May 10, 2021

 My life is a convergence of music and art. At the age of eight my father gifted me a harmonica. Eventually I was playing sax, flute, guitar, mandolin and many other instruments. After high school graduation I discovered an inherent talent for painting. I became immersed in a quest to learn the craft of easel painting.

I designed my first cutout at the age of 21. I enjoyed the illusion and lifelike presence of the person in the cutout. This led to cut outs of friends and family through the years.

My music cutouts have brought together my love of music and art. As I construct and paint these sculptures I listen to the subject’s music for inspiration. The series begins with the great musicians of swing including Louis Armstrong and Glenn Miller. To capture the vibrancy of these times I paid close attention to the dancing, fashions, rhythms and instruments.

The “Swing Series” led into “Rock & Roll”. Elvis, Buddy Holly and Fats Domino helped both the music and culture evolve into new forms. I spend a year working on each series. Swing and Rock & Roll have recently led to a series on the Beatles. Future series will include Country Music, Blues, Jazz and possibly Rap.

I hope these cutouts can be appreciated for their sculptural and painterly qualities. They can also be used as a means for learning about the history of Popular music and the contributions of these great musicians. 

April 19 2021

      Growing up in Euclid, Ohio really provided a sense of community. Our row of brick duplex homes were so close together that you could hear the goings-on of most family conversations or squabbles. 
     
      One late afternoon as I came home for my classes in junior high, I was approached by my next-door neighbor, Mr. Darling. He was retired and took up painting pictures as a hobby. He asked me if I would like to follow him into his house to see his paintings . I said yes and he let me down the stairwell to the basement.

      I know what you're thinking. An old man invites a young kid down his basement to see his pictures. Yeah right, he's probably up to no good. Well that wasn't the case. You see this was 1968 and you could usually trust your neighbors to do the right thing by you.

     After he poured me a soda pop at the basement bar, Mr. Darling proceeded to pull out a stack of canvas panels from a cardboard box. To my surprise the paintings depicted images of naked African women. He explained that since he didn't have access to models he used the next best thing; Photos from National Geographic magazine. I was impressed by his technique and he also showed me paintings of African landscapes and food markets in his collection.

     Fast forward to 1973. Mr. Darling passed away that year and soon afterward I received a phone call from his wife. "I would like to give you Mr. Darling's art supplies. Can you find a use for them?" Of course I said yes and she handed me a wooden box filled with oil paint, tubes, brushes and some canvas paper. I knew nothing about working in oil paint so the following week I rounded up some instructional books from the public library.

     In my bedroom I set up a still life with a vase of flowers, a Hemingway novel and a Picasso statue. That picture was the first of many to come. Hats off to Mr. Darling

Mar. 28, 2021

In my search for a place to exhibit my artwork I came upon a quaint little gallery in a bookstore. Nice white walls with spotlights and a room to accommodate 20 to 25 paintings. Sign me up I said to the manager in charge. That left six months to put together a show of my very best work which I hadn't yet created. I already had a few paintings in mind but really had no idea how I was going to manifest them. My plan was to paint pictures of flowers. Large,small,wild, bright, sensual. A virtual garden of earthly delights. But my bubble burst when the negative voice inside my head said "did you forget that Georgia O'Keeffe has already painted every flower known to man. Don't you have a better idea then that?" My answer to my self was "actually, no."

So regardless, I went ahead and bought a bunch of canvases,brushes and paints and embarked on a painting excursion to explore the natural world of flowers. Recently I discovered a beautiful display of purple irises at a college campus just across the street from where I lived. So I packed my paint box and easel and set off to paint a masterpiece. With my wide brimmed hat I felt a bit like van Gogh, but it wasn't too long before frustration started to set in. (Don't worry, I didn't slash my ear.) Along came that pesky voice again. Who are you trying to kid? Here comes another flop. At about this same moment a small group of students began to gather around my easel to watch me paint. A few had some positive comments about the painting and my confidence slowly returned.

That painting of irises spurred me on to create additional large canvases of flowers. With my renewed confidence I decided to try a slightly different route. I set up bouquets of flowers in my home during the winter months before the show. It provided a cheery atmosphere in my house that spurred me on to keep creating. I contemplated the vase of flowers before me and tried to perceive them in a new way. At the end of the first day's session that old voice returned and I felt rather dejected about the painting. Like many artists I'm often my worst critic. I took the painting and turned it towards the wall so that I couldn't see it. After a couple days I turned it around and was pleasantly surprised at what I saw before me. Detaching from the work helped me view it in a new way.

So, finally the day of my art opening arrived. I felt confident about the work and pleased with how it looked hanging in the gallery. Many of my friends and family attended and all in all it was a great success. But now once again I must reenter the vortex of creative solutions for my next exhibit. Maybe I'll call it "The Agony and the Ecstasy".

Irwin Weinberger