What's up with Thomas Kinkade?

Wow! I have heard a lot of good things about Thomas Kinkade so it was a big surprise to find out about this FBI investigation and the possibility that there is some foul play going on behind the scenes of his work. Or is it somebody else's work? I don't know. I do know that I am not prepared to make any kind of assumption before knowing all the facts, but everything that I have read and seen seems either genuine or really fishy depending on the bias at hand.

I received contrasting feelings when viewing the Thomas Kinkade website (before I had read the article regarding the current FBI investigation and again after reading it) and my increased level of skepticism affected my experience the second time. Instead of being touched by the captions describing each painting, I felt a little nauseous because of the possibility of them being somebody else's words and work. I cringe at the thought of him just putting his name on everything if it really isn't his.

The same thing can happen with the video that was intended for an audience of potential future gallery owners. If I would have viewed it without knowing there is some suspicion of foul play then I would want to jump on the band wagon and open up a Thomas Kinkade gallery. It sounds wonderful. I was convinced by the music and quality of video, the beautiful images and ambiance of the gallery in the background, and most of all the genuine testimonies of the current owners. They were so sincere. The video just made it sound like it is such a wonderful company; it is a fantastic work environment; the customers are great; it is profitable; it's good for families; it's relaxing, non-stressful, fulfilling, etc. What is there not to like? Now, I wonder if all of these people have also bought in to the same scheme that tens of thousands of people have bought in to...are we all being tricked?

This whole thing reminds me of the Martha Stewart ordeal that surfaced not too long ago. If it is true that we are all being duped, then shame on him. Thomas Kinkade should be strictly punished. What those punishments will, or could be, I don't know. However, on the contrary, if nothing concrete surfaces that proves this conspiracy true and Thomas Kinkade saves face and comes away clean and innocent, then I think that his accusers owe him a public apology. Unfortunately, that probably won't happen. They would just say that he got away with it.

It would just be really sad if it were true, especially because of what he sells and who he sells it to. He is not just selling paintings; he is selling the spirit of families, holidays, national pride, fantasy, nature, life, religion, and much, much more. His target group seems to be middle class America, particularly those that are religious, sentimental, and family-oriented. If you take all of these things that are held in such high regard and use them to fatten your pocket book while covering it up with "tricky marketing" then you deserve whatever is coming to you. I just hope that Thomas Kinkade hasn't established himself as a "master of capitalism" by taking advantage of the wonderful, trusting, and God-loving people along the way.

It will be interesting to find out more as investigations progress and more information is released to the media. I want to find out how this mystery of Thomas Kinkade ends. : )

Art Visit

OK! Well if you couldn't tell by the picture...I did my art visit at the Crocker Art Museum in beautiful Sacramento, CA. I went on Saturday October 13th. The Grandma Moses exhibition was on display at the time. If you have no idea who she is, then here is a brief explanation I found in the Columbian Dictionary: "Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson) (1860–1961) U.S. primitive painter. Grandma Moses only began painting when she was in her late 70s. Her scenes of country life, based on recollections from her youth, became world-famous through prints and greeting cards.

I found the Grandma Moses exhibition pretty interesting, but the art did look very much like a greeting card. In addition to her art, she is well-known because she is a female artist that started at such a ripe, old age. Most of the stuff that we saw on display were a lot of country scenes painted on relatively small canvas and a lot of art that was put on china plates (very grandma-ish).

That was interesting, but I found my next stop (the California room) to be much more appealing.

The California room is the big room upstairs with wall to wall paintings and there is a hallway that wraps all the way around it. I really liked a lot of the paintings, but there were two in particular that really caught my eye. The first was a very large painting in an amazingly ornate frame. This beauty was painted by Charles Christian Nahl. He was an American, but he was born in Germany. He lived from 1818-1878. It painting is entitled "Love Chase" and it was created in 1869. Nahl used oil on canvas to create this very life-like representational masterpiece. I really liked it because it was realistic, fun, flirty, and in your face.

