The Private Collection of José Carrilho

Acquiring Art is a pleasant way of investing one's money.
The artworks that are part of my private collection are of artists who I believe to be talented and have a rightul future in the world of Art.
You can see them at my website.

July's winner has been found

The winner of the miniature oil painting for this month has been found.
More details comming soon.
You too can win a free painting every month by subscribing to The Art Inquirer

Interview with Danny Heller

Danny Heller is a Californian painter from Northbridge. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley where he studied the Los Angeles landscape.
While under the instruction of the landscape painter Hank Pitcher, Danny earned a B.A in Art with emphasis in painting at the College of Creative Studies (University of California, Santa Barbara).
Danny develops his works in his studio at Chatsworth, depicting the mid-century Los Angeles with focus on its architecture and car culture.
His paintings have been exhibited in several venues, namely at the Judith Kaufman Gallery (CA), Art Basel (FL) and L.A. Art Show (CA) .
Danny Heller has also been featured in the New American Paintings #73 and in the Atomic Ranch Magazine "Cool Stuff" feature.
The artist's paintings can be seen at the Terence Rogers Fine Art until July the 31st, under the title "Eichler's : A Modern Vision".


Danny kindly accepted to grant an interview to The Art Inquirer :


Q : After you B.A. in arts from the............., you didn't have to wait much time to start exhibiting.
Do you find that the quality of your work was already perceivable by the market ?
A: After I graduated from Santa Barbara, I wasn't too sure about what to do for work. I knew that it takes many artists years before they get a show, let alone make a living off of their artwork. The practical solution was to try to gain employment from the local film studios in their art departments. I always had an interest in how artwork and film tied together, so it was a great way to make a living while continuing my artwork. However, none of the studios I applied to liked my work and the more I learned about artists in the film industry, the more turned off I was. So, while I found a day job, I just kept painting and going to galleries to see what level of work they were showing. I eventually got confident in my skill level and thought if I apply to galleries, the worst they could say is "no." It turns out that a lot of people really liked the whole California aesthetic - palm trees and suburbs - and it reminded them of scenes from their childhood. I also think that only a few other artists had covered these scenes.

Q : In your biography you mention your formative years painting the surf landscapes of Santa Barbara, does that experience have any influence on your suburban paintings, namely in terms of technique ?
A: Absolutely. I learned a lot about lighting and painting on the spot from my studies in Santa Barbara. If you spend the whole day outdoors painting, you really begin to notice how the shifting light of the sun affects the shape and colors of the landscape. It also made me more familiar with wet on wet painting.

Q : You studied with the landscape painter Hank Pitcher, how important was that for your development ?
A: Hank played a big role in my approach to art. I was fortunate enough to get some work helping him with studio maintenance - stretching canvases, cleaning up, etc. This taught me first hand how to organize a studio, proper technique for stretching canvases, and it gave me a lot of time to see him paint. He taught me a lot in how to look at the landscape and what an artist's role is in capturing it.

Q : People are seldom featured in your works, nonetheless they are the origin of what you paint.
How important is for you to depict their lifestyle through the elements of your paintings ?
A: That's a great way to put it - that I paint everything about humans but humans themselves. Its not always a conscious decision - most of the time, the places I'm studying are deserted. However, if there are people, sometimes its more powerful to omit them and just leave the landscape to ponder. Also, people can sometimes date a picture in how they dress. While my paintings are contemporary scenes set in actual environments, I like there to be a timeless quality about them - where somebody today or years from today can look at them and have the same reaction.

Q : After your trips to Europe, where you made some scketches, are you thinking about approaching a different theme in a near future ?
A: Europe was essential in growing as an artist. It exposed me not only to all the great artwork in the museums over there, but also where all the artwork took place - the actual environments of most of the Impressionists and other painters. I think I'd like to stick with the themes of suburban imagery and Modern homes for large exhibits, but maybe in the future I'll do a small series of European studies/paintings. All the history and grandiose buildings are so captivating, especially coming from my area where nothing is more than a couple hundred years old and most of the history is bulldozed for a strip mall.

Now on to the technical details.......................

Q : Do you paint always with oil ? If so, then why ?
A: I used to paint with watercolors and acrylics, but once I started oils in college, I stuck with them. You can get so many better effects with them. I love mixing in different colors into the paint while its wet. You have to be a bit more patient with them, but I think it pays off. The pigments are much deeper than acrylics too.

