New paintings in the works ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Today Jay Rolfe cut the wood for stretcher frameworks for 3 new 3DSSC (3-D shaped stretched canvas) paintings. It was a beautiful day outside, sunny, breezy, and in the high 70's. I moved my saws and saw horses outside to the driveway and worked near the beautiful crabapple tree in full bloom. It was a glorious afternoon. You can see some completed expressions of Jay Rolfe's unique artistic idea on his website at http://www.3dssc.com/.

Last Wednesday when I was in Washington DC, I went to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden and the Hirshhorn Museum Sculpture Garden. I love large outdoor sculpture. Both Sculpture Gardens were fantastic. The Hirshhorn had 2 of my favorite Auguste Rodin Sculptures, "Monument To Blazac" and "Burghers of Calais." Both are also in the collection of the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia, the second largest collection of Rodin sculptures in the world after the Rodin Museum in Paris. I also recall seeing "Burghers of Calais" at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena CA. There were a number of beautiful Henry Moore sculptures. I liked Arnaldo Pomodoro's bronze "Sphere No. 6" at the Hirshhorn. I also liked "Nymph" by Aristide Maillol. I've seen several similar, at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and LACMA.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso.

Jasper Johns ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Jay Rolfe went to the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC on Wednesday to see the Jasper Johns exhibit, "Jasper Johns: An Allegory of Painting, 1955-1965." It closes today. It's wonderful to go mid-week, as there were very few visitors and I could park on the street in front of the National Gallery! The exhibit was ambitious in its exploration of 4 motifs of Johns' first decade, although it didn't include all of his motifs, notably leaving out maps and numbers. It was amazing to see so many variations all in one place, and of course there are others that weren't in the exhibit. I left with a greater appreciation of Jasper Johns as an artist and as an influence on subsequent painting. Here's a link to the National Gallery page on the exhibit. www.nga.gov/exhibitions/johnsinfo.shtm

At the same time, the National Gallery also had a large print exbibit titled "States and Variations: Prints by Jasper Johns." As had the painting exhibit, the print exhibit focused on 4 motifs, albeit different motifs than the painting exhibit. And the time frame was different, starting in 1960 with about 2/3 of the works from the 1960's, with the rest from the 1970's except one from 1982. It was an education. Here'a a link to the National Gallery page on the print exhibit. www.nga.gov/exhibitions/jasperinfo.shtm

You can see some expressions of Jay Rolfe's unique artistic idea on his website at www.3dssc.com. That's the next step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso.

Hirshhorn Museum ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

You can see some expressions of Jay Rolfe's unique artistic idea on his website at www.3dssc.com.

On Wednesday I went to the National Gallery and Sculpture Garden and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. As I related in my post on April 25, 2007, I saw the same light sculpture by Robert Irwin at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach CA on Friday, and 5 days later at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC, and they looked different because of the intensity of the lighting. Here are photos and links to the two works, first at Orange County and then at the Hirshhorn. The Orange County photo is on the left, and the Hirshhorn photo on the right.

www.ocma.net/index.html?page=highlights&piece=12


http://hirshhorn.si.edu/collection/record.asp?Artist=Robert%20Irwin&OnView=1&ViewMode=&Record=1


I like the one at the Hirshhorn more, as the work recedes or merges more into the background so it's hard to tell what is acrylic disk and what is shadow on the wall (the disk and shadows together make up the work). I hope you can see the difference from the photos.

That's the next step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso.

Annie Leibovitz Exhibit in San Diego ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

You can see some expressions of Jay Rolfe's unique artistic idea on his website at www.3dssc.com.

Jay Rolfe went to the Annie Leibovitz exhibit, "A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005," at the San Diego Museum of Art last Saturday. It was a beautiful day following lots of rain on Friday. My daughter and I started out with automotive art at 7:00 am at the Cars & Coffee Show in Irving CA. Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari Enzo, Ferrari F430 coupe and spider, Ferrari 355's, Ferrari 308's, Porsche GT3, Ford GT's, classic American fins. Lots of beautiful rolling sculptures. Perhaps the most amazing was the Ferrari F2003-GA Formula 1 race car. It's one of the ones that won Ferrari's 5th straight Constructor's Championship and that Michael Schumacher used to win his 6th Driver's title. Then off to San Diego.

