Showing posts with label Peter Clothier. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter Clothier. Show all posts

Monday, September 19, 2016

Hop On Pop

by Gregg Chadwick
Dad (General Robert J. Chadwick USMC)
circa 1978
photo courtesy USMC


Peter Clothier asked me a while ago to contribute to his series of Boyhood Memories which he is posting on his new blog site -http://www.boyhoodmoments.com/2016/09/hop-on-pop.html and eventually working into a book.  I finally finished my story and it has prompted me to continue writing about my life as an artist. 

Growing up as the kid of a USMC officer during the Vietnam era inspired me in unique ways. Please have a read and let me know what you think. Also spend some time on Peter's site. Masami Teraoka 's piece is timeless and magical and Michael Provart 's writing is funny and poignant. Peter Clothier also adds his own childhood memories into the mix. Every story Peter has received is rich in memory. 

Peter introduces my story with the following: "HOP ON POP
Here's another "absent father" piece, this one with the added leitmotif, perhaps, of a creative vocation discovered as a child! The Dad in question is caught in the black and white photograph, below. Gregg Chadwick is today a Santa Monica-based painter whose work is widely exhibited and acclaimed. His blog is titled Speed of Life. His boyhood memory skirts subtly around the pain of separation, deflecting it first, jokingly, onto a prank played on his mother with his toys; then on a treasured book, a parting gift from Dad. But by the end, we're left in no doubt that the pain is there..."


HOP ON POP

By Gregg Chadwick


As a kid, I liked to build private worlds out of drawings that I would cut up and paste into scenes with soft plastic bugs pulled hot from my Creepy Crawlers molds. I would squirt the Plastigoop from a small bottle into the empty molds and heat them up on my Thingmaker. Once, late at night, I cut out a darkly drawn semicircle, taped it to the kitchen floorboard in our rented carriage house, and placed dark rodent Creepy Crawlers around my invented mouse hole. As a last surprise, I hid one in my mom’s coffee cup. My brother and I would get a great laugh, because my mom hates rodents of all shapes and sizes.

I woke to the baconesque smell of Tastystrips and the caramel espresso smell of Mom’s percolating coffee. She was at the stove pulling strips from the pan and lining them up on a golden, grease filled sheet of paper towel. Her coffee mug sat nearby. My brother was already at the table reading a cereal box before turning to my mom to chat about a birthday trip to the Revolutionary War encampment up at Jockey Hollow with his friend Casey Jones. Yep, the same name as the famous railroader. Our portable transistor radio was on; it should have been playing "Cannonball Express" in honor of that other Casey. I sneaked a quick glance to be sure that my mouse hole was still there with its attendant rubbery rodents. OK, the plan was still in action. I walked over to the stove and looked into my mom’s cup. I gulped as I saw myself reflected in the dark liquid.

“How’s the coffee Mom?” That sounded wrong. Was I in a Folgers commercial or something?

“Fine dear. Careful of the hot stove. Don’t burn yourself.”

I sat down without a word and quietly ate my breakfast, glancing at the line of dark Crawlers on the floor.

A honk outside interrupted the quiet and my brother jumped up to run out the door. My mom called after him, “Don’t forget your jacket.”

“It’s June Mom,” my brother said.

“So it is," said my mom as she marked off another day on the calendar.

“One day at a time,” she told me. “That’s how we get on until your Dad comes home.”

I didn’t mention the Crawlers on the floor and especially not the one in her coffee cup. She never mentioned them either. I did make some Crawlers that day for my Dad, though, and Mom and I placed them carefully in an envelope and addressed it to his Fleet Post Office address in Vietnam.

My dad didn’t really need any more bugs in the jungle. But I kept sending them anyway. They were small packages of memories. And I wanted to thank him for the going away gift he had given me before he went to war in 1965. We were in the car. I remember ripping the paper off that package like it was the wrapper on a popsicle on a hot summer day.

It was a book! I could begin to make out the title as I shredded the wrapping. "'Op on Op” peeked out at me through a hole in the paper. “I can read it all by myself Beginner Books," it said.

