SABATO, EL VEINTISEIS DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Just a reminder that the Creative Hawke's Bay Invitational Exhibition is finishing this Sunday at the Hastings City Art Gallery. Below is a detail on one of the works I have in the exhibition, Rectángulo De Tiempos Del Final (2009, Oil on wood and a leaf; scrimshaw and nails, 325mm x 770mm x 90mm).
The half head/half skull is a classic I've been using a lot recently, a pertinent symbol of mortality, copied from a very small German bone carving I saw at the Met in NYC. Since then, I've found many images of the half and half kind, some of the best are 19th century Italian wax sculptures, used as medical guide, I believe. The dodo is also a great symbol for mortality, first used at artschool in a set of drawings in 1997. I started reusing the dodo in my paintings in 2003. He's holding a bank note in his beak and is standing on Charlemagne's chalice.

VIERNES, EL VEINTICINCO DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
I am attempting (in vane, I might add at the moment) to photograph the majority of pages out of my 'resource books'. As we're leaving the bulk of our book collection in storage, I think I'll feel a bit lost without all those beautiful art tomes to leaf through. Although the majority of the books I'm photographing seem to be about Spanish Baroque painting and Mexican folk art, one of my most coveted books is 'Fra Angelico: The San Marco Frescoes' by Paolo Morachiello. I had to buy a hardback copy of this edition after visiting the cloisters at San Marco Chapel in Florence. A truely magnificent place that taught me alot about composition, pictorial space; colour and line.
Below is a couple of double page spreads of The Mocking of Christ by Fra Angelico. It has to be my favourite fresco ever - the disembodied hands and head, whipping and spitting at Christ is truely abstract in its concept. Throughout the book, are full scale detail reproductions of indivdual frescoes, making it the prefect resource book.
*yikes! I just checked out the book on Amazon and it's USD$695.00! I'm glad I bought it when I did*

JUEVES, EL VEINTICUATRO DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Friends of ours are selling their villa in Wellington and we checked out the photos of their abode. Like my penchant for looking through New Zealand House and Garden to see what art is hanging on the walls of the featured houses, I got a buzz seeing a few of my works on the walls on the website house-listing. Along with my work, there is a James Robinson woodcut, a Saskia Leek vinyl painting, Paul Maseyk bottles, Leigh Mitchell-Anyon photographs and a Simon Kaan print.

MIERCOLES, EL VEINTITRES DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
In an effort to make our move a bit more seamless, I've painted a couple of smaller versions of paintings I really like (that I've painted) to take over with me. They are tending to be direct scaled copies at present (as below: a copy of 'Half & Half, in stock at Mark Hutchins Gallery, Wellington), but of course things change subtly when scaled either up or down, so I've had to assess them, not only on their own merits as autonomous works, but also whether they have something of what the first work had, which of course is a dilemma as then you have to work out what it was about the original painting that you really liked.
I think this one is OK and I like it on a smaller scale, but I might make a few minor adjustments for my own sanity. I've given this one a different title though - between learning and reading up recently on the US constitution and assessing this painting compositionally, I thought the title 'Checks and Balances' would suit it. The scales are a good 'in' to the symbolism, but I couldn't bring myself to painting a blind-fold on the figure's face.

MARTES, EL VEINTIDOS DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
JAMES CASWELL TELLS IT LIKE IT IS: I received this email update the other day:

"...It's my belief that in a world of evaporating value...
ancient objects will forever maintain an importance.
Being genuine expressions of extinct cultural practices
and reflecting spiritual beliefs long disappeared,
they're products of vanished artistic traditions
whose significance will never diminish.

Though we're awash in contemporary ignorance and
venality they exist in a realm secure from our
near-sighted and narrow-minded modern society.
Drowning in mega-tons of worthless junk destined for
the dumpster, we're challenged to find anything that
truly expresses who we are and what we believe..."

