Artist Profile

Henri Matisse (1869-1954)

Seldom is it possible for us to be living so close to the time of such a brilliant and revered artist as we have with Henri Emile Benoit Matisse.  Born in Le Cateau-Cambresis in northern France on December 31, 1869, he was the son of a middle-class family.  He grew up with a strong like of poetry, and in later years he credited this as having had a huge influence on his work.

As a young man Matisse studied law with the expectation of becoming a lawyer, but in 1890 during recovery from appendicitis he became interested in painting.  From that time, Matisse never looked back.  He began his career, as do many artists, with studies of the great masters.  Through this line of study he adopted a realistic, academically conservative style.  It was not until his investigation into contemporary works that his experimentation and personal style began to establish his reputation as a rebellious rule bender.

Regarded as one of the great influential figures in 20^th century art, Matisse became known as a master of the use of color and form to convey emotional expressionism—so much so that at age 40 he was given credit for being the ringleader of the Fauvism movement.  Matisse and Picasso, who maintained a “gentle rivalry,” were two of the most influential artists of the 20^th century.  Matisse made hundreds of drawings and did book illustrations, all in his exquisite arabesque line style and his extraordinary sense of color.

Matisse could be said to have been a real patriot of France.  When WWII raged, Matisse could have left and was urged to leave France.  At this time his career, his marriage and the fate of his works on display in Russia and occupied France were in shambles.  He chose not to do so, stating that if all talented Frenchmen left France, the country would be poor.  Although Matisse did remain in France, he did have to move for his personal safety.

Matisse was very successful during his career, but in what he termed “his second life,” the last 14 years of his life.  This “rebirth” was brought about by healing from an operation that would have killed most men his age.  When his strength came back, there was a level of determination and drive he had not known in decades.  He and assistants created large-scale works of paper (cut paper collages) that he called “painting with scissors.” He explained these cutouts as contour drawings that were done in solid form, not lines filled with color.  This suited him because he asserted that line and color competed with one another.  At the same time he worked creating black and white illustrations for several books.

We often hear that the lives of really creative people are compromised by the energy they expend to create their art.  This could be said of Matisse, as he was not able to carry into his family relationships the success he had achieved with his art.  A son, Pierre, was said to have been part of this dysfunction.  However, their relationship was far deeper and more sincere than Matisse had been given credit for.  After his death, over 800 letters were found, many as long as 21 pages – all to Pierre.  It was discovered that the son had been Matisse’s most trusted ally and confidant.

So many examples of Matisse’s work are viewable.  Posters and prints of hundreds of his drawings, paper cutouts, paintings and drawings are available, but for the real impact of his work, seeing it “live” is like no other experience.  The line, the color, the form…they work to create a strong magnetism between the viewer and the art.  If ever you are given the chance, do not pass up the opportunity to see a Matisse in person. 

And you can do just that at the Art Institute of Chicago through June 20.  Matisse:  Radical Invention, 1913-1917 explores how Matisse developed his own version of Modernism, one work after the next, during the most ambitious, unbridled and radically inventive period of his long career. Nearly 120 of his paintings and prints from the period are on view.  The exhibition travels to The Museum of Modern Art, New York City, July 18 – Oct. 11.  Also, Matisse Cutouts is an ongoing exhibition at the National Gallery of Art.  This group of cutouts represents one of the largest concentrations of these important works worldwide.  Note:  To protect the pigments and paper of the Matisse cutouts, the light level in the gallery is reduced and the works are on view only between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Mon. – Sat. and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday.

The Artist’s Marketplace

Ampersand – New Encausticbord

A two-year collaboration between Ampersand and R&F Handmade Paints has resulted in Ampersand’s new Encausticbord, a unique wood panel that has the tooth to hold encaustic and mixed media unlike any other surface.  Encaustic gesso is applied to Ampersand’s sealed Hardbord panel to form a bright, smooth and velvety surface that is ready to use with the ancient technique of encaustic painting.  The ground is not only heat resistant and highly absorbent, but it holds tight to layers of wax and collage without the fear of cracking or separation.  It can be used with any combination of mediums imaginable to create incredible textures, colors and patterns.

Encausticbord is available in a 1/8” Flat profile for studio and plein-air (fits standard framing); a ¾” Cradled profile for more support and typical stretched canvas-style framing; and 1.5” and 2” Deep profiles for support and frame-free presentation all in one.  TIP:  How to Finish an Encaustic Painting—Encaustic has the natural appearance of a varnished surface (the dammar resin creates a “varnish within”) and can be buffed (rubbed with a soft cloth or paper towel) to enhance that quality.  No varnish is needed and could possibly harm or dissolve the wax surface if used.  For more tips, visit www.ampersandart.com and see your retailer for Encausticbord.

