Art, Nature & Soul #100

Fox River Art Ramble SAVE the DATE Saturday, June 7, 10-4pm CHICAGO themed artworks by Richard Sperry Proud Fox Gallery & Frame Shop 213 W. State St. Geneva, Il 60134

Having grown up in Elmhurst a mere 18 miles to downtown Chicago, I have a profound love for it. On a clear day I could see the city skyline from atop Behrens Hill in Elmhurst, near my home. The people, the culture, & the arts define for me the notion, I grew up on, of the American melting pot or as former president Jimmy Carter called it “the beautiful mosaic”. Recently I was downtown to see Twyla Tharp’s 50th anniversary celebration in dance at The Harris Theater. It was just before dusk, we had parked, crossed Michigan Ave, and were walking up Randolph to the theater when I had “obscure reference #205” a Mary Tyler Moore moment of wanting to twirl around, throw my hat up in the air and sing out “We’re going to make it after all…” Not having a hat on, I of course did not do this, but a big smile rose across my face looking up and about the city lights at dusk.

As a child we went there fairly often for various school or family events. When I was 16 and old enough to drive I could get downtown in 15 minutes at the right times of day or night. Now I’m about 35 miles out to the western burbs but can still get there in 45mins to an hour most times, plus the Metra train comes here too. Chicago has always represented “the possibilities” to me, still does and still has and is. The first Black president was raised in Chicago, more recently the first American pope was raised in Chicago and I hope with all my heart that JB Pritzker runs for president and wins the 2028 election making him the first person of Jewish descent to become president of the USA. This for me would be the ultimate trifecta, telling the world CHICAGOI IS. Now I’m not a Black American, Catholic or Jewish, but I recognize what good people are, which is not defined by a color, a religion or an ethnicity, but by "Good thoughts, good words, good deeds" a core principle found in ancient Zoroastrianism, but also a key ideal of all humanity.

The arts for me represent the best humanity has to offer creating narratives in paint, writing, dance & theater that transcend the things we sometimes allow to separate us as people of a world. Over the past 20 years its become more & more important to me to support the many voices and expressions wanting to be heard. We’ve been fortunate and able to explore multitude of venues from here to the surrounding suburbs and downtown Chicago. Don & I would go there for the clubs, film fest and to just walk along the beaches when we first met. These days its more the museums, concerts, theater & opera, dance, tours, Navy Pier and other cultural events that draw us there. I’ve always loved to paint the skyline, from the Sears/Willis tower to The Hancock, you can see it in my work over the past 20+ years. Sometime over the past 10 I started top paint the many venues we go to, as well. While I do paint en plein air, most of my work is painted in the studio alla prima, with a sense of urgency and directness of impression/expression.

My work tens to lean toward the contemporary/abstract/representational. Often times fused into a single notion and frequently separated out by degrees by my emotional state at a given time. Which is to say I try to paint my life as it unfolds in as timely a manner as possible as to capture not just the image but the feeling of the fleeting moments of my life. Below is a small sampling of my more recent adventures in Chicago. In the images below you can see several skylines, including one from a car driving in, 3 of the Salt Shed, a new & happening music venue, The Picasso, The Bean, the Chicago lighthouse, the Neaderlander &Goodman Theaters, as well as my favorite, The Chicago Theater, as well as the Aragon Ballroom, some architectural highlights, the PRIDE parade and my beloved Art Institute of Chicago. Many of my smaller color studies, not pictures here, will be there at the exhibition , as well.

Chicagoland, the only major city that extends its reach 35 miles out into the burbs. This past wekend I participated in Hands Across Chcagoland to to protest the current administrations polocies, & overreach regarding human rights, rule of law & the Constitution. An estimated 18000 people lined Ogden Avenue in the suburbs and 26th Street in Chicago on Sunday for the Hands Across Chicagoland protest. We were 2.

Stop by, check it out & say hi,

asc always, youe comments & questions are welcome,

Richard

24 CHICAGO themed artworks

Fox River Arts Ramble

Chicago Skyline tower to tower

Art, Nature & Soul#35

I don’t know if it’s art, but it’s certainly, quite the performance, poetic & funny, as well.

*Thoughts on Bananas, has everybody gone...? ~I do not like them warm, I do like them frozen & dipped in chocolate, making me generally indifferent to the plight of the banana as a food, as they do not factor significantly in my life. But, that's me & I can be a real piece of work at times...others however, really, reeeeeally like them! Especially if they involve duct tape. Then they're willing to spend $120,000. for said banana. C'est la vie !

That said, when I was in High School, 79' ish,as a sophomore, in speech class, we had an assignment. Me being generally, the shy, quiet type, who did not like being on stage with an intense fear of being laughed at, had figured out a way to assure that I was laughed with, instead of at, or at least, that was my thinking.

My speech was to be on, "How To Peel A Banana". Me being a fan of the film 'Alien' and comedian Gallahger had come up with a simple idea. Like the original graphic for 'Alien', I went to the chalk board and drew a picture of a banana on a grid and wrote beneath it, "In space no one can peel it." In the original film graphic was the image of an alien egg on the grid and the words, "In space no one can hear you scream". Then with a bunch of bananas, in hand, I individually took one at a time, trying various comedic approaches to getting them out of the peel. One using a potato masher, two a hammer, three squishing it in my hands, four smashing it under my foot & five slicing/stabbing it with a knife. I tried several other approaches, including a meat tenderizer, as the speech went on, with the class roaring with laughter. It went on until I finally pulled out another banana in which I had sewed a zipper on, unzipped it, pulled out a piece of boloney that I had stuffed it with, saying, "If this boloney doesn't work, try this," to which I took the last banana and peeled it normally, taking a big bite out of it, saying blaaahk, that turned to an ear to ear smile on my face, the end. A+ Leading me to the theisis,'What is the use of a banana, if not to peel and eat?"

"Tra la la, la la la la…

One banana, two banana, three banana, four.
Four bananas make a bunch and so do many more.
Over hill and highway the banana buggies go
Comin' on to bring you The Banana Splits Show."

Briefly, as I’ve expounded on this in another blog~In the late 80s, I was in my early twenties, there were 3 extremely controversial art exhibits. One, 1988, a painting of Chicago Mayor Harold Washington in drag, two, 1989, the American flag displayed on the floor, with guests invited to walk across it and sign a guest book, three, 1989, art photographer recently deceased of AIDS complications, Robert Mapplethorpe, NY City exhibit closed as profanity. My reaction was too create my own surreal painting merging all three aspects as a rebutt to the controverisial aspects. I still have this painting, tried to show it at “WORLD TATTOO GALLERY" back in the day, but to controversial, bahaha. In short, all of the arts are about communication, everything from the earliest cave paintings in France to bananas, duck taped to walls and eaten in 2019, even if you do not like what it has to say. Besides everythings worth, what someones willing to pay for it, at least to them. Here we are, at the beginning of a new decade, with new ideas and thoughts, so, be sure you convey yours.

*Note to self~ Go to the Art Institute Chicago, by January 26, 2020, see the 'Warhol' exhibit, a 'Top Banana' of 60's pop art movement, then peruse the museum, take it all in and if there's time, hit a few of the art galleries in the area. Oh, btw, Andy Warhol also produced at least one of Velvet Undergrounds albums. Now thats one cool banana pop icon! Become a member of the AIC and explore the diverse artistic visions throughout history ;>