What’s shakin’ at Rodzart

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 7-30-2010

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 07-23-2010.

Hi Folks. Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a good week. Jack and I have two new paintings for you this week.

The first new painting for this week is a 9 X 12 inch acrylic on watercolor paper called:

Expression 1067. This is minimalist sort of abstract expression with an interesting texture I think you’ll like.

Lastly this week we have an ACEO called:

ACEO 1066. This little painting has a number of planes and movement which I hope you’ll find interesting.

I turned 60 this week, and that’s gotten me thinking about a lot of things.
I suppose I should be getting concerned with mortality, but, being a Buddhist, I already know what will happen on the other side. Since I’ve tried to live by the Dharma even before I knew what it was, death really doesn’t scare me too much, and besides, maybe my paintings will sell better then.

I have however, been thinking of all the changes that I’ve seen in my lifetime.
For instance, on the day I was born in 1950, Picasso, Matisse, and Pollock were all alive and still painting; Harry Truman was President; Ted Williams was playing baseball; and here’s a good one, there were three computers in the world; today I have more than that on my desktop. We used to worry about the Russians bombing us, now we worry about the Chinese foreclosing on us.
Oy, what a world.

One interesting thing is that, I have absolutely no concept of myself being this age. I simply can’t envision myself as 60 years old. I feel it occasionally, but I still can’t believe I’m this old. I guess you could say that I have a 25 year old mind sitting on a 60 year old body. The spirit’s willing, but the flesh is weak. I remember what to do, but I’m not quite sure why….lol.

I don’t know what the future holds, but I will say this, I’ll stop painting
when they pry the brush out of my cold dead hands. I want to go like Renoir, dead at the easel.

If you happen to be in the Brandon area, please remember that I’ve got six paintings hanging in “The Art of Hair” salon at 10963 Causeway Blvd., in Brandon. So, I hope you’ll drop by and check them out, and maybe get some great hair styling while you’re them.

If you’ve got a few bucks to spare, how about spending them on Haiti. There are a lot of good programs going on, my two favorites are, as always, Doctors without borders, they’ve got a link below. Also, The Clinton-Bush Haiti fund.

Here are a couple of sites I hope you’ll visit and support:
Doctors without Borders.
Katsel Tsi Chen Cho Kyi Ling Buddhist Meditation center.

I’m also on Twitter
Myspace and
Facebook
Look me up there if ya feel like it.

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week. See ya next time.

Rod

Here’s some links I hope you’ll remember:

For original paintings, or to inquire about a commissioned painting, just email me at info@rodzart.com

My original paintings can also be acquired through: http://www.socurio.com/myloft/rodzart Socurio.com.

For original paintings sold at auction go to:
http://www.artbyus.com/auctions.php?a=6&b=85

Original works on paper can be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

To buy prints on paper or canvas, mouse pads, mugs, refrigerator magnets, etc. check out:
http://www.artwanted.com/rodzart>
http://rodzart2.deviantart.com/gallery/>

For other cool stuff like T-shirts, clocks or travel mugs try my Cafepress site http://www.cafepress.com/rodzart

To obtain fine art prints, framed or unframed:
http://rod-schneider.artistwebsites.com
http://rod-schneider.fineartamerica.com

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 7-23-2010

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 07-23-2010.

Hi Folks. Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a good week. Jack and I had a fairly good week in the studio this week, albeit a hot one. We managed to finish three paintings for you this week.

The first new painting for this week is an 8 X 10 inch acrylic on canvas called:

Composition 1063. This is an abstract geometric painting which I hope you’ll like.

Next up this week this week is a 17 X 5 inch acrylic on cardboard called:

Expression 1064. I did this on a piece of cardboard to which I applied several coats of black acrylic that was allowed to dry before I started the painting. That seems to have kept the cardboard from curling too much. I really like the surreal and ethereal effects I got on this painting.

Lastly we have a 9 X 12 inch acrylic on watercolor paper called:

Expression 1065. I like the effects of the black and white on gray. I actually painted this as a rehearsal for a YouTube video I’m planning to shoot. I’ll keep you posted on that.

I thought that this week I’d touch on downloading paintings. New remember that I speak only for myself, other artists may well see this differently.
Every one of my paintings and other art works are copyrighted material, and may not be downloaded or copied in any way without my consent.
My paintings appear on a lot of web sites, and they all may not block downloading. That still doesn’t mean that you can download stuff without permission.

