Miriam Slater Blog

Miriam Slater and Harry Carmean photographed by Greg Preston

2012-01-07T21:09:00.001-08:00

This is one of a series of photos photographer Greg Preston took of Harry Carmean and Miriam Slater in Harry's art studio in Acton which will be included in a new book coming out on artists in their studios.

Eckhart Tolle's cat

2011-11-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

This painting of Eckhart Tolle's cat in a mandala was inspired by his well known quote "I have lived with several Zen masters - all of them cats."

Hand painted Japanese fans by Miriam Slater for sale on Etsy

2011-11-22T11:12:00.001-08:00

Miriam Slater's faux leopard painted fans are now available on Etsy. They are done on old fans from Japan (these have a more graceful shape.) Every hair has been lovingly painted. They make great gifts and look beautiful when put on the wall in any room.

Remembering Fab by Jarrett Hedborg

2011-10-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

I found a photo of this painting recently and was thinking how some dogs can remind you of a certain time in your life. This is Miriam's portrait of Jack Nicholson's dog Mr. Fabulous, or " Fab", as he was known to his close friends.

Two stories about Fab:

Jack shared a driveway with Marlon Brando so after entering the gate, it was left to Marlons' and right to Jacks'. At Jack's Fab was always there to greet you, this large black lab with soulful eyes. Marlon had two mean German Shepherds that lunged at you car. I think a man's dog says alot about him. I must admit Marlon was always nice to me, maybe not so much to others. One day while Jack was away I was at his house doing whatever was called for. I walked up the driveway to get the mail and Fab came along. Halfway down the driveway Fab started growling. I looked around and saw Marlon's two German Shepherds coming for me. Fab turned around, sat down on my feet and growled a growl that let the two Shepherds know what they were in for. Marlon's canine thugs stopped in their tracks, turned around and sulked away.

Second story:

Jack once set up a meeting with three people at the same time. On a cold morning there was me, Hal Ashby and, lets just say a talented prick in the entertainment industry. After Jack apologized for his over-scheduling, the talented prick demanded to be seen first as his time was quite valuable though history has shown that has not always been the case with him. Hal said, "Jarrett and I will be outside" as he escorted me and Fab out to Jack's cold windy deck. I wanted to go back and get my jacket but Hal said no, we were going to sit there and look at the view and ignore Jack and the prick. So there we sat , with Fab between us both of us hugging this large dog trying to keep warm. I finally said, "Hal I'm going to freeze out here", and Hal said, "No, If we laugh it will keep us warm", which made me laugh and which makes that cold day, sitting in the wind laughing with Hal Ashby and hugging Fab to stay warm...hard to forget

I suggested to Jack that Miriam should paint Fab's portrait which he thought was a good idea, and I asked him if there was anything Miriam should know about Fab? Jack said for her to seek Fab's essences, whatever that means. Miriam went to work and as we know she works slowly. By the time she was done with the portrait of Fab he had become ill and died, so when I took the portrait to Jack I was worried what Jack would think, had she caught the "essential Fab"? I brought the finished portrait up to Jack's one morning and put it in front of him as he was eating his breakfast, he looked at it, paused, and burst into tears...a boy and his dog. I noticed sometime later that he had put the portrait next to his bed which I found interesting as Miriam's portrait of my beloved dog hangs next to my bed. So Miriam's portrait of Fab hangs next to Jack's bed. In this jewel of a painting Fab's spirit lives on, watching, protecting his old friend.

Jarrett Hedborg - Miriam Slater furniture designs

2011-10-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

This website features the furniture designs of Jarrett Hedborg and has some custom designs in which he collaborated with Miriam Slater - they are at: jarretthedborgfurniture.com.

This crow table was done for Jack Nicholson who liked it so much he ordered two more in varying sizes.

Lorser Feitelson inspired box

2011-08-05T21:53:00.001-07:00

This lacquer letter box was inspired by a striking Lorser Feitelson “Magical Space Form” painting done in the early 1940’s (it is brighter than it looks in this photo). In the 1980’s Slater created a series of small magical space form paintings (they can be seen at miriamslaterart.com) as well as this dark, rather moody box with an abstracted playing card forms. From the left to right it has a diamond, heart, spade and a club on the cover with pinched playing card designs on the side panel. The color scheme is based on Feitelson’s use of a limited palette consisting mostly of reds and greens as can be seen in his magical space form painting here. In the box, Slater only uses a similar red and green palette with a variety of tints, hues and chroma. Although Slater often used a playing card motif in her art from this period, this is the only painted object done in this style.

New geisha painting

2011-08-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

This is a new painting titled of a decadent LA geisha titled "E-Geisha". The "E" is for the currently used drug ecstacy (which is the pill she holds in her hand). In the smoke of her cigarette are two lovers embracing. Basically, this painting is mostly about pleasure.....

Miriam Slater is in Wikipedia

2011-08-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miriam_Slater

Miriam Slater's studio in Apartment Therapy Magazine

2011-07-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/workspace/harry-miriams-artistic-creative-spaces--150522

Jarrett Hedborg / Miriam Slater collaborations

2011-07-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Interior designer Jarrett Hedborg and Miriam Slater have worked on a number of projects together over the course of thirty years, collaborating on murals, rooms and furniture designs. Jarrett Hedborg is a well known interior designer who has a large celebrity cliental including the likes of Jeff Bridges, Jack Nicholson, Michelle Phillips, Angelica Huston, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler and Joni Mitchell. All the pieces shown here are represent some of the collaborations between Hedborg with Slater. The silver leaf Japanese style bureau with fans on it was commissioned by actress Angelica Huston for her bedroom and was featured in Architectural Digest. The small model of a cubist table (a study for a larger table) along with the lacquer coffee table with the crow designs were done for Jack Nicholson. The two chairs which are Hedborg designs, are covered with Slater's playing card motifs and luxurious hand dyed fabric by Fortuny.

Erin Carmean's beautiful art

2011-06-18T11:11:00.001-07:00

Erin Carmean (my daughter as luck would have it) makes these intricate felt tip pen drawings of flower/mandala like forms . She has been working in this style for several years now, with the drawings slowly becoming more complex and elaborate over time. The image with the reds is a detail and show the minute intricacy of the designs. They are all done in felt tip pens, some of which are metallic which give the drawings more radiance. The drawings effectively invoke the opulence that can be seen in Gustav Klimpt's paintings from the late 1800's.

