watercolor of the day--Athena

Here is a bad photo ( colors dont show) of a watercolor I finished today. It is a painting of Athena. It is 22 x 30 on Fabriano paper. Athena is the goddess of wisdom.
ne will work. It is pencil and watercolor on 22 x 30 Arches paper.

soon

words of the day

It's not how fast you can go
The force goes into the flow
If you pick up the beat
You can forget about the heat
More than just survival
More than just a flash
More than just a dotted line
More than just a dash

It's a test of ultimate will
The heartbreak climb uphill
Got to pick up the pace
If you want to stay in the race
More than blind ambition
More than simple greed
More than a finish line
Must feed this burning need
In the long run...


From first to last
The peak is never passed
Something always fires the light that gets in your eyes
One moment's high, and glory rolls on by
Like a streak of lightning
That flashes and fades in the summer sky

Your meters may overload
You can rest at the side of the road
You can miss a stride
But nobody gets a free ride

More than high performance
More than just a spark
More than just the bottom line
Or a lucky shot in the dark
In the long run...


You can do a lot in a lifetime
If you don't burn out too fast
You can make the most of the distance
First you need endurance
First you've got to last...

vermeer geometry

I am convinced that the use of sacred geometry in art has been lost to time and that the great painters never "hap haphazardly" placed their figures and objects in space. I have been refining my own method of study. If nature makes use of sacred geometry why not artists?

painting of the day---vermeer

This is vermeer's lady with a water pitcher. This is on permanent display at the Met. I look at it every sunday. It is one of the finest pieces in the entire Museum. I once painted a copy of this but it is lost somewhere. I think what makes this a great painting is its simplicity of form and color and mood..I think harmony is a good word for this work.

artist of the day--eratosthenes

Eratosthenes knew that on the summer solstice at local noon in the Ancient Egyptian city of Swenet (known in Greek as Syene) on the Tropic of Cancer, the sun would appear at the zenith, directly overhead. He also knew, from measurement, that in his hometown of Alexandria, the angle of elevation of the Sun would be 1/50 of a full circle (7°12') south of the zenith at the same time. Assuming that Alexandria was due north of Syene he concluded that the distance from Alexandria to Syene must be 1/50 of the total circumference of the Earth. His estimated distance between the cities was 5000 stadia (about 500 geographical miles or 950 km). He rounded the result to a final value of 700 stadia per degree, which implies a circumference of 252,000 stadia. The exact size of the stadion he used is frequently argued. The common Attic stadion was about 185 m, which would imply a circumference of 46,620 km, i.e. 16.3% too large. However, if we assume that Eratosthenes used the "Egyptian stadion"^[1] of about 157.5 m, his measurement turns out to be 39,690 km, an error of less than 1%.^[2]

Although Eratosthenes' method was well founded, the accuracy of his calculation was inherently limited. The accuracy of Eratosthenes' measurement would have been reduced by the fact that Syene is slightly north of the Tropic of Cancer, is not directly south of Alexandria, and the Sun appears as a disk located at a finite distance from the Earth instead of as a point source of light at an infinite distance. There are other sources of experimental error: the greatest limitation to Eratosthenes' method was that, in antiquity, overland distance measurements were not reliable, especially for travel along the non-linear Nile which was traveled primarily by boat. So the accuracy of Eratosthenes' size of the earth is surprising.

Eratosthenes' experiment was highly regarded at the time, and his estimate of the Earth’s size was accepted for hundreds of years afterwards. His method was used by Posidonius about 150 years later.

failed watercolor---by gardega

I tried to do a copy of my favorite Raphael painting yesterday..I screwed it up..by painting failures you get better...

lyrics of the day--waylon jennings

I've always been crazy and the trouble that it's put me through
I've been busted for things that I did, and I didn't do
I can't say I’m proud of all of the things that I’ve done
But I can say I’ve never intentionally hurt anyone

I've always been different with one foot over the line
Winding up somewhere one step ahead or behind
It ain't been so easy but I guess I shouldn't complain
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane

Beautiful lady are you sure that you understand
The chances your taking loving a free living man
Are you really sure you really want what you see
Be careful of something that's just what you want it to be

I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane
Nobody knows if it's something to bless or to blame
So far I ain't found a rhyme or a reason to change
I've always been crazy but it's kept me from going insane


---this would have to be my theme song...

last summer

I had no time this summer to enjoy beach or kayak--it has been a work survival/ fest..painting fast enough to keep the wolves at bay. I found this picture on my computer today from last summer when I had time to go to the beach. This is one of my finer watercolors (I think)...I sold it last year. I was very much into the space of this watercolor, usually I have to fight to keep my ADD at bay. Here I zoned into the picture, I guess it is a kind of zen.

watercolor of the day---impossible river

I am working on a large watercolor--22 x 30 inches. I am calling it "The Impossible River" a river that feeds itself and flows in circles. I like to be paint worlds I would like to see, worlds that I can only visit in my head..I guess that are fantasy scapes but the name fantasy has some bad connotations so I will stick to my strange world label...UNFINISHED

welcome france

Hello, France and welcome...

