who?

This is a picture of one of the most brilliant minds who ever walked upon American soil. can anyone tell me who this is?


ANSWER!

Peanuts anyone?

George Washington Carver

Did a report on him in school what seems like a million years ago

Gene Torpey

great picture

I found this great picture on the net today, had to share it.

new readers

I have a bunch of new readers from some recent radio air time--If anyone is new and would like to drop an email to me I would appreciate it...I sometimes feel like I am talking to the wind so it is nice to hear from people.

here is my email: alexgardega@gmail.com

a free drawing to my first five responders

suffocated by mirrors, stained by dreams

I get claustrophobic in winter, The skies close down and the sun shines anemic. The long, dalinian shadows of late summer are gone and the color of hope is lost on my palette. It takes a force of will to shake off the cold skin and to find warmth in the old paints and pencils. It is a strange world, a dark corner. I am sure it was winter when Munch screamed and Van Gogh painted his empty chair.

american alex--last supper fox news

explained and for sale in my ebay store (click link below my mug shot to right)

american alex---last supper geometry

Here is my geometric study of Leonardo's Last supper. I used this to figure out how he grouped his figures together in four sets of three. I also based my Fox News last supper on similar geometry. You can see my fox news painting in my ebay store ( click link below my photo)

american alex--glass portrait of odd nerdrum

Glass portrait of the greatest living painter....

ODD NERDRUM

"theres genius in kitsch and kitsch in genius"--gardega

american alex----white stag

A rare white stag has been spotted in the Scottish highlands. It is believed to be one of only a handful in all of Britain. in Arthurian legend the white stag represents mankind's spiritual quest. Supposedly it can never be caught and whoever sets eyes upon the animal will experience profound change in their life.
I sense a series of white stag paintings coming out of my hand soon, what a great animal.

amercian alex---Ouroboros

If you would like to learn about the symbol Ouroboros you can click on link:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouroboros

american alex---halo cloud

I have some new viewers so I thought I would put up some work that exemplifies certain "periods or phases" of my work. Here is a sample from my "strange world" series. I have determined the strange world is all about transformation from the old, the comfortable, into a new and unknown internal horizon. If you are not busy being born--- you are busy dying and birth is often our first "trauma." The halo clouds are either the religious halo or the mythical Ouroboros, I am not sure. I would like to write a story about a huge halo cloud that forms over the world and remains both night and day and how humans react to it. This one is for sale for 75.00 I am trying to put less work on ebay as it becomes a pain in the neck after a while.

american alex

fox news

my painting is still up for bid on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=290204688096&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

el dayo longo

I spent 5 hours in traffic returning from Brooklyn tonight. I called into a liberal radio show to discuss the constitution and the host was very nice, He invited me to call back anytime. I saw ten accidents on the way home and vowed not to be one of them. I guess every rose has its thorn, in NY we have winters and in LA you have smog. I am cross eyed exhausted...

lightening

is lightening just an upside down tree?

photos

just because you can take pictures doesnt mean you should take pictures.

Here is a photo of me at five months as I was staring intently at the tear in the photo that had not even happened yet. The number seven is revelatory.

glass painting

Reverse-glass Paintings on an American Sideboard
Simone Bretz

Reverse painting on glass became popular in Federal America and was practiced mainly by foreign-born artists in Boston, Salem, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. For example, "Walker and Chandless, Painters, in General, from Dublin and London," advertised "Painting on Glass and Transparent Painting" in the Maryland Gazette in 1790. Such paintings, with subjects ranging from flowers and geometric designs to allegory, mythology, and scenic views, were usually incorporated into mirrors, clocks, and other furniture. Ten reverse-painted glass panels, varied in size and shape, can be seen on a neo-classical sideboard in the collection of the Department of American Decorative Arts (Figure 1) that had been commissioned by General David Van Ness (1743–1818) for his Maizefield estate in Dutchess County, New York. Major elements of the designs used on these panels, including urns, cupids, foliage, lyres, and masks, were derived from plates in Thomas Sheraton's The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer's Drawing-Book, first published in London in 1791. In an accompanying text Sheraton wrote: "These may be painted, inlaid, or gilt in gold behind glass, and the glass being then beded [sic] in the pilaster, it is secure, and has a good effect."

