On painting at 12 & S

16 x 20 oil on linen

Well , I was back in Sacramento to paint a live model last night. It's been some time since I've painted at S12 and boy oh boy have things changed. Gone is the large room where it was hard to find a spot to paint. I guess there was some artistic drama amongst some of the members and most of the building is now rented out to different interests.... I'm talking a fat Tibetan Monk for one who has a shrine of an equally endowed  Buddha where he twaches the way of passivity . However ..... Mike Mokolon, a former painter at S12 has converted a section of the building as his studio slash figure painting slash drawing workshop and renamed it 12 & S.

 It was a small quaint group but the familiar smell of linseed oil and charcoal was in the air wafting like a delicious filet mignon to my soul. The painting time was delicious and after an hour I felt like I was back in da groove brahda and sistah.

 I just had fun and was diggin it. It was your typical 3 hour pose with breaks.

On painting Al

 I've tried to the best of my ability to avoid the cliche when painting the homeless . Somehow these down and out children of God seem so cast off and wayward that they make easy marks for the artist. They can be invisible to the busy person trying to get to the next appointment and yet for the artist they are a symbol of the fallen fruit that is going to waste in front of our eyes.

 Al is not homeless but he sure comes off pretty ragged. He is on social security and actually lives near the Gallery. I see him every day and I have become quite fond of Al. He usually asks me for money so  that he can go across the street to the mexican restaurant and buy a beer. He is an alcoholic. So I had a thought the other day as he sat in his usual spot on a bench right by my door.

 I asked him if he could pose for me for 1 hour the following day at 10. I told him I would pay him $10 . That way , instead of always begging for money , he could earn it from me. He agreed. In about 15 minutes time , he walked back into the Gallery and asked me for an advance . I told him I would pay him tomorrow after he posed. He said " Okay ... Be that way! " .

Sure enough , he was ready to pose at 10. So before you judge how rough this painting looks , I just had an hour to pull it off. He was a good model! He stood still and besides smoking occasionally  he was a joy to paint.

 So Al , I says .... how bout we do this again ... I mean ... you are a great poser . He said " Okay .... anytime Frank!" and he and I laughed.

.........

 

On Plein Air painting the Placer County Bank

 I really needed to do a Plein Air. And hopefully I will be doing some more around Downtown Auburn. This is our historic Placer County Bank.



........

Pics of Ca' Toga coming soon ......

Frank Ordaz with a living Artistic Genius Carlo Marchiori

On Franz Bischoff at the Crocker Museum

 

 Last night Jana and I went out with the Murph and Kathleen and were treated to a parisian style jazz concert at the Crocker Museum in Sacramento Ca. But as we were listening to the music , the Murph and I wandered into the museum and were just blown away by 2 current exhibitions.

  One is called Landscapes in the Age of Impressionism and is simply a delicious example of European and American Impressionists. The Monets are like jewels hanging on the wall but the George Inness is a truly fine example of American sensibilities in translating that art movement to the states. Here is the blurb from the museums website...


"This exhibition of approximately 40 paintings includes many of the finest examples of mid-nineteenth through early twentieth-century French and American landscapes from the Brooklyn Museum's collection.
The works presented offer a broad survey of landscape painting as practiced by such leading French artists as Gustave Courbet and Claude Monet and their most significant American followers including Frederick Childe Hassam and John Singer Sargent."

 I would add that the Metcalf's and Daubigny's are worth the price of admission too ......

 You only have until the 18th to see this "must see" show. I mean .... you will be blown away. Stop what you are doing and drive there. I'm going again.

 But what also caught my eye with splashes of wonderfully painted canvases  were the paintings of Franz Bischoff. What immediately captured my eye were his use of compositional color arrangements that danced across the canvas using compliments in a masterful way. Some artists dazzle you with edges , others with subject and rendering, but with Bischoff it is the colors the grab you by the throat and mesmerize you with their sensuallity of paint. His paintings are like colored tapestries. Me likee. This show runs until Oct 23.

 Here is the description from the museum...

"Franz A. Bischoff (1864–1929) began his career as a china painter in Austria but immigrated to the United States in 1885 and became one of the foremost porcelain painters of his day. He won numerous awards and ultimately earned the title “King of the Rose Painters.” Moving from Dearborn, Michigan, to Southern California in 1906, he began to paint still lifes as well as landscapes throughout the Western United States, including the coastal areas of Monterey and Laguna Beach, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and desert regions. This exhibition features approximately 40 examples of Bischoff’s work."