Miriam Slater's art studio

2011-06-10T00:18:00.001-07:00

Hair ornaments worn by Japanese courtesans (Oiran)

2011-05-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Oiran or Japan's highest ranking courtesans were the grandest and most spectacular women of the "floating world". The word oiran means "first flower" which poetically indicates their exalted status in society. Like geisha they often had humble beginnings, and many were originally sold into the business as children and were left to work their way up over the years as apprentices. Oiran should not be confused with geisha whose dress was more subtle and simple. Oiran, known for their beauty, artistry and intelligence, dictated the fashions of the day and influenced many artists, poets and musicians. They are part of Japan's cultural legacy and the famous oiran parade called the "oiran-dochu" is still re-enacted in Japan today. Most of my "geisha" paintings are actually of oiran because I love depicting women who are not only spectacularly beautiful but also powerful and intelligent.

An oiran's costume consists of many layers of thick padded kimonos along with a large ornate brocade obi tied in the front as was required in her profession. (Kimonos traditionally are tied with an obi in the back). She wore elegant black lacquer geta which were so tall she required assistance to walk. Her hair was arranged in an elaborate hair style with large hair ornaments artfully placed, displaying her rank and status. Objects worn by the oiran are hard to find these days, but I was lucky enough to obtain the few giant tortoise pieces shown here as well as these amazing lacquer shoes from the early 1900's. One can only imagine the stories these pieces have to tell!

The wit and poetry in Japanese kanzashi

2011-04-11T22:31:00.000-07:00

The Japanese over the centuries have distinguished themselves by their cultivation of humor, fine design and poetry within their art. In fact, these qualities are what originally attracted me to kanzashi. As an artist I found myself entranced by the variety of expression within these beautifully crafted pieces.

The poetic aspect of kanzashi can be seen the top silver hair ornament with the clamshell, which is traditionally can also suggest a woman. When opened up, inside the shell is a gold crab! It startles the viewer and the immediate instinct is to laugh with surprise. The second ornament of a similar theme features a clamshell and the knife used to pry open clams. It’s moveable parts open to reveal a pearl inside. Symbolic objects are frequently seen on kanzashi which enhance the expression and meaning of each piece. The tortoise comb with a fishing rod can be seen as a metaphor for the game of love. The image of a rod implies the hooking and the reeling in of one’s "catch". A fish is considered “yin” and suggests the feminine (also yin) while the male aspect (yang) is symbolized by the pole along with the action of catching the fish. The crow, a common bird that has a loud caw and bad manners, ends up as on a red lacquer hair comb as an elegant adornment for a woman of position and beauty. The juxtaposition of what is considered ugly played with utmost beauty becomes a poetic statement. So, to really enjoy Japanese kanzashi it is necessary to see them not only as finely crafted decorative objects, but also as art works which have more subtle meanings.

Miriam Slater in Belly Dance Magazine

2011-04-11T22:28:00.000-07:00

New portrait of Rachel Brice

2011-03-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

Well, here is yet another one of my portraits of the always inspiring and beautiful tribal belly dancer Rachel Brice. For more about her visit rachelbrice.com.

Miriam Slater & Harry Carmean exhibit Aug 26

2010-08-26T13:53:00.001-07:00

Vintage fantasy cat eye frames at butterflyeyeglasses.com

2010-07-27T00:43:00.000-07:00

In the 1970's and early 1980's I put together a collection of unusual 1950's cat eye frames which can now all can be seen at butterflyeyeglasses.com. These were not the typical cat eye frames more commonly seen, instead these are elaborate "display" frames made in the shapes of pistols, moons, eagles, palm trees, etc. The collection was the only one of its kind in the world and received a lot of press at the time. It even graced the cover of FMR magazine (they also did a color layout of many of the glasses inside the magazine). Also, some of the frames were shown at the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York and the Folk and at Craft Museum in Los Angeles. The collection in its entirety was eventually sold to LA Eyeworks in the 1980's and I went on to collect Post Surreal artists from California. (And, yes, that is me ready to go to the disco in the 70's with some spikey vintage frames...)

New exhibit in Los Angeles...

2010-07-08T13:07:00.001-07:00

If you are in the Los Angeles area, be sure to take a look at this four person show of artists who incorporate the ideas of Lorser Feitelson. Included will be a group of my small surreal paintings done in the 1980's and 1990's. Click on the image for more details.

Art for Asahi Beer

2010-06-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

Over the years my work has been used in commercial applications with good results. My clients included businesses such as Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles (see previous blog on this project), Asahi Beer, Tiffany's, and Bara Boux and various fashion designers including Bob Mackie and Donald Pliner. In the mid 1970's my artwork was featured in this billboard for Asahi Beer which was installed on one of the coolest streets in the world, the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, Ca. The folks at Asahi liked the design so much that they used it on t-shirts, table cards, menus and the like and the design won several awards that year.

Miriam Slater paints Harry Carmean

2010-06-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

Here are some pieces I did with my husband artist Harry Carmean in them...he has been my favorite model for many years. His profile can be seen in the profiles of silhouettes of the two surreal paintings in the middle, plus he is on many of my boxes and violins. The box top on the top of the page depicts us with our first child.

Harry Carmean paints Miriam Slater

2010-05-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

Harry Carmean and I have been painting together for over many years now so naturally we have painted and drawn each other quite a lot. Here are some paintings Harry did of me, and the next blog will show some the artwork I did with him in it. The top painting is of my mother and me, the one below was done at the time of the birth of our son in 1993. The third and fourth photos from the top are of our "wedding" painting completed in 1987, in which Harry is holding our wedding ring in his hand (its quite romantic!) The vertical painting was done when I was five months pregnant and very nauseous, and the one below it was painted shortly after the birth of our first child in 1990. The bottom one in yellows was done in the early 1980's in Harry's Laurel Canyon studio.

My guitars are in Stateside Magazine Santa Barbara

2010-05-21T12:12:00.000-07:00

My musical instruments have been included in the May 2009 issue of Stateside Magazine (a local counter-culture arts magazine) and some of the electric guitars are on display at Fuzion in the downstairs gallery on State Street, Santa Barbara (they play a lot of Jimi Hendrix there so its a good place for them!). The response has been good, so if you are in the area, drop on by.

My Egyptian harps

2010-05-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

The two Egyptian harps shown above were hand made by my father, John Slater in the early 1960’s. He was a scientist and engineer in the aerospace industry but also had an artistic side which manifested itself in photography, writing, painting and general tinkering in the workshop. Making the harps and other musical instruments was his way of expressing himself in ways that he couldn’t as a scientist, science being a more logical profession. He based the harp’s design on ones seen in paintings in ancient Egyptian tombs so their design is completely authentic. He was able to shape them by bending the wood in hot water in the bathtub and then layering thin pieces of wood and veneer. He also made a koto and Aolean harps (Aolean harps are put in a window and are played by the wind – a rather esoteric musical instrument!) I ended up inheriting the two Egyptian harps and over time and slowly began painting designs which were designed to evoke the spirit of Egyptian art and at the same time have some of my own personal expression in them as well. It has taken nearly ten years to finally finish the two harps.

