Mona, Mona, Mona.....

Several weeks ago I received an invitation from MANO Fine Art to create my interpretation of one of the world's most famous paintings: The Mona Lisa.

Talk about a creative challenge and a very inspiring one indeed for me. Leonardo da Vinci was the artist that wanted me to paint as a little child. My father came home with a book about Da Vinci's work and I was in awe with every picture in that book. By the time my father sat down to look in the book himself, my little fingerprints were all over every page.

I made a triptych (3 canvasses of 12x12") like a little story board and put Mona Lisa in a different background and not as the pretty little model with the mysterious smile, but an active young woman . I named the triptych "Mona Lisa Rules".

And here is my little teaser for this exposition: a small strip of one of the canvasses.

 

If you want to see the rest of this painting and all the other interpretations, you should come to

MANO Fine Art Project Space

4225 SW 75 Avenue

Miami, FL

Opening Reception will be on Saturday,  September 17 · 7:00pm - 10:00pm.

Visit the facebook page for more information. 

Out of Context

Galerie Jenner in Fort Lauderdale came up with another creative idea for a show: Buy a paint-by-numbers-kit and get inspired. Anything goes as long as it is OUT OF CONTEXT! 

So a couple of weeks ago I went to the art supply store and stood in front of all the "paint-by-numbers-kits" section, trying to figure out which one to choose and what to do with it.

Anyway, I choose the kit numbered "PJS49" and that is also the title of the painting.

I worked with the subject and let myself be inspired by this kit. 

It was for me a complete out of context experience and I had a lot of fun with it and I think that it shows in this work. For now I only show you a little piece of the whole painting (30 x 40").

If you want to see the whole painting and all the other creations based on painting-by-numbers-kits, come to Galerie Jenner on Saturday October 15th.

The Art of T-shirt

 

All last week I worked on 2 T-shirts for the "Art of t-shirt" exposition at the Sol Gallery in Miami Beach. Last Sunday I was finally able to deliver the t-shirts at the gallery and yesterday I received the email that my work was accepted. Even better.... so short notice and they even added my name on the flyer/poster.

The opening reception will be Friday July 1 and it includes life music by Uprooted Reggae Fusion Band and a screen printing demonstration and will be in honor of two charities in humanitarian causes:

So-Me, which is a clothing line aimed at intellectualizing fashion and taking a stand against all intolerance through fashion. 

No More Tears, a not-for-profit organization that rescues victims of domestic violence.

The exposition will be until July 31st.

And below a glimpse of one of the t-shirts I made for this show. I made a painting on canvas with acrylics, which was stitched (Thank you Katja!) to the t-shirt. I painted lines from the canvas on the shirt to connect the art with the t-shirt. The title is "Just Because".

So join me on July 1, 2011 at Sol Gallery at the CANDO Arts Co–op: 309 23rd St. Miami Beach, Fl 33139 (one block west of Collins Ave.)at 7.00 pm.

A good advice...

A Night at the Art Center, South Beach, FL

Saturday, February 27th, was the opening night for a new exposition at the Gallery of the Art Center in South Beach called "Rituals and Process".

And here is my friend Ily right in front of the "Writing on the Wall"

It was a collection of conceptual art and described the the artists visions about the today's society has changed their rituals from Religion to a more romanticized consumer blah blah blah. Ok, the last three words are from me and I am sure I did not catch the words of the curator properly. I wish there was more words of the artists themselves, instead of the curator.

Nevertheless, some work I saw there I found it interesting and some even quite good. But what I liked best was that my friend Ily showed me around the studio's in the Art Center. There you meet the artists and talk with them about their work. It is direct, open and you get the answers to your questions from the artists and from their point of view.

And we were not the only one to go around the studio's...


I had a great evening, met some great people and I even had my picture taken...

But that one is still in Ily's camera... ;-)

Summer Salon 2009

Last night was the festive opening of the Summer Salon Exhibition at the Windisch-Hunt Gallery in Coconut Grove, Florida. It was a very special evening full of different forms of art... not just paintings but also poetry from Jerry Wade and Jonathan Rose, life music by Zip Robertson and a fashion show with Handbags from Debra Cortese and Ceramic Jewelry by Jennifer Trujillo.

A portion of ALL sales from this show will be donated to NEAT STUFF (http://www.neatstuffhelpskids.org/). This is a non-profit organization that provides free brand new clothing, shoes, accessories and gifts to meet some of the basic needs of abused, neglected and other children in distress, allowing them to dress with pride and dignity, inspiring their self worth.

It is a wonderful show and more so because the body of work within the Summer Salon is so diverse and covers a wide range of styles and subjects. Yet our curator, Cucui Beguiristain, managed together with Annamaria Windisch-Hunt to make it all coherent.

The Summer Salon is showing untill the end of June and worth a visit.

I submitted three paintings for this show :

"After Ten", Oils and Acrylics on canvas, 10" x 14"

Some people were wondering who my model was for this painting....

"Getting Ready", Oils on Canvas, 12" x 12"

"A Last Look", Oils on Canvas, 10" x 14"

But now a more personal note...

I always get nervous before an opening and this evening was no exception. I guess this is my version of stage fright, not that I am afraid to forget which painting is mine - like actors are afraid to forget their lines, but the knot in my stomach feels just as real.

But I had wonderful support from my partner (he is truly the wind beneath my wings), my friends and everybody else. And with such support the knot shrinks quickly enough for me to enjoy every bit of the evening.

And for this: Thank You.