An American Genius: Frank Lloyd Wright 1867-1959

It has been said that Frank Lloyd Wright is one of America's greatest artists. He stands as one of the most influential and prolific in American history. During his lifetime he completed over 1,000 architectural designs--500 of which were actually built--and hundreds of drawings remained at his death.

Wright's talent went well past the traditional comprehension of architectural skill. When he took on a project, he often designed details uncommon to the overall description of architecture. These details often included aspects as obscure as the furniture, lamps and unique lighting, stained glass, china, and even the hostess' gown for entertaining within the space he had created. Sadly, one in five of the buildings Wright completed have already been destroyed. There was a time, before his genius was widely appreciated, when demolition and "piecing" the structure was considered prudent. We are fortunate that this trend no longer continues, which is due in large part to the efforts of the current owners of each property to maintain America's architectural heritage.

Wright was born in Wisconsin, and between that state and Illinois, significant numbers of Wright buildings can still be viewed. One quarter of all buildings built from designs by Frank Lloyd Wright are in the Chicago area, and thirty percent of Wright's extant (still standing) buildings are in the state of Illinois. The original Wright home and studio are located in a quiet community near downtown Chicago called Oak Park. Walking tours, occasional interior tours during Wright Festivals, and other special opportunities abound. A visit to his first home and studios is a must for those visiting the Chicago area.

Immediately upon entering a Frank Lloyd Wright building one has a feeling of openness and simplicity. The decorative elements are minimal, and yet there is such cohesiveness to the feel and look of each room. When other architects were creating dwellings in Victorian styles, Wright opened spaces, calling attention to the circumferences and heights of rooms with moldings and trim of elegant, simple design. Unsupported levels within the structure were his "signature."

Wright's designs seemed to draw Americans out of the box-like structures they were accustomed to and into open spaces. If your home has a carport or a living room, you enjoy elements that were unknown before Wright featured them in his designs.

Wright's forward vision and styling were remarkable. Homes built in the late 1800's are as contemporary in appearance as many homes built today. His actual presentation would be different if he were building today because we have streamlined his looks. Wright also designed houses of worship, museums, skyscrapers, government offices, resorts, gas stations and bridges--many of which are still standing. Much documentation is available on the sites of all extant Wright structures.

Wright is the originator of a distinctive style of architecture known as the "prairie style." This style is best known for its elongated horizontal lines and elegant groupings of specially designed stained glass windows, open interior spaces and seemingly unsupported levels within the structure. It helped to open the boundaries of what was accepted in his time as "traditional."

During Wright's architectural career, America was transformed through technological and industrial developments from a predominantly rural to an urban-industrial society. A significant resurgence of interest in Frank Lloyd Wright occurred with the opening of his vast archives to researchers in the early 1980's. At that time the ecological consciousness in America rekindled Wright's popularity because he had employed his strong regard for nature and the landscape in his work. His quality designs also shone because of the proliferation of quickly constructed, utilitarian structures built to meet the retail demands of a growing country. Americans desired architecture of real quality and found it in the unique structures built over Wright's career. Lastly, the buildings themselves seem to demand notice, study and respect as they open up new levels of discovery and pleasure to those who visit them. They are unlike any other structures, old or new, and seem timeless in their appeal, their comfort, and their basic beauty.

For over 72 years, Frank Lloyd Wright produced drawings and designs that contributed to the architectural strength of this country. In the last 10 years of his life, he produced six books, traveled widely in the United States and abroad, and, remarkably, produced as many buildings as he had in his previous sixty years! He founded the Prairie School of Architectural Design where he taught new, progressive aspects of architectural development--of course, true to his own style.

There are over 60 Frank Lloyd Wright buildings accessible to the public as museums or functioning, tourable sites. Festivals and special celebrations offer additional tour opportunities. For more information about Wright buildings in public places, the text Wright Sites (Princeton Architectural Press) is recommended. It lists all 66 of the buildings open to the public, along with detailed directions to their locations and many photographs. For listings of all extant Wright buildings, whether open to the public or not, The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright - A Guide to Extant Structures by William Storrer, Ph.D., is recommended.

