The Empty Tomb

oil on canvas 30 x 30
collection of Dr. C. Weaver


I meant to post this painting on Easter but we had family over the house and I never got around to it. This painting was produced for the book " The Very First Easter " Concordia Publishing House .


I was reminded about this painting through a back door connection in my brain. I got an email from fellow blogger Stapleton Kearns and he wanted to turn me on to an artist who does beautiful paper cut artwork of religious themes. As I went to his site , I saw Gospel images that were like woodcuts but they were produced by cutting into black paper with an xacto knife.

As I scrolled further down the site I immediately recognized one of MY OWN PAINTINGS that the Chinese artist had used to create his art. He has a very popular blog...sooooooo.......

............what am I supposed to do? Any Suggestions...within reason of course.....


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Horton Iris Farm Wrap

Horton 1

The Horton Iris Farm Plein Air event was too much fun. For starters, the weather was clear evidence why people move to California and why us longtime locals tolerate the wacky politics and taxes of our state officials. It was balmy and sunny both days and the iris' were at the peak of bloom. Too say it was beautiful was an understatement.

I painted two 11 x 14's sketches on Friday. Both small paintings were 2 hours in completion. I am just going for the feeling of light and want the mood and character of Horton to come through. I try not to be over concerned with detail. And I am using a big brush. I am working towards getting the initial color layin right the first time. In fact, in Horton 1 the tree mass on the left side was layed in at the start and never touched up after that. I look and identify masses right away. Keep squinting to see BIG SHAPES. In my case , I just take off my glasses and I see the BIG BLUR!

The axiom that my bud Tim Solliday told me has borne out to be true. Learn to paint and talk at the same time. Passersby will invariably want to ask questions and get to know you and quite possibly be interested in purchasing the painting. You don't want to brush off a potential client.

I was asked on two occasions to teach a class. One in Sacramento and one in Lincoln. Sounds interesting. And also it never fails that once people see that I know what I am talking about, I will get students who want to take a class from me. Come on down!



Horton 2

What also was fun, was to meet up with a fellow Art Center Graduate, Tom Watson, who graduated many years before me and we carried on a conversation while I painted Horton 1. We both have a love of Emile Gruppe's painting and he brought 3 Gruppe Books for me to read and look at the next day. One of the books was even an original printing. Gruppe is so full of insight and plain ol common sense. Thanks Tom! Let's get together again....





Well, it came time to judge and the 22 painting competitors were unsufferably subjected to my pontifications and ramblings...kinda like this Blog. That's Barbara Noble next to me, last year's winner.




The winner was no newcomer to painting. He is local landscape artist Daniel Mundy. Great guy and wonderful talent. We plan to paint together in the future.

See his work here....http://danielmundy.com/






Victoria Brooks took a 3rd place finish with this painting. She is a wonderful artist and just exudes good vibes and energy. Glad to have her in our neck of the foothills.




Silvio Silvestri picks a shady spot to paint.




Here I fake paint for the camera. Also...a noticeable NOSHOW with a GOOD EXCUSE was my new paint bud Craig Stephens. I missed my Ninja Plein Air Warrior Bud!!!!!







Randy Blasquez starts her painting. Great job everyone.

I have much more to talk about , but for now I need to finish an illustration assignment!


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Horton Iris Farm Paintout is this Saturday

Now make a note of this Bartholomew. .......

Tomorrow is the social plein air event at the Horton Iris Farm in Loomis . Its an all day event. Then on Saturday morning is the Plein Air Paintout judged by Frank Ordaz and Barbara Noble.

Now also make a note of this....

Jim Gurney will be in my neck of the woods and he and I plan to get together in October and paint around the Bay Area. That should be a lot of fun. Maybe we should advertise the event. Do you think anyone would come?

Also I am slated to do a workshop together with Thomas Blackshear next year at the Box R Ranch. Now that should be a fun event. I am sure I will be there for comedy relief. Frank who?


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I love Roses

Jason,

Sometimes you can learn the most from just painting around your backyard. After long hours illustrating , I would just set up my easel somewhere in my yard and start painting. I felt so free and it felt like I was doing something that was connecting me to God's creation. I soon found that I was seeing colors that I could never come up with on my own!


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I was reading Edgar Payne's book on painting awhile ago and in a later edition his daughter mentioned that he did Plein Air mostly for catching conditions of light and experiencing the environment first hand. He rarely if ever exhibited a plein air sketch. He would go back to his studio and craft a large painting from his field sketch. In fact , he wrote, that he would paint on location the same scene over and over again until he got it right.