San Diego's museums (aside from the Museum of Contemporary Art) and zoo are all in Balboa Park right next to each other. There was a beautiful Botanical Garden like a small Longwood Gardens. The Timken Museum of Art was a surprise because I hadn't heard of it and it had a good collection of European paintings and Russian icons. There were nice portraits by Veneto, Hals, Maes, Rubens (www.timkenmuseum.org/1-dutch-rubens.html), David, Largillierre, and Copley. The Rembrandt portrait didn't seem up to his usual standard. We saw nice landscapes by Bruegel The Elder, Van Ruisdael, Boucher, Lorrain, Corot, Fragonard, and Innes. I was impressed by religious paintings by Veronese, Christus, and De Witte (www.timkenmuseum.org/1-dutch-witte.html). The gold on the Russian icons, both panels and alterpieces, was dazzling. Here's a link to its website. www.timkenmuseum.org And I've copied the Rubens portrait here on the left.

We finally got to the Leibovitz exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art. It was huge and well-attended and included celebrity portraits as well as intimate family snaps and a few landscapes. It closed Sunday, so we just made it. I liked many of the portraits, especially Mick Jagger, Cindy Crawford, Nicole Kidman, Uma Thurman, Mikhail Baryshnikov, and Brad Pitt. Here's a link to some info. www.sdmart.org/exhibition-annie-leibovitz.html The 3 photos on the right are from the exhibit.

After that we went to Coronado Island beach and Hotel. Then we went back to Newport Beach for dinner with my lovely wife. Later, my wife Randy and I went to a dance party. It was a long and fun day!

That's the next step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso.

High speed rocks!

I just want to say, high speed rocks Twinkies!

I can’t believe I’ve been on dial up all this time. If I only would’ve known the beauty of high speed...ohhh, the possibilities.

Orange County Museum of Art ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

You can see some expressions of Jay Rolfe's unique artistic idea on his website at www.3dssc.com.

I took 5 days of rest and relaxation on the West Coast. One of the things I did on Friday was visit the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach CA. They were showing a huge exhibit, which ended Sunday, of Chuck Close prints titled Chuck Close: Prints, Process and Collaboration. It featured "100 works dating from 1972 to 2002, illustrating the artist’s range of invention in etching, aquatint, lithography, handmade paper, direct gravure, silkscreen, traditional Japanese woodcut, and reduction linocut." There was a great deal of detail about the processes used and many proofs were exhibited showing the process that then combined to make up the finished image. It was quite interesting. As about half of the Chuck Close paintings I've seen have been self-portraits, it was nice to see an image of his wife, the first I've seen. Here's the link to the Chuck Close exhibit, although other than a summary it seems to be under construction now. www.ocma.net/index.html?page=past&show=exhibit&e_id=1473

In the Imaging + Imagining California exhibit, basically a retrospective of 20th century California art, one of the works that impressed me was Robert Irwin's Untitled (#2220) from 1969. It was a 54" in diameter convex circular disk made of white cast acrylic with a silver stripe painted horizontally across it. It is mounted about 2 feet out from the wall and is lit with 4 lights, one high and one low on each side. The effect of the shadows is to make what appears to be 5 (or perhaps 7) overlapping circles on the wall, including the disk. The funny thing is that today I saw the same piece at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC! And it looked different because of the different intensity of the lights! Here's the link. www.ocma.net/index.html?page=highlights&piece=12

There was also an exhibit of titled Dennis Hopper: Billboard Paintings and Photographs. They were nice black and white photos of his actor friends from the early days, as well as some iconic images of LA in those days.

That's the next step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso.

Summer Fun!

Parents, are your kids tired of reading off "THE LIST?" With summer quickly approaching, would all you tweens like to read something just for fun? And NOT have to take a test when you're finished? I'm not against the accelerated reader list, but, I hear so many complaints about the books that students HAVE to read. How about reading something just for "pure enjoyment?"

Hurry to your favorite bookstore, or order online:

Cynthia's Attic: The Missing Locket and Cynthia's Attic:The Magic Medallion.

Imagine the fun of meeting your twelve-year-old grandmother!

