BEHIND PADUCAH

"By their backsides you will know them."  Someone, somewhere, at some time must have said something like this

The daily dose of art "CLAY DRAWINGS"

Staying with the clay for one more day - a few years ago while working on some clay printing inspired by my month in Italy, I began drawing on discarded pieces of clay prints with markers and felt-tip pens.  It was the beginning of a love affair that lasted several years.  The initial drawings were followed up by a series of drawings of Italian street scenes, and later, Paducah architecture.

Several clay prints to be used in the drawings.

Tribeca

Bologna

Must be somewhere

THE DAILY INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE #7 JUST DRAWING

Of all the industrial landscapes I've painted and drawn these two are my favorites.  Both were done with a sepia pen and markers.

Power Plant on the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh PA

NRE facilities in Paducah KY

THE DAILY INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE #6 The Paducah scene

Moving from one location and one medium to another, this morning finds us on N. Eighth Street in Paducah with pen & ink and a bit of color.

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #36 Behind Williamsburg and Paducah

Not all backside views are dismal and cluttered.  In Williamsburg VA they can be quite elegant.

 While in downtown Paducah the emphasis is on utility.

THE DAILY URBAN LANDSCAPE #33 LOOKING BACK AT BACKS

I couldn't resist the "looking back at backs" thing.  But it's true.  My attraction to the backs of buildings of all sorts has been with me for as long as I have been drawing and painting.  It really began in Wilmington Delaware when urban architecture and landscapes became the focus of my art.
Almost 40 years later, I'm still looking at the backs.

 

Behind Fourth St. in Wilmington

Pen & ink  late 1970s

Behind the Irving Cobb in Paducah

Pen & ink and markers  2003

ON THE EASEL

The once grand and elegant Irving Cobb Hotel (now apartments) on Paducah's Broadway, is now sitting on my easel.

Rendered primarily in watercolor, with s bit of ink and acrylic, it measures 30x22".

THE PADUCAH PORTFOLIO…part one

On several occasions in this blog and on my facebook page, the Art of William Renzulli, I have posted images of work I have done on this portfolio.  My plan is to spend the first 6 to 8 moths of this year creating the artwork for a hardcover book to be published and available this fall.

This project basically brings me full circle, back to where my art started, in the streets of Wilmington Delaware.  I fell in love with the colors and texture of the gritty urban landscape and hidden memories that could only be imagined in the wide-ranging architecture, streetscapes, and markets.  In 1985 I published a book of drawings and paintings celebrating Wilmington.  After almost 11 years in Paducah, I feel the need to “celebrate” Paducah, and taking advantage of technology that was not available in 1985, I can share with you the process of making this idea a reality.

This will not a book about Paducah’s history - social, architectural, or commercial, but it will be about Paducah’s “eye candy”, at least to my eyes.  It will a book to look at, not a book to read.  It is a book about the city we see everyday, the mundane and the elegant, the new and the old.  It is a book where even the refuse can be a thing of beauty.

I have created many paintings of the Paducah cityscape in the years I have been here, and several of them will appear in this portfolio, but fo the most part, the art will be new, created over a period of 6-8 months. 

The first, and ongoing task, has been to grab the camera and hit the streets, on foot or in car, exploring parts of the city I have never visited before.  (I can’t work the streets like I did 35 years ago.)  Amost all of the artwork will be done in the comfort of my studio...another nod to my age.

 

                                  

 
                                     

There is some amazing architecture tucked away off the beaten paths in the city.

I’M HAVING FUN

moving from one drawing table to another, switching from watercolors to pencils, to pen and ink, and to markers… it keeps the boredom blues away.  My focus is entirely on Paducah architecture for the book I hope to have ready by next fall.  To keep it interesting and lively I am letting the subject dictate the medium I use, from formal watercolor renderings to loose pen and ink drawings, black and white, and in color.

Here are a few of the first paintings and drawings in the portfolio:

Alone in Mid town...markers, pen & ink

A little bit on N. 3rd St.   markers, P&I

Slim Jin's Bar-B=Q...pastel on toned paper

The Back...P&I and markers

Bellewoeod...watecolor

Think less, draw more.

