jupiter--size

if Jupiter was hollow it could hold 1,000 earths...think of that, 1,000 earths

the bronx conservatory

Many people do not realize that in The Bronx is a famous conservatory. I have painted it a few times for book covers. Sometimes art actually teaches you things..I went to my first yankee's game to paint it for a book cover---I took the staten Island ferry for the first time and I went to Bronx zoo as well...

quote of the day

George Edward Woodberry - "Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure."

painting of jamaica--by gardega

This is a rare Gardega. It is rare because it is one of my only impressionistic inspired pieces and it is one of the paintings available from my teenage years as I was 17 or 18 when I painted it. I remember if I drew a picture for one of the locals I would get surrounded and get stuck drawing 20 pictures for them. It was a great trip. I remember the pineapples tasted better than anything I had ever tasted and the rum wasnt bad either.

oil on canvas 16 x 20. for purchase.

alexgardega@gmail.com

for sale--portrait of lexi

This piece was just shipped to me from Miami and is for sale. It is a framed watercolor 22x 30 ( sized is approx) Photo is a bit distorted because of glass face protecting image. This i8s one of my art nouveau inspired pieces. That I never really wanted to part with but I have less room now in NYC so she is for sale.

alexgardega@gmail.com

artist of the day---frederick church

This painting is called the Heart of the Andes by Church. It is one of my all time favorite masterpieces and when it was painted it was the talk of town and drew crowds of thousands to simply view it. This is on permanent display at The Met and is worth the trip alone just to view, it is a huge painting about 10 foot long and 5 feet high as I can remember. Church built a great house on the Hudson river called Olana (which I went to visit years.) ago.

here is some info.o nthe artist-- the rest you can google yourselves...

Frederic Edwin Church (May 4, 1826 – April 7, 1900) was an American landscape painter born in Hartford, Connecticut. He was a central figure in the Hudson River School of American landscape painters. While committed to the natural sciences, he was "always concerned with including a spiritual dimension in his works".^[1]

The wealth of Church's father allowed him to pursue his interest in art from a very early age. At eighteen years of age, Church became the pupil of Thomas Cole in Catskill, New York after Daniel Wadsworth, a family neighbor and founder of the Wadsworth Atheneum, intoduced the two. In May of 1848, Church was elected as the youngest Associate of the National Academy of Design and was promoted to Academician the following year. Soon after, he sold his first major work to Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum.

Church settled in New York where he taught his first pupil, William James Stillman. From the spring to autumn each year Church would travel, often by foot, sketching. He returned each winter to paint and to sell his work.

here is

staples street photo project

I was recently asked to take part in the Staples Street photo project a project of artists photographed on Staples Street in Tribeca. I was hoping to be able to pick the good ones and only show you those. I am lazy so you can see the bad ones and ones that I would rather not show. All in all the photographer did a good job and it was a great experience.

http://alexg.chriszedano.com/Staple_St_Alex/Staple_St_Alex_G.html#0

link to Moran

http://www.nga.gov/feature/moran/early4.shtm

here is a link about the artist thomas moran. read, know it, learn it...

thomas moran

a moran seascape..

artist of the day----thomas moran

Thomas Moran is one of my all time favorite artists. In my opinion he is one of the great colorists who ever lived. I am running late to get to brooklyn today but you should google him and learn about the great artist. He did some great watercolors as well. A big influence and his originals are not done justice by the photos.

School of Renaissance Art

I am painting a painting I am going to sell for 1,000,000 dollars in order to start the NYC school of Renaissance art. I decided If I don't change art no one else will so I need to start a school to bring back what used to be.

happy tuesday

Today I have to go to Brooklyn to attend to details on some glass deadlines. While I am away my "Great Bread" will be rising to perfection as the secret mixture of oil medium slowly dries and brings flavor and life to my creation. Picasso said that most artists are like bakers, they paint the same thing over and over and over...I was never one who could stomach churning out the same art day after day. I jump around from style to style and my medium changes daily (like my socks.) The downside of getting a name is often people want that individual thing out of you and you get stuck painting for your audience which is akin to painting checks. I decided if I write something for now on I will add a random image of my work to accompany it to liven things up a bit....

study of Velásquez...

iris on gold.

