On the Run in Tiburon

FX with his Irish Wolf Hound Baroooooo

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Well Dear Reader I am back and ready to teach my portrait workshop this morning but I just wanted to write a quick update on my amazing trip to the Kingdom of Tiburon. FX and I partnered and painted an 8' mural/painting for the entryway of a client's home. The key to successfully executing an 8' oil painting in 8 hrs was focus and confidence. We had a sketch that the client loved. But translating the 6" sketch to 8 feet is a daunting process so the solution was to capture the energy and spontaneity of a plein air painting to a large size. Strokes were left " as is " with a a surety that communicated.." this is what I intend". There was no fuss or second guessing...okay maybe here and there but FX always reigned me in. FX mixed the paints and helped in laying in large areas. We kept suggesting to ourselves that we had to capture the energy and majesty of the large tree. We wanted one main focus and every element had to reinforce that focus. The painting is not of a specific location but we wanted to convey the mood and feeling we get when we are on this idyllic peninsula in Marin County. You cannot imagine the beauty and lush growth here. It is outstanding!

We moved the painting the next day from the garage into FX's living room to make any final adjustments and we felt that it looked great the way we had intended.

We called the client and first the wife came over and just fell in love with it. She was thrilled and effusive with the compliments. Wow!

Now for some of you beginners and artists wanting to tap into high end clients there is one bit of advice I can share. Always display confidence and professionalism. The client wants to be assured that they have made a wise choice. You must show that what you painted is what you intended and be proud of it. If you can't address and have that kind of certainty then you are not ready to show the painting .

We got paid on the spot and the client commissioned another large painting. Repeat business is the name of the game and you want a happy customer.





Frank and FX painting together.





View of Belvedere Island from FX's lawn.

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next...my excellent adventure with Don Hatfield and some random pics....

A Newer World

click on the image to see all the large mistakes..... plein air self portrait and plein air study of an agave plant....




"On Being Frank " will be discovering new creatures and creations tomorrow as we make our way to Napa to visit the Don Hatfield Studio then on to Marin County and my painting adventure with FX as we finish our mural project in Tiburon. Don Hatfield graduated with a degree in Divinity from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena but became an artist instead...we'll find out what happened.



Be safe and see you on Monday......for my workshop peeps...remember...laying in the darks is key in getting your patterning ...don't be afraid of going too dark...usually it never is quite dark enough....be bold....you are not going to die if you make a mistake.....be BOLD...remember its not someday its right now!


Thought of the weekend....what does it profit a man ( woman ) to gain the whole art world and lose his soul?


There are alot of you ( cuz you email me ) who love this blog and never post...I will be away for 3 days...I would love to hear from you as I will have internet access


Top image painted for Focus on the Family



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Tiburon Mural

This is my pastel sketch for a 8' mural painting. We will execute the finish this weekend in oils. The client really likes big bold shapes and we delivered what they wanted to say in their entryway. We stayed simple and bold and used colors that were fresh and vibrant with a single dominant focal point. Towering Eucalyptus trees are everywhere in Tiburon so it follows that we would use this bold iconic shape as our statement about the clients vision. Keep it simple..and we did. I can't wait to paint this. Just the W&N paints cost $700. We negotiated the price plus materials.

Local Color the movie...update

Greetings all,

I just got off the phone with Jim Evangelatos the Producer of " Local Color ". He had been informed about my review by Elaine Adams, Director of the American Legacy Fine Art Gallery. I don't have permission as yet to publish his thoughts ( I forgot to ask him while I had him on the phone ) but they were very supportive.

The film was an act of love by all the actors and film makers. Many of the actors just worked for minimum wage. The main character was acted by Armin Mueller -Stahl ( Shine , Avalon ) and he read the script and came OUT of retirement to do this movie. He is a painter himself and was firmly behind this effort In fact he was the second choice as another marquee actor was to play the lead only if his girlfriend could play the leading female role. Yes...it still happens.

