Thursday, April 21, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Lest Ye Be Judged
The Art of Watercolour #2 is out, and includes a feature I did about painting for competitions and judging. Sorry for the lo-res image, but I'm sure they'd prefer you buy the magazine! (see the first issue for free on Calameo)
I'd like to thank artists who participated in the workshops in Bradenton, Rockville, and last week in College Station. The next workshops will take place May 15 at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo as part of Watermedia Weekend 2011, and then at Strathmore Mansion in Bethesda, May 20-21.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Sevillana
Sevillana - 92 x 92 cm. - watercolor
Sevillana will be exhibited at the first biennale in Saint Cyr-sur-Mer, France from May 1 - June 19. (see post below) The painting was also recently sold to the Quanhua Watercolour Gallery in Shanghai for its permanent collection. I'm returning to Shanghai in 2012 and look forward to seeing it there. 谢谢你!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Giclée Prints
Tokyo Express
I have a source that is making incredible prints - color reproduction and quality is fantastic, using archival UV inks on beautiful smooth rag paper. They are costing more to produce, so the price will be going up. However, for a short time longer I am offering Tokyo Express and Sueño del Verde at the original $350 price, including shipping in the US. They can be purchased through my website via PayPal (link below). Contact me for overseas orders.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
l' art de l' aquarelle - le livre
I received my copy of l' art de l' aquarelle - le livre from France this week. It is a magnificent collection of paintings from 24 of the top contemporary watercolorists in the world, all of whom have been featured in the magazine of the same name. The book is softbound, 196 pages printed on very high quality paper, with outstanding reproductions. (see this post for more information about content and ordering) It is divided into sections according to subject matter, including a chronological history of watercolor, and very interesting write-ups about the artists.
In Simmons' paintings, instantly recognisable and precisely drawn images appear in the midst of a whirlpool of vivid, dense and raw colour. His is considered to be one of those contemporary watercolourists who are exploring the very limits of what is possible in watercolour, sometimes in a far from orthodox way, but always with some surprises in store. Neither does he hold his tongue when it comes to defending his favorite medium!
All text in French and English. Along with the catalog of the Shanghai Zhujiajiao exhibition, it is the best book of watercolor paintings I have seen. At 94 Euros (including shipping) for American customers it is not inexpensive, but an indispensable publication for the serious watercolor enthusiast.
The book may be purchased via PayPal, please email Sonia Seince for more information: s.seince@megastar.fr
Monday, February 28, 2011
Creative Catalyst Productions - France Exhibition
Creative Catalyst Productions has launched their new website, with many improvements and added features. Included are free video clips, new artist bios and galleries, blog, and expanded workshop listings. I'll be shooting a new DVD with them later this year, a totally new and radical video workshop!I'm joining Janine Gallizia (Fr), Ross Paterson (Aus), Xavier Swolfs (Bel), and Shirley Trevena (UK) for the 2e Biennale de l’Aquarelle to be held at Centre Sébastien, Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer, France, May 2011.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Florida -- Interview
Florida is nice this time of year, maybe the best month to be there. I had a very enjoyable workshop at Art Center Manatee, which is also currently hosting the National Watercolor Society traveling show. Looks like I'll be returning there to do a Photoshop seminar, maybe this year. I met Anne Abgott, reunited with some familiar faces, and then spent the rest of the week seeing friends.Artist Jeanette Jobson does very cool work, much of it using the Japanese technique of fish printing (gyotaku). She also maintains a popular blog and writes a monthly art newsletter. She includes an interview with other artists in each newsletter, and I appeared in the December edition. I really appreciate being asked, and admire artists who support other artists - thanks Jeanette!
Read interview here (scroll down).
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Kevin Slater - Amazing Grace
I never met Kevin Slater, but he was a good friend, and a huge inspiration to me and many others. Kevin was left a quadriplegic after suffering a spinal cord injury during a wrestling match in high school. He struggled through a tough period when he almost gave up. But he triumphed, and resolved to live life as fully as he could.
Kevin became an artist -- a "mouth painter." I have seen many physically handicapped artists who paint this way, but Kevin was different: he painted in watercolor. The vast majority of mouth painters work in oil, as it's too difficult to control a wet medium. I don't know how he did it. And he was really good. I tried to paint watercolor holding the brush in my mouth to see whats it's like, and it was impossible.
In 2004 we crossed paths on an art website where he was known as "Strider." Pretty soon we became friends, and I used to call him at his house in Indiana to talk about painting, music, and anything else that came to mind. I cherished those conversations, and always came away from them revitalized. He was into guitar music, and I sent him a CD of mine.
In 2007 he was approached by a company that offered to buy his paintings. Kevin would have an income, and part of the proceeds would go to a foundation that supports people in his situation. He was really excited about it, and so was I. Unfortunately, just as this was happening, he was afflicted with a serious lung ailment and ended up in the hospital. The next couple of months were a roller coaster of procedures, gains, setbacks, emotions, and ultimately, heartbreak. When I called him in his hospital room, he couldn't speak, only listen. It was my intention to travel to Elkhart to visit him, as some other friends did. Before I could do so, Kevin died on July 17.
