Speed of Life

Against the Light - سهراب - Sohrab 29"x69" oil on screen 2009 (detail) "Also arrested were the mother and brother of Sohrab Aarabi, a young Iranian man slain during protests in June." - Los Angeles Times - 28 December 2009 Leading Iranian dissidents arrested, body of Mousavi's nephew missing "This is a very important moment in Iranian history, and it is probably time to start asking whether Iran's uprising could become a Berlin Wall moment. It's not just an issue of the sporadic protests once or twice a month... It's also one of the most vibrant and imaginative civil disobedience campaigns anywhere in the world." - Robin Wright, author of "Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East," from a conversation with CNN.

Photo by NASA Happy Holidays to all! *Note to DC residents - be careful throwing snowballs ...

photo courtesy Christie’s Rembrandt Portrait of a Man, Half-Length, With His Arms Akimbo 421⁄4" x 341⁄4" oil on canvas 1658 Carol Vogel in the New York Times reports that the mystery buyer of Rembrandt's Portrait of a Man, Half-Length, With His Arms Akimbo at Christie's last week was casino mogul Stephen Wynn. The $33.2 million is a record for a Rembrandt at auction. The painting has an interesting recent provenance and after its donation by George Huntington Hartford II hung in the President's office at Columbia University in New York for ten years from 1958 to 1968. My hope is that Stephen Wynn will put the painting on public display in the near future. After closing his private gallery at the Wynn hotel, Las Vegas lost an intimate collection of important paintings. I enjoyed the Wynn collection immensely and as a non-gambler I was intrigued with the mix of great art within the glowing and at times tawdry Vegas of American pop culture. photo courtesy Reuters ...

Very nice 3D animated video of the planned Michigan State University Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum slated for groundbreaking on March 16, 2010. Opening in 2012. Architecture by Zaha Hadid. For more on the project: Michigan State University Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum More on Zaha Hadid and her work at Zaha Hadid

"Food is our common ground, a universal experience" -MFK Fisher This week three of my greatest enjoyments come together in a rich mix: painting, food and film. Opening this week in New York State is a brand new restaurant headed by Executive Chef Chris Brandt, and Sushi Chef Satoshi Yamaguchi. My painting Silk was commissioned for the space. Also this week, the film La Cucina , in which a number of my paintings are featured, is being shown on Showtime. The Blu Ray is on pre sale at Amazon and the Dvd is available at Turner Classic Movies. The film stars Christina Hendricks (Mad Men), Joaquim de Almeida (24), Leisha Hailey (The L Word), Rachel Hunter (Supermodel), Clare Carey (Crash), Oz Perkins (Star Trek), Michael Cornacchia (Hannah Montana), Kala Savage (8 Simple Rules), Cinematography by Alan Caudillo (Day Without a Mexican), and Ian Ball (Gomez) scores the film. Gregg Chadwick Silk 7'x5' oil on linen 2009 Executive Chef Chris Brandt, and Sushi Chef Satoshi Yamagu...

Leo Ballate, the Head of Information Systems and Services at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art goes on vacation for a week and finds upon his return ... Full story at: SFMOMA's blog Open Space

photo by Richard Perry / New York Times Pictured in the New York Times is my courageous family member Hannah Johnson tearing up as she applauds a New Jersey Senate committee vote on a bill to legalize gay marriage. The bill cleared the committee, 7-6, and will be voted on by the full New Jersey Senate on Thursday. Last night on his website Bruce Springsteen lent his voice in support of marriage equality: A BRIEF STATEMENT FROM BRUCE Like many of you who live in New Jersey, I've been following the progress of the marriage-equality legislation currently being considered in Trenton. I've long believed in and have always spoken out for the rights of same sex couples and fully agree with Governor Corzine when he writes that, "The marriage-equality issue should be recognized for what it truly is -- a civil rights issue that must be approved to assure that every citizen is treated equally under the law." I couldn't agree more with that statement and urge those who...

Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) Above the Narrows 48" x 32¼" tempera on panel 1960 Andrew Wyeth's Painting "Above the Narrows" sold for $6,914,500 at Christie's. Wyeth's painting is an evocative portrait of his son that captures the mysterious journey from boy to man.

Lift up your faces, you have a piercing need For this bright morning dawning for you. History, despite its wrenching pain, Cannot be unlived, and if faced with courage, Need not be lived again. Lift up your eyes upon The day breaking for you. Give birth again To the dream. -Maya Angelou Twenty years ago on December 1, 1989 the first Day Without Art was held to spark dialogue and create a day of action concerning the AIDS crisis. At least 800 museums and galleries across the United States closed their doors, shrouded artworks or removed them from view as symbols of mourning and loss. The goal was to show that AIDS can touch everyone. And it worked. Today on December 1, 2009 museums are again engaged in remembrance for those lost to AIDS and are actively marking the gains that have been made so far. In 1997 the day became known as A Day With(out) Art to reflect the force art can bring to the cause. Today, A Day With(out) Art has grown into a international collaborative project in wh...

Gregg Chadwick In the Gion Rain 20"x20" oil on linen 2009

Moby 'One Time We Lived' by Mark Pellington

President Barack Obama's Thanksgiving Day proclamation, as released by the White House: What began as a harvest celebration between European settlers and indigenous communities nearly four centuries ago has become our cherished tradition of Thanksgiving. This day's roots are intertwined with those of our nation, and its history traces the American narrative. Today, we recall President George Washington, who proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be observed "by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God," and President Abraham Lincoln, who established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a fractured nation in the midst of civil war. We also recognize the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to strengthen our nation. From our earliest days of independence, and in times of tragedy and triumph, Americans have come together to celebrate Th...

California Lawyers for the Arts will be presenting a free workshop on Health Insurance geared to self-employed artists and their families on Wednesday, December 2, 2009, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Michael Grodsky will be leading the evening. REGISTRATION: Call CLA at (310) 998-5590, or email Angela (please include your contact info and specify the workshop date(s)) at: clasocaled@aol.com More info at: Aquarius Financial GYST Workshops are made possible, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the California Community Foundation. Addition support provided by the California Arts Council.

The Muppets Perform Bohemian Rhapsody Thanks to David Silverman for pointing this out!

Pearl Jam's "The Fixer" Time Lapse Video From Austin Created by JH Jackson

"Ragged, jagged melody."

Gregg Chadwick The River Dreams 16"x11" oil on linen 2009 I am reading WS Merwin's recent book of poems - The Shadow of Sirius - and thinking deeply about the mystery of our place in the universe. I had a chance to chat briefly with WS Merwin after his wonderful reading at the Hammer Museum on October 29th. We spoke of elephants and mystery and nature. Inspiring stuff. Professor Stephen Yenser is doing an amazing job with this series of poetry readings at the Hammer. And Mona Simpson's favorite writers series is also top notch. Tonight, YiyunLi, author of A Thousand Years of Good Prayers , will be reading. More on WS Merwin: WS Merwin Profile More on the Hammer Museum: Watch and Listen More on elephants and why we must protect them: Elephant Reflections - new from UC Press Photographs by Karl Ammann and Text by Dale Peterson

Helden: November 9, 1989 TwitPaint 20 years ago today as images of the fall of the Berlin Wall streamed across televisions around the world, I played Little Steven's poignant song Checkpoint Charlie . Little Steven's 1984 song openly dreamed of a free and united Berlin. On November 9, 1989 that dream began to come true. Today as we celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall, I also dream of Freedom in Iran and the fall of the Iran Curtain. The Berliner Zeitung has a nice series of images and articles about the history and fall of the Berlin Wall: 20. Jahre Mauerfall John F Kennedy in Berlin: "Ich bin ein Berliner." "This film shows video footage taken in April 1990 plus still image photographs taken in December 1989 and July 2005. There is footage on both sides of the wall, although for reasons of personal security the footage of the Eastern side of the crossing point is somewhat minimal. Nevertheless it is possible to see the arrangement of frosted glass screens whic...