"A fantastic time travel fantasy that middle school children will treasure. The escapades of Gus and Cynthia grip the audience…with humor and trepidation, but always with fun… Readers will appreciate time traveling with this dynamic duo…." –Midwest Book Review

www.marycunninghambooks.com

A fun interview

I did a fun interview this week. Check it out at:

http://slayground.livejournal.com/212404.html

Envisioning my next paintings ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

You can see some expressions of Jay Rolfe's unique artistic idea on his website at www.3dssc.com.

I did some more yard work today. Our Comcast phones and internet were not working, so I waited for the service tech. He came in the afternoon and fixed everything. Then off for errands, envisioning my next paintings, and then this evening to the Arts Scene for some live music at the Wednesday night Coffee House event.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso.

Studio time ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

You can see some expressions of Jay Rolfe's unique artistic idea on his website at www.3dssc.com.

I did some yard work before the rain came back. It rained quite a bit on Sunday and Monday, about 4 inches, and there was a lot of flooding. My mother-in-law is without electricity since Monday, and was told it would be 4 days until it is restored (because so few people in her area are without power it is low priority to them). Our land line phones by Comcast cable are out, although the cable TV and internet work. And it has been cold the last few days, highs in the mid-40's.

Now I'm off to my studio to paint.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso.

Photographing my paintings ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Jay Rolfe finds he doesn't have proper lights to get a good photo of his paintings. He'll try again when the natural light is better. Maybe part of the problem is the printer, which isn't reproducing the colors accurately. And in my paintings color is very important, so having the printer accurately reproduce the colors is important.

I stretched some canvas earlier, and now I will go paint it.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of Jay Rolfe's unique artistic idea on his website at www.3dssc.com.

A Teaser Scene...

Hey there – here’s a teaser scene for The Specialists: Down To The Wire, due out in September of this year.

http://www.shannongreenland.com/down2wire.php

Was Marcel Duchamp correct? ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Jay Rolfe has been painting today, working on 2 paintings one after the other. I'm going to set those aside - they're not finished - and assemble a painting I finished painting a couple of weeks ago. It's composed of 5 painted stretched canvas panels. It will probably be tomorrow before I can hang it and photograph it.

Yesterday at the Philadelphia Museum of Art I visited several exhibits that interested me aside from the Thomas Chimes exhibit I posted about yesterday. I again looked at the Ellsworth Kelly Exhibit of early paintings. He painted small in those days, and then went big.

I went as always to the Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary galleries. I really enjoy being in them. I went to the Marcel Duchamp gallery. He did some nice landscapes and portraits before his radical cubist paintings. His "Nude Descending a Staircase" was groundbreaking.

Duchamp was extremely influential with his so-called Readymades. Two of his most famous Readymades, "Bicycle Wheel" from 1916 and "Fountain" from 1917 caused critics, curators, and artists to expand their definition of art. Since then a work is "art" if someone who declares themselves an artist declares the work to be art, even if it is a urinal like "Fountain." Here are photos of them. Was Duchamp right? What do you think? Please post a comment if you'd like.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of Jay Rolfe's unique artistic idea on his website at www.3dssc.com.

Philadelphia Museum of Art ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Jay Rolfe visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art today. There was a special exhibit on Thomas Chimes, a Philadelphia artist, titled "Adventures in Pataphysics." Pataphysics is a term invented by Alfred Jarry to describe the science of imaginary solutions in an imaginary world. The exhibit described Chimes as obsessed with Jarry's ideas, and that he has sought to express them in painting for decades. A lot of the paintings were interesting. The crucifixion paintings were colorful and kind of primitive. The white paintings were like fog over faces, and I'm sure very difficult to create. The portraits on medium to dark wood panels were just that, but good portraits. And his metal boxes were very well done.

I may relax this evening with my wife. If so, I'll be busy in the morning.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of my unique artistic idea on my website at www.3dssc.com.

"Stuff" before painting ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Jay Rolfe is about to start today's painting session, so this will be short. I've been busy doing paperwork and going to stores to get supplies this morning and early afternoon. I guess you call it "stuff." And they're all essential things so I can do the painting.


That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of my unique artistic idea on my website at www.3dssc.com.

