Hi Folks. I hope everyone has had a good week.

We had a pretty good week in the studio. One painting finished, a couple more almost done, and one started. The weather was absolutely beautiful in Valrico this week. I think I only even turned the fan on once. Not too bad at all.

The painting I’ve finished this week was Composition 962:

The thought behind this painting was simply that, every object in the universe can be depicted using a handful of basic shapes, square, rectangle, cone, cylinder, cube, whatever. So I thought it might be interesting to see what kind of compositions I can make out of these shapes. I had a suggestion that maybe I should repeat this image on a black canvas, which would be interesting, and possible one as a grisalle, which I think might be kinda cool.

It hadn’t occurred to me at the time that I was moving into suprematism, but in fact I guess I have. I did a quick check on Kazimir Malevich just to be sure that I’m not inadvertently plagiarizing anything, and so far I don’t think I am. But, from what I’ve seen so far, Suprematism is an interesting movement so I’m going to have a much longer look at it. To be honest, other than Kandinsky, I haven’t studied too many Russian artists.

I do look at a lot of artistic movements and genres, I take what I like and leave the rest. So I guess what I come up with in the end is my own unique way of looking at existence. I guess we’ll call it Rodzism. I hope, that when people look at my art they do the same thing…take what you like and leave the rest. If you don’t like any of it, well that’s OK too, the world will keep turning.

Don’t forget that I’m on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, so
if anybody wants to Friend or follow me on any of those sites, feel free,
everyone is welcome.

That’s about it for this week folks, maybe next week I’ll give you my chili recipe,
or maybe not.

Here’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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 also be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

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

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

I’m also on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Rodzart,
Myspace http://myspace.com/rodzart and
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rodzart

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod

Hi Folks. I hope everyone has had a good week.

Well, I’m glad to say that summer has finally loosened it’s grip on us, and the
temperatures have moderated significantly. We had a really pleasant week in the
studio, and I’m actually able to write this while sitting on the back deck today.

I’ve finished two paintings over the past week or so,he first one is Expression 960:

This painting is another expression of fall colors. I really miss fall up north
so I guess that’s why I’ve used those colors so much recently.

The other is a Christmas 2009:

This painting was done as the the cover to our Christmas cards this year; yes
I still call it Christmas; and since I’ve gotten a very good response from
everyone who’s seen it so far, I’ve decided to make it available on my print on
demand sites. So, if you want to use it for greeting cards, or maybe get a small
print, just log into one of my sites and go for it.

Now, if anyone is offended by my use of the word Christmas, that’s just too bad.
I’m not a Christian [Buddhist], but I still think that Christmas is a cool time
of the year, and despite the corporations best efforts, people still seem to be
nicer to each other this time of year. What could be wrong with that?

I’ve got a couple of new projects beginning to shape, one involves basic shapes,
and the other letters of the alphabet. I can’t say too much about them right
now since they’re still coming together, but hopefully I’ll have a painting or
two to show you in the next couple of weeks.

I hope by now that everyone knows that I’m on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace, so
if anybody wants to Friend or follow me on any of those sites, feel free,
everyone is welcome.

That’s about it for this week folks, maybe next week I’ll give you my chili recipe,
or maybe not.

Here’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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 also be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

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

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

I’m also on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Rodzart,
Myspace http://myspace.com/rodzart and
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rodzart

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod

Hi Folks. I hope everyone has had a good week.

Well, happy-happy joy-joy I actually did get two paintings finished last week, with
one more still drying. The first one is Composition 958:

This painting actually started out to be the image for our Christmas cards, but it
sorta went astray.
The other is a threesome:

which should be obvious when you look at it.

I want to add a farewell to Soupy Sales, who left us this week. Most of you probably have
no idea who he was, or who “Whitefang” and “Blacktooth” are, and that’s too bad.
I remember “Breakfast with Soupy” many mornings before school. The world will be lesser
for the lack of the Soupy Shuffle.

Last week I said I’d talk a little about how I compose a painting, so here we go.

Most of the time my paintings are planned in advance. A good example of that would be
“Expression 923”
which I did last summer. First I decided that this would be a horizontally oriented
(Landscape) painting on a rectangular canvas. The next choice was very easy since
the only rectangular canvas I had was 16 X 20. These days incidentally, I’m trying
to go to 18 X 24 when I can.

OK, now that I’ve got a canvas, what background tone do I want. In this case I chose to
go with a gray canvas, as opposed to say a black or a white canvas, since I wanted
to have some contrast with the colors I used in the painting.

