It’s 2020 ya’ll! Here we are in the first official week of January in a brand new decade. That should make you feel good. (Since this post went live, I have edited it, referring you to the first comment by Mr. Walker below. That said, I stand corrected – you are not welcome to a new decade.) But, at least the awkward teen years are behind us. Whew! It’s onward and upward from here. My hope is that each and every one of you finds the good in everything that life has to offer. Don’t sit around and wait for it to come to you – go out there and get it! As Roman poet, Horace, said? “Karpe Diem!!” Although he probably didn’t use the exclamation points.
Anyway, if you visited my blog a couple of weeks ago – good for you! If not, you can read the entire post here https://jansenschmidt.wordpress.com/2019/12/23/christmas-ghosts-a-photo-journey/ If you did visit, you probably remember this picture:
Alex Gockel painting on canvas. Ritz Carlton, New Orleans – December 2019. Photo by P. Rickrode
Along with that photo directly above came a promise. Today I’m fulfilling that promise to you guys. You’re welcome!
I told you that in the first part of December we spent a few days at the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans as guests of Park West Gallery. I teased you with that picture above and said that I had gotten a chance to paint with a real live, bona fide, artist. That mystery artist is Alfred “Alex” Gockel from Germany.
Here’s a link to read about Mr. Gockel and his artwork should you wish to learn more. https://www.parkwestgallery.com/artist/alfred-alex-gockel/ I’ll give you the nutshell version here:
His goal was to become an engineer but at the age of 16 he went to work in the coal mines. The mining industry experienced a major downturn which left many of the town’s inhabitants jobless. The struggle to survive had a profound effect on his artwork then and now. His experience in the coal mines is a major reason why he uses self-prepared tar in his own acrylics. All of his artwork has at least one bold black line or spot (his homemade tar) which symbolizes his heritage.
In his own words: “I like to touch the viewer’s soul with my vibrant colors . . . Often in my paintings I use elements that reflect my challenging past . . . but my purpose is to express my joy in life and to show that we can overcome many obstacles through the expressions of life’s beauties.”
Isn’t that cool? I specifically waited to publish this post until after the first of the year because it’s a great way to start off the new decade; with positivity and joy. And it keeps with my goal of avoiding drama and negativity as much as possible. I love Alex’s outlook on life and how he reflects his happiness in his art.
Another cool fact is that he paints with brushes in both hands, sometimes even painting on the canvas with both hands at the same time. You can see in the photo above, that he has brushes in both hands. He painted an entire picture (almost) right before our eyes, even calling on anyone in attendance who wanted to paint with him to come up and grab a brush.
Yes, I painted with him!! Wouldn’t you? Don’t believe me? Watch.
Sorry that most of that was of my back side. (shudder) Anyway, any ideas what the picture is yet? In my previous post, some of you guessed what Alex was painting. No one was even close. Here’s another look as more and more color got added to the canvas. You see that pink square down there on the keyboard? That’s my contribution to the final product. I’ve got a promising art career ahead of me right?
Alex Gockel painting on canvas. Ritz Carlton, New Orleans – December 2019. Photo by P. Rickrode
Oh, that “keyboard” sentence above provided a clue as to what the picture is. Any guesses now? It should be getting more obvious. Here I am with my magical brush after painting my designated pink square. This photo was taken after the program ended for the night so the canvas behind us is what we all saw before we left the ballroom for the day. Alex added the “final touches” later that night and the next day it was auctioned off.
Alex Gockel and Patricia Rickrode. Ritz Carlton, New Orleans – December 2019. Photo by C. Rickrode
Here’s the final result:
Original Alex Gockel painting on canvas. Ritz Carlton, New Orleans – December 2019. Photo by P. Rickrode
Nifty huh? The third piano key from the right, the pink one, was done in its entirety by moi. That’s right, I didn’t have any help with it. Amazing I know. Hard to believe that a plain white canvas became this fabulous work of art in less than 24 hours.
This picture is indeed a one-of-a-kind and sold for over $5,000! Personally, I think I should have gotten a small portion of that money. I mean, I did help paint it right?
