Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Friday, March 18, 2016

Their surroundings were killing them...

Scheele's Green was invented in 1775 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele.  The pigment was originally prepared by making a solution of sodium carbonate at a temperature of around 90 °C, then slowly adding arsenious oxide, while constantly stirring until everything had dissolved. This produced a sodium arsenite solution. In the 19th century the toxicity of arsenic compounds was not readily known. 19th century journals reported of children wasting away in bright green rooms, of ladies in green dresses swooning and newspaper printers being overcome by arsenic vapors. There is one example of an acute poisoning of children attending a Christmas party where dyed candles were burned.  During Napoleon's exile in St. Helena, he resided in a very luxurious room painted bright green, his favorite color. His cause of death is generally believed to be stomach cancer, and arsenic exposure has been linked to an increased risk of gastric carcinoma.




Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Friday, March 11, 2016

Great work of art

Leonardo da Vinci – The Foetus in the Womb (c 1510-13)

Leonardo expresses the human condition in a nutshell – indeed, his rendition of the womb resembles an opened horsechestnut casing. Inside is the beginning of us all laid bare. Five hundred years ago, this artist and scientist could portray the human mystery with a wonder that is not religious but biological he holds up humanity as a fact of nature. It is for me the most beautiful work of art in the world. 



Interesting email

I received this email from a lady:

"Hello, I've seen the painting you did of the buggy driver with two mules... As a fun side note, the driver in your painting is my husband, Dave and the "white" mule" is Blue. Dave and Blue are training a new mule here, and together they have trained over 50 mules within a 5 year time span. Dave is also the first driver of a team rig within the city of New Orleans since the 1940's. You have captured a very special moment in your art and I want to thank you for it. When Dave first saw this, he was as a complete loss for words. And as a tour guide for over 15 years, I can tell you THAT rarely happens!"


Thursday, March 10, 2016

Painting of a Louisiana nature scene.

Here's another update on the project I'm working on for Ace Hotel, New Orleans.
This is a set of Armoire panels.
Scenic Louisiana.