Twenty-four years ago, I found myself wandering the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. There, I encountered many magnificent works from the usual suspects… Picasso, Stuart Davis, Pollock, El Greco — by all accounts, a nice little Saturday.
As I dove deeper into the collection, I stumbled upon “The White Hat” by Jean-Baptiste Greuze. This work stopped me dead in my tracks. The painting itself was magnificent. The brush strokes, the tonality, the chiaroscuro. Her gaze is both seductive and haunting. Painted around 1780, history maintains this figure was a figment of the artist’s imagination… an invented woman. I reject this notion. She struck me as real. Visceral.
Free-flowing, revealing outfits were en vogue in the late 1700’s… yes, and still — there is a staggering vulnerability on display. A salacious Mona Lisa of sorts. And so, 24 years later, White Hat found her way to my easel in first Minnesota, then Idaho, and became Re-Mastered.
I’m quite sure my 20-year-old self, seen here in front of a Stuart Davis, couldn’t have predicted this turn of events… but I’m equally confident, he would have loved the development.
We took a trip to Minnesota to spend time with family, so I joined my Father-in-Law, Tom Hessel, in his studio to create. This was my first oval canvas, and I’ll admit… I was concerned about balancing it on the easel. To my surprise, it was shockingly easy to navigate. And, as always, the work began with a warm under-painting.
My process is one of deconstruction and reconstruction. By reducing an image to it’s most basic forms, I’m able to course correct throughout.
The initial phase of this piece was lightening quick. After blocking everything out, I jumped right into the blue tubes… which was something of a departure from the typical process.
The second elements, the hat and the shawl, were then painted… with the tubes laid out. Here is an interesting fact about yours truly — I’m partially color blind. I cannot decipher greens, grey’s and purples. This was something I discovered during many frustrating visits to the Smithhaven Mall on Long Island. Do you remember those scrambled digital images you’d stare at, and a 3d image would pop out? I’ve never seen one, despite hours spent staring. Turns out, this was due to my color blind spectrum.
And so… I was sure what I painted here was green… but everyone I showed insisted it was grey. I can’t tell the difference.
While in town, we rallied the troops for a night of throwing rocks at Texa-Tonka Lanes… one of my favorite places in Minnesota. The gang all showed up… including local art legends, Michael Birawer, Adam Turman, Nick Ardito… and my fabulous brother-in-law Jason Holthus. 200 games were a distant memory for most… though I did roll one in the 190’s. The Turmanator had the high game, despite his ball, “Endless Nightmare” arriving on the scene inexplicably cracked in half.
Back in Idaho, I went in and delineated the tones in our lady… but realized, another big step was required for balance.
It was here, I found myself confused. Any artist will tell you… when a painting is coming along smoothly, a road block is typically lurking in the shadows… and here? I hit a wall. Following adding the tubes in her hair, and a set of pink tubes around the lips… I became flummoxed, and realized I had broken the golden rule — the piece became precious. I loved it the way it was, and the pit of my stomach was rocked with doubt.
And so, I printed out several possible approaches to the neon, brought them home, and spent a morning coffee sesh with Erin and the kids studying the possibilities. Where would the tubes go? How many? And, following this extremely productive session — I arrived at the gallery with a clear vision.
From there, the work marched confidently through the prestige phase, to completion. As with each work of art, there were lessons to be learned, and comfort zones to be redrawn. I’m delighted with the latest addition to my Re-Mastered Series… and look forward to adding another in 2025.
