ARTIST RUTH BROPHY'S AUSTRIA IN CALIFORNIA BLOG

Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight

2009-10-15T20:34:00.001-07:00

I just saw a documentary film about this great artist and designer on the Sundance channel. For many years he has been a driving force in the world of design. He has changed how we see the world around us and how artists interpret it. The film shows his intelligence, gentleness and humanity but most of all his incredible creativity. He is also a dedicated teacher.

Some years ago I was fortunate to attend a week long workshop with Milton at the School of Visual Art in NYC. The workshop was similar to a boot camp. We attended class during the day and received our assignments at the end of class. We were expected to bring in finished work the next morning. We didn't sleep much! At the end of the week we were treated to a 12 course dinner in Chinatown. An unforgettable week.

I still have a signed poster.

GOOD VIBES

2009-09-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

Art business News included my work and a bio in a story on emerging artists.

An artist's life is usually filled with disappointments and rejection, so a bit of positive feedback is so wonderful and encouraging.

Here is the link to the article:

http://artbusinessnews.com/2009/04/27/emerging-artists-34/

OPEN STUDIO TIME!

2009-09-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

The Lamorinda Artists Alliance 2009 Open Studios, a self-guided tour of art studios in Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda, is scheduled for Oct. 16-17, 11 am to 4 pm. Art fans have an opportunity to revel in the finest of Lamorinda’s fine arts as three dozen of the community’s best sculptors, painters, jewelers, glassmakers, photographers and ceramicists display and sell their work at 16 sites. Here are a few highlights.

A map showing all 16 LAA Open Studios locations is available at the Moraga Gallery, the Lafayette Gallery, or at www.openstudiolaa.info.

Gayle Muehring and I will be showing at her house at 147 Rudgear Drive in Walnut Creek, CA 94596.

NEW!!

2009-07-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

Free art

Choose one of my images, from either of my sites and I will send you a large format PDF, ready for printing.

Just send me an email and indicate which of my paintings or prints you would like to reproduce.

A proviso: These images are for personal use only. No large format files may be available for selected

Here are the addresses of my sites:

http://www.veryfineart.com/

and

my Mac site

Christopher Brown

2009-07-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

Click on the title and view a wonderful interview with one of the foremost painters in the San Francisco Bay area. Enjoy!!!

DOWN SIZING

2009-07-15T12:56:00.000-07:00

This week, thanks to my friend Tesia Blackburn, I attended a 3 hour workshop by Sonya Paz, the successful Bay Area artist. She has a beautiful shop/atelier in the charming town of Campbell.

Take a look at Sonya's space and her colorful art.

Among many thoughts I took away from her talk is a renewed determination to make small, very affordable art. Here is an original painting, 5x5" in a 10x12 mat.

I hope to make a series of them, in time for this fall's Lamorinda Open Studios and art walk. I had planned to participate in an art fair but that will have to wait until next year.

AGNES MARTIN SPEAKS ABOUT HER PAINTING

2009-07-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Click on the heading to watch this video on UTube; much to learn here about the artistic process.

She is such a purist!

Hockney's Drawing in a printing machine

2009-06-08T16:58:00.000-07:00

Here are two of his images, created on a computer and printed on an inkjet printer.

Art on the iPhone

2009-06-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

After reading that David Hockney (my hero!) is creating pictures on his iPhone, I naturally had to try it, too. On the right is a photo of one of his creations.

His iPhone even has its own little easel!!

He has also 'painted' many images on his computer and is exhibiting them at a London venue. The show is entitled 'Drawing in a printing machine'. I wish I could see it. He is always open-minded and innovative:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1175521/iHockney-Artist-David-uses-Apple-phone-paint-mini-masterpieces.html

Above left is my first attempt to paint on the iPhone. I have to remember that less is more!!!

Always learning from the master . .

What, water color?

2009-06-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

Unbelievable, how time flies. My last post was in March!

What did I do during all those weeks?

I created 35 different images on 8x8" boards; most of them are color inkjet on canvas and then mounted on boards and often hand embellished.

See http://www.veryfineart.com/square1.html

They are very affordable, only $48.

This last week I've been returning to watercolor. It's been at least 15 years since I worked in this medium and I am completely out of practice. And of course my expectations and point of view has changed. I'm not interested in traditional watercolor techniques and would like the paintings to reflect my unique style. Not easy!

Here is the pitiful result:

I hope to get better, with practice. If so, I will post the images here.

On top, just for fun, is a digital image. Photoshop is a blast!

Another great Warhol quote

2009-03-28T21:25:00.000-07:00

'I am a deeply superficial person.'

Read "The philosophy of Andy Warhol". Funny, outrageous and insightful.

Today's quote

2009-03-28T21:09:00.000-07:00

An artist is someone who produces things that people don't need to have but that (s)he-for some reason-thinks it would be a good idea to give them. Andy Warhol

8x8" PRINTS - MOUNTED ON BOARD, ONLY $48 EACH!

2009-03-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

Now all of my work is super-affordable! I have made prints of many of my paintings, monotypes and watercolors and mounted them on 3/4" thick cradled board which requires no framing. They feature a cradled birch wood frame mounted flush to the panel. All are 8x8" and are protected with a coat of UV protective varnish. Many are hand embellished; all are ready to hang.

Here you can see 6 samples. Many more images are available. Just ask!!

I hope to sell them from my website as soon as I can set up a shopping cart. In the mean time, just email me at rubro@earthlink.net. Remember, only $48!

(plus tax and shipping, if applicable)

the shrinking canvas

2009-03-16T08:37:00.000-07:00

Wow! March is half way over, the SF show is down and I'm nearly over my post-exhibit slump.

