Chris De Dier

Address Change

2011-02-04T08:51:00.000-06:00

Due to compatibility issues and wider possibilities at the competition, I have moved my blog to WordPress. You can continue following my posts at http://chrisdedier.wordpress.com/
Hope to see you there soon. Thanks!

Black Gold

2010-11-21T14:02:00.001-06:00

The thought for this painting began a few months ago when the BP oil disaster was in full swing. Assigning various gods for recurring purposes that affect the quality of our lives is a lost tradition. Here is another one of my submissions to The Hall Of Gods, pending to be patented and endowed with a slot for receiving limitless financial gifts. Maybe that's what this series will be called.... and certainly what it needs.

This is The Good God Of Petroleum Disasters - there certainly will be more to come - but I wrote it in French in the painting because it sounds better than in English. His crown is adorned by oil rigs, pumps and towers; he spits oil through the mouth that rains down into a polluted ocean, coated in brown oil slick. The horizon is obscured by a thick fog of petrochemical fumes. The image of the god is modeled after a small bronze sculpture of Roman origin that is in The Getty Villa in Malibu, CA.
The theory around it is similar to the explanations in the preceeding posts on this blog.

The collage part is paper on paper and the actual painting is a build-up of layers of gouache, watercolor, ink, acrylic paint, graphite, pastel, charcoal, wax and whatever else I can't think of anymore. Some areas have been rubbed with steelwool to partly reveal covered layers. I like the texture in close-up. The object is the proven trick of creating enough mystique and confusion around it, so that the Divinity of it just becomes a natural conclusion.
As always, feel free to click on the images if you like to see them larger. And again, generous donations are strongly encouraged.... gods are hungry for currency or precious metals and need to be appeased, or else....!

The Oil God mixed media and collage on paper 11.5" X 26.5" Chris De Dier

The Oil God - detail

Who Needs Heaven?

2010-11-11T16:32:00.017-06:00

“If a man needs a religion to conduct himself properly in this world, it is a sign that he has either a limited mind or a corrupt heart.” Ninon de l'Enclos (1620 - 1705)

This concise perspective leaves a lot uncovered about the problem of sordid human character finding refuge behind religion, but certainly continues to firmly hold its clear value to this day.

Below is a study for a painting that I am currently working on. It depicts the Holy Spirit who, after centuries of solitude in an empty Heaven, has finally committed sin, thus succumbing to the unattainable rigors of His own rules for allowance into Heaven. By doing so His white plumage turned a dark color and He is now abandoning Heaven just in time before digital obliteration prevents escape.

Out Of Heaven mixed media and collage on paper 13" X 24" Chris De Dier

Out Of Heaven - detail

The Creation

2010-11-09T17:14:00.001-06:00

The left side of this work illustrates the the creation of death by the Wholy Spirit God.

     In the beginning, God created Heaven and Earth.
     The Earth was rugged and covered in darkness.
     And the Wholy Spirit of God hovered in the dark,
     And God said: "Let there be Death"; and with that, death was created.
     And God saw the death, and was pleased with it.

The right side is an interpretation of digital fragmentation of such information. Different components and impulses leading to the formation of a story, passed on by generation after generation, until finally written down and accepted as "truth". But in actuality it is nothing but a belief of what may happen or what it could look like. Both are man-made and take on a life of their own. They are ideas that are translated into words, then translated into images, then translated into digital pixels.It does not matter what it is because it only matters what we believe it is.

The Creation mixed media and collage on paper 10.5" X 32" Chris De Dier

The Creation detail

The Pattern

2010-11-03T15:47:00.004-06:00

The expression "weaving a story" was totally unknown to me until about five years ago when I heard it used for the first time. I still think it is peculiar, but it serves my current artistic direction perfectly.
The Bible, being a collection of stories - and considering stories are woven - I use weaving patterns as the grid on which this series of work is founded.
The second layer in this collage represents fragmentations caused by the differing and contradicting interpretations of these stories by varied factions. They are scattered, broken up and in random order because they fail to make sense in the natural order of logic reasoning that is based on scientific fact. The robotic figure represents mankind, the human-centric dogma of the Christian faith and the entire theory of Intelligent Design.

The Fragmentation Of Intelligent Design II mixed media collage 22" X 30" Chris De Dier

The Fragmentation Of Intelligent Design III mixed media collage 22" X 30" Chris De Dier

Intelligent Design

2010-09-13T17:12:00.006-05:00

When the concept of an idea takes on its own direction during the execution and creates an entirely different result, it’s a most satisfying development to me. For weeks I had been thinking about how best to transform a small mixed media painting into larger dimensions by adding a meaningful counterbalance of some sort, in an attempt to elevate an otherwise reasonable image into a more substantial art project. When the idea finally had developed in my mind, and I started tracing it out on paper, it turned into a self-contained work that is still relevant to the series of works that I am creating lately, yet in an entirely different movement of design.

This work represents the origin of the controversial concept of “Intelligent Design”. Whatever opinion one holds about it, this is the representation of how it started…. scattered impulses start to form structured unity. The relationship between the pieces is not clear yet and still disorganized, a ramble of incoherent transmitters. But there is the idea of the human creature forming. The viewer decides whether it continues to develop into belief or crumbles into rejected abandonment.

The human prototype that I used is a bone-setting mannequin, believed to be invented by Hieronymus Fabricius (1537-1619), Italy’s foremost surgeon in the late 16th Century who devised operations for tying arteries and correcting spinal deformities.

The Fragmentation Of Intelligent Design I mixed media collage 22" X 30" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

Holy Cow

2010-09-01T12:32:00.001-05:00

The need of the primitive mind for supernatural help, support, guidance, etc. has fuelled human creativity throughout history and is one of the richest and most ancient sources for anthropological studies. Different cultures came up with their own individual interpretations about the origin and destiny of the Universe and of humankind. Even today, scientists have not assembled all the pieces of the puzzle yet, although with the help of phenomenal advances in technology during the last decades, they’re getting closer to a logical theory that is based on fact rather than fantasy. Where will that leave the Gods? Will there still be a place for them in our cultures? Will they still have any influence over our cultures? And how will changing beliefs shape the creative expressions of artists when those times arrive?
As this series of current artworks further develops, I suddenly realize how deep contemporary culture is ingrained in my/our way of thinking and how difficult it can be to break through the boundaries that limit our perceptions. In religious iconography for example, to stay within the subject: looking at depictions of Aztec or Mayan Gods, it takes an effort to understand the visual information that they provide. What we nowadays experience as alien, was accepted as very normal and clear to the people of that culture. How does one transfer the mind seeing the world as they did? Is it even possible?

Devine Bovine mixed media on paper 9" X 8" Chris De Dier
availabale from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

Mortal Idol

2010-08-23T08:38:00.001-05:00

This painting started with a laurel crown made of gold, displayed at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. It probably was worn by a Roman Emperor with the title of Augustus meaning the elevated or divine one, somewhat less than a god but approaching divinity. It's a step lower than what was bestowed on Egyptian rulers, but I would be plenty happy with it already. Nevertheless, each direct descendant of a God that came to rule and/or convert the Earth, died just the same as all other ordinary creatures, no exceptions. What happened there?
As such, I placed a stylized adaptation of that beautiful and finely crafted laurel crown on a human skull, between the inscriptions God Is Dead, and There Is No God, loosely derived from the traditional British procalamation: The King is dead. Long live the King (which actually originated in France in 1422). The black background and crossed bones can be interpreted as symbolizing the collapse of a rich civilisation, freefalling into the Dark Ages; as a warning of the increasing fragility of our current lifestyles. There you have it.