The two harps can be seen in the black and white photos of my father, one with my brother and myself looking on. They were actually playable and my father also composed music especially for them. Looking back, I can see that my father’s interest in music influenced my brother and me over the years. My brother ended up being one of the leading designers of early synthesizers in the 1960’s (that was at the time of the Moog synthesizer) and I ended up painting numerous musical instruments over the years, including electric guitars, violins and cellos.

My childhood drawings

2010-03-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

I always had an active imagination as can be seen from the above drawings which were done when I was around seven, except for the owl which was done when I was five. My favorite subject matter was Christmas trees, queens, easter bunnies, rocket ships (my father was in the aerospace industry) and mermaids. I loved animals and drew a lot of owls (I was fascinated with the tassels on their ears), snakes, bunnies, dragons, and sometimes would draw horses dressed as people. I became well known for the horse people in elementary school, but stopped doing those as soon as I became more mature. By the time I went to high school, peer pressure and my own desire to be "one of the group" together with uninspired teachers killed off any desire I had to draw. It wasn’t until it was several years into my college education that I met Don Lagerburg, a figurative painter and brilliant teacher, and then I finally became alive as an artist again. He understood and supported my highly personal vision. In art class when my classmates were all doing field paintings, installations, feminist works, minimalistic paintings, and faux Deibenkorns (for my mind it looked like they were dutifully following the trends of the time). Several of them even went on to become famous. I have stuck to my vision which some would say is too personal, but as my teacher Harry Carmean said, "The more you express your individuality, the more universal you become."

How to Draw the Figure: 9 Common Mistakes

2010-03-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

This article has been published on line but I thought it would be of interest to anyone visiting this blog who is interested in improving their figure drawing skills. It covers nine commonly made mistakes made by artists when drawing the figure. The art process is fluid and impossible to pin down with rules but if you wish to make a more convincing life drawing then these ideas will certainly help achieve that end. The following are the nine mistakes along with their solutions:

Mistake #1 is starting to draw without first giving thought as to what it is that you would like to achieve. More often than not, people immediately begin sketching without ever establishing some kind of intention in their mind first. A well thought out drawing has more focus and reads clearer than one that doesn’t. Mental meandering from the very start sets the tone for the rest of the drawing and leaves no aesthetic foundation on which to build.

The solution is to pause for a moment before beginning your drawing and to look at what you see in front of you. Keep your mind open and then notice what ideas pop up – the moment of stillness allows undiscovered ideas to reveal themselves to you and this is the point where things start to get more creative.

Mistake #2 is the failure to establish the position of the complete figure on the page resulting in a drawing in which heads, arms or feet end up getting unintentionally cut off because the artist has run out of room on the paper. The solution is to put in underlying structure lines first, over which sub-forms can be placed. Be sure to include the top of the head and the bottom of the feet in your initial rendering plus some extra space for the margins. It sounds simple enough but it is amazing how many people will forget to do it.

Mistake #3 is the unintentional straightening of angles on the model (angles are important because they show how much the model is leaning). It is done unconsciously on our part and must be compensated for continually. Because most people aren’t aware of this tendency the problem never gets addressed in their drawings with the result that the model looks stiff. The solution is to start to draw the angles just as you see them but then to exaggerate the angle further to compensate for your innate tendency to straighten things. The effect is that your drawing will appear to be more accurate. You have to go out of your comfort zone and force things a bit, but to the viewer the drawing will look more believable.

Mistake #4 is the equalizing of the proportions on the human body when in fact irregular proportions are the norm. Nothing is equal or symmetrical in nature even though it may appear that way upon first glance. The solution is to observe more closely and you will see the many uneven proportions that you didn’t see the first time around. To just being aware of the tendency is already a step in the right direction and will help the quality of your drawing. Another method is to measure the length of various anatomical proportions on the model and compare them what you have drawn – you will inevitably find areas where you have “equalized” measurements. The irregularities are what make the drawing interesting and demonstrate the artist’s ability to observe closely. Nature and life are full of surprises and so your drawing should contain a few as well.

Mistake #5 is not to consider the environment surrounding the figure, resulting in a figure that inadvertently appears to be cut out or “floating” in space. The solution is to include a bit of the environment in the drawing. It can be the smallest line, but it helps the figure look more solid and more grounded. For example, add a small horizontal line next to the heel to suggest the floor, or a smudge done outside of the figure to suggest the space – it is as simple as that and works like a charm! The old masters did this a lot and you may want to refer to them for ways to integrate the environment with the figure.

Mistake #6 is going to work on the details before establishing the larger forms first. It is very easy to get lost in the details, but all that work goes to waste unless you have the proper foundation forms in first. The temptation is to start “finishing” off the drawing too fast, resulting in some beautifully rendered areas that have to be erased later. The solution is to get the drawing laid in correctly from the start, always remembering to work from large to small. The main forms go in first, then put in the sub forms and the details can be considered icing on the cake.

Mistake #7 is expecting the model to look or take a pose that is “just right”. It is OK if they move a bit, give you difficult foreshortened poses, or don’t have the appearance you are looking for. The success of your drawing has very little to do with the model and everything with you, the artist. It is your job to bring the beauty, proportion, and interest to the situation, and not the other way around. Picasso is an excellent example of an artist who could take an ordinary model and turn her into a compelling work of art. The solution is to claim your power as an artist and bring the beauty, grace, and dignity (or whatever it is you are looking for) to the model before you. You can make a model into whatever you desire with some creativity on your part, however, you will not rise to the occasion and do this if you think you have to rely on the model for inspiration. That said, some models have indeed do have a special quality and can be so wonderful you can’t help but do one of your best drawings. But you shouldn’t have to rely getting a perfect model to make a successful drawing - you can do it anyway regardless of what you see before you.

Mistake #8 is making a very professional drawing except for that the hands and/or feet are less well done and not consistent with the rest of the drawing. Many beginners as well as professional artists have trouble in this area, but if you take the extra time to make the hands and feet consistent in concept with the rest of the drawing and without fudging or trying to cover up – well, then you are in the top ten percent! he solution is to specifically work on the hands and feet and study them thoroughly. Drawing from the old masters (who offer many solutions) will help. Also, draw and redraw the hands and feet until they appear to be done with ease – it takes time but is more than worth the extra effort because a great work of art is like a chain - it is only as good as its weakest link, so if you “screw up” on one part (i.e. the hands and feet), it weakens the entire work.

Mistake #9 is to think that you have learned enough, that you finally “arrived”. In art as in life, ideas unfold as you progress and ultimately it is more about the creative process than the end result. As Picasso once said, “Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility.” The solution is to make a decision to keep your mind open so that the stage can be set for new and amazing ideas to gently reveal themselves to you. Being “right” all the time is the biggest obstacle to having an open mind - don’t spend time being right, rather, put your efforts opening your mind to new possibilities.

