CHRIS SOLARSKI || MIXED MEDIA ARTIST INSPIRED BY CLASSIC & VIDEOGAME ART || ZURICH, SCHWEI

Group Art Exhibition at Rote Fabrik, Zurich

2011-05-27T22:08:00.007+02:00

All are warmly invited to the vernissage for a group exhibition. In addition to my paintings and drawings, I'll be exhibiting my very first art game and possibly other game-related media.

Vernissage: Saturday 25th June, 19:00 - 22:00
Opening times: Sunday 26th June, 12:00 - 17:00.

Address: Rote Fabrik, R201 (3. Stock), Seestrasse 395, 8038 Zürich

Hope to see you there!
Chris

Art Newsletter

2011-03-07T08:15:00.006+01:00

Dear Family & Friends,

Welcome to my first ever newsletter. I'll be sending one out 1-2 times per year to keep you updated on news and activity regarding my figurative fine art painting.

I hope you find the information relevant and interesting but please be assured that you're welcome to opt in or out at any time by sending me an email with "unsubscribe" or "subscribe" in the title.

BOOK CONTRACT
2011 has gotten off to a very good start as a result of an article I wrote for an international videogame development website. The article, titled From Ancient Greece To Halo: Art Tradition In Today's Games, deals with a topic that is increasingly becoming my specialisation: the crossover between traditional art and contemporary digital graphics.

It was my luck that an editor at Watson Guptill, the art imprint of Random House Publishing, read my work and contacted me with the offer of extending the article into a full-length book. Without hesitation I accepted the offer, so I'll begin work in April 2011 for an expected publishing date of November 2012.

BP PORTRAIT PAINTING & INVITATION
My submission for last years BP Portrait Award made it to the second round of judging, so I'm hoping for an even better result in 2011. The competition is held annually at London's National Portrait Gallery and is the most prestigious event for portraiture in the world.

My entry for this year (featured centre of the photo below) captures the colour, brushwork and videogame-inspired iconography that I've been searching for some time. You're invited to an informal visit to my studio on Sunday 20th March to take a closer look at the painting before it goes to London for the contest.

Event: Atelier visit
Date: Sunday 20th March 2011
Time: From 14:00 till 17:00
Address: Luegislandstrasse 485, 8051 Zurich, Switzerland map

FUTURE PLANS
In addition to the above mentioned activity, I intend to increasingly dedicate more time to exhibiting my artwork, starting with Kunstszene Zürich. You're welcome to keep up to date on such news via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn or by visiting my personal website.

I look forward to hearing from you!

All the best
Chris

Fangio

2011-03-07T08:10:00.002+01:00

15-minute study. Charcoal on paper.

Picasso's, 'Seated Woman'

2010-11-04T11:07:00.003+01:00

Discovered a new influence in this painting by Picasso, which is currently hanging at retrospective in Zürich's Kunstahus till 30th January 2011.

The size and simplicity of the forms make a very strong sculptural impression that is lost in the photo below. So a must to see the original.

Chrissie, Charcoal Study

2010-10-03T19:56:00.001+02:00

Landscape drawings from San Romerio, Switzerland

2010-08-11T10:41:00.002+02:00

Some quick sketches from a recent holiday in the beautiful Posciavo Valley in Switzerland. The buildings are of San Romerio, where I stayed.

Weekly studies of Greco/Roman sculptures

2010-06-04T20:52:00.000+02:00

1-hour study from life: Christina

2010-05-14T20:35:00.001+02:00

1-hour study from life: Annika

2010-04-22T10:01:00.001+02:00

1-hour study from life: Christine

2010-04-14T10:00:00.002+02:00

Practise Sketches: Marc Sway & Lenny Kravitz

2010-04-02T09:55:00.001+02:00

Anatomy and Classical Sculpture Studies

2010-02-10T11:34:00.001+01:00

Studies from Zürich's Archaeology Institute as well as not-so-recent visits to the Bodyworlds exhibition.

Leaf measuring

2009-08-15T12:54:00.002+02:00

I recently watched an interesting BBC documentary, The Story of India.

One of the episodes focussed on King Rajaraja Chola I, who was one of the greatest emperors of the Tamil Chola Empire and India, who ruled between 985 and 1014 CE.

The episode featured a family of bronze casters - S. Devasenapathy Sthapathy Sons - who have been casting traditional statues according to the "lost wax method" for 20 generations, since the days of the Chola Empire. During the tour of the family foundry, one of the members describes how the proportions of statues are measured using a leaf folding system prescribed by Shilpam Shastra.

Shilpam Shastra are traditional Hindu texts that describe the standards for religious Hindu iconography, prescribing e.g. the proportions of a sculptured figure, as well as rules of Hindu architecture. They form one of 64 branches of divinely revealed arts.

