Jessica Murrieta

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Post-Impressionist Masterpieces

Yesterday I went to San Francisco to the de Young Museum to see an exhibition called Van Gogh, Gaugin, Cezanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musee D’Orsay. I’ve been waiting to see this exhibition since it was announced over a year and a half ago. There were paintings from Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, Pablo Picasso, Odilon Redon, Pierre Bonnard, Auguste Renoir, Édouard Vuillard, and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. I was blown away, my heart raced, and I was completely speechless.
I admire many artists working today, but the masters treated painting as a craft and that idea is fading. Nothing bothers me more than looking at a great painting and being able to recognize paint colors that were used out of the tube, no mixing of different pigments. Worse than that is photoshopping your art to mislead the viewer into believing they are seeing something that was really painted. For me, loving painting means trying to learn more, always studying. There is always more to learn. I am going to see this exhibition again before it closes.

La Carmencita
John Singer Sargent
1890

Sunday, December 5, 2010

What I Wore

This is what I wore to a weekend at my parent's house in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern California.

Death

You're Going to Die
Jessica Murrieta
December 2010

Sometimes I just need to be reminded. This is colored pencil on paper.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Tedd Vallance

Tedd Vallance is my step Dad, you may have see his work at United Coffee in Sacramento, Ca. I was finally able to get him to start a blog in which he explains his process and motivation. He spends 40 hours or more on one 8x10 drawing. As a child he made sure I always had plenty of art supplies, everything I could possibly need. I was always in awe of his talent, skill, and patience, and so I am excited that he is finally putting his beautiful trees out there for all to see! Follow him!