Monday, May 22, 2017

ART WITH GARDEGA: COLLAGE AS THERAPY


I was never a huge fan of collage as I thought it a place for people who cannot draw but liked to use scissors and glue. As time went on in art, I started experimenting with collage as a way to plane out larger pieces. I still prefer hands on materials to photoshop so I find the process therapeutic. There is something soothing about mixing images together, cutting them with scissors or a blade and gluing them in place. I do not find the same enjoyment/ therapy from photoshop and the downside of digital is there is not a true "hardcopy" (save a printout.) 

I think a lot of anxiety in the world could be squelched if people would do more things with their hands. As early humans I suspect most of your day was spent doing things with your hands to keep your family alive, making baskets, sharpening tools, repairing things..etc etc. I suppose the loss of this could result in a build up of psychic energy and stress. That is why we spin fidgety things in our hands now. A good pair of scissors and a swap file. (a file of random images I have keep for 30 years) and you can get back to being a kid again who
still enjoyed art for arts sake and the act of pure creation.

If you really enjoy a piece of art, people resonate with it on a vibratory level because they have the same desire in them to express themselves. If you get really good at expressing yourself and/ or turning the sand grain in your mental oyster into
a pearl of genius someone else may even decide to pay money for that token of your anguish. I would normally throw away such studies
for "real" or finished works but I find people like to own them.I
personally am as much interested in an artist's thought process
and studies and sketches as I am the final products. I sell my studies Here.I find money to be very therapeutic and a lack of money to be the obverse.


Thursday, May 18, 2017

ART WITH GARDEGA: CHRIS CORNELL TRIBUTE WATERCOLOR WITH ANT



                                                DAILY WATERCOLOR

CHRIS CORNELL, PAINTED MANY A PIECE TO HIS MUSIC IN MY TIME. RIP. THIS ANT INVADED MY PIECE FOR OVER 30 MINUTES.

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

DaIly Watercolor by Gardega


                                                     Daily Watercolor May 16, 2017
                                                                      12" x 16"


for sale alexgardega@gmail.com


Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Quote Of The day

Treat a work of art like a prince. Let it speak to you first. Arthur Schopenhauer 

Monday, May 15, 2017


Art with Alex: Works in Progress


Working away on these two panels, I find it handy to have multiple works going at the same time... as one dries you can work on the other (s).

Daily Watercolor By Gardega


Making a video of this watercolor process, it will be finished today and posted. I am painting multiple versions of this until perfected...

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Doodles by Gardega



A good friend of mine passed away, upon cleaning out his place, I found my old doodles I made while visiting. The best doodles are made while not thinking or talking on phone etc.

Saturday, May 6, 2017

Seriously


Art Lesson: Always look serious, seriously serious and then as an arteest you will be taken seriously. Never smile, always thinking. And dont forget cafes, always sit and cafes and look like the lonely sock left in the dryer.Even if you cannot draw people will think you are serious, seriously.

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Kansas teen discovers 16th century civilization

http://nypost.com/2017/04/18/teen-accidentally-helps-discover-lost-16th-century-civilization/

A long lost 16th century civilization has been unearthed in rural Kansas — all thanks to a plucky teen who helped archaeologists confirm the incredible discovery.
The metropolis — where up to 20,000 Wichita Indians once lived — was discovered in Arkansas City, in the south-central part of the state, when a high school boy found a cannon ball that tipped off the experts that their long-held suspicions about the existence of Etzanoa were correct, the Kansas City Star reported.
The city, whose name means “The Great Settlement,” is believed to be the second-largest Native American city in the US and was the site of a battle between Spanish explorers and Indian warriors in 1601.
“The Spaniards were amazed by the size of Etzanoa,” according to Donald Blakeslee, a 73-year-old Wichita State University archaeologist, who announced the discovery.
“They counted 2,000 houses that could hold 10 people each. They said it would take two or three days to walk through it all,” said Blakeslee, adding that the patch of land spans thousands of acres.
For years, he and other scientists hunted for the fabled city. They dug up pottery, knives and flint tools and toiled over clues that would link it to records from Spanish explorers — but couldn’t confirm that it was Etzanoa.
Then last year, Adam Ziegler, who attends a nearby high school, discovered a half-inch iron cannon ball — linking it to the 1601 battle, according to Blakeslee.
During the combat, Spaniards fired cannons at Wichita Nation Indian warriors, who eventually fled the city.
Kansas officials now want to turn the long-lost city — which features a still-functional water shrine on the banks of the Walnut and Arkansas rivers — into a tourist attraction.
“We’re looking at creating something that could be great for the region, and for 50 years and more down the road,” said Jay Warren, an Arkansas City Council member. “And we think the site could also be a hands-on field training facility for archaeologists from all over the world.”
He added: “We always knew we once had a whole bunch of Indians living around here. But we had no idea until Dr. Blakeslee came along about how big it was.”

Monday, May 1, 2017

Work Clothes


Sometimes people stop my on the street and ask me where I get my pants. "Hard work" is generally my goto answer. I should sell these and retire.

Copies of Old Masters: Virgin On The Rocks


Through out art history artists have copied other artists as a way to grow and learn. I try to continue to grow and learn as an artist so I dont grow stagnate. I have been working in my spare time on this full size Leonardo copy for a few years. It will be finished tomorrow. It has been quite a bit of work and quite an education.

Alice in Winter Watercolor

12  x 16 inches on arches paper to purchase https://tendollarart.com/products/alice-in-winter-watercolor