The ideas presented should improve the quality of your figure drawings. If you find yourself not improving then you may want to consider finding a drawing teacher or joining a drawing workshop. Life drawing (which requires a lot of discipline) is usually more successful when done in a group. One reason is that your ideas are often triggered by other artists and secondly your overall performance will be better in a group situation (it is similar to a gym in that respect). As you bring your mistakes to light and remove them, then the pure creative experience becomes more evident in your work – and your life drawing is on its way to becoming a work of art.

Jimi Hendrix psychedelic guitars

2010-03-05T15:55:00.000-08:00

These guitars are part of a series begun in 2006 that were inspired by the legendary guitarist Jimi Hendrix. I was a big fan of his in the 1960's (during my flower child days) and then went on to listen to other forms of music. It wasn't until 2006 that when listening to him once again with my teenagers, that I was able to hear his music from a deeper perspective. It is said that his music has the power to shift people's consciousness and many people talk of their lives being forever changed after listening to him. I decided to allow the excellence, integrity and beauty of his art to permeate my work. Also, I wanted to add something to the psychedelic art genre, specifically by applying aesthetics and some classic art ideas, so to elevate psychedelic art to a more sophisticated level of expression beyond "street art". Well, that was my goal, time will ultimately be the judge on that one!

The guitars that I paint on are always a Flying V or a Fender Stratocaster which were Hendrix's guitars of choice. The designs on each guitar are based on one of Hendrix's songs, which have the related lyrics spiraling outwards on the back as can be seen in the photos above. For example, the Flying V is based on the song "Are You Experienced", and the top guitar is based on "Message to Love". (There are two versions of the top guitar - the one seen here and the other which has a portrait of Jimi Hendrix on it.)

Hendrix who was part Cherokee, would decorate his guitars with poetry before going out to perform, much like a warrior would paint his shield before battle - it was serious business with him and was a spiritual act in many ways. This series of guitars seeks to expand on that tradition, as well as to make an instrument that honors and reflects the beauty of the music that will be played on it.

Erin Carmean's amazing visual blog

2010-01-28T22:16:00.000-08:00

Erin Carmean (who is my daughter) has an unusual visual blog with some fascinating images. They are decidedly romantic, sometimes surreal and always poetic and it is a one of the places I go to for ideas. It is titled "Bullets and a Bow" and is at http://erincarmean.tumblr.com/ The lower photos are of Erin, who clearly has a great sense of style and the top photos are examples of recent posts..

How Helen Lundeburg influenced my work

2010-01-27T13:03:00.000-08:00

Helen Lundeburg (see previous blog for more about her) strongly influenced my work in the 1980's. I loved both her surreal and Hard-edge still lifes and landscapes and decided to do some small paintings that in their own way paid homage to her. The top painting by Lundeburg features a canvas on the interior part of left side of the painting and the right side is the image that is within the canvas on the left. This play of two realities in her work is something I also investigated in the two paintings shown here. On the lower painting, the front canvas features the silhouette of two lovers in clouds and in the distant landscape there are the same silhouettes and clouds. The surreal, poetic and somewhat stark mood of Lundeburg's paintings resonated with the moodier side of my personality and afforded me a wonderful opportunity to enter the world of surrealism, something I don't think I would have done if it hadn't been for Helen Lundeburg.

Helen Lundeburg

2010-01-27T10:46:00.000-08:00

Helen Lundeburg is one of California’s most respected women artists with most of her work being in major museums and this is for good reason - her work is technically brilliant, her colors sublime, and her vision extraordinary. She worked in two main styles which included Post- Surrealism and Hard-edge (done later in the sixties). Her surreal paintings fused the freedom and randomness of Surrealism with impeccable classic European composition and this mixture of surrealism with classicism became known as Post Surrealism. Along with her husband Lorser Feitelson who founded the Hard-edge movement in the early 1950’s, Lundeburg shifted her artistic course and created a series of stunning Hard-edge landscapes and abstract paintings like the top two paintings. Lundeburg who actively painted since the 1930's stopped shortly after the death of Feitelson in 1978. Lundeburg’s paintings have stood the test of time and continued to inspire and like a fine wine her work only gets better with time. For more about her visit helenlundeburg.com or visit the Louis Stern Gallery in Los Angeles which handles her estate and puts out wonderful catalogues on her work.

Harry Carmean introduced her to me in the early 1980's and we quickly became friends. I spent many an afternoon in her studio talking about art (the photo of her and her cat was taken at one of these visits). Her work inspired me to create a series of small oil paintings of Hard-edge influenced "architectural landscapes" that were done in the 1980's these will be featured in another blog.

Eva Slater - Hard-edge painter

2010-01-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

Ever since I can remember, I always knew I would be an artist like my mother, Eva, a member of the Hard-edge circle in Los Angeles in the fifties and sixties. From my first awareness I would see her painting at her easel like in the photo here and I knew this was what I wanted to do as well. She was an excellent role model because her art was stunning - just look at this large oil painting of an eclipse - wow! It was from her that I learned some very basic tried and true art principles that have been carried through in my art to this day. For example, I learned that every part should relate to the whole, that it is essential to develop a high level of craftsmanship, how to use elegant and subtle colors and how to juxtapose opposite elements in one's art. Although I work in a completely different manner from my mother, we both ended up using diamonds and triangles in our work - maybe the prediliction for diamonds is in our genes, I don't really know but my daughter uses them in her art as well. (See previous blog on the triangles in our work.) To look at more of Eva Slater's art, please visit her website at evaslater.com.

My mother quit painting in the late 1960's, (which a lot of people were quite unhappy about), and went on to write a well received book on American Indian basketry titled The Panamint Shoshone Baskets - an American Art Form. It is available on ebay at the Poetic Eye Gallery along with some of her beautiful drawings.

Painting from the live model

2010-01-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I drew from the live model, I would mix oil paints with pencil which created a whole new effect. This was a way of getting more variety into my drawings, and producing new forms of expression. The results were different as can be seen here, with a more spontaneous, colorful quality and indeed these "drawings" now became paintings. All the pieces have a lot of drawing in them, still, (although it is harder to see in the top two paintings) and are a mixture of drawing and painting. These were all done from 25 minute poses in a life drawing class, are 12" or less in size and are on primed illustration board.

2010-01-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

Lissa Ligget, a good friend and collector of my work, is a master perfumer and she has been gracious enough to design a perfume titled Urban Geisha which captures the spirit of geisha. Her fragrances are pure magic and made with the most expensive, pure essences - in this case, some exotic fragrances from the east Liggett is a poet with scents, and arranges them in a way so that they become alive. The result that the person who wears the fragrance also feels more alive when wearing the perfume. Personally I have never experienced anything quite like it, even with the most expensive perfumes available. She is very much a true artist when it comes to her craft only in her case her "palette" is an array of exotic fragrances. If you want to learn more about her, visit this link: http://montecitoperfume.com/ The perfume Urban Geisha is available exclusively at the ebay store Urban Geisha. It is an exquisitely made perfume and is priced at $110.