Is it possible that there are artists out there who are not plagued with self doubt?  When I'm spending my time on these small paintings and sketches I'm thinking, I should be working larger and exploring meaningful questions about life and art.  And when I'm working larger, exploring new ways to represent the landscape, I'm thinking, I should be working small and having fun doing what I like to do.

So, I do both, and find myself thinking, I should be focusing all my energies on one thing, and not scattering myself all over the place.

The solution?   Stop all that F...ing thinking!

Here are a few more additions to the Paducah portfolio:

 A remodeled Lowes store

 The home of the Leaping Trout on Madison St.

 Cathy and Steve live here...on 8th st.

 These drawings are part of my plan to end the year with a PADUCAH SKETCHBOOK, to be released in conjunction with an exhibit at Gallery 5.

In the meantime, I still have the Barns & Farms series to complete by the end of March.

This is pastel on a discarded clay mono type...aprox. 12x6"

I find that working in a variety of mediums prevents boredom and complacency and helps keep the work fresh.  I spend time in my studio everyday, and manage to stay engaged, either painting and drawing, taking care of "busy work", or reading.  (The nap time doesn't count.)   In the past several days I've completed the following:

Isolated...acrylic, markers, pastel...12x12

 Clean Cut...watercolor...pencil, ink

Two new additions to the Paducah Portfolio:

 Cynthias...markers, ink...7x7

Before the Condos...markers, pencil, ink...5x7

I'm still working on the barns, preparing for a Gallery 5 show at the end of March.  Most of the work will be small, ranging from 4x4 inches to 11x14, with an occasional larger piece in the mix.  I'm using a variety of media which keeps the work interesting and fresh.  My two latest pieces are:

 Pastel on paper toned with acrylic inks and mounted on hardboard...11x14"

 Pastel sketch on colored paper...4x4"

At the same time I'm still working on the Paducah drawings, planning to show the work later this year.

Whitehaven...pastel, ink, and markers on gray paper...approximately 8x10"

THE FRUITS OF MY LABOR...TINY AS THEY MAY BE

Looking over my blog it appears that I've spent the last 2 weeks in the kitchen cooking and eating pasta, but I can assure you that is not the case. Not only have I been in the studio working...albeit not very hard...I have the proof of that labor to show you.





Out and about in Paducah

WHY PADUCAH…TEN YEARS LATER

803 Madison St....our "dream" home

In 2001 I wrote in my journal…Why Paducah?

“One of my enduring fantasies over many years has been to have my own gallery as a part of my studio...open to the public and selling my art. I envisioned myself in a neighborhood/ community, where I could leave the house and walk “into town”, exchanging greetings with neighbors and other merchants. This has been my dream, and I believe Paducah offers me the opportunity to make it happen. Of course there are no guarantees, but there never are in life, only windows of opportunity, and it is up to us to be willing to act on them….

Within the past year the city opened a new art cinema, and more recently broke ground for a 34 million dollar performing arts center. All of these attractions, plus the Market St. Theatre, are located within 4 or 5 blocks of one another, along with several delightful restaurants, antique shops, and an elegantly restored B&B.

Patience and I will join a growing number of other artists in reviving an old Victorian neighborhood with our homes, studios, and galleries...as part of the city’s “artist relocation program”. Eventually there will be trolley service to the various studios and galleries.”

Lofty dreams and high hopes for both the city and myself. How did we fare? Ten years later I would offer that we did pretty well. Within a year about a dozen artists from all over the country responded to the city’s call and the excitement and anticipation in Lowertown were palpable. It quickly became a desirable place to live. More artists arrived, but the most telling sign of the neighborhood’s rebirth was the return of out of town and local non-artist citizens, a trend that continues today. Paducah, heralding itself as a creative art community, achieved national acclaim for its Artist Relocation Program, one that has become the prototype for communities around the country.