Iwata – New Studio Series Maxx Jet Compressor

Now it’s easier than ever to take your art on the road with Iwata’s new Studio Series Maxx Jet Compressor.  Features include a powerful 1/6 hp, oil-less two-pole motor; dual manifold air regulator with airbrush and spray gun holders; 2.5 liter air storage tank and internal cooling fan; 2 braided air hoses for an airbrush and a spray gun; gear storage galore (tray for accessories and front removable drawer); detachable 10- ft. power cord; secure latches for top access and motor access; front legs for stability; a strong protective travel case with wheels; and a retractable handle for portability.  (When closed, you can even transport a container, e.g., a plastic milk crate, of small equipment/supplies on top of the case.)  The Maxx Jet runs at twice the RPM’s of the Power Jet and powers Iwata’s Eclipse G-3, G-5, G-6 and offers light use with the RG-3.  See your retailer for this very cool and unique product and visit www.iwata-medea.com.

AMACO – Pasta Machine Featured on TV Show

The talented Polymer Clay Designer Liz Smith appeared on The Martha Stewart Show on March 24^th as a guest on the “Affordable Dinner” segment, where she created truly unique and inspiring Easter eggs using polymer clay— http://www.marthastewart.com/show/the-martha-stewart-show/affordable-dinners. As part of the demonstration, Liz used the AMACO Pasta Machine to roll out the polymer clay for her eggs and to create “skinner blends.”  The Pasta Machine makes it easy to make even, flat sheets of polymer clay, knead two colors of clay together or simply soften clay materials.  Liz and Martha also used AMACO’s acrylic PolyRoller to smooth the millefiori slices onto the egg.  AMACO’s Flexible PolyBlade is ideal for cutting millefiori canes. See your retailer and visit www.amaco.com to learn more about these products.

Competitions & Opportunities

—National Watercolor Society – The 90^th Annual Exhibition (10/30–12/11/10, NWS Gallery, San Pedro, CA) is open to all water media artists.  Paintings must be done on a paper surface and unvarnished and water media must be the dominant element.  Over $25,000 in purchase, cash and merchandise awards will be made.  A traveling exhibition of 30 paintings will be chosen by the Juror of Awards for a one-year national tour.  Postmark Deadline:  June 26.  www.nationalwatercolorsociety.org; 626.447.2377 (Pacific Time).

—YoungArts Miami Open Call – On May 15 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Adrienne Arsht Center is hosting an Open Call community kick-off celebration to introduce the national program to Miami.  This is the ultimate crash course for artistically-inclined high school juniors and seniors.  Participants spend a year engaging in monthly workshops, accessing arts resources and scholarships and benefiting from career guidance, portfolio development, master classes and showcase performances.  RSVP by May 12 to lcuenca@chasemiami.com or call 305.379.0007.

—Educator Programs at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston – Opportunities abound this summer for educators: a Studio Art Course (7/26-30); “Teaching with Art” Summer Mini-Conference for Educators (7/27-28); Elementary Curriculum Teacher Training: Learning through Art at the MFAH, Special Focus on Social Studies and Art (6/8), Science and Art (6/ll), Math and Art (6/15), and Language Arts and Art (6/18).  www.mfah.org.

—Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (NY) – The 2010-2011 Grant Cycle has been announced.  Creative Curricula makes matching grants for up to $5,000 to support partnerships between Manhattan schools and teaching artists or cultural organizations.  Funding is provided for in-classroom projects that focus on the integrated study of the arts and non-arts subjects. Application Deadline:  June 22. See info/details at:  http://www.lmcc.net/grants/creative_curricula/apply

Pastel

Papers for Pastel

It is quite true that you can create pastel drawings on any paper.  It is also true that the higher the quality of the paper the more value there is in the drawing.  Practice work can easily be done on lighter weight papers, but most artists use higher grades, even for practice and experimental works.  This is done for a number of reasons:  One is that practice work done on inferior paper will not teach you how to deal with the uniqueness of a given surface.  And some artists explore alternative surfaces to gain experience and widen their scope of work.

There are a number of manufacturers that create very high quality papers for use with pastel and charcoal.  Pads and full sheets of these papers can be found at any art material source.   Bound pads of variety packs, which include several tones of paper, are very popular.  The subtle color choices given afford artists good selections of under tones for their works.  These sheets are intended to add depth and glow to the pastel painting done on them.