At the end of the eighteenth century, domestic glass manufactories in several major commercial centers were competing with imported crown and cylinder glass from England, and as such the origin of the panes used on the Van Ness sideboard cannot be assumed. Samples from two panels were analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and both were found to be potash-lime glass with a ratio of potassium to calcium of approximately two to one, containing only relatively small amounts of sodium, magnesium, and aluminum. These results may point to a domestic source, as glass with very similar composition is known to have been made by at least one eighteenth-century American producer, the New Bremen Glassmanufactory in Maryland.

Well-executed reverse-glass paintings do not reveal the complexity of their manufacture. Since the designs are applied to the back of glass panes they must be built up in reverse—starting with the foreground and working "backwards"—which makes corrections virtually impossible. The technique used for the glass panels on the Van Ness sideboard is called metal-foil engraving, although in technical and art historical literature it is often referred to as verre églomisé. Gold leaf was applied to the back of the glass with a size such as clarified egg white, gelatin, or gum, and then engraved with a stylus of metal, wood, or bone. The design was completed by applying a colored background with paint (Figure 2).

perception as I understand it

Every chef I know hates Emeril--I think I understand why. What makes Emeril great (aka popular) is that he is fun to watch and very entertaining. That is at least 50% of what makes him a success. It is more than the cooking or being a "good" chef--- he is a character and that counts as much as his shrimp marinara . Most artists and chefs have the personality of lawn furniture and the frustrated psyche of an ice salesman in the antarctic. People love to knock others when they rise up a bit as it makes them feel better about themselves. That is not a good or bad thing, it is just the way it is. I may not be the greatest living artist but I am allowed to think I am. If I want to sell the idea that I am the greatest, I must believe it first, otherwise you will never buy my ice. Art is perception and perception is a wiggly worm on the end of a strange hook called reality.

fox news last supper

My last supper painting is still up for sale on ebay. There are numerous people watching it but no bids as of yet but there have been a lot of inquiries. I personally think that Rupert Murdoch should break out the mighty piggy bank and buy it for his library.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290204688096&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:US:1123

sacred feminine--by gardega

Here is a sufficiently wrinkled drawing of mine that is worth showing because I like the energy and design of drawing. It is easy to un-wrinkle art if you wish to iron it at low temps. I plan to carve this in glass. It is two foot by three foot.

for sale


50.00 dollars

wings of genius--by gardega

Here is a drawing I made as a study for a glass carving.

Title--- "wings of genius."

The wings of genius are awake and poised---ready to fly but they are held fast to the earth by an iconic American mailbox symbolizing the tension between earth-bound day to day reality (delivered daily like mail) and the need for transcendence into the heights of heroic thought. this would sound like art world doublespeak if it were not actually a valid psychological analysis.


for sale 50.00

large drawing--- about 2 foot by 3 foot...

Monika---swamp angel

Here is a glass carving I made last year. It is 21 inches by 30 inches. It is titled Monika (swamp angel) I call this style "punk nouveau." It is inspired by steuben and also by gardega. I am trying to get rid of much art before I move. this is for sale. it is a nice detailed piece but I am done with the relationship to both the woman and the piece so it is always best to move forward and turn your collar to the cold and damp as your eyes are stabbed by a flash of neon light.

500.00 dollars. Shipping is 100 dollars. email me to purchase

alexgardega@gmail.com

chicken man on glass by gardega

sometimes art flows out of my hand that I have no control over. It is like those cars in the amusement park that ride down a track---you are not really steering the car. This painting on glass is one such piece.


It is for sale for 150.00

My glass paintings are going to be my next "big thing"

beach painting

Here is a painting for the Nassau yellow pages cover. I will give Long Island credit for one thing and that is nice beaches. This is roughly 15 x20 and for sale. I will include a signed/ printed book cover as well.

