Still kicking…

…and not yet the bucket…

I was lucky. I’ve found at an art supply store a Windsor and Newton easel, a solid one, a real easel for serious artists (one can paint a 2 x 3 m canvases, if so enclined…) at half price. Somehow, I managed to borrow the necessary $ from a friend and bought it.

Somehow, it was like a “sign”. And the blockage which, until I had that easel, mysteriously prevent me to paint, disappeared… At least, to me, having the easel seemed to be the moment when my creativity came again to life. Curious and mysterious ways our mind has…

Since then, about 1 month ago, I’ve painted 5 canvases of 16 x 20 inches and some nude drawings too. Here there are, in an approximative chronological order;

Laboured Fields Under Moon Light

I started with this re-interpretation of an older landscape I made a few years ago probably because that one was the first painting I’ve sold for a decent sum (750$). It was a full of hope period and a good painting then. This one is probably ok.

The Night in May When it Snowed 

This one was inspired by the photo of a tomato flower and by a unusual intense snowfall.

Lake and Clouds Reflexions

With this landscape (inspired by a B&W photo) I’ve tried to remember the happy times I had  at the Village Museum in the Dumbrava forest, near Sibiu, my native town.

Errant Greek-Orthodox Monk

Also a rememberance: I’ve met this monk, one that they called sometimes, Crazy After Jesus monk, because of their simili-franciscan faith and demenor (begging for their monastery and only then for themselves, a leaf of bread…) in a proud Transylvanian village near Sibiu, called Saliste. I took a photo of him in the church and was impressed by his sincerity and humbleness.

North of Quebec “Taiga”

Some years back I’ve travelled 1750 km to go fishing, with a compatriote, Stephan and a quebequer friend, Clément. So, it’s also a remeberance of beauty and wilderness (I didn’t catch a fish but did some nice watercolors and took lots of pictures…), painted after a B&W photo (again! I like to do that because it gives me more color freedom…). I’m not unsatisfied with it. It ressembles the XIX century Russian realist paintings. No wonder since the Quebec Taiga is very similar to the Siberian Taiga. Minus the tigers, fortunatelly…

In conclusion, still kicking and happy to paint and draw, a bit. As long as I can do this, no matter what, things will be ok.

 

 

 

The paper counts for something…

The following is my last watercolor (not a totally “pure” watercolor; I do use some acrylic inks when I do need them…)

I’m not unsatisfied with it… It represent one of Mr. Metziu’s turkeys, beautiful, bizarre birds, very capricious and to whom Mr. Metziu ( an interesting character from my Romanian past, who helped me – and many others – the ex-accountable and factotum at the old Transilvania magazine in Sibiu where I was a redactor) was totally dedicated. That wouldn’t stop him to sacrifice the superb birds in order to organize one of his famous “festivities” where usually the Archbishop of Transylvania (Mitrolpolitul Transilvanie) and many of the Sibiu intelligentsia participated… Good, rare vines and strong “tzuica” (plum brandy) helped to digest the turkeys…

I did photograph this turkey (not the usual, ordinary turkey) sometimes in the 1990 ties, at his house in Saliste (another famous – historically and culturally- place, near Sibiu, my native town). Never manage to paint it until yesterday… and I did it on Windsor & Newton watercolor 600 g paper… And it counted, no doubt! Not only it was a pleasure to work on it (and even to smell it) but the watercolor like quality of this paper really is exceptionally!   Arches, Canson, Fabriano aren’t bad at all… but I have to admit that Windsor & Newton is even better… From now on I have a new goal in life: to paint watercolors on Windsor & Newton 600 g paper…

————————————————————————————-

Pictura de mai sus este ultima mea creatie in acuarela (nu o acuarela “pura” fiindca folosesc si tusuri acrilice, cand am nevoie…)

N-as spune ca sunt total nemultzumit de ce a iesit… Personajul representat e unul din vestitzii curcani ai lui domnu’ Metziu (personaj interesant, fostul contabil al revistei Transilvania, care m-a ajutat, pe mine ca si pe multzi altzii, pe vremea cand eram redactor acolo).  Aceste pasari superbe, bizare (nu erau obisnuitul curcan ordinar) erau mandria domnului Metziu ceea ce nu-l impiedica, cand venea vremea, sa le sacrifice pentru una din vestitele lui “mese festive”. Deseori, Mitropolitul Ardealului si multzi altzi reprezentantzi ai elitei culturale a Sibiului, participau la aceste mese la care domnul Metziu se dadea peste cap sa procure vinuri rare si aromante si o tzuica veche de pruna, ca sa ajute la digerarea curcanilor…

Am fotografiat curcanul acesta prin anii 1990, odata, cand l-am vizitat la casa lui de la Saliste (alt loc vestit, istoric si cultural, din apropierea orasului meu natal, Sibiu). Pana ieri n-am apucat sa-l pictez, insa. Am facut-o pe hartie de acuarela Windsor & Newton, de 600 g. Si as spune ca a contat… Nu numai ca mi-a facut mare placere sa pictez pe aceasta hartie (ba chiar si mirosul este placut) dar am constatat ca, desi Arches, Canson si Fabriano nu-s rele deloc, totusi calitatea hartiei acesteia Windsor & newton este realmente exceptzionala. De acum inainte am un scop in viatza: sa pictez acuarele pe Windsor & Newton de 600 g!

A crazy monk…

The monk in this fragment of painting – a triptic I did as my final project when I was studying at the University of Sherbrooke, to obtain my Certificat en arts visuels – is the portrait of a wandering monk from my native country, Romania… A monk who was a bit “mentally handicaped” (in the politically correct formula, so full of shaite! ) (That was a presumably Scotish pronounciation for a very well known “s” word) A monk who earn the little food or clothes he needed by decently begging for it or doing small easy odd jobs. People respected him as almost a  saint for how many of us would have had the courage to rely on our fellow humans generosity to live? He slept probably in a small “schit” (a very small monastery) and came every Sunday for the religious service at the Saliste church around which he gravitated… I took a photo of him there, in the 90 ties and used that photo to make this portrait…

For me, he was a hero, a true believer. A bit like the buddhist wandering monks… An acceptance of the world as it is. A confidence that He Who Is In Heaven will take care of him also (as He does for the little sparrows…) A humility full of dignity, something which was true and real. Not the humility of the Tartuffe-like television preachers… I even felt that maybe, someday, when I will muster the courage, I could have his attitude: accept everything, ask for very little, believe in something greater than myself… Maybe some of the old masters, like Pieter Bruegel or Rembrandt, had that, in the painting field, at the end of their lives…