Raphael, by Sean Scully

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of the Emerald Isle and it's hospitable people, I'm sending out a painting by arguably the best known Irish abstract Painter: Sean Scully. Still painting today, he represents one of the last surviving artists of mid-twentieth century Abstract Expressionism. In fact, he began his career as many in the art world were declaring abstract work "spent" - that it had exhausted it's avant-garde possibilities. Not for Scully. Since 1960, he has created paintings similar to this one - constructed of vertical and horizontal stripes, or "blocks," many of which are mammoth in scale. A well-known series of his is the "Wall of Light" series, where he intended to make paintings where it seemed as if a wall of stone was emanating light.

I was able to see a large show of his work at the Cincinnati Art Museum a couple of years ago. To stand in front of one of these "walls/paintings" is a great experience. They take over your visual field in complete experience of color vibration.

Sean Scully on ArtNet

"May the Lord keep you in his hand but never close his fist too tight on you." (Irish blessing)

Sean Scully
Raphael (2004)
Oil on linen
108" x 144"

3 by Bo Bartlett

I'm sometimes hot and cold on Bartlett's work. As a realist painter, he has a clear vision and often compelling compositions. Sometimes his work falls into illustration for me - and a bit too iconic. But by and large, I am usually glad I visited his site. He represents something of a "dying breed" in contemporary art: The American Realist Painter. As an artist, I find myself somewhat within this stream as well, attempting to give vision to the everyday experience of life and the deeper significance of the quotidian.

Here is a statement from Bartlett's website:

"Bo Bartlett is an American realist with a modernist vision. His paintings are well within the tradition of American realism as defined by artists such as Thomas Eakins and Andrew Wyeth. Like these artists, Bartlett looks at America’s heart—its land and its people—and describes the beauty he finds in everyday life. His paintings celebrate the underlying epic nature of the commonplace and the personal significance of the extraordinary.

Life, death, passage, memory, and confrontation coexist easily in his world. Family and friends are the cast of characters that appear in his dreamlike narrative works. Although the scenes are set around his childhood home in Georgia, his island summer home in Maine, his home in Pennsylvania or the surroundings of his studio and residence in Washington state, they represent a deeper, mythical concept of the archetypal, universal home."

Bo Bartlett Online

Bo Bartlett
Assumption (2001)
Oil on linen
93.25" x 119.25"



Bo Bartlett
Lifeboat (1998)
Oil on linen
80" x 100"


(I have no idea why the image below has all the figures in blue - some problem with the upload. The original images should be easy enough to find on his website above...)
Bo Bartlett
Young Life (1994)
Oil on linen
78" x 108"


After the Deluge (2007), by Paul Chojnowski

Chojnowski uses torches to burn his images into existence - sometimes on wood, sometimes paper. Previously an abstract artist, he returned to figurative/representational work out of a desire to honor the historical tradition of art while at the same time pushing the boundaries of how such art was made. I particularly liked how this piece works with the wood grain to simulate the ripples of water... not to mention the depiction OF water through the use of fire.

Paul Chojnowski online

After the Deluge , 2007
Paul Chojnowski
Burned and scorched veneer
60 x 47 1/2 in



Life Strands, by Hong Chun Zhang

Hong Chun Zhang is a Chinese artist living in America. Much of her work explores the relationship between these national identities. I appreciate how her drawings take on a sculptural presence as they intrude into the room, breaking from the flat surface of the wall.

Hong Chun Zhang

“Life Strands” (2004)
by Hong Chun Zhang
5ft x 30ft
Charcoal on paper

Deadly Friends, by Patrick Lee

I don't know much about this Los Angeles-based artist - but came across some of his drawings a few months ago. I've hard a hard time locating more of his work online, but the link below to the gallery that represents him has a few others. I am particular interested in the tension he creates between these "tough guys" and the tradition of fine art portraiture. These are men who live a coarse existence, yet Lee captures them with delicacy.

From his gallery website:
Lee’s drawings are painstakingly crafted over months of refinement. Inspired by photographs he takes of men from the streets of America, they convey a unique insight into class and gender ideals. Many subjects are ‘outsiders’ or ‘outlaw’ types; mimicked by pop culture icons and contemporary heroic figures.

Patrick Lee online

Deadly Friends (Rock Star), 2007, graphite on paper, 24" x 36"


Deadly Friends Study #14, 2007, graphite on paper, 14" x 11"


Andrew Wyeth Dies, 91

This week's post is devoted to one of the most important American painters of the last century: Andrew Wyeth, who died this morning at age 91. I saw an exhibition of his watercolors and drawings a couple of years ago - one of the best I've seen. His steadfast commitment to recording the world around him with poetic detail is unparalleled. His painting, "Christina's World" (pictured below) is one of the great icons of American painting. Also below is a link to an article about his death and his life. Even if you don't know of him, raise a glass of wine and get to know what he left behind...

Famed Artist Andrew Wyeth Dies

Andrew Wyeth Art

Christina's World (1948)
Tempura on Gessoed Panel
32.25" x 47.75"


Trodden Weed (1951)
Tempura on Panel
20" x 18.25"


Wind from the Sea (1947)
Tempura on Masonite
18.5" x 27.5"


The Human Project, by Steven Cosentino

I'm not very familiar with this artist - and I don't find his paintings to be particularly engaging. However, I stumbled across this piece of "social art" he created and found it to be pretty impressive. Below is his description of the project - a massive portrait "painted" with the discarded clothing of homeless people. Note especially the "ghost image" left after the work was destroyed...

The Human Being Project
In 1999, Grand Central Neighborhood Social Services was informed that its landlord, St. Agnes Church, was selling the hundred year old building that housed the entire social service program for the homeless. A real estate developer planned to build a high rise apartment on the site. To protest the move, I decided to paint an image of a "Human Being" on the roof, using discarded clothes from the center as the "paint". The image measures 65x35 feet and was featured in the New York Times. The building was destroyed along with the "Human Being" and fifteen of my murals inside. Hundreds of homeless people were displaced.



Attempt by St. Agnes to cover up the image before the sale of the building. The church ripped up all the clothes and painted those areas black. The mismatch of blacks (paint and tar) produced this black version.



Cosentino Studios