The painting I had in mind was what I call a line painting, since its made by building up a
pattern of lines of paint. You can call it drip, dribble, splat to whatever.
From that point the application of the paint was simply a matter of applying the colors
I’d planned on in the correct sequence in order to get the effect I wanted.

Of course, not every painting goes as planned. That’s when you have to make the choice of
going with the painting, or tossing it out and starting over. Personally I do both on a
pretty regular basis.

So, that’s how it’s done. It’s not exactly rocket science, but it’s not as easy
as it sounds either.

That’s about it for this week folks, maybe next week I’ll give you my chili recipe,
or maybe not.

He ’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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 also be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

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

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

I’m also on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/Rodzart,
Myspace http://myspace.com/rodzart and
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rodzart

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod

Hi Folks. I hope everyone has had a good week.

Well, I’m afraid those two paintings I was talking about last week won’t be getting posted
to the net after all. After finishing them and considering them for a while, I decided that
they need to go on the dud stack. This really does happen fairly regularly to most artists.
A painting can look great on the easel, but when you look at it later it just ain’t makin’ it.
Probably a third of my work doesn’t make the cut this way. But, ya never know till ya try it.
In the case of the two paintings in question, I still like the concept, but I really need
to rethink the execution. So, I’ll strip the canvas off the stretchers, put some new canvas
on, prime it, and I’ll give them both another try. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Last week I said I’d pontificate some more on non-representational art, so here we go.

First, art is for everyone. There is no “right art” or “wrong art”. No one is qualified
to decide what art should be seen by others.

Second, if it’s art to you, then it’s art. It may not necessarily be seen as art by everyone
else, but that doesn’t matter. If you want to see something as art, then it’s art.
No one is qualified to decide what art is to you. That’s totally your choice.

Third, all choices in art eventually come down to a like-don’t like choice. If you like it
support it, if you don’t like it, then ignore it. No one is qualified to suppress art.

Fourth, and this is a biggie, never, never, should any sentient being be harmed in the
name of art. Now, this is a universal rule that applies not just to art but to life in general.
It is always wrong to wantonly harm sentient life. There can be no excuse for cruelty.

Ok, now that I’ve got that settled, on to non-representational art. I went through the
four points above though, because they often do apply to non-representational art.

Before I go any further though, please remember that I speak only for myself.

So whats the point of art in the first place? To me, the purpose of art is to evoke some
sort of response in the viewer. That response can be anything from euphoria to
projectile vomiting, but if there’s no response from the viewer, then the art in question
has not been particularly successful. Now everyone will not respond to the same piece of art
in the same way. Everybody’s different. That’s what makes this form of art so interesting.

In non-representational art we use shapes and colors to evoke a response, rather than
images of things. Certain shapes and colors create different feelings, and for every person
those feelings will be different. Personally, most of the time I like to make people feel good,
so that’s affects my choice of colors or shapes. Most of the time my paintings are composed
in advance, with a series of sketches to help define what it is I want to show, and how I can
combine shapes and colors to accomplish that. Sometimes however, I just paint what I
feel at the time.

That’s it for now. Next week I’ll talk about how I compose a painting, and how I choose what
shapes and colors I’ll use, do achieve a desired effect.

He ’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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 also be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

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

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

I’m also on Twitter http://twitter.com/Rodzart,
Myspace http://myspace.com/rodzart and
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rodzart

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod

Hi Folks. I hope everyone has had a good week.

Sorry about missing the blog last week. I had a bunch of medical related stuff, so there
really wasn’t much to talk about.

Now for this week. I did finish three paintings this week. Two are still drying so I’ll get
them photographed and posted for you next week. The other is Expression 957

It’s been so hot this past week than the paint, both acrylic and oil are really taking a long time to dry.

On a happy note, Fella’s Mom came home from the hospital last Tuesday, and they were reunited.
We’ll miss the little guy in the studio, but he’s got a bigger responsibility right now.

Every one in a while I like to visit my philosophy on art in general, since it does have an influence in my work.
I feel, personally, that there is no good or bad art, there is simply art you like, or art you don’t like. For the art you like, support it. For the art you don’t like, ignore it.
No one is “qualified” to force their opinions on other people, I don’t care how many degrees they have.