Lowertown was transformed…old homes were restored, new homes were built, new sidewalks and period lamp posts appeared, as well as galleries, shops, and restaurants; the people of Paducah made all of us feel welcomed and appreciated.

The performing arts center was completed, Maiden Alley Cinema introduced an annual film festival, the Paducah School of Art was born, and new restaurants opened downtown. Life in Paducah was good. A bustling arts district replaced the blight and decay of the neighborhood and Paducah was introduced to the phenomenon of opening receptions and gallery walks as the galleries welcomed visitors from regional cities (Chicago, Nashville, St. Louis, and Memphis). It wasn’t easy…selling fine art never is…but most of the galleries and studios survived, even if they didn’t thrive. Of course that level of energy and excitement could not sustain itself, and the growth slowed considerably as fewer available properties were available, and the neighborhood gradually assumed an air of maturity and stability.

As would be expected some of the transplanted artists realized Paducah was not meeting their needs, and they moved on, to be replaced by new faces with new hopes and new missions. Sadly, some left because of significant health issues. But the most crippling blow to the art community was the great economic recession. With fewer visitors and sales some of galleries were forced to close, joining hundreds of galleries throughout the country. Today there are still over a dozen galleries, shops, and studios that are open on the monthly gallery walk, and about half that number that are open with regular hours during the week. New artists continue to arrive in Lowertown, though not in the same numbers. The impact of the economic difficulties on our art community has been significant.
Fortunately there is more to Lowertown than the commerce of art.

If there is one word that captures the essence of Lowertown and explains the amazing success of the Artist Relocation Program it is community. Lowertown has become, and remains, an incredibly creative community, a place where artists can live and work together, inspiring and nurturing one another. This is, in my humble opinion, the result of the union of two forces: the influx of dozens of artists with different backgrounds and interests, and a city with a creative spirit, receptive and responsive to the promises of art. Although Lowertown is a physically prescribed area, this powerful sense of community and creative spirit have gradually erased artificial boundaries, creating one very exciting small river city, a city that has enriched my life and enabled my dreams.

That is “Why Paducah”.


803 Madison St....one year later

DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D DO...

without these small drawings. I seem to be in the grip of unrelenting inertia, unable to muster the will or the enthusiasm for anything other than reading, ruminating, and remembering. It is the remembering that generates this modest effort at making art. But I must admit that the satisfaction I get is as great as if I were completing a 48x60" canvas. So until something else comes along .....

More from Paducah:

PADUCAH IS HOME

Given the recent weather this seemed to be an appropriate photo to use.

Nine years ago this month Patience and nine whippets moved to Paducah, taking up residence in what is now my studio while work on the house was being completed. (I will not presume to be able to adequately describe her experience.) I arrived in August after closing out our medical practice. Paducah quickly became home for us, and over the past nine years in all of my trips to visit family and friends in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania I found myself anxious to get back to the comforts of my home in Paducah’s Lowertown. OK…on my 30 day trip to Italy I didn’t get homesick until day 27…but hey…it was Italy!

My trip was wonderful. I visited my two daughters, sons in law, and 4 grandchildren, as well as cousins and dear friends, each visit accompanied by a generous amount of food and wine. The trip ended with a 50th class reunion at my college, Lebanon Valley College in a small town about 7 miles east of Hershey PA, also accompanied by food and drink. There was so much food and wine on this trip that it became clear to me that if I want to continue my PASTA QUEST, which I certainly do, I will have to make some serious changes in my eating and drinking habits, as well as resuming daily walks.

On the 14 hour drive out and back I had plenty of time to reflect on all that I wanted to do when I returned home, with my art, my writing, and my cooking. Now the challenge is to implement the results of all of that ruminating.

SUNDAY MORNING ON THE PORCH…

It is Sunday morning in Paducah, which means the streets are quiet, very few cars and even fewer souls out and about. The sun is shining brightly from a clear blue sky, and if I ignore the cool breeze blowing across the porch I can believe it is ideal porch time.. I’m pleased to report that I have successfully ignored the breeze and am sitting here with my laptop and a cup of coffee listening to Godspell on my ipod (it is Sunday.). Delia is keeping me company, lying in the sun on one of the several dog beds we’ve consigned to porch duty. Jabber the puppy was with us until he started to feast on yesterday’s cut grass, and I mean feasting. Hopefully I caught him early enough to prevent a major tummy ache.