100.00 not on ebay.

statue of liberty--by gardega

Here is the original painting that graced the cover of Manhattan ambassador yellow pages 2007-2008. I will include the original printed cover with the piece if purchased.

price $100.00 15 x 20

email me. alexgardega@gmail.com

"yankee" illustration by gardega

Here is a painting I made for Ambassador Publishing,Bronx edition. I am not a baseball fan so the ceo gave me tickets to a game so I could actually study it. I enjoyed my first baseball game. I will include an actual printed cover/ tear sheet if someone wishes to buy this. the yellow sky is what gives it away as a yellow page cover...It is interesting to paint subjects you do not know much about, you have to look for things that interest you. The interesting thing here was that it could not look too much like the Yankees etc it had to be a "generic" team.

this is for sale--- $100.00 not on ebay

email me

what's it worth?

I read about a Zurich museum robbery this morning in which some valuable paintings were stolen. I began to think about the idea of the value of art and how relative it really is. Art is worth what people will pay for it. I wonder if they will one day have computer that will scan subjective items like art and make a value judgment of it. A lot of art has to do with the "back story" if you never heard of picasso and his legend would you stare at his paintings if they were in some antique shop or would you take out the painting and use the frame for something else? much like quantum physics, half the experience of art lies in the beholder. As the legend of Gardega grows and my bones are interred (along with my good), perhaps one day my paintings and art will be something that people will want to steal. Although I did have two glass art pieces stolen from a NYC night club....

Nepal

I woke up this morning and looked at a map that tells me what country people log into my site from. I found that a person from Nepal has been logging in. I would give four toes to go make watercolors in Nepal. It is the little things in life that make you happy, like finding ten dollars in an old pants pocket...I will be home today and will do some new drawings and may go do a winter's beach watercolor.

dylan quote

the only people you have to think twice about lying to is god and yourself...

(this may be my favorite quote of all time)

Billy Rose--illustrated by dali

Here is a book I bought off of ebay and received in mail yesterday. It was written by a cabaret owner in NYC and illustrated by Dali. I decided to research the writer and find out about him as I am a NYC history buff. He seems to be a producer and and a writer and lyricist of some renown. He was worth 42 million when he died. He wrote the lyrics for me and my shadow although they say that he was more known for promoting the songs and using this to get a co- credit as lyricist. (at least according to wikipedia) When he died he left his left no money to his estranged sisters. Another morsel of New York history...

John Lennon read his poetry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzqCAfyiSVI&NR=1

john winston lennon

(I nicked this right off of Wikipedia..I usually prefer to write me own rubbish but I was and am a lazy lad.... forgive me)

John Winston Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in the Liverpool Maternity Hospital, Oxford Street, Liverpool, to Julia Lennon (née Stanley) and Alfred "Freddie" Lennon, during the course of a German air raid in World War II.^[1][2][3] He was named after his paternal grandfather, John 'Jack' Lennon, and Winston Churchill.^[3]

Freddie was a merchant seaman during World War II, thus was often away from home, but sent regular pay cheques to Julia, who was living with Lennon in 9 Newcastle Road, Liverpool, although the cheques stopped when Freddie went AWOL.^[4][5] When Freddie eventually came home in 1944, he offered to look after Julia and Lennon, but Julia rejected him.^[6] After considerable pressure from her sister, Mary "Mimi" Smith—who contacted Liverpool's Social Services—Julia handed the care of Lennon over to Mimi.^[7] In July 1946, Freddie visited Mimi and took Lennon to Blackpool, secretly intending to emigrate to New Zealand with him.^[8] Julia followed them, but after a heated argument Freddie made the five-year-old Lennon choose between Julia or him. Lennon chose Freddie (twice). As Julia walked away, Lennon began to cry and followed her. Freddie then lost contact with the family until Beatlemania, when father and son met again.^[9]

wine cellar mural--by gardega

I have painted two murals in wine cellars over the years. One is on a wall, the other, a ceiling. This is obviously not the ceiling mural as the barrels would roll out of the ceiling and smash on the floor.

