Three Small pieces I've done:
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| Hot Stuff (c) 2011/Will Brady |
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| Juseice (c) 2020 / Will Brady |
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| Lug (c) 2009 / Will Brady |
2020-12-29
Assemblage / Combines : Art made from found Objects
2020-12-28
Other Voices: George Strasburger
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| Self Portrait |
But it is not mere sittings he does; you - the viewer - are simultaneously immersed in the scene wherein the person has been observed. They are not formal studio portraits, but people engaged in everyday life; life on the edge, in fact . . . and their are beings as vibrant and alive as one would find them in real life.
To wit:
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“The Called” 2020 36 x 50 oil |
Strasburger tells of himself:
born and raised in a working class neighborhood in Scranton, PA. His first artistic influences were the murals in the Catholic Church he attended as a child, admiring and studying the stories and anatomy.
His work is characterized by a strong observation of humanity, of our physical beauty and our goodness. He works mostly in oils and loves drawing as well. He is influenced strongly by his neighbors and the landscape around him, with a focus on what unites us as aware people.
Strasburger is prolific, with many solo exhibits throughout the Southwest and has won several awards for his work. He currently lives and paints full time in Tucson AZ.
Artist's Statement:
Human nature interests me in how it doesn’t change despite a changing society. My work illustrates our commonality. My work is classical in style, and contemporary in content. A comment I’ve heard by someone in response to seeing my paintings is: “This is me.” Would you like to see more? Contact me with your interest and I’d be happy to share more examples with you.
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“Untitled” 2020 44 x 34 in. oil
These are but two examples. His other works are dynamic as well. Don't take my word for his work. See it for yourself:
https://georgestrasburger.com/
All works in this entry are (c) 2020 / George Strasburger and are presented here as informational only. Reproduction of his work elsewhere should be obtained directly from the artist.
Other ways to contact him:
Paintings: Pilgrims
Having discussions about Spirituality is generally taboo in American Culture. WSe far too often mistake spirituality for the machinations of organized religion, in in so doing, we fail to assess the matter.
This image is based on pics in a NatGeo article on Dia De Los Muertos [Day of the Dead] in Mexico. Many ask if the individuals are Middle Eastern. They are not.
and an entry from my journal on what the piece means to me
2020-12-27
Illuminated Text: Culture of Violence - Essay (1991)
Possibly 25% of my work is social comment work. Many, though not all, of the works are what I call "Illuminated Text" but some are more subtle; you'd have to know the place or the object. This one probably isn't subtle at all. This was one of 151 pieces that went on display at Connecticut's State Capitol Building Complex in 1991, in a two person show entitled "A Public Hanging at the Legislative Office Building"
2020-12-25
2020-12-22
An assortment of Connecticut Landscapes
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Leesville Falls, Moodus CT
The Firewood Pile in Spring
From My Studio Window
Connecticut River from Hagenson Preserve, East Haddam, CT
plein air in my sketchbook
WHAT IS PUBLIC ART?
WHAT IS PUBLIC ART? (from 2004)
Published online in 2004 by the Fairmount Park Art Association
(now known as the Association for Pubic Art - https://www.associationforpublicart.org/)
Public art is not an art “form.” Its size can be huge or small. It can tower fifty feet high or call attention to the paving beneath your feet. Its shape can be abstract or realistic (or both), and it may be cast, carved, built, assembled, or painted. It can be site-specific or stand in contrast to its surroundings. What distinguishes public art is the unique association of how it is made, where it is, and what it means. Public art can express community values, enhance our environment, transform a landscape, heighten our awareness, or question our assumptions. Placed in public sites, this art is there for everyone, a form of collective community expression. Public art is a reflection of how we see the world—the artist’s response to our time and place combined with our own sense of who we are.
Who is the “public” for public art?
In a diverse society, all art cannot appeal to all people, nor should it be expected to do so. Art attracts attention; that is what it is supposed to do. Is it any wonder, then, that public art causes controversy? Varied popular opinion is inevitable, and it is a healthy sign that the public environment is acknowledged rather than ignored. To some degree, every public art project is an interactive process involving artists, architects, design professionals, community residents, civic leaders, politicians, approval agencies, funding agencies, and construction teams. The challenge of this communal process is to enhance rather than limit the artist’s involvement.
What is the “art” of public art?
As our society and its modes of expression evolve, so will our definitions of public art. Materials and methods change to reflect our contemporary culture. The process, guided by professional expertise and public involvement, should seek out the most imaginative and productive affinity between artist and community. Likewise, artists must bring to the work their artistic integrity, creativity, and skill. What is needed is a commitment to invention, boldness, and cooperation—not compromise.