I realised that this technique can be very useful for memorising human proportions. I'll upload examples how this is done, shortly.

Classical Sculpture Studies

2009-07-12T21:50:00.002+02:00

Quick 3-5 studies from a drawing session at the Archaeology Institute.

Interview with Justin Mortimer

2009-06-30T15:52:00.003+02:00

- Taken from an interview with Justin Mortimer on ArtSlant.

"It’s completely instinctual. It’s painting by the seat of your pants. As we have talked about in the studio, maybe not now. When I’m composing ideas for pictures I roughly sketch them out on the computer. I scan images, I collect all the data that I have on my hard drive, image databases, from scans of cats, to wedding cakes, limbs, background photographs that I’ve taken on holiday. Through the process of using the computer you can come out with a very realized image very quickly making it a very seductive process. But it’s up to me to translate that to a piece of work from that digital image. I certainly become very seduced by the sort of pseudo realities that can be made in Photoshop. So when I start painting I very quickly see holes and problems in the image and also how banal that image is. It’s up to me to bring something in with the use of paint. As I make the image, the painting starts to dictate the image so I move away from the initial source that I made on the computer. In fact, I often make the image on the computer, begin the painting, see the problems or the good things, and go back to the computer to redraft that image, scale it up, and reimpose that onto the image again. So my pictures are quite fragmented looking because it’s often a combination of six different images all part of the same thing. I’m constantly looking for those serendipitous clashes with the first layer doing something interesting with the top layer. It dictates itself, it has its own volition, which is a completely different process from when you are working on the computer."

Justin Mortimer on the Queen's Portrait

2009-05-16T09:30:00.004+02:00

- From Justin Mortimer's official website.

"I was commissioned to paint the Queen in 1997 by The Royal Society for the Arts. I didn’t paint her from life – although a special room at Buckingham Palace is set up for artists complete with throne on a dais, old easel, even paintbrush holder – but I had two 2 hour sittings with her and did lots of sketches and took photos and Polaroids.

"Previously I was invited to meet the head of the Queen’s Wardrobe to choose an outfit for the commission.

"The painting I made was very controversial because I separated her head from her body. The media went quite crazy and some came up with headlines along the lines of “Off with Her Head!” etc etc! There was even a poll on national TV news asking viewers to rate the painting – 87% slated it. The press in some commonwealth countries went crazy about it too and I was interviewed for Canadian and Australian radio. In fact a lot of the hate mail I received came from these places and surprisingly America – ‘Why do you Brits hate your Royals so much?’.

"Interestingly though, the Queen’s equerry Sir Robert Janvrin had an opposite reaction when he first saw the painting in my studio; bearing in mind the commission happened just when the public were outraged at the Palace’s treatment of Princess Diana, he said that a strong, modern representation was exactly right at a time when they were seeking to modernize the Queen’s image

"The Queen of course had no idea how I was going to paint her and what’s more made no comment when the painting was unveiled (she never comments on the portraits made of her) – however she did go on to commission me personally to paint her Lord Chamberlain for the Royal Collection and I’ve wondered sometimes if maybe she didn’t like him very much.

"The first sitting was pretty tense and I found it hard to focus on my drawing – she sat very formally (like a Queen) in her chair and was chatting non-stop to her equerry.

"The second sitting was a more relaxed affair; I felt able to direct her and got her to walk around and twist and move in the seat while I took photographs. I got pretty close shooting off Polaroids and when I stepped back a whole pile had ejected into her lap.

"This time, we even talked. She was funny. We looked out the window together at the tourists on the Mall looking in. I don’t remember drinking tea."

Pizol Snow

2009-04-11T20:26:00.003+02:00

Watercolour and pencil on paper.

Explosion

2009-04-02T18:35:00.001+02:00

Oil on canvas.

Poor Goose

2009-03-08T20:14:00.008+01:00

A quick sketch at Zurich's Archaeological Institute, which is a highly recommended for it's outstanding collection of classical sculptures (mostly copies) all tucked away in a quiet basement.

You'll find more resources for artists, including Zurich-based life drawing sessions, by clicking here.

Jon Foster

2009-03-06T10:18:00.004+01:00

This image by Jon Foster is great for the way it slowly reveals a story by using unusual cropping.

You'll probably first notice the passengers expression followed by details, such as the engines heat exhaust and the flapping t-shirt, which suggest the vehicle is moving. The last details to be noticed may be the vehicles in pursuit.

Alex Kanevsky, On Being An Artist

2009-01-24T16:26:00.005+01:00

- Extracts from an interview with Alex Kanevsky conducted by Vivianite

What inspires you?
"...[The] naive artist works with first-hand experiences, uncompromised by self-analysis. Sentimental are works that are self-aware of their place in history, theory, etc. One usually sees this kind of work accompanied by an artist statement. I think I am more naive than sentimental in the things that inspire me."