Pop surrealism--by gardega

Sometimes I swim in the modern waters of Pop Surrealism. It has its moments but it has a little bit too much sugar if not done carefully and you risk becoming an intellectual diabetic.

media update

As you may know I am a big fan of george orwell and consider him an important artist and writer. the more I analyze the media the more fearful I become. I will give you an example. What happened recently in Russia is totally misrepresented in the media. Georgia attacked Russia by attacking Ossetia first and killing over 3,00 people and destroying an entire city. The media has ignored that fact and only mentions Russia attacking Georgia. I have no horse in this race but the disinfo is astounding. If you do your own research you can find out a lot in this world. The mass media is not to be trusted but rather ignored. I am surprised most Americans don't think Russia attacked Georgia to steal our peacches.

Strange World---signed print

Here is a print of my very popular Strange World series. It is printed on handmade watercolor paper from Spain. Each one is signed and numbered by artist. paper size is 8.5" x 12". The printed area is smaller. On ebay soon...

vonnegut print for sale

click here to purchase:

Vonnegut Print--by gardega

Here is a photo of my new Kurt Vonnegut print. These are printed on high Quality hand made Spanish watercolor paper. This is limited to an edition of 200 hundred pieces, each one signed by Gardega! I am going to put on ebay today for bidding. I am not sure what I want to sell these for yet. These prints are a great way for me to keep my studio running at maximum efficiency so I can focus on painting larger pieces for an upcoming show.

Today I bought some great handmade watercolor paper from Spain. The nice thing about this paper is I can use it in my printer as well and make prints on it...I am excited to try that today...My first print will be my Vonnegut painting..

slideshow

I have added a small slideshow link to the right...it is just an embryo of a slideshow but soon it will be an entire chicken of a slideshow.

technology vs. heart

I have noticed in my years as an artist that the more technical an artist was, the more anal and obsessed with the craft and technique--- that very often there was something crucial missing in their work--heart and spirit. I would rather look at a painting or piece of art with a few technical faults and shortcomings than a perfectly painted lifeless work. I love paintings by blake and goya where in spite of a lot of technical flaws they are still works of genius and timeless masterpieces. I would rather study a Gericault painting than a David painting any day. You cant teach spirit, you can teach technique. That is why with the computer and digital camera these days everyone thinks themselves an artist. There are a lot of people out there who are very methodical and patient and learn their "programs" and systems and technique but there is quite often something missing. (in my humble opinion)

the seasons

I generally am not inspired to paint in the summer. My creativity for some reasons is at its zenith in fall and winter..Lately the air has cooled a bit as we lose our grip on summer and slide toward the inevitable fall and winter. Winter I hate but I paint a lot and get work done at my easel (indoors). Today I am inspired to paint some new strange world paintings, for those who are new to my site I will explain later...I am going to trek to art store and buy a bunch of good watercolor paper and make some art today...deadlines be damned--- I am in the mood to paint what I want to paint today--will upload as I go...It is good to be greedy and selfish when you are inspired to make art...

george orwell---daily journal august 12th 1938

August 12

12 August, 1938 by orwelldiaries

Very hot in the morning. In the afternoon sudden thunder-storm & very heavy rain. About 50 yards from the gate the road & pavement flooded a foot deep after only 1 1/2 hours rain.

Blackberries beginning to redden.

( I missed a few days on his journal so I am catching up)

color of the day--burnt sienna

Burnt sienna is an iron oxide pigment: a warm mid brown color. Chemically, burnt sienna is formed by burning raw sienna (Terra di Sienna).


I use this color all the time. Many of my artist friends hate it but then again they also think Sargent is a great artist. Burnt sienna is a color that is always welcome on my palette while Sargent is not allowed onto my bookshelf. I use Burnt Umber when I do my underpaintings. Generally pigments that are made from iron oxides etc are cheaper and not as expensive as other colors. If you are a computer hack you don not need to bother buying paint at all.

limerick of the day--by gardega

There once was a man named Vermeer
whose talent was painfully clear
his circles of light were brilliant and bright
the Camera Obscura was near!



art lesson of the day---google camera obscura...

The Dali

Like any artist I spent some time in front of and behind the bars of NYC..I have invented the best drink ever and have named it--- The Dali.

1 ounce malibu rum

1 ounce white tequlia

creme de cacao (white)

heavy cream

Kahlua splash (optional)

add ice and shake

Hemingway would have been proud of this.

alex art book

I found a place online that lets you publish your own art books...I am going to make a book of my art--it is about time..if anyone wants to buy one please contact me...you can see prices etc. at www.blurb .com, if you bought art from me maybe I can include your work(s) in the book. Let me know if you would like your pieces to be in my first book.


alexgardega@gmail.com

etched glass by gardega

I am working on a bunch of art deco inspired windows downtown for a hi-end party event space.

quote of the day--hunter s thompson

'If you're going to be crazy, you have to get paid for it or else you're going to be locked up.' - H. Thompson

coney island photos

I took some photos at coney island yesterday..overcast and rainy...

orwell diaries---august 11

August 11

11 August, 2008 by orwelldiaries

This morning all surfaces, even indoors, damp as a result of mist. A curious deposit all over my snuff-box, evidently residue of moisture acting on lacquer.

Very hot, but rain in afternoon.

Am told the men caught another snake this morning – definitely a grass snake this time. The man who saw them said they had tied a string round its neck & were trying to cut out its tongue with a knife, the idea being that after this it could not “sting.”¹

The first Beauty of Bath apples today.