An amazing version of one of my favorite songs.

DreamScape , curated by Jerri Levi and Brent Turner, opens at the LOOK Gallery on Thursday evening. The exhibit is described as: "A conceptual design exhibition that explores the symbolic references of our personal spaces through the interplay of fine art and high design. Seven top Los Angeles design firms will collaborate with a roster of LOOK Gallery artists to realize a series of installations within the gallery, incorporating various art media of surrealistic expression woven together with an array of choice home furnishings and accessory products available through LAMDC showrooms. Provocative and aspirational, the dream-like spaces serve to engage the spectator in the design experience, offering a glimpse to the unfettered vision of superior design talent and the artistry of fashioning interiors as interpretive expressions of our inner selves." The opening reception is Thursday, November 5th from 6-9pm. RSVP at 213.763.5813 or ltsironis@lamart.com DreamScape is open to ...

Van Gogh's Meeting Across the River? Tip from the Van Gogh museum

U2 performing Sunday Bloody Sunday during their 360 degrees world tour at the Rose Bowl on October 25th, 2009. As the song Sunday Bloody Sunday opens, U2 now scrolls the lyrics from the Rumi poem Azadi . The word Azadi itself simply means Freedom . U2 is supporting Artists 4 Freedom by using the Rumi poem which provides the lyrics to Dj Spooky and Sussan Deyhim's new track, Azadi (The New Complexity) . U2's multimedia screens mash together the lyrics to Azadi along with photos of the protestors in Iran and artworks by Shirin Neshat. Inspiring stuff. Azadi (The New Complexity) is a song based on a classic poem by Rumi, one of the poet laureates of Iran’s still vibrant poetic legacy. Here is the original poem translated into English SHOW ME YOUR FACE by Rumi i crave flowers and gardens open your lips i crave the taste of honey come out from behind the clouds i desire a sunny face your voice echoed saying “leave me alone” i wish to hear your voice again saying “leave me alone”...

Born 1491 Saint Ignatius of Loyola, author of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius 1805 Adalbert Stifter, author of Rock Crystal 1831 Basil L. Gildersleeve, author of Gildersleeve's Latin Grammar 1890 Henrietta C. Mears, author of What the Bible Is All About 1913 Odd Eidem, author of Cruise 1918 Edward Rice, author of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton 1919 Manolis Andronicos, author of Delphi 1920 Gianni Rodari, author of Favole al telefono 1922 Nicholas Stuart Gray, author of The Seventh Swan 1925 Radu Florescu, author of Dracula, Prince of…Life and His Times 1926 Gladys M. Hunt, author of Honey for a Child's Heart 1927 Leszek Kolakowski, author of Main Currents of Ma…Age, The Breakdown 1927 Philip Lamantia, author of Bed of Sphinxes: Selected Poems 1927 Michel van der Plas, author of Herinneringen aan Godfried Bomans 1930 Ned Rorem, author of KNOWING WHEN TO STOP: A Memoir 1942 Michael Crichton, author of J urassic Park 1942 Tariq Ali, author of The Clash of Fundam…ihads ...

Springsteen and the E Street Band Perform "Higher and Hiigher" at the Philadelphia Spectrum on October 20, 2009 Listening to Bruce cover Jackie Wilson's classic is getting me ready for my birthday on Friday.

Heather Graham Stars in a Spot Promoting the Public Option. Narration by Peter Coyote.

