CREATIVE ARTISTS - PART I

Last year in Notes, I published 12 different artists, one each week for 12 weeks. Several readers and subscribers suggested I consider bringing them forward and offering again so here they are, both as a Post and in a Note. Since there are a dozen, and a lot of content, if you take time to read the links, these will appear in a series of 3 different postings rather than all 12 in one fell swoop. I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoyed gathering the information and putting it all together.

After posting “Carving Out A Creative Life” https://garygruber.substack.com/p/carving-out-a-creative-life, with many good responses and comments, I posted an artist here every week for twelve weeks. This was to honor my teacher and classmates as we worked our way through a 12- week course using Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” Many of us had used the book previously in fits and starts and many more are familiar with how it works. Part of each chapter is the weekly artist’s date and these posts are inspired by that exercise.

This week’s artist is Roxanne Swentzel, a sculptor from the Santa ClaraPueblo in northern NM. The “Spinning Woman” is from our private collection, a limited edition of 35 small bronze sculptures, 10 1/2" L, 3" D, 3" H 8 3/4" with stand. mShe spins around on the metal pin. Roxanne is an amazing person as well as artist.

https://www.roxanneswentzell.net/roxanne_swentzell_bio.htm

Artist of the week: Georgia O’Keefe. This image is her iconic painting of Pedernal, a mountain she could see from her home and studio in Abiquiu, NM.

She said God told her if she painted it often enough, she could have it. After she died, some of her ashes were put near the top, so she became part of Pedernal. We lived a mile down the road from Georgia’s home and studio in Abiquiu, NM. A museum dedicated to her is in Santa Fe. We have one of her prints of the Chama River which bordered the eastern edge of our property and Georgia painted it many times.

https://www.biography.com/artists/georgia-okeeffe

Artist of the Week: Norman Mingo

In 1956, Norman Mingo answered an ad in The New York Times for an illustrator ("National magazine wants portrait artist for special project"), and was selected by Mad publisher William Gaines and editor Al Feldstein to create a warmer, more polished version of a public domain character the magazine had been using. The Panglossian simpleton had appeared in many guises and variations since the 19th century, including in dental advertisements that assured the public of minimal tooth-pulling pain. Mingo's initial painting was the first time Neuman had appeared in color.

Mad editor Al Feldstein recalled the day Mingo responded to the ad at the Mad offices:

In walked this little old guy in his sixties named Norman Mingo, and he said, “What national magazine is this?” I said “Mad,” and he said, “Goodbye.” I told him to wait, and I dragged out all these examples and postcards of this idiot kid, and I said, “I want a definitive portrait of this kid. I don't want him to look like an idiot; I want him to be loveable and have an intelligence behind his eyes. But I want him to have this devil-may-care attitude, someone who can maintain a sense of humor while the world is collapsing around him.”

Permanently named "Alfred E. Neuman," the character became Mad magazine's mascot with issue #30. In November 2008, Mingo's original cover featuring the first "official" portrait of Neuman sold at auction for $203,150.

https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/norman-mingo

Artist of the week – Ramon Kelley

Kelley, who signs his paintings simply “Ramon” is a Mexican American born in 1939 in Cheyenne, Wyoming. This 10” x 16” pastel, “Modela Mexicana” draws on his heritage and his insight and sensitivity to the subjects which he paints and draws so well.- Mexican festivals and folklore.

Kelley is a member of the American Watercolor Society, the Allied Artists of America, Pastel Society of America, National Academy of Western Art, Knickerbocker Artists and Oil Painters of America, Representational. In 1985, The Pastel Society of America designated Ramon a Master Pastelist, and in 1986, Ramon was elected to the Pastel Hall of Fame.

https://mclarryfineart.com/artists/ramon-kelley-bio

The featured pastel drawing is from our private collection

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