April Notes - 2024
Trish Matute, owner of Ellio Fine Arts, working with the crew from Skanska about the placement of the commissioned artwork.
THE ALMOND TREE COMMISSION
When you make a painting for a specific location there is an extra dimension added to your work, another layer of alchemy, whereby your contribution is mixed with that of an architect or designer to combine into a vision that is greater than each of its parts. It is a massive collaboration, yet the principals ofter are not working directly together. Each of us has to convey our vision with enough clarity that the next person can enter the space and know what is called for — what the missing piece is that only they can provide.
It is alchemy on steroids.
When I looked at the plans for the lobby of Skanka’s 1550 Building in Houston, I saw that it had sweeping views of the park, a large open lobby with lots of natural light that acts as a funnel leading to the elevator bay that bring people to their place of work. My painting was to be placed at the end of the bay. It is a transition point in the building — a portal.
The architect Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG)s talked about bringing the outside in and had specifically shown interest in the motif of a flowering tree. But what most people respond to in this painting is not its “treeness,” but rather the way the painting captures and reflects the light in the space. With that in mind, it seemed strange to me that the painting was going to hang in a recessed space that doesn’t get much natural light. This painting doesn’t need natural light to produce its effect. Sometimes when all the light in the room is turned off, it picks up the glimmer of ambient light. It can be mesmerizing.
This made me realize that as a portal and transition to a more private space, the painting need not read like the outdoors, but more like a magic inner space, something more private, more contemplative, like a tree house in moon light.
When people ask me how long it takes me to do a painting, they are mostly thinking of the time I spend at the canvas. But creation doesn’t start there. It often begins with an event, or a series of events that coalesce into combinations of color and brush strokes that evolve after many iterations. This is the full creation story of this almond tree painting.
HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: PAIRINGS - STEVE PAXTON AND GLENN GOULD
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to stand forehead to forehead with the person next to us. This felt extremely awkward and many head butts ensued. But as you stilled yourself and concentrated on the task at hand, your mind focused just on the spot of connection. We were instructed to move only when we felt moved to. Sometimes at that point you would inadvertently disconnect and another head butt followed. Head butts are painful even when they are unintentional, and your mind quickly refocuses. This helped you identify both the level of concentration and the feeling of connectedness needed to move forward. Being present was the most important thing.
Paxton also taught us was how to fall. When your partner is about to take a fall, your instinct is to grab them. Often that will lead to an injury. What you need to do is assist the fall. Instead of grabbing your partner, it may make more sense to extend your leg so they can roll down it to the floor. Not only is your partner protected, but you haven’t disrupted the dance.
In our process, no steps were learned, no routines worked out, no choreography. You connected to your partner, you maintained connection and the connection directed how you moved.
The Goldberg Variation is a piece Paxton did using Glen Gould’s recording of Bach. He is dancing without a partner, but soon you see how he has connected to the architecture in the room, the light through the windows, Glenn Gould’s voice as he plays, and the video camera.
One of the things I love about the piece is how Glen Gould’s voice seems like such a welcome part of the piece, as though he is speaking directly to Steve. Gould was famous for vocalizing during his recordings, which always seemed terribly annoying. Paxton could have used someone else’s recording, but he didn’t . It is as though Paxton touched heads with Gould and this is with happened.
[click on the image to see the video]
FROM THE LIBRARY : THE INTIMATE JOURNALS OF PAUL GAUGUIN
“This is not a book,” is the first sentence of Gauguin’s personal journal. Ah, but it is, although it is not a pipe. There are both wonderful and tragic revelations in this book. We learn of Gauguin's first stay in Paris in 1876, and his initial encounter with Impressionism, his tumultuous relationship with van Gogh when they lived and painted together in Arles, his pithy evaluations of Degas, Cèzanne, Manet, and other artists; his opinion of art dealers and critics (poor), and much more. He recounts the night Van Gogh cut off his ear. And his astonishment that Van Gogh’s favorite painter was Messonier, who is famous for his paintings of the Napoleonic Wars.
I love first hand accounts, no matter how inaccurate. I also enjoyed The Diary of Julie Manet, Berthe Morisot’s daughter. She describes a summer spent with the Renoir’s after her parents had died. Renoir would take her painting with him. It made me feel more kindly toward Renoir, whose painting, in general, makes my teeth ache.
ART SPOTLIGHT: FRESH THOUGHTS
Fresh Thoughts, 10 inches x 10 inches, oil paint and acrylic markers on panel
UPCOMING : WHO’S AFRAID OF A CHEAP OLD HOUSE
A couple of my paintings are making their acting debut on WHO’S AFRAID OF A CHEAP OLD HOUSE? which premieres on @hgtv on Tuesday, May 14th at 10pm with episodes continuing on Tuesdays at 7PM after that.
In WHO’S AFRAID OF A CHEAP OLD HOUSE?, you’ll see eight ✨ truly epic ✨ before and after transformations of cheap old houses, and meet eight families who are realizing the dream of home ownership for under $150,000! Do you want to see old houses loved and restored on TV?! How about a cheap old church for $99,000?! A long lost Victorian ($32,000, whaaaaa?!). A $100,000 Odd Fellows hall along a canal with a ballroom?! In a full weekly hour of old house eye candy, @cheapoldhouses will rip off the vinyl siding to reveal stunning historic exteriors, peel away layers of paint, and restore hardwood floors all while using the tools in our preservation toolkit to help these 💎 shine once more, with help from our faaaaabulous teammates @jls.lifestyle + @savingoldhouses 💛