That being said, if you want to copy one of my paintings for a school project, magazine article or whatever, just send me an email. I can’t think of a single time that I’ve denied anyone a copy of a painting for a legitimate purpose. In fact I can probably get you a hi-def file on most of my work. So, nuf said on that subject.

To answer a question put to me; why do I paint in primary colors so much? There are a couple of reasons for that actually. First, I like bright primary colors. But, in addition to that, I have kind of a philosophical reason for using primary colors.

Everything you’ve ever seen, or ever will see is made up of a combination of the three primary colors. So in a painting made up of primary colors, I’ve given you the entire universe. Just something to think about.

Here’s a little something I thought I’d mention for all the other artists out there. I like to sketch out most of my paintings before I actually paint them. (yes, I do paint that stuff on purpose). I’ve used a number of techniques for that from thinned paint to charcoal, but lately I’ve hit upon something that works really well. A while back I started drawing my paintings on the canvas with a light gray watercolor pencil. It’s erasable, and the pigment blends right into the oil or acrylic paint that goes over it. Just thought I’d pass that along.

If you happen to be in the Brandon area, please remember that I’ve got six paintings hanging in “The Art of Hair” salon at 10963 Causeway Blvd., in Brandon. So, I hope you’ll drop by and check them out, and maybe get some great hair styling while you’re them.

If you’ve got a few bucks to spare, how about spending them on Haiti. There are a lot of good programs going on, my two favorites are, as always, Doctors without borders, they’ve got a link below. Also, The Clinton-Bush Haiti fund.

Here are a couple of sites I hope you’ll visit and support:
Doctors without Borders.
Katsel Tsi Chen Cho Kyi Ling Buddhist Meditation center.

I’m also on Twitter
Myspace and
Facebook
Look me up there if ya feel like it.

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week. See ya next time.

Rod

Here’s some links I hope you’ll remember:

For original paintings, or to inquire about a commissioned painting, just email me at info@rodzart.com

My original paintings can also be acquired through: http://www.socurio.com/myloft/rodzart Socurio.com.

For original paintings sold at auction go to:
http://www.artbyus.com/auctions.php?a=6&b=85

Original works on paper can be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

To buy prints on paper or canvas, mouse pads, mugs, refrigerator magnets, etc. check out:
http://www.artwanted.com/rodzart>
http://rodzart2.deviantart.com/gallery/>

For other cool stuff like T-shirts, clocks or travel mugs try my Cafepress site http://www.cafepress.com/rodzart

To obtain fine art prints, framed or unframed:
http://rod-schneider.artistwebsites.com
http://rod-schneider.fineartamerica.com

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 7-16-2010

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 07-16-2010.

Hi Folks. Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a good week. This was a slow week in the studio. I’m afraid I only completed one painting this week. Sometimes I see paintings everywhere I look and sometimes I don’t. It’s been a pretty prolific year so far, so I guess I was due for a slump eventually.

I had two other paintings finished, but after a little reflection, they ended up on the dud stack. This brings up an interesting point to mention. A large percentage of my paintings never see the light of day. Whenever I feel a painting is finished, before I put my name on it, I walk away from it for a day or two. Then when I come back to it, I often see parts that need to be changed, or, as happened this week, I decide the entire concept of the painting sucks.

I’ve got a stack of canvases in the corner of the studio, which I call the dud stack. Since none of these paintings are signed, there’s no concrete way to trace them back to me. With any luck at all, that ought to drive some art historian’s crazy some day…lol. Actually, I keep them around because sometimes I go thorough the stack and review the paintings. Sometimes I’m able to see where the painting went wrong, and how I can improve them in the future. Every painting starts out as a masterpiece, but very very few ever end up that way.

The new painting for this week is a 17 X 5 inch acrylic on cardboard called:

Expression 1062. I don’t usually paint on cardboard, but lately I’ve felt like it. I rather like the rhythm in this painting. I hope you will too.

My work is often compared to other artists, so I thought this week I’d do a quick contrast and compare between myself and a few of the artists who’ve influenced me a lot.

First let’s look at Piet Mondrian. Now, I do sometimes create paintings which are very similar to Mondrian’s. The big difference between him and me however, is his paintings were designed with mathematical precision. In mine, the placement of the lines and color forms are all based on my own artistic decisions. In other words I put still where I like it. Sometimes the lines aren’t exactly straight, and sometimes the edges aren’t sharp.