There’s a lot of work out there which; I may not care for the subject matter; but I can find something to admire in the execution.
A good example might be what’s called lowbrow art. While, sometimes I may not care for the subject matter, I can admire the magnificent pen and ink work. Life’s just too short to let some snooty ahhhteest tell you whats good or bad. Decide for yourself.

Fortunately, the “information age” has given us all access to art that we would never have had before.
We’re not totally dependent on galleries and museums to decide what we should see anymore.
People have direct access to thousands of self-representing artists who would otherwise be ignored by the “art establishment”. So, if you’re looking for art, try some of the sites I list on this blog. Sure, I want you to buy my work, but if you don’t see anything of mine that you like, look around the sites a little. There’s a lot of really good art out there to be had.

While we’re on the subject though, starving dogs is NOT ART, cutting cows in half is NOT ART; that is simply sadism. Wantonly harming any sentient being is wrong; trying to call it art is an insult to all Artists and just plain wrong.

Looks like I’ve gotten my two-cents in for this week, next week I’ll pontificate more on non-representational art.

He ’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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 also be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

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

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

I’m also on Twitter http://twitter.com/Rodzart,
Myspace http://myspace.com/rodzart and
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/rodzart

I hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod

Hi folks. I hope everyone has had a good week.

I’m sorry to say it, but I didn’t finish any paintings this week. I started painting my last canvas and that always makes me slow down. I’m stretching some more canvas though, so I’ll be back on track next week. I’ll have more on canvas stretching later.

When I start to run out of canvas to paint on, the first thing I do is to go to my “dud stack”; of paintings that didn’t come out as I’d have liked; and I strip the canvas off the stretchers, and stretch new canvas on them. Once I get the canvas on the stretchers, I prime it with three coats of white gesso, and then two coats of white acrylic paint.

The purpose of the gesso is to form a barrier between paint and the canvas. I add the two coats of acrylic to create sort of a flexible plastic layer to paint on. So even if the canvas itself rots away, the image will still be sitting on its blanket of white acrylic. With any luck at all, that will allow the entire image to be remounted at some point in the future. At this point, I can tone the canvas in any way I choose, simply by covering it with another coat of acrylic in whatever color I choose. Anyone who follows my work should know of my penchant for working on a toned canvas.

I have to admit, there is something really cool about stretching a canvas. I approach every canvas as a potential masterpiece. You just never know what the future holds. Every canvas that I paint has the potential to exist and be viewed hundreds of years from now. That’s really kind of neat to contemplate.

Every now and then I like to remind everyone that I do in fact accept commissions. However I do ask that you have a look at my recent work so that you understand what sort of painting you’ll get. If that doesn’t scare you off, then just drop me an email to info@rodzart.com and we’ll see what we can work out.

Shout out to Paul Reubens..Welcome back Pee Wee! We missed you!

Here’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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 also be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

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

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

I’m also on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook as Rodzart.

Hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod

Hi folks. I hope everyone has had a good week. It’s been a pretty interesting week here at Rodzart.

First off, we have a new member of the Rodzart team, Fella. .
Fella’s going to be living with us while his Mom is in the hospital recovering from an illness. He’ll be helping Jack with the security chores. It’s going to be interesting for Fred, but at least Fred can climb walls.
Speaking of reptiles, we also have a new blacksnake which has taken up residence near the Rodzart studio. Fortunately it hasn’t bothered us, so I guess we’ll live and let live for a while.

I don’t know if anyone knows this, but you can get jigsaw puzzles of most of my paintings from either ArtWanted or DeviantArt. (Links to both of them are below).
I ordered one just to see what they looked like, and sure as shootin’ its a print that’s been mounted on a puzzle. So if you love puzzles, or you need Christmas ideas, this might be a thought for you.

This week I’d like to talk a little about non-representational art, and where I feel it fits into art in general, and how to view it. Abstract Expressionism is essentially non-representational art, in that it doesn’t start with a recognizable object which is then reduced to abstraction. With most abstract painting, you can see the object which was abstracted.

Since I’m painting thoughts, or feelings or rhythms, there is no “thing” or place at the center of my paintings. Now this I guess is the thing that hangs people up, since when most people look at a painting they immediately want to know; “What is it?”.

When you’re looking at my paintings, or any other non-representational work, push that “What is it” question right out of your mind. Just look at the painting. See the way the colors relate to each other, look for the rhythms of the paint, the way it was applied. Hows that make you feel? Can you see movement? Does your mind project images onto the painting? Every painting has something different to say to every viewer, and, you may well see something different every time that you look at the painting. Personally I think that’s kinda cool.