Dog and cat paintings

2009-12-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

In the 1970’s I began painting dog portraits. In the paintings the goal was to capture the distinctive beauty, enthusiasm and character of my subjects. In the beginning I only painted dogs and then a few years later the inevitable cat was presented for a portrait. Pinky was the first cat I painted and she was a beauty – an overweight 25 lb. pink Persian cat with huge yellow saucer eyes (see photo above).

After doing several portraits for Brooke Astor of her beloved Daschunds, she commissioned me to paint her baby elephant named Astor who lived in the zoo. I was told by one of her friends that Mrs. Astor always carried her dog portraits with her when she traveled to visit heads of state in other countries. This didn’t surprise me, since the portraits are small in scale and so most of my clients can easily put them where they can see them all the time.

The great English animal painter Sir Edwin Landseer and the ever popular Dogs Playing Poker series by C.M. Coolidge were the inspiration for this series of dog and cat portraits. In the 2000’s, the geisha/samurai cat series was begun after a client requested a portrait of their cat in the manner of my geisha paintings. I have continued to do a few portraits over the years for friends and collectors and will probably continue to do so for years to come – I always look forward to meeting a new furry character and capturing their spirit on canvas.

My mother, daughter and I all use diamonds in our art

2009-12-19T23:55:00.000-08:00

Certain design elements have seemed to be carried through the Slater family genes, specifically that of diamonds and triangles. The top drawing is by my daugher, Erin, the middle painting is by my mother Eva, and the "Harlequin" table is by me. As can be seen we all have an underlying attraction to using simple or split diamond patterns in our work.

How these forms got used in our work is different for each of us. Erin uses the patterns in the radiating forms she draws or the clothes she designs, I use the diamond patterns on objects such as furniture and my mother uses them as compositional elements in her Hard Edge paintings done in the fifties. While we are all very different in our approaches in the art we do, it is interesting to observe the underlying theme that carries through in our work, that of the diamond pattern - it truly is in our genes.

Masami Teroaka, best contemporary geisha artist there is

2009-12-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

Masami Teraoka's work was the inspiration for the recent series of geisha paintings. I first saw his work in the mid 1970's and it forever changed my approach to art. I was inspired to do some geisha paintings at that time and did a few, but went on to study with Harry Carmean and immersed myself in the world of western art for the next twenty five years. However, in 2007, I got the itch to paint in that style again after a gallery located some of my old geisha fans and I was able to purchase them back. Upon looking at my old work, they triggered some new ideas and I realized I was by no means done with the exploration of the geisha theme.

Teraoka's paintings from the 70's and 80's command $200-300,000 easily on the auction block, and for my mind are still undervalued. By the 1990's he went on to explore western art, however the geishas will always be my personal favorites.....wow, can he ever paint!

In his website there is a section of early works....there you will see some of the most gorgeous paintings of geisha done by a contemporary artist! http://www.masamiteraoka.com/early_work.html

Tribal Belly Dancer Drawings

2009-12-19T00:05:00.001-08:00

This series of drawings was begun in 2007 after seeing the amazing Rachel Brice, who is unlike any belly dancer I have seen before (see previous post to learn more about her). My daughter Erin introduced me to the rarified world of tribal belly dance (which is different and "darker" than other forms of belly dance) and so it naturally began to influence my work. I began doing drawings of the dancers as a natural extension of a series of women done in a fanciful, somewhat expressionistic style which was begun over twenty years ago and has continued to the present. In 2008 I also started doing paintings inspired by Rachel, including her portrait on a fan and the expressionistic painting shown here.

In this series of paintings and drawings, I try to really play with form and distort it so as to bring out the character of the dancers. Their beauty is not conventional, rather they are "outsiders" in every sense of the word with their unique bodies that defy mainstream ideals, their distinctive style and exotic looks.

More Japanese hair ornaments (kanzashi) from my collection

2009-12-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some more antique Japanese hair ornaments from my collection all of which are from the 1800's - enjoy! (The black hair stick has a working compass on it.)

Cedars Sinai Endowment Chair

2009-12-12T16:47:00.001-08:00

In the late 1980's I was commissioned to create Cedar's Sinai Medical Center's Endowment Chair which represented their highly successful endowment program. I beat out architect Frank Gehry for the job because they wanted something traditional in style and he was doing cardboard chairs at the time. The chair which is currently in the main lobby of the center, took about two years to complete. It was made out of lacquer and paint over wood and was constructed by Anthony Kafesjian at Lloyd's custom furniture in Los Angeles. Anthony is also the person that is responsible for making all my furniture over the past thirty years and is considered one of the best in the business. He made my De Chirico chairs, the letter boxes and Cubist tables. The chair was designed to meet the criteria of Cedars Sinai in both in its shape and symbology. Each year I still create a number of miniature chairs (each hand made by Anthony Kafesjian, which are then painted and lacquered), then given to each of the donors who generously fund the program. The photo above is of me holding a model which was a prototype for the larger chair (which is 5' tall.)

My erotic work

2009-11-25T17:27:00.000-08:00

After getting married to Harry Carmean in 1986 we both began a series of erotic drawings and paintings and continued with this series for many years. We would start the day by drawing some of the most provocative sensual things we could think of for each other....we found it quite amusing and it was a great way to keep up our drawing skills. We covered many themes, such as centaurs, harlequins (a personal favorite), acrobats, Greek mythology, sexy shapes, erotic tea cups, and so on. The photo here is of us in our breakfast nook making erotic drawings to each other (hence the slightly sly smiles).

After having children, my output was dramatically reduced, but I still managed to get a few done now and then. Most of them cannot cannot be shown here because of their explicit nature. Both Harry's and my erotic drawings are sold on ebay, however, so you can get an eye full there, plus we have a new website devoted to our erotic work only called coffeedrawings.com. It has a blog that is regularly updated and has lots of information on this series.

The Poetic Eye art gallery

2009-11-23T22:39:00.000-08:00

The Poetic Eye Gallery is an online art gallery which specializes in the work of Harry Carmean, Eva Slater and Miriam Slater. The gallery has been in business for three years, sells internationally and continues to grow with each passing month. It is becoming an online institution where people can buy quality figurative art in a variety of price ranges.

Above are some photos of some recent sales - the volcano painting by Eva Slater (sold for $15,000), the figure painting by Harry Carmean ($9,500), and the Slater letter box ($1,800). Most of the paintings are sold offline although a few are listed on ebay at any given time.