Q : Do you stretch and prepare your own canvases, or do you buy them streched and eventually prepare them at your taste ?
A: I stretch all my own canvases now. It just seems a lot more thorough to be involved in the whole art process. I used to cut my own wood to stretch the canvases over too, but it became so time consuming and costly. Now I buy stretcher bars and cotton canvas and prepare a lot of canvases at one time. This lets me control the sizes of the paintings so just the right painting gets just the right size.

Q : I suppose that in most cases you make studies and finish the painting in the studio. Tell us about those studies and how they are important.
A: Actually, since leaving Santa Barbara, I really haven't done many studies in the field. I think most people would get a bit uneasy if they saw me set up my easel in front of their suburban house and start painting. I usually try to take photos (discretely) and then work from them in the studio. Its not uncommon though to do a smaller study in the studio before I try to tackle a bigger version.

Q : Are you thinking about using different approaches and techniques at this moment ?
A: I'd really like to keep consistent at this point so galleries and collectors can expect a steady quality of work. But I'm always learning new techniques that can help a painting and always interested in maturing as an artist. I'm still developing different techniques for capturing foliage and brick.

Q : To end this interview, tell us about your next exhibition "Eichler's : A Modern Vision"
A: This was a great series of paintings for me. I started about a year ago and worked pretty steadily trying to capture the mid-century tract housing developed by Joseph Eichler. He pioneered suburban tract housing that emphasized Modern design and made it affordable for the masses. But his architecture team also really shaped the California aesthetic of design. I was drawn to these striking houses and just knew I had to try to capture that feeling. The challenge was that they were so beautiful on their own, what could I bring as an artist? Studying them long enough, I eventually began painting scenes that not only celebrated their amazing designs, but also set the stage for a possible narrative - I think I really captured the mystery and intrigue that hit me when I first saw them.

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July's Painting Giveaway

Dear readers, there was a misfortune with this month's watercolour, therefore the lucky winner of the draw taking place on the 10th of July will earn an original oil miniature.
Only readers who subscribe to the feed service using Feedblitz are entitled to participate.

Papercut Sculptures by Peter Callesen

Born in Denmark, Peter Callesen studied at the Arhus School of Architecture and at the Goldsmiths College (London), to name a part of his educational background.
One cay say that Callesen is mostly known by his paper scultpures, from A4 size papercuts to large scale works and installations. But he does not stick with paper, Callesen also uses MDF, paint and why not, light bulbs.
Many of his works have a common theme, classical fairytales, afterall his from the country of Hans Christian Handersen. Through this, Callesen conveys a union between childwood's fantasies and the reality of adult life.
His work has been exhibited at the Artgenda (Hamburg), Shangai Art Museum (China) and The Museum of Religious Art (Denmark).
He's also featured in public collections and publications.
Callesen is represented at this time by Helene Nyborg Contemporary.

Curate This !

Located at 527 Saint Joseph Street, New Orleans (USA), Beca Gallery is going to give the opportunity to all art appreciators in the world to curate their "Four" exhibition that will have its vernisage on August the 2nd.
For that, Beca Gallery will present (18th to 21st June) the submited works from which one will be abble to select 10 works.
From those 10, the 4 most voted will have their works featured at the "Four", the gallery's third international contemporary art exhibition.
The 10 selected works will also be featured in the "Curate This!" publication.
Know more about this event by visiting their blog.

Armed robbers get away with two Picassos

Three armed robbers entered the Pinacoteca Museum in São Paulo (Brazil) in broad daylight, managing to get away with two prints of Picasso's "The Artist and His Model" and "Minotaur, Drinker and Women".
Two oil paintings from the artists Di Cavalcanti and Lasar Segall were also taken.
The four works are estimated in $600,000.
More development here and here.

Interview with Jane Kivistö

Jane Kivistö is a finish artist based in Pori, Finland.
She considers herself a pastelist, but also likes to use other mediums.


So that we may know a bit more about her, Jane kindly granted an interview to The Art Inquirer.




TAI - Jane, thank you for granting this interview.
Tell us about the place where you live.

JK -I was born and raised in Inkoo, a seaside municipality on the south coast of Finland. It's a rather small (popul. 5500) and quiet place surrounded by the beautiful seashore nature. Nowadays I live in Pori, another seaside town on the west coast. Being close to nature is really important to me even today and I guess I have passed that on to my two children: some of our ways to relax is fishing, hiking and camping. I always carry a camera with me, you never know where the perfect scenery is.

