Saturday, February 28, 2015

Mothers and Children of Jose Vives-Atsara



Before the iconic landscape paintings of Brackenridge Park and the Texas Missions, highly stylized palette knife floral, and the animated art residency lecture series at Incarnate Word College, his powerful and political client base drove his international reputation.  Early in his artistic career and living in several countries including Spain, Venezuela, and Mexico City, Jose Vives-Atsara struggled financially.  With a charismatic and colorful personality, and a personal drive to economically care for his growing family, Vives-Atsara befriended many.  In the varied environments he found himself, he discovered an eclectic array of visual stimulus.  
Living in Mexico City, Mexico from 1949-1956, he found inspiration in the people, the culture, and the aura of the open air markets. 

Here, Vives-Atsara worked on a series of portraits in the mid 1950’s. Although he was a traditional based artist, painting landscapes, still-lifes and florals; his representations were seemingly different. The portraits took on a more raw quality, a less refined appeal, giving grace to the constant challenges of a landscape painter to project a portrait painting. None- the- less, Vives-Atsara continued to explore this genre and was unrelenting in his need to capture the essence of the people he loved and pride for this new country he called home.  However, not as refined as his Texas based paintings, the portraits give us a chance to see how the shortcomings of an artist yearning to paint people produce such dynamic, almost naïve portraitures.   Although his portraits do not demand the $20,000- $60,000 prices his large landscapes and floral receive.  They are a great addition to any collection.  They are a stable art market investment and have continued appreciation value.
Two paintings that are now only beginning to gain buzz in the contemporary social norms of woman’s right to choose, pay equality, public breastfeeding and other re-evaluations of gender based norms are Vives-Atsara’s Mother and Child and Madre Indigena.

Vives-Atsara’s motherly depictions are spot-on with a glowing aura of elegance; as public feedings, no less controversial, move within the women’s right to choose and her child rearing choices and actions in the public sector.

Mother and Child is a side profile portrait of a woman with her child. While facing to the left, the woman’s angle directs us down to the bundled child.  The slope of the vegetation and agave plants in the background align with the sweeping features of woman’s body, exposed flesh-nursing her young. We are directed along with visual route down through the pale blue coverings of the baby’s hood and jacket; pausing at the closed eyes.  We can sense the calming of the innocent child during the sacred feeding and natural nourishment.



Madre Indigena, is a celebration of motherhood, but with an opposite compositional angle to Mother and Child. A woman and her baby share an embrace that illustrates the seemingly mundane daily routines of two individuals, caught up in their own symbiotic relationship - locked together for life and death importance.  In the painting we see and acknowledge one needing the other for life, for substance; a nurturing of spiritual and metaphysical essence.  We as observers see the endearing grin of the mother, looking down to the child; reminiscent of a religious experience . Vives-Atsara’s setting, backdrop and environment in this painting speak to the proletariat, the worker in the field, the peasant and the Mercado worker; a public display of endearment that meets with mixed reactions depending on the viewing geography.

While both can lay the groundwork for discussion, each maintains and depicts the underlying womanly obligations, a chastise-able action by some, but painted with undeterred nobility.

Take time to appreciate Jose Vives-Atsara’s portrait series with an open mind.  An artist’s desire to create knows no boundaries.  When he found inspiration in what he saw, Vives-Atsara took that to the studio.  Enchanted with the people and their ethnic diversity, he painted broad noses, thick hair, utilitarian garb, and strove to portray the social hierarchy.  In his paintings, we see aspects of indigenous facial characteristics of these nameless people, but also familiar traits of our own Texas cultures.  Art is Universal, and in these rare portraits, Jose Vives-Atsara gives us a chance to see that.

© Gabriel Diego Delgado/ J.R. Mooney Galleries


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

The Hawk and Artist, Aldo Luongo

Aldo Luongo  and “The Hawk”

J.R. Mooney Galleries, Boerne is proud to present three new giclées by Argentinean artist Aldo Luongo.  All three feature the white wiry haired character known as “The Hawk,” who was created in tribute to his father, Rafael Luongo’s memory, who passed away sometime in the 1970’s. 

