A few months ago, while I was at IlluXcon, LizAnn Lizotte approached me and ask if I would be willing to participate in a quilt project. She asked all artists who were present at the show to do a sketch, or a painting, on a little square of cotton cloth. She would then put these painted patches together and make a quilt. When the job is finished, Pat Wilshire will auction it off to raise funds for art student scholarships.
Other artists of note included in the project are: Justin Gerard, Donato Giancola, Raoul Vitale, Omar Rayyan, Vincent Villafranca, Matt Stewart, Jordu Schell, John Harris, Chris Moeller, Allen Williams, Jeremy Caniglia, Eric Velhagen, Tom Taggart, Didier Graffet, Soutchay Soungpradith, among others.
So, I said yes, and brought my piece of cloth home, in order to make a quick oil sketch of…something. The size of the cotton patch was about 4 ½ X 4 ½ inch, or 11 X 11 cm. The deadline for delivering the painted patch was the beginning of January, but because of my busy schedule, I was not able to meet the due date. Then, at the beginning of February, when I was asked if my little sketch was finished, I felt bad about not keeping my promise and decided to “punish” myself by making a little painting, instead of making just a quick sketch in color. So, I did this little painting of a silly giant.
I was surprised to discover how much fun I had while making this little painting. The cotton cloth was very finely woven and it was surprisingly easy and joyous to apply the oil color to it. I than realized that I could do some little experiments and try to find out how this miniature format would fit me. The experience was very refreshing and insightful and I decided to do more of this kind of little silly paintings. If my busy schedule permits it, I might do a couple of them and bring it with me to the Spectrum Live show. So, if you have always dreamed of having an original Meseldzija in your collection, but did not have enough funds to finance this dream, this is your chance. With the help of just a couple of hundred bucks you might persuade me to sell one of these little paintings to you.
See you in Kansas City in May!
Beautiful work Petar!
ReplyDeleteJeff
Beautiful! It shows you were having fun there, the playful strokes and giant's character are really great to see up close.
ReplyDeleteHehe, how gracious of you to think of those with a "dream of having an original Meseldzija".
ReplyDeleteVladimir, If this is also one of your dreams , you can easily fulfill it with the help of PayPal and 300 Euro.
DeleteThanks for your comments,Guys!
Nice to know you will be bringing some little gems with you to Spectrum FALive! And let us hope you feel like punishing yourself some more!
ReplyDelete-John
No problem, John. I will keep on “punishing” myself…You know me!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Sounds like a nasty secret between you two. Small, fast paintings are near and dear to my heart, as are small slow paintings. You can learn so much by just doing and not dwelling. Wonderful little painting Petar.
ReplyDeleteI can’t stress this enough – a master has to have a secret, or two . Otherwise, why should the public believe him that he is a master. A skill (or an insight) that only he possesses, or is able to perform... A well-deserved privilege! :0)
ReplyDeleteIn contrast to that, Great masters need no secrets. Their mastery is obvious. I think Picasso once said something like: “There are many masters in the world, but only a few of them are great masters.” (I am just kidding, guys….unlike Picasso, who was deadly serious when he spoke these words).
Yes, Bill, there is something liberating in the small pictures, and indeed “…just doing and not dwelling”, is one of the most important elements for me as well.
Thanks, Bill, and I am really looking forward to seeing and talking to you in Kansas City!