I drove out there a few days later to play at the funeral, and to meet Kevin's family. The church was in North Manchester, not far from the little town where Kevin grew up, Sidney. He was born in Wabash. I sort of wanted to play The Wabash Cannonball, one of my favorite American songs. I ended up playing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot as they brought him into the church, and Amazing Grace when they took him out. I'm not a religious person, but I love a lot of the hymns. Knowing the kind of music Kevin liked, I took a chance. Amazing Grace starts out as a reverie, but about half way through I turned it into a testifyin' footstomper. Using a looping device (very dangerous in a live situation, especially at a funeral!) I then put down a rhythm track, bass line, and started the sermon. Listening to it now I can still hear at which bar I glanced down from the balcony to see if the priest was going to cut the power. He was stunned, no doubt about it, but everyone in that place was moving to the music. Kevin's family and friends told me it's exactly what he would have wanted.
He was buried in a small cemetery next to an old church out in the middle of the country. In a pine box. At the graveside his brothers, father, friends and I shared cigars and a few shots of Jack Daniels. A nod to Kevin. You'll see them all in the photos, along with his mom, wife Pam, his beautiful nieces, close friend Sandra, the loyal young Carly who lived across the street and assisted in his studio. You'll see the studio, the brushes with the telltale bite marks, the palette. Some of the photos are difficult for me to look at, but I felt they are appropriate. I believe his family would agree. People live, people die, and we go on. If Amazing Grace was written for anyone, it was written for Kevin Slater. I loved the guy.
Kevin became an artist -- a "mouth painter." I have seen many physically handicapped artists who paint this way, but Kevin was different: he painted in watercolor. The vast majority of mouth painters work in oil, as it's too difficult to control a wet medium. I don't know how he did it. And he was really good. I tried to paint watercolor holding the brush in my mouth to see whats it's like, and it was impossible.
In 2004 we crossed paths on an art website where he was known as "Strider." Pretty soon we became friends, and I used to call him at his house in Indiana to talk about painting, music, and anything else that came to mind. I cherished those conversations, and always came away from them revitalized. He was into guitar music, and I sent him a CD of mine.
In 2007 he was approached by a company that offered to buy his paintings. Kevin would have an income, and part of the proceeds would go to a foundation that supports people in his situation. He was really excited about it, and so was I. Unfortunately, just as this was happening, he was afflicted with a serious lung ailment and ended up in the hospital. The next couple of months were a roller coaster of procedures, gains, setbacks, emotions, and ultimately, heartbreak. When I called him in his hospital room, he couldn't speak, only listen. It was my intention to travel to Elkhart to visit him, as some other friends did. Before I could do so, Kevin died on July 17.
I drove out there a few days later to play at the funeral, and to meet Kevin's family. The church was in North Manchester, not far from the little town where Kevin grew up, Sidney. He was born in Wabash. I sort of wanted to play The Wabash Cannonball, one of my favorite American songs. I ended up playing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot as they brought him into the church, and Amazing Grace when they took him out. I'm not a religious person, but I love a lot of the hymns. Knowing the kind of music Kevin liked, I took a chance. Amazing Grace starts out as a reverie, but about half way through I turned it into a testifyin' footstomper. Using a looping device (very dangerous in a live situation, especially at a funeral!) I then put down a rhythm track, bass line, and started the sermon. Listening to it now I can still hear at which bar I glanced down from the balcony to see if the priest was going to cut the power. He was stunned, no doubt about it, but everyone in that place was moving to the music. Kevin's family and friends told me it's exactly what he would have wanted.
He was buried in a small cemetery next to an old church out in the middle of the country. In a pine box. At the graveside his brothers, father, friends and I shared cigars and a few shots of Jack Daniels. A nod to Kevin. You'll see them all in the photos, along with his mom, wife Pam, his beautiful nieces, close friend Sandra, the loyal young Carly who lived across the street and assisted in his studio. You'll see the studio, the brushes with the telltale bite marks, the palette. Some of the photos are difficult for me to look at, but I felt they are appropriate. I believe his family would agree. People live, people die, and we go on. If Amazing Grace was written for anyone, it was written for Kevin Slater. I loved the guy.
Kevin Slater art on Zazzle.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Best of 2010 - Watermedia Weekend 2011
Thanks to Jessica Canterbury and Watercolor Artist magazine for including Nassau #1: Discount Warehouse in their "Best Watercolors of the Year" feature (February 2011 issue). The painting won the gold medal at the 61st Texas Watercolor Society National Juried Exhibition.
Friday, May 13-Sunday, May 15
Water Media Weekend 2011 in Western New York presented by American Artist magazine and the Burchfield Penney
Join leading water media master artists/teachers - Philip Burke, Margaret Martin, Margaret Roseman, John Salminen, Nicholas Simmons, Mel Stabin, Mary Whyte - for an engaging, hands-on weekend of workshops, demos, and roundtable discussions at the acclaimed Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo, NY. Learn from the masters, network with fellow artists, meet the editors of American Artist and Watercolor magazines, and enjoy the art and architecture of the renowned Burchfield Penney Art Center, home to the world's largest collection of Charles E. Burchfield works and archival materials.
