Back from Amsterdam

I'm back from my quick trip to Amsterdam and Belgium. We planned our trip to visit the home towns of Dutch and Flemish old masters. Needless to say the trip was excellent.
During my travels I was struck by how the prominent artists were commemorated via statues. So, instead of going on and on about each city I will share some photo's of the statues of these artists.

Jan van Eyck ( c 1380/90 - 1441) in Bruges, Belgium



Hans Memling (c. 1430 - 1494) in Bruges, Belgium

Peter Paul Rubens (1577 - 1640) in Antwerp, Belgium

Anthony Van Dyck (1599 - 1641) in Antwerp, Belgium

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 - 1669) in Amsterdam



Rembrandt's sculpture with the 3D interpretation of the Night Watchman

Amsterdam

I am off to Amsterdam for a short visit. I am excited to check out some museums. I will be sure to write a few posts regarding my experience when I return to Queens. In the mean time here's a detail of the painting that will be put on hold during my trip.

The Gates documentary on HBO

A few weeks ago I began to notice sporadic adds for The Gates on the top of cabs. Needless to say I was a bit puzzled since The Gates took place three years ago. Soon after I came to the realization that these ads were actually not for the project itself, but for its documentary presented on HBO. Today I’m posting since I had a chance to watch The Gates documentary. The documentary covers Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s The Gates project in New York City’s Central Park from its infancy. Apparently they were adamant about filming the process of proposing the project to the city’s officials. Unfortunately, they didn’t get the green light for a quarter of century and the result is this intriguing documentary. The film begins with the two young hopefuls, Christo and Jeanne-Claude presenting the Gates to New York in 1979. The reactions ranges from anger for The Gates defacing Central Park to racial inequality and are surprisingly negative. Someone even compares building The Gates on the park to having Picasso paint Guernica on da Vinci’s Last Supper. The documentary also shows Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s good moments and bad moments and does not neglect to show some unflattering moments that are arrogant and demanding. All of which portrays them as not simply heroes, but rather as human beings with a dream. Over all, the documentary gives us an insight into process, procedures and public reaction to The Gates. After watching the film I couldn’t help but feel grateful that The Gates was approved and that I had the pleasure of experiencing it first hand

Cold day

I've been pretty much worthless these past few days due to shoulder pains. I guess it's just about time for my body to tell me to slowdown. I've pretty much been on cruise control for a while and haven't taken a moment to notice my surroundings.
This week I finally decided to take a break from all the chaos and go for a walk. It was nice to break out of the numbness and feel the sun, smell the air and enjoy the cool sensation of the wind. I even spent some time looking at the sunlight breaking through the majestic clouds. A melancholy feeling took over but it was mixed with a sense of joy. The past and the present all mixed together, those who are gone and those who are here... I guess without sadness happiness wouldn’t exist. From time to time I seem to forget why I paint, today again I remember…

Sneak preview - preliminary studies.

Value studies in graphite for the painting currently hanging in the studio.

Getting ready for new work.

This week I am preparing for several new compositions by photographing a couple of my friends who have agreed to be in my paintings. It is a very exciting time for me because I am finally getting started in a new body of work. I have also toned one of the canvas this evening and I hope to get started by mid-March.