The artist and his own father had a strained relationship while he was alive, which might have led to some unresolved issues needing to be addressed and hence the necessity of the conception of “The Hawk.”  His father’s most iconic and defining traits were the impetus to breathe life into this character upon the canvas. He is also an envisioning of what his father would have been like had he been able to live out his remaining years into his seventies and beyond. 



Over time, “The Hawk” started to epitomize more of an ideal character, a man that is charismatic, jovial and living the life well lived, and eventually becoming Luongo’s own design of how he would like to be.  In Luongo’s own words, “he has only 10 or 15 minutes left on the clock of life…but he’s living life to the fullest and going out in style…I want to be like him in my twilight years.” 


“The Hawk” serves as a reminder in the artist’s paintings to enjoy all of life’s pleasures, as they are fleeting.  The Hawk usually dominates the picture plane and is the focal point of the composition; wherever he is, he is usually displaying a vivacious grin and is rarely without a glass of spirits in his hand.  He is living on his own terms and beckoning the viewer to do so as well.     


Each reproduction immaculately exhibits Luongo’s masterful use of gestural brushwork and shows why he has been a successful award winning artist for four decades.  He is the consummate modern day Post-Impressionist whose career has been punctuated with splendid highlights and notable distinctions.  He has had the luminous esteem of being an official artist for the World Cup Games and Olympics for Summer 1988, Summer 1996, and Winter 2002.  


The White House has commissioned him twice to paint wooden eggs for their official Easter Egg Hunt; these creations eventually became part of the Smithsonian Institute’s permanent collection.  While his originals may demand upwards to tens of thousands of dollars; these high quality giclée reproductions are an accessible opportunity for the collector to acquire some of Luongo’s artistry.   

  

-©Katherine Shevchenko Art Consultant/Framing Designer, Boerne


For viewing and purchase inquiries call or visit J.R. Mooney Gallery, Boerne.
305 South Main Street, Suite 400
Boerne, TX 78006

830-816-5106 

Enlightened and Reaching For the Sky

Enlightened and Reaching For the Sky

    “If I can share the beauty and what I feel inside about it to somebody else through my art, then that’s a success.”

-Sidney Sinclair

    
  In anticipation of a new year of art making, Boerne artist Sidney Sinclair needed to define and pinpoint a thematic essence she would channel into her paintings for her “Dyad” Exhibition with fellow artist Bill Scheidt.  Known for her traditional landscapes and abstract crosses, she pondered what direction she would take and had an epiphany about merging abstraction elements into her traditional landscapes, which became one of the unifying cruxes of her current body of work.  Sinclair clarifies, 

“I want to see if I can mix them a little bit…have some abstraction within some of the representational pieces.  I’m not sure how that’s going to work out until I get in there and try, but I’ve started.”  

The abstract painting Enlightened and the landscape Reaching for the Sky are two paintings that on the surface appear different in so many ways, but they are forged in tandem with emotive elements of color and composition that are used to impart to the viewer the extraordinariness of life.           
   
  Enlightened is an abstract cross painting that is a detour from her traditional color palette that she utilized previously, which inhabited a golden realm of celestial yellows and earthy tones with hint of other rainbow hues.  This painting enraptures one in the cooler spectrum of deep tones of violet and purple and swaths of intense magenta. The off center composition of the cross has a presence, with its textural fragments dissipating into the background and creating an ethereal ambiguity.  



There are metallic accents of gold that cause the eye to travel around the picture plane,
highlighting the defragmentation of this cross as its boundaries become less defined by the textural applications.   Regarding the different approaches to execution between abstract and traditional, “The piece takes over and it evolves into its own self and so, that part, you really can’t explain.”  
    
Reaching for the Sky, a landscape oil painted in early 2015, is in a traditional, representational style that depicts a peaceful embankment of trees and a river that is gently meandering through.  In this vertically oriented landscape, the sky is the main player in the composition, its dominating presence limitless, with clouds that are loftily present in the expanse of muted blues and subtle periwinkle.  They are levitating delicately, vibrating with warm yellows and subtle accents of rose pinks.  At once, one feels kinship with this peaceful drama and is drawn into the painting.  Gazing at the clouds one begins to see and feel the similarities between the two paintings.