More information and registration HERE.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Turn Up The Volume
This was recorded live at the Florida Guitar Show, at Thoroughbred Music in Clearwater, late 1990s. At the time I was sponsored by Ibanez guitars, Laney amps, D'Addario strings, and Roland. All music and guitars by yours truly. The louder, the better!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
William K. Moore - The One And Only
Heaven is Hell - 17" x 21" - Xixtograph by W.K. MooreAbout four years ago I came across an artist who amazed, disturbed, challenged, and touched me -- all at the same time. Reverberations through the blogosphere led me to the Cool Kids On The Block, and the leader of the pack, identified via one link as "William Moore, the crazy." I had to click.
William K. Moore was living then in Los Angeles and traveling to Colombia to paint the colorful denizens of the Bogota barrio, as well as local phenomena you don't see in the travel brochures. As the Bogota Painter, he took the urban guerilla approach, mixing with a crowd that is wary of American gringos. Fluency in Spanish, a heart full of compassion, an eye for the unusual, and loads of street smarts allowed him to chronicle a segment of society most would ignore, let alone immortalize.
Que bellezA - 18" x 15" - watercolor
It is essential to scour the Moore blog archives, because there is just way too much work to discuss here. Start at the beginning and work forward to best appreciate the evolution of themes and methods. You'll find sensitive and beautifully-painted images of people such as the tamale woman, homeless vagabonds, prostitutes of the Candelaria district, and a number of self-portraits that could only be described as bizarre. (I'm proud to own Chink Chank Chunk) Sometimes I wasn't sure if they were self-portraits, as the photos on his profile were just as outrageous. I kept thinking, "Who is this guy???"
It turned out he is a tall, dashing native Chicagoan who studied at the Art Institute and continued to hone his talents in drawing, figure painting, portraiture, and plein air, etc. across several mediums. All of this prowess combines with a prodigious imagination to form one of the most diverse portfolios you'll ever see. And he's prolific. The entire range of of the human condition leaps from the canvas, and instantly impresses as the work of one who has forged a unique style, unflinching, unapologetic, and in your face. As the artist forewarns, "Get ready to have your pants pulled down and receive the visual spanking you deserve." Yes!
Cotton Candy - 19" x 14" - watercolor acrylic
2008 saw the artist return to the Windy City to live, and marks the time where new design elements and working modes emerge, many pieces utilizing cubist environments with distorted perspectives. One thing that I find very stimulating in these works is the visual buzz created by disjointed edges, practically vibrating before your eyes. The concepts become more volatile, many in a horrifyingly spectacular way. Bill Moore is not afraid to explore the darker, grittier recesses. I have been rendered breathless by the supreme boldness of what this artist is putting out there, and wishing I had half the guts. There is often a humor that softens the blow, Tee Hee, but this is not your aunt's parlor art, and was never meant to be.
SpinxSpanx - 30" x 24" - silk screen
Accompanying most of the entries are mind-bending, often equally-disturbing narratives. I go back to read some of them, my favorite an ode to the hapless Gingerbread Man. Do the stories connect to the paintings? I would never presume to know for sure, and that's part of the adventure.
During 2009-2010, silk screen and mono screen is added to the arsenal of techniques, followed by the artist's own Zeit Screen and Xixtograph processes. Chicago provides a new cast of characters in street preachers, sidewalk loiterers, and fascinating faces masterfully depicted with heartbreaking poignancy.
Foster Exit - 7" x 18" - acrylic
Don't miss Bill's other blog, B Side Paintings, office annex to the main gallery!
It is impossible to adequately pay tribute here to an artist so original, broad, and daring. Bill Moore is one of the few I look to as a true innovator, a courageous force in contemporary art.
William K. Moore was living then in Los Angeles and traveling to Colombia to paint the colorful denizens of the Bogota barrio, as well as local phenomena you don't see in the travel brochures. As the Bogota Painter, he took the urban guerilla approach, mixing with a crowd that is wary of American gringos. Fluency in Spanish, a heart full of compassion, an eye for the unusual, and loads of street smarts allowed him to chronicle a segment of society most would ignore, let alone immortalize.
Que bellezA - 18" x 15" - watercolorIt is essential to scour the Moore blog archives, because there is just way too much work to discuss here. Start at the beginning and work forward to best appreciate the evolution of themes and methods. You'll find sensitive and beautifully-painted images of people such as the tamale woman, homeless vagabonds, prostitutes of the Candelaria district, and a number of self-portraits that could only be described as bizarre. (I'm proud to own Chink Chank Chunk) Sometimes I wasn't sure if they were self-portraits, as the photos on his profile were just as outrageous. I kept thinking, "Who is this guy???"
