Why Realism remains relevant in art

One of the most in-depth art article I wrote this year was just published by Art & Object. The topic was realism, and the work brought the pleasures of delving into mind-bogglingly realistic representational art.

Read my feature at this link with no annoying paywall or advertisements.

“Six Butterflies” by Scott Fraser, who paints in a realistic or surrealistic style.

“Silverware” by Don Eddy, who prefers the phrase “representational art” to the term “realism.”

When my editor assigned this feature to me, I knew we were dealing with a broad topic in answering his question: “Is Realism relevant in the 21st century?” A big question.

I included three master painters in the Realism style, a veteran gallerist in New York City and a renowned art historian in my feature for Art & Object.

A still-life painting by Daniel Sprick

Sprick also paints the human figure and landscapes, as the image below, titled “Wake From Dream,” shows. For more about Daniel Sprick, click here for my recent feature published by The Denver Gazette with no paywall.

“Wake From Dream” by Daniel Sprick demonstrates his mastery of painting both the human figure and landscapes in the style of realism.

Despite the art world’s shenanigans such as shredded paintings and NFTs and software that replicates watercolors and AI that creates “art,” Realism really is relevant. In the digital era, the sign of the human hand matters, and representational art continues to delivery something other than even fine art photography can present.

Read my feature here with no paywall or annoying advertisements.

Daniel Sprick’s Realism is unreal

Daniel Sprick will exhibit his “Interiors” at Gerald Peters Gallery in New York City.

Daniel Sprick has given much of his life to painting, and his hyper-realistic art evidences the results of a man with not only talent, but also devotion. Along with being an exceptionally gifted painter, Sprick is articulate. Recently, we spoke of beauty, the smoke and mirrors of the art world, and aging.

On Christmas Day 2021, The Denver Gazette published my feature about the artist, linked here.

For the article, I also interviewed Sprick’s peer, another Colorado realist, Scott Fraser. I interviewed one of Colorado’s leading art collectors, John Madden. And I also interviewed Timothy Standring, Denver Art Museum painting curator emeritus. Everybody who casts a gaze toward a Sprick painting can see perfectly well that he is a master among us.

Sprick distinguishes himself via his versatility. He paints the human figure and portraits, still-life works, landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes, as well as still-life works.

To read the article, click here.

Serving The Philippines and far beyond as a board member of Metro Infanta Foundation

My friend Mila Garcia Glodava and I met almost 30 years ago as communications colleagues. About 25 years ago, Mila showed me around her homeland in The Philippines–a place of beauty and poverty, of pristine islands and polluted cities, but overall a culture of beautiful people of warm hospitality and wide smiles. Mila is akin to the Mother Teresa of The Philippines.

When Mila asked me to serve on the board of the Metro Infanta Foundation she established 25 years ago, I couldn’t say no. Over the years, Mila and her foundation have accomplished a lot in three areas: education, faith-formation and cultural heritage preservation. I especially have a spot in my heart for the indigenous people similar to those pictured above whom I met while on my pilgrimage in Asia.

When Mila asked me to help her create communications for the 25th anniversary of her foundation, again I could not say no. But I had not idea until we got into the project how much she had accomplished, not only in The Philippines, but around the globe. We collaborated over the summer and produced a 24-page commemorative booklet in addition to collateral materials mailed just before Thanksgiving. The project was a lot of fun because we compiled all the foundation’s many wins. We also because we worked with the bright colors, rich indigenous textiles and tropical plants, as well as captivating images of The Philippines as we designed the direct mail package to reflect the islands.

Tired, but almost finished: Mila Garcia Glodava and me as we share a hug and celebrate out long history of collaboration.

Mila and I have a special synergy. We work hard together, but we always laugh hard, too. It’s been my honor to serve as a member of Mila’s Metro Infanta Foundation board since its inception 25 years ago and to contribute to this major project. Salamat Po! That’s Tagalog for “thank you.”

History Colorado: the state’s memory

When a PR staffer from History Colorado contacted me to say they’d enjoyed my recent magazine article about the director of Denver’s Museum of Contemporary Art, he also invited me to interview the new director of History Colorado. I was already overbooked, yet I wanted to help a fellow female who was taking on a top position, so I agreed to report the feature for The Denver Gazette. I learned a lot about History Colorado, an organization that does much more than I ever imagined. History Colorado’s presence is in all corners of the state. Here’s the compelling layout published by The Denver Gazette:

The Denver Gazette published the photos I shot while visiting History Colorado, and I especially like this image of the new director with historic woman behind her.

At the History Colorado Center in Denver’s Cultural District, an exhibit titled “Zoom In” presents an authoritative chronology of the Centennial State using just 100 objects. All told, History Colorado’s collections contain 15 million objects and documents. 
The oldest artifact in ‘Zoom In’ is a stone spearhead known as a Folsom point that’s almost 13,000 years old. The newest object is a glass marijuana bong from 2012. In between, everything from the history of the first Christmas lights to the first skier’s chairlift on Aspen Mountain.