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Finally its here!!!
Hey everyone…
Hope your having a great week…. Finally we have a date for the opening …. still lots to do but we are making progress…. (I think)… If you get a chance to check us out we’d appreciate you coming down…
Talk to you soon
…….peace
………james
Ready to Hang some artwork!!
Hey everyone…
hope your having a great week… the gallery is starting to take shape… I think we may make the opening…. construction is done… paint is up, and floor replaced.. now its time to hang some work…. Grand opening of Gallery Farrago is set for 6 November, 2014… watch for your invite…. now back to work….lol
peace……..
……..james
recent pics of Gallery Farragos construction……
Hangin with the pack!
AOJ sighting… Hanging with the talented Watercolorist Bill Fravel and Mixed Media artist Debbie Sussman at Gallery Farrago…..Time to show some art!…
Gallery Farrago is now OPEN!
Hey everyone….
after a 3 year hiatus we officially signed the paperwork and opened our 5th Gallery!!… Gallery Farrago is open in the world famous #ArtsFactory, Suite 110…. We just had enough time to get in for a soft opening on FirstFriday …..Our Grand Opening is 6th Nov… so please mark you calendars !!!!….The Gallery itself has 3 working artists which have three distinct styles… from watercolors to mixed media to contemporay abstract.. we have put together a collection of work that is original, creative and visually stunning…. so put a check by the box of MUST See Galleries!!!…. More to follow…… Grab a friend and come on by… we are here and we are waiting to see you!!
………peace
…….james
Pics from First Friday gallery goers
Abstracted Tulips
Hey everyone…
Hope your having a great week…. starting to head into my favorite time of year…. finally under 100!!!… its been an active week in the studio… was able to finish this new creation… it is oil, 6ft x 4 ft., stretched canvas… its titled Abstracted Tulips …. Hope you all enjoy… I’ll have another one out shortly…..
peace…..
…………..james
Keeping it Old School
Hey everyone;
So Apple announced this week their new line of phones and a new watch…I’ll probably be one of the masses to get the new phone, but will definitely pass on the watch… I like my old watch… besides how much more connectivity does one need?… I always thought living like the “Jetsons” was going to be cool… now I am drawing the line….I’ll just settle for Georges car, lol…… other than that… its old school for me…. Like technology art has made some amazing progress… from simple improved and safer products, to digital imaging, creative reproduction, lighting, engineering, filmmaking, CGI, digitally remastering, enhanced pixelated performance…. the list goes on and on…. but for me with all the advancements it still comes back to the basics…. keeping it old school…. this is clearly seen in the assimilation of my work… now its important for me to maintain this approach… I am now making almost 100% of my canvas’s by hand… from choosing the wood, to stapling the canvas, to gesso, and then finally the paint or glue…. keeping it old school adds to the overall idea of original…. and it allows me to have a strong connection with all my creations….. its a slower process for sure, but if your like me, I think you’ll agree going old school is great…..
Have a great week everyone… new work out shortly….
talk to you soon…
………….peace
……………….james
early morning pic enjoying the sunrise…old school recycled lights…
snycopation
Hey everyone….
here is whats drying today…“syncopation” …. 48x 60 , oil, gesso
I’ll have another one out shortly…..
………….peace
…………..james
when its in your blood……
Hey everyone… Hope your having a good week…
Its still weird to me…… growing up in the midwest, I am used to seeing the seasons change… by now it would be dropping to the 50’s at night with highs of 70’s during the days…. I forget sometimes where I live…. hopefully we get out of the 100’s this upcoming week… been busy in the studio this past week… should have a new piece for you shortly… I recently had a discussion with an good artist friend of mine…. after our obligatory critique on the local art scene, we turned our discussion to making a living as a artist.. wondering why the heck we do it….the arts world is as competitive as they come… I am not sure why anyone would knowingly start down this path…. as reported by the IRS, the average artist in 2012 made approx. 52,000 with the top 10% making over 93,000.. I think the the thing to note here is there are so so many that do this without reporting any income, that for me the numbers seem rather high…..But for me like many others, its an obsession that moves throughout your thoughts and dealings on a daily basis and dominates most conversations…. its what you think about before you go to bed and usually the first thought when you wake… for me its usually to retrace my steps from the previous night and to make sure Sieglinde sees no paint on the carpeting when she gets up….lol… not being able to work regularly has at the same effect as an addiction…..its not a path I would choose, but when its in your blood…. you are doomed…
…have a great week everyone..
……….peace
………………..james
hanging with studio watchdog… Madison.. taking a break from the studio…. loving the last days of summer…
The music of art
Hey everyone…
Hope your having a great week….
Labor day is here and for most it signifies the end of summer…. living in las Vegas I wish it signified the end of 100 + degree weather…. but its been a productive week in the studio… the studio and the house smell like oil paint again….its interesting, I was struggling a bit getting back into the studio, but I shuffled my music and played some of my old favorite songs… and it seemed to open the gates of creativity…..(plus that and the bottle of St. Michele wine helped a little……lol) and then I was off and running….Music plays such a big part in our lives….For me having no music to listen to would be comparable to solitary confinement…. From Michelangelo to Picasso, many of the world’s famous artists have been influenced by music when creating their masterpieces. Many musicians today are referred to as artists and various artists have been moved by the poignant and influential vigour of music when drawing or creating beautiful art… Music stirs the minds and refreshes the soul.. I found that music and art can affect each artist differently. A sad depressing song for one artist may make another feel joyful or reminisce about a particular happy memory. I love jazz but some artists may hate it. … and nothing can get the paint moving like a great rock and roll anthem… try painting to Dokken….lol its a fast paint session… One thing is for sure… if your coming by for a studio visit or coming over to hang out… the music will always be flowing and provide a great atmosphere… I normally don’t put out work that is not finished, but given this weeks topic I thought it was appropriate… this is work in progress… its oil… 6 ft x 4 ft….. still more to come… have a great week everyone…. talk to you soon
………peace
……………….james
(work in progress 48x 60)
Good Seats still available!..
Hey Everyone;
Well the dark cloud is lifting…. and after the 8th visit …. the refrigerator finally got repaired… lol… sorry for the delay in our weekly blog… but the good news is we are back and on schedule…. I recently was enjoying the cooler nights of Las Vegas having a cigar and some tequila with an artist friend and we ended up discussing the issue of artist outgrowing their art… Living in Las Vegas I see artists come and go… almost like a running faucet that you can’t turn off… some seem promising and other fizzle out… for me I also relate it to the fact that the artist has outgrown their own art and is frozen …. surprisingly enough when I did some research there are some great artists who have changed their styles and grown as a result of it….Picasso for instance—passed through several stages of change in his work, whether by theme, technique, or style. My belief is that artistic growth is in direct correlation with how you grow as a human being. My personality, my character, and even my taste and style have been constantly changing throughout my entire life. Inevitably, my artistic needs are involved in this ebb and flow of change…. so at the end of the day its about the journey, the experiences we have, the people we meet, and the lessons we learn… so join me, there is still plenty of room on this creative ride….. good seats still available…lol…
Have a great week everyone, new work out shortly…
……………peace
………..james
Heres a pic from 2008 … My early style of abstract and writing… this is titled beautiful crazy… it is 4 ft x 6 ft. 