It turned out he is a tall, dashing native Chicagoan who studied at the Art Institute and continued to hone his talents in drawing, figure painting, portraiture, and plein air, etc. across several mediums. All of this prowess combines with a prodigious imagination to form one of the most diverse portfolios you'll ever see. And he's prolific. The entire range of of the human condition leaps from the canvas, and instantly impresses as the work of one who has forged a unique style, unflinching, unapologetic, and in your face. As the artist forewarns, "Get ready to have your pants pulled down and receive the visual spanking you deserve." Yes!
Cotton Candy - 19" x 14" - watercolor acrylic2008 saw the artist return to the Windy City to live, and marks the time where new design elements and working modes emerge, many pieces utilizing cubist environments with distorted perspectives. One thing that I find very stimulating in these works is the visual buzz created by disjointed edges, practically vibrating before your eyes. The concepts become more volatile, many in a horrifyingly spectacular way. Bill Moore is not afraid to explore the darker, grittier recesses. I have been rendered breathless by the supreme boldness of what this artist is putting out there, and wishing I had half the guts. There is often a humor that softens the blow, Tee Hee, but this is not your aunt's parlor art, and was never meant to be.
SpinxSpanx - 30" x 24" - silk screenAccompanying most of the entries are mind-bending, often equally-disturbing narratives. I go back to read some of them, my favorite an ode to the hapless Gingerbread Man. Do the stories connect to the paintings? I would never presume to know for sure, and that's part of the adventure.
During 2009-2010, silk screen and mono screen is added to the arsenal of techniques, followed by the artist's own Zeit Screen and Xixtograph processes. Chicago provides a new cast of characters in street preachers, sidewalk loiterers, and fascinating faces masterfully depicted with heartbreaking poignancy.
Foster Exit - 7" x 18" - acrylicDon't miss Bill's other blog, B Side Paintings, office annex to the main gallery!
It is impossible to adequately pay tribute here to an artist so original, broad, and daring. Bill Moore is one of the few I look to as a true innovator, a courageous force in contemporary art.
Chicago Painter William K. Moore
William Moore - B Side Paintings
Silk Screen Boiler Room
WKMoore Artbreak
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The Art of Watercolour
From L' Art de l'Aquarelle:
We created a prestigious book on a selection of the artists that have appeared in the watercolour magazine over the last two years... the book is completed and printed. It is sincerely well above and beyond any other book on contempory watercolour artists that we have seen.
24 of the world's greatest artists
100 never before published images
6 major paintings explained
24 x 28 cm.
Full colour high quality reproductions of all paintings on 150 gms paper
For information about purchase, email: Sonia Seince at s.seince@megastar.fr
Sunday, November 28, 2010
BACH & friends
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein says that playing Bach is "as close to religion as I get." This sums up my feeling as well as that of most of the musicians who appear in Michael Lawrence's superb new documentary, BACH & friends. The Baltimore filmmaker (see also the brilliant Barrueco: A Gift and a Life) has assembled a stellar and eclectic collection of musicians who all owe a lifetime of gratitude to the most remarkable composer in history. Fascinating interviews are joined with spellbinding performances into a two-hour (plus second bonus DVD of all performances) journey that awes as it stimulates.
All of the performances are noteworthy, but special highlights are organist Felix Hell's amazing rendition of the D Major fugue, mandolinist Chris Thile blazing through the E Major prelude, and Joshua Bell playing the Chaconne. Great camerawork captures Bobby McFerrin, Bela Fleck, Richard Stoltzman, Jake Shimabukuro, Peter Schickele, The Emerson Quartet, my friend Manuel Barrueco, and many others demonstrating the universal effect Bach has had on music and their lives. A provocative, recurring theme throughout the interviews is the notion that Bach did not "compose" the music, but rather simply wrote down what he heard in his head, channeling some otherwordly muse.
My favorite segment of the production is perhaps the Badinerie performed by the Swingle Singers, featuring the wonderful Joanna Goldsmith. This piece reveals the deep connection Bach has with humanity, transcending race, language, and the centuries. It brings to mind something Randy Kentfield once wrote:
All of the performances are noteworthy, but special highlights are organist Felix Hell's amazing rendition of the D Major fugue, mandolinist Chris Thile blazing through the E Major prelude, and Joshua Bell playing the Chaconne. Great camerawork captures Bobby McFerrin, Bela Fleck, Richard Stoltzman, Jake Shimabukuro, Peter Schickele, The Emerson Quartet, my friend Manuel Barrueco, and many others demonstrating the universal effect Bach has had on music and their lives. A provocative, recurring theme throughout the interviews is the notion that Bach did not "compose" the music, but rather simply wrote down what he heard in his head, channeling some otherwordly muse.