God Is Dead mixed media 10" X 8" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

Bovine God

2010-08-17T13:15:00.002-05:00

Popular belief - voluntary or enforced - decides the faith in and of individual gods. Through the ages, they've come and gone like so many human celebrities, albeit with a longer lifespan. Their religions share similar characteristics with languages in how they evolve, merge, split into different factions, adopt alien influences, eventually disappear into forgotten meaning and importance, etc.
Religious iconography is distinctively interesting and often quite creative. Ancient cultures in particular had fun with it. It has become a rather stagnant art in our time.
I have used imagery of such artifacts in some of my work, not in an attempt to make any particular statement, but to use the same creative origin in different variations. Bovine deities have held important positions in different cultures. Here is my own version of one... a divine decapitated bull's head hovers in a starred golden sky, bleeding liquid gold, filling a calm ocean below, thus creating a new world... as good as any other story.

On The First Night God Bled Gold mixed media on paper 10" X 8" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

A Different View On A View

2010-08-13T08:39:00.003-05:00

Same subject and basically same composition as the smaller painting in the preceding post directly below,... different treatment. In this larger format, I emphasized the formality and order of the landscape design and how its intelligently studied proportions manage to perfectly harmonize with nature. That is exactly why this view gained so much fame and continues to draw admiration through the centuries: great art is timeless.
This painting captures the landscape designer's intent by offereing a softer view than the smaller study provided.
The view is from the upstairs rooms at the Palais de Versailles.

The View oil on canvas 30" X 40" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

Civilized Garden

2010-08-12T11:50:00.001-05:00

Even after more than 300 years since its conception, one can only admire the composed grand vista offered by the "backyard" of the Palais de Versailles.
At the time when it was designed and created, the immensity of the project was supposed to underscore the control that humankind held over nature and how harnessing wild forest into symmetry and order reflected the power of king and government. Seen under the vastness of a hot summer sky, however, it shows that nature still prevails.

Les Jardins de Versailles I oil on panel 8" X 10" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. US$225.00 + $20.00 s/h

Opium Anyone?

2010-08-09T08:49:00.001-05:00

Don't get excited... or nervous, depending on your inclination. This is only announcing a painting of an immense field with poppies and a distant mountain range on the horizon. And as usual in my work, it's not as much about the subject as it is a study or composition of eroding forms and colors under heavy atmospheric conditions; another perfect example of what I mean by painting transitive blinks.

Poppy Fields oil on canvas 36" X 36" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

The Biggest Loser

2010-08-06T10:46:00.001-05:00

Blame it on the economy, I guess? This commissioned painting hung for almost 2 months in the lobby of a newly renovated office building in downtown Austin until it became clear that the invoice wasn't going to be paid. As many businesses and self-employed people remain in surival mode, it was no pleasant news that this long anticipated sale wasn't going to materialize. However, in the end it remains to be seen who lost the most. No doubt the painting will eventually find another happy home, but what will ever happen to that wall?

Pebbles, in its intended space, was created after consultation with the interior designer to harmonize
with the planned materials and furnishings. I heard it will be replaced with a plant.

Pebbles oil on canvas 60"x60" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

The Devil's Saddle

2010-08-05T18:18:00.001-05:00

Montclus is a well-preserved medieval village in Provence in the valley of the river Ceze, about 150 km northwest of Marseille. The village is situated on a hilltop by the river and surounded by dense woods. Across the river starts a trail that leads up into the hills. It's a good hike to reach the edge of this cliff, the highest point in the area, that offers a great view. I liked the dense fog that caused a sense of mystery and a feeling of being transformed to another time.

Devil's Saddle oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

Mural, Mural On The Wall...

2010-08-01T12:45:00.001-05:00

Not my first mural, but the debut in Austin, TX. This project consisted of painting the background for a sign at the entrance of a local architecture and design firm. I deliberately chose to keep the contrast low in order to allow the sign - a giant "hi" - to speak out prominently, rather than to compete with it for attention; and to subtly blend the freeform airy clouds into the sleek, elegant contemporary space.

View of the finished mural before installation of the sign.

Finished with sign.

My little helper Paolo looks on while I take a picture.

Back Issue

2010-07-31T11:11:00.001-05:00

The last 12 months have been rough. With the collapse of the economy, my financial and creative resources dried up and in hindsight it feels as if since the beginning of 2009 I've been crawling through a dark and austere desert with dusty thoughts and dehydrated foresight obscuring my direction. For the record, let it be known that I don't function well as a starving artist. Lately though I seem to have reached a small but green and sunnier oasis thanks to a few sales. No idea yet if the well can provide enough to keep me going, but at least I have renewed inspiration and ideas. I gave this blog a fresh look and changed its title to coordinate it with my website and I will add a link to an online store very soon. Visitors and fans will be able to purchase prints and small paintings at very attractive prices, and I may occasionally offer promotions on some older works that have been part of my private collection. It feels good to be back on track!

Apollo's Fountain

2010-03-07T13:55:00.000-06:00

In this small painting of three of Apollo's horses pulling the chariot while Triton blowing on his conch shell paves the way through the Bassin d'Apollon - Apollo's Fountain - outside the Palais de Versailles, France, the fountain is in full operation spewing water up in the air and forming dense curtains of rain all around and over the sculpture, reducing its forms to dark silhouettes.

Apollo's Horses mixed media on panel 8.5" X 8.5" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. US$195.00 + $20.00 s/h.

Ping, Pong

2009-03-06T11:51:00.010-06:00

It is hard to imagine that during the 17th Century the Classical inspiration of the gardens-facing facade of the Chateau de Versailles sparked as much buzz about its inventiveness as the most advanced architectural creations of our time. What is modern at any point in time isn't so for very long. Modern means: of the latest most advanced kind. It relates to using ideas and techniques that have only recently been developed and may still be considered experimental. Two random architectural examples of that fleeting definition are portrayed here. On the left are pictures of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and on the right of the Chateau de Versailles. They were planned and constructed roughly 4 centuries apart. Both buildings represent a new, daring aesthetic at their time and were considered very modern. Both received a lot of attention, were praised and critisized as groundbreaking designs that strayed from traditional styles. Though the Walt Disney Concert Hall can still hold on to the definition of being modern, the Palais de Versailles has long lost it's new, innovative and trendsetting aura. It won't be long before the Walt Disney Concert Hall follows the same fate. Versailles became the undisputed leading example of a new worldwide movement in style. Only history will tell if the Walt Disney Hall and its variations will create the same effect. The big difference between these two examples is that one was a modern adaptation of solid Classical architecture, while the other - in sharp contrast -is entirely abstract in concept.

The King's Painter

2009-03-04T17:52:00.005-06:00

Charles Le Brun (1619 -1690) was an important artist in his time. He was co-founder of the Academie des Peintres et Sculpteurs in 1648 and later became Louis XIV's favorite painter. The king ennobled Le Brun and gave him the title Premier Peintre du Roi. He was placed in charge of the royal collections and became director of the gobelin studios. He is responsible for the paintings and interior design of the Gallerie des Glaces and the Salons de la Guerre et de la Paix at Versailles. Le Brun's work is highly appreciated. Not only a respected painter, as architect he was also closely involved with the building projects of Louis XIV. Nevertheless he left little influence. This is because he subjected his style entirely to the glorification of absolutism. His effectively composed scenes are seen more as admirable documents of historic events than as the individual style of an artist.

