pre-10-tion

When I was in high school, as long as I had good grades, I could skip school every Friday.
I would take the bus to downtown Riverside, California, get lunch and check out the local museums and galleries.
Initially, I was intimidated by the seemingly pretentious mannerisms of the patrons.
One day, a tall elegant older French lady mentioned that she would see me every week and asked why I wasn't in school. I explained my arrangement and she decided to help me understand art. She told me not to worry about what everyone else liked or thought and to just pick a painting that I liked. It wasn't a classic Michelangelo but a modern piece. She advised me to learn about the style and the artist and to look into his works and other works in the same genre. Soon I could tell a Warhol from a Rothko and I developed my own tastes. (Kind of like getting to know wine - don't be intimidated)


Keith Herring - Colorful and simple. Almost primitive. Maybe it's from his days as a graffiti artist. Herring did the boom-box on the cover of the Buffalo Gals (Malcolm McClaren) album, worked with Grace Jones and his works appear in ads still today.

Kenny Scharf - Juicy Jungle Reminds me of a B-52's song


Joan Miro - These "doodles" command millions at auction.

Mark Kostabi - His works seem like art school projects that were never fully realized for detail.

Dondi White - I love graffiti. I still go to the local train yards to check out the movable feast of urban (and urbane) art.

Picasso - everybody knows Pablo.

Salvador Dali - An ex-girlfriend said the this piece (about narcissism) reminded her of me. Dali is most often a teen aged boy's favorite gallery artist.

Jean Michael Basquiat - His works seem as though they were made by a fifth grader.

Okay, no "deep" thought.. but there's more to life than politics and the economy.

Addendum:
RunningMom - I try to draw and paint every once in a while. Usually all I make is a mess.
Debo Blue - Thanks
brohammas - I'd never seen or heard of Bua ( http://www.justinbua.com/newSite/originals.php ) but his stuff is cool.
Banksy and his rats (rat anagram for art), the uncle (not the godfather) of stencil street art...
( http;//www.banksy.co.uk/menu.htm/ )
Yeah, I like his stuff.