent display.  I have been lucky enough to be able to spend a great amount of time studying this work.  

Roger de la Fresnaye

French, 1885-1925

"Married Life"

1912, oil on canvas

I am a husband...

...it is the best decision I have ever made.

Karma

While I have been going through my things in preparation for our move in August, I have found that I own more than I will ever need.

It all reminded me of this quote...


Karma

Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
Follow the three R’s:
- Respect for self,
- Respect for others, and
- Responsibility for all your actions.
Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
Don’t let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
Spend some time alone every day.
Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and
think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the earth.
Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

-His Holiness The Dalai Lama

The toaster I once painted with

My wife and I have decided to move to another state, so we have to get rid of everything we don't need.

I have been holding on to this toaster for over ten years.  I used this toaster to paint some very large expressionist oil paintings back in 1997 and 1998.  

So enough said, I threw this in the trash today.   

Good by old tool...

...I have never really eaten toast anyway.