Sail away, sail away, sail away

Sales brochure for the yacht, now renamed and remade.

Here's something I've never done: sit in an airport waiting area and begin writing my latest blog post. Here's something else I've never done: paint a couple of murals for a yacht, a yacht in Palm Beach, Florida, fyi. It may sound rather luxurious and in fact it was. My part in what was huge project was small but what continues to hold my interest as an artist is how something so slight can have such a big impact. The two pieces I did for the boat probably amount to not much more than a pint of paint spread immeasurably thin and while in this case the designs were not my originals I made them my own by adapting them to the circumstances. Let's take a look.

Studio view of my "Matisse".

The panels in the background which will soon receive my painting.

Here' my work cut up and glued to the four panels.

The panels, back in place and covered with color.

John Nalewaja and his assistant Ed prepare the bath mural.

It's purely coincidental that the Matisse cut-outs, currently one of the best shows on the London art scene are the subject of one of my paintings for the boat. My interpretation is faithful to Matisse’s, (though the palette comes from his paintings not the cut-outs). It's in the dining area and its bold form carries through to the living area and the outside deck. This is the major visual note for what is the most significant area of congregation for the owners and their guest. I'm glad to be there and be really visible because my other work is in a most intimate space.

Studio view of my "Scene of India" mural.

Jim, John, and Ed getting the bath mural up and bubble-free.

Rub a dub, dub.

Turn to the left.

Now turn to the right.

Now get carried away.

Because you're with me you're admitted the inner sanctum of the master bath and what has to be one of the most luxurious bathing experiences one can have on a boat or possibly anywhere. Can you imagine? You're lying back in a deep soaking tub, looking up at a starry sky, surrounded by a languid procession of Indian royalty parading through the exotic subcontinent, while sailing steadily to your next port of call. Before the rehab of the boat this area had a 80s style hot tub. It's a big step up I assure you. And that's my job: to upgrade, to elevate, and to lift you up.

From Fiji to Tiree and the Isles of Ebony.  

Stay close.

Cut it Out!

Cut it out!

My San Francisco flat, 20th century.

My Los Angeles studio, 21st century.

It has come to my attention that I like cut-outs; a fact so obvious I was sure I'd already created a blogpost on this subject. The joke is totally on me because in the past I have tried to locate my post on cut-outs to show someone or another and have been so frustrated in not being able to find it. So here we go. I'm posting about cut-outs now!

My Oakland studio, 2001: a space odyssey.

For me the act of creating a cut-out is born of two things, collages and stencils. I've been making collages longer than I can remember and I really got into stencils when I worked on the restoration of The Ponce. My "chests" post dealt with stencils on another scale. Now, in this paragraph I've referenced three different blog posts that touch on the subject. But let's move on to new business shall we?

A little Japanese cut-out and my big cut-out behind it.

While researching this subject, delving into my picture files, I came across a painting I did in 2001 that represents a curious intersection of collage, cut-out, and trompe l'oeil. A cut-out is my model for the painting and what it showed was the negative space left over from a tiny figure used in a collage.I took this little cut-out  and inflated its importance by enlarging to life size for the painting. I found a photograph of the painting taken in my wonderful Oakland studio. Another shot I came across taken in Oakland shows a marvelous Japanese cut-out against one of my own. Both of those cut-outs became paintings as well.

Big cut-outs.

Another big cut-out

Medium size cut-out.

Small cut-outs.

Back in my little San Francisco flat in the early 90s I filled my floor to ceiling windows with cut-outs. It was quick, easy, and a cheap way to postpone shelling out for curtains. And this presents a third manifestation of the cut-out after collages and stencils. This is folded paper cut-out as one would do in kindergarten to make a snowflake.  Remarkably I still have all those cutouts made in San Francisco. Around that same time I made what is, I suppose, my most important cut-out. It too became a painting. Actually I can remember specifically creating that particular painting. My flat was going to be photographed for some shelter magazine or perhaps a book and I thought I should have something on my wall that would read well on the printed page. Turns out it did help make a good photograph.

Big painting made from a small cut-out.

Triptych version.

My Triptych at the Four Season Resort.

My work adapted as a logo.

Years later two different designers, Orlando Diaz Azcuy and Pamela Babey, came calling wanting that painting. The first designer bought the painting and another one, very similar. The second designer called too late. So I recreated it. Actually it worked out for the best because I recreated it as a triptych. It was made for a resort near Buenos Aires. The resort was built by a private developer who was so enamored of the piece he wanted it to play a big part in his project. And so my image was adapted as a graphic design appearing on stationery, chef's hats, guest slippers, and more. The resort, Madison, soon after its completion became part of the Four Seasons chain so their logo took over.

What follows are some establishing shots of the Four Season Resort at Carmelo. I'm establishing that my work is there, it's a beautiful place, and wouldn't we all like to stay there?  Be seeing you!

Four Seasons Resort Carmelo. Can you spot my work?

Four Seasons Resort Carmelo

Four Seasons Resort Carmelo

Four Seasons Resort Carmelo

Four Seasons Resort Carmelo