Picasso

2009-03-03T09:04:00.003-06:00

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up" - Pablo Picasso

Nude Standing by the Sea 1929 oil on canvas Pablo Picasso Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

Cars Can Be Artfully Too

2009-03-02T19:11:00.007-06:00

The financial difficulties that the American automakers are experiencing today is by their own choice. For years they have been fooling the public into believing that there was no interest in hybrid or electric cars, while they continued promoting the giant gas guzzling monster cars that they put on the market. Nobody wants them. People bought them simply because there was no choice. Proof that it can be different are these models by Toyota, on display at their showroom on the Champs Elysees in Paris. The design of these cars is appealing. So much so that people were lining up for a chance to admire them up close.

Moderation

2009-03-01T13:54:00.004-06:00

This small painting is minimalist in subject and color range, yet complex in texture and glazing. It is one of my current favorites.

Seaworld oil on panel 8" X 10" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. US$225.00 + $20.00 s/h

Art Auction

2009-02-27T13:56:00.005-06:00

In preparation for the annual Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Gala and Silent Art Auction on May 1, 2009, I selected this painting for this year's participation. In 2008 I was able to donate a new painting for this fundraising auction. Lack of time has prevented me to do the same this year. This painting was made in 1997. It is an older work with the subject very appropriate for the occasion. The scenery in this painting is at Canyon Lake, in the Texas Hill Country. It has been part of my personal collection for all this time because this painting formed a milestone towards the development of my current style, where the sky dominates in importance over the landscape.
The Gala and Art Auction are a major fund raiser for the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. This is the third year I made a donation to this important institution.

Sunrise - Canyon Lake oil on canvas 30" X 40" Chris De Dier

Ceilings

2009-02-24T17:17:00.012-06:00

Contemporary taste has lost affection for elaborate ornament. Especially ceilings are the most popular victim to minimalism. Perhaps rightfully so. To turn a ceiling ino a breathtaking work of art takes enormous talent, skill and financial budget. With lack of any of these, it is best left plain and simple. The ceilings pictured in this post are superb examples of a lost art.

Above: Ornate ceilings of different period styles in the Louvre, Paris, France.

Left: Beaux-Arts ceiling in the Louvre, Paris.

Below Center: Frescoed ceiling in the chapel of the Palais de Versailles, France.

Left and above Right: Ceilings in the Palais de Versailles, France.

To the Right: Contemporary ceiling at a restaurant in New York City. This is as much visual interest as todays' low plasterboard ceilings can bear.

Living Statue

2009-02-19T13:23:00.007-06:00

... or statue for a living? It certainly can be enjoyable to admire, like this girl near the Notre Dame in Paris. Her costume is beautiful in a cleverly stylized interpretation of 18th Century fashion. Creativity with dress and make-up is as old as Civilization, and at no time more popular and folksy than during the period of Carnival.

Why are our eyes so attracted to people in outrageous dress? And how did fashion, or costume, become such an important medium of expressing ourselves?

Thanks For The Memories

2009-02-18T17:58:00.005-06:00

Here is an old picture of the Main Square in Ninove, Belgium. It appears to be taken in the early 20th century - perhaps between 1910 and 1920. I was born in the neo-Renaissance style house with the two tones of brick, that faces the viewer at the far end of the Square. It forms the corner between the Square and the Beverstraat. My parents rented that house after they married. On the ground floor was the store. My mother sold textiles; aprons, tablecloths, ties and underwear. Behind the store were a living room, a small kitchen and a tiny courtyard. Upstairs on the second floor, behind that window that you see there, was my parent's bedroom. That is were it happened. Right there.
My brother was born in that room also, two and a half years later. I still remember that night. It was in the early hours of New Year's Day 1961. The sounds of commotion and moaning woke me up. I crawled out of bed and went to look for my parents. When I opened the door to their bedoom, a half story below where mine was, I saw my mother in bed, covered to her neck by a white sheet that rose up in the air towards her feet. At the footend of the bed was the doctor, seated, and reaching into that white tent. In the corner of the room, the midwife, clad in crisp starched white coat and nurse hat, was busy in a cloud of steam, filling bowls with hot water and arranging clean towels. Both turned and looked up for a moment in my direction, smiled and made a joke. My father held me by the door, allowed me to stay a few minutes before escorting me back to bed. That's all I remember.

At the end of the Beverstraat, beyond view in the picture, was my school where I went for a year before my parents were forced to move. The city had bought the property. The house was soon to be demolished to make room for a new avenue. That was in 1963. I remember walking home from school, hand in hand with my teacher. A big truck was parked in front of our house. It was the mover's. My mother, my little brother and I climbed into the front seat of the truck. I sat beside the driver who drove us to our new home, Nieuwstraat 54 in Aalst, a bigger city 25 km away.

O My!

2009-02-18T12:50:00.005-06:00

Yesterday unexpected honorable mentions were bestowed on me for being the first Follower of MyTempO! now. I am grateful and encourage everyone to go check it out. It's a great party. Join me!

Fish In Murky Water

2009-02-18T08:09:00.004-06:00

Small paintings can be fun sometimes because they allow easier experimentation. They are more practical to handle horizontally than larger formats and there is less pressure that the efforts should be successful. Controlling water based paints on oil paint is challenging but in the case of these three new paintings, it created more or less the desired result.

Koi I mixed media on paper 8" X 8" Chris De Dier

Koi II mixed media on paper 8" X 8" Chris De Dier

Koi III mixed media on paper 8" X 8" Chris De Dier

Made Of Real Wood

2009-02-17T11:17:00.007-06:00

Last summer I designed a drop-leaf side table and a bench to be added to the ARRIS STUDIO collection. Both are made of solid Chechen, a beautiful tropical hardwood with a very dense grain.

The wood is selectively harvested in government protected forests in Southern Mexico. The use of solid wood originating from sustained forests is by far superior to the supposedly "green" particle boards, plywoods or veneers that are held together by toxic glues. Furthermore, any scratches or dents that are inevitable from use over time add character to furniture that is made of solid wood. When taken well care of, quality-made pieces of furniture become sought after antiques in the future.

There Is A Difference

2009-02-11T18:06:00.007-06:00

I was asked to paint a copy of an existing painting. The reason for this is a strange topic in itself that can be discussed at a later date. The best way to manage this commission was to paint similar without trying to imitate. The general idea, topograhy and light color range of the original painting were followed; beyond that, there was no point in even trying to come close to a copy.
Although both paintings below have strong similarities, they are quite different. I hope that one day, they will come together and be hung beside each other in the same space.
The top painting is the latest.

White II oil on canvas 48" X 60" Chris De Dier

White oil on canvas 48" X 60" Chris De Dier

My Aunt Wrote A Book

2008-10-16T17:49:00.007-05:00

On January 1st, not one child in Flanders, the Western half of Belgium, escapes reading New Year's Letters to its parents, grandparents, godmother and godfather. These are moments that stay carved in each one's memory: decked out in best clothes, trembling voice, sweating hands, all eyes fixed on the reader.
New Year's Letters are part of a unique Flemish tradition that has been traced back to the 16th Century. During the course of several centuries superb treasures have been created with splendid draftsmanship, fine calligraphy and nostalgic verses. Popular themes recur but these illustrated letters are often also a mirror of their time through layout and topic.
Abundant flower bouquets enhanced with goldleaf and glitter replaced religious images. Snowy landscapes are reminiscent of a Flanders that no longer exists. Fear and poverty during both World Wars are profound in the texts from those periods. During the 60's and 70's creative crafts are introduced. Typical also are the decorations of the Belle Epoque and Art Nouveau. Each New Year's Letter tells a story filled with hope, in each verse hides the dream of a child.

For this book, Nelly Haelterman made a widespread selection out of her collection of more than 7000 New Year's Letters. To learn more or order, visit the English version of her website.