quote of the night---einstein

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Albert Einstein, (attributed)
US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)

(this basically sums up anyone who tries to make a living as an artist)

I have concluded the the artists who make it are the most insane because they believe that their will overcome nature and not vice versa.

insanity---by gardega

I painted this in my brief stint in art school. This was an illustration assignment for which I used a theme I have always been curious about--- mental illness and insanity. I think losing control of the steering wheel must be an awful thing. I occasional drive on the shoulder but I always get my car back on the highway...I always had the hardest times making real "commercial art" I always had to inject myself into my art for better and for worse..this is for sale if anyone wishes to own one of my last art school pieces remaining..It used to have a human face but it was too scary so I made it more of a "ghoulish" face..

brooklyn bridge painting

Here is a painting I made for the 2006 ambassador yellow pages. I was recently given back all my originals as it is proper for illustrators to get back the originals.

quote of the day

the answer to 1984 is 1776

alex jones

quote of the day---george orwell

In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act.
George Orwell

Jarvick, Tigger, truth in advertising and gardega

I once explained on here that the idea that Jarvick created the artificial heart was a lie. I know the true story about the man who voiced "Tigger" being the actual guy who patented the A. heart! I was sent the link below by a friend and collector of my work. It seems I was ahead of the mainstream media on this one. The truth is not unlike red paint (no matter who much white you paint over red it always bleeds back to the surface.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/business/media/07jarvik.html?_r=2&ref=business&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

Lake Vostok--by gardega

I have discovered something that fascinates me to no end! Deep beneath the Antarctic ice (13000 feet down) is a huge lake that is larger than lake Tahoe. The water in this lake is the purest and oldest water on earth and it is 100% uncontaminated and pure. The lake is so big it even has tides and islands. Russia is trying to drill all the way down into the lake in th name of science because they want to test what microbes existed millions of years ago. It seems to be human nature that nothing can be left alone, prodded or poked etc. I think this lake would be better off left alone and pure. It is kind of a sub glacial Atlantis and to contact it will surely ruin it. I wish science would understand the idea that the real value of this lake is that it is not spoiled. The mona lisa is fine without eyebrows.

stormadoes

ebay

I think I have some art on ebay that is almost timed out. (You can click link below photo to see my store.) I listed my original last supper painting for sale as well. It is 4 foot by 8 foot and I am trying to clean out my studio a bit before I move again. Ebay charged me 100 dollars just to list that painting. Ebay, ebay ,eaby, bebay, aybay,bayeb, etc..and so on...

signed alan colmes baseball----gardega

Behold my latest ebay purchase--- this is a true"objet de surrealist." This is a baseball signed by the Fox News anchor Alan Colmes. Alan is the Liberal Yin to Sean Hannity's conservative Yang. He is a real nice guy and he told me he believes that is his actual signature...Why anyone would want to own a baseball signed by a real baseball player is beyond the mind of Alex. When I asked the seller for documentation he laughed at me and said who in their right mind would sign a baseball with a fake signature of a non-baseball player--There was not much I could say in response. I suppose the author does actually play "left" field so there is logic in here somewhere.

home

It looks like I have found a home for march. I will be moving into NYC and not Brooklyn, back to the urban vortex. I am excited to spend some time painting in Central Park and to spend more time in the Met as well. My kayak will get use on the weekends if I am able to escape the concrete. I would like to kayak in the Hudson, though.

home--roger waters

Californian Weirdo: Sole has no eyes.