I have been " Plein Air " painting since the seventies, but mostly as a way of catching the right colors and values of a subject. Never as a means to an end. That has changed this past year as I am focusing on a more Alla Prima technique and consciously painting outdoors in a more focused and purposeful manner. It loosens me up and keeps me connected with God's creation.

The best blog I have seen from an artist that has been doing Plein Air before it was cool is Stapleton Kearns. Check out his link on my side bar. There are many competent artists out there, but Stape has a rare talent for communicating and teaching difficult concepts in a fun and thoughtful comprehensive way.

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Promises

I have one regret after selling my Santa Rosa House and Studio 6 years ago. And that regret was not taking these beautiful Roses that looked like a Tequila Sunrise. I would always get comments from guests praising the beauty of these Floribundas.

After a days painting for others back then, I set up my french easel by these lovely sentinals of God's Created Standard for Beauty and just marveled at the color and grace of these Roses.

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Bouguereau at the Haggin Art Museum , Stockton Ca

William Bouguereau is a lightning rod. I mean that in the way that some individuals embody and personify a worldview and system of thinking and acting and "BEING" so fully that the mere mention of their name is a "FRAME" as a linguist at Berkeley would say. The name generates a visceral reaction. Just say the name " George Bush" and his name describes how America reacted to the World at large and how you think you could have done a better job og it . Say Madonna and you get a vision of singers gone wild with barn animals...the list goes on. Some peoples names get so identified with an incident that they are forever linked. Take for instance , " Ponzi Scheme " , Dunce ( after Dunz who was a ridiculed Thomist Philosopher) .....

Andy Warhol , Michelangelo and Whistler personify not just their work but a way of "LOOKING" at the world. The mere mention of their name is descriptive of a movement and thought process.

Darwins " On the Origins of the Species " was published in 1859 and the world has never been the same since. Man no longer was seen as spiritually significant. He was not special . He had no more purpose than a piece of mud sliding down a steep incline. A sunset was no longer a majestic metaphor for God's Glory and promise but a natural collection of photon charged particles emmitting vibrations we call light. I do not find it surprising that Charles Darwin's worldview would also affect Art, especially those artists who wanted to be taken seriously by the Cognocenti.

Bouguereau would be a symbol of dated and stilted Victorian Values. He would be a symbol of Western Culture looking "BACK" at ancient themes that no longer had vitality and "TRUTH". The active word would be that he was an " Anachronism" , like a man gifted at making beautifully crafted buggies while a 18 cylinder Dussenburg rolled by. Bouguereau was at the height of his powers when the World was shaken by Darwin.

I remember doing work for Portal Publications when a competitor "Marcel Schurman " discovered royalty free art that was long since ignored. Bouguereau's work was soon seen on bags , notecards and posters . Soon the buying public was enamored with these beautiful paintings . Pomegranate Publishing soon came out with the Bouguereau Calendar which was a huge success, We are talking mid eighties. I remember an Article in Vanity Fair Magazine where Sylvester Stallone , rich from making another Rocky Film , purchased a Bouguereau because he liked it and soon regretted the acquisition because his ' Art Consultants" thought it was Kitch. He should have hung on to it!



Which brings me to " The Nymphs" at the Haggin. It is a fairly large painting and the reproductions that I have seen online are way too brown. It actually is NOT monotone but is rich with ambers and muted greens set in degrees of Chiaroscurro. If you look at earlier paintings of William's , his tree leaves are greener and as he matures as an artist the greens become more muted and secondary leaving the figures to stand out.




I have always admired his modeling . Is it slick? Is he a "RENDROID?" well , you will have to decide that for yourself as I believe it is a matter of "Taste". But I do feel that his tight approach does lend well to narrative painting , especially when he is illustrating a scene of ancient mythology.





The world was changing around Bouguereau and artists wanted to go outside the environs of the academy and paint what they saw around them. The mere idea of competing for the Prix de Rome was anathema to these artists. Right or wrong , most art innovation is usually a reaction against the standard accepted "Salonese"




I do not find it surprising that an Art Renewal has taken place and that the academy has risen up again like a phoenix. Young and Old artists alike are hungry for knowledge . The teaching method of " just paint what you feel man " is no longer working and is a cliche for mediocrity.

The Rennaissance was a rediscovery of the glory of Rome and its standards and then re- translated to Religious Art themes relevant and alive during this period. We are seein a new rebirth again, Its about time.




Never one to let a good pose get away , B used this pose for ( or vice versa ) two paintings. A man after my own heart!




