Family Art -- Teachers, Mentors, Paint 3D

When I was a pre-teen, my brothers and I took oil painting classes from New Jersey artist, Virginia Falconieri, and I painted this portrait inspired by the famous clown Emmett Kelly. I recently got it back from my parents' estate when my brother was cleaning out his basement. I presented all of my works proudly in a display case in 6th grade.

Only recently have I taken up painting again, as has my older brother.

I made a prototype acrylic sunset painting in anticipation of hosting a Paint Nite at my local coffee shop, but the class never materialized.

Photos from Westwood Regional High School Yearbook (1975)

In high school, in Westwood, New Jersey, in addition to taking what would be AP classes today, my brother and I took Art Major classes from Mr. George Pappas, assisted by Ms. Denise Salto.




Every year, he would play the audio from "The Wizard of Oz" in the background while we were doing art. He surely was one of my most favorite and memorable teachers! Per the Westwood Regional High School Facebook page, he died on December 15, 2016, at 98.

I signed up for an oil painting class as a retiree, but the commute to Seattle let the steam out of that endeavor. I guess I need to find something else to inspire the painting to continue. I need to clean out an area in my new office so that I can get organized for painting.

Retired since March of last year, my older brother has been using a 3D Paint program on a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet to create his own high-tech artwork. After our July 'Brother Bonding' trip to Cooperstown together with my younger brother, we both took a renewed interest in creating our own art. His inspiration began with a passion for landscapes that he calls 'random bales of hay', which we watched out for on our road trip to NY.

His first work, completed in late December 2019, is an autumn scene from Cooperstown emulating the back cover of the latest "Memories and Dreams" magazine from the MLB HOF.



In February, he wanted to celebrate the fact that the Toronto Blue Jays will start 3 former Lansing Lugnuts at 2B (Cavan Biggio), SS (Bo Bichette), and 3B (Vladimir Guerrero Jr)  this year, and all 3 are sons of former Major Leaguers (and Biggio and Guerrero Jr are sons of Hall of Famers). So he found images on the internet of each batting and drew them into one design with Paint 3D. He now has a customized one-of-a-kind t-shirt sporting his design.

Then on St. Patrick's Day he finished this landscape from his wife's photo taken last Summer at Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge in Saginaw, Michigan.

"Field - Hay Bales", Jane Cloutier

This landscape collage by a local Michigan artist, hanging in his doctor's office, uses cut bits of paper like the artist Henri Matisse would have done. He snapped a pic on his phone and went to work creating a pattern of multiple small images of the work. After playing around with placement and size on Zazzle he had it made into a necktie.









This month, my brother and his wife had to put down their Chinese Crested dog, Winston. He painted an image of their beloved family member, again using Paint 3D. Amazing!

My younger brother has also dabbled in watercolor and painted this picture of a basset hound.












Years ago I took a watercolor class and painted this portrait from a small picture of a cowboy that I found in National Geographic.

It used layering, a wash for the background, and a dry-brush technique for the flannel shirt.

You can see the pastel paintings my daughter, niece, and I created in my Art Class for Seniors post. For other artwork, such as acrylic paintings from Paint Nites we've attended, see my Friends and Family post.

Sculpture - Another Dimension of Art

"End of the Day #2" (1996), Chihuly

It's a shame that visual art education is largely void of the subject of 3D sculpture; the world seems obsessed with two-dimensional art. Fortunately, Europe has plenty of statues and outdoor art to admire and to beautify/accompany its grand architecture. I wonder if such abundance inspires 3D art education across the pond. In this post, I'd like to share the works of some of my favorite sculptors -- Chihuly, Degas, and Tsutakawa.

Locally, here in Washington State, Chihuly and Tsutakawa have become popular fixtures. You may spot the avant-garde fountains by George Tsutakawa in neighboring cities. Such metallic sculptures are designed for the water to flow through and out of his iconic shapes.

Besides Washington's Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum in Seattle and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, there are many more of his glass installations throughout the U.S. and the world. I enjoy watching his documentaries on PBS. Pictured is a photo I took (left) of a small Tsutakawa fountain on the patio of the Maple Valley  Golf Club and (right) of a Chihuly piece at Palm Springs Art Museum in 2018.

