Unity of Purpose

Sometimes we meet people whose understanding of the world so reflects our own that there is an immediate sense of brotherhood, with a shared unity of purpose that makes us feel stronger by association.

Meeting yesterday with Tony Pro, Novorealist Alexey Steele and Mike Adams at Mike’s exhibit at the CLU gallery was one of those moments – we shared agreement that we are at an exciting moment in the History of Art when change is happening right now, and we are fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time as artists who can make a difference. We shared a good Indian meal at Kohinoor, not far from CLU, returning home to enjoy tea and continue our conversation. It’s exciting to see the University become a centre for millennial artists with people like Bela Bacsi, Cyn McCurry, and Mia Tavonatti attracted to our campus. We are all committed to classical training in the arts, and enjoying a revival of interest in figurative painting and sculpture.

Continuing in the theme of comradeship, later in the day my friend the sculptor Paul Lucchesi (who was at CLU for a residency last year, producing a sculpture of founder Carl Peterson for installation on the campus) and his girlfriend Morag came over for dinner (they’re visiting actor Tommy Flanagan in Malibu for the week). Paul’s a fantastic sculptor who is equally committed to passing on the craftsman’s methods that have been passed down through his family for generations. We spent the evening eating Paul’s excellent cooking and enjoying our company, laughing together and attempting to learn ballet from my daughter. Today we’ll all visit the Brewery in Los Angeles for their Artwalk event.

The common themes of this group of artists are: that we all share an enthusiasm for pursuing mastery of our own work; we share an enthusiasm for sharing what we have learned with our students; we believe wholeheartedly in craftsmanship and quality.

For figurative painting and sculpture to re-emerge from the shadows of modernism we need the shared enthusiasm of our students who wish to participate in our use of master painters’ techniques.