"Ecstasy" - Maxfield Parrish
I wish this was my painting but, as you can see, it's not. I just wanted to start my blog today with a picture because I think it's so much more interesting that way (being a visual person, myself).
Today I'm going to start working on an entry for Monday Art Day. Well, actually, I practiced what I preach by first figuring out what I want to do in my sketch/work book. So, if I want to get anything done on that I better get busy and not waste time . I don't expect to finish it right away but you never know. When I get it done I will show you all my steps. I might even show my first sketch.
Art History Moment: I could talk about Maxfield Parrish forever but want to move onto something/someone else. Personally he really was a character. That makes for an interesting study, I think. As I said he had a long time mistress/model, Susan Lewin. She lived in his studio that was separate from his house but connected by a passageway. He could be in the studio for hours and the next thing you knew, back in the house. Of course his wife had to know what was what but must have had an agreement with him about his strange extra life. M. P. was a perfectionist all the way. He built a model of a castle and used it in many of his illustrations. Many would just consider him an illustrator but I think illustrators get a bad rap. They have to be artists in every sense of the word. They just have a talent for interpreting a story. Companies could see that in him. He was the main artist for Edison Mazda Lamps. One could say he was the "Girl on a Rock" artist extraordinaire as so many of the calendars were designed around this theme. As I said before-look at the "It's a Beautiful Day" rock album (not sure of the title) and you'll either see his painting or one that is very similar to one of his.
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