The buyers at the Poetic Eye consist mostly of other artists, ex-students of Harry's and some art collectors. Oddly enough, the mainstream art world continues to ignore us as they have for the last thirty years, but thankfully with the help of the internet, we have developed a strong audience base that is independent of the art world. There is little we have in common with the trendy, mediocre, unimaginative, and often vapid art seen in the art fairs or the in contemporary art scene in general. Most of the stuff doesn't merit a second look in my opinion. This gallery specializes in art that is not done for the moment and does not fit in with the latest trends, and so we could be considered a "rogue" gallery - we operate completely outside of the art world and like it just fine that way.....

Timelessness is achieved by creating art with utmost excellence, being original and thinking outside of the box, coming from the heart and applying certain art principles that are inherent in the art process. Any of the works sold in this gallery are guaranteed to hold their own when compared to some of the most prominent artists on the art scene today and will absolutely stand the test of time. So, please visit the Poetic Eye online (on ebay or at our site at thepoeticeye.com, to see some fantastic art at reasonable prices, and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Orian - Japanese highest ranking courtesans

2009-11-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

While most people are familiar with geisha, not many people know about Japan's highest ranking courtesans, the orian. They were highly educated, beautiful and powerful women who enjoyed roles that were similar to that of celebrities today. They defined the fashions and style of the time, were the inspiration of artists and musicians, were highly educated and were quite powerful. They were referred to as "castletoppers", because a man had to sell his castle to maintain an orian, they were that expensive. An orian is distinguished by her elaborate hair ornaments which radiate from her head, tall lacquer shoes, brocaded kimono which ties in the front (for easy access), and her child assistants. As can be seen from these photos of actual orian, they were indeed fascinating, beautiful women and this is why I focus on merging their spirit with our contemporary western styles.

More Butterfly Eyeglasses....

2009-11-15T02:29:00.000-08:00

Here are some more spectacular butterfly eyeglasses, which were part of a collection I put together in the 1970's.

Teahouse Fire Geisha Santa Barbara

2009-11-14T22:03:00.000-08:00

The Teahouse Fire is one of several tires that inspired a new series of geisha/fire paintings. The fire burnt very close to our house in Santa Barbara as can be seen in these photos taken from our kitchen window. The bottom photo shows it in its early stages on the first day. Santa Barbara has had three major fires within a year’s time in which wildfires burnt out of control in the mountains and then spread into the residential areas at the foothills where we live. As one person who survived the fire but saw her house burn down said “It was one of the most terrifying things I have ever seen and yet at the same one of the most beautiful”.

For the many days these fires burned we lived in a constant hail of snow like ashes everywhere, air that hurt your lungs, a darkened yellowish grey sky, a sun that glowed red midday and a general sense of impending doom. A reddish line of flames would constantly glide along the hills in the days and nights, spewing vast amounts of smoke into the air. At night the hills were crimson against a velvety black starless sky. We spent many hours viewing the fire with binoculars, watching it as it moved to the right, then to the left and then one terrifying evening, directly right towards us. From our balcony we watched it slowly climb up hills to homes and then the homes one by one would flare up and ignite, and so the evening went. The winds whipped around us, becoming very active (it was like clockwork) after 4:00 pm to feed the fire for some real fireworks in the evening. At one point the fire was only one mile away from our house and just jumped the road that separated us from the wilder areas.

The Teahouse Fire Geisha painting is one of several in a series titled “Views of Santa Barbara”. It was directly inspired by these fires which had an awe inspiring beauty being one of the fundamental forces that drives nature. In the painting the geisha is viewing the fire, much like one would view fireworks and at her feet an ember has fallen, signifying that the fire has gotten too close for comfort.

Butterfly Eyeglasses and Geishas

2009-11-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

People often wonder about the strange looking eyeglasses seen in some of my geisha paintings – are these something I just made up people often ask? They are in reality, actual eyeglasses frames that I collected in the 1970’s. They were very rare, but putting together the largest collection of them in the world became my obsession for a while. The glasses were hand made in France in the 1950’s, and for my mind effectively represented the glamour of Hollywood that we as a society are so drawn to. The exotic shapes of the eyeglasses nicely complement the high style of the geishas and courtesans of old Japan, who were the celebrities of their own time and this is why they are used in my work. More photos of these eyeglasses are in a blog after this one - take a look!

Family Paintings

2009-11-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

In 1990 at the age of 39 when I had my first child, a daugher, Erin, it was obvious that from then on my life was now drastically changed. I was afraid it would impact my art negatively because being a parent is so demanding. And, it was true, being a parent has taken a lot of time and energy and greatly reduced my output of art, but at the same time it was incredibly rewarding. It forced me to develop sides of myself I didn't even know I had and ultimately it served to bring breadth and depth to my art. Having a child was such a wonderful event that Harry and I decided to have another and this time we had a son, Sean. By that time I was 43 and so it seemed a good time to stop, but truth be told, I wouldn’t have minded having more. Later when they became teenagers, I realized having two children was actually the best choice for us, because there simply would have been no time to paint!

While raising a family had taken time from my career, at the same time the experience was inspiring from an artistic standpoint. I began including our children in my work and so a series of small family themed paintings was begun. The family theme cropped up in my painted objects and drawings as well. As the kids became older and separate individuals, I stopped painting them but their influence did not stop. It was through being in their world that I was inspired to begin a series of psychedelic guitars and flamboyant geishas. In that sense our children helped make my art more "young" in content than it would ever have on its own. As an artist, I can say that having children was one of the best things I ever did and it brought out things in me artistically that would never have happened without the trials and tribulations of having a family.

Disco Skates 1970's

2009-11-12T21:40:00.000-08:00

When the disco skating fad took off here in California in the late 1970’s, I was happy to join in because it was so much fun. Dressing in outrageous clothes and dancing while skating to disco music with friends was a wonderful moment in time – it was the seventies! We began attending a large celebrity studded private skating party held every week in the San Fernando Valley hosted by Helena Kalliontes, a good friend of Jack Nicholson’s. It was always was well attended by all the biggest stars at the time and the entrance was surrounded by paparazzi. The parking lot was packed with Rolls Royces and Mercedes every Wednesday night and the ordinarily dated and uneventful skating rink became sparkling and alive after the sun set.

I painted my own skates in an Egyptian style complete with a portrait of my pet Dutch rabbit on them (these skates are now in the Experience Music Project Museum in Seattle). Other celebrities saw what I was wearing and so a series of commissioned skates was begun. Cher had me design some purple zebra skin roller skates to match her Bob Mackie costume all of which ended up on the cover of People Magazine. I painted a pink roccoco pair lined with faux ermine for my skating buddy artist Edie Vonnegut (see bottom photo). Articles soon appeared featuring my skates in Women’s Wear Daily and other fashion magazines, plus the skates were included in a book which documenting the disco skating world titled Roller Babies.