The second painting that I liked was a beautiful landscape. There were a lot of landscapes and some of them were "ginormous," but surprisingly the one that I liked the best was one that was a little more inconspicuous. As you can see, it is a pretty simple and serene scene, but really beautiful. I think I liked it mainly because I really like tropical landscapes better than mountain and valley lanscapes. The painting is untitled and it was created in 1866. The artist is Arriola Fortunato of Mexico who lived from 1827-1872.

After viewing the California room, we walked around a lot more and checked out everything, but nothing really intrigued me until I went into the room filled with modern art. There was all kinds of cool stuff to look at. It was perfect for anybody that may have A.D.D. However, you can't touch anything. I didn't like the creepy, digital, kinetic art that was basically a pair of eyes that looked back and forth. I really liked this work that was all of these tiles that had random images carved in them. From close up it didn't look like much more than that, but from far away you could see the face of our president George Bush Jr. It was pretty neat. Even after reading the description, I still don't really get how they did it.

That was very note-worthy, but my favorite work out of the whole museum was this one by Stephen Kaltenbach. He lives right here in Davis and he was born in 1940. This fascinating piece was made over the course of seven years from 1972-1979. The medium Kaltenbach used was acrylic on canvas. I found this painting to be grand in literal size, but also in meaning. I think it is of great value to include the description of the painting that was on the wall next to it:

"Portrait of my Father is the artist's major achievement in painting. In a barn near Winters, California, Kaltenbach labored for seven years creating this testament to the spiritual grappling with life, love, and loss that confronts us all. Inspired by a photograph of his father, who endured a long illness, Kaltenbach conceptualizes the fleeting moment of his father's last breath and ultimate acceptance of death. The haunting realism of this portrait is both masterful, offering homage, and poignant, celebrating the universal experience of the human bond.

At every intersection in the intertwining of abstract arabesques with details of whisker and pore is the presence of color and light. This shimmering ornament infinitely expands off the canvas, speaking to the presence of holiness in light and inspiring our own reflections upon spirituality."

I just loved reading that. This is just such a cool story and the background and analysis that you get from the description is awesome. I have a new appreciation for viewing art in person. This painting is a perfect example of how viewing art in person is better in so many ways. It was just so much more impressive viewing it in person compared to viewing it here in this blog. The painting is showcased on a huge wall and you can see so much detail and the beautiful arabesques add the perfect creative touch. You can't get the same feel from looking at a picture in a book or on a computer screen. Art can change so much depending on where it is presented, the scale at which it is presented, the time of day at which you are viewing it, the intensity of the lighting, etc.

I found my trip to the Crocker Art Museum to be really enjoyable. I went with my brother, sister-in-law, and my wonderful girlfriend Katherine. We all had fun viewing and commenting on all of the different works that were on display. I thought the trip was very possibly going to be kind of boring and somewhat of an inconvenience given my busy schedule, but it turned out to be really fun. It probably would have been boring if I went by myself, but we made a field trip out of it. We even capitalized on our opportunity to go to Sacramento by going to Chevy's on the river. I think it would be fun to go back sometime especially if they have an exhibit that sounds interesting.

Yay for the Crocker Art Museum! : )

Analyze That!

I found this picture on Heather Brown's Analyze This! and it just jumped out at me. I had to use it for my Analyze That! I fell in love with the vast array of intensely saturated color that is present (the color scheme is without a doubt poly-chromatic). It reminds me of a kaleidoscope. I was so fascinated with kaleidoscopes as a kid. I would love to see some kind of digital, kinetic art like this that can change like a kaleidoscope. That would be awesome and they could display it at the Crocker Art Museum in the modern art area next the creepy digital one that is a pair of eyes looking at you.

The medium of choice appears to be watercolor. This is my assumption because the way the colors transition and mesh together seems so fluid and natural. You can tell that the artist used a very open palette because of the wide variety of rich hues that are present. If you look closely you will notice that the placement and combination of color is very important. You have cool areas with blues, purples, greens, and then you have warm areas with yellows, oranges, reds, and this vibrant pink that really steals the show.

