Great new blog to follow

Great news to find out one of my favorite artists, Patrick McGrath Muniz, now has a blog. We sure miss his art and teaching here in Orlando, but at least we'll have his blog in order to keep up with him.

Boston Museum of Fine Arts Show

Titian's "Flora"

Here's an exhibition which just might make a summer trip to Boston worthwhile. The Museum of Fine Arts has a show entitled Titian, Tintoretto &Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice. Besides practice, practice, practice (and a good teacher), being able to see these Master's 54 paintings up close must be a learning experience unlike any other.

Speaking of learning by observing, we went to a musical/art event at the "The White House," across the street from my old alma mater Boone High School. The owners of the house, Benoit Glazer, Conductor at La Nouba of Cirque du Soleil fame, and his wife, Elaine, generously open their home to the community on a regular basis to host concerts by local musicians, side by side with an artist demonstration. They've built a stunning theatrical environment for these events, with top of the line sound and lighting (how I wish I had brought my camera!) And the nibbles are pretty good too (everyone brings a bottle of wine and a favorite delicacy.) My teacher at Maitland Art Center, Patrick McGrath Muniz, was the featured visual artist, along with Christopher Belt and his friends who performed a classical guitar recital. I must say I learned a lot just by watching Patrick paint for almost two hours while that divine concert was performed. All in all, it was a nice end to the weekend. Orlando is fortunate to have generous individuals like the Glazers' and others promoting the arts.

Inspired by ArtsFest Painting Demo

Patrick McGrath Muniz (in a blurry photo--yikes!--that's why I'm a painter and not a photographer)

Patrick's lovely wife next to her portrait

We went to one of the ArtsFest events today at the Maitland Art Center to see a painting demonstration by Patrick McGrath Muniz. He's a very talented local artist who paints in the style of the old masters but with some decidedly modern twists. His "Last Supper" painting, after the style of Leonardo da Vinci, is something to see with a Kentucky Fried chicken bucket on the table and Ronald McDonald in the background, among other things. I wish I had taken a picture of his sketch pad--it was amazing! I'm hoping to catch some of his completed paintings at the Comma Gallery before they're whisked off to Amsterdam, Guatemala and Puerto Rico. I was so inspired by his demo that I had to make a trip to Michael's, after a great Thai lunch, and buy some more canvases to add to my collection. :-)