Professor Art: July 2012

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

A new hip

After two long round trip drives this year which caused me discomfort in my already problematic right hip, I was informed by my physical therapist that I might have a hip problem. She advised me to see a specialist. The diagnosis was confirmed. I began to look for the right doctor. I had a cortisone shot to rid myself of the pain and could have kept doing this every 6 months or so, but the replacement fact remained. I mentioned my problem to my room mate from college knowing he had had the operation. He said only do the Anterior method. He was out of the hospital in one day and never used a walker and has been recovering positively for several months. I went doctor shopping. One doctor said he did not do Anteriors and thought that the old posterior method was the best, that's where they cut through the muscles to replace the hip. This entails months of therapy and down time. He was my age and I am sure he was knowledgeable, but I do not want a doctor my age and I want the Anterior method where the replacement goes between the muscles. I insisted so so sent me to another in his group that supposedly could do it. This doctor was very young and upon questioning said that he had done maybe 25 and none in Houston. That was unacceptable. I went to another who could do it but was not on my insurance.

At Art Supply store where I maintain my studio I mentioned my problem and Monica M. said go to Dr. Stefan Kreuzer. He is the Man. He is famous for developing the procedure. I had a 6 week envelope in which to recover before school begins. Dr. Kreuzer had an opening on July 18th and so I got medically cleared and had my hip done. I was out of the operation by 8:30 and up walking and into a therapy session by 10:00 am and into another session at 2:00 pm. There are lots of really over weight people having hips and knees replaced. After a night and day at the hospital where you get no rest , but plenty of nice attention, I was sent home to an undisclosed destination for recuperation. I was up from the drugs after the operation and drawing. Now that that false high is gone I maintain good spirits.

This photo by David Gray shows me hearing the good news from my daughter Chyrissa that she passed her Nurse Practitioner test. I am in very good spirits. The next day was a downer due to the departure of those happy drugs. I went to therapy and walked the hospital floor and drew pictures and listened to Bach and L. Cohen. Friday I was released. I am doing good with an ice pack on my hip every few hours for swelling; drawing, reading, listening, exercising and walking. First follow-up with the doctor is on Friday. I cannot as yet sit at a table to do water colors. I am taking my time, ready and waiting.

MM turned me on to the best selling 1957 Payton Place. I only remember it as scandalously sexual. I probably only read those parts. Actually it is a good read putting the times there in depicted under the glass.

It's all good/buono!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Anxiety

I have a bit of anxiety. Here is a Water color about that condition.

Anxiety 20x14 wc stage 1

Anxiety 20x14 stage 2

Anxiety 20x14 final stage

I did this too

In a Garden 18x24 wc stage 1

In a Garden 18x24 final stage

Contortionist stage 4

I'll be back in a bit.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Painting and Waiting

I am painting and waiting for Wednesday to get a new hip. I have anxiety, but not worried.

I finished a group of watercolors. Theses are the small ones. There are 4 Indian Heads.

Can you find them?

Reclining Woman wc 18x24

I have been looking at her for 2 months; today we hooked up.

Center Core 14x18 wc

Dotting The Contortionist

Stage 3

Untitled collage 24x30 stage #1

Saturday, July 14, 2012

What Do You See?

When you look at something which pretends to be art, what do you see/say?
The general response is "I like the colors."
It gets you by. If you know anything about art you automatically turn on your internal computer
and look for influences. Picasso, Van Gogh, whomever. We need to put it into a category.
How much Art History the viewer knows allows the artist's predecessors to expand. All art comes from some other art.You can only know as much as you have studied. Art History is the subject which artists and viewers of art fail. It is the subject in art school that is the least popular. Make it not learn about it. Artists/dealer/viewers are blind to their past. We are surrounded by history, from the general as-seen-in -Museums-all-over- historic to the local historic which is never seen a museum. Artists and likers/buyers of art should know about what they look. That takes work, but so does anything we do or like: sports, cooking, gardening...you get the idea.
Art in museums and art in galleries do not correspond. Would a Picasso or Matisse of 1916 find a market in the local galleries? What about the "bad" painting done in Germany circa 1907 now known as German Expressionism? Every major city and its suburbs has a community of artists who have hope that others in their community will have the knowledge and pocketbook to support their art; yet all those likers like is the color because it goes with their decor. Accept it or deny it we are decorators. I have changed an important designation for major historic themes in art. I thought art was philosophic/ religious or political. Now I think it is first and foremost decorative. It has to please the eye and then mind, even the caves pictures had to please their makers and patrons or they would not still be there.

I'm doing water colors, waiting for a new hip.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Dougga

25 years ago I was at The American Academy in Rome. 10 of us took a trip to Tunisia to visit the Roman ruins. It was in March so there were no other tourists. We rented two cars and saw lots of marvels. I took a photo of a stormy sky at sunset at the ruins of Dougga. In 2000 I was doing realism and using old photos. It was an artistic endeavor with hopes of a commercial reward. I had in mind an
Edward Hopper abstract realism. That I did achieve to my satisfaction; the commercial reward never materialized. Here is the original painting.

Dougga 30x40 acrylic 2000

Those 15 years of realist paintings I left behind.The above somehow ended up in Houston. I thought it was a valiant try but ultimately so what? Who wants a large painting of a Roman ruin? In the 18th and 19th century there was an interest, not today. I did a smaller version 20x24 for Suzanne, so the image still exists. I used the old picture as a under painting for this new Dougga.

Dougga early stage

final stage

I began "The Contortionist" in 1982, at the American Academy in Rome after trying a yoga class. 25 years later I started doing yoga and took to it, but had to give it up in January because of my hip. I reworked the painting in 1987 at the end of my Bad Painting period.

Contortionist 60x60 1987

We discovered it rolled up. I torn it into strips and dotted them and re-mounted and re-stretched the image and now will to go back into it, probably not a good commercial choice, but it makes a statement about my condition.

Contortionist 48x48 first stage

Another image from the past: The Artist's Backyard #6 36x48 2001

Same realist period and the same results...so what? Green has always been a problematic color, so I tackled it head on. It does not bother me any more.