HAMMER MUSEUM Poetry Reading W. S. MERWIN Thursday, October 29 at 7 PM Photo: Mark Hanauer In a career spanning five decades, W. S. Merwin has become one of the most widely read and acclaimed poets in the United States. His first book, A Mask for Janus (1952), was chosen by W. H. Auden for the Yale Younger Poets Series, and his most recent volume, The Shadow of Sirius (2008), was awarded the Pulitzer Prize (his second: the first was for The Carrier of Ladders in 1970). His many other honors include the Lannan Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Book Award, the Tanning Prize, the Bollingen Prize, and the Ruth Lily Prize. Admission to the event is free. Please arrive early. Dedicated to the memory of Doris Curran, this series, which has provided a stimulating forum for nationally and internationally known poets for forty years, is co-sponsored by the Friends of English, the W Hotel, the UCLA Office of Cultural and Recreational Affairs, and the Office of Instructional Development...

The Eyes - Composer Stuart Balcomb Gets Lost in Gregg Chadwick's Painting photo by Joanne Warfield

Gregg Chadwick Sea of Spring 春の海 (Haru no umi) 36"x48" oil on linen 2009 Japan has been a continual theme in my life and artwork. At age 10, I began my artistic dialogue with Japan before I even exited our arriving plane in Okinawa. On that journey I sketched the new world around me and have continued to do so over the years. My latest body of work was inspired by an artistic pilgrimage to Tokyo and Kyoto in March and April 2009. At that time, I was privileged to be in Kyoto at the height of the cherry blossom season. Young geisha in training (maiko) and full geisha brought their own color and timeless beauty to the city. The word geisha in Japanese means arts - person ( gei - sha). The flower and willow world of these caretakers of Japan's traditional arts seems to be as fragile and impermanent as the cherry blossoms that bloom so quickly then fall each year. Gregg Chadwick Gion Night 85"x37" oil on linen 2009 Gregg Chadwick Karyūkai ( 花柳界) 85"x...

Gregg Chadwick Takekurabe (Growing Up) 80"x80" oil on linen 2009 Santa Monica Art Studios is celebrating its 5 year anniversary tonight at the Santa Monica Airport. And Speed of Life also celebrates its 5 year anniversary. Stop on by tonight from 6-9 pm to celebrate and preview my new work. I'm in Studio 15. Hope to see you there! Santa Monica Art Studios 3026 Airport Avenue Santa Monica, California 90405 Saturday October 17th 6-9 pm Sunday October 18th 1-5pm

Love this song.

MUSEUMS FREE-FOR-ALL 24 Los Angeles and Orange County Museums Free Admission Days October 3 and/or 4, 2009 In a joint effort to present the arts and culture to the diverse and myriad communities in Southern California, the Museum Marketing Roundtable announces the fifth annual "Museums Free-For-All" Saturday-Sunday, October 3 and 4, 2009. The following museums - presenting art, cultural heritage, natural history, and science - will open their doors wide and invite visitors free of charge.* Participating Museums: Armory Center for the Arts - Both Days The Autry National Center - Sunday, October 4th ONLY Bowers Museum - Sunday, October 4th Only California African American Museum - Both Days California Heritage Museum - Saturday, October 3rd Only California Science Center - Both Days Craft and Folk Art Museum - Both Days Fowler Museum at UCLA - Both Days The Getty Center - Both Days The Getty Villa **- Both Days The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live - Sunday, October 4th Only...

Bruce Springsteen performs his new song Wrecking Ball at Giants Stadium September 30, 2009 - Meadowlands, New Jersey

"In America, magnificence is a common treasure.... We own together the most magnificent places on the continent." Carl Pope - The Sierra Club In 1872 the United States Government created the first National Park on the globe: Yellowstone National Park. Ken Burns has created a new series of documentary films, The National Parks - America's Best Idea , that celebrates this landmark achievement. Thomas Moran Yellowstone watercolor on paper from Ken Burns' The National Parks - America's Best Idea The first installment in the series, The Scripture of Nature , tells the history of Yellowstone and the inspiration for a National Parks system that sprung out of the collection of "artists, writers, entrepreneurs, and tourists" that found beauty and worth in the stunning natural world of Yosemite in California and Yellowstone in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. Albert Bierstadt Yosemite Valley oil on canvas from Ken Burns' The National Parks - America's Best Id...