Drawing from the model with Harry Carmean

2009-08-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

My greatest inspiration when it comes to life drawing, is Harry Carmean (see previous blog to learn more about him.) From the first time I watched him draw 1978, I was immediately transfixed and shortly thereafter left my career in Los Angeles to study figure drawing and painting with him. I had to forget everything I had learned up until that point and start over from scratch. Carmean taught by emphasizing the on the use of art principles which are simple concepts but quite difficult to put into practice. The photo above is of Harry and I drawing together in his studio in Laurel Canyon in the mid 1980's.

It took nearly five straight years of drawing before I started getting the hang of what he was talking about. After another five years of life drawing, it felt like the ideas were finally became an integral part of my art. In the late 1980's I made some life drawings that so closely resembled his that it was hard to tell them apart, which was one of my greatest and most hard earned accomplishments. However, it was at that time that I realized it was also time to find my own direction stylistically. The life drawings I did started becoming smaller, they were done in ball point pen or mechanical pencils instead of charcoal, and with a lighter touch and attention to detail.

I also began sketching small fanciful drawings of women from my imagination which I continue to do to this day which will be featured in another blog. These were in a way, an offshoot of my life drawings, because, while they were also nude figures, in them I could really play with the forms and push them even further than was ever possible with a model. Many of my drawings are currently available on ebay.

The unintended effects of copyright laws

2009-08-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

Copyright laws are rigorously enforced these days and while it is good to protect an artist's rights, there are some unintended negative effects which can stifle the creative process. One of the biggest problems occurs when the original artist dies and the heirs assume control of a vast, highly creative estate which they are under qualified to run. The heirs who, in some cases, can be uneducated and/or insensitive to what the artist had accomplished are given broad powers over the use of his estate. Several examples of inappropriately run estates are that of the James Joyce estate and the Jimi Hendrix estate, both of whose heir's have prevented many a project from going forward.

The long shadow of copyright laws and estates has impacted my work directly. I spent a year painting a series of Stratocaster guitars honoring Jimi Hendrix (which have his portrait and lyrics on them), and these guitars bridge the gap between psychedelic and classic art. But, as things currently stand they won't be shown in my lifetime because of the possibility of getting sued for copyright infringement. The head of the Hendrix estate, regardless of what they know about art (which is little), has by law the absolute power to censor my work. The guitars, now in my closets, will stand the test of time and eventually find their way into America's culture as the copyrights expire.

What is wrong here is that America's artistic dialogue has been tampered with. Rock and roll is a fundamental part of America's culture and a visual artist's interpretation of it is important for its contribution to our culture as a whole. A whole artistic process/direction has been subtly altered - the dialogue squashed. For example the pop artists Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein would never have been able to create their paintings in the current legal climate. They would have been stopped by copyright laws straight away and America would have been culturally been the poorer for it. As it stands these works are part of our rich cultural legacy which has influenced the course of art history worldwide. So, while now we have better copyright laws, we are also inadvertently stifling the dialogue between the artists and musicians of our times.

When overly involving copyright laws into the art process, the dialogue in which there is sharing, borrowing, and yes, sometimes stealing from one another is effectively destroyed.....creativity always involves an interaction between the artist and society as well as each other. For example, if you look at the cubist movement at the turn of the century, Braque, Gris and Picasso all borrowed, even stole from each other heavily. It is part of the dynamic interchange of the creative process. There is something not quite right about a situation where people (ie. family members) who never created a beautiful body of work themselves, but now have carte blanche to restrict the flow of someone about which they have a limited understanding. For my mind, after an artist's time, there should be some legal provision to prevent heirs from excessively locking up an important body of work and restricting its flow into society.

Introducing Harry Carmean who taught me everything about art

2009-08-14T18:28:00.000-07:00

Harry Carmean is one of the finest interpreters of the figure today and works in a style evocative of past masters. He is known for his sophisticated compositions in which every part relates to the overall whole as well as a sensual, painterly style. He taught figure drawing and painting for 43 years at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and so has influenced several generations of artists.

I met Carmean in 1978, was very impressed with what I saw and began studying with him at Art Center. Like many other students before me, his teachings ended up having a profound affect on my work and life. Although stylistically we are different, we share a fundamental emphasis on the application of specific art principles throughout a work which helps make it read more easily and helps to give it power. I have written a few articles online to pass on some of the art principles that were learned from Carmean over the years and more are in the works. The ideas that Carmean imparted in his classes are the foundation on which my art is built. For those interested, a number of his drawings are available on ebay the Poetic Eye art gallery.

A video of Carmean teaching is on youtube, his bio is on wikipedia and his artwork can be viewed at harrycarmean.com.

Kanzashi - Japanese hair ornaments.

2009-08-14T18:02:00.001-07:00

Antique Japanese hair ornaments (called kanzashi) are some of the most beautiful hair ornaments ever created, rivalling those made in Europe in terms of artistry. In the last few years I began collecting them and pieces from this collection have been the inspiration for the exotic hair ornaments seen in my paintings of geisha. The ornaments were made out of tortoise shell, ivory, silver, silk, and lacquer and the most spectacular of them were created for the orian (high class courtesans) and geisha. The courtesans wore their kanzashi in a radiating fashion and the geisha wore them in a simpler manner as defined by their class and position. The Japanese would often include sophisticated touches of humor and erotic symbology in their designs using images of a crab prying open a clam shell or a fish being caught). I was also drawn to kanzashi because of a refined aesthetic sensibility which is especially evident earlier pieces. The photos above are from my collection and a website is in progress which will feature the complete collection.

Rachel Brice, one of my favorite subjects

2009-08-01T19:49:00.001-07:00

Rachel Brice continues to be a subject in my artwork for good reason - she is a brilliant dancer making her naturally inspiring to artists plus she is just gorgeous! This plus her exotic costuming make her a wonderful source of inspiration from a visual standpoint. She not only dances very well, but she has also managed to propel belly dance from beyond its traditional tribal/ethnic form into the world of high art. Tribal belly dance is not to be confused with a more commonly known form of belly dance known as "cabaret" (these dancers wear coins and veils and are known for their shimmies). Rather it is a non-traditional form of dance which derives its inspiration from a myriad of sources past and present and includes aspects of contemporary street culture. Rachel's dancing is unique because in it, one can see sophisticated art principles applied throughout. These ideas include the use of opposites elements (see previous blog), exquisite timing and consummate craftsmanship. These aesthetic factors blended with Rachel’s innate passion make for a spectacular dance experience.

