“Olive and George”, Acrylic on wood, 24’X36’
The reference for this painting is a photograph of my friend Simon’s parents in the 50’s? 60’s? on holiday in Cannes, France. The photograph had been submitted to the incredibly popular blog The Sartorialist by his wife Laura for their vintage photo collection, and was chosen to be posted (http://www.thesartorialist.com/photos/vintage-photos-21/). She emailed me excitedly to tell me the news knowing how much I love the blog. When I saw the photo I immediately fell for the vibrant colors and the great style and charisma it had captured from this one moment of Olive and George’s lives together. I messaged her asking her if I could please have a copy of the photo so I could attempt to paint it, and as it turns out they chose to commission this piece.
Watercolor scared me to pieces at first. It can be used a zillion different ways; from thin translucent layers, to bright bold and opaque. It could be carefully thought out or entirely spur of the moment. Paper matters, timing matters, brushes matter big time. In fact, one misled brushstroke can ruin everything. I love it. It might be my favorite medium on the planet (I know, its a big statement) for being versatile, delightfully old fashioned, easy to transport, and environmentally cheerful. Also because there is something about it that feels right to me, how it soaks into the paper, how it moves, the huge limitations oddly matched with endless possibilities. Here are a few of my first watercolors from the Painting for Illustration class with Kiff Holland at IDEA.
Larry Vienneau Jr., Inquisition (Raven), Intaglio Etching, 5 inch x 7 inch, 2010
I spent yesterday afternoon whipping up this poster for a Marlboros and Luke Kuplowsky show. Check out these talented musicians at The Painted Lady in Toronto (218 Ossington Ave) on March 6th!