Why public art?
Public art is a part of our public history, part of our evolving culture and our collective memory. It reflects and reveals our society and adds meaning to our cities. As artists respond to our times, they reflect their inner vision to the outside world, and they create a chronicle of our public experience.
Adapted from Public Art in Philadelphia by Penny Balkin Bach (Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1992).
ASSOCIATIONFORPUBLICART.ORG
Illuminated Text: "Governments Exist by Consent"
An Essay written and designed to be included in a two person exhibition being held in August 1991 at Connecticut's Legislative Office Building. The exhibit, Titled "A Public Hanging at the Legislative Office Building".
It included my works and the works of another Connecticut Artist Rodney Carpentier. Rodney passed away in November 2013. I am fortunate to have a couple of his works; which were varied and original. I do not know the whereabouts of his collection.
2004-11-28
OPEN EXHIBITION ANNOUNCEMENT
v- Pix Credit: Hygienic Building | Hygienic Art Gallery Archives | Photographer Unknown |
New London, Connecticut | 29 January 2005 marks the 26th year for the annual Hygienic "no judge, no jury, no censorship" art exhibition |
The Hygienic Art Exhibition is Southeastern Connecticut's premiere fine art, film and performance artist celebration showing new and original artworks from the sublime to the outrageous | This year marks the 26th year of the art exhibition | Modeled after the Salon des Independants Movement in Paris during the early 20th century, in which French Impressionist masters protested against the then art establishment and artists for fawning over the aristocracy exhibited there works in cafes in the seamy parts of the city | The exhibition is touted as New London's only winter tourist attraction and is notorious for it anything goes policy of no judge, no jury no fees, and no censorship | One piece per artist all are welcome |
v- Pix Credit: Hygienic Building | Hygienic Art Gallery Archives | Photographer Unknown |
New London, Connecticut | 29 January 2005 marks the 26th year for the annual Hygienic "no judge, no jury, no censorship" art exhibition |
The Hygienic Art Exhibition is Southeastern Connecticut's premiere fine art, film and performance artist celebration showing new and original artworks from the sublime to the outrageous | This year marks the 26th year of the art exhibition | Modeled after the Salon des Independants Movement in Paris during the early 20th century, in which French Impressionist masters protested against the then art establishment and artists for fawning over the aristocracy exhibited there works in cafes in the seamy parts of the city | The exhibition is touted as New London's only winter tourist attraction and is notorious for it anything goes policy of no judge, no jury no fees, and no censorship | One piece per artist all are welcome |
2004-10-23
ARTISTS' RETREATS
is a relatively new artists' colony [if it's not too soon
to call it that] nestled on the edge
of 460 acres of pristine forest and wetlands | This property is, itself, surrounded by a couple of thousand acres of protected, undeveloped state and privately held lands, all inside Connecticut's Eight Mile River Watershed ~ currently under review for a National Park Service Wild and Scenic Rivers designation |
Only four year in existence, the organization has nevertheless managed to attract a high-calibre group of painters, sculptors, composers and writers to the retreat-like setting | Six applicants are accepted for up to three months, and have come for different parts of
the globe | Visiting artists' works from past retreats are either scattered around the grounds or archived within the half dozen or so buildings that make up the campus |
Today, the founders of the organization that manages this retreat held an invitational open house for town residents, artists, and "alumni" from earlier retreats | This was to provide an opportunity to hear about the place and of its vision for the future |
The vision, it turns out, is multifaceted | Only the
beginning has been acheived, getting artists of skill and self-discipline to come and immerse themselves in their craft | The next segment is to see about expanding the scope, so that perhaps as many as 12 artists can be on site each retreat period, which can last up to three months | The goal is to remain small, however, and it seems clear the intent of the organization is to preserve the 
bulk of the forested property as undeveloped open space, in keeping with the surrounding area |
The next two objectives are more daunting | These include to incorporate landscape architectural design into the artistic scheme | A discussion was held amongst the artists present, but it seemed clear that more work is needed to clarify the meaning of "permanant" rather than "temporary" garden installations | For me, this brought to mind a yearly garden show held in Montreal each summer where garden plots are planned in advance, assembled in the Spring, and taken apart by Autumn | It remains to be seen how this endeavor shall evolve | I
shall watch with interest |
Then there's the vision of a new kind of memorial park, a Thanatopolis which, according to the text of I-Park's materials is to be "...an important aesthetic component of the project as it will become home to beautiful memorial gardens (living memorials), [and ] monumental sculpture ... [lending] an air of seriousness and mystery to I-Park while imparting a worthwhile sense of perspective and proportion."