This is one of Jim's harder-line commentaries, yet they are still words that resonate strongly with me as he's talking directly to my context and time. Rather than have a cry about it, isn't it better to realise that these are true words and, as purveyors of culture, work harder to make better images? When I read this email, it reminded me of a Smithsonian lecture by Dave Hickey about the evils of Creationism - ideas that he's been kicking around for a while, soon be be released in a new publication.
Anyway, below is an example of one of James' new listings on his website.

LUNES, EL VEINTIUNO DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Happy Winter Solstice! I've just finished a copy of a print I made in 2004 called 'Pictish Adam and Eve'. The print (left) was an etching but only made it to an edition of 5 as the 'creve bites' (I believe that's what they are called) weakened the etched lines and many of them collapsed, making for a very ugly print of missing lines, mottled tones and embossing rather than ink lines. This was caused by me using a needle to scribe the lines and having too many lines close together, weakening the 'proud' areas of the plate.
Someone was very interested in acquiring this image, but since the last print of the edition was sold in 2006, I decided to redraw the 'print' for them (right). I'm happy how it came out and I like the idea of a drawing mimicking a print rather than the other way around (a stigma that burdens printmaking). Even though I was constantly sharpening my pencil every 4 or 5 lines, I couldn't get the incredibly fine detail that is seen on the etching. I'd be happy to make single etching prints just to get the fine lines.
To accentuate the etching-look of the drawing, I added toned lines around the frame of the print to show where the edge of the plate is and also random lines and marks on the backdrop of the image to mimic the nuances of the original plate tone.

DOMINGO, EL VEINTE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Here's Matthew in front of Caravaggio's The Inspiration' and 'Marytrdom of St Matthew' at the San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, 2008. I got into the habit of walking into whatever looked like a church, to see what treasures it held. This one was one of the best surprises.
The paintings are lit by a simple lighting system that is activated by depositing a euro coin. I kind of prefered it in the dark as it probably gave a more of the impression of the figure coming out of the darkness / cavity deep in the picture plane. Frank Stella loves these paintings and uses them to illustrate his ideas of Working Space in his lecture series available in book format now.
It was, of course, hats off in the sacred space.

SABATO, EL DIECINUEVE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
CARAVAGGIO WAS FILLED FULL OF LEAD: Scientists discover Caravaggio's bones. Info here.

VIERNES, EL DIECIOCHO DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Opening Friday night in Wellington is Peter Ireland's exhibition, Return of the Native - Imagining Katherine Mansfield at Gilberd Marriott Gallery (1st floor, 37 Courtenay Place). The exhibition features 12 paintings relating to the influences on and of Mansfield in New Zealand and her displacement from her birthplace.
The works will be online on Peter's website midday Friday.

JUEVES, EL DIECISIETE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
A 'hidden' work. A retablo about Johnny Cash. Hidden, as it's a work that has and will never be exhibited.

MIERCOLES, EL DIESEIS DE JUNIO, VEINTE
GETTING GASSED- Thomas Kinkade, who I've posted on before here has been arrested on an alleged DUI felony. Here's the brilliant 'Endorized' image I posted earlier.

MARTES, EL QUINCE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
A new retablo, just completed. It's a monochrome and reversed version of this retablo I completed late last year. In the fashion of my last few posts, I guess the Christ figure should be called 'El Cristo del Gran Sello de los Estados Unidos de América', as the Christ figure is crucified on the partial remains of the obverse of the Great Seal. I've used the symbol on the reverse of The Great Seal many times, so I thought it would be good to tackle the more known symbol on the front. You can see past versions I tried here and here.
This painting is very much about moving overseas, as have been the last several works I've completed over the past month. Also, I've just about completed a work titled 'Checks and Balances'.

LUNES, EL CATORCE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
I've just discovered that there's a copy of El Cristo Negro de Esquipulas at St Elizabeth Parish in Oakland, California; about a half an hour BART ride from where we'll be living when we arrive in the USA. It will be great to see this copy until we get to travel to Guatemala to see El Cristo Negro in the Basilica de Esquipulas.

