Category Archives: Uncategorized

Life drawing.  It can strike fear in the hearts of anyone who does not possess a natural knack for rendering line, form and proportion.  Life drawing/painting can be challenging to be sure, and the practice of it will improve anyone’s … Continue reading →

Posted on May 16, 2012 by joanngilles | Leave a comment

Where Have All The Flowers Gone?

Posted on May 8, 2012 by joanngilles

There is long history of floral painting that all but disappeared by the mid-20thcentury.  Asian artists, especially the Japanese and the Chinese found endless inspiration in the natural world and included flowers as a symbol, not only the transitory beauty … Continue reading →

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Build it and They Will Come

Posted on April 30, 2012 by joanngilles

What did we just do?  Such a whirlwind of preparation, organization, socialization, libation, etc. –where does it lead?  To confirmation, validation, substantiation and authentication?  Perhaps.  If we pay attention. Max Ernst—A picture is not thought out and settled beforehand; while … Continue reading →

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Break A Leg!

Posted on April 27, 2012 by joanngilles

There were some nerves in the room on Wednesday night—an excellent sign.  We endeavor to take a risk and then we make it a public event. A case of nerves is normal. But I’m here to tell you that you … Continue reading →

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Silence is Golden

Posted on April 2, 2012 by joanngilles

(Have you noticed my penchant for using 60’s song titles?) An introduction from the New York Times’ Ken Johnson to Agnes Martin–May 19, 2000. “Whether Agnes Martin’s new stripe paintings are works of transcendentalist beauty or of sensory deprivation depends … Continue reading →

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“I am on a loney road and I am traveling, traveling, traveling…” *

Posted on March 27, 2012 by joanngilles

“A traveler experiences the unfolding nature of life while carried along by its currents.”  Mariellen, author of BreatheDreamGo, a travel blog about meaningful travel. The “unfolding nature of life”—I see the Lotus flower that serves as a symbol for the process … Continue reading →

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The words from the Simon and Garfunkel song—“Time, time, time, see what’s become of me…” roll around in my head. Layers of meaning as the knees creak and I catch a glimpse of myself in my iPhone when the camera … Continue reading →

Posted on March 21, 2012 by joanngilles | 3 Comments

Both Sides Now

Posted on March 4, 2012 by joanngilles

Apologies for yet another blog in which Rothko is discussed. I can’t help but mine this rich opportunity of having his work and the play Red in our city. It opens the discussion about the more esoteric and mysterious aspects … Continue reading →

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Shadows and Fog

Posted on February 26, 2012 by joanngilles

Just for fun, on this day of the Oscars, we’ll make the connection between the movies and painting when discussing the important technique of chiaroscuro—definition: a pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without regard to color (line or … Continue reading →

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Dream a Little Dream

Posted on February 19, 2012 by joanngilles

Imagine the life of “Downton Abbey.  Picture Czarist Russia and Rockefellers and Guggenheims on 5th Ave. The music of grand waltzes of Austria and Eastern Europe conjure images of bejeweled ball gowns and luscious elegance. That ordered life for the … Continue reading →

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