I asked "Jimmy" if Local Color would be shown in the greater Sacramento area and unfortunately there is no money in the budget to get it up here. As it stands, this was an indie film shot at a cost of 2.5 million and all of the money went into general pre and post production.

I will be interviewing George Gallo , the Writer and Director next. Jimmy gave me his number.

The movie will be released in DVD and finding distribution is in the works. Look for " Local Color" to be out on the streets September 8th!

Here is the trailer is case you want to get a glimpsed of what you missed on the big screen.

Tuesday's figure class with Don Hatfield

Tuesday's painting class with megastar Don Hatfield was really inspirational. The class was packed and the energy level was high. I will talk more and add to this post. He wanted to see BIG SHAPES and every shape a color. So this is my effort after a 3 hour pose. No details and just the big shapes. It was fun.

....Okay its now Wednesday morning and I'm starting to process all that transpired yesterday. Don Hatfield has been in the Art business a long time. He has been at the top of the art wave when women in sun dresses walking miscreants on the beach were hot. He's the guy who made it really big in that genre. Selling more prints than anyone on the planet showing these beach scenes was Don's signature. He is teaching a class at Patris ' Studio in Sacramento in a real urban setting. The atmosphere has that real gritty parisian left bank feeling.

As you set up, you never know once the model gets settled in if your position will be good or bad. I had an okay view and I decided to go for broke and paint the whole enchilada and push the colors as far as I could outta the tube as possible and still keep the values true to the form. So there was no limited palette or any other short cuts. It was raw gonzo for me on Tuesday. I'm glad I did not bring my camera as I would have brought home this painting and slicked it up with more detailing around the face and hands.

I worked my warmest warms around the face. Since the light had a very warm cast I used Cad yellow as the overarching temperature that would affect all colors. I also decided to use complimentarys to grey down andy local color in a shape. So even if I had Terra Rosa and Burnt Sienna on the palette I did not use them a whole lot...only at the layin stage did I use them. The aim was to get the light and I wanted to use bright colors of the color wheel to offset each other. So you can see that I used a violet in the shadow aea of the face as the cool that would make the goldens on her face sing. One thing of not, The blue behind her is also catching some warm light and to tie in the figure with the background, the blue local color must feel that it is being affected by the same light source. This photo of the painting came out too light towards the top . It is actually a wee wee bit darker.

I would have loved to have finished the hands and face...and it is taking every ounce of restraint
in my being NOT to go back in and touch it up. It is what it is. A study. I learned alot and Don is a good teacher.

We had dinner afterwards and I got to know Don on a personal level. He is a character just like me...he has an opinion on everything. He invited me over to his Studio so keep an eye out when " On Being Frank" travels to pastoral Napa and enters the Hatfield Kingdom.


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My next post will be about being a good teacher. Since I have taught at the Academy of Art University and also teach workshops I have some definite opinions on the matter and I feel I need to put them on digital paper.

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Lincoln Hills

Greetings All,

I have to thank the Lincoln Hills Arts Association for treating me like royalty yesterday. I lost all track of time and yapped so much about myself that I had only 35 minutes to demonstrate my oil painting approach. Luckily Joyce, the acting president, gave me an extra 15 minutes to get the portrait looking somewhat close to the models appearance. Judy, the sitter, was just the most patient and still model I have had posing for me in a long time. I took a photo of the pose and spent about 2 hours at home cleaning up the drawing. I pretty much went after the general tones and colors while the model was in front of me. There was a good size audience watching in the auditorium and I hope I did not bore them.

Basic colors used were...Titanium White, Cad Yellow Light , Yellow Ochre, Cad Red Med , Aliziran Crimson , Ultramarine Blue, Terra Rosa , Burnt Sienna and Viridian. Linen glued on maple board.

Judy emailed me and wrote... "Frank, I lOVE the portrait. You painted out all the wrinkles and gave me thick hair. Doesn't get better than that. And in your interpretation, I think I look like a wise woman."

Judy... You had a very stately and regal appearance and I wanted to capture that....