Ampersand Art Supply High quality prepared wooden panels and accessory products including Claybord, Claybord Black, Claybord Textured, Gessobord, and Hardbord.

New Books for Beginners

Are you a Sunday painter or a budding artist with visions of painting a masterpiece? To help you complete that masterpiece or develop the necessary skills more quickly, see Barron's new Workbooks for Paintings series. Each extra-large-format book contains step-by-step instructions with the workbook concept; 24 pages of full-color and black and white illustrations; 8 sheets of blank paper suitable for student exercises; and a wide array of exercises for watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, ink, and pencil drawing with picture captions to provide exact instructions. Included in the series are Landscapes and Seasons; Garden Flowers to teach the student artist botanical accuracy; Exotic Animals to teach correct proportion and natural stances; and Nudes, which features a multitude of poses to help artists learn to draw or paint the human form. 32pp.

New Illustration Board

Strathmore now offers the 500 Series Illustration Board in three new sizes. Heavyweight Vellum and Heavyweight Plate are now available in 15" x 20", and Lightweight Vellum is available in 15" x 22". See your retailer.

Polymer Clay Creations

If you like color and you like creating lots of different projects, polymer clay is an especially good medium with which to experiment. Unlike traditional clays, polymer clay needs no kiln to finish your projects and no expensive tools are required. In fact, if you have an oven and some simple cutting tools, you can create lots of cool things.

Polymer clay adheres to nearly every material and does not shrink as it dries, so you can use found objects as support for the shapes you wish to make. This serves two functions: It allows you to see the shape of the finished item and, because you are applying a thin cover over an existing object, you save material. If you had to create a shape that would stand on its own, you would have to use a lot more clay.

One project that is always fun is a candle house (or it could be a pencil holder). The materials you will need include a selection of decorative canes (sticks of designed polymer clay), a cutting tool (a small paring knife, a thin wire, or a thin metal strip), a small, clear glass into which the candle will sit (or a larger glass for pencils) and a smooth work surface - perhaps a foam plate or a plastic dinner plate. NOTE: Always use caution when using tools or glass objects!

Cover the worktable with paper. This helps keep the clay clean so you can use every tiny bit. Begin by making thin, even slices (1/8 inch thick or so) from your roll design (cane). It might be a good idea to have a small brick of one solid color that coordinates with your cane design to fill in any small gaps.

To create the candle house, cover the outside of the clear glass shape with the small discs of clay. Press and smooth the surface as you attach them. No water, glue, or other adhesive is needed. Like magic, the polymer clay adheres to the surface and, with a little pressure, you can slightly enlarge the design by pressing it against the glass. Apply the discs in any design you like, filling in any tiny gaps with some of the extra clay.

When the entire surface is covered, gently roll the glass against a smooth surface to help even and smooth the clay surface. Place the completed object in an oven set at the specified temperature for the time directed on the polymer packaging (under 300 degrees F.).

Polymer clays come in opaque and translucent colors. All colors can be mixed to create your own private rainbow. There are even glittery metallic colors to make your colors sparkle.

The sky is the limit with this versatile, non-toxic, colorful and easy to use material. Have fun!!

Best Books

The New York Times has named the Book Review's choices for the ten best-illustrated children's books of 1999. And the winners/illustrators are: Crocodile, Fred Marcellino; Lottie's New Friend, Petra Mathers; Penguin Dreams, J. Otto Seibold and V. L. Walsh; How are You Peeling? Foods With Moods, Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers; Emeline at the Circus, Marjorie Priceman; Winter Eyes, Douglas Florian; A Straw for Two, Martin Matje; Little Bunny on the Move, Peter McCarty; The Collector of Moments, Quint Buchholz; and A Symphony of Whales, Peter Sylvada.