I tossed the decorative wrap onto the car floor and held up my prize with its aqua, white, orange, and yellow cover. “Hop on Pop” by Dr. Seuss. I laughed at the two small bears jumping on the daddy bear’s tummy. “We like to hop. We like to hop on top of pop.”

“Thank you! Thank You!” I said, in between pages.

Mission accomplished. My dad and mom smiled as we made our way back to my grandmother’s house. But I was sad, too. I knew even then that a good little Marine didn’t cry, and that my brother and I would need to be tough for Mom.  I put the book down, held my tears back and looked out the window. As if in a movie, the scenes scrolled by. Even though I had been born here, it seemed a new landscape for me. 

We would have to run our recons without Dad for quite a while. 



Saturday, April 11, 2015

Slow Art Day - April 11, 2015

by Gregg Chadwick
















Today is Slow Art Day at galleries and museums across the globe. The idea behind Slow Art Day is simple. In our hurried lives, we rarely take time to look deeply at anything - whether it is our lover's eyes, our child's smile, or the new leaves on the tree outside our window. Slow Art Day helps us stop and look. The technique is quite easy, but can lead to deep insight. 

First, visit one of the galleries or museums listed on the Slow Art Day site. (Deep appreciation to the Slow Art Day site for the comprehensive guide.) Second, while at the art venue, look at five works deeply and slowly.  Third, after viewing the work meet up with other participants and the volunteer host for a bite to eat and a time to discuss what you saw and how it made you feel.

Most of all - breathe and enjoy!


The 2010 ARTNews article, Slow Down You Look Too Fast, provides a nice overview of Slow Art Day. And noted art writer Peter Clothier has been leading participants in his Slow Looking (One Hour/One Painting) events for over fifteen years. Peter held one of these events in my studio a few years ago. I highly recommend attending one of Peter's Slow Looking events. As I write this (10 am Saturday, April 11, 2015) Peter is holding a Slow Looking session at the Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica with the richly evocative paintings by Astrid Preston.
Peter Clothier Leading A Slow Looking Session With the Work of Gregg Chadwick
photo by Joanne Warfield

Video Demonstration

Made along with the participants at Gregg Chadwicks studio in Santa Monica, this video was filmed live by David Lowther.  It provides a full length example of my One Hour/One Painting sessions and demonstrates the techniques involved in this guided meditation and contemplation.


Monday, November 10, 2014

Lust, Lecherousness, and Love

by Gregg Chadwick




Peter Clothier's scurrilously witty new novel "The Pilgrim's Staff" explores lust, lecherousness, and love through the voices of two men from two disparate centuries. David Soames, a contemporary figurative painter living as an ex-pat in Los Angeles, receives a curious package in the mail from an English cousin. Wrapped in layers of tape and memory is the two hundred year-old journal of an English gentleman, who begins his tale with the words,"I am no Rake!" "Rake" is a wonderfully antiquated word that refers to a man caught in the snares of immorality, particularly concerning the charms of the opposite sex. 



William Hogarth
A Rakes's Progress:3
The Rake at the Rose Tavern
62.5x75.2 cm oil on canvas 1734
Collection Sir John Soane's Museum, London


Writing this on the 10th of November, in a coincidence worthy of Clothier's novel, I am reminded that the 18th century English painter William Hogarth was born on this day in 1697.  Hogarth's pre-cinematic series entitled "A Rake's Progress" immediately comes to mind.  Reflecting his own deep history in the arts as both writer and arts administrator, Clothier deftly weaves artistic concerns into "The Pilgrim's Staff." In Clothier's novel both men richly voice their own sexual histories with honesty and quite a bit of humor that echoes the satirical artworks of fellow Englishmen Hogarth, Thomas Rowlandson, and George Cruikshank. 

