"Paris Street; Rainy Day" by Gustave Caillebotte

Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894)

See conservator Faye Wrubel in the Art Institute's conservation studio cleaning Caillebotte's 1877 masterpiece "Paris Street; Rainy Day":

Follow the link below to view the video

http://youtu.be/RK9x16RsITU

Free Hand Drawings

This post was motivated by one of my studio visitors during May Open Studios event.
She saw me working on the drawing of the girl and the flower (shown below) and asked me how did I trace it. At first I didn't understand what she was asking; my question for clarity brought up the same response. Her air of intellectual arrogance gave me the impression of not believing that it was a free hand drawing.

A free hand drawing is a style of drawing made without the use of guiding or measuring instruments.

We live in a world where it is difficult to distinguish what is real and genuine as we are so use to "copy and paste" that it is difficult to believe that there are artists that enjoy working on a drawing in the style of free hand. I am one of them. Of course I do not rely on it all the time. There are some of my paintings that have some images in them that I have traced or that were informed by photographs but when in trying to perfect the art of drawing, there is nothing more challenging and demanding as a free hand style. It calls upon a combination of deep focus, concentration, and determination like any other drawing style, in my opinion and experience. 

My latest drawings- the girl and the flower and the six chickens are all done free hand. 

In order to satisfy the skeptical minds I am posting few pics at different stages of development of this latest drawing that is actually the basis for an upcoming painting- and by a way- the final drawing may have found a home already.

 

The Girl and The Flower.
Graphite on Paper
May 13, 2014

 I am working on my next oil painting of the series "Memories on Canvas". Below is a series of sketches and final drawing to get me into the mood.

Mandala del Pollo- Sketch. Pen on Paper

All the drawings below are graphite on paper

Six. Graphite on Paper

Ah... Yeah... The painting is in its infant stages...

Birds of Onix.
Graphite & Pastel on Paper
1993

Freud in a Comic Book

I did not read the book although the review gives me details of how pleasurable the comic book is. I read some comments indicating that some of Freud's life details may not be totally accurate. I may buy the book but if you do before me, let us know your thoughts- post a comment.


http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/02/24/freud-nobrow-corinne-maier/

Dismantle of the Night

 Here is my latest oil and part of the series "Memories on Canvas" and it relates to my mother.

Dismantle of the Night
Copyright Beatriz E. Ledesma
Oil on Canvas
$650

I grew up in a house that had a large back yard, full of fruit trees and flowers. In the middle of it, there was the clothing line where my mother used to hang the laundry that washed by hand. I used to love to move my body around the hanging clothing, getting wrapped on them when they were almost dried or totally dried. I particularly enjoyed moving around the bed sheets - closely moved by the wind when they were dry. The tactile experience was pleasurable and the smell of a piece of fabric drying in the open under the sun, priceless. By the time I woke up on a Saturday, the laundry was already done and hanging under the sun.
There was certain comfort on it; a sense that everything was good and alive.

Below there are few memory responses I got. I thought them all so wonderful memories that I decided to bring them into the blog. Here there are:

La textura de la sabana es una maravilla!. Desde el caldero surge la tela y viceversa.

Me gusta mucho la atención de los azules. Los broches son magia. Susana

I love this and your description.  A lovely memory..  One can relate to drying laundry and the smell of sunshine....Deb

It's GOR-geous...!!I appreciate also your story. I have my own association with drying clothes - there IS a certain comfort in those fabrics gently swaying in the breeze, no??:) Anna

I love this new painting! It's dreamlike quality and steamy water licking the sheets like flames with flying clothes pins... I love the colors, the motion/emotion. Funny that I have the exact same memory of wrapping myself in the sheets loving the fresh smell of clean laundry drying in the sun and the shadow play as the sheets billow in the wind. It was such an adventure as a small child to have that private space where imagination can run wild while still being so close to home. Eliza

It brought my fond memories of childhood when my mother hung out our clothes to dry.  Like you, I loved the smell of clean, sun-dried clothes--especially the bed sheets; and the movement of the fabric with the wind. Craig 

Video interview with Deborah Kass at Kasmin Gallery

Interesting and engaging video interview by Gracie Mansion, specialist in Modern & Contemporary Art for art net Auctions, interviewing Deborah Kass, USA artist, at the occasion of her retrospective exhibit.
Something that resonated with me after viewing and listening to the interview, is her statement that what we identify with is what is really important as opposed to what we are. What do you think?...


Video Interview with Artist Deborah Kass - artnet Insights: http://www.artnet.com/insights/art-market-trends/video-interview-with-artist-deborah-kass.asp#.UsxkCfRDt8E&utm_campaign=monthlynewsletter&utm_source=12913galleries&utm_medium=email via @artnet

Reading fiction these days anyone?...