--The California Watercolor Association 32nd National Open Exhibition in San Francisco, June 4-29 will award over $10,000. Open to all U.S. and Canadian artists in waterbased media on paper. Juror: Al Brouillette. Slide Deadline: Feb. 8. Send #10 SASE to: Robin Maierhofer, 1381 Camino Tassajara, Danville, CA 94526-3526; www.jps.net/cwa.

--The 23rd Annual Art on Paper Exhibition will be held April 13-May 21 in Annapolis MD, and is open to all artists living in the USA. Juror: Phyllis Rosenzweig. Slide Deadline: Feb. 11. Send #10 SASE to: AOP-Dept. 1, Maryland Federation of Art, P.O. Box 1866, State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21404.

--The 18th Annual SunFest Juried Art Show will be held May 5-7 in West Palm Beach, FL and award over $17,000. Juror: Jonathan Knight. Deadline: Feb. 18. Send #10 SASE to: SunFest, 525 Clematis St., West Palm Beach, FL 33401; www.sunfest.org.

--The 8th Annual International Juried Exhibition, Birmingham, MI, will be held July 28-August 25, and is open to all artists 18 years or older using 100% colored pencil. Slide Deadline: March 31. Send #10 SASE to: N. Tyrell, 1932 Orchard Crest, Shelby Township, MI 48317.

--The Hudson Valley Art Association 69th Annual Exhibition at the Salmagundi Club Galleries, New York City, will be held May 24-June 11. Open to all artists over 18. Representational works in oil, watercolor, graphic, pastel, sculpture. Slide Deadline: April 20. Send SASE to: Ellen Del Colle, Secretary, 333 North State Road, Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510-1463.

--The Artist's Magazine's 2000 Art Competition is open to both amateur and professional artists who may submit work in five categories: Portrait, Landscape, Still Life, Experimental and Animal Art. Prizes totaling more than $16,000 will be awarded. Top award winners and honorable mentions will be featured in the December 2000 issue of The Artist's Magazine; 12 finalists will be featured as "Artist of the Month" throughout the magazine's 2001 issues, and 12 award winners will be featured in the 2001 calendar. Entries are also being accepted in the Student/Beginner division, which is open to artists who have been painting for two years or less. Entry deadline: May 1. For rules and entry form, send a SASE to: The Artist's Magazine's 2000 Art Competition, Attn: Terri Boes, Dept. PR, 1507 Dana Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45207.

The Business of Art

As a new year begins, it is a great time to review some of the cold facts about art as a business. Without struggles and trials, without concentration and completion, art would never exist. Artists may differ from the mainstream of society because of their vision and their ability to see more of the world around them than most see. But, due to their emersion in the creative process, many artists forget about becoming businesspersons--and art is business.

Being a responsible art businessperson can mean many things. But, just like every other small business, it means setting up some sort of organized effort to maintain records of all income and expenditures. At the risk of over-simplification, income comes in and then expenses take away from that amount. What remains should be profit, but one important item must be

addressed. When a profit is made in any small business, art or other, taxes must be paid. Following are some guidelines that might help you organize your art business and assist you at tax time. Be sure to consult a tax professional regarding what is and is not taxable or tax-deductible.

Organizational Basics 101:

Artists' Golden Rule #1

If you are wise, you will consider setting up a special checking account for your business. Use this checking account to purchase materials and supplies whenever possible. There is really no other way to keep separate and record all deductible expenses.

If a small cash purchase is made, or when a creative item or art material is purchased with other household things, be sure to keep the receipt. Circle the item and indicate that the purchase was a cash purchase or perhaps paid from your household account. If you add up the items purchased as business expenses as they are circled, that is one less step you will have to do at the end of the year. Again, over a full year, there may be many such receipts.

MAJOR TIP: Don't get caught in the trap of using studio/art money to buy personal items. That is considered a "personal draw" from your business and not a legitimate expense. Expenses must be related to the operation and maintenance of your business.