At the link I provided above you can view more of Alex’s art. I hope you’ll take a peek and look for the bold black areas symbolizing his history with the coal mines in Germany.
So that’s all for today. Are you a fan of art? Any particular artists you enjoy? Have you met any famous artists? What do you think of the masterpiece I had a hand in creating?
Word of the Day: Rodomontade
Fun fact about me: We bid on this art in the auction until the bidding went beyond what we were willing to pay. Wouldn’t it have been grand to hang this at the inn?
Original post by Jansen Schmidt, January 2020. Images by P. Rickrode, C. Rickrode, Pexels, Google Images and Youtube.com (Jansen Schmidt)
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This comment is not intended to pick on you, Patricia. Most people seem to have trouble understanding that we won’t enter a new decade until next year.
When you were born, you didn’t enter your zeroeth year – you entered your first year. After your ninth birthday, you entered your tenth year, which was the final year of your first decade of life. Similarly, we just finished the 2019th year anno domini, and are now in the last year of the decade.
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I painted with a world famous artist and THAT was your take away? Okay. We all “see” things differently right? That’s what makes life so interesting.
So, I stand corrected – you are not welcome to a new decade.
Thanks for stopping by, David. Have a great week.
Patricia
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I love his quote on overcoming the past and going with joy, expressing it all through his art. And well done on painting. That pink piano key is amazing! 🙂
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He was a wonderful soft-spoken man. He was very complimentary of America and all of the possibilities out here for anyone who works hard. There was another artist there originally from Korea, adopted by an American family, who was also singing praises of everything good about America. It was so refreshing to hear these gentlemen speak so highly of our country when so many nowadays just want to tear it down. Alex’s art is full of color and joy.
I’m sure you can see how that pink piano key made the painting so fabulous. I think I have a knack for painting small pink squares on canvas so, should the need ever arise and you need an expert, look no farther my friend. I’m here for you.
Thanks for stopping by. Have a very pleasant week.
Patricia
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I think the artist’s work is very cool – and definitely not Santa Claus, LOL. And how fun you got to contribute! At least your post is not full of rodomontade. Happy New Year, new decade or not!
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No – it was not Santa Claus. Even if you squint really hard, it’s not Santa Claus. This experience was really fun. I’m glad I got to do it.
I hope you’re moving right along with your 2020 goals. It’s always good to see you here at the Edge of Eternity. Have a terrific rest of the week.
Patricia
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Eat your heart out Rembrandt. It’s obvious to me that you were a standout student in kindergarten. You stayed perfectly within the lines. Seriously, that must have been a lot of fun for you. Enjoyed the link. I couldn’t find too many of the black lines.
Yes, I do love art. One of my favorite things to do in big cities especially D.C) is to go to the Gallery of Art, find a good bench and ponderer some of the magnificent art displays. One can get totally lost trying to interpret the artist’s mindset. Not to mention it takes you back centuries!
I don’t know any famous artists but one of my nephews is quite an accomplished artist and a graduate of Chicago Institute of Art. His problem is, he won’t be dead for another 50+ years so he won’t be famous until then.
My mother was quite an artist (it skipped over me). She won awards for her miniature art. If you have never seen post stamp art, check it out here. https://thecvillean.org/2011/08/13/postage-stamp-art/
Have a great week, Patricia!
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Al, my box was undoubtedly “touched up” by Alex later that night. I’m sure he used his big black paintbrush and special “tar” paint to “straighten” my lines. I’m pretty sure I added more pink that what you can see in this picture. It has been covered up with straight black lines. But, since we’ll never really know, I’m going with your version of the story – yes I stayed well within my lines. But, now that I think back, I’m sure I did stay in the lines in kindergarten. Back then I was a follower of rules. Now, not so much. Now I throw caution to the wind and just paint where the brush lands. Lines be damned!
I did know about stamp art. Quite a few renowned artists have been commissioned to create stamps. It’s a little known niche in the art world.
Thanks for sharing your comments. I love hearing how other people interpret my posts.
Patricia
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