daily sketchpad

quote of the day

To believe in something, and not to live it, is dishonest.----gandhi

today I awoke and it occurred to me that it is good to be alex and by that I mean this------ As a researcher one can learn much about names and the name alexander is a defender of mankind. This sounds like a lot of work so I prefer defender of art against the debased currency of modernism and abstraction. Alex draws so you dont have to. Each day is a chance to get better and start a new "line" in the sketchpad of your life. Sometimes you will make nothing worth anything and will retire into the night in misery and other days you will make art that is worthy of the great refrigerator in the sky.

perception

Here is an interesting bit....Golfers were asked to estimate the size of the black holes sprinted on the white paper. It turns out that the better golfers see the holes as larger than they are and the weaker golfers see them as smaller..perception and outlook is everything in the game of art and life...I wonder what it means if you see squares?

my friend is friends with this animator

doodle of the day

Here is my sketchbook doodle of the day..another drawing that came from the back of my brain without any real rhyme or reason...

quote of the day

condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance---Einstein

I found this photo on this side of the net highway. Is it a buddha? Is it art?

composition lesson--gardega method

Here is a composition lesson I learned by studying Goya.
I chose a still from Apocalypse Now as a reference. To create a picture with a nice composition I suggest the following...First choose or pick a horizon line (shown here by H)...next draw a diagonal from top right to bottom left D1. (or vice versa) Where H intersects D1 you will find a perfect point of interest in your picture. Next draw a diagonal (d2) from top left to intersect D1 and H...

maxfield parrish

my new obsession is the glazing technique of maxfield parrish.


I will trade a painting to anyone who sends me this book..

http://www.amazon.com/Maxfield-Parrish-Landscapes-Alma-Gilbert/dp/0898155878/ref=pd_sim_b_6

I took a subway today and then I started to think about some drawings I wanted to make and when I looked up I was in brooklyn not Manhattan and had gone six stops past my stop... if you are a very right-brained person you spend a lot of time cleaning up the mess with your left brain.

update

My client approved my rough design for skylite...there are six of the triangles above that form the skylite...I am very into this project because I am a big fan of art deco. I will sell (or trade) the original final sketch...I am still waiting for glass for my 90 foot birch wall...that job is the source of much waiting and anxiety for me. I am also sketching out my Staten Island book cover as well..a lot of deadlines creeping around like ants at a picnic.

4 minute sketch

I have to make a glass carving of an orchid for a client. I figured it was best to go look at a real orchid in a flower shop..they really did want me in there sketching so I had to jot down as much info as I could in a few minutes. There is nothing like seeing a real thing as opposed to a photo...

question of the day--answered

Now I will probably undo my knowledgeable question with a stupid one. I noticed at that many works of art were not protected by a glass covering over the panting. Wouldn't a valuable classic work of art be preserved longer by protective glass?


Good luck with the new NYC studio and I hope to see your works soon at the Met,

Don

Answer:
Generally drawings and other works on paper or cardboard are covered in glass. Paintings on canvas or wood are generally not. Paintings like the Mona Lisa are now covered in glass because it is actually better and safer to be covered in glass that can cut UV rays. etc etc...all light can damage paint and fluorescent light gives off harmful radiation. just like it is better to wear sunscreen it is better to cover art in glass...

sketchbook age 7

drawing age 7

I found an old sketchbook from my childhood. My sketchbooks havent changed at all--- one page would have a ridiculous, crude, cartoon and then the next page I would strive for the timeless and classical nature study. As a child I never saw anything in separate compartments, It was all one, all good. As adults we tend to put things in boxes which is, incidentally, more a symptom of the western mind than the eastern mind. It is okay to draw in seven different styles and to explore all sides of art, it just makes it harder for galleries that want you to bake only one kind of bread..

1978 spelling test

As a child I excelled in spelling and english and science but I could never understand math. My math skills were and are very weak (except for geometry.) I still use my fingers to add 8 and 5, the math side of my brain is a car with flat tires. My brain is so right-heavy that I am surprised I can walk without my head leaning to one side.

daily sketchbook page

Here is yesterday's sketchbook page...just a bunch of meandering thoughts and lines. For some reason I drew a portrait of Ray Kelly the police commissioner in the upper left. If you dont draw everyday you get rusty like an old swing and risk putting the children of your talent and genius at risk. I have been so busy I have neglected my pencil more than I like.

Staten Island

It is that time again, folks. Time for Alex to paint a another yellow page bookcover..this time it is Staten Island I will paint like a saint without taint. One must find inspiration in anything one paints so it is not dead on arrival like a mafia victim. One must dig deep inside and seek out a spark to keep oneself inspired and "in the paint." Staten Island paintings are a challenge for me and I will hop on the ferry this week searching for the ghost of a muse that blows through her salty air..etc etc

answer to photo quiz

the photo was of George Orwell---an artist who is as relevant as ever. There is still time to bid on pieces on ebay..I will drop off my skylite sketches today to client.

deco glass skylite design by gardega

I have been commissioned to design a skylite for an upscale event space in NYC. Here is a rough sketch of my art deco inspired panel. There are six of these panels total. My inspiration came from the Chrysler building elevators. I fabricated the glass panels for the chrysler building elevators about five years ago and the job stuck in my mind ever since because it was "mind numbingly" complex. I dont think I ever fully recovered from that job stress. This job will be a pleasure compared to etching 1000 numbers...

YOU CAN SEE MY ELEVATOR PANELS ON MY NEW WEBSITE WWW.GARDEGA.COM

photo of the day

great photo--cant say I am comforted by the scooter- police.