domingo, 25 de abril de 2010

Four Twelve

This one we are calling Four Twelve, Pablo painted it for me for my birthday and let me name it.  It is very abstract, and I am still studying it.  I got caught up in the excitement of the "day" and forgot to take the measurements, the up close photo.....etc.  Enclosed are a couple photos of  the painting, including one showing its relative size.  Thank you Pablo, I appreciate it and I love it.

 


miércoles, 24 de marzo de 2010

Abstract Fruit

Abstract Fruit
January 2010
16" x 12"
Acrylic on Canvas

martes, 23 de marzo de 2010

Stela of Uaxactún


Uaxactún
January 2010
20" x 16"
Acrylic on Canvas

lunes, 22 de marzo de 2010

Abstract


Abstract
February 2010
16" x 20"
Acrylic on Canvas

sábado, 20 de marzo de 2010

The Blink of a Woman's Eye


Parpadear de Mujer
January 2010
25" x 20"
Acrylic on Canvas

viernes, 19 de marzo de 2010

¿Sabes Que? ¡Espérate!


¿Sabes que? ¡Espérate!
January 2010
20" x 16"
Acrylic on Canvas

This is from a mural found at Bonampak or Yaxchilan, but I am not really sure. Artist still working on it and it is currently called...."Know what?  Be patient (wait)."  Work in progress.

jueves, 18 de marzo de 2010

Abstract Three

Abstract
January 2010
9 1/2" x 11 1/2"


Abstract
March 2010
11 1/2" x 9 1/2"



Abstract
March 2010
9 1/2" x 9 1/2"

miércoles, 17 de marzo de 2010

Mural - Work in Progress

in progress
33" x 25"
Acrylic on Canvas

This one is moving along slowly and it changes a lot with each session. Thought it would be fun to watch it grow. It's a favorite of those who have seen the artists work here at the house (gallery).

martes, 16 de marzo de 2010

Grinding Maize

Grinding Maize
March 2010
11" x 11"

This design was found on a clay plate from the Late Classic Period, 600-900AD and is currently in a museum in Israel (?).  The book MAYA KINGS OF THE RAINFOREST states:

Although scenes of everyday life are rarely painted on Mayan ceramics, one exception is this depiction of a woman grinding maize on a ceramic plate that could once have been used for storing tamales.  The woman is kneeling in front of the grinding stone and working the maize mixture with a hand pestle.  Somebody is sitting opposite her,smoking - possibly her hungry husband?

lunes, 15 de marzo de 2010

Ek Balam 2010


The Mayan characters on the left represent the artist's rendering of the year 2010.  The temple and stela were taken from our photos and memories of the ruins of Ek Balam.  You can read about that on the Mayan Ruins Explored site.


domingo, 14 de marzo de 2010

So Where're All These Paintings?

When Francisco started painting profusely in late 2009,  I was able to follow the stories of his Mayan representations, evidenced by my previous posts that always include my two cents worth of information.  But then he branched out, varying his work.  Some of his paintings are abstract, and he is experimenting with many styles.  I stopped posting his work because I didn't know how to describe it.  What's more, some paintings hang for a few days, disappear, and reappear as entirely new entities. We recycle costly items like frames and canvas if the results are not to the artist's liking.

Hey, I thought, it's art!  I don't have to tell people what they are seeing. Art by definition is always up to individual interpretation. It's all in the eye of the beholder. What I  intend to do is post his paintings more frequently, update and maintain this site, but if I don't know what to say about a painting then I won't.  Perhaps you'd like to add some comments. The artist likes feedback. This site is returning to its originally intended Gallery and Archives of the Art of Francisco Chavez.

Enjoy.  This should mean more frequent posts.

Pintura Mural: Calakmul


January, 2010
22" x 21"
Acrylic on Canvas

This is a partial depiction of a mural discovered recently at the ruins of Calakmul, Campeche.  I found the following article while researching and decided it tells the story better than I could.  This is copied from The Washington Post:
Murals found at Mexican excavation depict everyday life of the Maya

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Newly discovered Mayan murals, uncovered during an excavation at Calakmul, Mexico, offer a glimpse of the life of ordinary people instead of the more common depictions of the concerns and lives of Mayan ruling elites, according to the researchers who found the artworks.

The wall murals, which probably date from the 7th century, were preserved by a layer of clay when new buildings were constructed over the original one. They show groups of men, women and children doing such ordinary things as preparing food and tobacco, drinking maize gruel, serving and eating maize-bread tamales, wearing tall decorated hats and carrying large rope-tied bundles. Hieroglyphic captions, including some using symbols that researchers hadn't encountered before, accompany some of the murals. The report of the findings, published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, noted that about one-third of the drawings are of women, including what may be the only depiction known of an "nonmythological" elderly Mayan woman.

"The murals are notable examples of Maya art, but their scientific value lies primarily in the information conveyed in their imagery," the researchers wrote. Earlier murals found elsewhere illuminate "warfare and royal rituals" or "religious thought and writing" of the very hierarchical Maya society, they continued. But these new ones, offer "insights into quotidian activities."

Simon Martin, an associate curator of the University of Pennsylvania Museum and an author of the report, said the "most significant finds are the ones that have hieroglyphic captions naming hitherto unseen spellings of food stuffs. Even though maize was a staple of the Maya diet, we have never seen the word for maize-grain, 'ixi'm,' in a text before. The same is true for 'atz'aam,' salt; even though salt production was a massive industry on the coast, it never otherwise appears in the inscriptions."

Calakmul, he said, "is still buried, quite literally, in the rain forest." The site is in the southeastern state of Campeche, near Guatemala. "When we've gathered more evidence and can really see the context of the murals, I think they will change the way we think about daily life in a major Maya capital," Martin said.

jueves, 28 de enero de 2010

Desde El Ojo Del Flamenco




















The artist renders a bird's eye view as seen from inside the Celestún biosphere.  The winds pick up and whitecap the reddish hued water in the afternoons, where thousands of flamingos can be seen feeding during several months of each year.  For more information on Celestún's flamingos, see this post.


A Flamingo's Eye View
Private Collection, Dec. 2009
25" x 25"
Acrylic on Canvas

domingo, 24 de enero de 2010

Los Dioses Jaguares




Private Collection, Dec. 2009
13" x 13"
Acrylic on canvas

The jaguar is the most feared and respected beast in the Mayan world in part due to its ability to cross between worlds. It represents life and the earth by day and the spirit world by night.  The jaguar is often associated with night, caves, royalty, the underworld and shamanic transformation.

Mayan rulers wore jaguar pelts to signify their status and to summon power.  The feline's skin is used in Mayan glyphs to denote rank, authority and power, especially in wartimes. 

Jaguars in black usually represent the underworld, and light colored jaguar gods represent the upper world.  Both are necessary beings who work with the creator in helping form the world and promote changes.  They symbolize protection of the plant, animal, and human worlds. 

It is no wonder then, that the artist has painted a series of three jaguars gods:  one light, one dark and one white on black crossing over into the firmamento.


December, 2009
13" x 13"
Acrylic on Canvas




Private Collection, Dec. 2009
13" x 13"
Acrylic on Canvas