Next we can look at Marc Rothko. First we have to keep in mind that Rothko wasn’t the only person to paint color forms. A lot of people did during the early abstract expressionist era. In my paintings, once again, all of the color selection and placement and the shape of the color form are strictly a matter of artistic choice. In my color form paintings, I’m seeking to create a mood. This is the biggest factor in my selection of colors.

The artist I’m most compared to is Jackson Pollock. I really dislike the term “splatter paintings” or “drip paintings” or even “action paintings”. I very much prefer to think of these as “Line paintings”, since they’re primarily constructed by building up a succession of lines. These paintings, however, don’t happen by accident. They’re all planned and executed in a deliberate manner. Neither Pollock nor I, just blindly throw paint at a canvas. The big difference between Pollock and myself is that Pollock’s paintings are vastly more complex than mine. I make a conscious effort in all my work to keep in simple, and to convey whatever message the painting has in the least amount of image as possible.

So, there you have it. However, rather than saying my work is reminiscent of previous artists, I prefer to think that there work was a premonition of me.
In art, and really in all forms of endeavor, today is built upon the accomplishments of yesterday.

It’s been six months since the earthquake in Haiti. Even though it’s faded from the news, the need is still great. Please keep in mind that Haiti has been screwed over by probably every major power in the world. Let’s not let them get hosed again. If you’ve got a few bucks to spare, how about spending them on Haiti. There’s a lot of good programs going on, my two favorites are, as always, Doctors without borders, they’ve got a link below. Also, The Clinton-Bush Haiti fund.

If you happen to be in the Brandon area, please remember that I’ve got six paintings hanging in “The Art of Hair” salon at 10963 Causeway Blvd., in Brandon. So, I hope you’ll drop by and check them out, and maybe get some great hair styling while you’re them.

Here’s a couple of sites I hope you’ll visit and support:
Doctors without Borders.
Katsel Tsi Chen Cho Kyi Ling Buddhist Meditation center.

I’m also on Twitter
Myspace and
Facebook
Look me up there if ya feel like it.

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week. See ya next time.

Rod

Here’s some links I hope you’ll remember:

For original paintings, or to inquire about a commissioned painting, just email me at info@rodzart.com

My original paintings can also be acquired through: http://www.socurio.com/myloft/rodzart Socurio.com.

For original paintings sold at auction go to:
http://www.artbyus.com/auctions.php?a=6&b=85

Original works on paper can be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

To buy prints on paper or canvas, mouse pads, mugs, refrigerator magnets, etc. check out:
http://www.artwanted.com/rodzart>
http://rodzart2.deviantart.com/gallery/>

For other cool stuff like T-shirts, clocks or travel mugs try my Cafepress site http://www.cafepress.com/rodzart

To obtain fine art prints, framed or unframed:
http://rod-schneider.artistwebsites.com
http://rod-schneider.fineartamerica.com

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 7-9-2010

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 07-09-2010.

Hi Folks. Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a good week. Jack and I did reasonably well in the studio this week, even though Monday was a rainout. The roof in my studio leaks, which makes working in the rain a bit difficult sometimes. We did complete 3 paintings for you this week which I hope you’ll find interesting.

The first new painting for this week is a 9 X 12 acrylic on watercolor paper called:

Expression 1059. This is an abstract expression similar to Expression 1052 from last week. I really like the way the blue background helps to emphasize the rhythm of the other colors.

The next new work for this week is an 8 X 10 acrylic on canvas painting called:

Composition 1060. This painting is somewhat similar to Composition 1047 from a couple of weeks ago. I really like the effects that the differing shapes and colors create, so I’m going to explore that for a little while longer.

The new painting for this week is something a little different. It’s a 14 X 18 acrylic on canvas called “summer joy!

Summer joy. What makes this work interesting, at least to me, is that it’s a finger painting. I’ve often been accused of giving art the finger, and in this case I did. I rather like the result though. Sometimes painting something happy can really improve your morale. Plus, for the art historians out there, there’s a hidden secret in this painting, and I’ll never tell.

You know, I should have something witty and profound to say here, but today I seem to be drawing a blank. So, before I end up sounding more stupid that usual, I’m going to shut up and wish everyone a great weekend. I hope you like this weeks paintings.

If you happen to be in the Brandon area, please remember that I’ve got six paintings hanging in “The Art of Hair” salon at 10963 Causeway Blvd., in Brandon. So, I hope you’ll drop by and check them out, and maybe get some great hair styling while you’re them.

Here’s a couple of sites I hope you’ll visit and support:
Doctors without Borders.
Katsel Tsi Chen Cho Kyi Ling Buddhist Meditation center.

