Cay Denise

It was the Piccirilli Brothers!   The six brothers credited with carving the Lincoln statue were named Ferruccio, Attilio, Furio, Getulio, Masaniello and Orazio. In the 19th and 20th centuries, sculptors would normally sculpt their ideas in clay followed by casting them in plaster.  Then the sculptor would hire skilled carvers to translate his vision into a stone sculpture.  Before the Piccirilli's set up shop (a repurposed horse stables) in the Bronx of the late 1800s, an American sculptor would send his plaster cast to Italy for the skilled craftsmen there to execute that vision into stone.  This could take up to a year to complete.   David Chester French, an American sculptor, created the plaster cast of Lincoln for the Memorial.  He learned of the Piccirilli brothers and the extraordinary stone carving work they were doing throughout New York especially in public installations.  Some of those works include the lions outside the New York Public Libr...

What fun to learn Mr. Brosnan is has a love of painting and wanted to be an illustrator but ended up becoming an actor.  I would consider him more of an emotive painter as he uses the canvas to 'process' his feelings or 'relay' his experiences -- at least when he initially returned to painting as an avocation.  The Vanity Fair article about his work and a current exhibition of it can be accessed at this link.  Vanity Fair Article - Pierce Brosnan Paints Interestingly, his son is also a painter with a completely different approach.  The son's works (see them at the Instagram link in the article) are quite Basquiat-like but with more graffitied/busy areas the fill the entire canvas.  

How were you raised to argue/debate for your points of view, your ideas, or were you one who learned to 'go along to get along'?  Were you someone who could see a better way of doing something and bring it up?  If so, was there a recognition that it might work and was implemented, and later the results measured to see if it had worked?  Did you not bring something up because the way it was being done was the way it has always been done? These are just some questions that I'm thinking about after reading an article about using 'creative abrasion' as a source of energy.  It is an interesting perspective from two men - principles of bringing 'The Incredibles' to the screen.  Their working relationship is based on a tension between them of creative abrasion.  It's where they both have differing strong ideas/opinions they weakly hold.  That means they can debate (and maybe argue for) their ideas/opinions that they willingly entertain changes to in order to ...

As I continue working my way through last year's NYTimes Style Magazine titled '24 Hours in the Creative Life: The Artist's Way, I read about an artist.  So, I looked her up (not having heard of her before) and found her work and the volume of it -- is awesome!  She is 88-year young, Sheila Hicks.   Her website is filled with fiber works that have a sense of poetry to them.  You can see her work by clicking the link below, and there is a great slideshow on the splash page of selections from her portfolio of installations of quite sizable works! The Art of Sheila Hicks

Are you like me, having used alcohol markers not knowing their toxicity potential-- and later developing sneezing and/or irritation in your nose/throat?  There is a connection.   This DIY Craft Club article provides information on how to prevent continued exposure to the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) generated as the alcohol in alcohol markers begin to evaporate and make VOCs.  That's why using these kinds of markers should be done in well-ventilated areas.  Otherwise, wearing PPE (personal protective equipment) comprised of a respirator and gloves is very important.  This is especially true if you use alcohol markers over the long-term as well as for other types of art/craft work, cleaning, and even industrial purposes.  To read more, here is the article link:  Alcohol Ink Use - with your Safety in Mind  

This Nice News article is about street intersections and approaches to them that are being painted in lovely  and intriguing designs.  In addition, they're actually reducing crashes that has been and continues to be verified by the data.  So, this is working to improve intersection safety while improving the look of the communities where these art projects are installed.  Here is the article link: Street Painting and Crash Reduction Data   The only issue with them is ensuring maintenance funding to keep the paintings at the intensity of the original painting.  Otherwise, over time, it will suffer a build-up of soot, oil, and dirt from traffic and pedestrian use; sun-fade; and other normal wear-and-tear from use (e.g. street fairs, etc.).  We have one of these painted intersections locally that has suffered from a lack of upkeep...beautiful though it was when first painted in.  I love the idea and am impressed with the data of its positive impacts ...

In his October 18th (2022) article, Austin Kleon introduces the idea of 'Comfort Work.  It occurs during the in-between times when our creative spurts and productivity take a back seat or are distressingly missing.  He calls the creative activity/efforts made during this in-between time -- Comfort Work.  It's during these periods, however long they may be, that Comfort Work provides a sense of solace and soothing -- until the periods of Real Work return.  It's somewhat like eating comfort food to gain a sense of well-being during times of stress, loneliness, rejection, etc. until there is relief through change. This article is so timely because I've been in this Comfort Work space for about a month now. Daily, I enter my studio space and have no sense of direction for what to do art-wise, wondering if this is percolation time for a new project, wondering whether my skills will decline because I'm not using them, and finding things to do that aren't my Real Work....

