BLOG
Wild One
The Wild One 46" x 56" mixed media on wood panel
Marlon, Marlon, the WILD ONE.
In a society in which conformity is becoming seemingly irresistible through technology, romantic heroes of the not-so-distant past speak to us in ever louder voices. They may have only portrayed heroes, but through their art, they were heroic in their presentation of those values we hold dear as human beings. We are all wannabes. We want to do the right thing, we want to draw upon our inner strength, we want to be defiant in the name of freedom, we want to be clear of conscience knowing that we fought the good fight, and we stood tall, unscathed in our beliefs, and in the defense of our fellow human beings. At least a very good percentage of us feel that way.
Brando, or perhaps the image of Brando is that persona.
Perfect? Nope. Flawed to a fault. But he owned the faults.
So I painted him on wood.
Why wood, you say?
What does wood bring to the table? (please note: I have consumed but a glass and a half of Nebbiolo)
It is the medium that carries the message, like the fat in a ribeye.
The painted wood panel, using silkscreen, the "advanced technology" of a bygone era to transfer the image onto and into the wood through the infusion of acrylic and water-based oil pigments-well, let's just say it brings us back....way back.
The imperfections in the panel shine through. The faults. That is where the beauty lives.
Lead us not into the temptation of perfection, and eternal boredom.
Marlon, Marlon: The Wild One, 56x46 mixed media on panel 2017. Hazelton Galleries, Toronto, Miami
Jazz Club
Jazz Club(sold) 24" x 48" Mixed media on canvas
The music sets the tone for the evening. I and my better half are enjoying a casual dinner at a neighborhood jazz bar that has been highly recommended by the proprietor of a fine Montreal gallery with whom we are happy to do business with (breathe! long sentence, I know). I never mention names in this space, so trust me, the gallery and the club are worth the trip.
Although I could not tell a Coltrane from a Baker, I still love what I hear. So much so that I am going to keep this vibe until I get back into my studio.
In the sixties, almost all documentaries based on abstract art were set to jazz music. Cool. Very cool. I'm there now, in my mind's eye- feeling the cold concrete of brutalism in the surrounding buildings, interrupted only by the occasional frenetic canvas, strewn across the wall like a random afterthought. It comforts me. Modernism is cold-very cold. Or is it? When viewed through these older lenses, a strange warmth emerges. I only recall the heat. The heat of youth. And you know Picasso emphatically stated that: "Youth has no age".
Jazz Club, 48x24 mixed media on canvas, Sold ( Gallery 133)
It's Spring. Chill.
La Grande Voglia Dell'Alfa
"Toes in the Sand" 40" x 48" mixed media on wood panel
"You and Me by the Sea" 40" x 48" mixed media on wood panel
With today's record high temperatures, spring fever is on everyone's mind. I need my old Alfa back. Or maybe I should get a new one. Or maybe not. Whatever. The air is thick with nostalgia today.
My nostalgic pieces, pictured here are done in the same manner as the Icon Series. They are mixed media on wood, deliberately stressed and varnished in such a way as to evoke feelings brought about when viewing roadside signage in the fifties and sixties. Whether you were on the way to the beach alone or with a group, the signs seemed to shorten the trip. By today's standards, they might have, at times seemed politically incorrect. I believe they were rather free of politics, and more concerned with the moment, and the happiness that could be experienced. Nonetheless, it sometimes is better to look back through rose-coloured glasses and imagine that it all came up Elvises (ELVII?) and Marilyns.
Let me be the first to wish everyone a truly fabulous PRIMAVERA!
CIAO,
Pietro
"Toes in the Sand", 40" x 48", "You and me by the Sea" 40"x48" available through Hazelton Galleries, Toronto, Miami
Blue Blood
Blue Blood : Back to the Future 40" x 48" mixed media on wood panel
In the painting commissioned by my son, three rising stars are depicted as the central protagonists in the newest chapter of the Blue and White story. They are the future, and they are surrounded by the spirit of cup winners of the glorious past. The history of the franchise is there in victory, and only in victory. Brief moments of cup glory engulf the eager, young hopefuls. They are in good company, with simple homage being paid to the teams that toiled from 1967 to 2016 with a noble, white graphic leaf which seems to be a fading footnote. The past that the young guns look to is not found in those years, and not in that particular crest. The future they seek is reflected in names such as Apps, Armstrong, Bower, Clancy and Keon. The history of those crests is scattered throughout the piece in blue.