     Unfettered, the clouds are columns of vaporous hues that reach skyward, reflecting the glory of the hidden sun.  Within Enlightened, there is an immediacy of an emotional eternity expressed by the dynamic vivid colors that are also omnipresent in the tranquil vista of Reaching for the Sky

 There is a diaphanous palette that is painted in a more intuitive manner within the clouds in Sinclair’s sky.  These clouds do not reflect the light of an objective reality, but more of the ramifications of the internal psyche; this is where the intersection of the ‘old and new’ has subtly dawned.  Even though Sinclair has just begun this new era of experimentation, the core tenet remains the same, despite the genre of the piece: 

“-Any kind of art that I do, I’m going to be expressing myself, what I see and feel that just surrounds me and hope that I can impart that to someone that’s looking at it.”
      
Genuinely, Sinclair’s objective aims to communicate the shared human experience, the
embodiment of the “specialness of life” no matter what genre she is employing at the moment, and that is what unites her work in spirit.  As this journey of experimentation unfolds she is striving to bridge her two distinct styles in an attempt to forge ahead, to connect with her audience her vision of the world as she sees it.

©Katherine Shevchenko, 
Art Consultant/Framing Designer
-J.R. Mooney Galleries, Boerne TX
Feb. 2015

 See Sidney Sinclair’s work in person, on view at J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art, Boerne  TX.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

SAVE THE DATE March 14, 2015 Thomas Arvid live in the gallery- Boerne, Texas




For Immediate Release:

J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art and the Boerne Wine Company is proud to announce the Art Exhibition and Event: “Sip and Sign-The Redux” with International Photo-realism painter, Thomas Arvid.

Join J. R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art ~Boerne  on March 14, 2015 at 4 pm – 8pm as they feature “Thomas Arvid  - Sip and Sign, The Redux, a solo spotlight exhibition of new mixed media original paintings and giclee reproductions. Thomas Arvid will be on hand to do a ‘meet and greet’ with gallery patrons and sign gallery purchases.

This celebratory one night affair will include a unique opportunity to purchase limited-edition and hand-signed Glicee prints and mixed media originals of the Wine Bottle and Glasses painting series of Thomas Arvid.

--“Arvid is passionate about art and wine: a collector of both, he strives to capture the pleasure of a life well-lived on each canvas. The self-taught artist insists that wine should be approachable; his paintings are an embodiment of the casual way that we enjoy wine today.”                                    
                                                                                                         - (Artist Website: www.thomasarvid.com)

 Who:
J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art, Boerne

What:
Thomas Arvid spotlight hanging of original artwork and reproduction, plus a ‘meet and greet’ with the artist

When:
Opening : Saturday, March 14, 2014, 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Free and open to the Public

Where:
JR Mooney Galleries, Boerne
305 S. Main St Boerne, TX 78006   ph. 830-816-5106


J. R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art / 305 S. Main / Boerne, TX. 78006 / 830-816-5106

Friday, February 6, 2015

Cheap Gas and the Arts



New edition of the Boerne Business Monthly and a monthly column titled: "Mooney Makes Sense"


In this edition, I address the oil and gas prices and its affect on the art market. 






Cheap Gas
-Good prices for consumers,
but bad news for oil field workers and the arts.


As of January 20, 2015, Baker Hughes has announced the lay-offs of about 7,000 employees, falling in line with Schlumberger who is cutting 9,000 jobs, and Apache who has already cut hundreds of employees. Energy giant, Halliburton has commented, “…we will make adjustments to the cost of structure of our business as needed.” All casualties of the continued fall of oil prices The fact is the price of oil has dropped more than 50% in a year and this has not only affected the workers in the oil field but the trickle down economy; leisure spending included, and specifically the South Texas Art market.


The continued decline in oil barrel prices over the last six months has produced a shift of spending habits in the regional art market. Many of the top art collector, aficionados and purchasers who are heavily vested in the oil and gas industry have cut back on spending, meaning fewer sales in the galleries and art studios. The January 2015 Kiwanis Western Art and Heritage Exhibition’s attendance and sales can be attributed to this factor, among others. We look to the March madness of the Briscoe Western Art Museum’s “Night of the Artist” exhibition to see if the trend continues. With multi-million dollars in sales anticipated for the signature one night event, only time will tell how well our regional economic health will deter financial outcomes for this museum.