This would be a place for people's ashes to be interred and for suitable permanant commissioned artworks and more modestly scaled limited duration memorials [to last for a very short duration to perhaps 40 years] so that the surviving friends and family can come pay respects to their departed |
Given that local ancdotal history of the area speaks to the possible presence of Native American burial sites, and of I-Park's proximity to Devil's Hopyard State Park [with its own mythic Spirit tales and lore] such an
idea doesn't seem far fetched | And what a beautiful, contemplative place for the dead to be laid to rest, even as ashen remains |
But these are visions of the future, not the happenings going on there today | Today was also spent hosting the over 100 guests, providing both short and long hikes along a set of connected walkpaths maintained fastidiously by hand [using mechanized equipment disturbs the contemplativeness of the
locale], showing videotaped interviews, musical scores [written while on retreat] and poetry readings of talent unmaksed while here on past retreats |
...and for exhibiting the playfulness of extreme pumpkin carving as decoration on a display table |
is a relatively new artists' colony [if it's not too soon
to call it that] nestled on the edge
of 460 acres of pristine forest and wetlands | This property is, itself, surrounded by a couple of thousand acres of protected, undeveloped state and privately held lands, all inside Connecticut's Eight Mile River Watershed ~ currently under review for a National Park Service Wild and Scenic Rivers designation |
Only four year in existence, the organization has nevertheless managed to attract a high-calibre group of painters, sculptors, composers and writers to the retreat-like setting | Six applicants are accepted for up to three months, and have come for different parts of
the globe | Visiting artists' works from past retreats are either scattered around the grounds or archived within the half dozen or so buildings that make up the campus |
Today, the founders of the organization that manages this retreat held an invitational open house for town residents, artists, and "alumni" from earlier retreats | This was to provide an opportunity to hear about the place and of its vision for the future |
The vision, it turns out, is multifaceted | Only the
beginning has been acheived, getting artists of skill and self-discipline to come and immerse themselves in their craft | The next segment is to see about expanding the scope, so that perhaps as many as 12 artists can be on site each retreat period, which can last up to three months | The goal is to remain small, however, and it seems clear the intent of the organization is to preserve the bulk of the forested property as undeveloped open space, in keeping with the surrounding area |
The next two objectives are more daunting | These include to incorporate landscape architectural design into the artistic scheme | A discussion was held amongst the artists present, but it seemed clear that more work is needed to clarify the meaning of "permanant" rather than "temporary" garden installations | For me, this brought to mind a yearly garden show held in Montreal each summer where garden plots are planned in advance, assembled in the Spring, and taken apart by Autumn | It remains to be seen how this endeavor shall evolve | I
shall watch with interest |
Then there's the vision of a new kind of memorial park, a Thanatopolis which, according to the text of I-Park's materials is to be "...an important aesthetic component of the project as it will become home to beautiful memorial gardens (living memorials), [and ] monumental sculpture ... [lending] an air of seriousness and mystery to I-Park while imparting a worthwhile sense of perspective and proportion."
This would be a place for people's ashes to be interred and for suitable permanant commissioned artworks and more modestly scaled limited duration memorials [to last for a very short duration to perhaps 40 years] so that the surviving friends and family can come pay respects to their departed |
Given that local ancdotal history of the area speaks to the possible presence of Native American burial sites, and of I-Park's proximity to Devil's Hopyard State Park [with its own mythic Spirit tales and lore] such an
idea doesn't seem far fetched | And what a beautiful, contemplative place for the dead to be laid to rest, even as ashen remains |
But these are visions of the future, not the happenings going on there today | Today was also spent hosting the over 100 guests, providing both short and long hikes along a set of connected walkpaths maintained fastidiously by hand [using mechanized equipment disturbs the contemplativeness of the
locale], showing videotaped interviews, musical scores [written while on retreat] and poetry readings of talent unmaksed while here on past retreats |
...and for exhibiting the playfulness of extreme pumpkin carving as decoration on a display table |
For first-hand info about I-Park visit their website
2004-10-12
WHAT IS PUBLIC ART?
From the Fairmount Park Art Association website a thoughtful read |
From the Fairmount Park Art Association website a thoughtful read |
What is public art?
Public art is not an art “form.” Its size can be huge or small. It can tower fifty feet high or call attention to the paving beneath your feet. Its shape can be abstract or realistic (or both), and it may be cast, carved, built, assembled, or painted. It can be site-specific or stand in contrast to its surroundings. What distinguishes public art is the unique association of how it is made, where it is, and what it means. Public art can express community values, enhance our environment, transform a landscape, heighten our awareness, or question our assumptions. Placed in public sites, this art is there for everyone, a form of collective community expression. Public art is a reflection of how we see the world—the artist’s response to our time and place combined with our own sense of who we are.