More Rocks

2008-08-27T16:36:00.008-05:00

These are the last in an expanded series. My paintings are created by numerous layers of thin glazes, providing very subtle color gradations. The properties of these glazes, combined with the application method that I use, do not translate well in digital photograpy and their effect can only be fully appreciated by seeing the original work.
I have to begin a commissioned painting now and then will probably be ready to change the subject for a while.

Enchanted Silence oil on canvas 36" X 36"

Enchanted Rocks XII oil on canvas 48" X 48"

Enchanted Rocks XIII oil on canvas 48" X 48"

Enchanted Rocks II oil on linen 36" X 36"

Evolution

2008-07-29T15:02:00.005-05:00

This painting was finished about 10 yeas ago. It shares the subject with my new work in the previous post. It is always interesting to see how someone's style evolves with time.

Enchanted Rocks oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier
available from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

Enchanted Paintings

2008-07-14T14:05:00.010-05:00

The following paintings share a common theme. Details of the Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg, TX served as inspiration. Click on the images to see them enlarged.

Enchanted Rocks X oil on canvas 60" X 48" Chris De Dier

Enchanted Rocks XI oil on canvas 60" X 48" Chris De Dier

Enchanted Rocks VII oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier

Enchanted Rocks VIII oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier

Enchanted Rocks IV oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier

Enchanted Rocks VI oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier

Enchanted Rocks III oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier

Enchanted Rocks IX oil on canvas 48" X 72" Chris De Dier

Enchanted Rocks V oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier

All images copyright Chris De Dier

Studio Gallery

2008-07-13T13:27:00.001-05:00

It's not exactly a suitable space to serve as art gallery. It wasn't bad either.

Last Thursday's Open Studio was an event that I hope to be able to repeat annually. It was a pleasure meeting people, making new connections and showing friends what I have been working on during the last few months. It took several days of intensive labor to get the house in exhibition mode. Far from ideal, it was well worth the effort and I think it looked acceptable.

Open Studio Invitation

2008-07-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

Architectural Frivolity

2008-07-03T16:28:00.003-05:00

The Paris Opera makes me think of a fancy chocolate box... totally unnessary but always pleasing that certain people thought about creating it and leaving it as a fancy gift to future generations.

Rooftops In The Snow

2008-06-16T21:16:00.002-05:00

This painting by Gustave Caillebotte, captures the spirit of Paris so well. From the tower of the Notre Dame, similar rooftop scenes abound in any direction.

Master Monet

2008-06-16T17:52:00.003-05:00

Claude Monet had his good days and his bad days, just like the rest of us. That means some of his paintings barely reach mediocrity and some of his work is simply outstanding. Here are some details of what I mean with "outstanding" from his series of phantomlike portrayals of the Cathedrale de Rouen of which 5 paintings are in the collection of the Musee d'Orsay. I am deeply impressed and inspired by them. Like some of his later - much larger -waterlilies paintings, the surface buildup of these paintings is mysteriously complex. It is work like this that sets certain artists apart and above their contemporairies and beyond.

French For Despair

2008-06-11T13:25:00.004-05:00

Beaux-Arts sculptures cause me mixed feelings. I appreciate the Classical ideals that served as inspiration for depicting the human form and the use of physical pose to convey a mental or emotional attitude.
A lot of it is too dramatic or sentimental to my taste. Cultivated positions can easily look contrived when the artist does not use the correct amount of restraint to keep it subtle. When done with skill, it leaves some outstanding works of art. One sculpture that stopped me in my tracks is the above, and below, titled Le Desespoir (I forgot the name of the artist). I wished I could have taken it home.

La Gare d'Orsay

2008-06-10T17:43:00.006-05:00

One of the highlights of this trip was our visit to the Musee d'Orsay. I knew already very well the collection of paintings it houses, and I was strongly anticipating to see them in real.... again. Some of these paintings I had seen already in 1978 in the Musee du Jeu de Paume, which held the impressionist paintings until 1986. Others I had seen before at some of the important exhibitions of Europalia in Brussels.

The interior of the museum itself remained for the most part a mystery because I had never seen images of the building itself. I knew it was a restored former train station from the Beaux-Arts period. However, that did not prepare me for the spectacular view of the main hall and how this vast space has been divided into exhibition rooms. Wow! It surpassed my wildest expectations.

Serra In The Tuileries

2008-06-10T17:09:00.006-05:00

See that barrier of rusty steel in the distance, behind the people, forming a gate toward the Place de la Concorde? That is another Richard Serra sculpture. You will see it better by clicking on the picture to enlarge it.
Now I regret not having walked closer to be near it but on that afternoon my feet were whining relentlessly to walk back to our room and change to a horizontal position for a while. It's one of the things I miss so much from Europe, the ability to walk a lot on a daily basis. I am not used to it anymore!

Grand Serra

2008-06-10T16:38:00.007-05:00

Another favorite contemporary sculptor is Richard Serra. I have seen some his work at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, in New York City (see Massive Curves, 09/02/2007), and now in Paris. Seems like every city with cultural ambitions needs to have a Richard Serra. One of his sculptures is partially blocking the view of the Place de la Concorde, at the end of the Jardin des Tuileries (I'll search if I have a picture of it).
Here his work is on display at the Grand Palais. It seems as if he made these monumental plates specifically for this space. His work always leaves quite an impression on me. Does that make me a junkie of minimalism?

Bronze Spider

2008-06-09T09:54:00.003-05:00

A huge poster on the facade of the Centre Pompidou announced an exhibition of Louise Bourgeois' work. I admire her work a lot. She is one of the great sculptors of our era. However, I chose not to go see it because of the long lines in front of the ticket booths ... and because I do not like that building at all. Instead, I took a picture of one of her giant Spiders that found a home in the Jardin des Tuileries. It looks like an alien invader.

Inspiring Attraction

2008-06-09T09:07:00.002-05:00

Paris is filled with interesting architecture and it reminds me a lot of New York City in that aspect, be it that Paris is a lot more user friendly, better proportioned to fit humans. The architecture appears at the same time diverse and coordinated. It is an attractive city that is a candy box for the eyes, very livable and inspiring.

Memories

2008-06-06T10:59:00.004-05:00

I had a great time at the Louvre and learned a lot, despite the crowd. I remember when museums were less visited ... at least on weekday mornings. I remember walking through the halls at the Louvre and only occasionally encountering other living souls. That could be a guard, or a couple of visitors, or here and there an art student, sitting at his easel in front of a painting that he/she was meticulously copying. In my earliest recollection, these art copiers were older men, some wearing a beret, indicating they must have been French. In later years they were younger and mostly Asian. And now there are none because museums became appealing to the general public and are busy as department stores on sales days. It's a great development, to see art is being appreciated by so many, but it also makes me feel nostalgic to quieter times.

Famous Lisa

2008-06-06T08:46:00.006-05:00

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa is a celebrity. She only gained that status during the last 100 years or so, which it is remarkable. Paris Hilton won't last that long (luckily).
I like the new location and the lighter colored wall much better. It is intriguing why this particular painting is so popular. Marketing is to a large degree responsible, because the painting is not particularly different in quality from the other paintings by this artist in the Louvre. My personal favorite is his lesser known portrait of St. John the Baptist (bottom picture)

Airy Hall

2008-06-04T18:43:00.003-05:00

I remember the glass pyramid in the courtyard of the Louvre received a lot of criticism when it was newly built. I have no idea what the general opinion about it is nowadays. It does not bother me personally and I found the central hall beneath it very functional, well lit with natural light and providing easy access to different sections of the museum. It must be hot under all that glass in the summer though.