I just finished reading the latest book of Gilliam Fynn, a Kansas born writer (http://gillian-flynn.com/about-gillian/) titled "Gone Girl" (2012); a large book of almost 500 pages. Before that
I read her two previous books "Sharp Objects" (2006) and Dark Places (2009).
It was by chance that I got introduced to her work- someone on the 6th floor of the Fine Arts Building, left a copy of Dark Places on the free table. As I did not know the author, I decided to pick it up as my traveling companion reading material.
I got taken by her writing from the first pages I read. Her writing has a way to engaging the reader to the point that you need to finish the book right away! Her plots are not simple, at times confusing, complicated stories. Her characters are emotional/psychological troubled people that force you to have a response, keeps you on your toes,  suspense feels your lungs and suddenly you find yourself holding your breath.
Worth the reading!

ARTE LATINO NOW 2014 @ Queens University of Charlotte

• • 
    

    
    

    Friday, January 31, 2014
  • 

    5:30pm until 7:30pm in EST

• Max L. Jackson Gallery, Watkins Building, Queens University of Charlotte Main Campus, 1900 Selwyn Ave. Charlotte NC

• Featuring Latino artists selected by a national competition, this show highlights the exciting cultural and artistic contributions of Latinos in the United States. Exhibiting artists include Jorge Arcos, Stanley Bermúdez, Carmina Cortes, José Esquivel, Pedro Fuertes, Soliana González, Raúl González, Rogelio Gutiérrez, Beatriz Ledesma, Dora López, Daniel Mendoza, Kurma Murrain, Victor Palomino, Nelson Israel Pedraza Ramos, Elizabeth Puckett, Alberto Roblest, Camila Santo and Carlos Solís. Sponsored by the Center for Latino Studies at Queens and the Departments of Art and World Languages in partnership with artist Edwin Gil and ArtSí. Exhibition: Monday, Jan. 27 - Friday, Feb. 28 Weekdays 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Weekends 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free and Open to the Public

Illinois based artist MITCH CLARK in Marfa, TX

Mitch Clark, professor emeritus at Blackburn College, and a resident of Illinois, has shown his latest series of paintings at the Drive-In Gallery at 510 W. San Antonio in Marfa, Tx (an old gas station).

The show , which ran till the end of 2013, was a dance of vibrant colorful energy that moved you through the room as swimming in water.

Jon and I had the opportunity to be at the opening

to celebrate with him this wonderful and exhuberant body of work- his latest! Few picks below.

                                                                                  Mitch talks about teaching, the arts community in Fort Worth 

during the 1950s and ’60s, and the Dallas Museum of Art, as well as his own work. 

Here is the link to the radio interview

http://marfapublicradio.org/blog/talk-at-ten/artist-mitch-clark-exhibiting-in-marfa/ 

The Metaphone- Urban Instrument- Music by the Light- France

A short concert and very pleasant to the ear:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAiT__GRTR4&feature=player_embedded

You can read more about this musical project here:

http://beforeitsnews.com/green-living/2013/11/this-solar-powered-concert-hall-doubles-as-a-musical-instrument-2450494.html

Sleeping Twice a Night ...

According to Jeremy D. Johnson our current belief that we need 8 hours of sleep is a modern creation.
In an informative article Johnson makes the case that in the old times- very old times like in the 18th century- humans used to sleep twice a night and that those sections were used to read, pray, have sex, or even socialize with neighbors...

http://disinfo.com/2013/08/how-our-ancestors-used-to-sleep-twice-a-night-and-highlighting-the-problem-of-present-shock/

Cuban Photographer Abelardo Morell: On Photography, Life, and Dancing

Morell presented his work at the Museum of the Art Institute of Chicago. I viewed his work then and I became captivated by his imagination, use of materials and of light on his subjects. Hope you enjoy his work as well.

Chicago Timelapse Project - Windy City Nights Video

A two years project that ended up in a wonderful video on the lights of Chicago. I just feel like sharing it with you all.
Chicago Timelapse Project - Windy City Nights from Max Wilson on Vimeo.

Pulaski International School of Chicago- MURAL PROJECT

Matthew Tolzman, photographer of Ben & Fushi Violins Co., has two wonderful kids enrolled at Pulaski International School of Chicago (http://www.pulaskischool.org) and he is also a musician
and an activist.
I know Matthew for many years as he is the photographer of my work. I always admire the passion he has for learning and education. He is one of those parents that you want to have in the classroom
if you happen to be a teacher- always ready to help, be involved, providing creative ideas, open minded, and a very kind man.
Few months ago, he and his brother Nathan, who is also a musician, embarked in a creative project: painting a mural, an idea he has shared with me since last year. The project basically was to create a mural based on the 10IB learner profile attributes:

IB learners strive to be:

• inquirers
• knowledgeable
• thinkers
• communicators
• principled
• open-minded
• caring
• risk-takers
• balanced
• reflective

I asked him to send me some info on the mural which final image I found on FB. And that is what he wrote:

 "I approached the art teacher and asked if she could have students draw the attributes for inspiration for the mural. My brother and I sketched out a rough design and took it to the students. The students that helped us were 3rd graders at the time. Now they are 5th graders. They were really great. They gave us some more suggestions and saw things in the sketch that we didn't even see! It was a tremendous experience hearing the kids talk about art that they inspired..."

The mural has no name yet but he wanted to hang it and let the kids have a chance to look at it first. "My plan is for the 5th graders to come up with a name for it."

GREAT JOB!