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For all of my Quad Cities (Iowa) friends!
I’m going to be up in your business in July!
WHAT: Quad City Arts Art @ the Airport Exhibition
WHEN: July 3- August 29, 2018
WHERE: Quad City International Airport Gallery, 2200 69th Ave., Moline, IL
WHO: Pat Bereskin of Bettendorf, Matt Moyer of Columbia, MO, and Robert Reeves of Des Moines.
Quad City Arts Art @ the Airport presents artwork by Pat Bereskin, Matt Moyer and Robert Reeves for the months of July and August 2018.
Pat Bereskin of Bettendorf is a prolific painter, as well as a dedicated teacher and world traveler. Her latest series, “City Lights,” gives a unique view of the architecture of popular cities she has traveled, including New York, Chicago, Paris and the Quad Cities. Her paintings depict city lights and the way light plays on the architectural structures. Viewers will sense the vibrations, sounds and grittiness of the city when they ponder Bereskin’s paintings.
Robert Reeves of Des Moines also depicts scenes of urban life. His oil paintings portray specific moments in time during the daily life of average city dwelling Americans. Drawing from his surroundings and using architectural and figurative themes as a backdrop he employs his understanding color and perspective to render everyday locations and objects from his unique point of view; Seeking to draw the viewer into a setting and illicit a personal re-examination of the familiar.
Matt Moyer of Columbia, MO. (formally from Moline) presents abstract, welded steel sculptures that represent self-contained mechanical systems. He uses new steel and then works on the surfaces with paints and grinders to achieve the appearance of something old and worn. Moyer’s public sculptures have been around the Quad Cities for years as part of Quad City Arts’ Sculpture program, but his latest sculptures will fit inside the glass cases in the airport gallery and interact with the cityscapes of Bereskin and Reeves.
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Back in Black… And White and kind of a tan because newsprint
Just wrapped up some large, very involved commissioned oil paintings. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to do those pieces. I’m also glad to be changing gears a little. It seems like it’s been forever.
This is today’s quickie charcoal sketch. Mostly a tonal study but the final piece will continue to be relatively devoid of heavy detail. Going for more light and pop than photo-accuracy. Sticking with the charcoal tho.
You all know how much I love my willow dust.
Here’s to getting dirty.
Cheers,
R
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Biiiiig Waterfall
Greetings, faithful readers (all 6 of you)!
Been quite a while since I posted anything at all. The upside is that means I’ve been busy. Very busy. Busy is good. Keeps me active. Keeps me moving.
And this piece has certainly kept me moving. Creating this work was a physical experience. Every aspect pushed the boundaries of the spaces I have to work with: from building the canvas to crating and every bit in between. I enjoyed the process immensely.
The work came about by way of a phone call at the end of last Summer. It started its last leg yesterday when the freight truck came to pick up the 82″x64″x6″ crate. My clients had retired and moved to warmer climes, but they were missing some aspects of their place here in Iowa. Namely a large water feature from their yard that gave them a lot of enjoyment and peace in their leisure time. They wanted a piece of that for their new home. We chatted. We took photos. Discussed options and away we went. Several months and a lot of work later we’re nearly finished.
I’ve managed to document the process from beginning conceptual sketches to the end when it was packed into the crate and readied for shipping. I’ve skipped a lot of steps along the way to spare you the (sometimes) ugly details, but it was a wonderful project and I’m glad for the opportunity.
Looking forward to seeing it hung.
So anyway… here’s the pics.
Cheers,
R
First sketches. Testing layouts
First sketches. Testing layouts
First sketches. Testing layouts
First sketches. Testing layouts
First sketches. Testing layouts
Final rough composition
Color mockup in pastel
Color mockup in pastel
Color mockup in pastel… needed more blue
Color mockup: detail
Color mockup: detail
Color mockup: detail
Construction begins – hybrid aluminum/wood stretchers
So many staples…
Finished the stretch. Now for the black gesso
$60 in black gesso later…
Images transferred to the surface using white chalk
Putting down the first layers of paints
Underpainting and mid-ground finished. Time for the little brushes.