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Polaroid ...Or'Doodle

Over the years I have been developing different styles and techniques that I have cataloged in my sketchbooks. I am uploading most of those on my other Blog " Or'Doodle" . The Blog has undergone 3 name changes. It was first Ordaz Drawz then it was DrawzLexic and finally I have settled on Or'Doodle . Although I've tried to change the name in my editor...for some reason it will not allow me to.

Most of the posts on Or'Doodle are slightly irreverent and a way of blowing off some Wiggles. I hope you can take a look....http://frankordazart.blogspot.com/




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1 hour sketch portrait of Don Rowlett

Last year I taught in a group workshop at the Box R Ranch above beautiful Ashland Oregon. The ranch is set along an offshoot of the Oregon Trail and features a hotel , now Don's Home, that used to cater to traveling emigrants. It consists of roughly 1500 acres of beautiful rugged pine and meadow sprinkled with cows and horses and friendly workhands.

The owner of the Ranch is Don Rowlett pictured above. He might not be a household name but if you shop for deals then you have probably walked into one of Don's brainchilds...Ross Dress For Less. He started it years ago and now is semi retired devoting much of his time and inspiration to develop the Box R Ranch. His dream was to create a vacation destination where the weary traveler of Life could come and relax and reconnect to America's roots. http://www.boxrranch.com/

I asked Don if I could do a portrait of him. He grudgingly agreed as he is not a man to sit down and do nothing as Don is a can do man. We agreed on an hour and that hour was probably one of the hardest hour's I have had of painting anyone . Visitors would come by and would talk to Don. He is warm and engaging and does not put on any airs. What you see is what you get. I can respect that. Jeanne, the manager of Box R and his daughter came up to me afterward and asked me " How did you get him to sit for so long?"...1 hour is not long.

What I like about a quick sketch is that the artist is exposed. You really don't have much time to think or over render. Many of the original strokes are just laid in and left to describe the form.

Good Friday

Holidays in Hell

That was the title from a book written by PJ O'Rouke. PJ went out of his way to visit hellholes like Lebanon and try to have a good time there. I went out of my way to visit Israel to research locations and people for the book I was to illustrate " The Very First Easter" by Concordia Publishing House.


I knew things would be different for me as I was singled out from our group that arrived at the Airport in Tel Aviv and was interrogated. I tagged along with a church group ( great timing and serendipity for me ) and my pastor spoke to the guard on my behalf explaining that I was indeed an American. Whew!

What is apparent to the tourist is that there are young pimple faced fatigue wearing soldier and soldierettes brandishing uzzies EVERYWHERE. Eventually you get used to it like dust on your favorite mahogany furniture. Being your standard issue art type I sense that I had arrived in a place that is moving forward and standing still at the same time.

We travelled with a unique group that was trying something new. The company was a joint effort between Palestinians and Jews. The bus was owned by Palestinians and the tour guides were Jewish. Because of this arrangement we were able to visit the West Bank, which is where the Palestinians are gathered. Our tour guide said he had not been there in 10 years as it is not safe for Jews. That sensibility is immediatelt apparent. As I talked with our bus driver , who was a Palestinian Lutheran , he said there are definitely towns that are dangerous for Palestinians and likewise for the Jews.





Whats amazing is that so many Lebanese cross over the border daily to work is Israel. This is the ultra modern checkpoint.




This photo is taken outside of Jacobs Well. The water was refreshing but you can tell that some people have no problem being creative at Holy Sites.




This wonderful relief was cemented on a fence wall around the Garden in Gethsemene which is across the Temple Mount. I took hundreds of pictures and I have great photo reference of Galilee , Jerusalem, Judean Desert , Dead Sea, En Gedi, Betheny , Quamrun , Masada etc.




This pillar is what is left of a synagogue in Capernaum.




Welcome to the West Bank. As soon as you pass the gates you are transported to a different world and time. There are many roads that are not paved and it all feels like a Turkish Bazaar where ther are old men by the sides of roads taking drags on their water pipes. Also, there were armed Israeli jeeps at major intersections.




This is Jericho. The people were friendly and they appreciated the tourist money. Again, we were riding in a Palestinian bus so we were readily welcomed.




This is Ground central where no one enters without going through a rectal scan ( joking ) but you could definitely cut the tension with a knife. I learned to really be aggitated by the blaring call to prayer that blsted from across the Kidron Valley that was So loud as to keep you from thinking straight. It was very unnerving...only second to walking around the Arab Quarter and being sonically serenaded by competing synchopated boom boxes. Food was good though....!




