COLOR STUDIES

An Italian publisher approached me this past Friday about writing for their travel book series, this one being on California (as opposed to a country, their previous books are on Ireland, Japan, Greece, Turkey, but I do realize Cali is as big as those countries...), and over the process of figuring out the California book, album, and film I would write about-- as well as the precise subject of the longer form essay, they asked me for suddenly this morning-- I started skimming through old films on Criterion and came across a David Hockney documentary I hadn't seen before (I think I have seen at least two). They haven't asked me specifically about art and what a California colorscape might be, but I am thinking about this as I go through my library looking at books,  my music collection, and film faves in my mind's list for all of these genres of art that help defiine this state. 

Please feel free to add your favorite California books, albums, and films here!

As I am working this afternoon on the large "Laura on Wilshire Blvd" painting, which still holds challenges around capturing sunglasses properly after two years, I have also been doing a color study, the one above which looks like a fist. I added the Bangkok painting because I realized afterward that it was inspired perhaps subliminally by Hockney and maybe more particularly, R. B. Kitaj, who also used Los Angeles as a subject. The music page color pastel above was done directly after going to see a David Hockney documentary at a theater years ago and feeling inspired by his palette.

As for the Italian publisher, what is currently up in the air for me is if it is really necessary to get the irs document that costs $85, which certifies one as a U.S. citizen-- when working with publishers from other countries has never required this at all. It could be a deal breaker as my pay is a pittance, and going through red tape & $ for a certificate that does what a passport does, makes little sense in this moment. We are in negotiation over this hiccup and I will let you know what happens!

LOVE