They mean no disrespect, and they too; bleed blue. They seek the cup. Nothing else will do.
Blue Blood: Back to the Future,40x48, mixed media on wood panel, commissioned by R. Adamo
Absolute Beginner 46" x 56" Mixed media on wood panel
In the composite of the late great artist pictured above, I regarded the project as an honour, and treated it with the respect I believe is appropriate in examining a figure whose work has touched many lives, including my own. It is never my intent to simply capture or convey, but to work toward a new end, a new image. The title is from a less popular lyric (Absolute Beginner) but an entirely appropriate one to sum up the true experience in the creation of any work of art. The blank canvas, or the blank music sheet, or perhaps the raw block of marble- all are daunting, all call the artist to task. The butterflies in one's stomach must accompany the creative process for the magic of art to happen. One should always feel like an absolute beginner. One should continue to fall in love with one's art, over, and over again.
Many thanks to the collector who now owns the piece, and who, in some ways made it happen. The piece is in a private collection, and so the privacy of the owner shall be respected.
As for my part in all of this? I've nothing much to offer. I'm an absolute Beginner.
Billboard Boss
Imagine a seventies summer's day, cruisin' down a Jersey turnpike, Stingray's top down with the radio blasting out Born to Run. A billboard ad catches your eye and you think, sh*!, I wish I had my camera! The worn out images of the Boss are barely hanging on through the time-tested barrage of the elements. For you, it's practically like coming across the Shroud of Turin. You stop the car to pay homage.
The image of the Boss is etched in acid green, purples and pinks, all worn in but still flashing some brilliance. The background screams Born in the U.S.A., and your mind's auto- response is a somber "Glad that F*!#'n War is over."
But you know it's never over.
Flash forward to present day. The mirror hands you an image of a man who's barely hanging on through the time -tested barrage of elements. You whisper to yourself: "Lord, thanks for the Sixties and Seventies, the soundtrack of my life." You went out for a ride and you never went back.
Once Upon A Silverscreen (Audrey Hepburn) 40" x 48" Mixed media on panel
I am overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response to the Icon series. Nothing new here. It has all been done before. Or Has It? Whenever I was approached by the self-defeating "It's all been done before" by my students, I would simply respond with "Yes it has, but not in your unique style". So I will continue to paint the Icon series, in my unique style, always with an eye toward fine art, and a presentation that distills the essence of the persona, illuminating strong qualities that might be overlooked in commercial, fan-club and popular imagery. I let subtleties in mood created through colour and placement of motifs create a new picture of the individual. In Who New?, Andy Warhol's hair is not the shock gold-silver colour expected, but a glamorous pink setting off an entirely different vibe. In Taxi Driver, the entire composite of De Niro is rendered in black, Payne's Grey, and white. A rather sober colour scheme for the serious actor for the ages. The central concern for me is the painting. It is, after all, just that. The stressed wood panel suggests old-fashioned billboards of a bygone era. The resulting nostalgic patina is appropriate in that we always seem to see these figures as "once upon a rose-coloured time". They are always in the glorious past, even if they are still living.
Palm Beach Modern+Contemporary
JAN 12-15 2017
We are proud to announce that Pietro Adamo's work will be Exhibited at the Palm Beach Modern+Contemporary Art Fair by Hazelton Galleries.
Malaparte: Cielo Rosa
The Giardini Series has been a vehicle for transmitting emotion, through colour and texture. The subject of this blog is the latest in the series. This one is titled: Malaparte: Cielo Rosa. The piece came about after October the 14th, the day of my daughter's wedding. Yes, I am the lucky father who walked the aisle with my beautiful daughter on my arm to "give her away" to a fine young man (I can't think of an elegant way to say this so please forgive me- I also truly feel we have gained another son). Our hopes, dreams and wishes for our children often seem to be at odds with reality, but sometimes, like on October 14th, the stars align. I could not think of a better way to preserve the intense happiness that we felt that day as parents than to express it on canvas. The setting was ultra-modern, sophisticated, and in keeping with times- but the truth is, in a very old-fashioned way, two families simply gathered together in celebration of their children's nuptials. A time-honoured tradition as old as the human race itself. Is there a better excuse for a party? The weather was perfect, culminating in a rose-coloured sunset sky. The venue was perfect (Malaparte) but mostly, the protagonists, were and are, perfectly suited for each other. A lifetime of happiness is definitely written in the stars
Jumpin' Jax, 40" x 48" mixed media on wood panel, Available at Hazelton Galleries, Toronto, ON.