Not A Cover Girl?

2008-06-04T14:08:00.010-05:00

The Venus of Milo is certainly not a pretty woman to modern standards. Her big boned features punctuated by a blunt nose and heavy jaw, fat cheeks (do I see acne there?), massive hips and giant feet are not exactly suggestive of 21st Century ideals of elegance and beauty. Yet, there is a very strong attraction towards this sculpture, resulting from the inviting slightly forward leaning pose and direct gaze. She does not go unnoticed, she leaves a lasting impression... and let's agree that is not because her breasts are perfectly shaped, OK?

Few individuals possess that special aura of graceful confidence and personality that makes heads turn in their direction wherever they go. I read in an article - many years ago - that Elizabeth Taylor has (or had) that aura, Luci Baines Johnson has it too. When these women appear at public functions, we can not resist the urge to stare at them. Esthetic imperfections are overshadowed by grace. To be able to carve that untangible special quality in cold stone is ultimate Art. This is even more remarkable because the arms and hands, important elements by whose position we base a lot of our judgements, are missing.

Wings

2008-06-04T12:39:00.005-05:00

The Winged Victory of Samothrace at the Louvre is one of the most admired Greek sculptures. One can almost feel the force of the wind, pressing the thin woven robe against the forward striding female body. One can almost hear the flapping of the fabric in the wind. There is force, movement and strong energy radiating from this sculpture.

Treasures From The Past

2008-06-04T11:54:00.009-05:00

The honest boldness in Ancient Greek and Roman sculpture continues to stupefy me, bringing me on the verge of tears. There are a few posts on the subject in this blog already. Now again, at the Louvre, I stood face to face with some truly amazing artistic feats of around 2000 years ago.

These examples below are not simply a likeness of a certain person of that age. The marble portraits are injected with life, personality, a certain energy, making them incredibly beautiful. They are testimony to a time when unashamed admiration of the human body was not yet adulterated by the rigors of Christianity.

A Palace For Kings And Art

2008-06-02T20:41:00.004-05:00

First on our list of monuments to visit was the Louvre. I have been there a few times in the past and never felt quite moved by it, nor by the exterior nor by the art on display. This time however, I saw it with totally different eyes, forcing me to drastically alter my opinion. Was it the season, or the nice weather that day that is responsible for this? Or has my taste developed, .... or dare I say .... ripened, matured? Perhaps that tells me I may have been an ignorant fool in my younger years, preoccupied with a too narrow range of interests.

Anyway, the place certainly has a regal vibe, a majestic sense that leaves no doubt that France is a nation with an influencing rich past, both in politics and art.

Food Is Art Too

2008-06-02T16:22:00.009-05:00

First of all I can't help but making a few comments about French food versus American food because the difference in quality is striking. This alone would be reason enough to consider moving. OK, I admit to be hopelessly spoiled. My parents introduced me and my brother to the finest French cuisine from a very young age. Each time we travelled in France, my mother searched through the latest Guide Michelin, instructing my dad, who drove the car, along detours to exceptional restaurants that had promising ratings. The result is that since I moved to the North American continent, I have been mostly complaining in disappointment about food quality, especially when dining out. It all starts with the produce. For example, here in Austin, we shop at the best and most expensive gourmet grocery stores in town, Central Market and Whole Foods. They pride themselves to offer the best and freshest produce available. Croissants at these stores are greasy and inflate after a couple of hours. Strawberries taste like water. They are invariably white on the inside and if the current trend continues, I am sure a few years from now they will need to be boiled before consumption because they become increasingly harder to bite in. I already do no longer buy peaches, melons or bananas because most of the time they are mealy inside and disgustingly tasteless. Even good apples are becoming hard to obtain. In North America shelf life is more important than taste. I heard that fruits are exposed to gasses to make them look ripe on the outside. And the bigger the better. It's always about size with American products.

I won't even mention meat products and how the presence of excessive amounts of fat and growth hormones in American meat products affect human appearance. It is scary.

In France, on the other hand, the strawberries were lusciously soft, juicy, fragrant, full of rich taste ....and naturally decaying the following day! I ate the best peaches in years and couldn't get enough of the bread and chocolate croissants. The eggs were tasty and fresh. Most of these items were locally grown. And guess what ... I pulled my partner into a butcher shop to show that real filet mignon is not marbled with fat. Actually, red dominated as color in the entire raw meat section. No wonder the French retain such lean figures at any age.

Most Americans don't eat. They feed. They do not care and/or know about fine food and table etiquette. Most restaurants employ ignorant students to wait tables. Do not expect fresh silverware with each course and most restaurants do not own fish forks, fish knives or real glasses for water. Expect a plastic or styrofoam beaker for drinks in most middle-range establishments. Restaurant kitchens are in general, sometimes horribly, dirty, especially in Austin, TX. There are several very popular restaurants in this city where I refuse to eat because of unclean premises. There are of course exceptions to this grim picture, but those are a vast minority.

So what a refreshing experience to eat in France again, where pride in food quality and table manners still reign.

Paris, je t'aime toujours!

2008-06-02T15:25:00.007-05:00

The last time I was in Paris was in 1987, 21 years ago! Surprisingly not much has changed during two decades. Although I nearly didn't pronounce a word of French during all that time, my tongue and memory quickly warmed up to it and the Parisians still guessed me to be Italian. It was a fabulous experience to be back after such a long period. In the following posts I will occasionally express some of my observations as an Americanized expatriate.
I enjoyed enormously the visit from a friend from Austin, who arranged to be in Paris for a day during a business trip to London and Brussels, and my aunt and cousin, who drove down from Belgium to spend a day with us. My heartfelt thanks for their effort and friendship!

Out & About

2008-05-08T16:45:00.001-05:00

Lady Bird Wildflower Center turns a new leaf
Serious environmentalism altering the Lady Bird Wildlife Center
By Michael Barnes
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Tuesday, May 06, 2008

The memory of the late Lady Bird Johnson lingered on the breeze. And before the evening was over, it seemed a generational shift had altered the sensibility of her namesake wildflower center, as anyone witnessing its annual gala and art auction on Friday could observe.
The Johnson clan and their longtime friends had not skipped that cornflower spring dusk on La Crosse Avenue. Luci Johnson was there, spreading wisdom like bone meal around the garden. (Texas Monthly editor Evan Smith looked like he was taking studious mental notes while Johnson schooled him off to one side.)
Yet the ages and professions represented at the $500-a-plate dinner embraced a broader range of Central Texans than one might have expected. And the auction art: No dowdy bluebonnets on offer. Lots of exquisite, nature-inspired paintings, sculptures, prints, etc., but nothing that would look out of place in the finest galleries or museums.
We talked with scientists, architects, lawyers, techies, the owner of a collision repair service who'd recently moved his family here from Mexico City, members of families mantled in ancient power and bubbling kids attending their first gala. We also met Ken Gladfish, new high-spirited director of the Austin Community Foundation, and Becky Beaver, who has urged the center in admirable new directions.
We sat between photographer Nancy Scanlan, always the pinnacle of good taste, who traced her relations with present friends through her native Beaumont and her introduction to Austin, St. Stephen's School; and Sharon Watkins, who told vivid anecdotes about her recent trip to France and the ideas she imported for Chez Zee, her Northwest Hills eatery which now seems virtually downtown.
Scanlan's companion, John Watson, told a delicious story about Hollywood star Anne Baxter despising Zachary Scott's old-fashioned mother while visiting Austin, and another about the neighborhood youths vying to swim with the shapely granddaughter of architect Frank Lloyd Wright and star of "All About Eve."
But the lasting change, clearly evident throughout the evening, was the ongoing and evolving seriousness of the center's mission: environmental sustainability. Not just packets of wildflower seeds distributed to bonnet-wearing gardeners — that's a stale stereotype anyway, sorry — but ambitious study and advocacy of ecological issues. I'm looking forward to the center's new arboretum and its continued work greening Austin, Texas and the nation.
Lady Bird, like the night, must have smiled.