Could be Jerusalem, or it could be Cairo
Could be Berlin, or it could be Prague
Could be Moscow, could be New York
Could be Llanelli, and it could be Warrington
Could be Warsaw, and it could be Moose Jaw
Could be Rome
Everybody got somewhere they call home
When they overrun the defences
A minor invasion put down to expenses
Will you go down to the airport lounge
Will you accept your second class status
A nation of waitresses and waiters
Will you mix their martinis
Will you stand still for it
Or will you take to the hills

It could be clay and it could be sand
Could be desert
Could be a tract of arable land
Could be a house, could be a corner shop
Could be a cabin by a bend in the river
Could be something your old man handed down
Could be something you built on your own
Everybody got something he calls home

When the cowboys and Arabs draw down
On each other at noon
In the cool dusty air of the city boardroom
Will you stand by a passive spectator
Of the market dictators
Will you discreetly withdraw
With your ear pressed to the boardroom door
Will you hear when the lion within you roars
Will you take to the hills

Will you stand, will you stand for it
Will you hear, ohhhh! ohhh! when the lion within
you roars

Could be your father and it could be your mother
Could be your sister, could be your brother
Could be a foreigner, could be a Turk
Could be a cyclist out looking for work. Norman
Could be a king, could be the Aga khan
Could be a Vietnam vet with no arms and no legs
Could be a saint, could be a sinner
Could be a loser or it could be a winner
Could be a banker, could be a baker
Could be a Laker, could be Kareem Abdul Jabar
Could be a male voice choir
Could be a lover, could be a fighter
Could be a super heavyweight, or it could be
something lighter
Could be a cripple, could be a freak
Could be a wop, gook, geek
Could be a cop, could be a thief
Could be a family of ten living in one room on relief
Could be our leaders in their concrete tombs
With their tinned food and their silver spoons
Could be the pilot with God on his side
Could be the kid in the middle of the bomb sight
Could be a fanatic, could be a terrorist
Could be a dentist, could be a psychiatrist
Could be humble, could be proud
Could be a face in the crowd
Could be the soldier in the white cravat
Who turns the key in spite of the fact
That this is the end of the cat and mouse
Who dwelt in the house
Where the laughter rang and the tears were spilt
The house that Jack built
Where the laughter rang and the tears were spilt
The house that Jack built
Bang, bang, shoot, shoot
White gloved thumb, Lord thy will be done
He was always a good boy his mother said
He'll do his duty when he's grown, yeah
Everybody's got someone they call home

happy wed.--- by gardega

My day was as long as a Dalinian shadow, I was in Coney Island and Park Slope and Carroll Gardens and so on.. As I drove into Brooklyn today I saw the same man seated on the same corner I turn onto every day. He sits in front of a church on a milk crate and he always seems happy. I think he knows more about life than I do as I rush around and chase my own tail. There was a time in america that if you sat on a milk crate all day you were not looked on as a vagrant, you were just being.

election time----by gardega

the idea of voting always brings a quote to mind from a simon and garfunkel song.

'laugh about it, shout about it, when you've got to choose --any way you look at it you lose."

I used to make vodkas for art garfunkel when I was a bartender, he was a nice man and he used to play chess with his son at the bar. I used to draw them cartoons and his son would save them.

artist of the day willie nelson--by gardega

I spent my childhood years on a small farm in a small town in Texas. You do not need to be from Texas to appreciate the life and legend that is Willie Nelson. He used to give away entire apt complexes for people down on their luck to live in. He got creamed by the IRS but in true willie style he didnt blink an eye. My favorite song he sings is pancho and lefty. I am not sure if he wrote that one, though. If you don't have at least one Willie song on your Ipod, God may not let you into heaven.

ebay store

there are some items for sale in my ebay store.

link is below photo.

early drawing---american airforce--by gardega

I think this drawing that I made in fourth grade is a fine example of a young person with OCD.