Kseniya Simonova Kseniya Simonova - Sand Animation (Україна має талант / Ukraine's Got Talent) "Here, she recounts Germany conquering Ukraine in the second world war. She brings calm, then conflict. A couple on a bench become a woman's face; a peaceful walkway becomes a conflagration; a weeping widow morphs into an obelisk for an unknown soldier. Simonova looks like some vengeful Old Testament deity as she destroys then recreates her scenes - with deft strokes, sprinkles and sweeps she keeps the narrative going. She moves the judges to tears as she subtitles the final scene : "Ty vsegda ryadom" -- "You'll always be near." James Donaghy, The Guardian Echoes of William Kentridge's filmed drawings ... More at: Kseniya Simonova

Deo Gratias for Luke - The composer Johannes Ockeghem's canon, Deo Gratias , is sung by nine choirs of four voices each. The formal structure of the work is intricate yet creates an incredibly haunting musical space. Johannes Ockeghem was born in 1410 in Saint-Ghislain (now in Belgium) and died in Tours, France in 1497. (Hat tip to Eamonn Fitzgerald )

Giants Stadium, New Jersey - September 23, 2009 The New York Times Reviews the concert: U2 in the Round, Fun With a Mission

Magritte Olympia oil on canvas 1948 Musée Magritte Olympia painted in 1948 by Belgian surrealist René Magritte was stolen today by gun wielding thieves in a daylight heist at the Musée Magritte. The museum is housed in Magritte's former residence just outside Brussels and is dedicated to Magritte's art and life. The Times online interviewed Johan Berckman’s, a policeman at the scene, who said: “At 10.10am this morning (24 Sept 2009) someone rang the bell of the museum asking if they could visit. He was let in and when he was inside he pulled out a pistol and ordered the woman to go back to the door to let a second person come inside. “There were three museum workers inside at the time and two Japanese tourists. All five of them were ordered out the back and told to keep quiet by the man with the gun. “In the museum the other person stole the painting and they both made good their escape. They seemed to know which painting they wanted to steal - they took the whole painting o...

Buddha of South Africa (for Archbishop Desmond Tutu) , originally uploaded by GreggChadwick . Last night was the 20th Anniversary Celebration of Artists for a New South Africa . I was honored to be there and painted this small work as a gift for Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who unfortunately was not able to make the event. Alfre Woodard at Jabulani! Artists for a New South Africa We were treated to stirring speeches by Ahmad Kathrada, Barbara Hogan, Alfre Woodard, and a videotaped message from Archbishop Tutu. Jason White & the West Angeles Church Mass Choir got the hall rocking. And Corey Chisel and Jackson Browne provided soulful sets of inspiring music. Jackson Browne and band played a stirring rendition of Little Steven's I am a Patriot . (Here's a Youtube version from Browne's performance from Soundstage 2008 Window to the World Studios, Chicago October, 14th, 2008) Artists for a New South Africa

9/11 , originally uploaded by slagheap . New York, N.Y. (Sept. 15, 2001) -- A tired search dog finds time to rest as rescue efforts at the World Trade Center in New York City continue just a few feet away. U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 1st Class Preston Keres. (RELEASED) Just came across this image today after 8 years. Touching..

"Once more we pause, once more we pray, as a nation and as a people. We read their names. We press their photos to our hearts. . . . We recall the beauty and meaning of their lives." THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary ________________________________________________________________ For Immediate Release September 11, 2009 REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY AT THE PENTAGON MEMORIAL The Pentagon Arlington, Virginia 9:34 A.M. EDT THE PRESIDENT: Secretary Gates, Admiral Mullen and members of the Armed Forces, fellow Americans, family and friends of those that we lost this day -- Michelle and I are deeply humbled to be with you. Eight Septembers have come and gone. Nearly 3,000 days have passed -- almost one for each of those taken from us. But no turning of the seasons can diminish the pain and the loss of that day. No passage of time and no dark skies can ever dull the meaning of this moment. So on this solemn day, at thi...