My favorite segment of the production is perhaps the Badinerie performed by the Swingle Singers, featuring the wonderful Joanna Goldsmith. This piece reveals the deep connection Bach has with humanity, transcending race, language, and the centuries. It brings to mind something Randy Kentfield once wrote:
It seems to me the various art forms are at varying stages of spiritual development, which I take to be a progression from identification with finite biology to a union with infinite physics. Dangling from the lowest rung of Jacob's Ladder are the verbal modes of expression. Poor, harried humanity, in order to deal with the world at the level of animal survival, has invented labels for what it sees, and has become attached to those names; the underlying processes are hidden from dull men's eyes by the dead weight of their illusory forms. The visual artist is somewhat more liberated. He can transform an animal's limited eyes into totally new ways of seeing. But the musician - that man has forsaken folly and revels in God - deals in a fluid medium unseen and unfelt but ecstatically experienced.
Thanks to Michael Lawrence for another landmark documentary, and I'm delighted to learn there will be a second Bach installment. I highly recommend BACH & friends, no matter your taste in music or art - there is something here for everyone to learn from and aspire to.
Thanks to Michael Lawrence for another landmark documentary, and I'm delighted to learn there will be a second Bach installment. I highly recommend BACH & friends, no matter your taste in music or art - there is something here for everyone to learn from and aspire to.
BACH & friends page on Michael Lawrence website
Thanks to Michael Lawrence for printing my comments!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Bienal Internacional de la Acuarela - NAWA
SIX AMERICAN ARTISTS TO REPRESENT THE U.S. IN THE NINTH INTERNATIONAL WATERCOLOR BIENNIAL IN MEXICO
Kathleen Alexander, Carol Carter, Mark Mehaffey, Thomas W. Schaller, Nicholas Simmons, and Keiko Tanabe have formed the North American Watercolor Artists, a group of six U.S. watercolor artists, to represent the United States in the IX International Watercolor Biennial in Mexico. The exhibition will be held at the National Museum of Watercolor in Mexico City, December 5, 2010 through February 13, 2011. Artists representing countries in five continents are participating in the Biennial, which is invitation-only. Begun in 1994, the purpose of the Biennial is to establish or enhance friendly relationships among watercolor artists and promote watercolor painting around the world.
Kathleen Alexander, Carol Carter, Mark Mehaffey, Thomas W. Schaller, Nicholas Simmons, and Keiko Tanabe have formed the North American Watercolor Artists, a group of six U.S. watercolor artists, to represent the United States in the IX International Watercolor Biennial in Mexico. The exhibition will be held at the National Museum of Watercolor in Mexico City, December 5, 2010 through February 13, 2011. Artists representing countries in five continents are participating in the Biennial, which is invitation-only. Begun in 1994, the purpose of the Biennial is to establish or enhance friendly relationships among watercolor artists and promote watercolor painting around the world.
Kathleen Alexander www.kathleenalexanderwatercolors.com
Carol Carter www.carol-carter.comMark Mehaffey www.mehaffeygallery.com
Thomas W. Schaller www.twschaller.com
Nicholas Simmons www.nicholassimmons.com
Keiko Tanabe http://ktanabefineart.com
Museo Nacional de la Acuarela http://www.acuarela.org.mx/
________________________________________________________________________
I'm very happy to be included in this group of incredible painters, and look forward to representing the USA in the upcoming biennial. As soon as there is a website for it, I'll post a link. In the meantime, each of us has submitted one painting for the exhibition, and we may have more opportunities to exhibit as a group in the future. Each of the other artists has done a lot of work that blows me away, and I expect this association will inspire me to try even harder and do better. A big thanks to my five compadres....we are the NAWA!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Upcoming Workshops
More workshops have been added to the schedule for the next couple of years. Next week I'll be doing one for the California Watercolor Association, which you can read about in the current newsletter. (thank you for the great write-up!). Next month I'll be in Florida for a few days at beautiful Amelia Island and a new venue for me, Amelia Island Artist Workshop. I'm looking forward to that, I've heard wonderful things about it from other artists. I believe there are still spaces available, see contact info below.
2011 includes a watercolor expo at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, five days at the incredible Manoir de Maison Blanche in France, and a return to Idyllwild in the San Jacinto mountains. 2012 includes workshops and judging major shows for San Diego Watercolor Society, Florida Watercolor Society, and others. More events are added regularly, see updates on the Workshop page of my website.
Contact: Karen Powers 510-502-6211
3-day workshop - Amelia Island Artist Workshop - Fernandina Beach, Florida. November 12-14.
Contact: Mikolean Longacre 904-415-3900
2-day workshop - Plaza Art - Rockville, Maryland. November 20-21.
Contact: 301-770-0500
Contact: 301-770-0500
2011
3-day workshop - ArtCenter Manatee - Bradenton, Florida. February 4-6.
Contact: 941-746-2862
2-day workshop - Plaza Art - Rockville, Maryland. February 19-20.
Contact: 301-770-0500
3-day workshop - Brazos Valley Art League - College Station, Texas. April 7-9.
Contact: Cynthie Hanks 979-229-6242
Judge - 2010-2011 National PTA Reflections Program (Visual Arts)
Demonstration and 1-day workshop - Watercolor Expo - Burchfield Penney Art Center - Buffalo, New York. May 13-15. More information TBA.