Clothier's "The Pilgrim's Staff" is not a mere romp. The novel also explores the destructive potential of family legacy and the clouded history of power, abuse, and sexual slavery in 18th century Imperial England as well as in our contemporary world. "The Pilgrim's Staff" is a book about sexual pleasure and also a cautionary tale that reminds us not to lose the love as we lust. Highly recommended!



Notes on Peter Clothier and "The Pilgrim's Staff"

Peter Clothier learned about masculinity the British way: boarding school and Cambridge--and spent twenty years in recovery in men's group work. 

Previous books include two novels, a monograph on David Hockney, and a memoir, While I am Not Afraid: Secrets of a Man's Heart. His recent book, Persist, was acclaimed as the "ultimate survival guide for any creative artist." 

Find out more at: http://www.thepilgrimsstaff.com


Shout Out to Peter! I am honored that my painting, The Embrace, and my studio are featured on your cover. Bravo on your new book!

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

Gregg Chadwick's News and Events for October 2014

1. Gregg Chadwick 's painting  "To Catch A Thief" has been selected by Jeanine Hays and Bryan Mason, the husband-and-wife team behind the lifestyle brand AphroChic, to hang in the special Helms Bakery Pop-up Home October 10 – 12, 2014 in Culver City. 

Details at: http://aphrochic.com/2014/08/29/save-the-date-the-aphrochic-pop-up-house-at-helms-bakery/




Gregg Chadwick
"To Catch A Thief' 
10"x10" oil on panel 2014

2. Gregg Chadwick will have artwork in the Art Unified booth at Worldwide Art Los Angeles at the Los Angeles Convention Center from October16-19, 2014. More at: https://worldwideartla.com 


Gregg Chadwick
"Oracle of Milan" 
40"x30" oil on linen 2014 


3. Make sure to save the date for the most exciting art event of the year in Santa Monica! The 10th Anniversary Open Studios at Santa Monica Art Studios

Please join us for the 10th Anniversary Open Studios Celebration at Santa Monica Art Studios.
Thirty-nine painters, printmakers, photographers, sculptors and mixed media artists will open their studios for the event.
Would love to see you in my studio - #15!

Saturday, October 18th from 6-9pm & Sunday, October 19th from 1-5pm 


4. The noted writer Peter Clothier asked Gregg Chadwick to create artwork for the cover of Clothier's latest novel, "The Pilgrim's Staff".  

Clothier writes: 
"Gregg Chadwick was generous enough to create an image for the front.  Having read the book, he delved into the art of the 18th century, particularly the erotic prints and drawing of artists like Thomas Rowlandson and George Cruickshank and came up with an image that captured the spirit of both the period and the story that I've written."

More at: The Buddha Diaries: BUSY


Gregg Chadwick,
"The Embrace" 
30"x24" oil on linen 2014


5. Gregg Chadwick, inspired by his recent trip to Istanbul and the wondrous books of Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, will have his painting "The Museum of Innocence" in Room & Board, Art & Home- an art show benefitting LA Family Housing 

Room & Board, Art & Home - an art show benefitting LA Family Housing
 8707 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232. Tel: (310) 736-9100. 
Opening Reception: Thursday, October 23rd, 7-9 PM  (My Birthday:)



Gregg Chadwick
"The Museum of Innocence"
 8"x10" oil on panel 2014


Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Ashland and Main

Ashland and Main by GreggChadwick

Gregg Chadwick
Ashland and Main
24"x18" oil on linen 2013

Specific Fiction (sonoba shōsetsu)

Specific Fiction (sonoba shōsetsu) by GreggChadwick

Gregg Chadwick
Specific Fiction (sonoba shōsetsu)
18" x 12" oil on linen 2013

Currently on exhibit in my solo show, The Time Between, at the Sandra Lee Gallery in San Francisco, California.

