Gary J. Kirkpatrick Art and Travel Blog
Expressionistic art
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 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.
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/
A rendition of Peg with our Spanish friend Sari.
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.
With
Avec Ma Fille a Paris, With My Daughter in Paris. At Notre Dame
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/
This adds to my series of paintings echoing Van Gogh. The lark makes an appearance in the scrumbly, swilley sky as brightly dressed visitors head for the field.
When the local local mussels are in, Valencianos dig in! Called ‘Clóchinas, they are smaller than most of the also excellent mussels we get all year long from Galicia. They can be a bit saltier than the Galician variety, farmed in the fjords of that province, as they grow in saltier water and on the Mediterranean versus the Atlantic Ocean.
Its cultivation started in the late nineteenth century on two rafts in the port of Valencia. Now they are grown farther out as the port has grown. There is a current that keeps the farm waters clean. They hang onto ropes slung from the sides of old barges, similar to how it is done in Galicia.
They are prepared very simply, usually with just some garlic cloves in the steamer, with lemon juice squeezed over the cooked clóchinas. There is no need to add salt.
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