2-day workshop - Strathmore Mansion - Bethesda, Maryland. May 20-21.Contact: Holly Haliniewski 301-581-5125
5-day workshop - Manoir de Maison Blanche - Dordogne, France. July 4-8.
Contact: manoirdemaisonblanche@orange.fr +33 553 56 90 55
3-day workshop - Idyllwild Arts - Idyllwild, California. July 18-20.
Contact: summer@idyllwildarts.org 951- 659-2171 x 2365
4-day workshop - Ann Arbor, Michigan (web page TBA). July 25-28.
Contact: Debra Zamperla 734-662-8734
2-day workshop - Plaza Art - Rockville, Maryland. August 13-14.
Contact: 301-770-0500
4-day workshop - San Antonio Watercolor Group - San Antonio, Texas. September 13 -16.
Contact: Sandy McCoig or Karen McCauley - 830-281-4903
1-day Photoshop Secrets For Artists seminar - Plaza Art - Rockville, Maryland. October 1.
Contact: 301-770-0500
2-day workshop - Plaza Art - Rockville, Maryland. November 5-6
Contact: 301-770-0500
Contact: 301-770-0500
2012
2-day workshop - Plaza Art - Rockville, Maryland. February 4-5.Contact: 301-770-0500
4-day workshop - Waterloo Watercolor Group of Austin - Austin, Texas. April 2- 5. Demonstration April 1.
Contact: Nancy Charbeneau 512-795-0203
5-day workshop - Utah Watercolor Society - Salt Lake City, Utah. April 30-May 4. Demonstration May 1.
Contact: Joyce Baron 801-375-4933
Judge - Utah Watercolor Society 2010 Annual Open Juried Exhibition. April 2012.
4-day workshop - Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society - Buffalo, New York. May 14-17.
Contact: Carol Siracuse 716- 867-9044
Contact: Gail Ribas 207-460-4119
4-day workshop - San Diego Watercolor Society - San Diego, California. August 13-16.
Contact: Alice Kayuha (619) 876-4550
Judge - San Diego Watercolor Society International Exhibition. October 2012.
Judge: Florida Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition. August 2012.
4-day workshop - Florida Watercolor Society - Orlando, Florida. September 10-14.
Contact: Linda D. Neal 321-544-8888
4-day workshop - Greentree Studio - Lawrenceburg, Indiana. September 28-October 1.
Contact: Sandy Maudlin 812-539-4505
Contact: Jeanne de Campos-Rousseau
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Ocean City & Hold the MSG
Ocean City, Maryland is a place people like to go when it's warm and sunny. Last week I was there during what must be the off-season for the town, and it was windy, foggy, rainy, and almost deserted. Perfect. I had a condo overlooking a very wild and dramatic beach, and got some good pics. See the view down the beach from the balcony, above.
Unfortunately I had to cancel the last day of the workshop for the Art League of Ocean City, due to an illness. Yes, an illness called Worst ****ing Migraine Headache I've Ever Had Thanks To MSG. Ever gotten that one? I had dinner the night before at Outback steakhouse. Chicken. Ever wonder why everything tastes exactly the same at that restaurant? Because they bury it all in their "seasonings." Most of which are obviously loaded with MSG in one or more of its disguised or undisguised forms. Doesn't matter what you order - steak, chicken, pork, it all tastes the same. Anyway, aside from that I really enjoyed the place and the welcome fall atmosphere. Thanks to ALOC for inviting me, the great accomodations, and sorry especially to those who traveled far!
Unfortunately I had to cancel the last day of the workshop for the Art League of Ocean City, due to an illness. Yes, an illness called Worst ****ing Migraine Headache I've Ever Had Thanks To MSG. Ever gotten that one? I had dinner the night before at Outback steakhouse. Chicken. Ever wonder why everything tastes exactly the same at that restaurant? Because they bury it all in their "seasonings." Most of which are obviously loaded with MSG in one or more of its disguised or undisguised forms. Doesn't matter what you order - steak, chicken, pork, it all tastes the same. Anyway, aside from that I really enjoyed the place and the welcome fall atmosphere. Thanks to ALOC for inviting me, the great accomodations, and sorry especially to those who traveled far!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Luna Faerie Meets Wes
Having fun on a 3/4 size kid's guitar! First the bass line, then rhythm, then lead on top using the Lexicon JamMan looper. All improvised, one take.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Square 1
E-Z Terms - 102 x 102 cm.A blog buddy urged me to organize thoughts expressed in my replies to comments posted on this entry. Realizing it could add up to something close to an artist statement or explanation about personal "process," I pause. Re the former, I rarely read artist statements. They tend to subtract points from the work before I've even seen it, and in some cases allude to things that tell me I'm about to see some bad art. Without getting specific on that score, I've also heard this opinion from galleries and curators, etc. I don't recall ever reading an artist statement that measurably enhanced my enjoyment of the work, so I'm reluctant to compose one. Anyhow, I prefer the idea of art speaking for itself.
The process part is more interesting, especially if you happen to like the artist's work.
