MOUNT VERNON…CINCO DE MAYO

Mine is the one on the left.

No, not that Mount Vernon.  The town in Iowa.  They asked a few months ago if they could use my art I did for Cinco de Mayo for their Chalk the Walk festival on May 5.  It is a way for the town to raise a little money, and kick off their festival season.  I was really honored that they picked a piece of mine.  Especially since they used a Norman Rockwell painting, “The Dugout” last year.  I liked being considered along with Rockwell!

In Mount Vernon, they block off the main intersection in town for one block each direction, and everybody gets to do chalk paintings on their own patch of the street.  But on the intersection, they grid it off and have people do a square of the chosen theme painting.  This year it was mine.

They sell the chalk for $10.00 a box, and have about 374 squares, so they only raise about $3740.00 with it.  So, obviously my art was donated.  But it was great to be a small part of their day, in a town I’ve never been to.  Now I’ll have to go visit someday.  Cute old main street.

A rainstorm came through in the middle of it all, but it didn’t seem to affect the chalk at all.  I wonder how they remove it when the festival is over?

They have a drone fly overhead at the end, and all attendees wave at the camera.  Of course you have kids and parents, and non-artists doing the work, but the end results are really interesting.  I hope they had as much fun doing it, as I did seeing the outcome.

The intersection.

There are lots of videos at:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/chalkthewalk/videos/?ref=page_internal

and the website itself has tons of photos of the artists at work:

https://www.facebook.com/pg/chalkthewalk/photos/

Rubbing your fingers raw.

Overall view.

 

 

Oops, I Forgot One

This is an older painting that I put in the show.  This is also the one that got the Nominee Ribbon.  It is my William-Adolphe Rodriguezeau style.

Pictures At An Exhibition

They had to drag me, kicking and screaming, into Fine Art. I’m an illustrator, and except for a short deluded period in art school, that’s what I’ve always wanted to be. But all my friends have left illustration for fine art, and keep telling me how wonderful it is to create your own imagery. But see, I often have that with illustration anyway.

I figured I’d give it a try. It was fun, and I will do it again. I learned a lot about what has to be different next time. Like, I will need a more prestigious show, with people with more money, of course. I guess the question is, will the more prestigious show want me.

There is a thing in California, or maybe everywhere, I’m not exactly sure….but everyone seems to do landscapes and animals. Incredibly beautifully painted landscapes, by incredibly gifted artists. I think landscapes must sell well. But I really don’t want to paint pretty pictures. I have to look around more and pay attention to people who do more idiosyncratic work to see if there is a spot for me somewhere. I’m thinking of people like Kenton Nelson and Steve Huston. There are many others that are doing well with their own personal imagery. Steve has probably never painted a landscape in his life.

I love Eric Bowman’s work, and he does paint landscapes, but in such a personally distinctive way, that somehow it takes it out of the realm of painters that I am struggling to come to terms with right now. So, I am very confused, and searching for answers. This is all so new.

Since back in the beginning of my career, I’ve always enjoyed painting billowing fabric around figures. Very dramatic, and I love the reflected light, and the abstracted shapes. I painted cloaks, dresses, curtains, sheets blowing in the wind. I think I was inspired by N. C. Wyeth in that, and it evolved. So when it came time for this show, I thought to leave out the figures and just do the fabric. We went down to the beach at sunset and tossed bolts of fabric up in the air and shot away. Someone asked if we were doing a commercial for a fabric store.

I sold a painting I did during the Quick Draw, where you have to paint it in one hour. At $350, that was pretty decent. But I figure you’d have to paint several a day to make a living. I did win a nominee ribbon for Best in Show for my San Gabriel VAllegory painting I did a few years ago. There were five of those ribbons. But for my first fine art show, I was happy with that.

It was definitely an interesting experience, and it gave me a lot to think about. But for now, look for me in the Workbook, not American Artist.