Working Studio

Working today on restretching equestrian painting onto stretcher bars and start inpainting areas of fills and paint loss. This is where the magic begins and my favorite part of the painting conservation process. Inpainting involves only painting within the areas of paint loss. I was lucky to have a grandfather that taught me how to mix colors. The paint colors of yellow, red, blue, black, and white can be mixed to create any color (except neon colors that glow in the dark).
I had a call this morning to present a bid on restoring a huge WPA mural. I wish our government would start another WPA program for artists. Creating art for public areas and buildings would give unknown artists an opportunity to build their portfolio and get recognition. Thomas Hart Benton is probably my favorite artist during the movement for "Public Art". Once old master artists told stories from the bible with huge paintings and frescos. The WPA artists told stories about the working class and the machine age. The strentgh of both being used to build our cities and farm our lands. Once World War II was over and service men came back to the states to start families and our government switched gears and started giving war veterans the chance to buy a home or get a college education. The working factory man was replaced by machines that could work around the clock. Next came the computer age and another push for higher education. I wonder what artists would paint or sculpt now for "Public Art". Odd Nerdrum paints the future of mankind as grim and survival of the strongest. At the New Orleans Museum of Art ,artist, Odd Nerdrum's painting "The Water Hole" depicts five figures around a small waterhole. The persons carry weapons and are clothed with whatever they can find. No Channel or Ralph Lauren labels to be found on these characters. Let me know your thoughts on "Public Art".