"Goodbye career, hello bliss" ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

In previous posts, Jay Rolfe forgot to mention the title of the article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Goodbye career, hello bliss." They really are creative headline writers, although it's also pretty accurate.

Today I've been painting and even went outside and cut some wood to use as a framework for another painting. It was cold, 43 degrees F. It wasn't ideal for working outside, but I finished before I got too cold.

It's been cold all weekend, so yesterday I built a fire in the fireplace and used the last of this winter's firewood. I also painted some yesterday evening after the family left.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of my unique artistic idea on my website at www.3dssc.com.

More than a full page in one of the top 5 newspapers, the "Philadelphia Inquirer" ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Jay Rolfe needs to accept the fact that the article on him was more than a full page with 3 color photos in one of the top 5 newspapers in the country, the Philadelphia Inquirer! Wow, I'm excited! Thanks again Art Carey and Jonathan Wilson and your editors!

Today I'm painting. I'm repainting one of my new small ones that wasn't up to my standard. And I've started two new paintings, both round. We'll see how they work out, but I have a good feeling about them.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of my unique artistic idea on my website at www.3dssc.com.

"Philadelphia Inquirer" article ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Wow! People have told me that the article in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Jay Rolfe appeared in all the editions, the New Jersey and Philadelphia editions as well as the Pennsylvania suburbs edition! Very cool! Again I'm grateful to and thank feature writer Art Carey and photographer Jonathan Wilson for doing such a great job.

It was March 27, 2006 when I first saw "The Secret." I envisioned great publicity for my art, and less than a year later I was being interviewed for the article that appeared several weeks later on Wednesday April 4, 2007. The power of envisioning and attracting what you want! In case you missed it, here's the link again. www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/chester/20070404_Goodbye_career__hello_bliss.html

Oops, I need to repaint part of one of my recent paintings because the paint doesn't look right at some angles in some lights. This is when its either good or bad being a perfectionist, depending on how you look at it.

That's the next step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of my unique artistic idea on my website at www.3dssc.com.

Things people have said to me this week

Sometimes life just sucks.

This too shall pass.

When it rains is pours.

Bad things happen to good people.

Great article in "Philadelphia Inquirer" ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Yesterday there was a great article by Art Carey with photos by Jonathan Wilson about Jay Rolfe and his art in the Philadelphia Inquirer titled "Goodbye Career, Hello Bliss." Here's the link. www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/chester/20070404_Goodbye_career__hello_bliss.html

I'm really excited about it. Both feature writer Art Carey and photographer Jonathan Wilson did a superb job. It was a long article with 3 large photos, 2 in color. Then on the Inquirer Express page, the one page summary of the news, the third photo was in color and there was a summary of the article. So I got a lot of coverage.

I spent the day yesterday contacting people about the article, so I didn't get to post. It looks like today will be spent responding to people about the article.

That's the next step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of my unique artistic idea on my website at www.3dssc.com.

Fast & Foolish Fiction Writing Contest

Fast and Foolish Fiction Writing Contest
People are funny...at least most of them think so. Today is April Fool's Day and in honor of all the practical jokes and lies that will be inflicted today, we want you to give us your best humorous story. The only "rule" is that the catalyst for the story must be a lie or practical joke. It can't be that hard, after all you are a brilliant writer who will be paid ONE MILLION DOLLARS if you win...aren't you? Remember, Echelon is all about escaping, so think outside the box and give readers the readers what they want.

Every author at every level should be committed to keeping their name in front of readers. Are you looking for your first publishing credit? Are you between books? Looking for a way to revive characters from books that have been out for a while? Want to introduce new characters for upcoming books? Looking for a way to build your readership? Have we got a promotional opportunity for you!

Echelon Press would like to publish your "Fast and Foolish" April story. The fast part means you have until April 12, 2007 to submit your story of 3000-6000 words. The winner will be notified by April 14, 2007 and have 5 days to edit/revise the story. Echelon Press will publish your story in its e-book division on April 19, 2007. Simple!

Send your submissions as a Word (doc) attachment to contest@echelonpress.com. Your professional cover letter should be in the body of an e-mail. Cover letters that do not adhere to professional standards will disqualify the submission from further consideration. All submissions must include an active author/writer website to be considered. This is your most valuable source of marketing and is a requirement for consideration.