Degas Ballet Figurines

While on a cruise of the Baltics in June 2019, I visited the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum in Copenhagen, Denmark and discovered sculptures by Edgar Degas, Auguste Rodin, and Pablo Picasso.

Ballet Dancer (1880-81), Degas

The museum had plenty of sculptures, including these two selections by Edgar Degas, and is best captured by the following blog post by Mary Solio, Copenhagen with Kids: Exploring Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. It shows the statue, "Water Mother" by Danish sculptor, Kai Nielsen. The reclining figure has 14 babies crawling around her, one of which is a young Venus perched on her raised arm.

Here's a small work by Auguste Rodin and one (below) by Pablo Picasso.

George Tsutakawa's son, Gerry created “The Mitt” that can be seen outside Safeco Field, now T-Mobile Park, home to the Seattle Mariners. Here is my Ichiro bobblehead collectible with him standing next to the Mitt outside the ballpark.






The statue of Ken Griffey Jr. was created by sculptor Lou Cella, unveiled 13 April 2017, vandalized 17 October 2017, and had his missing bat replaced 3 February 2018. I was also fortunate to see lots of statues this past Summer on my trip to the Baseball HOF in Cooperstown, NY (see my post).

It's sad to see art vandalized like Griffey's missing bat and Copenhagen's little mermaid's head. Even with art heists, wars, fires, and other tragic events throughout history, so many wonderful works of art have miraculously survived or been recovered for the world to enjoy timelessly.

While on a scenic road trip through Oregon and California, watch for occasional roadside artwork along I-5. We spotted Priscilla the metal dragon by artist Ralph Starritt and his Moo-Donna and her calf, Moona-Lisa near Yreka, California.

"Bronco Buster" (1895), Remington

Ken H. Stalter Jr. (1928-2016)

While my older brother was doing his large animal vet experience on a farm in the Catskills of Franklin, NY, he stayed with Ken and Lois Stalter. Ken was also an artist influenced by the sculpture work of Frederic Remington. 

In addition to "Wild West" bronze sculptures, Mr. Stalter did paintings and pen and ink drawings in his spare time. 

"Warrior" (2012), Ken H. Stalter Jr.

During the Summer of 1976, he and my brother set up easels after milking the cows and having breakfast, then painted all afternoon. Toward the end of the Summer, the pair rented sidewalk space in downtown Oneonta and displayed some of their works as part of an art festival.

Stalter made this wonderful wood carving (by request) for my sister-in-law one Christmas.

Art Heists

While I don't do Facebook or Twitter, I must share this surprising post by the Puyallup, WA Police Dept. from Monday, 16 March. I saw it on our local network news.

"Due to local cases of #COVID-19, PPD is asking all criminal activities and nefarious behavior to cease. We appreciate your anticipated cooperation in halting crime & thank all the criminals in advance. We will certainly let you know when you can resume your normal criminal behavior."

Can you imagine if it would have been that easy to stop all the art thefts over the years? Such activity is often motivated by greed or likely fueled by boredom or the challenge of breaking security measures. What I'll never understand is the senseless vandalism of art. It's difficult enough to preserve centuries-old artwork or to restore paintings that have cracked or faded naturally. Bravo to art restoration experts, curators, and investigators who recover damaged or stolen artworks!

"A Young Woman standing at a Virginal"
(1670-72), Vermeer

"Les Oliviers" (1889), Van Gogh

Personally, I am glad that there are so many Van Gogh's to see, considering his short career as a painter (age 27-36). Saw this one at the National Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2017. I'm disappointed that there aren't more of Vermeer's works. How about the paintings within the painting? It also amazes me that he had time to paint while raising 11 children!

"The Connoisseur" (1961), Norman Rockwell

This painting-within-a-painting is Norman Rockwell's nod to Abstract Expressionism and is likely patterned after the work of his fellow artist, Jackson Pollock, who died 6 years earlier and never got to see it. Personally, I think the art patron should be standing further back in order to fully appreciate the painting. It's also way too colorful to be an actual Pollock!

