Monthly Studio Update - June, 2002

 

 

MONTHLY STUDIO UPDATE: JUNE 2002

Non-Studio Updates:

I am proud to announce the founding of The Foundation for the Advancement of Art.

The mission of the FAA is to establish innovative and value-oriented representational art as a viable alternative to postmodern art in the world's leading contemporary art museums.

A link for up-to-date information about the Foundation will be available within a day or two.  Check back here soon.

 

 

A few days ago, I received an invitation to participate in the Florence Biennale, Biennale Internazionale dell'Arte Contemporanea, Citta di Firenze,  for 2003.  It is by invitation only and I am looking forward possibility of again exhibiting in Italy.

 

 

I will present my talk: The Enlightened Hero and Heroine: A New Era of Idealism in Art at the Objectivist Center Summer Conference at U.C.L.A. in the first week in July.

 

 

The Free Radical is publishing a series of my articles, Pandora's Box.  Part I will come out in their June/July issue and Part II, and perhaps Part III, will come out in the following issue.  Two or three days ago I finished Part II and it had to be, psychologically, one of the most difficult things I have been through.  It is study of how the art establishment is silent towards any alternative to Postmodernism.  Here is an excerpt:

"A few years ago I went to an artist's talk given by a postmodern teacher/artist at a prestigious university gallery.  A few minutes before the talk I was embarrassed after several minutes of looking around the gallery, that, in fact, there was an exhibition in the room, but I hadn't seen it.  Her works were camouflaged within the architectural setting.  One of them was a 3" x 1" plaster band that wound through the room.  It was there to be "sensed" and to subtlely affect movement within the room, changing the traffic flow of the space intended by the architect.  In her talk she proudly stated that she couldn't draw, couldn't paint, and didn't know anything about architectural design.  Yet all her works were dependent on architectural settings designed by others.  She condescendingly referred to one of the buildings as "fascist".   When asked if she had ever created directly from nature she said she had never "thought of that".  Without any skill in art she had several museum exhibitions in which she presented her deliberate acts of subtle subversion.  Could it be possible that subversion was the standard by which this postmodern exhibition was chosen?"

Before I leave you with a less than pleasant taste in your mouth, here is the intro to Part III:

"Stay tuned for Pandora's Box Part III, the last of the series, in which I will argue for a brilliant alternative to postmodern art and bring to light one of the greatest, contemporary artworks in existence."

 

 

Studio Updates:

 

 

 

 

The rocks around Venus are progressing.   Before I begin to paint her I will "tweak" the background and rocks until I don't see anything wrong and that I am excited by what I do see.  Then, I will have the environment in which she exists.  This the my approach to many of my paintings and when I do start to paint her I might continue to make changes to the background--its a contextual thing.

 

 

 

 

 

I have painted over Artemis' leg about six times with the model posing.  I will double check and make corrections on her feet and then progressively move up along her body, probably leaving her hands for last.

 

 

Earlier in my Updates I showed studies for the concept of a dinner party.  I am working again towards its initial stages of studies.  I am not sure yet how many people will be in the scene, around six to nine, but I am sure  the above study/portrait of a woman will be included.  All the other people in the painting will be posed in relationship to her.  This is a pastel drawing, and after I get all her forms in proportion and that I feel the pose has the character I will  then bring color into it.

 

This is a pastel color study of the dining room.  I have worked on it for 3 or 4 hours and I will continue for several more.  For this I am trying to slowly lift the lights off the page.

 

That is it for June.