Artists' Golden Rule #2:

Keep every receipt that relates to the operation of your business, no matter how insignificant. At the time, a $2 expense might not seem very important, but over the course of a full year, that type of small expense can really add up. If you forget to keep the receipt, or lose it, recreate the details of the purchase with a record of the place, amount, date and purpose of the item purchased. Individuals can create some of their own receipts as long as the amount is not over $25. Remember to file this recreated receipt just as you would any other.

Charged items can easily be overlooked as expenses. If we order things and do not keep good records of these purchases, they might be overlooked as bona fide deductions at tax time. Keep not only the receipt, but also any packing slips sent with the items. Ideally they would be stapled together and filed.

Speaking of files, this may be the single most important item you purchase for your business: An accordion file with a slot for each month. It will provide one place where every receipt can be

kept, automatically segregated by month. If there is no designated filing location, they may be lost and you lose two ways: You pay taxes on the cost of materials that could have been a deductible expense. But if the receipts are missing, you cannot prove purchases were made in support of your business.

Using this type of organization to its maximum benefit means that each month a ledger sheet should be created indicating all income and deductible expenses--remembering all cash spent for the business and any charges made for supplies and materials, etc. If you can manage to keep up with this on a monthly basis, figuring your end of year taxes is a snap. Virtually all totals are ready to be transferred to your master worksheet, then to the IRS forms. Of course all of this can be made simplified by using a simple business program on a computer.

About expenses as an artist: Rules are always changing, so it is smart to review your business with a qualified accountant. Then you can be sure you are filing correctly. Deductions for artists are a little different from other businesses because we often purchase things when the price is right, or when we have a small windfall. Currently, any items purchased and deducted from

your taxes must be actually used on an artwork or creative project that is sold during the same year the item is purchased. If the item purchased (say a new 1" watercolor wash brush) is used on several items and any one of them sells, this provides grounds for deducting the cost of the brush. If the item is used for a creative project that does not sell during the same calendar year, that item must be carried as part of your inventory, and its cost is not a deduction.

Also, be sure to consult a tax professional regarding the possible deductions of the cost of your studio space, new furniture (drawing table, easel, etc.) or equipment (projector, compressor, light table, etc.) maintenance, and utilities. This person will advise you on the latest rules and regulations in regard to artists.

These simple organizational tips and deduction explanations could save you lots of time; and business time saved, means more time to be creative!

With Emerson R. Bigguns

Virtually Limitless Virtual Tours

While doing research for an assignment, I began looking for museum websites that offered virtual tours. A virtual tour allows you to view the art that is displayed in the museum over the Internet. Nothing prepared me for what I found when I typed "museum virtual tours" into the search engine and hit "enter." American masters, ancient art, and African art were all at my fingertips. Toured were the finest museums in the world all from the comfort of home without spending a dime. I spent a whole day and never left the top ten sites in the search engine!

Nothing compares to art up close and personal, but the virtual tour does offer opportunities to sample many collections from museums worldwide in the comfort of your home via the Internet. Following are some very good sites that I can recommend:

Cincinnati Art Museum Virtual Tour
http://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.com

This site includes the following in its collection: Ancient Art, American Sculpture, Arts of Asia, Art of the Americas, Prints & Drawings, Photography, Costumes and Textiles, Decorative Arts, European Painting, Medieval Art, American Painting, and African Art.

Andy Warhol Exhibition at the Irish Museum of Modern Art
http://www.temple-bar.ie/virtualgallery/warhol
Andy Warhol: After the Party - Works 1956-1986.

This site includes 100 works drawn mainly from collections of The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, the most comprehensive single-artist museum in the world. It includes early drawings from the 1950's as well as better-known iconic works from the 1960s and '70s, such as Marilyn, Jackie, Mao and Campbell's soup can paintings. Examples of Warhol's cow wallpaper, cloud pillows, disaster paintings and a range of source material are also included; plus a series of angel and cat drawings by Warhol's mother, Julia Warhola.