I am of two minds about Sundays in Paducah. On one hand, the quiet and stillness that settles over out town is a welcome relief from the previous 6 days, which are not exactly a beehive of constant noise and movement, but then everything is relative.

On the other hand, the city promotes itself as a weekend getaway, and having all but one of the downtown restaurants, and most of the shops and galleries closed on Sundays puts a bit of a crimp in that claim. I have kept Sunday hours for as long as we have been here, along with Wil at Stornaway Galleries, the other Sunday warrior.

I don’t mind being in the studio on Sundays; the stillness and quiet finds its way in and I can enjoy it there as well as on the porch.

7 AT 5

In two weeks I will be hosting a reception at Gallery 5 celebrating seven years in Paducah. The theme of the show will be the evolution of my art during those seven years. I am frequently asked why I came to Paducah and if I have any regrets with the decision to move here.

I moved to Paducah to be part of the city's Artist Relocation Program which held for me the hope of a wonderful place to live and work. Regarding a place to live, I cannot imagine a warmer, friendlier neighborhood than Lowertown, and the community of Paducah and its citizens. I have not, for one moment, been disappointed in this move.

Living and working in a community of artists has been more than I imagined it would be. The sharing, nurturing, and encouragement of colleagues has played a critical role in my development as an artist. I do not think my work would be what it is today if I had remained living in relative isolation on our Maryland farm. The artwork being produced in our community is as varied as the personalities and aspirations of the artists themselves. The lessons I have learned are not so much about materials and technique but about attitudes and commitment to art, and the respect for excellence in all of our endeavors. It doesn’t matter if the art is abstract, conceptual, or representational; what matters is the artist’s commitment to the work.

My personal goal has always been to create the best art that I am capable of creating. In Paducah I have learned that this is a goal that will always be just out of reach, for there is always room for growth.

If you are in the neighborhood on Friday, the 13th of November between 5 and 8 PM, join the celebration at Gallery 5 at 803 Madison St.

TO BE THE BEST...

Rocco's ink and markers circa 1978 sold

Six years ago I moved to Paducah, this small river city in western Kentucky on the Ohio river, to be part of a soon to be vibrant arts district. My primary goal was to become the best artist I was capable of becoming. To understand this, let me go back just a bit.

In 1981, and again in 2002, I left medical practices, each of nine years duration, to pursue my art. From 1981 to 1993 I worked part time, about 20-24 hours per week, while I launched a new career. In 2002 I retired from medicine completely. In both cases I left behind an office practice full of patients, many of whom had become my friends. These were difficult and painful decisions to make, in spite of my confidence in the choices I made, and thus I promised myself I would pursue art with the same seriousness and commitment I made to medicine. I owed that to the people I left behind.

To be the best I could be was all I wanted. For almost 30 years I had to share my passion for art with medicine, both very possessive and demanding mistresses. For many years I felt I was only working at the periphery of my potential, not having the time to fully explore and develop. This was especially true in the years leading up to my ultimate retirement in 2002. Suddenly, well it felt that way even if it wasn't so sudden, I was free to devote all of my time and energy to art, and I have done just that. For the first few years I was like the kid in the candy store, frantically creating an abundance of art, losing the focus on my goal. In retrospect I see it as a necessary stage in my growth and development as an artist.

To reach one’s fullest potential is a noble aspiration, and yet so easily lost in the demands and problems that every artist experiences. The desire, maybe even need, for critical approval, the need for financial security, and a host of other stresses of daily living all act to obscure even the noblest of goals. I have had to remind myself repeatedly to keep my focus on my promise to my patients even though that goal is unattainable. Our fullest potential is always one step ahead of us.



Betrayed acrylic 36x36 2008 $2500 sold