Submissions must adhere to the following guidelines.

Standard Manuscript format

• File saved in Word format (.doc) or (.rtf)
• 8 ½ x 11 page
• Times New Roman 12pt font/black
• 1-inch margin on all sides/ 1.5 line spacing
• Align text left, do not justify (aligning text both left and right)
• Header containing title, author name and page number
• Capital letters at the beginning of sentences and proper nouns
• Show new paragraphs by indenting first line of new paragraph .3. Do not add blank line between paragraphs.
• Show scene breaks with * * * * centered in the appropriate line.

All cover letters must include

• Name (and pseudonym if applicable)
• Mailing address
• Phone number
• E-mail address (if available)
• Web address (if available)

*Winners under 18 years of age must show parent's permission prior to contract.

Previous Winners:

March 2007 -- Janelle Dakota -- Hear the Wind Blow (Fanciful)
February 2007 -- Yvonne Walus -- Small Price to Pay (Frisky)
January 2007 -- Elysabeth Eldering -- The Tulip Kiss (Frigid)
December 2006 -- Dan Strohschien -- The Naughty List (Festive)
November 2006 -- Jamie Summers -- A True Friend (Fatal)
October 2006 -- C.A. Verstraete -- The Witch Tree (Freaky)


Please note that contests posts are made on Echelon Press' website on the designated dates. To get the announcements in a timely manner, please visit www.echelonpress.com/fast.htm

Two new paintings .. my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Jay Rolfe was interviewed again yesterday evening by the reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer for yet another revision of the article for a different editor. I think all this is good, as it may get the article in front of a larger audience.

This morning I completed 2 paintings I've been working on. They are both variations on the "Yellow Brick Road." It feels good. Now for some deskwork.

That's the next step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of my unique artistic idea on my website at www.3dssc.com.

Tires and Pissarro ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Since Jay Rolfe painted all weekend, today he had to do other things, like get tires for his car.

In Sunday's Philadelphia Inquirer, art critic Edward J. Sozanski had a great article/review of an exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art titled "Pissarro: Creating the Impressionist Landscape." As I'm fond of Monet's and Renoir's Impressionist landscapes, I think I'll go see what impressed Ed Sozanski.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of my unique artistic idea on my website at www.3dssc.com.

Blue Ridge Writer's Conference

I was a presenter at the Blue Ridge Writer's Conference last Saturday, and had a wonderful time. I did two workshops. One on "Writing Fantasy for the Young and Young At Heart," and one on "The Submissions process in the Children's Market."

One embarrassing moment...the air conditioning was so loud, they couldn't hear me at the back of the room. Someone suggested I use the microphone, which I did, and proceeded to blow everyone out of the building! One of the conference organizers came running from the room next to me to say that I was NOT to use the microphone! They could probably hear me in downtown Blairsville!

Other than that, everything was fine. Terry Kay (To Dance With The White Dog...among many others), was the keynote speaker. He was fabulous! So down to earth, humble, in addition to being a wonderful speaker.

The conference was impeccably run, was in a gorgeous location (Blue Ridge and Blairsville, GA), and the food was great...catered by Mercier's Orchard. I'd recommend it to anyone. We stayed in a wonderful cabin in the mountains. Since it was my husband's birthday, we decided to stay for 3 days, "chilled" in rocking chairs on the screened porch overlooking the mountains, and built a campfire, roasted marshmallows and had s'mores! I think those were the first authentic s'mores I've had since my Girl Scout days!

Our little dog, Molly, had a great time, too...smelling all the great, new scents in the forest. Fortunately, one of those scents did NOT, this time, include a skunk!

More painting ... my journey From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso

Jay Rolfe painted some more yesterday after posting and believing he'd ended painting for the day. Here's a photo.

Today I painted for several hours before going to Common Ground Fellowship with my wife Randy Rolfe. When I came back, I painted some more. Here's another photo.

All these paintings are small versions of my huge 3DSSC paintings.

That's today's step on the journey of Jay Rolfe From Starving Artist To 21st Century Picasso. You can see some expressions of my unique artistic idea on my website at http://www.3dssc.com/.