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A Busy Day and Beyond

Dear Reader,

Its been a whirlwind . I just want to drop a note that I am off to teach my portrait workshop this morning and then immediately I travel to Lincoln Hills to demonstrate in front of the local Art Association.

So much to write about...one of the Producers of the movie " Local Color" read my blog and commented. I will post his thoughts when I get settled in....

FX and I are working on a joint 8' mural/painting for one of his clients in Tiburon. So what do 2 old dogs do to get on top of things. On the day of the 9 o'clock meeting we wake up at 6:30 in the morning or rather I wake up in 6:30 and blast Led Zepplin's Kashmir at FX's bedroom. He now is officially up...slightly grumpy...but going with the joke. We then take about 15 minutes to sketch out 2 ideas in pastels that are a distillation of some of our other ideas. The sketches are about 6 inches square. We then drive over to the clients house and present the sketch and we can tell we are going to get approval which we do.

I'll show some samples soon....pictured on top is FX's daughter who is about to demo her arm painting skills on me. We walked around the Tiburon Art Fair and then made a bee line to Sam's and had some glorious fried calamari.

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Pastel time again

Dear Reader,

I am off to paint a mural in Tiburon. This project was put on hold from a couple months ago and it again is in full swing. FX tells me there will be an Art Show in downtown Tiburon so I plan to take some pics and meet some of the local artists. There's alot of talent down there.

This is a plein air of a local residence. There are some beautiful houses in Auburn. I used this sketch as a color scheme for the 24 x 30 oil painting.

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ThankYou Amerika

Dear Reader,

We just bought a car in large part as a result of the current Administration being generous with your and my money...

How so " On Being Frank"?

Of course I am writing about the successful Cash for Clunkers Program. Let's take a sneak peek at my story.

I had a Ford 150 pick up truck that I purchased used several years ago for$4000. It was great for transporting fairly large paintings ( see there is an art angle to this ) and mountain bikes. But my catalytic converter went south and that darn check engine light stayed on. Because we have such stringent laws and requirements for exhaust emissions ( I'm not complaining....really ) here in California ,what should have cost several hundred dollars would have cost me $1600 to replace. Since fixing this piece of extravagent hardware far exceeded the trucks current market value the truck was on its way to being junked at the end of the year. It would never have passed the smog test. All smog tests go straight, via the internet , to the central Orwellian brain in Sacramento. Nothing escapes its notice. The trade-in value of this gas guzzler is $300. If I am lucky to get someone desperate enough to bite.

So here comes along our esteemed stimulus incentive and I would be crazy NOT to get $4500 for my clunker. I mean, I'm an artist , but I'm not that stupid. So off I go to get a car that will be eventually my son's first car.

We called around and the car we zeroed in on was the Hyundai Accent. The Koreans, by ALL accounts have caught up with every one ( just read the happy customer reviews on Edmunds ) and have dangled the 100,000 mile drive train warranty in front of the US customer and this artistadore ate it up like a chalupa . Problem was that we wanted an automatic and there were none in out area. We heard on the news that the program was going to be discontinued this weekend so we were off to find the right model and pronto. Obamanos Amigos! So , as we arrived at the Dealership , which was in a bad part of Sacramento , there was another party interested in the same car. Who was going to get the LAST model? As it turns out, we did and what should have cost me $15,000 ( Automatic, CD changer , 3 Door , Silver...wheels ) put me out $9400. Thankyou America! You helped finance my car. Gracias

So here I am , waiting around, finalizing paperwork and I strike up a conversation with the numbers guy. This guy is really upset about the whole thing. Really upset. He tells me that he has the big warehouse across the lot full of clunkers...BMW's, Volvo's, Land Cruisers, Mercedes all ready to be junked. He's disgusted with the greed of people who had marginal clunkers. Many of those cars were in fine running condition.