"San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk" (1908-12), Monet

Art heists are common themes in many Hollywood movies. Probably the most famous are the two versions of "The Thomas Crown Affair" from 1968 and 1999 in which a classic Monet painting is borrowed and a copy forged with Coolidge's 'Dogs at Cards' a.k.a. "Poker Sympathy" underneath (for the comic relief!).

The first starred Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway (both) and the second Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. The intrigue of the art capers was accompanied by the romantic involvement of a bored thief and a relentless investigator.







Here's a photo of the Lakhta Center taken while in St. Petersburg, Russia at around 11 PM (Yes!) when it was still light. I call it, "Twilight, Russia", after Monet's "Twilight, Venice".








1999's "Entrapment" pairs Sean Connery with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the search for the stolen Rembrandt - "Bathsheba with King David's Letter".

Grace Kelly - To Catch a Thief, by Kevin Hughes

1955's popular "To Catch a Thief" was about a cat burglar jewel thief and a romance between Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. According to one website (The Guardian), "A thief in Cannes made off with over £90m in jewels in a 2013 smash and grab at a temporary exhibition in the Carlton Hotel, where (coincidentally) Alfred Hitchcock filmed To Catch a Thief." 

The less-popular 1966 movie "How to Steal A Million", about art forgery, in particular sculpture, stars Peter O'Toole and Audrey Hepburn.

1991's "Hudson Hawk", starring Bruce Willis and Andie MacDowell, is a violent movie about stealing works by Leonardo da Vinci from the Vatican. One of the works is a small-scale model for da Vinci’s enormous statue of the Sforza horse which was never actually completed.

"Monuments Men" is a 2014 movie about a more positive recovery of art masterpieces from Nazi thieves by a platoon of WWII soldiers.

Art Parodies - Poking Fun at Art is Inspiring

Perhaps you've seen the painting, "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper. It is an iconic modern scene depicting a few lonely people hanging out in a diner during the wee hours of operation. Simple and efficient, Hopper captures a melancholy scene with a mastery of lighting techniques. Recall in the movie, "As Good as it Gets", Jack Nicolson and Helen Hunt's characters decide to take an early morning walk for some hot rolls and arrive in time for the corner bakery to open. 

When modern-day artists choose to parody famous artworks, it is a form of flattery as well as a way to bring popular culture into the world of art. Gottfried's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" is a now-famous parody of Hopper's "Nighthawks" using Hollywood icons to replace the characters in the late-night diner.
Maybe you can guess who they are!





Coolidge's "Dogs Playing Poker" was likely the inspiration for Andy Thomas' fantasy group portraits of Republican and Democrat Presidents (tagged in my recent 'Presidential Portraits' post). Both are less serious works that I consider whimsical works of art. Such Americana is often used as decoration in man caves, kitchens, rec rooms, and even floor mats across America. I believe that you may also customize which breeds of dogs (or politicians, Ha!).








The second most popular parody mimics Grant Wood's "American Gothic". One theme uses Star Wars figures to replace the farmer couple. In them, the wife is either replaced by the Wookie Chewbacca or becomes Princess Leia, complete with dueling buns and the original expression. The husband is replaced by a younger and better looking Han Solo in one and a sinister Sith in the other.

In addition to Star Wars characters, today's artists will insert familiar characters from The Simpsons, the Batman comics, and even the Muppets.

I found Muppet Cookie Monster in parodies of iconic works by Spanish Surrealist Salvador Dali and Japanese artist Hokusai. 

I like how Dali's watches are replaced by chocolate chip cookies and Hokusai's wave becomes

a wave of hunger for something sweet.

Of course, there are many parodies of the "Mona Lisa", "Girl with a Pearl Earring", and Edvard Munch's "The Scream", but I'll let the curious stumble onto those online!





It's fun to occasionally poke fun at art. I like to incorporate comics and images from newspaper articles into my art lessons to serve as ice breakers when I introduce a new artist/topic. I encourage my students to be on the lookout for art even in the media and on TV.

Here's a comic by Gary Larson that I saved from my comic-a-day desk calendar years ago when I was still working. I use it as a lead-in to lessons on Realism.

The artist is painting exactly what he sees.