Space Enhancement

2008-05-05T15:16:00.004-05:00

The painting on the wall in this vignette of a window detail in a library in a commercial architect's project is one of mine. Although this is a simulation, I always like to see how my work is being used in different settings because once they leave my studio, the fate of most of my paintings remains unknown to me.

Auction

2008-05-02T10:36:00.003-05:00

Enchanted Rocks I oil on linen 36" X 36" Chris De Dier

This painting was donated to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for their 2008 Wildflower Gala and Silent Auction, Friday May 2. This elegant garden party, where host tables cost $5,000 to $25,000, is the Center's major annual fundraising event with proceeds benefiting the education and research programs underway at the center. This is the second year I have been asked to participate. Last year during the Afternoon Salon & Exhibition, which is basically a reception to thank the artists he day before the Gala, I had the privilege to be introduced to Luci Baines Johnson. It is also a great opportunity to chat with the other artists.

This painting is one of a new series that I am currently working on, all relating to the Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg, TX. There may be a future exhibition with a number of these paintings but I have not decided until the series is closer to be finished.

Winter

2008-02-20T10:01:00.002-06:00

February is my least favorite month of the year. I am tired of the winter already and can't wait for warmer days. A time when I do not mind turning into a hermit for a while and totally concentrate on painting. I started working on a new series and plan to inaugurate them with an open studio reception later, maybe in April or May. Two large paintings are finished already and several others are well underway. I am quite excited about it, not thinking about anything else for the moment, hence why there are less frequent posts to this blog. Below, I am in my studio playing with my devoted mate Paolo, during a relaxing moment.
Now back to work.

Adios La Esmeralda

2008-02-11T08:19:00.001-06:00

The link Vacation Rental on the Arris Studio website has disappeared last week. Villa La Esmeralda is no longer available. It has been sold. Here is a last look on a project that I have fully enjoyed working on and hope to be able to repeat in the near future. For before and after pictures, go to Arris Style.

Windswept Coast

2008-02-05T10:43:00.000-06:00

In this painting the canvas is divided in two areas split along the horizontal middle. The top half shows bands of clouds obscuring the sun, the bottom half is a windswept beach. On the distant horizon are a row of buildings and a pier leading into the receding sea.

Coast oil on linen 36" X 36" Chris De Dier

Remember Slides?

2008-02-02T03:25:00.000-06:00

My paintings evolve from photographs taken during travel, trips, hikes... or sometimes sent to me by family and friends. Thanks to computer technology my bank of pictures has grown tremendously and I no longer feel deprived of subject matter or serious lack of inspiration for most of the time. Everything I need at any moment is available at the push of a button. No more waiting for film development or to order prints. I have control over the size, color, brightness, contrast, etc. of those images. There are certainly advantages to computers that I would hate to miss.

Those photos are not copied literally. There are certain aspects that form the base of the paintings, but I will change the colors, alter the composition or add/delete certain things. Once a panting is started, it takes its own course.

Palms Up

2008-01-31T17:06:00.001-06:00

Winter blues are taking a hold of me. I am longing for the beach. The technique in this painting is a little different from the usual layers of glazing that most of my paintings consist of. The effect of scumbling - dragging the paintbrush across the canvas so that it only deposits paint on the higher elevations of the surface - is a different approach to create some mystique to a scene.

Palms oil on canvas 30" X 24" Chris De Dier

available from the artist. call for pricing. http://www.chrisdedier.com/

A Beach With A View

2008-01-30T16:10:00.000-06:00

I have no words to add to this painting. And maybe it does not need any. Or maybe I am just too tired and desperate to take a nap. It is a view of a beach. Calming, peaceful. That's all.

Ebbed 36" X 48" oil on canvas Chris De Dier

Exposed

2008-01-23T19:47:00.000-06:00

Anyone interested in theory concerning my paintings + some of my deepest secrets should check out Trust Your Style today. There is an interview on it where things are explained that I never mention unless being asked about. Don't fear to get bored because there is plenty of other interesting stuff on that site. Trust me.... Trust Your Style knows Style.

South On Congress

2008-01-22T08:36:00.000-06:00

I usually do not spend purposeless time on city streets during beautiful sunny days, but wintertime would be an exception. South Congress in Austin, TX is one of the few pedestrian friendly areas in this city that is not yet invaded by the predictable chain stores. It has a style of its own, a nice mix of old and new, clean and dirty, rich and poor seemingly happy at balancing each other.

Unexpected

2008-01-15T10:15:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday, when walking through a residential neighbourhood in Austin, TX, I was pleasantly surprised to find this bridge. It is near the corner of Wilson and El Paso Streets in the South Congress area. The concrete posts and sidewalk of this bridge over a narrow creek are covered with a mosaic of pieces of mirror and porcelain with fish motives. It is on one side of the street only.

Chichen Itza

2008-01-11T08:17:00.000-06:00

Not sure whether it was because of the Christmas week or because Chichen Itza is since July 2007 one of the 7 Wonders of the World and all of a sudden became a household name; tens of thousands and thousands and thousands of people were there. I read in the local newspaper that the site was visited by 1.6 million people last year. They come from all over the world.
It wasn't all too bad yet when we arrived around 11:00AM, though it was noticeably very busy already (during our first visit 4 years ago we were practically alone everywhere except around the Kukulkan pyramid, which could still be climbed then). However by mid afternoon it felt as densely busy as Times Square in NYC on a Saturday evening in Summer. If anything, it gave a sense of how it must have been when the area was heavily populated and this was an important religious center.

To The Market

2008-01-10T09:42:00.000-06:00

Religious statues are not the only wares sold at the mercado in Merida.
The constant hustle and bustle of people in the narrow alleys filled with merchandise is a feast for the eyes. The produce is always fresh and local, often home grown and/or home made. The only area I have to stay away from is the meat section. Unfortunately the air around dead meat makes me sick, whether there is smell or not.

A New Year Past

2008-01-09T12:27:00.000-06:00

My Aunt Nelly sent me these pictures of a few new acquisitions for her vast collection of New Year's Cards. These date from the 1880's and are quite elegant.

Saints For Sale

2008-01-09T11:22:00.000-06:00

Statues, votive candles, amulets, incense, remedy powders and other religious paraphernalia of mixed origin can still be found in little shops at the mercado. It remains all distinctly Mexican, but for how much longer? Shops exclusively dealing in chinese imports are infiltrating in the area and are popular with the younger generations. Sadly most cultures are eroding fast in the winds of "international" style.

Honor The Memory

2008-01-08T08:31:00.000-06:00

Aside from crucifixes and statues of angels replacing ancient deities, I wonder if Catholicism changed much in the way South American cultures buried and remembered their death. The graveyards in Mexico are definitely colorful with prominent displays of the idols.
Here pictures of the Cementerio Xoclan in Merida, YUC. It looks to me like a city of miniature temples.

History Painting

2008-01-06T18:26:00.000-06:00

The "murals" of Fernando Castro Pacheco at the Governor's Palace in Merida are stunning. They mainly depict the submission and enslaving of the Mayan people by the Conquistadores, the clergy and the European colonists. The 31 paintings have a chronological order, starting with the story of creation according to Mayan beliefs. These massive works are a national treasure. To term them murals is not entirely correct because they are painted on panels.
Below are some details of these huge and important paintings.

