Larry’s Art Vault: TV Art Instruction

For some reason Molly and I have become recepients of Bob Ross gift items.

Such as the Bob Ross ’Self-Painting Mug’.

And the legendary Bob Ross vinyl figurine ...

We are, at best, on the periphery of the Bob Ross universe (Molly teaches painting; I organize art shows).  He’s become a pop culture icon for a current generation.

But long before Bob Ross there was Jon Gnagy--the grandaddy of TV art instruction.

I once wrote on this site:

"Molly got her BFA at the San Francisco Art institute.

Me—I got my art education with Jon Gnagy.”

Pretty much the truth.   Bob Ross seems to have promoted 'happy accidents'. Gnagy dealt with fundamentals. 

You could (and I did) draw with Gnagy on a weekly basis by watching his TV show-- following along in the Learn to Draw book while using the Jon Gnagy Learn to Draw art kit.

Here’s a couple of  Gnagy booklets:

Here’s a basic nuts-and-bolts art lesson from his classic book:

If Bob Ross has aided people in their understanding and enjoyment of art, good for him.

Me, I’m still holding out for the Jon Gnagy action figure.

For  more on Jon Gnagy on this blog go to:

https://larryrippeeandmollyreaart.blogspot.com/search?q=gnagy

(January 22, 2012 post)

Images copyright to respective owners

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays ........Glasses not included

Pressing Matters X: Printmakers Group Show

Things seem to be moving so swiftly that I feel like I’m racing behind the curve. Consequently, our 10th annual printmaking show, Pressing Matters, came and went without me ever acknowledging it.

So to make up for lost time here are a few shots I managed to get from the exhibit before it went down. This is an incomplete selection. My apologies to the artists I missed.

"The Observer"

Elaine Penwell’s block print and display made a nice introduction to the exhibit.

Micheley Allen’s nicely done etching "The Lark"

And her complex multicolor wood cut “Mt. Tam from the Trail Above”

Another nicely done piece-intaglio, monotype and oil pastel-- by Sophia Larsen entitled “Daydream”

Fred Berensmeier’s collagraph

“Raven Dreams of Earth Maker Hands and Interspecies Flying Lessons"

Johanna Herrera’s cool monoprint on clay, “H-Art"

Another fine piece. Cindy Miracle’s “Memory Takes a lot of Poetic License”

A monoprint with Chine colle

"The Embrace” a serigraph by Geoff Bernstein

Xander Weaver Scull’s “Lake Erie Water Snake” 

A monoprint stencil with homemade earth paint

Fred Berensmeier’s highly complex linocut “Cloud Shaman Calling Back the Red Fish”

“River Buddha” by Martha Cederstrom

Block print, screen print and acrylic paint

Three copper-plate etchings by Thomas Wood

“Tomales Bay"

“Deer Island"

And “Hamilton”

Barbara Morris’ monototype “Stars and Stripes 13"

Xander Weaver Scull created this large (I mean large) “Robin Williams #1”

(It’s a monoprint: spray-paint with four layers of freehand drawing and cut cardboard stencils on a birch panel)

Here’s a long shot so you can get a sense of proportion 

This remarkable piece, “Primus Goes to the Casino"was done by a young artist in his early teens, Wiley Raffael

It’s a hand printed and hand embellished 24" x 18” Serigraph

Sam Vaughan returned to the show with this stone lithograph, “Devil Inspects Stelae"

“Death Defied” a silkscreen

and another stone lithograph, “Man Making Stone Bed”

Zoltron contributed new hand printed serigraphs, “Widespread Panic, November 1”

and “Widespread Panic, October 31"

The show was held in November at the Maurice del Mue Galleries of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center.

I thank all participating artists--Micheley Allen, Fred L. Berensmeier, Geoff Bernstein, Martha Cederstrom, Kevin Gladstone, Johanna Herrera, Elan Kamesar, Sophia Larsen, Cindy Miracle, Barbara Morris, Elaine Nehm, Elaine Penwell, Wiley Raffael, Gabriele Schwibach, Sam Vaughan, Xander Weaver-Scull, Thomas Wood and Zoltron.

Oh yeah..I was in the show too...