I found this today. It was something I made two years ago. It was a test for a mural project I was planning---thought someone bought this and not sure why I have it. If you purchased it let me know. Otherwise--- it is for sale...

letter to my agent...

I once was asked by a children's book agent to draw him a bunny as a kind of art test. I don't really draw happy furry bunnies so I sent this drawing along with the poem you will find below..

You asked that I draw you a bunny

And a bunny, my friend, you did get

When I started it was pleasant and sunny

But soon it was cloudy and wet

I waited in vain for the sunshine

But the gold eye of heaven showed not!

What kind of agent would be mine?

When my bunny is wet as a sot?

I tried and I dried all the wet fur

So my bunny was fluffy and new

But nothing quite seemed to work, sir

So what was an artist to do?

I went straight down to Laundromat Lane

Where I knew there a drier or three

And I fluffed up my bunny, hurray

And drew him once more for thee…

Dreadlines

I have, over the years, developed great techniques for avoiding working on deadlines until the gun is in my face and I have no choice. Here are some of my favorite things I do to avoid "dreadlines."

1) Clean. I hate cleaning but I will clean my apt. from top to bottom to avoid sitting at my art table to face a dreaded deadline. I will scrub my entire kitchen and fridge to hide from the art table.

2) "Work" on something else. There is no better time to work on a pet project or to fiddle about on an idea of yours than when you are avoiding "real work."

3) Pace. I like to pace a lot and think as I pace and then pace some more.

4) Drink. I used to drink like a real artist and was fond of many a pub but now I do not leave my apt. except to work on glass art or jog.

5) Surf the internet. I often spend hours reading about DNA, Geometry and Art history. I am also I learned conspiracy theorist (of no small repute.)

6) Talk to friends. I have no friends as they are all married in the suburbs and are victims of government/ wife sponsored suburban mind control projects---very dark stuff. Their wives are programmed to shoo away all outdoor alley cats such as my freedom loving self.

7) TV. I no longer own a TV, I gave it away to my parents. Now I stare mindlessly at a cardboard box as it gives me the same neural stimulation I once received from my TV.

8) blarg. I hate word blog and I avoid like leprosy. I like to work on my website as I feel guilty if I do not keep it interesting for my humble readers with updates of splendid pet photos and other such non-such stuff such and things, etc ad nauseum and so on and...


... I have to get back to painting two bronx book covers...

the great bread

This is the under- painting of "The Great Bread." The problem with painting timeless imagery is that it gets compared with the best through the ages. That is why it is easier for artists to wrap bricks in tinfoil and call it modern as there is no reference point to compare it to.

words of theday--walt whitman

an old friend sent me this via email...

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,

Healthy, free, the world before me,

The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,

Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,

Strong and content, I travel the open road.

I inhale great draught of space,

The east and west are mine, and the north and south are mine.

I am larger, better than I thought,

I did not know I held so much goodness.

Walt Whitman


that walt whitman was not only a great poet but he built a great shopping mall...

the great bread

Here is a bad photo of a loaf of bread I am painting. It has been years since I painted some of the basics. Bread is as timeless as painting as a motif. I plan to make this into a damn good piece of art and not be lazy. The structure is not bad, if you do not have structure you have a bad home that you shouldnt waste your wallpaper on. it is nice to have the oils flowing again and work on canvas as well.

"no more miracles, loaves and fishes, been so busy with the washing of the dishes...p.g

Courbet!

I walked in the rain this morning to The Met to see The Courbet exhibit (again.) There were fuzzy tourists already on line so I was not the first in but I was the first into the exhibit. The guards like to tell me you are the first one today---I guess they get bored standing around. Today was more powerful for me than my first visit. Courbet was a force of nature. His ocean paintings really got a hold on me. It struck me that one of the ocean paintings was Cezannes favorite and that I was staring at paintings that many a great artist stood in front of. I never thought of paintings like that before, think of all the great artists and minds that stood before the Mona Lisa. I want to paint waves and oceans now that I live in the city.