CLICK ON DRAWING TO ENLARGE

mermaid drawing

I found this deep in my files today. It is a drawing I made before executing the image in glass for a client. I thought this was long ago sold or lost...

click here to buy..

profile of corinna-- by gardega

Here is a drawing I made many years ago. I have started my early packing for my move and found this in my piles. I have lots of piles. In any given pile I will find drawings, old bills, articles upon articles, unreadable notes and scribbles I have long since forgotten. I will put on ebay today.

morn

I woke up at 4 am today and I was going to go running but I was lazy and didnt. I went to 7-11 at 5 and the man behind the counter asked me why I was late and I told him that if I get there at 4 then the NY Post is not delivered yet and I have to come back at 5. I asked him if he had the fifty dollars he owes me, he doesnt owe me money but I ask him the same question every time (purely for the sake of randomness.) I figure one day he just may just pay up.

america

ebay store

there are some items for sale in my ebay store, click below photo...

primavera---by gardega

I painted this today as I am focused on spring and the rebirth of hope. My favorite flower is the iris as it has an interesting structure. It is only half finished but I thought that the process my interest people.

oil on gold leaf on paper

unfinished

leaving home

Here is an oil painting on glass. I think it carries an essence of sadness for the two figures "parents?" watching the flight of the one who is leaving. There is no going home again as it is a spiritual journey and a mind expanded to a greater reality can never sit content with what used to be. the strange shadow effect is my reflection as I photograph the piece.

SOLD

winter---by gardega

This piece leaked out of me today like rust from an old pipe. I am prone to the winter blues and it often comes through in my work---The hardest part of this painting was to get the puppy to sit still. This painting is oil on glass with a gold leaf backing. I am realizing that prussian blue is a serious color to work with and it can kill a picture as quick as it can bring it to life.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290203550801&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123

Birth of the Oceans---by gardega

I had a dream once that a figure fell from the sky and her/ his hair grew and swirled to form an ocean. I suppose the figure came from the sun and it was some kind of creation myth. I like the idea of the sea as an analogy to hair as it reminds me of Da Vinci who often found such similarities in nature.

watercolor on paper.


10 x 12

for sale

a nation of sheep! by A. Napolitano --read it!

Here is a good winter read! It doesn't matter if you are left or right, there is something we all must protect and that is our Constitution and our Constitutional rights. The government is slowly eroding away our liberties and we will not get them back. I am not sure about you but I read 1984 once a year for reason, I choose not to live in that world. Here are some main points of his book...

• Why is the government using the war on terror as an excuse to sidestep the Constitution?
• Why are Americans not challenging and questioning the government as it continues to limit more and more of our freedoms?
• What part of "Congress shall make no law..." does the government not understand when it criminalizes speech?
• Whatever happened to our inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that are proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, guaranteed by the Constitution, yet ignored by the governments elected to protect them?
• Why does every public office holder swear allegiance to the Constitution, yet very few follow it?
• Don't we have rights that are guaranteed and cannot be taken from us?

Open Letter to all my collectors and fans

I am closing down my blog....




just kidding,

if anyone knows a really good flash/ web builder I will trade some of my best work, I want to build one of the best websites on the internet...

I found this great site, and want to move my crabs around in a similar manner, if anyone knows a good web builder I will trade some of my best work to make my site happen as it is high time...

here is the site that I like...
http://www.jonathanyuen.com/main.html

the relative size of the planets--by gardega

An old friend sent me this image that shows the relative size of the planets--- If the sun is so big how come it is so damn cold outside?

Gold---by gardega

I bought some gold leaf today. I like to paint on gold leaf because the surface is so different from wood and canvas and paper---Will make a new picture tonight and post it as well...rainy February, I will try to lift myself out of the gloom with some decent art. There are two kinds of gold in this world--- external, monetary gold and internal gold. I know a lot of very rich people who I enjoy talking to as much as watching cadmium green dry, For some people the pursuit of gold comes at the cost of the internal treasure. I guess it is a Faustian deal. It must be terrible to be rich and unhappy, where does one go from there? Money is a carrot that keeps me painting and drawing and it does buy you some freedoms but it has the same Dharma as a scorpion if you are not careful...