He is owed 1.2 million by Uncle Sam and he has not seen a penny. They are given full instructions as to how to destroy these vehicles but he is holding back...just in case the money doesn't come. He says the secondary market, the used car dealers, the guys who normally buy these " trade ins " are screwed because there are no cars being recycled through the system right now. They are being crushed into lead weights. And many of the cars , like several family vans , would have made fine vehicles for the poor. He is disgusted how this whole plan went through and he said if the government really knew what they were doing, they would have given the industry a heads up about this program and many of these dealerships would have stocked up on their economy models. As it lays, many of their inventories are depleted.

Did the "poor" benefit from this program? Not a bit, if you asked this Hyundai manager . There should have been a provision, if it really was to help low income families, to help them secure a loan...maybe buy one of these nicer cars and sell it in a year. So there you have it .Thank you and thank you America. I just can't wait to see what will happen with Health Care! Maybe I can get my tummy tuck and chin stretch payed by you the taxpayers.....;v)

Be wise as serpents but gentle as doves. Chalk this one under the serpent category.



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Thanks Bill

This post goes out to Bill G. You know who you are ...he encouraged me at just the right time today. I needed to hear that....

This is a painting that I photographed about 3/4 through to finish. I eventually lost control of it and it was one of those that I tossed out. This is all that remains of the effort. The city buildings in the background are not finished as you can easily tell. But I plan to conceptualize the background into a more modern setting....

Spread your Seed

Dear Reader..Its been pretty hectic...in one day I had 4 job assignments and a sale and I just have not had the chance to write. But one thing is for sure...you gotta be out there with the people. They gotta know that you are alive and painting and doing it. So many students ask me..." How do you get noticed and started?".....so much has been written on this subject and many books are written to get you pointed in he right direction....but one thing is for sure. You CAN'T give up or give in or get discouraged....you have to be at your best fighting strength to enter the ring. All that head stuff will just weigh you down. There is room for you....I stole that line from fellow artist Daniel Mundy.

By the way...this Blog is approaching the year mark. I started this Blog on the 29th of October of last year after I returned from my D.C. trip. I have logged about 300 posts....whew! That explains my carpal tunnel.

on being Frank

Nicholai Fechin on YouTube

There is a wonderful post about Nicholai Fechin at Underpaintings. Matthew Inniss does a wonderful job of writing about the authors success in Russia and then onto the States. I was so thrilled about seeing some images that I had never seen before that I went on YouTube for more. There I found a video produced by John Moran Auctioneers on " The Wood Engraver" by Fechin. It sold for a record $950,000. Enjoy.

The Post Rocker 1.2.1

oil on panel...small..... 6" x 11"....but potent...sold




The band is STRANGER...and they actually are playing in a Garage . Remember those days! Lynn is the lead singer and he still has a strong lead voice that captures the spirit of the 60's.




I got home in the afternoon after I finished teaching my second Workshop. Its a great group. I wanted to paint a small portrait of a musician that plays at our annual block party. He can still belt out the tunes to the likes of Mustang Sally.

What about the background? How do you treat an otherwise blank space? An area that I have been interested in for a while is the texturing of surfaces. Placing a surface painted with a palette knife next to an area applied with a traditional brush is very interesting to me . It breaks up the sameness and where appropriate can add to the character of the subject. In this case , painting a musician gave me license to have fun with the background and by reintroducing some of the colors on his face into the background in a cooler cast helps tie the composition together.

....now back to my day job.....

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Congrats to Jeremy Elder on the birth of his son Wyatt...sling that brush young man.

Best on the Blogosphere today...posts of Inness at Stapelton Kearns and posts on Dean Cornwell over at Art and Influence. You can find both links at my sidebar.

Also...Wonderful post on Fechin at Underpaintings...also on my sidebar.

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What's on the Board right now

Okay Mick,

Here is the start of the CD artwork that I am working on. This is the back cover and its about 24 x 24 in oil. My cousin is in Dubai and I lifted some sand reference from a photo of her and her husband on FaceBook. The client wants this giant treble cleft coming out of the sand with an aztec temple in the background.

It was really hard getting back in the painting swing of things after a fun vacation.

