Palette knife painting of NYC

La Villa - 19x19cm Oil on canvas --

One of the next forty NYC cityscapes for Carré d'Artistes

Mostly palette knife technique. 

Where you in Florence in 1991?

 

a watercolor from twenty-three years ago!

painted on site at Boboli gardens on cold pressed Arches paper.

Saturday I received an email:

Dear Ms. Brooksby;

Just curious, but were you in Florence Italy in June of 91 and were you painting watercolors next to the Uffezi Gallery? Not sure, but I believe I may have purchased a painting from you. I was there during the International AIDS Conference with Jim (Lastname), who, if I have the right Brooksby, is your cousin. The watercolor below is the painting in question, but the signature doesn't match anything I've seen in your more recent work. If I'm all wet about this, I apologize for inconveniencing you.

Sincerely,

Owen Weislow

Damn right that's mine!   Here is my respone:

Hi Owen,

Yes that is my watercolour, quite a collectors item.  That one I am 100% positive I painted on site from the Boboli garden.  Cool, thanks for emailing.  Can I put your message on my blog?  I'll remove all names.

Thank you Owen Weislow for sending this to me, and thank you for allowing me to post this on my blog.  But Jim Lastname is not my cousin, a great friend.

 I've often changed my signature.  Many of the early watercolors I painted in Florence are signed "Beliza" B for my last initial and Eliza for part of my middle name.  This one is one of the very first when I'd began painting and rode my Vespa into the Florentine hills with my easel strapped behind. 

I've always advocated artists using archival material.  Definitely worth if hearing from a happy client  a quarter of a century later. 

 

Jump the Puddle

Jump the Puddle

36x36cm  oil on linen

Another of the next forty going to Carré d'Artistes.  This is down near China town.
Thanks Carré d'Artistes!

Times Square Cab

Times Square Cab, oil on canvas 19x19cm

This is one of the next forty for Carré d'Artistes.

I feel lucky to be among their artists. 

Thanks Carré d'Artistes!

 

White Umbrella

 

White Umbrella

36x36 cm

 Black marker and oil on canvas 

Never say never and I thought I'd never paint NYC again but it's just so much fun.

The brand of an artist, what a shame

 

A sketch from Friday at the Academie de la Grande Chaumiere.

Modogliani painted here.

Here are a few designs from the nude.  I was aiming for graphic images; graphic, not innuendo. 

I'm not sure I give you the picture.

 

It seems that nowadays artists, like so many other professionals, have to have a brand; be known  for a certain style or image. 

This is sad.  

We have to keep up the same thing for life, like an actor must play the same role for life.  

 

Seems the hottest market is street art style with spray paint.  I'd love to paint with spray cans but it's really not my thing and the market is overwhelmed with this too.  

It's a crisis.  

 Good technique whichever style will always be sought.

Video of Exhibition at galerie In3Arts Metz : Manhattan Dream

Check out the video from the opening:

The show goes until 12 June. 

Manhattan Dream from Michael Mann on Vimeo.

The Grande Marché d'Art Contemporain at the Bastille - Paris May 2014

 

Here's my stand, less is more.  

Number 102 on the Bastille end just off the parvis along Avenue de Bourdon.

I've invited about thirty gallerists to come.  One, I know, has looked into my stuff. 

The theme is diners and comptoirs.  I like the comparaison between the contemporary American diner and the contemporary Parisian comptoir.  The American diner has been around for quite a while and really not much has changed in the decor, kind of like the Parisian comptoir.  In both the waiters and waitresses wear uniforms.

 This is the first series I've ever done of interiors. 

Merde you must tell me, don't wish me luck, I'll despise you. Tell me merde for French or merda if you want to speak Italian. Both work if your Anglo. 

So happy I am that I quit painting cars and scenes of New York, its saturated.

 

My stand is right in front of the metro tracks, trains come and go all the time.

 

Here is everyone setting up yesterday.

 

And like wow, I am way down there on the left.  Look at that white sky!

Merde merda merde!

L'Heure de l'Apero

l'Heure de l'Apero

Huile sur toile
60x60 cm

This is a view from Boulevard Montparnasse at the Select.   I'm sure the waiter would recognize himself.
This painting will be for sale at the Grand Marché d'Art Contemporain at the Bastille in Paris from 1-5 May stand 102

Manhattan Dream at Gallery In3Arts

6:30pm tonight opens my 8 week exhibition 

at the galerie 

In3Arts

13 Place des Armes

Metz

The image is taken from their facebook page.