Wheels within wheels
In a spiral array
A pattern so grand
And complex
Time after time
We lose sight of the way
Our causes cant see
Their effects---NP

circles

smile

ebay find! by gardega

I am always on the lookout for Dali books I do not own. Here is one I just won on ebay for a rather small fee! This is the first time in 1,500 entries in my blog I put the image on the right and words on left. I feel vertigo...this book title sounds like a list of the three things that have caused me the most trouble in life...

lipstick on a pig--by gardega

There is a great southern saying that states if you put lipstick on a pig it is still a pig....I have made art that never worked, no matter how nicely framed or makeupped. Then there are pieces like this one, when framed correctly the painting finds a life of its own. I was never too sure of this piece until I saw it framed with a black matte. The black matte really makes the piece sing as it brings out or emphasizes the breakdown of simple shapes in the work. I takes a lot of words to try to say "zen." Life is really simple at it's core, wake up, shower, eat, work ,sleep, laugh, cry...etc


This is from a collector named Amy in Colorado.

mucho thankso

the family and the fishing net--by gardega

This was my favorite song for almost ten years of my life from my teen years on...I still see the same images in my head as I did back then. (This is a re-post for new viewers..the painting is not my best but you win some and lose some.)


"burning out in sudden flashes, draining blood from the well fed faces.." It took me twenty years to figure out this song is about a wedding and the capturing of a "groom" by the family. The quote probably refers to the flashbulbs at a wedding...I am sure it had something to do with Peter Gabriel's reluctance and fear of getting married and "making the plunge" (and the whole ritual involved therein.)

framed and framed

Three things make me happy...

1) making my work

2) selling my work

3) seeing it framed correctly!

flowers of evil--by gardega

a collector sent me this image today. It is one of my paintings as it looks framed on their wall. Even though the photo is blurry it kind of works with the piece. I really like silver frames ( when they work they really work)

emails from the past--by gardega

I received an email today from the people I did my VERY first book cover illustration for ---(I guess they found me on the net.)--- It was more years ago than I can even remember---I do remember drawing a monk for a book cover but the manor drawing I barely remember. Here is the email. (note: there was no such thing as email when I did the drawing)

Hello Alex,

Think back a number of years, when we here at Maple Hill Press were looking for an illustrator to draw a medieval manor, and found you. Our client, Jarrett Publishing Co., was very pleased with your illustration and has used it in their Regents Review Book for Global History ever since.

I thought you'd like to know that the drawing has just found its way into the Jan. 2008 New York State Regents Examination in Global History and Geography. Every high school kid in the state will see it. (You never know what paths your work will take, true?)

You may also remember that we asked you to do an illustration for the cover of our own book, PageMaker 4 with Ease, in 1991; you came up with a marvelous monk, moving from work by candlelight to a computer screen. We got that book accepted as a course text in the Houston Community College System (which encompassed a large number of schools) and others, such as Northeastern University in Boston. (Unfortunately, PageMaker 5 came out earlier than we had hoped, and we missed the wave, but it was fun while it lasted.)

I looked at some of your glass work on the website -- it's stunning! Did I understand correctly that some of this work is in the Chrysler Building? Wow.

If you have a couple of minutes sometime, drop me a note.

birth of genius on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290203035130

Brooklyn Test Cover---by gardega

I made this as a test when I was working on a new Brooklyn cover for the Ambassador Yellow Pages. I decided to use a different angle and put this one in my files. If anyone wants this just email me.

spring time

Got the winter blues?

I found this cartoon in my files....thought it had some hope in it.

on a white horse--- by gardega

SOLD

Here is an oil painting on glass. Death is a common theme in my art. I am also occupied with the twin themes of rebirth and resurrection. I think I would be rich If I would paint "nicer" pictures and paint them again and again and again...I cannot bring myself to paint puppies as I have to stare into a looking "glass" over my sink each morning.

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True.

---revelations

queens cover

Here is painting I made for Ambassador Publishing Queens edition. It is 15 x 20 (photo is a bit off- color as it is a pure yellow background.) This is for sale for $100.00--- if you are a Queens or NYC resident then you know the landmark very well. I will include a signed actual printed cover in addition.