Everyone learns to live in caves. The soft rock makes it easy to sculpt your own palace.




Dome of the Rock behind me and the Al Aqsa temple in front of me ( not seen )


Decapolis



Coming or going, the wise person is always on guard in Jerusalem. I had a man harass me for 2 blocks as I walked by the King David Hotel. I think he thought that I was a Palestinian. He was speaking in Hebrew and I am certain he was not inviting over for Dinner. We were told to stay away from the Orthodox Hasidim as they considered the Goyim unclean and would probably harrass us. We stayed away.

More to tell...but I would have to devote an entire Blog to this MadHouse. I came away thinking that they ALL were crazy and probably deserved each other.



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Version 4

Version 4 of my iMovie is up and running on my last post. I hope you have the time to check it out.

The painting above is one of the images that did not make the final cut.

I Wanna Show What Love Is 1.4...4th Version

Version 1

I started to play with iMovie tonight and 4 hours later I came up with a little movie. It"s not quite there yet but it is a good start. It is very startling at first to see it at maximum res , which is just over 2 gigs , and then see it as a quick time movie at 4 mgs. Let me know what you think and special thanks to Foreigner...I forgot to give them credit but I plan to add it at my next go round.

Its starts a bit slow but it picks up down the road.

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Version 2

Well folks, this is the second version and I wanted a more effective ending and one image was edited out and another intensified a bit. When I have tweeked it just right I will post this on YouTube. I am looking on my video Guru Jeremy Elder to weigh in. Don't be too hard on me.


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Version 3

This is take 3 and I think its a bit tighter thanks to Jeremy. Can you read the type at the ending?

AS for P. who does not like Foreigner and the song...well what can I say but that it's a personal taste deal.....and the fact that the song is secular and the singer wants a demonstration of Love makes it a compelling choice....I mean...that's the whole concept really....

Thanks Randy for your kind remarks and thoughtful comments!

Thanks also to Ardith for your warm encouragement!


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Version 4

I think this little iMovie keeps getting Better with all the suggestions I am getting via email.

A big thanks to my bud Michael Pettit for giving me some really good tips.

Thanks to BJ for warning me about using copyrighted material.

Thanks to my little brother Javio who saw how the words worked with the images.

I hope Chris Hopkins gets his computer fixed so that he can see this.

I await your input Eric when your've finished with your tan in Palm Springs.

And thanks Jim C for the big thumbs up....










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In the Garden

The Garden of Gethsemene in Jerusalem , where Jesus was eventually arrested , is right across the Temple Mount on the Eastern Side. The garden plot now is quite small and there are still olive trees which have possibly been there since ancient times.

I will post more today with pictures and add to this narrative. Jerusalem, which sits 3000' plus by the Judean Desert is extraordinary and the energy level is unforgetable once you've been there.

The Money Changers on Jesus Week

Oh Yes Friends...it's Jesus Week from now until Sunday. Usually around this season Time or Newsweek Magazine publishes an article about whether Jesus really existed or if he really said the things he said. Its all great circus especially right now in Jerusalem as thousand of tourists flock to holy sights and retrace the steps of the King of the Jews.

UPDATE.. Just listened to Michael Medved say the new NEWSWEEK cover declares the Rise and Fall of Christian America. Good going Newsweek...you make me feel like a prophet!


So if you are offended by the mention of "The Name" this might be the week to check out some of those fantasy blogs. Because this week, " On Being Frank" will post about travel in Israel..where I almost got arrested and saw for my own eyes what it is really like in the West Bank. Oh yes, I was there. We will also post about issues that may be relevant to the current crisis that were also playing out in 1st century Palestine.

Moneychangers. We Can't live with them and we can't live without them. Jesus had a way of dealing with these cats. There was no meditating under the Bhodi tree for this Jew...he was a man of action and tossed some tables over.

I am usually a center right guy ( full disclosure ) but if the truth leads me down a different path then I must chart a different course. William Black was a former regulator of the Savings and Loan meltdown during the '80's and appeared recently on PBS to talk to Bill Moyers ( not a real big fan of his ) to clearly explain in LAYMANS terms what is happening and how those involved are protecting their arses. Even though Black supported Obama, he says the corruption is still going on and needs addressing. One thing that he does say that caught my ear and is relevant to this Blog is that in the '80's he felt that 90% of the Bankers were constrained by moral integrity to do the right thing. Can you guess which generation he's talking about? Now William Black makes the claim THAT NO SUCH RESTRAINT is in evidence and that this generation is manifesting a MORAL breakdown. Hmmmmm....is this really PBS and not the 700 Club?


click on the link below for a Very Enlightning interview...If you are at work, I advise you wait until you get home as the interview takes about 30 minutes without interruption. You won't be disappointed.


http://www-tc.pbs.org/moyers/rss/media/black.m4v



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Gospel Music is very American. It is one of our homegrown delights. Have you ever heard of Sister Rosetta Thorpe. Well, she is the female BBKing....check this out....







