Artist of the Week - Chuck Close

The artist of the week is Chuck Close. He is a painter and also a printmaker building his complex images with layers and layers of colors. When I was poking around the internet, I found out that I had missed an exhibit of his work at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth by two days!!! I'm still not over this!!! Just goes to show that I need to stay up on my museum calendars so I don't miss out again! Oh, the pain of it all...... Anyway, printmaking is on the board for the beginning of the year in my Art I classes, so I'm interested in artists who use this technique for their work. If you have the time and inclination, check out the link below for a 30 minute video of Chuck Close with a gallery owner. Great interview and insight into the artist's work.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5095353369406214540&pr=goog-sl

Watermelon Art

Ahhhhh.....summer is here and the watermelon is ripe! I love to eat it, and usually have some on the 4th of July which is coming up. But an art material?!? Well, see for yourself. These images came to me through an email and their source was unidentified. Here was another kind of food art (see coffee art post below!) that is quite successful. The complementary colors of red and green are quite nice. Notice how the artist uses the white part of the rind to create highlights in the composition. I LOVE the sense of movement in the bike and baseball pieces - the lines are so effective! And the depth of space in the architectural piece is subtle but wonderful. How many other types of food lend themselves to artistic expression? It thrills me to see people's love of artistic expression come through the sacredness of food - essential to life just as art is!

Sarah McLachlan Video - Powerful!

Visual art is where my passion is, but art is so life encompassing. One of the things the arts are so successful at is getting the public's attention about issues in a way that distills its power and sharpens its message. This video by Sarah is one such art piece. How can we translate her message into our own day to day lives?

Artist of the Week - Gustave Baumann

A friend asked me about the calendar reproductions I have of Gustave Baumann in my bathroom, causing me to research him for this week's feature artist. I admire his work tremendously - woodblock prints that have great depth and texture, works that vividly show the colors and the air of the American Southwest (one of my favorite places), and an incredible sense of design in his compositions while reflecting the natural world around us. Analyzing one piece of his could keep you busy all day! The fact that he builds his images layer by layer gives me great appreciation for his skill and patience as an artist. If you happen to be traveling to Santa Fe this next year, check out the exhibit of Baumann which runs to Sept. 9, 2007! Here's a link to the info: http://www.mfasantafe.org/display.php?menu=view_exhib&ex_id=40

Painter's Keys - A community for Artists

This site is so valuable! Robert Genn lovingly sends out his missives about so many aspects of art: the
passion, the intellectual approach, technique, place, attitude, and on and on. Twice a week he sends out a free newsletter with his reflections. You can go to his site and sign up for free.His artist community is growing - why not explore it for yourself?

More Coffee Art

Coffee, the elixer of our day, vital to productivity, but so much more than that! An opportunity for contemplation, play, fellowship, and Art!

Coffee Art

The sublime combines in flavor and visual!

Late Night at the Dallas Museum of Art

Tonight is Late Night at the DMA - free concert by Los Lobos and
the Louis Comfort Tiffany exhibit. Hope to see you there!

My Own Art Blog!!

After completing my first year at TAG Magnet, I am excited to create my own art blog! Art is EVERYWHERE around us, and I like to keep my eyes open and share my findings with you! School's out, but the summer is a great time for me to fill my own art bucket and I'd love to have you come along!! For my previous students, I'll send notations through my TAG websites to check out new postings. If you want to be removed or added to my list, post a comment and I'll take care of it. Have a great summer!

Joe Bob says, "Check it out!"