Tag Archives: #fine Art

Rex Ray

January 27, 2021 12:03 AM \

Michael Patterson was inspired by Andy Warhol and adopted the moniker, Rex Ray.  The San Francisco-based fine artist and graphic designer was known for his collages as well as his large-scale, 1960’s inspired, brightly colored paintings. He was born in Germany on a United States army base in 1956, grew up in Colorado Springs and studied fine art at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. In 1981 he moved to San Francisco, completed his BFA at San Francisco Art Institute, where he entered graduate studies. The following quotes are from the book ‘Rex Ray: Art + Design’:

Creativity:  “A lot of cultural conditioning goes on today, restraining us from doing certain things that might seem silly or useless at the time, but that may have great significance in the end.  Anything that can help break down those barriers and provide an opening for other ideas to emerge is welcome.”

Fearlessness:  “I’m not as much confident as I am fearless.  I have a lot of doubt and a lot of insecurity when I go into a given situation.  But I don’t let it stop me.  It took a long time to find that.”

His work can be found R2 (Rex Ray) Studio, Facebook and Instagram.

Images:  Courtesy of Rex Ray Studio.

Posted in: Fine Art, Graphic Design \ Tagged: ,

Matthew Wong (1984 – 2019)

December 14, 2020 12:03 AM \

Matthew Wong was a self-taught painter, poet, and photographer who painted landscapes, forest scenes and still life. The Canadian-based artist was on the autism spectrum, had Tourette’s syndrome and had grappled with depression since childhood.  At 35 the artist took his own life in Edmonton, Canada. In 2013 he started experimenting with painting and the art world quickly took notice. His name was suddenly compared to master painters: Henri Matisse, Vincent van Gogh and Georges Seurat. On an interview with Art of Choice he said this about his work:

“I do believe that there is an inherent loneliness or melancholy to much of contemporary life, and on a broader level I feel my work speaks to this quality in addition to being a reflection of my thoughts, fascinations and impulses.”

Matthew Wong is represented by Karma Gallery in New York City.

Images:  Courtesy of various sources.

Posted in: Fine Art, Painting \ Tagged: ,

Wu Guanzhong (1919 – 2010)

November 11, 2020 12:03 AM \

Wu Guanzhong was born in the Jiangsu province of eastern China.  He studied initially at the National Academy of Art in Hangzhou under Lin Fengmian, a painter often called the ‘father of Chinese modernist’.  He moved to Paris in 1947 and returned to China in 1950.  At the start of the cultural revolution fearful of the Red Guards he destroyed many of his paintings and was banished to a remote countryside to perform manual labor.  In the 70’s he was allowed to return home and to paint again.  Known for his landscape paintings he is regarded as having been one of his country’s great modern artists.’

 Images:  Courtesy of various sources.

Posted in: Fine Art \ Tagged:
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