This week, the Supreme Court will hear a case that could change the provision of  'fair use' in copyright law.  It has to do with a photograph by one artist used by a magazine, and later that magazine, with a license agreement with that photographer, asked another artist to create something based on it.  Unfortunately, the magazine didn't advise the latter artist that there was a license agreement in place.  In fact, that latter artist went on to make millions ($$s) on the works that he created as a result. By the way, the subject of the photograph was Prince.  The artists involved were Lynn Goldsmith, the original photographer, and Andy Warhol, the latter artist. This is a case to definitely one to watch because of the implications for all types of creatives and how copyright law's fair-use doctrine could change based on the decision.  NPR Article about the Court Case

This is an opinion piece I never expected to read and authored by David Brooks, an Opinion Columnist with The New York Times.  It's about who influences who in the arts, and  how creatives/people become their real selves.   I find this a very introspective article by Mr. Brooks and interesting.  It echos guidance I've heard from a number of creatives/instructors in the arts--Austin Kleon, Ardith Goodwin, and Louise Fletcher--to name a few.  It is a worthwhile read that I recommend and can be found at this link: Article Link

  Joan Baez on Drawing - from Austin Kleon Post

This is such a good article from 'The Painter's Keys' in which the discussion about what is proper behavior when it comes to art galleries.  That is because there seem to be more emerging sub-standard and/or inappropriate behavior by some you might now expect.   'The Hambleton Galleries Code of Ethics, May 2022', listed in the article are very good  covering galleries, clients, artists and consignors, employees and accountability.  They seem very thorough and what I would expect in the realm of doing business with a gallery and what should be expected from it, if it is doing business ethically. https://painterskeys.com/ethics-and-art-galleries/ What do you think?  Have you experienced an unethical situation with a gallery and was it resolved to your satisfaction, if resolved?

All 5 human senses are absolutely engaged in this new Disney adventure (at Walt Disney World) that opened March 1st!  It is brilliant and ingeniously-executed!!!  While pricey, it LOOKS SO FUN-- ESPECIALLY if you're a Star Wars fan!! I highly recommend viewing the video in the CNET article at the link below, because it shows what the adventure is like for a guest from beginning to end without giving away the story.  The other video below features representatives from Disney's Imagineers and LucasFilm talking about how it all came together.  For this post, though, my purpose is to cover how Disney is giving guests a full 5-sense experience (touch, sight, sound, smell and taste) over their two-day adventure.   Touch:  Guests first connect with their in-room information center (that includes a 24/7 bot), and separately use a special phone app designed for the adventure to send and receive communications with onboard characters as they may help characters/solve...

I love this post by Sara Genn who writes about the phrase "Do It Now" (DIN), something Paul McCartney's father said to him many times. If you don't do it now when you have the dream or vision, you probably won't do it.  Procrastination quickly rears its ugly head and alters the dream or vision of something delightful into something not worth the time to do.  You lose your energy from the ideation that sparked it. After reading the article, you can find the song Paul McCartney wrote and recorded about DIN on YouTube. https://painterskeys.com/din/

  This is a superb article about the woman who was a driving force in introducing Van Gogh's work to the world and developing appreciation and a market for his works.   New York Times - Article Link

The artist featured in this article makes intricate and memorable pieces (many in mandala form) from cut newspaper and other papers.  The sample of her work below is beautiful and looks somewhat Victorian...perhaps due to the lacy appearance of the work.  Her website link in the article is worth visiting to see more of her amazing work (article link is below too)! by Myriam Dion https://mymodernmet.com/myriam-dion-newspaper-collages/?fbclid=IwAR1Cnz6lrIwAiVkmNgDxznqkueOJ176auFVWKnzgE9sst7StMXLTqVkfEMw

This was such a wonderful article with several reimagined classical paintings done whimsically with Disney characters.  Here is an example. To see the article in full, here is the link: https://mymodernmet.com/carlos-gromo-disney-paintings/?fbclid=IwAR2XZUXvLWK4FhBwSuCTkm9CEj4M_rN_cSHGQX4ULaMook4LpH9jW9c33Ac  

This article is a well worth reading to learn about the philosophy of the artist and the messages he worked to convey through his tree silhouette art.  https://www.brainpickings.org/2019/08/06/trees-at-night-art-young/?mc_cid=b6aca43034&mc_eid=e315ba8731

Great article and effort to support a cellist with talent and quite a story...check it out! https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/04/24/ive-been-crying-all-dayhappy-tears-young-cellist-with-tormented-past-is-disbelief-donations/?utm_term=.e32ffbbb6ce5

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/14/the-french-burglar-who-pulled-off-his-generations-biggest-art-heist?utm_medium=10today.ad1.20190109.421.2&utm_source=email&utm_content=article&utm_campaign=10-for-today---4.0-styling

This is an interesting article about loneliness and the fact that it is increasing across age groups and is being seen across the world.  After reading it, I started wondering... Artists typically work alone to create their works (writers, composers, etc. too).  The article consequently suggests that we may have to work even harder to maintain a relevant community that surrrounds us -- so that art-making doesn't become an additional 'cause' for the experience of loneliness. Article Link: https://theweek.com/articles/815518/epidemic-loneliness?utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_source=afternoon&utm_medium=01_06_19-article_1-815518 Your thoughts?