exhibits

Los Gatos Plein Air Event

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Been painting for the last couple days in the Los Gatos Plein Air Event. As typical in these events, the artists have 2 days to paint two or three paintings, and then the works are auctioned off. The auction is tomorrow in Old Town Los Gatos.

Although I have been painting for many years, the first plein air event I ever entered was the first/last Los Gatos Plein Air in 2004. Since I won first place in that event, my painting is the poster for this years event.

A couple shot from the last couple days–

My first painting was along Los Gatos Creek, just by the main street bridge. You would never know you were steps away from a bustling Silicon Valley suburb!

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I next drove up into the Santa Cruz Mountains and did a redwood scene. I had just been at this location with the Los Gatos Art Association, like the scene so much, decided to do a larger piece for the show.

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The next day I was up bright and early. I did a painting at the corner of Hicks and Shannon. This was at the edge of the city limits of Los Gatos, but again looks like you are way out in the countryside. The fog was just beginning to clear the tops of the mountains, and it was a wonderful scene! There were a number of deer around, including 4 bucks all together!

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That evening, there was a reception gala for the artists at the California Cafe in Old Town Los Gatos. Just a few shots of the event–

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Tomorrow is the main event where they will hand out awards and auction off the paintings.

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Nomadas del Art Extended

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Just received word the Nomadas Del Arte show at the Southwest Gallery in Dallas Texas has been extended until mid May. I have two paintings in the show, one of which is shown below. If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, it is not too late to see the show! You can view works online in the show here.

Lake Tahoe
Tahoe Inlet * 12*16 * Oil on panel

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Lost Gatos Plein Air Flyer

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I just received a flyer via email from the producers of the upcoming Los Gatos Plein Air. I hope a lot of the ‘locals’ will see the show which is May 28-30, 2009. Of note is they used my painting in the flyer from their last show in 2004…

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Nomadas Del Arte

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Much of the artwork for the Nomadas Del Arte show is now up on the Southwest Gallery website. Each artist had a year to paint two plein air paintings for the show opening in Dallas in a couple of weeks. I hear some paintings have already sold! Both of my works are of Lake Tahoe. Looks like it will be a really good show You can see it here. My two paintings are below–

lake tahoe
East Shore Vista * 16×12 * Oil on panel

Lake Tahoe
Tahoe Inlet * 12*16 * Oil on panel

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Carmel Art Festival

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I just received word I was accepted into this national plein air show, now the fourth year in a row. The first year I entered, I was honored with Best In Oils, but nothing since. This makes two plein air shows I will be participating in May, the Los Gatos Plein Air May 28-30, and this one, May 14-17. Below is a picture I did last year for the Carmel Show.

Big Sur, California

First Rays * 12×24 * Oil

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Touch my HeART Gala

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I promise this is the last post on Touch my HeART.  Since I had won 2nd place, I got a free ticket to tonights gala. By the time I got there, my three paintings were gone, chosen by someone attending.  Below are a few picts.

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Touched by MyHeart

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“It was a dark and stormy night”…yes it was when I drove over to the the Touch My HeART, artists reception tonight. An unusual California downpour drenched everything on my drive.  When I arrived at the event, I was amazed by the line out the door and the crowd to get in. It was the biggest crowd I have seen at any of the Los Gatos charity events.

I donated 3 miniatures and they told me ahead of time I was honored with 2nd place…so, just a few picts.

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Touch MyHeART

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The local charity event, Touch My HeART, is in its seventh year of fundraising for The Museums of Los Gatos, supporting the activities of Art Museum of Los Gatos. I will be participating in the show this year.  Although they have changed the format over the years, it basically goes like this…patrons may purchase a ticket for $120 for the “Gala Event” on Valentines Day, February 14.  They then get to choose one of the miniature paintings contributed for the show.

I will have 3 paintings in the show, all 5×7 gallery wrap.  Gallery wrap means the painting is not framed, but the painting wraps around the end to a depth of about an inch. I have one painting each of Lake Tahoe, Yosemite Valley, and Big Sur in the show.  Below is the Yosmite Valley Painting.

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If anybody is interesting in obtaining one of my miniatures, then be sure to check this venue out, as they will be going for about 1/3 my normal gallery prices…plus you get food and wine! More information and tickets may be found on their web site.

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Prado Museum on Google Earth

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I am a real fan of Google Earth.  If you haven’t tried it, please do!  From virtually scouting out plein air painting sites, to finding houses I lived in as a child, to virtually exploring a Greek isle before a Mediterranean cruise, it has many uses.

Now, Google has added artistic masterpieces to Google Earth and Google Maps.  You can read a Time article about it here, and access the masterpieces here on Google Earth or Maps.

The 14 current images that have been scanned at the Museo del Prado include..

  • Artemis by Rembrandt
  • Self Portrait by Albrecht Durer
  • The 3rd of May 1808 in Madrid by Francisco Goya
  • The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest by El Greco
  • The Cardinal by Raphael
  • Descent from the Cross by Roger van der Weyden
  • Emperor Carlos V on Horseback by Titian
  • The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch
  • Jacob’s Dream by José de Ribera
  • Inmaculada Concepción by Giambattista Tiepolo
  • The Annunciation by Fra Angelico
  • Crucifixion by Juan de Flandes
  • The Family of Felipe IV, or Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez
  • The Three Graces by Peter Paul Rubens

So, if you haven’t downloaded Google Earth yet you’re missing out! Hopefully Google will continue to expand this feature.

Google says “The paintings have been photographed in very high resolution and contain as many as 14,000 million pixels (14 gigapixels). With this high level resolution you are able to see fine details such as the tiny bee on a flower in The Three Graces (Las Tres Gracias), delicate tears on the faces of the figures in The Descent from the Cross (El Descendimiento ) and complex figures in The Garden of Earthly Delights (El Jardin de las Delicias)” on their Google Earth and Maps blog here.

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Leonardo, 500 Years Into the Future

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Leonardo da Vinci is celebrated as the inventor of extraordinary machines and mechanical devices that entered the common heritage of technical culture only several centuries after his death.

The San Jose Tech Museum of Innovation has had an exhibit about Leonardo da Vinci for the past several months.  I visited the exhibit today.

I haven’t studied Leonardo closely, so was interested to see what I could learn.  I have seen many of his paintings in the Louvre in Paris, including the Mona Lisa.  The exhibit centered more around the machines and mechanical culture of the Renaissance period than paintings.  The only original pieces in the exhibit actually by da Vinci were some of his notebooks.  There were only two paintings in a separate gallery, none by da Vinci, but by two of his disciples.

I walked away with two major impressions about the man.  First, not to diminish his genius, but da Vinci was more a product of his time and didn’t work in a vacuum.  Much of his inventiveness was built on the shoulders of others, including contemporaries, and not in isolation.

Secondly, and most important, is summed up by one of the plaques in the exhibit:

For Leonardo painting is supreme among the sciences, since it is based on the mathematical principles of perspective, it recurs to the to the verification of experience and is nourished by universal knowledge.

In other words, he considered painting the ultimate science vigorously applying the other sciences of perspective, proportionality, mathematics, atmosphere, etc.to his paintings.  Much of this was explained in the exhibit including the Golden ratio, human proportionality, etc.  Quite a contrast to today’s modern artists who declare “anything you say is art, is art”.

Below are a few pictures from today–

Showing the construction of the Renaissance era:

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Some of the actual manuscripts–

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Machines invented during that period for construction and other uses–

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If you live in the area, be sure to visit the exhibit as it is closing soon!

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