What would you say to an artist just starting out?
"Build up your self esteem to the level that might seem unwarranted. This will help you to ignore both positive and negative responses to your paintings. Both are usually misguided, since they come from the outside. Be your most severe and devastating critic, while never doubting that you are the best thing since sliced bread."

"The moment something works well and is under control - is the time to give it up and try something else.

"Put all your eggs in one basket. Precarious situations produce intense results.

"Forget subjective, it is mostly trivial. Go for the universal."

Edith Asleep

2008-12-15T12:41:00.001+01:00

Oil on primed card, 18.5 x 20 cms

Alla Prima (First Stroke) Painting

2008-11-18T14:30:00.007+01:00

- Notes from AndrewWerth.com taken at the 2008 Portrait Society of America Conference

"[John Howard Sanden] admits to not being perfect with the technique; where in theory you look at the model, look at your palette, load your brush, look back at the model, and then place the brushstroke on the canvas. His ten tips for the process were: (1) start with a toned canvas; (2) draw with your brush; (3) the 1st stroke is the final stroke; (4) base your marks on observation alone (not what you think it should look like); (5) every stroke counts; (6) use the largest brush possible; (7) work with speed & finish in 1 session; (8) every stroke is a drawing stroke; (9) tonal judgements are the most important; and (10) be deliberate and decisive."

Interview on World Radio Switzerland

2008-11-08T11:24:00.004+01:00

You can hear a radio interview with me on World Radio Switzerland's weekly Swiss by Design program. I share my views with Jennifer Davies on how developments in the long history of the fine arts have come to shape the modern visual language and how I see the discipline of oil painting in its contemporary context.

Live Painting at Illustrative 08, Zurich

2008-10-26T19:13:00.007+01:00

Myself and Cornelia Wittwer participated in a live painting demonstration at Illustrative 08. We gave ourselves approximately 7 hours over three days to paint the 90 x 80 cms portrait of Tilda Swinton; a pop-icon we thought appropriate for the occasion. It was a little stressful having every brush stroke scrutinised by an audience but a good learning experience nonetheless.

Photo reference

At work

Finished

Complex Characters

2008-10-25T22:31:00.004+02:00

"He is like everyone else, a compound of strange and inexplicable contrasts, and this is what the writers of novels and plays will never understand; they make their characters all of a piece. But people are not like that. There may be ten different people in one man, and sometimes all ten appear within a single hour."
- The Journal of Eugene Delacroix

Digital Flowers

2008-10-12T21:50:00.004+02:00

Oil brushes in Corel Painter

Suicide Girl

2008-09-24T16:28:00.004+02:00

Gesture in conté. 2 - 10 minutes

Illustration & Fine Art

2008-09-09T09:31:00.003+02:00

"I react strongly to images that have no obvious answer to their mysteries. If there is a key to their construction, they are simply illustration. Meaning is meaningless to me. I do not care for symbolism and I paint what I paint without meditating on a story"
- Zdzislaw Beksinski

Negative Space

2008-09-02T15:47:00.003+02:00

Thirty spokes share the wheel's hub
It is the center hole that makes it useful
Shape clay into a vessel
It is the space within that makes it useful
Cut doors and windows for a room
It is the holes which make it useful
Therefore benefit comes from what is there
Usefulness from what is not there.
- LaoTze

Conté Getsures from Life

2008-08-29T11:24:00.001+02:00

Inspiration for the Soul

2008-07-16T13:02:00.006+02:00

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka" (I found it!) but "That's funny...""
- Isaac Asimov

"A friend is one to whom you can pour out the contents of your heart, chaff and grain alike. Knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."
- anonymous

"Many years ago Rudyard Kipling gave an address at McGill University in Montreal. He said one striking thing which deserves to be remembered. Warning the students against an over-concern for money, or position, or glory, he said: "Some day you will meet a man who cares for none of these things. Then you will know how poor you are.""
- Halford E. Luccock

Grosi

2008-06-21T14:57:00.006+02:00

[Click to enlarge]

Johannes Kepler

2008-06-06T20:44:00.003+02:00

"In all acquisition of knowledge it happens that, starting out from those things which impinge on our senses, we are carried by the operation of the mind to higher things which cannot be grasped by any sharpness of the senses. The same thing happens also in the business of astronomy, in which we first of all perceive with our eyes the various positions of the planets at different times, and reasoning then imposes itself on these observations and leads the mind to recognition of the form of the universe."
- Johannes Kepler

Pythagoras Way Of Life

2008-05-28T23:22:00.006+02:00

"Upon rising in the morning:

"As soon as you awake, in order lay
the actions to be done the coming day.