Who is the “public” for public art?
In a diverse society, all art cannot appeal to all people, nor should it be expected to do so. Art attracts attention; that is what it is supposed to do. Is it any wonder, then, that public art causes controversy? Varied popular opinion is inevitable, and it is a healthy sign that the public environment is acknowledged rather than ignored. To some degree, every public art project is an interactive process involving artists, architects, design professionals, community residents, civic leaders, politicians, approval agencies, funding agencies, and construction teams. The challenge of this communal process is to enhance rather than limit the artist’s involvement.
What is the “art” of public art?
As our society and its modes of expression evolve, so will our definitions of public art. Materials and methods change to reflect our contemporary culture. The process, guided by professional expertise and public involvement, should seek out the most imaginative and productive affinity between artist and community. Likewise, artists must bring to the work their artistic integrity, creativity, and skill. What is needed is a commitment to invention, boldness, and cooperation—not compromise.
Why public art?
Public art is a part of our public history, part of our evolving culture and our collective memory. It reflects and reveals our society and adds meaning to our cities. As artists respond to our times, they reflect their inner vision to the outside world, and they create a chronicle of our public experience.
Adapted from Public Art in Philadelphia by Penny Balkin Bach (Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1992).
2004-10-07
ART CLASSES
Tonight I go to watch a watercolorist whose work I admire conduct a "hands-on" class exhibiting his technique |
I fault [or credit, actually] my friend and neighbor Joyce with this | To be honest, she has been more aggressive about prodding me to paint than
I ever seem to be myself | In fact, the photo on the left is a still from a cooperative extension class I took a year ago at her insistence | The image to the right is from one of those classes | Thank you Joyce, keep on me about painting | I need a "discharge plan" from my present line of work |
Fisherman | By the way, this is the piece I donated to the Moodus Sportsman's Club raffle a couple of weeks ago | I did it for my Dad, who passed away in 1996 | He loved fishing and when I was a kid saw to it we got to share his love of the sport, even if we didn't get to go out very often | I hope it is now with someone who loves fishing as much |
Tonight I go to watch a watercolorist whose work I admire conduct a "hands-on" class exhibiting his technique |
I fault [or credit, actually] my friend and neighbor Joyce with this | To be honest, she has been more aggressive about prodding me to paint than
I ever seem to be myself | In fact, the photo on the left is a still from a cooperative extension class I took a year ago at her insistence | The image to the right is from one of those classes | Thank you Joyce, keep on me about painting | I need a "discharge plan" from my present line of work |
Fisherman | By the way, this is the piece I donated to the Moodus Sportsman's Club raffle a couple of weeks ago | I did it for my Dad, who passed away in 1996 | He loved fishing and when I was a kid saw to it we got to share his love of the sport, even if we didn't get to go out very often | I hope it is now with someone who loves fishing as much |2004-09-24
SPEAKING WITH PICTURES
Sometimes words fail me and I have to "speak" through what I see |
Some recent examples |
Sometimes words fail me and I have to "speak" through what I see |
Some recent examples |
TRAIN STATION
| in the shadows |
| old saybrook station |
OUTDOORS
| just before sunset |
TOURISM
| father bill's cabin |
INTERIORS
| over engleman's left shoulder |
| one of mark's mantels |
MALL CULTURE
| shopping mall slalom course |
| in the shadows |
| old saybrook station |
OUTDOORS
| just before sunset |
TOURISM
| father bill's cabin |
INTERIORS
| over engleman's left shoulder |
| one of mark's mantels |
MALL CULTURE
| shopping mall slalom course |
2004-08-07
WEBPAGE PROBLEMS
![space left blank, on purpose]()
Cleartel seems to be experiencing technical problems this morning | That's where I have all the www.rondak.org files, and I link my images from this page to there | None of the images I've posted seem to be coming up | When I tried dialing into my account there's no reply | When I called tech support a pre-recorded message comes on that states, "We're receiving a much higher volume of calls than usual. Please stay on the line." | Anyway, I see no reason to spend a crisp, sunny Saturday morning [in GMZ+5; 41°N 72°W, at least] waiting for tech support to reply to my call only to have 'em tell me we're working on it | So... if you've come in part for the images, maybe try back later on and Cleartel will have resolved the problem | Thanks ~
Will
Will
PHOTOGRAPHY
all images except the pix of cartier-bresson are his own | portrait from reuters |
Henri Cartier-Bresson |
1908-2004 |
all images except the pix of cartier-bresson are his own | portrait from reuters |
Henri Cartier-Bresson |1908-2004 |
FOR MORE ON HC-B Photology's Bresson | Magnum Photos | Afterimage | Artcylopedia | About's Bresson | NPR's The Works of Cartier-Bresson | A bio [from 1999] on the World Socialist Website | Not just HC-B but for photographic works about Paris Seasons of Paris, which includes some of his images | Finally, a good site about the art of taking photographs
2004-07-30
PHOTOGRAPHY
pix credit © 2004 | mike [at] satanslaundromat.com
Still photography can say much or nothing yet be beautiful | A "photolog" website calling itself Satan's Laundromat provides as much | Crisp, clear, drenched in color images that, while maybe not taking your breath away, give one pause |
Site blurb reads "...This is a Brooklyn-based photolog with an emphasis on urban decay, strange signage, and general weirdness...."