I'm still working but on much, much smaller canvasses. In a way, this is much harder to do. When one works on a big canvas, all the large muscles come into play. The whole body gets into the act, not just the hand.

PICTURES FROM AN EXHIBITION

2009-02-07T06:58:00.000-08:00

Here are a few images from last Thursday's opening party at the Canessa gallery in San Francisco. More later, but it seems everyone had a splendid time. The art looked good, too!

The Hanging Judge, and more

2009-02-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we shlepped our paintings to the gallery. It was judgment day. Tesia Blackburn, our appointed curator, did a fab job of deciding on placement and choices, all within an hour and a half.

I think everyone felt that their work was well placed. Our helpers, sons, friends, mates, climbed ladders, wielded hammers and gave moral support. Here's a pic of the group with the judge (in black, natch) and prior to hanging.

I videoed some of it and after some editing will post it.

So everything was cool until Monday when one of my pieces fell off a brick wall. And one of the artists had a health scare and may face surgery.

Opening party tomorrow!

Double bubble, toil and trouble

2009-01-15T21:37:00.000-08:00

Fire burn and cauldron bubble . .

THAT"S OUR SHOW!

It's nearly curtain time - the show will go up in about 2 weeks and there is trouble afoot:

The three principals are not speaking to one another; There are disagreements about what and how to hang the art.

Misunderstandings abound; feelings are hurt; people feel put upon and personalities clash.

The gallery owner is having temperamental outburst of epic proportions about the most trivial events.

Nothing out of the ordinary, it seems . . it's all part of the art biz.

In fact, another art show is about to open. One hopes!

Keep your fingers crossed (Or, as they say in Austria: Hold your thumbs! It's FAR more effective)

More news soon . .

Making murals

2008-12-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

It's been a few years since I last was in Vienna. But lately I keep remembering a brief visit to Schoenbrunn, the summer palace of the Habsburgs in Vienna.

Specifically a walk through a few small rooms whose walls were decorated in the most wondrous way.

They were painted in the 18th century by J W Bergl, an artist from Bohemia.

Here are a few pictures - but words nor pictures can describe the full impact of being in a room which has lush images from floor to ceiling, not one inch left without an image. What opulence and luxury, and yet one could imagine the royal children playing in those rooms.

I can't find a picture of my favorite room which had a jungle theme and was densely painted.

Most of these images are from The Muralist, a beautiful and informative website created by San Francisco muralist Lynne Rutter.

I've never made a real mural but how great it would be to have an entire room as a canvas!!!!

My War

2008-12-21T16:23:00.000-08:00

I've created a video from some paintings and drawings about my experience as a child in Austria during the Second World War; also available as a hard cover book and a DVD:

Society of Three

2008-12-21T15:48:00.000-08:00

The show in February, scheduled to open at The Canessa Gallery in San Francisco, is coming ever nearer. Most of the art has been created by the artists and curated by our coach, Tesia Blackburn. We, the 3 participants in the show, are known as 'Society of Three'.

All of us are abstract or semi-abstract painters. The title of the show is 'Line/Color/Shape. We have a logo, email and print announcements, news releases and flyers, a website, small posters, booklets of our work (for sale) and a street sign. We have done all we could think of to generate interest in the media. Now we will be concentrating on hanging the show. And of course the Vernissage/Opening on February 5, 2009.

Here is a picture of 'Society of Three': Gayle Muehring, Diane Goldstein and me.

I love my iPhone!

2008-09-01T17:39:00.001-07:00

I've had it for a year now and it's my constant companion - like carrying a little computer at all times. News, email, maps and a phone, too. It takes great pictures of my work and anything else that happens . .

What an elegant, ingenious invention.

It seems only yesterday that I struggled with my provider, Winternet, to establish an account for email. They were not user friendly, everything had to be done in code. took me 2 days. Hardly anyone had heard of the World Wide Web. My friend Carolyn and I felt like pioneers - we kept in touch through email but didn't know anyone else who was online, except some kids.

Oh, if only other parts of our lives were that innovative. Like transportation, for instance.

I'm looking forward to doing a combination of computer prints and monoprints this fall. Another way to use technology.

Stephen Fry

2008-08-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

Stephen Fry, the renaissance man (Author, actor, wildlife crusader and so much more) wrote a comment on my other blog! I feel deeply honored and terribly pleased. Thank you, Stephen!

Check out his comments

See his website

marching to Canessa

2008-08-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

Canessa is the name of the gallery in San Francisco where I will be having a show next February. I have been working to produce paintings and am also doing some of the PR for the show. Above is a preliminary copy of the press release.

Click on the image to read it.

http://www.veryfineart/canessa

An inspiration

2008-07-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

I love this pot. It is Czech, of course. I tried to buy it on eBay, but I was outbid.

update on art marketing program (The Practicum)

2008-07-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

My resume is done, and so is my statement (or nearly). Still have revisions on my bio. Tesia, my coach has spent hours vetting these documents.

I have yet to do a budget and art pricing.

I've defined my target audience, as best as I can determine right now.

I'm working on an announcement for our three person show in February, at the CANESSA gallery in San Francisco. The gallery is right near the 'pyramid', in North Beach.

The group ( Gayle M., Diane G. and I) and Tesia are meeting every Thursday, either online or in her studio.

In addition, we three participants in the program are also meeting to discuss division of labor and other issues dealing with the show. PR is going to be a HUGE effort.

I've started a couple of new paintings and am struggling with an existing, sort of figurative, one.

I like to work on more than one at a time. It's freeing.

And on Monday I'm helping Diane with Photoshop, meet with her and Gayle and go to printmaking at 5PM, where I'm going to make a couple of monotypes without using black, red or flesh tones.