MAUI SUNSET

        In 2002 I painted Maui Sunset, it was something I had been wanting to do since our visit to Hawaii in the late 1980's.  The vivid memory had been burning in my head for about fourteen or fifteen years and in 2002 I finally did it.

        While we were in Maui, we stayed on Kaanapoli Beach.  Our hotel room looked out over the Pacific Ocean to the west, with the island of Lana'i off in the distance.  Each morning we would wake up to the sound of the whales leaping out of the water then the loud splashing of them falling back into the sea.

        The days were beautiful, and every site was spectacular, from the mountains in the background and pineapple plantations at their base, to the blue ocean crashing onto the most fabulous beaches I have ever walked on, it was I believe the closest thing to heaven while still being on earth.

        But what left the most lasting impression on me was the fabulous Maui Sunsets.  Each evening we would sit on our balcony and feel the ocean breeze and experience one outstanding sunset after another.

        If you want to catch a glimpse of paradise, take you sweetie and book a flight to Maui, you'll never regret it

ENJOY THE JOURNEY MY FRIENDS...ZMAKEY

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ANDY WARHOL and POP ART

        If your ever in Pittsburgh, you must stop by the Andy Warhol Museum, it is Pop Art extraordinaire.  I consider Warhol as the original Pop Artist.

        In 1961 he made his first Pop Art paintings based on comic books and ads, in 1962 he debuted his famous Campbell's Soup Can series, which was a sensation in the art world.

        He then made his now famous movie star portraits including Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Elvis Presley to name a few.

        From 1963 and 1968 he worked with many of his superstar performers to create many films.  In 1964 his first exhibition of sculptures was held in his new studio which was painted silver known as "The Factory".

        Through the following years until his death in 1987, he continued to produce groundbreaking art, sometimes very controversial, always Pop Art.

        I live only a few miles from his grave site and a few years ago several of my artist friends and I went to see it, and for a person who lived with such grandeur and his constant need to be in the limelight, the grave stone is very small and unpretentious with just his name and date of birth and death on it.

        As an artist, his contributions were great and his museum captures the essence of Andy Warhol, I recommend a visit.

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WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY ART?

        Contemporary Art to me is any painter or painting that has been created within our generation.  That would go as far back as the 60's or 70's.

        I have personally lived through those years to witness what I call a transformation in the art world.  I have always felt that the rise of social consciousness and feelings of helplessness after the assassination of President Kennedy, the struggles of the Civil Rights movement and the beginning of the Vietnam war in the 1960's, led to what we call our generation of Contemporary Art.

        Pop art which was a more care free and fun, had its influence in the 1960's with Andy Warhol and Peter Max to name a few.

        There was also art that depicted hardship and struggle.

        Also art that expressed tragedy. 

        That generation of art continues to this day with many new causes and social injustices to paint about and today's artists haven't let me down.

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WHAT IS MODERN ART?

        Modern Art as we know it began around the 1880's at the end of the Impressionists period.  At that time Post Impressionism began with the work of Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Seurat, and what beautiful work it was.

        Post Impressionism greatly influenced the 20th century abstraction of painters like Matisse, Picasso and Kandinsky, and they took it to the next level.

        And so it began, brilliant artists were unleashed, creative talent was permitted to think out of the box and we have been the beneficiaries.  The possibilities are endless.

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WHAT IS ABSTRACT ART?

        Abstract art to me is a collage of sights and sounds, memories of ones emotions, thoughts and experiences frozen in time on one canvas.

        Back when I began painting, we just called it modern art, but for me the abstract art style became my passion.

        Abstract art is a type of painting and sculpture that was actually developed in the early part of the twentieth century.  It is essentially a departure from reality or realism, yet in the eye of the artist it expresses something  very real.

        I view abstract as art work that alters form and space using shapes, lines, movement and color to relay a particular message.  I find the work of other abstract artists most intriguing, I enjoy the challenge of trying to imagine what they were trying to convey.

       There are many types of abstract art, but the following are two of my favorite;

        Cubism, was the first style of abstract art, pioneered by Pablo Picasso and George Braque, which  challenged conventional forms of representation.  Instead of painting a fixed object on canvas, Cubists gave you a view of that object from many angles all at once.

        Fauvism, developed by French painters Henri Matisse and Andre Derain, who earned the nickname 'Les Fauves' which means wild beasts, used outrageously bold and sometimes distorted forms of vibrant and vivid colors.

        So abstract art was and continues to be an exiting and wonderful journey, so climb aboard.

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AMERICAN BANDSTAND-BLACK AND WHITE WORLD

        In the early years when I was growing up there was no color TV, everything was black and white, even when I look at early photos of my family and myself, our cloths were not as colorful as they are today.  

         When I was fourteen years old we were in Philadelphia for a convention my dad attended and they took all of the teenagers to Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Television dance show.

When you were on American

Bandstand you didn't just sit and watch, everyone had to dance.  It was live TV in those days and black
and white, the set had no color, it didn't have to, no one who was watching could see it.  Even the kids who were there dancing, did not wear cloths as colorful as today.  Pretty drab I must say.  Can you see me in there?

       Then several years later, sometime in the sixty’s everyone got color TV.  It changed my world, I think it is what inspired me to use color as a main tool in expressing myself on canvas.

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MATTRESS FACTORY ART MUSEUM, Pittsburgh, PA

        There is an awesome Art Museum in Pittsburgh, PA called The Mattress Factory, which is a museum of Contemporary Art that presents art that you can get into... meaning room sized environments called art installations.

         Created on site by artists from across the United States and around the world, with unique exhibitions that feature a variety of media that engage all the senses.

        The first thing you notice upon arriving at the facility is that the building itself is an abstract design with an unusual shape on one side that jets up into the sky and ivy on the face of the building that is creating it's own art work.

        Secondly the garden outside the front entrance is a permanent installation that is made to look like an overgrown building foundation.

        The museum's unusual galleries are located in three creatively reused buildings on Pittsburgh's historic North Side.

        Since 1977, the Mattress Factory has supported more that 600 artists through a world-renowned residency program.  Each year artists come to Pittsburgh, live at the museum and create new work.  During that time, the museum supports them completely while they experiment, take risks and explore the creative process.

        Each exhibition is paired with a variety of engaging and innovative educational programs including hands on art projects, workshops, lectures and tours.

        

        If you enjoy contemporary art on canvas, then you'll love the Mattress factory, it takes you to a place where you can actually be a part of the art, it's quite an experience.

        

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