However, locally there are several complex financial factors mixing the muddy waters. On the gallery level many pendulums are swinging in full force. With anticipation of needing cash or assets to offset the decrease in royalties and direct income, some collectors are looking to sell or consign choice items from their collections, giving in to cash and looking to wait out the oil price fluctuations. This in turn releases unique art troves into the aftermarket that would not ordinarily be available, allowing others to possibly own an investment item. These sellers anticipate they will need the money, so by liquidating some lower to mid-level art pieces, they can cash in on the stable art market and be more confident with their financial security.


On the other hand, those who want to diversify their portfolios are collecting their money out of the banks, out of the stock market and other volatile investments and capitalizing on the affordability of physical assets. The art market is perfect for this. The purchaser can see the stability in the art market as a positive. The resale market is alive and well, giving credit to a sound financial investment.
The forecasts for the oil industry range from the doomsday sayers to the optimistic purists. We see estimates for the next six months to the next six years. Nothing is set in stone and the foreign oil markets will continue impact the global drive supply and demand.


My advice, do not let this hamper your art experience. Purchase what you like, what you love and be comfortable in those acquisitions. In6 to 12 months, we will be writing a new national financial story, but the art value will still be there; whether it is metaphysically imposed by the purchaser or dictated by current art market appreciations.


Don’t be scared, enjoy the art around you, support your local artists, your local galleries and become patrons of the museums, cultural centers, and institutions. As for Oil prices, …”This too shall pass.”


© Gabriel Diego Delgado

Gallery Director, J.R. Mooney Galleries – Boerne.

 http://issuu.com/boernemag/docs/february_2015_bbmonline






Thursday, February 5, 2015

Ludwig Gschossmann


Ludwig Gschossmann
Born: Munich, Circa 1894
Died: Tegernesee, 1988

     Ludwig Gschossmann was known for his operatic ballroom scenes, landscapes and genre paintings that were done in an impressionistic style with understated elegant loose brush strokes and accents of vivid colors. He was born in either Strasbourg or Munich.  Various sources have recorded his birth year ranging from 1894, 1901, and 1913-1914.  Unfortunately, there are no official Munich birth records to document his actual birth place and year.

  Having spent his formative years in Wachau he went and studied to be a stage designer at art schools in Hamburg, Lübeck, and Augsberg.  He studied at the Munich Academy of Fine Arts, where his painting technique was academic during his early work, but became much looser as his artistic style matured.  His art was deeply influence by Otto Pippel, one of Germany’s most noted impressionist artists.


     He lived the majority of his life in Tegernsee, an idyllic town located on a lake shore nestled amid the Bavaria Alps, where he passed away in 1988.   

Above painting available for sale at J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art
Call 830-816-5106 for pricing details

UPDATE: PAINTING HAS SOLD

Ballroom Blitz




Christian Jereczek
Born: Berlin, Germany on November 7, 1935


      Artist Christian Jereczek’s journey as an artist began when he started training as a stone mason after World War II.  Artistic talent was apparent in young Jereczek during his masonry career which prompted him to study sculpture at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts.  During his studies he began to transition to painting in oils, while under the mentorship of renowned artists Professors Werner Seipel and Barum-Sekret in Frankfurt.  Travels and study throughout Europe fueled his artistic inspiration for his opulent paintings which encompass many genres.  His lavish ballroom and dancing scenes are alive with color, movement and active built up applications of paint that are is a hallmark of his signature style.  He still enjoys expressing his creativity in his sculptural works. Currently he lives in Munich, Germany.  

Above painting available for sale through J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art
Call 830-816-5106 for pricing details

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Podcast of artist Sidney Sinclair talk about her artwork for upcoming DYAD exhibition



**Listen to the newest

podcast recording by

J.R.Mooney

Galleries of Fine Art**


-In this new edition of "Mooney Makes Sense", Art Consultant and Framing Designer, Katherine Shevchenko interviews Boerne artist Sidney Sinclair about her upcoming two person spotlight exhibition titled:

 'The Cerebral Dichotomies' of the 

Boerne DYAD. 

Be sure to listen as Sidney tells us about her inspirations, her artistic career and passions that drive her artwork!!
OR
Click Here to Listen