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De La Rosa

This painting is currently in a traveling show. Since this was an illustration for a children's book...we went light on the blood. Otherwise, if left to actuality, Jesus face and body were probably even worse than depicted in Mel Gibson's movie the Passion of the Christ.

What was I thinking?

oil on board 9 x 12

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Dear Reader,

I was on FaceBook yesterday and I noticed that a friend of mine had posted a painting that I had done of him painting.

Its a small 11 x 14 on board. Bob really liked it, it was the last time we painted together , and I gave it too him. I had wonderful north light from a skylight in my former Santa Rosa studio and I loved painting live models under it. It was ideal for painting Alla Prima. He is now using it as his profile picture and many of his friends are commenting on it thinking he had done it. I am sure he is tired of correcting the record.

Bob is the ONLY artist I know who can paint fully attired in evening wear. He is a real throw back to the English Gentleman Painter. I am sure you have seen the images of turn of last centuries artists painting in full 3 piece suits standing on turkish carpets.

But after awhile when I saw this painting 2 years ago I didnt like it much. There was something about the finish of the head that I disliked. I soon became fixated on this one spot of the painting and thinking to myself...what was I thinking that lead me to leave it so clunky and crude? When you paint Alla Prima, you are in the moment and working swiftly to catch the light and mood and feeling of your direct experience. You really cant catch everything.

And here is my point. I have destroyed many a painting after looking at it for awhile and repainting a certain area again. Soon, I work on other areas and sure enough the original transcription is lost and I sense it immediately. In short order , I toss the painting away.

I had not seen this painting again until yesterday and the area that I initially disliked...I now like and it feels right. What has changed my perception of this painting? I am sure you have been through this same exercise yourself. Was it time? Was it taste? Am I less critical?

One thing I am sure of is that falling in love with one area of a painting can be a real bad thing. In my experience. Instead of seing the whole , the artist can fixate on this area and sluff off on other areas of the painting. Conversely, It is also true that I can be so put off by a certain area of the painting that my myopic focus limits me from seeing the whole enterprise and feel of the image. This is especially true in the technical realm where there may be an area that is incidental to the main them and then I obsess about getting it right to the point of forgeting my main focus. Any way...I just had to rant about it today.....

Corot in California

Dear Reader,

One of my regrets from my visit was my inability to see the first of its kind Corot Show at the Art Museum of Santa Barbara. So if you happen to be in the area you might just want to see this rare opportunity of seeing original Corots.

Here is the Museums decription....

Corot was the most profound, absorbing, and respected landscape painter in France in the generation before Impressionism. He was much beloved by his peers and collectors alike, and remains an important figure whose exploration of the light and poetry of the French and Italian landscape still resonates today.

The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is pleased to present more than a dozen paintings, plus several prints and drawings, representing the first exhibition devoted to the art of Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796-1875) in California, and the first in the United States since the major survey in 1996. Drawing from private and public collections, including the Legion of Honor in San Francisco, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and SBMA’s own permanent collection, the presentation examines Corot’s development as an artist, from his first views of Rome to his late, delicately-painted landscapes, both real and ideal.

Before developing into the leading painter of the Barbizon school of France in the mid-19th century, Corot originated from a moderately well-off family whose house in Anvers, about 20 miles southwest of Paris, remained his home for his entire career. Apprenticed to a fabric designer, Corot finally gained the courage to become a painter only at the age of 26, as he was shy and socially awkward all his life.

His first experience of Italy, from 1826 to 1828, was a critical moment for him when he captured the strong, warm light and golden ruins with a fresh and vivid directness. Corot's sketches in Italy have been among his most highly prized works for the last century. The exhibition is fortunate to include four Italian sketches as well as two other early sketches.

As he matured, Corot developed a soft, silvery light and touch that cast even his views of real places in the poetic light of memory. Corot stated:

“What there is to see in painting, or rather what I am looking for, is the form, the whole, the value of the tones…That is why for me the color comes after, because I love more than anything else the overall effect, the harmony of the tones, while color gives you a kind of shock that I don’t like.”