Sadly, the art world has no shortage of snooty people who like to look down their nose at everything, and tell other people what they should like or not like. The salon mentality has cost the world a lot of great art.
Don’t let others decide what art you should see, or even what is art and what isn’t. Make your own choices. If you like it, buy it, if you don’t like it, don’t buy it. It really is just that simple folks.

Remember, real art should touch your heart, not match your sofa.

OK that’s enough pontificating for one week. It’s Saturday, go do something fun.

Here’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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 also be purchased at:
http://rodzart.etsy.com

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

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

I’m also on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook as Rodzart.

Hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod

Hi folks. I hope everyone has had a good week. It sure seems to have gone by quickly.

I finished one new painting this week, Expression 951, a black, white and blue painting on a gray 18 X 24 canvas; I also did a couple of 5 X 7’s and some ACEO’s which will be showing up on ETSY pretty soon.

I’m going to take a little time here to explain the process I used to create “Expression 951”. Again, there’s no title because I want you to decide what you see, rather than have to see only what I tell you is there.

Expression 951 started as a thought. I like the way that black, white and blue work together, particularly on a gray background. That’s why I started with a gray toned canvas. Also, black plus white makes gray, which establishes a color harmony on the painting. Next I decided that I wanted to give the black and white elements contrasting motion, that’s why black goes fore-aft and white goes port-starboard. I used the blue element as an accent, to highlight what the black and white were doing.

The application of the paint itself took place over several days. I started with a black passage, and then a few hours later, after observing the canvas was telling me, I added a white passage, to compliment what had gone before.
I continued this process over the course of a week and a half. Some paintings take longer, some less. I added the blue passage on top of the last white application, and then added the last black passage over the blue. This served to tuck the blue into painting, rather than simply have it lying on top.

When I start to feel that a painting is finished I set it aside for a few days. When I come back to it, if it still seems finished, I’ll sign in, write some identifying stuff on the back of the canvas, photograph it, and voila it appears on the net.

So, there you have it, that’s pretty much how “Expression 951” came to be.

Here’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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/

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

I’m also on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook as Rodzart.

Hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod

Hi folks. I hope everyone has had a good week.

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last blog, for which I apologize, seems like some weeks I just can’t think of too much to say.
To be honest, I’ve never liked talking about myself that much, and I guess that somewhat hampers my abilities of self-promotion.

I have finished some new paintings, Expression 945, a predominately black painting; ; Expression 947, which is a really nice painting, particularly if you like blue. I think this one would look nice behind a sofa; ;
Expression 949 is an expression of earth tones; ; and lastly Vert, a green on green; .

Let me just mention again, most of the time I don’t put a descriptive title on my paintings. In non-representational art, (art that is not a picture of something), what the painting is, or what it means is decided by each individual viewer. What I see in a painting, and what you see can be quite different. When I’m painting, I’m working toward a rhythm and harmony in color and application, not really am image. I don’t just throw paint at a canvas and see what happens. Non-representational art is not for everyone, I’m afraid some people will never be able to just look at a painting long enough to let the painting take them where it will. No biggie to me, just to don’t condemn it because you don’t like it, or can’t understand the concept.

I’ve got three paintings in progress this week and I hope to have them finished and photographed by the end of next week.

I sold Expression 554 last week to a collector in Australia. That means I have a painting hanging on every continent except Asia and Antarctica. Not to shabby.

Here’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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/

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

I’m also on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook as Rodzart.

Hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod

Hi folks. I hope everyone has had a good week.

I got a few paintings finished this week; In the moonlight, and Expression 939; .
Composition 937 is finished but has to dry a few more days before I can photograph it, so you won’t see that one until next week.

I’m hoping to do some more ACEO’s in the next day or so, so be sure to check ETSY http://rodzart.etsy.com to see them. Doing an original painting in such a small format is rather challenging, but I’m enjoying it.

Just a quick mention here that I am in the market for Gallery representation, preferably in the US, Japan or Europe, but I won’t rule anywhere out.
So, for any gallery Owners/Curators out there, have a look at my stuff, just follow any of the links below, and if you see anything you like; let’s talk. Otherwise, thanks for your time.

Here’s some links to remember:

For original paintings, 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/

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

I’m also on Twitter, Myspace and Facebook as Rodzart.

Hope everyone has a peaceful and prosperous week.

Thanks!!

Rod