Artistic Floor

2008-01-06T18:04:00.001-06:00

I could not walk by without admiring the beauty of this concrete floor in a parking garage in Merida because of the interesting embedded forms, textures, grime and rich patina, and turn it into works of art. I like looking for artistic accidents of this sort in unlikely places.

Footprints of Time I Chris De Dier

Footprints of Time II Chris De Dier

Colorful

2008-01-04T16:01:00.000-06:00

Mexico is rapidly changing. Soon, it will no longer be considered a developing nation. Especially in the larger cities, the middle class is on the rise and the stores are stocked with bountiful products of national and foreign origin.
Mexico will always be linked with a strong sense for vibrant colors that is evidenced even in simple green produce.

Back Up

2008-01-03T17:58:00.000-06:00

I have spent the last three weeks in Merida for another Christmas Season in the tropics. Unable to post anything on my blog while there, I brought plenty of photos and will make up for the absense in the coming days. In the meantime, a belated Happy New Year to everyone who is not on my mailing list.

Honor is ...

2008-01-02T17:46:00.000-06:00

A great start for the new year is to be picked as a Trust Your Style Best of 2007.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008
tys art picksof 2007
Whew, that was a long post yesterday even by my standards! In an effort to keep the posts coming this week, I'm going to break down tys Best of 2007 picks into categories.

A tie between between Alex Weinstein's gorgeous waves and Chris De Dier's breathtaking skies. Their work is on my wish list for 2008.

Rest

2007-12-02T11:28:00.000-06:00

Pole oil on canvas 36" X 36" Chris De Dier

The paintings that satisfy me the most contain the least amount of drama. Our lives in the 21st Century are so cluttered with highly saturated attention grabbers like advertisements, TV's, movies, photographs, radio's, etc. that it is a relief to look at something calming for a while. I think this painting achieves that effect.

Rich And Poor

2007-11-27T14:10:00.000-06:00

Climbing Enchanted Rock near Fredericksburg, TX is becoming almost too popular. I try to go at least once each year, usually in the Fall or early Winter, and each time it is becoming more crowded. It used to be there were only a few people. This time, they were everywhere. Given its size, the State of Texas has a shameful low percentage of public land. And where admission to Parks is free in a number of States, in Texas it is costing more and more for the privilege of breathing some fresh air and being out in nature. That makes Texas rich in oil and finances, poor in preserving its natural bounty for the enjoyment of all.

Blink And You Will See

2007-11-24T09:31:00.001-06:00

I paint transitive blinks. Open and shut the eyes rapidly to remove distracting detail . This way, economy of paint and information has often a direct relationship to the level of success in my paintings. Rather than offering the viewer a pre-chewed story through a highly detailed image devoid of any chance to improvise, I prefer to challenge - or tease - the viewer to some degree into deciding for themselves what exactly it is that they are looking at. There are a number of obvious clues as guidance, bits of information that determine the general theme of a painting. I personally think my best work is where that amount of information is stripped to the bare minimum. For example in the painting below, one clearly sees a typical landscape. There is what looks like a horizon, a foreground below it and a sky above it. There is a bright disk in the sky; an obscured sun or moon? Are there distant trees on the horizon? And what exactly is going on in the foreground? Is that jagged diagonal line a trail of sand or is it a puddle of water? All are valid assumptions. It does not matter which one is right because it bears no importance. Looking at paintings that bring up questions like that are more interesting to me.

Night oil on canvas 24" X 30" Chris De Dier

Her Style Can Be Trusted

2007-11-19T17:45:00.000-06:00

Mary Jo Matsumoto knows style and possesses a keen talent for seeking out new trends. Make a habit of regularly visiting her informative blog for the latest news on fashion and design. http://www.trustyourstyle.com/

And while there you may also want to read what she had to say about my blog on Monday November 19 2007, so you know it's official now - and it is coming from a trusted source: Hooked On Art is cool.

Pedernales River Hike

2007-11-02T13:05:00.000-06:00

The months October and November are a wonderful period to be in Central Texas. The temperatures are perfect and the humidity is much less than during the summer. Ideal for hikes and outdoor picnics. The air is crisp, providing for great color contrast and saturation in photographs. Pedernales Falls Park, west of Austin, is a favorite place to spend an afternoon this time of the year.

Upside Down

2007-10-15T11:18:00.001-05:00

Here also I took a different approach. This painting has the horizon near the top, with the bands of clouds in the sky reflected by the foggy water of the lake.

Cool oil on linen 36" X 36" Chris De Dier

Cool - detail

Up Early

2007-10-15T10:50:00.000-05:00

Reflection oil on canvas 36" X 48" Chris De Dier

This painting is an experiment with lights and darks. The darkness of the forest in the early morning underscores the light pink and gray in the sky and creates a mood of silence and calm despite the high contrast.

Who is Kaat?

2007-10-04T17:45:00.000-05:00

Who is Kaat? My cousin Kitty's fashion store in Ninove, Belgium bears that name but when she mentioned that starting next year Kaat will carry the collections of Kaat Tilley, a little bell rang way back in my head. Kaat Tilley.... I knew that name. It brought back vague memories of the St. Lucasinstitute in Brussels where I studied design about.... hmmm.... dare I say 30 years ago. Darn, I'm getting old!
Anyway, turns out this former classmate of mine became an accomplished artist and renowned fashion designer. Glad to know someone made it big! Check out these links. They're certainly interesting.

A drawing by Kaat Tilley

It Is Not A Deer

2007-10-02T09:24:00.001-05:00

Paolo is a dog. He is not a deer-dog, neither is he a reindeer. The questions that people ask me about his classification in the animal world are funny or sad, depending on who is posing the question, a child or an adult. He is an Italian Greyhound. That makes him definitely and officially a dog. He barks like dogs do, and he has paws instead of hooves. He runs very fast and probably could keep pace with a deer but that is as far as the comparison holds up.

October

2007-10-01T08:21:00.000-05:00

Already! What happened to September? Did someone speed up the time?

Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here soon too.

I can tell Summer is over. The nights are getting a little cooler, enough to be able to turn the A/C off and have some windows open. Trees are beginning to shed leaves. There is change in the air.

And Halloween around the corner.... what will I wear this year?

Good Tunes

2007-09-30T07:41:00.000-05:00

Last year I stumbled onto the chance to see a live performance of Thievery Corporation, which until then had been unknown to me. Their music immediately entranced me and I went out the next day to buy their last CD, Versions. It has been my favorite CD since then and I play it almost every day without getting tired of it. Highly recommended!

I can't wait for their next CD to come out.

Lost Skills

2007-09-19T19:23:00.000-05:00

In the pictures below are some Roman artifacts from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. There is a certain energy and intellectually stimulating liveliness in these fragments, be it the tormented expression of a Herakles, the flow of the robe and subtly inviting body language of a decapitated statue, the introspective gaze of the Emperor Caligula, the innocent pose of an aristocratic youth, the beautiful anatomy of a Centaur's torso, ....

There is an almost surreal beauty to a lot of these sculpture fragments that survived total destruction at the fall of the Roman Empire. One can only wonder how much and what we are missing.

The artists of the Roman Empire had developed unsurpassed skills, borrowed from the Greeks and adding to what they learned from them, leaving what must have been an enormously rich legacy, until Christianity made an end to it, blatantly destroyed whatever it could, and plunged us in the Dark Ages. Until our time, we haven't recovered yet.

