Reyes Fine Art :: News & Notes: Spain

Showing posts with label Spain. Show all posts

Thursday, August 6, 2015

The Creation of A Spanish Cityscape

This week I started my newest painting featuring Toledo, Spain. I visited there in 2012 and was moved by its hilltop setting, its distinct architecture, and the fact that Toledo was the adopted home town of El Greco, one of my favorite painters. Unlike cloudscapes, cityscape paintings require a bit more thought and planning before adding color as evidenced in the photo and time lapse below.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

The New HQ for Reyes Fine Art Is Here!

Never thought I'd be living in the house at the end of the cul-de-sac, but here we are!
We're incredibly grateful and proud to call this "Home".

After nearly 12 years in Los Angeles, Rachel and I purchased a home in Santa Fe, NM that has a studio for her inside and a detached garage that has been converted into my very own workspace. It's been a labor of love getting here, prepping the space, repainting, hanging lights, building custom art and tool storage. But every second has been worth it…and I even got back to making art to celebrate and christen the new HQ of Reyes Fine Art. Come inside…

"Barcelona No. 1" is on the easel. It got started in LA, and will be finished
here in Santa Fe.

Our boys, Giaco (short for "Giacometti") and Buddy the Beagle, trying out the studio accommodations. Buddy came with us from California and Giaco is a mini-schnauzer/terrier pup we adopted from the Santa Fe Animal Shelter in May.

I built this table in my first live/work loft in downtown LA in 2004. It's served me well as evidenced by the pic to the left. It made the journey to New Mexico and I felt it appropriate to give it a second life as I get a fresh start here as well.

"Thunderhead (Albuquerque)"
Pastel and graphite on paper
18 x 36"

"Aero No. 12 (Spanish Descent I)" to the left, and "Aero No. 13 (Spanish Descent II)".
Both are acrylic paint on canvas panel and each is 20 x 10."

While these are not the first pieces of art I've made in New Mexico (having traveled and painted here regularly since 2008), they are the first drawings and paintings created in my new studio and as an official resident of this great place.

Sunday, February 8, 2015

An Aerial View Painting Inspired by Spain

My latest painting began live at a special event at Will Leather Goods in Venice on Nov. 22, 2014 (see that story HERE). Since then, this piece has evolved dramatically and my progress and the final painting are presented below. This one has been a wild ride and way more challenging than I anticipated. Sometimes it goes that way, but the education en route is well worth it!

It was inspired by my window seat view of the Spanish countryside moments before landing at Aeropuerto Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas. Beginning with Madrid, the places I visited and the things I saw on that trip opened the door to a change in painting style and sharpened my focus on subjects important to me.

10 Stages of Aero No. 14

Aero No. 14 (Miami -> Madrid) | Acrylic on birch panel | 46 x 23"
(Complete painting to the Left, plus extreme closeups to the Right)

Actual scale of Aero No. 14

On the easel:
Aero No. 14 (Miami -> Madrid) | Acrylic on birch panel | 46 x 23"

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Scenes from Art Night in Venice

I joined forces with Will Leather Goods at their flagship Venice store for their inaugural "Art Night" on November 22. Special thanks to Tim Chan and the Will staff for hosting me, and to all the friends who made it a fun and special evening of art and fashion.

The exhibition included over a dozen cloudscape and aerial view paintings from my Aero Series PLUS a live, in-store demo of me painting the latest in the series. Enjoy scenes from "Art Night" @ Will Leather Goods here:

Something exciting is happening in there! The view of Will from world famous Abbot Kinney Blvd.

Aero No. 33 (Mountainscape) greeted visitors to Art Night.

It was a lot of fun integrating my paintings throughout the store. Here's Aero No. 6 hanging out behind the counter.

Live painting about to go down!

The beginning stage of my newest, Aero No. 14 (Miami -> Madrid)

Aero No. 25 (Barcelona Sky) and Aero No. 39 (Powerlines)

Making progress...

Aero 2014.3 (LA Sky)

Spreading it on thick! I made the switch from painting with brushes to exclusively using palette knives about 1 1/2 years ago and haven't looked back since.

Getting extra encouragement from my fiancé, Rachel.

The base colors are all there. Will have to finish this one up in private in the studio. Stay tuned!
Aero No. 14 (Miami -> Madrid) | Acrylic on birch panel | 46" x 23"

Thursday, October 3, 2013

The Newest Collectors of Reyes Fine Art!

I'm happy to report there was a real buzz about my exhibit, "Cities & Skies: Travel-Inspired Art", at the show in Culver City on Sep 21-22. Who doesn't love to travel and see exciting new destinations and stare dreamily out the airplane window en route. In fact, interest was so strong...

Laurie D. purchased "LA Skyline (Night), No. 2" for her husband Craig. It came down to this one and another large LA Skyline painting but the color and proportions of this piece fit their Culver City home perfectly.

"LA Skyline (Night), No. 2" on display its one and only time.

The painting is home!

Laurie + Craig = Happy Couple = Happy Artist!

Congratulations to Lorilynn F. of Los Angeles for her choice of "Aero 2013.12 (Prelude)" which is the first study of my Aero Series to be painted entirely in oil using only a palette knife.

Lorilynn with "Aero 2013.12 (Prelude)"

And last but not least, thanks to Rolin I. of Atlanta (not pictured, though his painting is lower right below) for his purchase of "Madrid No. 1 (Study)" A potent oil painting capturing the sunset over Madrid, Spain inspired by photos I took on a trip there last October.

We LOVE red dots!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Euro Tour :: Spain, Part I (Madrid Edition)

My four country tour of Europe began and ended with stops in Madrid. Powerhouse museums, fantastic architecture, color and light here. A great way to bookend my adventure.