These pictures, which married the classical landscape conventions of such earlier French masters as Claude Lorrain to the specifics of northern French light and scenery, were the basis of Corot’s reputation in his own day, and avidly collected by Americans, then and to this day.

Such a strong demand for his work developed that a significant amount of forgeries were produced sixty years after Corot’s death. The famous quip by the Louvre curator René Huyghe is a humorous punctuation, “Corot painted three thousand canvases, ten thousand of which have been sold in America.” The artist’s relatively easy-to-imitate style and lax attitude towards his students to copy his works; touching up and signing student and collector copies; and lending works to professional copiers and rental agencies contributed to the problem.

Despite the flurry of problem pictures that abound, the SBMA exhibition allows the visitor to see Corot at his best by showing only those works that are both unquestionably genuine and of the highest quality.

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Best line of the day about exercise....Yeah ....Mark Twain got a lot of exercise walking to the funeral of his athletic friends....Savage

California Art Breakfast Club

Peter Adams, President of the California Art Club, Frank Ordaz and Tim Solliday at thr American Legacy Fine Arts




Elaine Adams , Director of the American Legacy Fine Arts




Jana in front of J Pinkhams winning entry to this years CAC Competition. I remember seeing this painting online and not being to thrilled with it but when I saw the original up close the surface texture is outstanding and mesmerizing as the broken colors are electric with life and movement.




Thats a J Lipking on the wall. The ALFA is open to viewing by appointment only.




Thats Tim getting a charge from one of Peters many plein air studies. Boy does he have a great studio space.




Tim Solliday hamming it up next to his plein air. Also hanging on the wall is a Jove Wang.

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Dear Reader,

One can never really know what the evening will reveal when you get together with old friends. Especially 3 artists who are joined at the hip because they had the rare opportunity to learn painting from an Academic Master like Theodore Lukits back in the 70's.

While I was in Pasadena last week, Friday night was reserved for a get together with 2 of my art friends from years past. Both Tim Solliday and Peter Adams studied with Theodore Lukits at the same time as I did although I was a bit younger and better looking than the two of them:v) . In fact, one reason that the movie Local Color resonated with me is that our teacher was in many ways very similiar to Nicolai Seroff who was portrayed in the movie as a bit of a curmudgeon. The only really noteworthy difference would be that Lukits was even MORE virulent and antagonistic towards modern art. Each session was incomplete without a rant against the destruction of Art by the Modernists. Other that the swearing, Lukits in my opinion made Seroff look like a choirboy, such was his open hatred of the desecration of his beloved Art Form...but I digress.

Peter Adams has superbly reinvigorated the California Art Club ,which was at one time led by William Wendt , with some of the countries most talented representational artists. I remember when he asked me to be a member but I was too caught up in Illustration years ago. However, now I am on board applying for membership of my first Fine Art Association . I am taking the plunge.

We started the evening browsing his new gallery the American Legacy Fine Arts . It is tastefully decorated and shows off the artwork and sculpture well. Any artist would be proud to have their paintings hanging on these walls. The spot lighting feels just right and features the artwork tastefully without any obvious glares. I guess I would have to say that alot of the vision must go to Peters lovely and visionary wife Elaine. She made us feel right at home and was an attentive and charming hostess.

We then made our way to Peters studio which was ornately decorated and full of paintings and objects de art. It was about twilight time and the interior light in his space glowed like a tiffany lamp.

Then we were off to Il Fornio in Pasadena and dined and talked at out table until we were the last to leave. I don’t think I enjoyed an evening with friends more and the stories that Peter told just had us spellbound with laughter. Its good to have friends that you can share a part of you that was so vulnerable and fragile at the time...only because they were going through the same struggles as well in their own way.

Next time we our down in Pasadena we plan to stay with Peter And Elaine at their elegant home in the Arroyo Seco and talk art into the evening again. Can such memorable times be repeated?