The Oriental Institute of The University of Chicago
http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/OI_Museum.html

The Oriental Institute Museum is a showcase of the history, art and archaeology of the ancient Near East. An integral part of the University of Chicago's Oriental Institute, which has supported research and archaeological excavation in the Near East since 1919, the Museum exhibits major collections of antiquities from Egypt, Mesopotamia, Iran, Syria, Palestine, and Anatolia.

National Museum of African Art
http://www.si.edu/organiza/museums/africart/start.htm

As a leading center for the visual arts of Africa, the National Museum of African Art (NMAfA) fosters and sustains--through exhibitions, collections, research, and public programs--an interest in and an understanding of the diverse cultures in Africa as these are embodied in aesthetic achievements in the visual arts. The museum accepts into its collections and exhibits the art of all African areas, including the ancient and contemporary arts for the entire continent.

Airbrush 101

Have you received an airbrush as a gift over the holidays and don't know where to begin? Don't despair! Following is a simple tutorial in the fundamentals of hooking up and using an airbrush.

1. It is imperative that you read whatever literature came with the airbrush (manual, brochures, etc.) to familiarize yourself with the equipment and the terms used to describe their operation.
2. Now let's examine the airbrush. Two basic types are used: external mix and internal mix. The external mix airbrush is the most simplistic, while the internal mix airbrush is more sophisticated and is used extensively in the development of artwork.

With the external mix airbrush, the air and paint mix outside the tip; whereas, with the internal mix airbrush, the air and paint mix inside the tip. The way that the air and paint mix and are atomized determines the type of spray produced.

3. Hold the airbrush as you would a pen, no matter if you are right or left-handed. Use the index finger to trigger the airbrush. It is placed on top of the trigger, which is on top of the airbrush. Left-handed painters have a tendency, when beginning, to try to trigger with their thumb. Do not start this habit; it prevents free movement of the airbrush.
4. There are two types of airbrush triggers: single and dual action. All external mix airbrushs are single action where you simply press down on the trigger to spray paint. Presetting the fluid tip on the external mix airbrush or the needle adjustment screw on the internal mix airbrush controls the amount of paint sprayed.

Internal mix airbrushes are available in both single and dual action. With the dual action trigger, you press down for air and then pull back to release paint. This provides more control over the volume of paint sprayed, since the further back you pull, the more paint that is released.

5. Familiarize yourself with the components of the airbrush. The paint tip is at the front; the trigger is always at the top; the handle is at the back; and with internal mix airbrushes, the needle runs through the airbrush and is accessible by removing the handle.

Airbrushes come in several styles that determine how the paint is supplied. There are gravity feed, bottom feed, side feed, and airbrushes that can be attached to external paint supplies (pressure feed). With gravity feed, the paint is held in a permanently attached reservoir at the top front of the airbrush, and here gravity supplies paint to the paint tip. With side feed, which comes with a color funnel that holds the paint and is plugged into the side of the airbrush, the funnel can be rotated so the artist can spray straight down or straight up. A bottom feed airbrush has jars that are force-fit underneath, a handy feature for quick color changes where the artist can lay out his palette in individual jars and plug them into the airbrush one after another. (Be sure to flush out the airbrush between color changes.) The pressure feed airbrush has a hose attached to an external tank that has paint under pressure. Special seals are required in the airbrush to prevent paint leakage.

6. An air source is required to propel an airbrush, and there are three basic types: the small propellant cans that come in kits or can be purchased individually; compressors, either diaphragm or piston, that are the most commonly used air source; or carbonic gas, which is preferred by many professionals. An air hose must connect the airbrush to the compressor to spray paint.
7. It's time to paint! Now that your airbrush is hooked to the air source and you're familiar with its workings, it's time to add some color and do some spraying. It is recommended that you begin with a prereduced airbrush color or India ink. Keep it simple and start out with one color. Take a sheet of paper and begin by spraying small dots. If they look like spider webs, you are spraying too much paint too close to the work surface.