How I spent most of that day: hunched over sitting on a stool or the floor. Couldn’t raise the canvas any higher
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail
Detail
Finished! Had to bring it up to my living room to get a decent shot.
I think this really captures the scale. It was like having an extra wall
Shopping list and basic design for the crate
Crate’s largely finished. Using leftover panels to hold down some foam padding until the adhesives dry
Piece wrapped and mounted inside the crate
Lid’s screwed down tight. “Fragile” stickers applied… everywhere.
One more look at the crate before it goes byebyeShare this:
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New Work in Progress
No spiffy titles today, kids. Just a quick update from your old pal, Rob, on a new Chicago piece. It’s big. It’s bold. It’s big!
Ultimately my goal here is to play with the relationships between the cool and warm colors this image provides. I’m also adjusting figures and elements to rearrange their relationships to each other. There’s still work to do so keep your eyes peeled for updates, true believers!
Cheers,
R
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Exploring The Ancient Stone Circles Of The UK
On my latest photography adventure, I’ve wandered the United Kingdom in search of stone circles. I’m left in awe, pondering the origins of mankind.
There’s magic in these places. Curabitur lacinia porta purus. Mauris laoreet dignissim imperdiet. Proin tempor pellentesque neque tempor feugiat. Vivamus odio tortor, pulvinar vitae placerat sed, ultricies nec augue. In fermentum nunc sit amet mauris tincidunt laoreet. Nulla accumsan, elit quis vehicula auctor, enim ligula pharetra ligula, nec facilisis purus ipsum nec sem. Quisque vitae risus elit, quis lobortis augue. Duis dignissim example link mauris eu arcu consectetur in scelerisque risus iaculis. Maecenas ac sagittis libero. Maecenas consectetur, nunc et euismod malesuada, libero nunc vestibulum ante, sed tempor ligula sapien vitae enim. Nullam in elit quam. Maecenas feugiat euismod libero, quis feugiat enim elementum sit amet. Fusce in sem id mi venenatis hendrerit. Phasellus tempus enim vel nulla accumsan volutpat.
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Providing a Little Detail
A small detail from the last session spent working on this New piece. Hoping to wrap it up in 1 or 2 more. I’ve got just enough time before I get back into commission mode.
#wip #painting #oilpainting #urbanlandscape #nyc #nocturne #rain #originalart
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Still Life
Greetings all,
I just wanted to post a few of the production stills and a couple other images from the political comedy series, “Embeds” that premiered recently on go90. Thanks to a friend I got a call from their production crew looking for some local art for set dressin. Even though the work only shows up for a few seconds here and there it was still a fun idea. Special thanks to Mr Eric Wickes for taking special care of my work while it was in his capable hands.
I honestly haven’t had a chance to watch it yet because I’m so busy jetsetting with my new Hollywood friends, but I going to because how often does this kind of thing happen to you? Well maybe you, but not me.
Oh… and by “jetsetting” and “Hollywood friends” I mean “sitting on the couch in my robe drawing” and “cat”.
Check out the pilot here: PILOT . There’s an agreement on the page before the video FYI. You have to watch out for those things. You never know what you’re agreeing to.
Check the pics below. You might have to squint to find the art in a couple. Thanks to my friend, Buffalo Bonker, for grabbing the first 2 shots.
Cheers,
R
Embeds production still 7
Embeds production still 6 
Embeds prod still 2 
Embeds prod still 3 
Embeds prod still 5 
Embeds prod still 1 Share this:
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I’ve never been much for politics, but…
When you’re asked by the production team for a new polit-com from Megyn Kelly, “Can we use some of your work for our show?”, you say, “Why not?”.
So there you have it in a nutshell: My Artwork. New comedy. Political incorrectness (we can only hope).
Here’s the trailer. I hope it’s good.
