Sunday, April 29, 2012

Mona & Munch: Portrait

'Mona & Munch'

Arguably the two most famous portraits of our times, da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' &  Edward Munch's 'The Scream'. (There has been some debate recently whether Leonardo did actually paint Mona.)  A version of 'The Scream' is coming up for auction this week in New York at Sotheby's. 

Who will buy it? Institution or 'private'?  
Will report back after the results are in ...
DONE. Sold for $119.9 million, 
buyer unknown as of 9: 20pm, night of auction ...

In the meantime, hope you enjoy my playful little composite and
Peter Watkins' 1973 film about Munch is well worth a gander.

Update: November 16th, 2012 -
Looks like Andy Warhol was onto this very early on ...
See below, from Christie's Private Sales venue - 



Tuesday, April 24, 2012

New Oil Paintings, Spring 2012 - Full Moon

'Borer's Falls, Dundas'

... the moon has been SO BRIGHT ...

'Over Lake Ontario, Burlington'

If interested in purchase, please contact the artist.

Kehinde Wiley - Yes/No?

'Sleep' by Kehinde Wiley

You either like it or you don't. 
 Processes are 'secondary'. 

Did he actually paint it? 
Who cares.

Yes - or - No
?

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Earth Day Every Day

Earth Day Every Day - Get Involved 

Incomplete Manifesto for Growth 
by fellow Canadian, Bruce Mau
 HERE 

Where it all began, 
the 1969 Santa Barbara Oilspill

Have a good 'un!


Friday, April 20, 2012

New Oil Painting - 'Spring Creek'

 'Spring Creek' 
- oil on primed oak plywood -
SOLD
Contact zee artist for trim size & price.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Photo Sketching: Yes or No?

As an artist who has used a pencil for as long as I can remember, it is a tad unnerving to use a 'photo sketch' software program to 'render' my photos into 'sketches'. Overall, yes, kinda cool, but without question something is lost in the translation. I think mostly it is the capriciousness of the human hand. These compositions are pleasing enough in their own right, but again, something is missing ... like the ACT of putting pencil to paper and integrating with THAT eye-hand synergy. The above 'illustrations' have been calculated by the push of buttons - and, again, yes, kinda interestin', but also, no, not really. Photography 'documents' moments in time in a way that is very different then a REAL pencil sketch. This effect -  like so many other 'special effects' now available with and for digital photography - are just gimmicky. There, said it.

The issue of our age seems to be the whole concept of TIME: past, present & future, finite, infinite, nano-seconds, clock watching TIME. It's taken me a few hours to get these 'photo sketches' to a state that I am willing to publish them on the net as 'digital renderings' that can now be 'reproduced' ad infinitum globally. Enough TIME, in fact, to have done at least 4 finite paper sketches from start to finish that would stand as tangible material culture from this spot on the planet.

.... hmmmm. Not convinced. ... Are you?

Postscript:  For fun, I linked this item through to the Fine Art Photographers Group on LinkedIn. The response was very interesting. If you are a LinkedIn member, you can access the dialogue/debate here.
(I'm not sure what happens if you try to access the thread if you're not signed up.)

Conversely, Paul Cadden is pencil drawing images of photographs. Samples here 


Thursday, April 5, 2012

'The New Aesthetics': Waving at Machines

 Paparazzi Meet Prince Charles & Camilla, Canada, 2009 - Oil by mlh

Earlier this year I mentioned that I would be posting links/profiles of activities in the art world of interest. Yesterday I found this provocative VIDEO of James Bridle giving a lecture in Australia last December. The video is embedded in his website. More then anything, I appreciate that James is attempting to 'curate' the ever-increasing digital world that surround-sounds us. As much as machines watch us, we watch them. Some detest this increasingly intrusive 24/7 surveillance, but others have taken a more pro-active approach that is determined to 'teach' machines to be better, more socially receptive and less alienating.

To my mind, there is no going back. The technology is here to stay (as long as power that drives them exists) and has, in fact, become a mainstay of our existence. Ergo, we MUST adapt, and make the BEST of it.

Sit back and ponder what James is offering. Consider too his age: yup, he sure is a young buck. Now consider his emotional honesty, his desire to IMPROVE where we're headed, how we're getting there, and what to do en route ... His voice addresses our collective Future.