BELOW: Parishioners reverently lift the Black Christ, shrouded in
incense, into its permanent setting at St. Elizabeth Church
(photo by Jose Luis Aguirre)

DOMINGO, EL TRECE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Quiro Catano was the sculptor who carved the original Senor de Esquipulas in 1595. The inscription says 'In this illustrious city, the master of the colony, Quirio Catano, sculptor of the miraculous Black Christ of Esquipulas. For the eternal memory we give tribute: the committee of the fourth centenary with its headquarters in Esquipulas and to revisit'

SABATO, EL DOCE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Here is another version of El Cristo Negro, this one titled El Senor de Esquipulas, Esquipulas being the specific town in Guatemala where El Cristo Negro first appeared.
The script below the image says something to the effect of 'V.R. of the Miraculous Image of the Senor de Esquipulas who is venerated in the School of Santa Cruz of Queretaro'. The school or college of Santa Cruz (Saint Cross) of Queretaro was the first college established in Mexico to train priests and missionaries. The 'V.R.' at the start of the script is most likely a Latin abbreviation for 'Votum Ricevute' or 'Reciept' as many of the early Italian ex-votos often had the abbreviation G.R. (Grazie Ricevute) or V.F.G.A. (Votum Fecit Gratiam Accepit) which mean thanks for the graces or favours received or the votive gift done (and) the mercy has been received.
This particular retablo is available for purchase from Colonial Arts in San Francisco. If you're keen on the work, make sure you mention my name to James!

VIERNES, EL ONCE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
I painted the ex-voto on the left while in Las Vegas. I based the figure of Christ on an ex-voto I had recently purchased from Jim Caswell at Historia Antiques in Santa Monica. The Christ-figure is commonly known as El Cristo Negro, the origin coming from a vision of a dark-skinned crucified Christ in Guatamala in the 1500's. A crucifix of El Christo Negro was commissioned later that century in honour of the visitation. Another possible reason for the name is that years of worship in the tiny hut would have coated the crucifix with a patina of candle soot.
Unfortunately, the text on the ex-voto on the right, painted in 1940, has disintegrated as it was written in ink. This shows that the ex-voto was part of a production line of images painted, then the devotion was added at a later time, after the client had selected which saint to make their devotion to.

JEUVES, EL DIEZ DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Whoops, I missed my cue for this particular image: it's a detail of the poster for the Sex Pistols seminal gig at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. I was born on this day, 1976. Apparently in the crowd were the members of the soon-to-be Warsaw, who turned into Joy Division and to a lesser extent, Mick Hucknell from Simply Red. Needless to say, the effects of the Pistols playing in Madchester wasn't all positive.

MIERCOLES, EL NUEVE DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Over the past few weeks, I've been trying to collate and order a whole swathe of ephemera in amongst the packing and moving.
I found this article in my files and I believe, was the only reportage on my residency at Hospitalfield House in Arbroath, Scotland in 2003. It goes to prove that newspaper reportage cliches are endemic the world over.
I still keep in touch with Sarah Christianson, now living in California and exhibiting her photographs widely; I recently heard from Nicky Bird, that she was going to be NZ and Australia researching photographic archives. Unfortunately, I've lost contact with Henry, Jason and Woody.
At some point, in the not-to-distant future, I'm hoping to return to Arbroath and refamiliarise myself with Hospitalfield House (and its great director, Willie Payne) and the surrounds of Arbroath village.

MARTES, EL OCHO DE JUNIO, VEINTE-DIEZ
Here is the original image that I used as raw material for the previous post. I'm not sure when I saw the image for the first time, but it is reproduced in an Australian photographic catalogue called Mirror With A Memory, I think by Helen Ennis. I bought a copy of the catalogue at the National Portrait Gallery in Canberra while in holiday in Australia in 2003.

HAPPY QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY (EL SIETE DE JUNIO)
The closest I have to a 'royal' image - Pauline Hanson wrapped up in an Australian flag on a marble capital.
I can't remember what the title of this painting is, nor who owns it but it was shown as part of 'Panoramas and Painted Objects' at Janne Land Gallery, Wellington, 2001.