Megyn Kelly-produced comedy ‘Embeds’ shows mayhem on the campaign trail in first trailer
Cheers,
R
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Thank You, Masked Man
I had the opportunity to help someone today. I feel some shame in writing about this not because I’m ashamed of doing what I did, but because I believe making such acts a public event cheapens the act itself. I believe receiving undue praise for being a regular, decent person can lead to expectations of praise and reward. A slippery slope if there ever was one. Not everyone’s an ultra-altruistic superhero ready to lay down their lives on a daily basis save the world out of the sheer goodness of their hearts… and even those are susceptible to corruption. A true altruistic act requires no dog and pony show. No medals. No press conference… And no expectation of thanks.See, “Thank you, Masked Man“, by Lenny Bruce if you have not. I warn you it’s crass and more than a bit homophobic. Not something I condone but it is, after all, Lenny Bruce. The sentiment’s there: once you start looking for gratitude you start to have expectations of just what that should entail. Best to not start at all.I saw a woman stuck in a broken-down car at one of the busiest intersections in town during morning rush. For those of you familiar with Des Moines I was by the giant A&E Dairy cow sculptures. As I pulled up next to the disabled vehicle I saw her: Visibly sobbing and looking very afraid. On her cell phone frantically trying to call someone for help as angry morning commuters struggled to make their way around her. Everyone was in a hurry. Too busy. Busy getting to work. Busy with their own lives. Being busy is no sin. We all are pretty busy all the time. At least most of the people I know are. But there she was: Another person struggling and I realized I couldn’t pass her by and feel OK about myself. I found a place to park and ran back. Asked her about her condition and the situation with the car. It was completely without power. She was at a loss. Still in tears. I told her it was going to be alright and then told her my plan. She braked & steered and I pushed. Around a corner, down the street and into a parking lot we went together. Luckily there’d been a break in the traffic on the adjoining street and we were able to cross without blocking too many folks *. In the end she got a call from a friend who would come to get her and traffic was flowing happily. All was right with the world again. I checked to make sure she was good and headed to work. The day seemed a little sunnier than it had and I’d considered leaving it at that. Then I got to thinking there was a parallel with what we see happening all around us. People living in fear of lack. People afraid that if they took time to help or deviated from their planned course that they would somehow miss out or that the cost to themselves would be too great. People looking to get (or stay) ahead of others. The greater cost is to ourselves when we pass people by.I don’t tell this story to illustrate what a good person I am. I’m not. I don’t expect or want any accolades for being a human being. I will delete any and all comments praising my actions, etc. I’m not looking for thanks. I DO want to set an example in my life and for others. I hope that every person who watched the two of us move that car by ourselves feels a little twinge of guilt when they think back on it. That maybe they’ll feel slightly diminished that some average guy in a less-than-average Honda got out and helped when they didn’t think to. That maybe the next time they see someone in need… in distress they’ll think about that and instead rush offer their hand first. To work together to help solve problems instead of making sure they “get theirs”.This is how we make our land… our world great. This is how we combat hate. This is how we extinguish fear. This is how we come together. This is how we raise ourselves up.We have a world full of people in need. We can, in small ways, each and every one of us make a difference every day right here in our own back yard. Today is your day.Be excellent to each other.Cheers,R* I’m really glad I haven’t been skipping leg day lately and I’m seriously considering upping my cardio game. When did compact cars get so heavy??Share this:
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Panoramapalooza
I’ve been loving me some horizontal formats lately… and graphite or charcoal on toned paper. Maybe it’s because I was such a huge movie fan as a kid and I wish the world was filmed in Ultra Panavision. Maybe it’s because I have this huge roll of gray-toned paper I’ve been sitting on for a couple of years. Who can say for sure, but the format really appeals to me. As such I’ve done a number of works over the last couple of years that extol the virtues of the panoramic.
I decided to get all (or at least most) of them together in one post.
Lately figures seam to be taking on a more prominent role. Alone or in pairs…Clumped together. Perhaps I need to get out of my basement.
Enjoy!
Cheers,
R
Starting Line, Charcoal on paper, 48″ x 24″, 2016 
One Way, Charcoal on paper, 48″ x 24″, 2016 
3rd & Locust, Graphite on paper, 48″ x 22″, 2015 
Western Gateway, Graphite on paper, 50″ x 8″, 2015 
Cowles Commons, Graphite on paper, 50″ x 18″, 2015 
Court & 4th, Litho crayon on paper, 40″ x 12″, 2015 
9th Street Viaduct, Charcoal on paper, 44″ x 12″, 2015 Share this:
