The Buenos Aires pictures. This is the first painting I did there. More to come

Temperley Buenos Aires 11"x14" oil on mounted linen

On the outskirts of the center of Buenos Aires are interesting towns that feel very lived in. Visiting Temperley, although very foreign to me, felt familiar. It reminded me, slightly, of Union City, New Jersey, where I lived a few years when I was a pre teen. The streets in both places are worn and cracked, stray dogs roaming around, graffiti(not the "cool" kind that is famous now a days) older cars still functioning and people that just feel so darn neighborly to me. A place sometimes just has a way in presenting itself to me that makes me want to capture it. I believe it was a mixture of this familiarity and the loving hospitality I was experiencing from a part of my wife's family. I was staring at this corner the morning after a night of gorging on an incredible "parrillada" and several glasses of Fernet and Coke. This area felt very much like home to me. I can not wait to visit again.

Comments

Chicago

I am thinking of a general sense on how I perceive the subjects in my paintings. I can only put a stream of experiences to describe the image: the song by Frank Sinatra, a barely remembered poem about Chicago..something about big shoulders, pop culture thoughts like prohibition and gansters, great pizza, baseball, lots of guys that look like me (baseball cap, bearded, slight beer belly) Guinness, el trains, bridges, biting cold etc.. Does this make sense?

Frolic

In Victor Hugo's Les Miserables there is a chapter where he paints a picture of friends in the throws of joyous doings. Much laughter, drinking, and enjoyment of each other's company makes one's spirit giddy. I thought of that chapter while on a winter trip to South Carolina's Kiawah Island. In this painting I depict my friends Harumi and Christian spontaneously riding found kids bikes. Christian is obviously too big for this ride, while Harumi seemed quite comfortable and serene. I hope this painting is seen in person as there is much to the texture that my poor photo taking does not capture.

The Room

I have a secret envy for those that have lived in the same house through to adulthood. It must be nice to be so secure about what home is. I have been contemplating putting wheels on practically every thing I own. Maybe I'll buy an old Uhaul truck and live in that. I have been carrying the same books around for eleven or twelve years now. I guess in a way "home" for me is everywhere and anywhere these books are next to me.

Art by John Sanchez

Search This Blog