When I used to hear artists discuss their process(es), I always felt like a bit of a chump. They had this thing that sort of guided them and it seemed as though there was a discipline to it. I, on the other hand, had no such method or consistency. Eventually I decided that not having a process was my process, flying by the seat of my pants. Rather than fitting subject matter into a certain approach, style, or ethic, I simply would get an idea for a painting, imagine how I think it would look best to me, and then figure out how to do it -- or at least try to do it. This often means going back to square one with each new piece. In workshops I tell people that I often feel like a rank beginner when starting a painting, and that this is my "comfort zone." Not knowing where it's going but listening to the picture as it takes shape has yielded better and more surprising results than anything I likely could plan. It doesn't always come, and it can't be forced. I like how the poet William Stafford described it as a thread: you search for the end, pull gently, and follow. Which is starting to sound suspiciously like a process. :)
And so I've ended up with a body of work that is all over the map. I like it that way, diversity is one of the things I value most in art. Part of this is due to an inclination to avoid much of what I've seen in watercolor since I first got hooked. There is a lot of recycling in every medium, and watercolor is no different -- maybe worse. Perhaps because of its immediacy and associated traditions, there are legions of watercolorists who develop a style that often says to me "this is how I paint skies...this is how I paint trees...this is how I paint figures" etc. Facile and attractive, but I can tire of it quickly. Lots of painters play almost every tune in the same key, same tempo, with the same feel. I've been to concerts like that, but I don't stay long.
The painting above is an example of something that popped into my head a while back. I've never painted a dog, and don't even particularly care for dogs (un-American, I know!). But I had a hankering to see something like a junkyard canine with a fence and sign. Nothing deep, just shapes and colors and edges. Got it out of my system.
Next!
The process part is more interesting, especially if you happen to like the artist's work.
When I used to hear artists discuss their process(es), I always felt like a bit of a chump. They had this thing that sort of guided them and it seemed as though there was a discipline to it. I, on the other hand, had no such method or consistency. Eventually I decided that not having a process was my process, flying by the seat of my pants. Rather than fitting subject matter into a certain approach, style, or ethic, I simply would get an idea for a painting, imagine how I think it would look best to me, and then figure out how to do it -- or at least try to do it. This often means going back to square one with each new piece. In workshops I tell people that I often feel like a rank beginner when starting a painting, and that this is my "comfort zone." Not knowing where it's going but listening to the picture as it takes shape has yielded better and more surprising results than anything I likely could plan. It doesn't always come, and it can't be forced. I like how the poet William Stafford described it as a thread: you search for the end, pull gently, and follow. Which is starting to sound suspiciously like a process. :)
And so I've ended up with a body of work that is all over the map. I like it that way, diversity is one of the things I value most in art. Part of this is due to an inclination to avoid much of what I've seen in watercolor since I first got hooked. There is a lot of recycling in every medium, and watercolor is no different -- maybe worse. Perhaps because of its immediacy and associated traditions, there are legions of watercolorists who develop a style that often says to me "this is how I paint skies...this is how I paint trees...this is how I paint figures" etc. Facile and attractive, but I can tire of it quickly. Lots of painters play almost every tune in the same key, same tempo, with the same feel. I've been to concerts like that, but I don't stay long.
The painting above is an example of something that popped into my head a while back. I've never painted a dog, and don't even particularly care for dogs (un-American, I know!). But I had a hankering to see something like a junkyard canine with a fence and sign. Nothing deep, just shapes and colors and edges. Got it out of my system.
Next!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
The Artist's Magazine - Shanghai
The new October 2010 issue of The Artist's Magazine has a feature I wrote about the Shanghai Zhujiajiao exhibition (see earlier posts here and here re the judging and opening) on The Artist's Life page (edited by Cherie Haas). Photos include my wife Olga at the opening with my painting Russian Woman, myself with the other judges, some of the award winners, and the lucky shot I got in the water village of Zhou Zhuang. Sorry about the low-res pic -- if you don't subscribe, please go out and buy this excellent magazine!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Cabaña Con Carne
Cabaña Con Carne - 61 x 142 cm.Based on a photo I found, with some serious adjustments! Da Vinci watercolors on 140 lb. Fabriano hot press paper.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Happy Birthday, Tommy!
Carmine Appice and NickDid some fun reminiscing a couple nights ago with an old friend of yours. :)
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Kiss The Sky
Kiss The Sky - 102 x 102 cm.Da Vinci watercolor on 140 lb. Fabriano hot press paper. And check out my new axe! The guy who dreamed up the Tommy Bolin "Teaser" guitar for Dean finally got one of his own. These guitars take a while to make and I wanted people who ordered them to be first in line. More soon.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Idyllwild
Just finished a workshop at Idyllwild Arts, a fantastic private arts academy in the San Jacinto mountains of Southern California. During the school year it serves as an arts-focused boarding school for grades 9-12, and adult classes are offered during the summer. The campus is spread over a mountain and consists of about 100 buildings in a breathtaking setting. Last night while wandering around I happened on the ampitheater and was quite taken with six enormous canopies that cover the hillside leading down to the stage. Sunlight was streaming through them and it was beautifully surreal. There are lots of artists visiting here teaching courses in clay, metal, sculpture, painting, Native American arts, etc. I had a great group of people, and look forward to returning again.
