An ode to Manet
This scene is based upon our local bakery, and inspired by Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère. Petxina (pronounced ‘Pechina’) is a neighborhood of Valencia. The bakery is around the corner from us.
Art
Family portraits
Portraits of members of my family.
Her first name was really Sebastiana, an Italian name, but she went by Diana since around 1928. She was born in Brooklyn. Her sister was born in Sicily, probably Partanna where her father, my grandfather, was born.
Mathew, as we knew him, was born in Partanna, Sicily. He was our uncle. He came to the US around 1914. His last name differs however. I obtained his birth certificate. Unlike the others, the parents names are not stated. We have no idea who his father was.
Camillo was born in Marsala, Sicily (yes, home of the famous wine). My brother says his hair was not curly as I have depicted it. He died during WWII while at work at the Brooklyn shipyards. I found his death certificate, upon which my mother’s first names were both used. I needed this to show the Italian consulate that Diana and Sebastiana were the same person. This allowed me to claim Italian citizenship.
These next two are my more creative and less realistic portraits of older relatives
Banda de Valencia, dynamic woman conducts
I have never seen a woman conduct a band or orchestra. At the concert on February 4, 2020 we were treated to her skillful conducting and for me her fabulous gestures. Too bad it was too dark to draw. In addition, there were two composers in the audience whose work was performed by the Banda de Valencia, a symphonic band (no violins).
Beatriz Fernandez Aucejo trained locally first as a clarinetist and in Murcia to the south of Valencia as a conductor. She’s conducted numerous bands in Spain. She often flashed a great smile at the band as she conducted while she almost danced her intentions to the musicians.
Santiago Quinto Serna and Vincente Ortiz Gimeno were in the audience. The band performed the former’s Un Deber de Amor . There are numerous performances on youtube. Here’s one
They performed Serna’s Rapsodia Hernandiana
These two pieces are representative of modern Spanish composition. Valencia is an internationally recognized center for music composition, especially for symphonic bands. In the province there are about 600 symphonic bands, many of whom annually come to Valencia to compete.
Color!
What is uniquely mine comes from what it means to be me somehow. Sometimes even I can not emulate me, some of the colors I have mixed I can not quite duplicate. These colors are a mixture of what I have learned academically and my flying by the seat of my pants, pure instinct for fuel.
Croquis Cafe
Croquis Cafe is an ode to Edward Hopper’s Sunlight In a Cafeteria. Strong lines are offset by soft figures. Unlike the loneliness of a Hopper scene, here we have activity and movement in an art cafe. “Croquis” is the French for sketch.
Into the Night Sky
From the story of Julio and Alicia in El Gran Hotel. The story takes place in turn of the century Spain. Julio looks for his missing sister at the Hotel, finding work as a waiter. He finds a sympathetic ear in Alicia, who is forced to wed a crooked partner of her parents. In the ethos of the time Alicia must not wed below her status as a well to do heiress. She finds this secret room in the hotel, hidden between two guest suites. Here they meet. I did a version in chiaroscuro here http://garyjkirkpatrick.com/couple-views-eclipse-from-bed-in-chiaroscuro/
Dos Amigas
A rendition of Peg with our Spanish friend Sari.
Sketches from England
We stayed at a friend’s house in this small town in England near Cambridge, where they filmed episodes of Inspector Morse, a popular British detective show from the 1980’s or 90’s. It was a farm house converted to a residence, with much charm. It was heated by the huge kitchen stove with water circulating to both floors. Outside a fox would visit, looking for a meal of old cat whom we were there to care for. Our friends were off for a long trip to southeast Asia, gone for the month. We had use of their car, which we used to get to the train for the trip into London, which allowed us to see a few plays and see the museums again.
Avec Ma Fille a Paris
With
Avec Ma Fille a Paris, With My Daughter in Paris. At Notre Dame
The Screams- Solitary Confinement in Lithuania
The Screams- Solitary Confinement in Lithuania was done during our visit to Lithuhania. This scene is from the Gestapo/Soviet detention and torture facility. This nightmare is the solitary confinement chamber just barely bog enough for one person and was probable kept very dark. It’s torture without leaving a mark on your body.
I write more about it here: http://www.garyjkirkpatrick.com/the-specter-of-russia/