Artfully constructed, beautiful pictures of sites and places few one ordinarily consider appealing | Nothing gross, mind you, just unusual |
Go see it
pix credit © 2004 | mike [at] satanslaundromat.com
Still photography can say much or nothing yet be beautiful | A "photolog" website calling itself Satan's Laundromat provides as much | Crisp, clear, drenched in color images that, while maybe not taking your breath away, give one pause |
Site blurb reads "...This is a Brooklyn-based photolog with an emphasis on urban decay, strange signage, and general weirdness...."
Artfully constructed, beautiful pictures of sites and places few one ordinarily consider appealing | Nothing gross, mind you, just unusual |
Go see it
2004-07-02
VISUAL ARTS
Two website finds
Iconomania | Studies in Visual Culture [only one issue online, unfortunately]
The Panorama | History of a Mass Medium | [a book review] | The author of the book postulates that
Two website finds
Iconomania | Studies in Visual Culture [only one issue online, unfortunately]
The Panorama | History of a Mass Medium | [a book review] | The author of the book postulates that"I hope to show that the pictorial panorama was in one respect an apparatus for glorifying the bourgeois view of the world; it served both as an instrument for liberating human vision and for limiting and "imprisoning" it anew. As such it represents the first true mass medium."Personally, I'm not sure I agree that depicting panoramic vistas are, in and of themselves, glorifications of the "bourgeois view of the world" | They seem to be to be an attempt to get a glimpse of the breadth of a span of line of sight | This is not to say they aren't ever bourgeois images. just that Mr. Oetterman's perspect seems unduly limiting of the potential of panoramic vistas | Looks like a great book, otherwise |
Stephan Oetterman, The Panorama, 7.
2004-07-01
WILL'S GALLERY || SUMMER ACTIVITIES
We all need to relax once in awhile | Holiday weekends provide a brief respite from the bounce and chaos of the rest of the week, and the regular grind | But each of us chooses to relax differently | Some just want to sit by the food vendor's cart [as is the case for the folks on the right] and take a load off our feet [though, without a doubt, the vendor doesn'thave the day off] | Myself, I like to grab a pen and paper, or paints and paper, and capture what I see for posterity |
Of late, some have said I ought to go commercial with my work, and I can use the rest of the summer to be more determined about that | With that in mind, rather than hide all these moments of relaxation under a metaphorical rock, I have stored them online | The image to the left can be clicked on to an entry page with a listing of some of those restful moments | Gives folks a chance to see a [small] range of my non-expository works | You can also see links to some of the online essays from this page |
So... have a look-see and let me know what you think | will.brady@gmail.com [by now, most folks know the routine, cut and past the addy into the proper line on an e-mail form]
Enjoy your summer |
We all need to relax once in awhile | Holiday weekends provide a brief respite from the bounce and chaos of the rest of the week, and the regular grind | But each of us chooses to relax differently | Some just want to sit by the food vendor's cart [as is the case for the folks on the right] and take a load off our feet [though, without a doubt, the vendor doesn'thave the day off] | Myself, I like to grab a pen and paper, or paints and paper, and capture what I see for posterity |
Of late, some have said I ought to go commercial with my work, and I can use the rest of the summer to be more determined about that | With that in mind, rather than hide all these moments of relaxation under a metaphorical rock, I have stored them online | The image to the left can be clicked on to an entry page with a listing of some of those restful moments | Gives folks a chance to see a [small] range of my non-expository works | You can also see links to some of the online essays from this page |
So... have a look-see and let me know what you think | will.brady@gmail.com [by now, most folks know the routine, cut and past the addy into the proper line on an e-mail form]
Enjoy your summer |
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