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Still Life with Tangerine and Sugar Bowl (magic is still possible) (+ "Truth" an amazing video about artist Mario Robinson)



I shared last April about artist Mario Robinson's new book, Lessons in Realistic Watercolor. I am a huge fan of Mario's work -- he is a contemporary master in every sense of the word. Brass Brothers Films recently produced a wonderful new short film, Truth, about Mario Robinson's creative life. When the film was debuted, it was given the distinction of a "Staff Pick" by Vimeo and has been viewed almost 200,000 times. I highly recommend taking 9 minutes and 12 seconds out of your day to watch it.

Some of my favorite things that Mario shares in the film are:
"...A quiet style of art in this contemporary era is attractive to people." 
"...If someone is taking it serious, and actually devoting their life to it.... it's contagious. When a person re-discovers their artistic path, art actually enriches their soul. I can see it in their faces." 
"...It becomes bigger because of the passion that I put into it. It's infectious. When I show up, it's bigger than what I'm actually doing. It's the totality of everything. So, that's why you can't give up. Because eventually it will be a tidal wave, and it will overtake everything in its wake." [Watch film here]
About this painting
This is my third painting in my "Magic is still possible" series. (If you're interested, in the painting is a "Homer Laughlin Virginia Rose China" sugar bowl, given to me by my mom about ten years ago. This is my first time painting it.) Since March 2015, I've been working on a series of paintings to celebrate "Magic is still possible," the quote on my July 2014 free poster that comes from a great slideshow narrated by Marco Leona, chief scientist at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In it, Leona shares his perspective on the role of magic in the creation of art.

If you enjoy this painting, you may also like to see a bunch of my paintings of tangerines or ceramic (not-quite-handmade-pottery) objects.

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Best,


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