Una Poesia di Rosso (A Poem of Red)

Una Poesia di Rosso (A Poem of Red) by GreggChadwick

Gregg Chadwick
Una Poesia di Rosso (A Poem of Red)
24"x20" oil on panel 2013

Currently on exhibit in my solo show, The Time Between, at the Sandra Lee Gallery in San Francisco, California.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Monday, January 28, 2013

Slow Looking With Peter Clothier


by Gregg Chadwick

Peter Clothier Leads A One Hour/ One Painting Session
photo by Joanne Warfield

Peter Clothier's important new book Slow Looking: The Art of Looking at Art guides the reader seamlessly through the history, process, and ideas behind his One Hour/One Painting sessions.  Clothier's development of One Hour/One Painting  began with the realization that along with most museum or gallery visitors, he increasingly spent more time looking at the information label on the wall than at the artwork itself. To combat this habit, Peter began to spend an hour silently and inquisitively gazing at one work of art. Much influenced in recent years by Buddhist thought and practice, Clothier combined elements of meditation and contemplation in these sessions and found more profound and rewarding experiences.  

In a One Hour/One Painting session, Peter Clothier invites small groups of participants to sit in front of a single artwork for a full hour in a gallery, museum, or studio environment.
Clothier recently hosted One Hour/ One Painting sessions during the Diebenkorn: The Ocean Park Series exhibit at the Orange County Museum of Art and at the LA Louver Gallery. Peter, also, held a session (see video below) in my Santa Monica Airport studio. Clothier began as he usually does with a brief introduction describing the hour to take place and then gently guided the participants by explaining the principles of closed-eye breath meditation,  how to relax and refresh the eyes, and provided encouragement to rid the mind of expectations and pre-judgments. For me and most of the participants that evening, the hour moved quickly as Peter led us through alternate closed and open-eyed moments. As Clothier explained, "this was individual work without initial discussion or interaction and allowed each participant to experience the artwork as fully as possible, without interruption." At the end of the hour, however, Peter invited responses and a rich discussion of the experience followed. 

Peter Clothier's Slow Looking: The Art of Looking at Art is written in clear, supportive language that illuminates art and meditation.  Clothier seeks to achieve a harmony of mind, heart, and body in his life and writing and Slow Looking provides rich examples for us to learn from and follow. In the book, we are encouraged to seek a pure visual experience with art through a beneficial process of contemplation, stillness, and serenity. Slow Looking also provides access to an audio and a video demonstration of a One Hour/One Painting session that invites readers to try it out for themselves.  Highly recommended!




Video Demonstration

Made along with participants at Gregg Chadwick's studio in Santa Monica, this video was filmed live by David Lowther.  It provides a full length example of Peter Clothier's One Hour/One Painting sessions and demonstrates the techniques involved in this guided meditation and contemplation.



Past venues & subjects for Peter Clothier's  One Hour/One Painting events :
1. Pasadena Museum of California Art—“The Matterhorn from Zermatt,” Edgar Payne
2. LA Louver—“ Echo Home,” Joe Goode
3. Laguna Art Museum—“Spring Day,” Clarence Hinkle
4. Lora Schlesinger Gallery—“I’ve Been Dating Recently,” Michael Beck
5. William Turner Gallery—“Sun Biscuit,” Ned Evans
6. Gregg Chadwick Studio—“ A Balance of Shadows,” Gregg Chadwick
7. LACMA—“Montauk Highway,” by DeKooning
8. MOCA—“Untitled,” Mark Rothko
9. The Getty—“Christ Entering Brussels,” James Ensor
10. OCMA—“Untitled Works,” Richard Diebenkorn
11. Hammer Museum—“Dr. Pozzi at Home,” John Singer Sargent; “Trees in the Garden,” Van Gogh

About Peter Clothier:

Peter Clothier has a long and distinguished career as an an internationally-known art writer, novelist and poet and describes himself as "an aspiring Buddhist who looks at art, books, and the vicissitudes of life." Clothier enjoys a world-wide following for his blog, The Buddha Diaries and is a contributing blogger in The Huffington Post. He lives and works in Southern California. His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Artscene, ARTNews and other publications. He also hosts a monthly podcast entitled "The Art of Outrage," on ArtScene Visual Radio.
Peter Clothier's latest books are Persist, Mind Work, and Slow Looking.



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