My series of belly dancer paintings and drawings was begun in 2006 after seeing Rachel Brice dance with the Belly Dance Superstars. After going to Tribal Fest ’09, a festival where tribal dancers from around the world meet and debut new dances, the drawings stylistically changed to become more intricate. Of all my belly dance drawings the recent ones are my favorites because they really capture the unique spirit of tribal belly dance. More of these drawings will be posted on the website regularly. Rachel Brice currently lives in San Francisco and dances with her belly dance troupe called the Indigo which features two other wonderful dancers, Zoe Jakes and Mardi Love. Belly Dance Magazine (the summer issue) has just come out with an article on Rachel Brice who is featured on the cover, plus it has an article on my artwork in it as well. There is lots of information on the tribal belly dance world on the web, so please take a look at some of my favorite sources of inspiration! To buy my belly dance drawings go please Urban Geisha Co on ebay which has a large selection of original belly dance drawings at reasonable prices.

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Urban-Geisha-Company

Geisha and orian in my art

2009-08-01T18:10:00.000-07:00

Since the age of 5 I have always felt instinctively drawn to the orient but it wasn’t until 1974 when I was in college, that Japanese art and geishas became a part of my art. I was initially inspired by the Japanese American artist Masami Teraoka and his gorgeous watercolors of geishas done in the seventies and eighties. (He has since gone on to paint in a western style, but you can see his geishas from this period on the internet.) In 1979 I met Harry Carmean and quit painting geisha to go back to a western style of painting.

However, in 2006, the geisha theme once again showed up in my work because of the nagging feeling that that whole idea had never really been fully explored to my satisfaction. I began painting western women as geisha and orian, including doing portraits of Madonna and Rachel Brice, the famous belly dancer (see next post which is on her). I also paint orian who were the highest class courtesans from old Japan and who dressed more spectacularly than geisha whoby law had to dress in a subdued manner. The word orian means "first flower" and and they were known for their elaborate, expensive hair ornaments, tall shoes and and fantastic hairstyles (see photo above of an actual orian). From a cultural standpoint, orian and geisha enjoyed similar roles in society as do our celebrities of today. They were educated, wealthy, set the fashions and styles of the day and had many admirers. There are many parallels between the decadent "Floating World" of Japan in the 1800's and Hollywood today and this is what I like to capture in my work.

An analysis of Bernard Madoff's signature

2009-07-31T00:19:00.000-07:00

Bernard Madoff’s signature clearly displayed his deceitful nature, so much so, that even a second rate graphologist could have easily figured him out. By taking a look at his handwriting now, you, the reader, can get a better idea of how to spot deception in others. This is a particularly useful skill if you are in business and it can save you a lot of trouble in the future because with a little observation, you can learn volumes about the people with whom you do business.

The first thing to do when looking at a signature is to get a “hit”, a feeling of its overall character. Something will grab your eye as the dominant expression and/or problem of the script. In Madoff’s case, my first impression is that it is illegible and that has an abnormal movement to it, a strange spinning quality. The spinning is hypnotic and helps deflect your attention from engaging with the actual signature. Illegible signatures mean the person doesn’t want you to see who they are. In this case, Madoff is amazingly elaborate and consistent about maintaining the illegibility, and so he is a person who works at it harder at not being seen than most. (Illegibility is often seen in the autographs of celebtities who strive to maintain privacy while living in the public eye and to see more of these go to uglyautographs.com).

Madoff’s signature noticeably slants to the left, meaning he is more “in his head”, detached from others and out of touch with his feelings. The backward slant suggests a cold, calculated personality. The letter shapes have been altered, so they do not form real letters, and this represents the a distorted thinking process that also affected his business. Notice how the B looks like a D and how the f’s look like t’s. The letter B stroke also is broken at the top, another sign of deceit by the way. Also notice how the manner in which letters are made completely varies from the first and the second sample. He changes forms in an arbitrary manner which most graphologists would find disturbing. Most people maintain the same letter forms throughout their lives, but here the shapes are ever changing and shifting, which connotes shiftiness on the part of the writer. Another classic sign of deviousness is the letter 'o' that is done as a single loop in a clockwise manner instead of the classic way taught in school. When this sign is present, it suggests underhandedness on the part of the writer, and when seen in conjunction with other negative signs becomes a red flag. There are a number of other revealing signs in his handwriting, including the very sharp hooks at the ends of strokes, but here a few examples were chosen to show how warning signs are discerned in graphology. In the case of Bernard Madoff, if an investor had simply had a graphologist look at the contract before signing, a fortune could have been saved. If you learn nothing else from this blog, remember this: never invest your money with someone with a signature is 100% illegible and looks like a hornets’ nest.

The use of opposing elements in art

2009-07-30T00:36:00.000-07:00

One of the most important ideas present in all great works of art is the conscious use of opposites on the part of the artist, so as to create visual interest. Discordant elements are often discreetly woven into a work, becoming part of the overall theme and so may not be even noticed by the viewer. However, it is the opposing elements that will serve to amplify the artist’s message and give the work strength. Opposition (by its nature) creates a dynamic tension, which can be harnessed by the artist and utilized for self-expression. When analyzing the creations of great artists, whether they are painters, musicians, actors or directors, one inevitably sees the inclusion of many opposing elements as a common element. The play of opposites is what helps to distinguish a lesser work from a greater one and its absence leaves the viewer vaguely wanting. So, for those of you who are in the arts, this blog is an excellent reminder to infuse your work with some life, and add something that is opposite to the overall expression of the piece. In the painting above by Harry Carmean, four sets of opposite elements are considered: light and dark, horizontal and vertical, foward and back, and warm and cool.

Art is a necessity, not a luxury

2009-07-29T23:41:00.000-07:00

Art is a necessary part of our lives and is just as important to the soul as food and water is to the body. Some people think that art is an option in life, but, in actuality, it is a necessary element of the development of the human soul. Art can trigger us to aspire to new things, it has the ability shift how we perceive the world, and it provides harmony and balance to a world which is often precariously out of balance. Artists of merit give huge amounts of themselves to their art, at times even dying for it (ie. Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Heath Ledger), but their efforts are never in vain because they leave us with something that lives on and continues to affect us at our deepest, most personal levels. Humanity collectively is drawn towards those among us who are the most creative. A profound global mourning occurs when an artist is lost, Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger being recent examples. Not only do we mourn the passing of the individuals which is tragic in and of itself, we also mourn “what could have been”, the uncreated works that we as a global community have also lost. Artists, regardless of how troubled they are in their personal lives, always recognize the profound value of what they do. When they are in the actual art of creating, their personal life falls away and they enter a state of grace in which they experience pure creativity and in which causes them to be in touch with the divine. This highly conscious state is transferred energetically into their art and then we, the audience absorb that energy and the insights it has to offer. Whether you are the creator or the audience, it is a fantastic process, a true “high” and a necessary element for the development of the soul, just as much as breathing is for the body.

Welcome to my blog!

2009-07-24T13:29:00.000-07:00

This blog will include thoughts on art and life, plus fun stuff. I am an artist, acupuncturist, graphologist and writer, so it covers a broad range of topics. Now, I will go and write something for it that will hopefully amuse and entertain....