Artists, even photographers, create illusions to trick our eyes and brains. Here, the weather or atmosphere is helping make the impossible cantilever ship. Painters who work largely in the two dimensions of a rectangular canvas need to employ techniques to create illusions of space, depth, perspective, texture, etc. Op Art takes it a step further using optical illusions (e.g. M.C. Escher and Victor Vasarely).

"Relativity" (1953), M.C. Escher

I wonder if J.K. Rowling used Escher's staircases as inspiration for the dormitories in the Harry Potter novels.

A literary parody!

Swimming-Pool In The High Street (Glasgow, Scotland)

Here's a 3D chalk illusion by Julian Beever.











And a collage of weird advertisements I pulled from the Internet. While I've never witnessed these in-person, I saw plenty of sidewalk art in London's Trafalgar Square on our UK trip in 2017.

Artist Frenemies - Friendships, Rivalries, and Competition

As I continue to do research for my art lessons I am finding that many artists befriend a fellow artist, sometimes becoming competitive rivals, and often challenging each other to improve and innovate.

In another post, I've talked about Van Gogh's friendship (late in life) with Gauguin. Van Gogh was a somewhat timid soul who was later institutionalized following his relationship with his bolder, adventurous friend Gauguin. 

While Vincent liked to paint outdoors from nature, Paul insisted that he make up scenes from his own imagination. Vincent used his imagination to re-colorize copies of paintings by Jean-Francois Millet and the works of Japanese artists. I will discuss other friendships and rivalries that were often based on copying each other's works and some works that were deemed plagiaries.

National Gallery London

Another rivalry I know about is between portrait painters Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough. I knew about this one while researching the life and work of Reynolds and prior to visiting the UK in 2017. Apparently, Gainsborough was jealous of Reynolds having been appointed the Painter to the King (George III) and President of the Royal Academy of the Arts. At the Tate Britain museum, I stumbled upon works by both artists that were curiously displayed side-by-side (Reynolds on the left). I was taken aback and commented about their placement to two young patrons who were summarily impressed by my knowledge of the strained relationship. I then revealed to them how Gainsborough put aside his differences when he visited Reynolds's deathbed before he died. It's always a good idea to do the right thing and avoid regret later.







While in self-imposed isolation during the recent outbreak of Covid-19, I find myself accelerating my blogging, though struggling to come up with interesting topics. In order to learn more about artist rivalries, I turned to the Internet, finding a couple more strained friendships as well as a book on the subject.




Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas had a falling out after Manet slashed the face of his wife in a portrait Degas had painted of his friends. In retaliation, Degas returned a painting that Manet had gifted him.









Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse would often choose similar subjects to paint and occasionally use the same titles for the works. This form of flattery went on for a while until Picasso criticized Matisse's design for  Chapelle Du Rosaire in Venice, likening it to a bathroom (salle de bain in French).

Rival art writers/critics created a rivalry between Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning.





The next set of three rivaled pairs comes from Sebastian Smee's book entitled, The Art of Rivalry: Four Friendships, Betrayals, and Breakthroughs in Modern Art. He cited four pairs, but I am not interested in the feud between Freud and Bacon.

Not sure about this one: when John Constable was to exhibit his painting, "The Opening of Waterloo Bridge", Joseph Mallord William Turner was to exhibit side-by-side with his. Turner decided to upstage Constable by adding a red buoy to his own painting, "Helvoetsluys".

Battle of Anghiari, da Vinci

Battle of Cascina, Michelangelo

The rivalry of a well-established, mature Leonardo da Vinci and up-and-coming,  young Michelangelo had an adverse effect on art history and the celebration of two famous battles in Florence history. 




Both were commissioned for Florence's Hall of Five-Hundred and neither was ever finished due to their utter dislike for each other. Not so mature after all, eh!?

Caravaggio's Cupid

Giovanni's Version

The final is a bitter rivalry. Michelangelo Caravaggio was criticized by Giovanni Baglione, who claimed that Caravaggio's "Amor Vincit Omnia" painting of Cupid was plagiarized. So, in response to the Cupid painting, Giovanni painted "Sacred and Profane Love", giving the face of the devil a likeness of Caravaggio. Caravaggio was so inflamed that he engaged in libel and spent a few days in jail as a result.

Now that's a rivalry!