"At nightfall:

"Allow not sleep to close your eyes
Before three times reflecting on
Your actions of the day. What deeds
Done well, what not, what left undone?"

-Pythagoras

Abstract Symbols

2008-04-25T16:20:00.012+02:00

Some notes on abstract symbols I've collected over the past few months. Designing your images around such concepts is the key to successfully communicating your desired message.

The pentagram was originally an abstraction of joy and celebration. It resembles a person jumping with arms and legs outstretched, giving a feeling of freedom. Some believe it to be an abstraction of the Greek Goddess of health, Hygeia.

Below is an abstraction of the lotus position from the Hindu Yoga tradition. A useful contemporary symbol of good health, balance, contemplation and stability.

Phil Hale manipulates the sitter into the abstract shape of a musical note in his portrait of the composer Thomas Adès, hanging at the National Portrait Gallery London.

In the painting titled Massacre of the Innocents by Rubens, you'll find a combination of straight and rounded compositional lines linking the figures. Straight lines, which communicate strength and speed, are more numerous and their focal point located in the middle of the painting creates the feeling of an explosion or coming together of forces which fits the subject matter.

Contrast

2008-04-04T12:09:00.002+02:00

I watched a German film the other day in which the lead character learns of her sisters death. The scene shows her sitting in a hospital corridor with head in hands much like the man in the left-hand image below.

What I thought interesting was that her jacket accidentally created a turtle shell-effect (right) which better communicated her feelings.

In the same way, if you want to communicate beauty you must show its opposite. Beauty in isolation looks average. Beauty alongside something ugly has a stronger affect because of the contrast.

Glenn Vilppu DVD's

2008-03-27T12:03:00.003+01:00

The 'Drawing Manual Series' DVD's by Glenn Vilppu are amongst the best study aids I've come across, so far.

He is exceptional at teaching the theories of movement and form in simple and easy to understand terms. Highly recommended.

Studies of Pain

2008-02-28T20:34:00.010+01:00

[Click to enlarge]

Alternate Reality

2008-01-08T11:15:00.000+01:00

The term Alternate Reality derives from a progressive genre of games known as alternate reality games, in which participants act out their roles in public spaces whilst utilising various digital and traditional media. The genre thus creates an ambiguity between reality and fiction as play is integrated into everyday situations.

Quotes From 'Working Methods...'

2007-12-27T12:42:00.002+01:00

"The speed with which you draw something indicates the speed of that object. A big wet brushstroke moves. It's alive. A perfectly ruled line with a technical pen doesn't move. It's slow"
- Chris Brunner

"When people do period work, they tend to draw only things made in a specific decade. If it's the thirties, they'll draw stuff that only came out in the thirties, and forget that people still drove old cars from the twenties and 1910's in the thirties."
- Kelsey Shannon

"I did a Star Wars story on Alderaan, which didn't even have concept art for it. I panicked. I had to design Alderaan! I had to make [the design] cohesive. Durwin [Talon] said if I built everything out of a few simple shapes, it would all hold together naturally and seem organic. It worked."
- Chris Brunner

From Working Methods: Comic Creators Detail Their Storytelling and Artistic Processes, by John Lowe.

Age/Gender Studies: Children

2007-12-12T18:34:00.006+01:00

News Books

2007-12-12T11:51:00.002+01:00

New additions to my library:
Working Methods: Comic Creators Detail Their Storytelling and Artistic Processes, by John Lowe.

Cinematography: Theory and Practice: Image Making for Cinematographers, Directors, and Videographers, by Blain Brown.

Rubens, the Star

2007-11-21T10:28:00.001+01:00

What can be achieved when you create figures from imagination: Fall of the Rebel Angels by Peter Paul Rubens

Quote From 'Basic Typography...'

2007-11-14T15:16:00.001+01:00

"In graphic design, as in all creative expression, art evolves from craft. In dancing, craft is mastering the basic steps; in music, it is learning the scales... The vocabulary of form (art) includes, among others: space, proportion, scale, size, shape, rhythm, repetition, sequence, movement, balance, volume, contrast, harmony, order, and simplicity."
Ruedi Rüegg, Basic Typography: Design with Letters.

A Genuine Modern-day Master

2007-11-12T13:21:00.002+01:00

Peter Fuchs sculpting studio: a genuine modern-day Master quietly working away in his studio, almost entirely unnoticed.

You can view his artwork through street-facing studio windows on Zollstr. 120, Zürich.

Confucius

2007-09-25T15:24:00.002+02:00

"Find a job you love and you'll never work a day in your life." - Confucius

Gesture drawing, female nude

2002-04-29T11:20:00.002+02:00