When I drove here from Santa Ana airport last Friday and started up the mountain I quickly got a sense of how remote the little town of Idyllwild is -- like going back in time, and I fell in love with the place. Proximity to airports is a bit of a problem, otherwise I wouldn't mind moving here. Today I hiked along Strawberry Creek and took a lot of photographs. Tomorrow it's back to LA area meeting with DaVinci and hanging out in Laguna. Rough, huh? :)
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
100 Mid-Atlantic Artists
...
La Vida Breve will be featured with several other paintings of mine in a new book by E. Ashley Rooney, 100 Mid-Atlantic Artists, published by Schiffer Books. I'll post a notice when it is available.
La Vida Breve - watercolor by Nicholas Simmons
La Vida Breve will be featured with several other paintings of mine in a new book by E. Ashley Rooney, 100 Mid-Atlantic Artists, published by Schiffer Books. I'll post a notice when it is available.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Johnnie Bolin!
...
I was in Dayton, Ohio two weeks ago doing a workshop, and on what was supposed to be my last night in town (Thursday), I was sitting in a restaurant having dinner. I got a call from Johnnie, and without mentioning where I was, asked him where he was off to next:
Tommy and Johnnie Bolin - Mile High Stadium, Denver
August 29, 1976
I was in Dayton, Ohio two weeks ago doing a workshop, and on what was supposed to be my last night in town (Thursday), I was sitting in a restaurant having dinner. I got a call from Johnnie, and without mentioning where I was, asked him where he was off to next:"We're playing in Dayton on Saturday."
"Dayton? That's where I am!"
"Dayton? That's where I am!"
I hadn't crossed paths with Johnnie since the NAMM show in January of 2008, so I hung out for a couple days. And glad I did! It was great to see him, especially looking so healthy and happy. Black Oak Arkansas was playing Dayton's rock & roll club, McGuffy's, so I also got to meet rock icon Jim Dandy and the rest of the band. Too good to pass up. :)
This gives me an opportunity to post a few of my favorite pics of Johnnie, such as the one of him with Tommy when they were little kids. Even then, music was obviously going to be the family occupation. I love the photo of them together (see above) many years later when Johnnie was playing drums in Tommy's band, and performed for over 50,000 people at Denver's Mile High Stadium on August 29, 1976, only a few months before Tommy's death. Also on the bill for this show were Gary Wright, Steve Miller, and Peter Frampton at the height of his fame. You can read more about this period of the Tommy Bolin Band on the Tommy Bolin Archives site. There is some rare surviving footage from the Mile High show, where Johnnie can be seen drumming. (it was shot on silent 8mm film, so the audio has been dubbed from another concert)
This gives me an opportunity to post a few of my favorite pics of Johnnie, such as the one of him with Tommy when they were little kids. Even then, music was obviously going to be the family occupation. I love the photo of them together (see above) many years later when Johnnie was playing drums in Tommy's band, and performed for over 50,000 people at Denver's Mile High Stadium on August 29, 1976, only a few months before Tommy's death. Also on the bill for this show were Gary Wright, Steve Miller, and Peter Frampton at the height of his fame. You can read more about this period of the Tommy Bolin Band on the Tommy Bolin Archives site. There is some rare surviving footage from the Mile High show, where Johnnie can be seen drumming. (it was shot on silent 8mm film, so the audio has been dubbed from another concert)Johnnie has played with too many bands to list here, and has been pretty much everywhere. He can really tear it up, as you'll see on the video I shot during the BOA gig the other night. Not great audio, but I wasn't expecting to see him or I would have brought a good camera. Johnnie became a sponsored DDrums artist recently, and soon there will be a page for him on that site.
Besides the colorful musical career Johnnie has lived, he has also endured a lot of personal tragedy, and survived. Tommy's death at age 25 devastated not only the family, but the entire town of Sioux City (the whole state of Iowa, actually), not to mention legions of music fans. Johnnie's younger brother Rick died at an early age in the 90s, followed by his father and mother. Johnnie's the only one left, but he has a spirit of optimism and kindness that rubs off on all those who know him. He is blessed with a son, Bobby, who just may have some of the Bolin musical genius in him as well, and must be the best-looking kid in the Midwest!
Besides the colorful musical career Johnnie has lived, he has also endured a lot of personal tragedy, and survived. Tommy's death at age 25 devastated not only the family, but the entire town of Sioux City (the whole state of Iowa, actually), not to mention legions of music fans. Johnnie's younger brother Rick died at an early age in the 90s, followed by his father and mother. Johnnie's the only one left, but he has a spirit of optimism and kindness that rubs off on all those who know him. He is blessed with a son, Bobby, who just may have some of the Bolin musical genius in him as well, and must be the best-looking kid in the Midwest!
My frienship with Johnnie is one I cherish, and I think about him everyday.
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