I’m also on Twitter
Myspace and
Facebook
Look me up there if ya feel like it.

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Rod

Here’s some links I hope you’ll remember:

For original paintings, or to inquire about a commissioned painting, just email me at info@rodzart.com

For original paintings sold at auction go to:
http://www.artbyus.com/auctions.php?a=6&b=85

Original works on paper can be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

To buy prints on paper or canvas, mouse pads, mugs, refrigerator magnets, etc. check out:
http://www.artwanted.com/rodzart>
http://rodzart2.deviantart.com/gallery/>

For other cool stuff like T-shirts, clocks or travel mugs try my Cafepress site http://www.cafepress.com/rodzart

To obtain fine art prints, framed or unframed:
http://rod-schneider.artistwebsites.com
http://rod-schneider.fineartamerica.com

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 7-2-2010

What’s shakin’ at Rodzart 07-02-2010.

Hi Folks. Happy Friday! I hope everyone has had a good week. Jack and I did pretty well in the studio this week. We completed 7 paintings for you, all of which were on paper. I do have a small one on canvas going that will be finished next week. But since I’ve only got 1 big canvas left I’m being very careful what I use it for.

The first new painting for this week is a 14 X 20 acrylic on watercolor paper called:

Composition 1051. This is an abstract expression in blue, yellow, red and green. It didn’t occur to me until after I finished the painting, but it seems kind of Christmas-ish.

The next new painting for this week is a 9 X 12 acrylic on paper called:

Expression 1052. This is a really neat abstract painted on a light blue background. Sometimes this shade of background can really bring out colors. I’m planning to something similar next week with black and white on a gray background.

The next up this week is a 5 X 7 acrylic on paper called:

Expression 1054. This is another abstract expression. I like the flow on this painting quite a bit.

Then we have another 5 X 7 acrylic on paper called:

Expression 1055. This is another abstract expression.

The next three for this week are all ACEO’s.

ACEO 1056.

ACEO 1057, and

ACEO 1058.

I saw a show on Ovation TV last night about “Lowbrow Art” which got me to thinking. Usually the “Artistic establishment” (art schools, galleries etc), like to believe that they have the right to dictate what the “correct art” of the day might happen to be. Of course, by a strange coincidence, this always turns out to be the art that is most profitable for them. Well, I’m here to tell ya folks, so long as is doesn’t harm any sentient being, there is no right or wrong art.

One very important thing to remember here is that, a very large amount of the art we consider masterpieces today, were soundly rejected by the “Artistic Experts” of the day. Now, let’s also remember that for a large part of their careers, many of the artists we now consider masters, were self-representing artists. They couldn’t get the time of day from a gallery either.

Getting back to lowbrow art, even if you don’t care for the subject matter, you really have to admire the execution. There’s some positively magnificent pen and in work, and indeed some great oil painting done in the lowbrow genre.

The moral to the story here folks, is this: if you like it, buy it. Who cares what the snoots say. You’re the one who’ll be looking at it.

If you happen to be in the Brandon area, I hope you’ll remember that I’ve got six paintings hanging in “The Art of Hair” salon at 10963 Causeway Blvd., in Brandon. So, I hope you’ll drop by and check them out, and maybe get some great hair styling while you’re them.

Just a reminder, if you’d like to get this blog by email, it’s as easy as sending me an email and saying so. Right now I publish the blog on Wordpress, Blogger, Facebook, and Myspace, with slightly modified versions (I take out links to other sites), published on ArtWanted, DeviantArt, and Fine Art America.

Here’s a couple of sites I hope you’ll visit and support:
Doctors without Borders.
Katsel Tsi Chen Cho Kyi Ling Buddhist Meditation center.

I’m also on Twitter
Myspace and
Facebook Look me up there if ya feel like it.

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Rod

Here’s some links I hope you’ll remember:

For original paintings, or to inquire about a commissioned painting, just email me at info@rodzart.com

For original paintings sold at auction go to:
http://www.artbyus.com/auctions.php?a=6&b=85

Original works on paper can be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

To buy prints on paper or canvas, mouse pads, mugs, refrigerator magnets, etc. check out:
http://www.artwanted.com/rodzart>
http://rodzart2.deviantart.com/gallery/>

For other cool stuff like T-shirts, clocks or travel mugs try my Cafepress site http://www.cafepress.com/rodzart

To obtain fine art prints, framed or unframed:
http://rod-schneider.artistwebsites.com
http://rod-schneider.fineartamerica.com