 The real treat comes in next year when the Crocker Museum of Art presents a retrospective of none other than EDGAR PAYNE!  Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

........

Mel the Marine

 I corraled my good buddy Mel who is a retired Marine to pose for a portrait. He is the full metal jacket . I really like him and he usually walks in after he gets a haircut from the barbers across the street. He sat for me for about an hour and I finished the small 9 x 12 with a photo of the pose. I was testing out Gamblin's Oil Painting Ground. It's okay . I'm note totally sold and I will have to try it under various field tests.

On to New things ....

Today is David’s 17th birthday and we are all beside ourselves with glee and happiness. David survived being a pree mee as well as a serious battle with spinal meningitis. Needless to say , he still has challenges but he has a strong life force and he is gifted with a great sense of humor.

---------


 Today I got a nice email from Sara Armstrong , former deputy chief of staff for Laura Bush. She is now Deputy Chief of Staff at the RNC. The RNC is looking to create a Christmas Card for this season and she thought of me as a potential candidate. I’ll be submitting my proposal along with other artists that are contacted . Stay tuned and let’s see if I am picked. Jamie Wyeth and Timothy Lawson , two of my favorite artists , have been chosen in the past.

......................

Several months ago, I was approached by the nice folks of the  Sun City Lincoln Activity Office and asked if I  would be interested in giving Art Tours for them. They asked me if I knew of any interesting destinations for their active seniors to visit and learn something new and culturally stimulating. If I was to do this, I told them that my first choice would be to visit the enchanting Ca’ Toga Villa in the Napa Valley. After a few discussions and meetings I signed on.

 This Monday will be our first trip to Ca’ Toga. My responsibilities will be to provide a backdrop to the spirit and creative muse that inspired Carlo Marchiori , a muralist by trade , to conceive and construct his stunning homage to the Classical Venician Villa and surrounding Roman Greco Gardens.

 I am putting together a short summary of the Venetian Renaissance and some of the principle characters that shaped and sparked this creative burst of artistic energy throughout Italy during the 15th and 16th century.



 The Italian Renaissance still is dominated by its 3 great artistic geniuses during the latter part of the 1400’s and middle 1500’s. Their names are forever etched in our cultural lexicon. They are Michelangelo , Leonardo Da Vinci and Raphael. These artists were identified with that creative fire storm  that ignited around  Florence and Rome . And because of their location , the Arts were supported by the Church, Wealthy Merchants and Bankers. But the Northern Renaissance , though not as well known to us,  was equally dynamic and propelled with Geniuses with a flair for Color and Light.  And they worked in Venice.

 

 The architect whose name is synonymous with Venice is Andrea Palladio , 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580 . Venice was an empire unto herself and was the chief trading port with the World at that time due to its location on the Adriatic Sea. Due to its standing in trade and banking , Venice’s wealthy were able to construct a city built on a lagoon with the best talent springing forth out of Italy.

 Andrea Palladio , looking back to the symmetry of Roman Architecture , synthesized all that he learned from the ancients , namely Vitruvius  , and created a style named after him. The Palladian Style. He designed Churches and Palaces but he is chiefly known for his country Villas. Palladio was sensitive to where the Villa should be situated, so that the landowner/ farmer could have a sweeping 360 view of his domain. Not one to repeat himself , he designed his Villas for each client that mainly suited its location on the property . But he did introduce one element that is characteristic of his buildings. He built his villas on a block and the visitor walked up to the first floor . The sleeping quarters were usually on the third floor, giving the occupants the choice view . The ground level was the basement. A Greek Pediment ( that triangle at the roof line ) was a distinguishing element to his designs . Also, many Venetian artists such as Veronese were commissioned to paint frescoes inside these light and airy interiors that were celebrating allegorical scenes in vivid color. It was a stark departure from the somber tones of the Romanesque and Gothic buildings of the previous epoch .

 Our Congressional building was inspired by Palladian sensibilities. Also, Thomas Jefferson was a big fan and Palladio ( meaning Angelic Messenger ) inspired his conception of Monticello in Virginia. Also , many plantation owners in the South modeled their homes after the Palladian Style.