Not So Dark

2007-09-14T20:22:00.000-05:00

One of my paintings is the focal point of the decor of the master bedroom of a featured home in the Summer 2007 issue of Beautiful Homes - a Better Homes and Gardens Publication. It is is a perfect example of how a painting of a stormy sky can add life, color and visual interest to a well decorated room without a hint of depressiveness or threat, or without disturbing the peacefulness of a bedroom.

Mother Boards

2007-09-13T18:21:00.001-05:00

Looking down from the observation dack high on the Empire State Building, the grid of the streets and tops of the surrounding buildings reminded me most of the electronic boards in my computer.

Trend Setter Or Follower?

2007-09-07T12:28:00.000-05:00

Pablo Picasso has never held much of my admiration. There are a few of his works here and there that I like, such as the one directly below. Most of his work however is in my opinion vastly overrated. He had a tendency to jump from one style to another, adopting whatever the latest fad of the day was and claiming it as his own. There is nothing wrong with that in itself, but there are numerous artists that were much better at it and never made it to the spotlight like Picasso did. His paintings are OK but they certainly are not outstanding enough to deserve all the hype that surrounds his signature.

It is interesting comparing the following three pairs of paintings. The odd numbered ones are each by artists who became known for the style they worked in. The even numbered paintings are by Picasso.

1. Kasimir Malevich Reservist Of The First Division

2. Pablo Picasso Green Still Life

3. Juan Gris Guitar And Glasses

4. Pablo Picasso Student With A Pipe

5. George Braque Road Near L'Estaque

6. Pablo Picasso Landscape

The Opposite End

2007-09-04T13:13:00.000-05:00

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Central Park, NYC, is another temple in this great city. Opposite to the adoration of crude commercialism at Times Square, this temple is dedicated to the accomplishments of the human race in its pursuit of timeless beauty and true quality in the visual and decorative arts. We spent 6 hours there until our feet were screaming of fatigue and we could not absorb anything more; and haven't still seen half of the displayed collections. It is a gigantic warehouse, filled to the brim with art of all ages and cultures; truly a source of inspiration. We started this culturally enriching tour with a very early lunch at the museum's cafetaria and ended it appropriately in style with a High Tea at the ground floor restaurant.

A Contrast

2007-09-04T10:10:00.000-05:00

One evening we went to Times Square... the temple of American wastefulness. A chaotic farce of uncountable people and traffic engulfed by enormous illuminated billboards, smothering the surrounding buildings like poisonous parasites. Blaring useless advertising in such pretentious multitude and scale that it all turns into a psychedelic blur - a cocaine party staged by the big corporations. It's a moving, constantly changing combination of art installation, performing art, commercialism, American culture.... A must see, even as once is plenty enough. And I can't imagine being there on a New Year's Eve!

I returned to the hotel feeling mentally indigested, heavy with sensory overload and somewhat sad. I look at this as an ultimate public display of the decadence and greed of our times - a forebode of the dooming demise of Western Civilization?

Massive Curves

2007-09-02T11:18:00.000-05:00

It was a real treat to see Richard Serra's monumental sculptures at the MoMA. I had seen a piece by him earlier this year at the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, TX (see Nasher Garden of August 7, 2007) and was quite impressed by the scale and impact of his work. The enormous solid steel plates undulate back and forth at different curved degrees, yet the top line remains consistently horizontal.
Below are pictures of parts of two of his pieces exhibited in the courtyard of the MoMA, while the largest sculptures were on view inside the museum, on the second floor! How did they fit them in there!?

The Broken Obelisk

2007-09-01T12:57:00.000-05:00

At the MoMA it was impossible to take an unobstructed picture of Barnett Newman's intriguing Broken Obelisk. So I moved around it a little bit until the voluminous rounded form of the man in the white shirt created a perfect counterbalance in this photo. I doubt he was a New Yorker because I have seldom seen such a concentration of fit people anywhere in the US. Walking is the number one mode for getting around and I was impressed by the number of gyms.

But to go back to the sculpture:

Barnett Newman was one of the most influential New York abstract expressionists. Like his friend Mark Rothko, he was beset by profound religious and philosophical concerns with which he struggled throughout his life to translate into visual form. Barnett Newman died in 1970.
This Broken Obelisk is one of three in existence, the second sited in front of the Rothko Chapel in Houston, TX, the third in the quadrangle of the University of Washington, Seattle. It is 26 feet high and made of cor–ten steel. It consists of a square base plate beneath a four–sided pyramid whose tip meets and supports the upended broken obelisk. The two tips have exactly the same angle (53 degrees, borrowed from the Egyptian pyramids which had long fascinated the artist) so that their juncture forms a perfect “x.”

Artfully

2007-09-01T11:37:00.000-05:00

New York City inspires. Despite an often badly stereotyped reputation, New Yorkers deserve at least one major credit: they possess an unequaled level of cultural sophistication among Americans. My visit to the Museum of Modern Art clearly illustrates this observation. The collections at the museum are incredible. It is shockingly full of world-famous masterpieces, one after the other after the other. These works are invariably in all the publications about modern art because of their importance in quality and groundbreaking invention.

I was at the museum on a Friday afternoon, and it was packed with people. People were lining up in four rows to view the Van Gogh's, I stood waiting for my turn to get in front of the Gustav Klimt's. I was constantly shifting my focus from the art treasures on the walls to the show of people filling the halls and could't decide which was more interesting. In Texas it would take a major football game to attract such a crowd, in New York, as many people simply enjoy good art. Bravo!

Crazy NYC

2007-08-31T10:15:00.001-05:00

I just returned from a trip to New York City. My first time in that crazy city, so vibrant and bursting with energy. It was overwhelming. A real workout for the visual and olfactory senses. The latter being mostly stimulated in the subway. Everything I saw was beyond my wildest expectations. The concentration of people, the wealth of interesting and varied architectural styles, the fabulous shops, the impressive quality of the collections at the museums, the restaurants, ...... it has the best, the biggest, the most of everything. It's undescribable. It left a very strong impression. Not a place where I could live - it's way too hectic, too crowded, too fast paced. Certainly worth visiting again. If it's all you see of the US, just don't think that the whole country is like that.

Options - the sequel

2007-08-31T09:21:00.000-05:00

Mule Ears oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier

The second choice in this commission is again a somewhat stylized landscape at Big Bend National Park by the Mexican border in deep south Texas. The two peaks of rock breaking the horizon line are almost twins and are known as the Mule Ears.

Options

2007-08-15T17:50:00.002-05:00

Expanse oil on canvas 48" X 48" Chris De Dier

This painting is a commission for a client who wants to pair it with Brighter. Since I don't know what precisely they have in mind nor haven't seen the space where it will be hanging, and to give them a choice, I am still working on a second painting of the same dimensions, which will be posted as soon as it is finished. But that will be after my trip to New York.

Dallas Art

2007-08-07T20:54:00.000-05:00

The Dallas Museum Of Art is big. Its size befits that of the city it is located in. Yet, nothing that I saw there was exceptional enough to be worth remembering. Oh wait, I saw an extremely poor curated exhibit about Roman architectural artifacts found under the ashes of the Vesuvius. The tacky polyester bird bath surrounded by fake foliage around its base as the center piece in one of the halls of the exhibit was totally inapropriate also.
I must admit however, they have a fine selection of Piet Mondrian's work, spanning his entire career. It is always interesting to observe the dramatic evolution in groundbreaking artists' body of work from before and after they experimented with drugs.

On the return to Austin, TX, the skies were breathtaking. Those heavy clouds were the last remnants of the prolonged period of rain showers that inundated our area.