There are also many complimentary colors present that can usually be found side by side. This enhances the beauty and brilliance of each color beyond it's own capability. I see blues with oranges, purples with yellows, and greens with reds. This work is just so vibrant, bold, and "in your face." This is due to the composition that the artist did a masterful job of arranging. I have never seen a flower, or bouquet of flowers for that matter, that was quite this breathtaking. I love how this piece presents itself and I would gladly showcase it in my home or office : )

I love the parable of "The Prodigal Son." I found this picture on Elizabeth Bacon's profile. I enjoyed the picture and the wonderful music that was playing...I believe I heard some Newsboys. They are a good band, but anyways...

I love the angle at which this work is presented to the viewer. The horizon line looks as if it is slanting downward to the the right. I think this accomplishes a few things: My eyes seem to follow that line from left to right. It seems natural and comfortable like reading a book. I pass right by the focal point of this painting which is the weeping father's face. It also appears that the father's arms, while embracing his son, are at a similar angle to the landscape in the background. The background appears relatively plain. This may be on purpose as to not distract the viewer.

One thing that you can't avoid noticing is the emotion evoked by this depiction of a father hugging his son, let alone the parable that it represents. If you know the parable of "The Prodigal Son," then even more meaning floods your senses and maybe even your tear ducts. This isn't just your normal, every day hug. These two have gone through a lot and much time has passed since they last embraced. This represents repentance, forgiveness, family, humility, and much, much more.

I thought I would choose these two works because the one is so beautiful and in my opinion pretty simple in meaning (objective)and the other is so chalk full of meaning that you could probably write a novel just about its significance or how it makes you feel (subjective). I like them both for their simplicity and complexity, respectively. I had some fun playing "Analyze That!" : )

Analyze This!

Click the link below for a larger image!

http://utahpictures.com/images/Silver_Island/smPA260007.jpg

Watch the Magic

"Watch the magic!" is right. When I took these pictures I thought they looked exactly the same. It wasn't until I loaded it up on my computer that I saw the huge difference. The color change really is "magical." The photo on top was taken in the morning when it was a little overcast and the sun was barely peeking through the clouds. The photo on the bottom was taken in the afternoon on your average sunny day.

If you just take a look at each of the individual colors you can see the difference really is night and day. O.K., they were both taken during the day, but you get what I mean...Sheesh! Light truly does directly affect color in a big way. When you have very little light on an overcast day the colors seem more pure/vibrant. You can see the bark is nearly orange in the picture on the top and a light tan in the picture on the bottom. The slide on top is your typical primary color red and on the bottom it is a pale, faded red. In the first, the canopies look almost teal and in the other they appear green. The most obvious complimentary colors that I could see in the first picture are the blue and orange that make up the canopy and bark respectively. In the second picture your eyes seem to shift to the red/green complimentary colors. You can go a step further and analyze the change in color and light in the grass, sky, houses in the background, etc., but these are the ones that stood out to me the most.

I was also really surprised at the huge difference in the shadows found in each photo. The photo on top has shadows that are very hard to make out and they appear directly underneath each individual piece of the playground. To the contrary, the picture on the bottom has very distinct shadows that seem elongated and stretch behind the play structure. I was amazed at this transformation. It almost appears as if I took these two pictures ten years apart after the play structure had faded from the sun instead of how it really played out and the play structure is brand new and the pictures were taken a day apart.

Wow this was crazy! I'm crazy! I even took some additional pictures that I found kind of neat for your viewing pleasure : )

Gladiator

This is a charcoal drawing that my brother Todd drew a while ago. It has always been one of my favorites. It is a re-creation of the movie cover of the 1992 boxing movie entitled "Gladiator" starring James Marshall and Cuba Gooding Jr. Let me know what you think and here is a little plot summary in case you want to watch the movie : )...

A story of two teenagers trapped in the world of illegal underground boxing. One is fighting to save his father's life by using the money to pay off the gambling debts his father accumulated. The second is fighting for the money to get out of the ghettos. While being exploited by a boxing promoter the two teens become friends. An explosive ending puts the two friends in the ring against each other in a fight for survival.