The best painting break in the world — a trip to one of Manhattan’s incredible museums. Up yesterday? The Met. It was yours truly and Paul Zepeda, with Betty Crocker riding shotgun, taking in the (sometimes neon) sights.
Back in 2009, my first professional painting was of The Guggenheim. This became an important landmark for my career, so I decided to try it again in 2010. Finally, I decided to make one each year for 20 years. This black-and-white canvas marks year #4 of 20.
The lure of The Guggenheim is simply too great. No, this isn’t Guggenheim #4… my 20 years of Guggenheim’s are painted in the same location on 89th and 5th Avenue, of the opposite view, on 30″X30″ canvases… This black and white painting was made to support Frank’s Doors — treat it like Chicago politics, vote early and often.
It began in 2009… my first Guggenheim painting. Then in 2010, I decided to do it again… same location and canvas size… after #2, I decided to paint The Guggenheim every June for 20 years. Beyond being one of my favorite places in the city, this will allow me to see my style progression in a consistent way. After the jump, process shots of The Guggenheim #3.
At the tail end of January, Ken Marquis hit me up about the landmark global artist reclamation project. In his words, “The project will involve one thousand and forty-one (1,041) artists worldwide. To date there are over nine hundred artists involved across 51 countries. This artist initiative is by far the largest undertaking of its kind.”
It took me two years of being a full-time artist to understand how a single painting could span multiple years. Sure, some large-scale works just take time. Others, like in the case of the Metropolitan Museum of Art — I simply looked at it for 18 months and simply determined it was finished. After the jump, the full process as written in 2009.
I want you! to pass this blog around to all of your friends, and for chrissake, hit me up with more Tom Collins. Ah, a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art… where the lessons instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano.
After three intensive outings, and numerous stages – the Guggenheim painting is now complete. After the jump, you will see the entire process from first to last stroke. A special thank you goes out to the Guggenheim and the Gothamist for promoting this piece.
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