Vitruvian Man Riff

Vitruvian Man Riff

 

 



 

Detail



Detail



 





 

 

 

Detail



This picture of Vitruvian Man Riff, is a digital image, I also have created a similar wall art picture, formed by printing out collage sections of the digital subject and collaging them on to board with a background of acrylic painting.

The face was inspired by Johnny Depp.  I have shamelessly appropriated from Leonard da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, and adorned (or defaced, take your pick) the beautiful body with images from my original digitally painted image gallery.  Da Vinci was inspired by  De Archtectura, Book III, by the architect Vitruvius, which illustrates ideal body proportions.

I have mashed up a selection of my images (which were, mostly, reimagined from previous images by other artists) that interest me onto the perfectly proportioned body.

Post internet artists are mining classical art images and transforming, reimagining, them in creative ways. There is a banquet of inspiration in internet pictures.  When artists transform previous images it is similar to Janis Joplin performing a riff on Kris Kristofferson's song Bobby McGee. 

There is a long history of visual artists borrowing from history.  (Nothing is created in a vacuum,)  For example Gustave Courbet riffed on the Jean Ingres picture The Source.  Ingres referenced an earlier picture The Aphrodite of Cnidus.  Numerous artists, including myself, have reimagined The Source since Ingres. 

According to Wikipedia Di Vinci's drawing illustrates perfect human proportions, these proportions  correlate with classic geometry and architecture.  In modern times the drawing has been appropriated frequently, has been used in logos and advertising, so, it is a familiar icon.

I am signing off now.  Live long and prosper.

Mary, Queen of Heaven, collage

 

Mary Queen of Heaven

photoshop image for collage on canvas

 

 

 

 

detail

 

 

 

This is the image that I am working on now.  Here you see the digital work that has been done.  I have segmented this image into collage pieces to apply to a canvas.  I printed out the pieces and cut the images into collagable segments.  A background has been painted on canvas.  It looks beautiful,  cobalt blue and pthalo tint blue acrylic painted with loose and free brush strokes forming glowing rays onto the canvas. Now I am ready to glue the digital collage elements onto the canvas.

 

I am working on the canvas (24"hX16"w) and hope to get it photographed and posted here soon.  The photograph may not happen soon, because it is spring and I am enjoying working in my garden.

 

This canvas continues the POP Religion series with a Mary is My Muse theme.  It is similar to the previous work called,  Mary, Queen of All. Which is in the collection of Donna Duffy, owner of Tripolo Gallery in Covington, LA.   Both paintings are based on a common and easily recognizable, traditional Christian Mary picture. 

 

In the heart area, shown in the detail, is a picture of Baby God Crying.  Well,  I think that we all have a squalling infant bundled in a small corner of our hearts.  I am not sure about you, but I do at times experience infantile rage aching.  My inner baby still screams from time to time, frustrated when she does not get her way. 

 

Some of the input into the production of POP Religion, comes from introspection.  Other input is traditional global religious myths.  But, I am confused, still confused, trying to sort it all out.   Actually, I am reconciled with being confused.  Long ago, I decided that "not knowing" could be reframed as "appreciation of deep mystery".

 

Another theme that my work expresses is humor about the human condition.  A condition so baffling and irrational the you gotta laugh.

 

When doing a collage, I try to put it all together, I use many images from my personal digital library created over a period of several years.  Included here are  Jagger Devil (a funny image), Belushi Bacchus, Marilyn Aphrodite, Ganesh, Beatles, and my high school graduation picture which I have Warholed.  There are about 30 images arranged to fit into the traditional Mary picture.

Gotta go now, my garden is calling.  Thanks for looking.

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 



John Wayne Moses

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Wayne Moses, Code of the Cowboy

digital painting, 195.4m

In ancient times, Moses handed down the "Ten Commandments".  On May 26, 1907, Moses reincarnated as the movie actor, John Wayne.  As John Wayne, the deity delivered the "Code of the Cowboy".  Mucho macho patriarchy.







 

Treeya

Face Now

Recent digital painting, 24M



Brangelina Mere Mortals

Brangelina Mere Mortals

We will all die,

sooner or later.
So seize the day.

 

POP Religion

pop art

pop up gallery

popsicle

poppa

pop up toaster

pop tart

pop tart

pop, pop, fizz, fizz

pop gun

pop, pop, bang, bang

pop goes the weasel

pop U lar

pop U lated

pop up book

pop ideology

pop dogma

pop sin

pope

pop on ice

pop rocks

pop rx

pop corn

pop fever

pop riffing

  Brought to you by the  More Guts Than Brains Coalition.



  

 





Tripolo Gallery, POP Religion Show

Tripolo Gallery

POP Religion Art Show

Save the date:   Opening, this Saturday, August 9,  6pm-9pm.  Paintings will be on view for several weeks.

323 North Columbia Street, Covington, LA, 70433.
 Phone 985-789-4073.

I am so pleased that the wonderful and gracious Donna Duffy is showing my paintings from the "POP Religion Series" in her beautiful Tripolo Gallery. I hope that you will take this opportunity to see my work looking good in this gorgeous setting. The gallery is in the charming old town section of Covington  with coffee house, restaurants, fine shopping and lots of art nearby.

The list of paintings to be shown is still in the decision making process. We will surely hang, "Jagger Devil", as it is an exciting attention grabber.  I know that you want to see it as a painting, looking so much more vibrant than its appearance on your computer.  "Marilyn Aphrodite" will be flirting off the wall.  "Belushi Bacchus"  will be leering his crocked smile.  "Baby God Crying", will be screaming his head off.

 Also, I want to show a few works from the "Radiance Series", just recently painted.  I have been trying to put into words what this series is "about".  An artist verbalizing what images are "about" is treading a slippery slope, that might be better avoided, however, people ask, and it seems that words must be produced.  I wish that the images would visually communicate, almost psychically transport, from my mind to your mind, but not everyone is fluent in the language of images.  Words help to bridge the gap.

  The "Radiance Series", are pictures of women's faces, but they are not portraits, they are studies of psychological or spiritual states or moods.  I think that three of the paintings tell a story of emotional growth.  "Pensive", shows a deep contemplative state.  "Dragonfly Woman", is awakening to expanded consciousness. And "Endurance Fluid",  is experiencing the consciousness state of nirvana.  So, these three will make a nice exhibit trio.

I am not re-posting these pictures, you can just scroll back to the two most previous entries to see them.

I hope to see you at the opening, but if you cant make that, the paintings will be hanging for a few weeks and you can pop in to take a look.