A quick exploration of an art store can yield some very interesting results.  One of the most unique surfaces for pastel works is the high grade ”sanded” paper that offers heavier tooth and helps the artist create extra bold and expressive works.  Although not always coated with what we commonly think of as sand, the textural result is that of a toothy, gritty, grippy surface.  This style of paper is available in tones of beige to off-white.  The sizes available might include sheets of 9 x 12, 12 x 18, 18 x 24, 21 x 27, 24 x 36, and 27 x 40. Rolls come up to 56” x 10 yards and are ideal for huge-scale works.

Another really interesting surface upon which to do pastel is suede.  Various manufacturers create sheets in a good range of sizes, with these sheets being bound into pads or available full sheet.  Many artists have also discovered the wide range of suede mat boards (designed for the framing industry).  This material is especially good because it offers strong support upon which to work, while giving a smooth, soft, extremely accepting surface for pastel.  Every detail is captured and held on this surface in a nearly soft-focused effect.  This softness is especially good for portrait work.  Colors range from stark white to deep jewel tones and blacks and browns.  There is a color to please any application.

Reviewing the choices, you can see that there are many.  This wide range of options is very tantalizing to a practicing artist.  There is never a lack of materials for those who enjoy experimentation or exploration.  Try one of the newer surfaces and experience the zing of something new.  Color, texture, size…you select what you want.

Art Events & Exhibitions

Schedules sometimes change, so please call in advance to confirm events/exhibitions.

Events

—Ring Festival LA – J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA – May 1, 2, 5, 19, 23 and June 19 – The Museum joins other Southland cultural institutions and the LA Opera for Ring Festival LA, a series of special events in connection with the first-ever presentation in LA of the four-opera drama The Ring of the Nibelung.  Visit www.getty.edu and www.RingFestivalLA.com.

—The Affordable Art Fair 2010, 7 W New York (7 West 34^th St. near 5^th Ave., NYC)- May 6-9 – AAF NYC is the place to discover and buy works of art from today’s hottest young talent and well-known names, with all works priced from just $100 up to $10,000.  AAF is for everyone, including the art savvy collector and the first-time buyer.  So come find something you love from the international array of over 70 established and emerging galleries.  http://www.aafnyc.com/, 212.255.2003.

—Bethesda (MD) Fine Arts Festival – Woodmont Triangle, Norfolk & Auburn Ave. - May 8-9.  Delight in fine art and craft created by 140 of the nation’s best artists, live entertainment and Bethesda’s best restaurants.  www.bethesda.org, 301.215.6660.

—Community Celebration Weekend – Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art – Kansas City, MO - May 8-9 – The Museum celebrates the opening of the new Egyptian galleries with a two-day event that includes performances, talks, demonstrations and hands-on activities suitable for the entire family.  All programs are free and open to the public.  www.nelson-atkins.org, 816.751.1278.

Exhibitions

—Picasso in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC – This landmark exhibition is the first to focus exclusively on works by Picasso in the Museum’s collection.  It features 300 works, including the Museum’s complete holdings of paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics by Picasso—never before seen in their entirety—as well as a selection of the artist’s prints.  Through Aug. 1.

—Masterpieces from the Musee d’Orsay:  The Birth of Impressionism – FAMSF, The de Young – San Francisco, CA – This exhibition debuts on May 22 and runs through Sept. 6. It includes approximately 100 paintings from the Musee d'Orsay’s permanent collection and highlights the work of William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Gustave Courbet, Edgar Degas, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and James Abbott McNeill Whistler, among others.  The Musee d’Orsay is lending their most beloved paintings while it undergoes a partial closure for refurbishment and reinstallation in anticipation of the museum’s 25^th anniversary in 2011.  This exhibition will be followed in the fall by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cezanne and Beyond:  Post Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musee d’Orsay.  The de Young will be the only museum in the world to host both exhibitions. The “Le Passeport” affinity card includes discounts and special offers all over Northern California.  Receive your card when you purchase tickets to the exhibitions.  www.famsf.org.

—Picasso:  Themes and Variations – MoMA, NYC – This exhibition traces the evolution of Picasso’s creative process and artistic vision through decades of experimentation in etching, lithography and linoleum cut from the artist’s Blue and Rose periods to his discovery of Cubism.  Thematic groupings of works illustrate how printmaking inspired new directions by allowing the artist to build and document his compositions in various stages and how his imagery underwent a constant process of metamorphosis.  Through Sept. 30.