 Due to Venice’s proximity to the sea, fresco painting did not advance to a high degree as it's rival in Florence. As a result , the new invention of Oil painting by the Flemish flourished in this city of canals. The main artists were Bellini,  Giorgione , Titian ( the divine one ) , Tintoretto , and Veronese. And because of the spontaneity that this new  medium offered a divergence in approach occurred. In fact this conflict of how a painting should be constructed still rages on to this day. Designio vs Colorito. Titian’s approach is key to this difference. The Venetians were spontaneous where the Florentines were calculating ( shades of Macchiavelli ) . Titian would dip his brush in a mixture of red ochre and proceed to layin his figures with a sweeping and direct application of thick paint. Michelangelo would by contrast carefully make a preliminary drawing and then transfer the drawing to his paint surface and color it in. Kinda like paint by numbers. The Venetian approach was a celebration of light and color with the drawing a secondary consideration. It is with Bellini that the Renaissance discovers the use of color to create a true atmospheric rendition of light as opposed to the browns of Da Vinci.

 Giovanni Bellini 1430-1516

 

Giorgione c.1477 - 1510

Titian c. 1490 -1576

Tintoretto 1518 - 1594

 The height of pictorial decoration is achieved by Veronese who uses color and design to such an astounding level that his figures leap from their surfaces. His Religious and paintings of Allegorical Themes were in high demand by the church as well as wealthy merchants.

Paolo Veronese , 1528 - 1588

--------

On painting Gilbert again

 I'm glad I was able to have taken several pictures of Gilbert while he was in the gallery over the past year. His get up was just to visually delicious to pass up . I'll post this finished painting under this. I'm approaching this painting as if he were posing in front of me. I should be doing other things , but I just feel inspired to paint his profile in remembrance of my quirky friend.


........

The finished painting .

''''''''''''''''

On Gilbert's Last Ride

" Gilbert " passed away last Friday. I visited him at the convalescent hospital where he was recupperating from an operation. I had heard that he was not doing well and I wanted to see him but not without bringing along a portrait of his deceased wife that I had promised him. I brought along the oil portrait that I quickly finished on Wednesday but when I saw him last Thursday he could barely talk. Gone was the fire and energy that had been so characteristic of my dear ol friend who would stop by the Gallery to visit me and say hello. He would say ... " Jesus has given you a powerful gift Frank " .... I will see him again one day. An article about him in our Auburn Journal can be read here.


.........

On to new vista's

 Time for a retreat with a group of fellow travelers seeking fog and inspiration along the Northern California coastline in Mendocino at the Lord's Land. This 20,000 + acres of pure relaxation among the redwoods and firs was built by hippies in the 60's who in many ways were the ancestors of those desert pleasure seekers in Nevada right now. You know what I'm talking about...Burning Man. Well.... these hippies were also doing the art thing while naked and building and starting an alternate culture but a funny thing happened along the way .... Jesus. The whole gang were inspired by the Jesus Movement of the sixties.

 The last person to be saved was the owner. She held out until she was smitten by the irresistable grace and love of His Holy Spirit. The name was changed and her property was dedicated to fellow travelers who loved the Lord. The place is not built to code and all the cabins have a 60's artsy hobbit like feel. But it is one of Mendocino's best kept secrets.YWAM now runs this sprawling property and it is a remnant of the art sensibilities of the sixties. Its really cool.

 So we will relax and hopefully announce a gathering where other art types might want to join us to chill out , create , talk , eat ,  laugh and praise. Look out for the future announcement of RISEN MAN 2012 at the Lord's Land. Stay tuned........


........

  As a former substance abuser I can relate to those using drugs to escape and party at the Nevada Playa. Check out this Christafari message ... No High like the Most High

On Experimenting

 One way to cure the blues is to take a painting , maybe one that you feel lacks inspiration , and take it somewhere it has never been before.... besides the trash. ;v)

 This is a portrait of a friend that I used as a demo. So since it was not a commissioned piece, I feel absolute freedom to play with this painting. So inspiration hit me like lightning yesterday after some good news finally arrived. Don't you just love it when clients finally pay! .  Since the subjects  name is Rosie , Why not do an abstract expressionistic background with an explosion of energy that is my interpretation of a rose plant. I kinda am thinking it should look like its a painting on a flat surface behind her. I can use dabs of brilliant color here and there for the actual flowers and just go spider monkey on the negative and positive shapes. Man am I excited now ....

 This is the first pass and I will let it dry. She is a bit of a pack rat and the chaos kinda matches in my mind. But this painting now feels closer to a vision of where I want to go with this canvas. Free at last.