Once you feel comfortable spraying dots, move on to spraying lines. Practice overcoming the "barbell effect," which is a glob of paint at the beginning and end of a sprayed line. Once you feel comfortable spraying lines, move on to practicing vignettes (gradations). Using the natural spray of the airbrush in overlapping passes, start at the top of a piece of paper and work down to develop a gray value change dark at the top and white at the bottom.

After you spray an hour or two with the airbrush, any intimidation will diminish. It's important to continue to practice until you feel confident that you can pick up the tool and produce the results you wish. You'll be happy with your new skill!

Restoration Complete The frescoes by Botticelli, Perugino and Roselli shine anew in the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. Pope John Paul II presided over a service celebrating completion of the two-decade-long restoration. And Continuing St. Francis' Basilica of Assisi in Assisi, Italy, has reopened after completing internal and external restoration from a 1997 earthquake. Considered a work in progress, crews have spent two years laboriously identifying and numbering fragments of frescoes, and it will take two more years to piece together the remainder.

Sculpture Installed A steel and bronze sculpture weighing four tons and standing 45 feet tall has been installed at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. "That Profile" by Martin Puryear, was specifically designed for the Getty's Tram Arrival Plaza.

Santa Fe to Host The International Bead Expo 2000, sponsored by Recursos de Santa Fe, will be held March 22-27 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Bead Bazaar features a Designer Showcase and Glass Beadmaking Demos; Workshops include over 40 classes by internationally known instructors; and the three-day Symposium is titled "Sacred & Secular Uses of Beads." www.beadexpo.com.

New Records Set A sale of contemporary art at Christie's found buyers for 56 of 60 lots offered and set a record for 18 artists. At Sotheby's, 63 of 68 works found buyers, and nine artist records were set. And Sotheby's set a record price for an American painting recently when it sold "Polo Crowd," a 1910 sporting scene by George Bellows, for $27.5 million.

Show Cancelled Down Under The National Gallery of Australia has cancelled the exhibition "Sensation" scheduled to open in June. The decision was based on concerns about how this controversial show was financed at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, i.e. financial contributions by the collection's owner or participating artist reps.

Cabinets Return Home Two oak corner cabinets, built by Gustav Stickley for his dining room at what is now the Craftsman Farms Foundation Museum in Parsippany, N.J., have returned home. After appealing to Barbra Streisand to donate the cabinets from her collection or to sell them privately, the museum bought them at Christie's auction for $125,000. Streisand and her people deny ever being contacted by the Foundation re the Mission pieces from the Arts and Crafts movement.

Artists Chosen--The team of curators for the 2000 Whitney Biennial has chosen 97 artists for inclusion in the exhibition, which runs from March 23 through June 4. Twenty artists will create site-specific installations, works by 27 cinematic artists will be on view, and for the first time, works by eight digital artists will be presented.

Design Selected A design by Spanish architect and sculptor Santiago Calatrava has been selected for The New York Times Capsule. The stainless steel capsule--which stands five feet high, weighs two tons, and resembles a flower--can be opened in segments to contain 50 cubic feet of storage, where artifacts from this century will be preserved for the next 1,000 years. See it at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City through March 26, when the capsule will be sealed for permanent display at the museum until it is opened in the year 3000.

New Stamp for New Year In late December the Postal Service marked the arrival of the year 2000 with a stamp using the artwork of American illustrator J. C. Leyendecker. Originally appearing on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post in Jan. 1937, the traditional image shows a baby ringing in the New Year, blowing a horn and wearing a top hat amid streamers and confetti.

Birthdays:

  4    Marsden Hartley

19    Paul Cezanne

22    Francis Picabia

24    Robert Motherwell

28    Claes Oldenburg

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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 10 No. 3 -- January 2000