In highschool I had art as an optional subject as well as in college, that was two extra hours of art on a week but that was all. I don`t have any art-related master degrees. At the moment I`m studying social pedagogy at Satakunta University of Applied Scienses and will graduate in this fall. Hopefully :D



TAI - From what age did you start to enjoy drawing and painting ?

JK - I remember I've always loved drawing, arts and crafts. I use to write little plays and perform them, yet the most important part of the whole process was building the set for the play. The plays weren`t that good, but I think I had some talent for the staging :) I was ten. So I guess at that point I realized that I'll always do something related to crayons :)





TAI - Did you keep on painting since then or were there any intermissions ?

JK - Yes I did keep on drawing and crafting. My father painted with oil colours but I didn't like to paint until I was 12. Before that, for some reason, I thought painting was something adults do. In college I found pastels and painted for a while but took a brake when I got two children. The brake lasted about five years.





TAI - When did you decide to take a more serious approach toward art ?

JK - Well, it was at that magical age of 12. I took an art class, it was oil painting and I just loved it. I loved the smell of the turpentine and the softness of the brushes and the whole world of painting. It was love from the very beginning. I wanted to learn everything. I really took it seriously. But the serious approaching lasted about an year :) After that it hasn't been serious, just pure joy :D I don't paint for living, I think I live for painting. And am very happy if someone likes my work and wants to buy a piece.





TAI - Have you attended any workshops ? If so, how did they influenced your skills and your approach ?

JK - Nope, or maybe a few a couple of hours lasting mini-workshops. But the idea was more like working together, not learning art. But the class that I took when I was 12, it of course had a great influence. Because of taking hardly any classes I consider myself as a self-taught artist.


TAI - How did you come up with the choice of your mediums ?

JK - It was in college I found pastels. When painting with them I kinda saw that I can paint! My technique was weird but I enjoyed doing it, I even got a few commissions. It was learning through experimenting and I`m on that road even today.

TAI - Tell us about your techniques.

JK - I’m a pastelist but like to paint in oils and acrylics too. I don't have any firm techniques or ways to paint, it depends on the subject. I like to try different and new things, like painting on different textures. Now I've been painting on staves which are from an old wooden tub. I like it a lot because I can still feel the history in them, I've left the staves partly unpainted so the texture is in the open.

TAI - What subjects to you like to paint most and why ?

JK - Food and people. Maybe nature too, animals and other little things like branches, nests, leaves. I like to paint old cottages too, fences and so on. Why? I like to see the life as it is, without any pretending, those genuine little things surrounding us.



TAI - Your website in writen in finnish.Haven't you felt the need to have an english version ?

JK - Yes I have. But since Finland is bilingual (Finnish/Swedish) I consider to have a Swedish version instead. But I haven`t decided it yet. Maybe both.





TAI - What projects do you have in hand for the near future ?

JK - I'll have four or five shows more this year, on July (one or two solos), August (solo), September (group) and October (group). That means a lot of work, alot of paint and brushes, pastel sticks and great time!



The works of Jane have been exhibited in two solo exhibitions and three group ones.


Her art is featured in private collections in Finland.





Visit her website to see her works.

The Winner of June has been found

The lucky subscriber who is going to get a free watercolour is from USA.
His name is David and he's from Washington.
By subscribing to The Art Inquirer using Feedblitz, you may win a watercolour every month.

Kurt Wenner - A Master Artist and Architect

Kurt Wenner attended the Rhode Island School of Design and Art Center College of Design. He then went to Italy to pursue his artistic career, after working for NASA as an illustrator.
Wenner moved to Rome in 1982 where he studied and drew from classical sculpture. He travelled through Europe to see the monuments in loco.

In order to support his studies and travels he worked as a "madonnaro", winning several gold medals and being recognize as a master.
Wenner's works have been commissioned by some world known companies such as Knorr Soup Hampton Inn and Lexus. He has also conducted public lectures at The Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC) and at The National Gallery (Washington DC).

Being a muralist, Wenner has good connexions with the world of architecture and has been commissioned important works based on his capabilitis of offering the viewer a rewarding experience of optical illusions based upon anamorphic perspective.
Besides this, Kurt Wenner is also an architect offering to his customers complex works based in the classical tradition featuring rich details and geometric techniques.