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Local Color , Movie Review

I went and saw the Movie “ Local Color”. But in actuality I lived “Local Color”. I experienced Local Color. And I applauded Local Color. 5 BIG FISTED STARS!

One commenter to my Blog said he had read the bad reviews and rejected seeing the movie as a result . Did the reviewers see the same movie I had seen? What if I had read the reviews before I had seen the movie? Would my reaction be tainted by the bad press?

My friend Tim Solliday had seen a sneak preview given to members of the California Art Club several months ago by the producers of the movie. He called me and insisted that I HAD to see this motion picture. It was about a boy in the 70’s who wanted to become a representational artist. Okay...lets pause here. Representational Art was considered anachronistic at ALL art schools at this time. The challenge for this budding artist was finding some one to teach him what he really wanted to learn. My interest was piqued and I saw the movie last Saturday in Pasadena at the only showing . The theatre was sadly near empty. But there were applause after it ended. Why?

I went online to read the reviews and I was struck on how many reviewers disliked this movie. Some said it was sentimental, cliched and poorly thought out and dramatized. After reading 3 reviews my review of the reviewers was that their reviews were more about THEM and their worldview than the movie . Here is an example. One reviewer said it was a mediocre coming of age movie at best and if you wanted to see a good movie of this genre then one had to see “ The Dead Poets Society” . I remember that movie well and although the movie was well acted and crafted . I remember thinking that it was a typical cliched piece of Romantic Crap with Walt Whitman's platitudes tossed around in a existential salad. But the reviewers loved it. Go figure. Another reviewer said that the old artist's thoughts about Art were all too familiar and cliched . Frankly, I don’t recall ever seeing a movie where a character held such dynamic views in a movie. I am ALL too familiar with conservative , traditional thinking characters in movies represented as shallow and backwards and bigoted and narrow minded. A movie that perfectly displays all these cliches was PLEASANTVILLE. The critics loved that movie too. You can go down the line. Hollywood loves the pedophile priest, the philandeering conservative husband , the hypocrite christian, and the EVIL corporate executive. In fact, if you take away that formula Hollywood would be hard pressed to make any movie with villains.

Okay so here is my review ( although I missed the first 4 minutes ...parking was bad) its about an artist retelling how he came to meet a Russian painter that changed his Life. This young man of around 18 is mesmerized and moved by Traditional Art and most importantly Representational Painting. He sees the impressionistic landscape paintings of a local Russian master and arranges an impromtu meeting. However, instead of meeting a towering romantic figure he meets an cynical alchoholic and a man who has been beaten down and who no longer paints anymore. The Master slams the door on the boys face. The boy is persistent and after several tries , vodka in hand , he gets to talk with the Russian Master. The old man looks at the boy and says to him. Do you believe in God? Because if you are an atheist , you will be incapable of creating any Art that is meaningful. Okay. Let’s stop here. When I heard this I stood up in my chair as I had never heard THAT from the lips of an actor in a movie. This movie WAS going to be different and it became clear to this ol man that already I could see that reviewers were going to dislike this movie. I mean, if the actor said.. forget about all the rules and formulas you hear from everybody and follow your bliss and creative urges and emotions and belt out your primal scream and color it with paint...then it may have been more palatable to the cognicenti. I mean, that was the message of the Dead Poets Society.

Without giving too much away, the Russian Artist escaped Soviet Russia and experienced what the State can do to your Soul . He is moved to paint in order to share in the commonality of shared experiences that connects us all. The most simple things are monumental to this man who knows the cost of tyranny.The price of admission to this indie movie is the scene where a Gallery Owner accuses Nicolai, the Russian Master, of being “ Sentimental” and trite. It is here that Nicolai and for that matter the script writer , passionately delivers the reason for caring about the human condition and painting common ,shared , human experiences on canvas.

Along the way the movie adds a love attraction that adds dramatic counter point to the main plot and further sells the idea that at the end of the day we eat, we drink we love and we thank God that this gift of LIfe is so precious and that our talents are for a moment and hopefully rendered to inspire humankind and to lift up what may be considered worthless and reveal the beautiful.

You can see the movie at a limited showing. Here is the link. Boy are you lucky if it is showing near you. Click Here

Back in the Saddle Again

Dear Reader,

I am back and intact. I feel really invigorated and energized. I did not do all that I had planned but what I did do was transformational.

My next post, when I unpack and tend to my garden ,that needs some love, is review a new movie that will make you want to stand and cheer. Its called " Local Color" and its about a young artist who wants to be TAUGHT how to paint representationaly. Yes...that's what I said. There were 2 scenes in the movie where I wanted to stand up and clap. And there were scenes where I identified with the young artist as I struggled against the tyranny of Abstract Art. Members of the California Art Club were asked to preview the movie and gave it a thumbs up. But many will not like it as the main character has many strong opinions against so called Modern Art. Here is the trailer....

Monterey and beyond

traveling day.......ya gotta see the sea horse (caballitos del mar ) exhibit at the Monterey Aquarium

You Gotta Surf Somebody

Dear Reader,

I think I twisted my neck on that Big Dipper Roller Coaster on the Santa Cruz BoardWalk. It is the 7th oldest Roller Coaster operating in the States and it was built in 1927. It uses miles of lumber and has that ol clinkity sound as the coaster car climbs to the precipice of doom .....then your stomach loses that burrito you had last night for dinner as gravity hurls you to seeming death at break neck speed ( pun intended ). Whooosh...Weeeeee. Too much fun.Then numerous twists and dips and rights and lefts and jerks and juttes and its over and I PAID FOR THAT! My son Isaac went on it 3 times and if you are planning a trip to Santa Cruz , ALL rides are 75 cents on Mondays and Tuesdays AFTER 5pm. Get there early.

I recommend the Santa Cruz Diner on Ocean St. Some guy on the Food Channel just did a special on this fabulous family style diner. The episode airs in September and I'm sure lines will go around the block after that. The California Burger was a big hit with REAL Thick Bacon. I love it....

We are definitely not in Auburn anymore. Santa Cruz attracts the Free Spirits and its all part of the show. But as wild as it may seem to my kids, it doesnt hold a candle to Telegraph St in Berkeley. I mean, there are real Atlantians still marooned on that strip of humanity..tie dyed and pachoolee oiled.

Some are calling the Obama Joker dangerous. I am not so sure myself. Can anyone of our generation be shocked anymore? But as soon as the Obama image surfaced some one remembered Bush appearing as the Joker Character in the Atlantic Monthly. So here it is. Joker Artist...America wants to know who you are.

For those interested, I will also be seeing Peter Adams, President of the California Art Club. He also runs his own gallery on his stunning property in Arroyo Seco in Pasadena. He has Jeremy Lipking as one of his artists.I'll drag my ol bud Tim Solliday with me. I'll take pics but I wont post them until I get back. We three studied with Theodore Lukits together. I'm old........

Where is the edge on Edgie?

Dear Reader,

I am posting from the far left coast. Here in Santa Cruz its cool waves and cool buds...in the open. I stumbled upon an article that showed our Leader disguised as THE JOKER alla Keith Legger (sp?) in Batman. It was shocking at first glance. There are some in the art world that love to shock to drive home a point. Is this too far? My son , when he first saw it said...can they do that...its racist. Yet I'm sure if they did that to an image of the last president no one wold notice. In fact, around the blogosphere some are trying to figure out who the artist is behind this guerrila art. There is no signature. Can it be that they are aware of how charged the message is. In fact, will the photoshop facial manipulation overwhelm the central message on the poster which is Obama's Socialism. In any event, this poster is cropping up all over L.A. . Where will PosterMan post next?

Is art protected? Are there limits? Even if the message is clever, can it go too far? Should Government arbitrate? I am sure there is more hand wringing on the left as they always scream about the preciousness of free speech....of course they came up with "politically correct" to cover their arse....developing

I am curious as to your thoughts. Go ahead and post anonymously....I would like to hear honest responses....