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Palm Sunday Certainty?

Today marks the beginning of Holy Week. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Easter Meditations and for our secular friends...it's Spring Break!

Can we be certain of anything? This may be ridiculous sounding to some but for others it is a mantra for how they live. I often hear the claim..There are no moral absolutes . Of course the one saying this is making an absolute statement. As philosopher JP Moreland has said, no one lives out his life believing uncertainties Absolutely.We all act and paint with faith whether we are conscious of it or not. I love the movie " What About Bob" because BoB, played by Bill Murray is actually uncertain about everything...he asks Dr. Marvin..." What if my heart stops beating ?" The atheist is certain there is no Heaven or Hell and that life is meaningless. The Believer claims the existance of God and that there is a divine plan and purpose.

These two views are dramatized by an Emmy Award performance in an episode of "ER".

East Room Presidential Acknowledgement

All in All working with the White House was a wonderful experience. Sara Armstrong , Laura Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff ended up being a good friend and ally. If it was not for her I would still be waiting outside the gate on the day of the event. Somehow, my name was left offthe FBI roster althugh Jana and the boys had been cleared. Since Sara was my contact , I went straight to the source and after a half hour I was allowed in. Images of my artwork were everywhere during the day of the event. It was really weird.






The finished poster.




Inside the First Lady's Room.




It drizzled the day of the event.





Because we were detained, we arrived a little late and some of the choice seating places inside the White House were taken.




A group photo of the Easter Egg Roll crew.




The Ticket.

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Its not everyday the President of the United States mentions your name. All our video cameras were taken....soo I did the next best thing and did a quicktime movie on my Olympus.

2006 Easter Egg Roll Sketches

Easter Egg Roll? I had to plead ignorance. I had never heard of it and soon after I did an internet search I realized it was a huge event the day after Easter on the South Lawn of the White House. You get a free ticket if you have a youngster ( or borrow one ) and you get to stroll the grounds for a day watching kids compete with goofy games invented by adults or hear Secretarys' of the Presidents Administration read to the little barbarians. Its all quite fun and entertaining.





As I browsed online I noticed that no artist had recently shown the kids in action. There was the usual fare of Easter Bunnies and Eggs but no children. The idea for the poster then came to me in a flash because frankly...when I heard Easter Egg Roll, I thought it was some type of Holiday Sushi! What happens is that the kids roll eggs down prescribed lanes with a giant ladle. How tormenting is that?


The only change they made me do on my original idea was to separate Barney, the Terrier , from the boys foot. I thought it gave the composition a cohesive unity but I made this exception for the White House. I still think the original design is stronger. I also had to include the dogs and use the 3 official colors of the event supplied by Sherwin Williams. I should have asked for buckets of paint!

The White House staff was very helpful as they took many photographs of the dogs for me. I have quite the collection of these two rascals.




Then I designed a silhouetted child pushing an egg across the lawn being chased by Barney. It was later changed to a boy and Laura wanted something less cartoony.




Three colors were selected as this years Easter Egg Colors. These were the colors to be chosen for the traditional " Wooden Egg " that is given to the children and political dignitaries. Its hard to come across one after the event as they become a big collector's item. I wanted the hat to be very graphic. They were a big hit that day and I was able to snag two.




An Early design for the Apron.






After I finished the Poster my next assignment was to paint interior illustrations that would accompany articles inside the brochure . The president was not too fond of Barney having bunny ears so I was told to remove the ears. What, no sense of humor?




Tomorrow I will show the finishes as well as pics of having breakfast in the White House and almost not getting in because my name was left off the FBI list....go figure!

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Have any of you noticed that your profile counter has stopped for the past week. Blogger is addressing this problem....I think .

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One of my favorite bands are the Afro Cuban Allstars. I saw them twice in San Rafael Ca. It was as if 1940's Havanna had been recreated on stage. Many of the players were in combos during the 40's and 50's and have reunited as a result of Ry Cooders interest in them. They are starting to die off now and the lead singer has recently passed on. I play this music alot when I paint. Its like audio adrenaline.