—Remember the Ladies:  Women of the Hudson River School – Cedar Grove-The Thomas Cole National Historic Site, Catskill, NY – Opening May 2, this is the first known exhibition in the U.S. to focus solely on the women artists associated with the 19^th century landscape painting movement.  Included are approximately 25 works of art—paintings, embroidered landscapes, photography and drawing manuals—by artists such as Julia Hart Beers, Evelina Mount, Susie Barstow, Eliza Greatorex and others, as well as paintings by Thomas Cole’s own sister Sarah Cole and daughter Emily Cole.  Through Oct. 31.  www.thomascole.org; 518.943.7465.

—Colorforms - Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC – Colorforms presents works from the Hirshhorn’s collection, dating from the post-war era to the present, that explore the ways in which color remains an essential tool for artists, regardless of medium.  The exhibition presents some of the diverse ways that contemporary artists, freed from the limits of representation and empowered by an array of new media, deploy abstract form to explore color’s evocative possibilities, from the purely optical to the metaphysical.  Through Jan. 2.

Airbrush

Have Airbrush, Will Travel!

It’s a luxury to be able to do all your airbrushing in a studio environment where you have spent years working. However, in reality, there are many airbrushers that are called upon to work onsite, such as when doing a mural in an office building, applying makeup at a fashion show or possibly working a temporary tattoo booth at a fair.  No matter where you are onsite, it’s best to have visited the site beforehand to get a feel for where things are, e.g., electricity for your compressor, ventilation for health/safety, and access to water for cleanup.

For onsite work it’s a necessity to compile a kit that contains everything you will need to do the job with instant access to tools, materials and supplies.  Many artists use a plastic milk crate (or several that are stackable) to contain and transport these items.

You must have access to compressed air—either an air compressor that requires electricity or a carbonic gas tank, which does not.  TIP: It’s a good idea to include in your kit a heavy duty extension cord with a three-prong plug.  Also throw in a two-prong adapter for the remote possibility that you will be working in an area that has ungrounded electrical outlets. If electricity is not available, then you will need a carbonic gas tank with CO₂ to propel your airbrush.  A small 20 lb. tank will likely suffice, but it’s heavy and you’ll need a helping hand, a hand truck or a sturdy luggage cart to transport it.  Larger tanks, i.e., 50 lbs., are very heavy and likely too much to be toting around.

Also check out the environment.  See if you must negotiate stairs, if an elevator is available or a handicap ramp upon which to wheel your onsite kit.  The weight of the airbrush kit should probably not exceed 50 lb.  This is why a handcart is essential.  Larger wheels are better for climbing stairs, if necessary.  If the cart folds up for storage/travel, that’s even better.

You want to show up at the onsite job with everything you need, and here a checklist comes in handy.  Cover your tracks and don’t take anything for granted.

(See The Artist’s Marketplace above for Iwata’s new portable Maxx Jet Compressor.)

ArtPourri

Museum Celebrates – The North Carolina Museum of Art recently opened a new 127,000-square-foot building, a beautiful home for the permanent collection with dramatically expanded exhibition space highlighted by galleries with daylight.  The exterior is surrounded by exquisite outdoor gardens showcasing large-scale sculpture, and dozens of new art acquisitions are on view for the first time. The 164-acre campus is now the nation’s largest art museum park, with walking paths, bike trails, ecological projects conceived with artists and site-specific commissioned works of art in a rolling green landscape.

Laureates Announced – Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, partners in the architectural firm SANAA, have been chosen as the 2010 Laureates of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.  The formal ceremony for what has come to be known throughout the world as architecture’s highest honor will be held on May 17 on historic Ellis Island in NY.  At that time a $100,000 grant and bronze medallions will be bestowed on the two architects.

Postal News – Four cowboy legends of the silver screen are now honored on first-class stamps and stamped postal cards:  William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.  The dedication ceremony took place at the National Cowboy & Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.  The artwork was created by stamp artist Robert Rodriguez of Los Angeles, CA.

Summer Hours Announced – Dia:Beacon, which is lit almost entirely by natural light, changes its public hours to coincide with seasonal changes in daylight.  The world’s largest contemporary art museum will be open Thurs. – Mon. from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. through October 11.

Milestones Reached – Sculptor and painter David Slivka has died at the age of 95 in Manhattan.  He was one of the last remaining members of the first generation of American Abstract Expressionist artists.  See more at www.davidslivka.com. Legendary comic book artist and editor Dick Giordano has died in Florida at age 77.  He worked his pencil and ink magic for a variety of publishers including Charlton Comics, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, Dell, American Comics, Valiant, Treasure Chest and Junior Life.  See more at www.dickgiordano.com.

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Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 20 No. 7 — May 2010