May 3rd is World Press Freedom Day. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been confined for 10 years. It’s time, on this important day, to bring Julian home. #BringJulianHome
Culture, current affairs
World Press Freedom Day
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Category: Culture
aesthetics, Bio, Culture, Turpentine diaries
Who needs culture anyway?
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One of the biggest shocks of my life and one of my biggest disappointments occurred when I went to France for the first time in 1993. France! home of great artists–David, Delacroix, the angelic Ingres, Manet, Monet, and many others. Writers? Balzac, of course. The master. I made a pilgrimage to his home which is…
Culture, current affairs, Politics
British judge rejects Assange extradition
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Surprisingly, this morning a British judge rejected the US request for extradition of Julian Assange. Assange, as most of you know, is the beleaguered founder/leader of WikiLeaks. Previously, Judge Vanessa Baraitser was considered a harsh critic of Assange so her decision surprises me. Assange’s supporters expected a different decision, which would most likely spell the…
anecdotes, Bio, Culture
Adventure
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I want adventure. When I started, art was an adventure. When I confronted a landscape, a figure, or whatever, it was an adventure of discovery. I saw it for the first time. Each time I started a painting, I had that experience. Guess what? I still do! You might think I’m exaggerating, but I’m not.…
Culture, materials, Paintings, Shop Talk, Studio Corner, Turpentine diaries
Don’t go to art school
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Peter Thiel, the founder of PayPal, likes to say that degrees from the nonprestigious schools are just expensive dunce caps. He means that today higher education is close to worthless, except that degrees from the top schools still get you interviews. I think he’s right. Don’t go to college unless you’re in the right STEM…
aesthetics, Cleveland, Culture, materials, Paintings, Studio Corner, Turpentine diaries, Uncategorized
In the kitchen
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For the most part, I’ve stopped showing the early stages of my paintings. One thing that I’ve learned after running this site for 8 years is that readers assume that I only post finished work–the opposite of what I actually do. But one of the reasons for this blog is pedagogical. I like sharing information…
Culture, Movies, Shop Talk, Turpentine diaries
Painting in the time of pandemic
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We painters are lucky. We already self-isolate when we paint, so when the pandemic s**t hits the fan, we can continue painting and just carry-on as usual. Last week I ordered some oils from RGH, and today it was delivered to my porch. No delays; business as usual. This was a small order–a tube of…
Culture, podcast, Turpentine diaries
Podcast – Academic art and kitsch p.2
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I talk about the history of the French Academy of Fine Art and defend it from charges of kitsch. Artists mentioned: David, Manet, Courbet, Watteau, and Fragonard among others.