Category Archives: Art

Art

Las Vegas’s Vintage Neon Signs

September 8, 2014 romicortier@yahoo.com 1 Comment

Vintage Neon Cowboy, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

Vintage Neon Horse, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

Vintage Neon Glitter Gulch Sign, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

Vintage Neon Griffin Sign, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

Vintage Neon Showgirl Sign, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

Vintage Martini Neon Sign, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

Vintage Neon Swimmer Sign, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

Vintage Neon Starburst Sign, Las Vegas, Photo Romi Cortier

I love Las Vegas’s Vintage Neon Signs. They’re one of my favorite attractions in old downtown Las Vegas, which is located at the north end of the strip on Fremont Street. If you haven’t already been there, you must add it to your ‘to do’ list next time you’re in town. The scale of this area is much more human than the strip, with it’s mega casinos and hoards of tourists 20 deep on the streets. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still packed on Friday and Saturday nights with plenty of freaky folks to rival those on LA’s Hollywood Boulevard. But there’s something old world and nostalgic about this area that keeps me coming back.

Named for John Charles Fremont, it dates back to 1905 when Vegas was founded, and became the city’s first paved road in 1925. Gambling was legalized in 1931 even though it was established well before then. The western end of Fremont Street was quite literally the picture of Las Vegas that was included in virtually every tv show and movie displaying the lights of Vegas… think Elvis Presley in Viva Las Vegas 1964, or James Bond‘s Diamonds are Forever in 1971.

The road to Glitter Gulch was closed to traffic in 1994, and the city embarked on construction of the Fremont Street Experience, designed exclusively for pedestrians. Imagine a metal canopy built 90 feet above the street that’s 90 feet wide and over 1500 feet long (4 blocks). Known as the Viva Vision Screen, it’s made up of 12.5 million LED lamps with a 550,000-watt sound system and plays 6 minute shows every hour beginning at dusk till 1:00 am. Recent expansion to the east, known as Fremont Street Experience East, features more of the refurbished vintage neon I’ve posted above and leads to several urban nightclubs.

If all of this isn’t enough to get you to old downtown Las Vegas, then go for the deep fried Twinkies and Oreos served at Mermaids Bar and Casino… that’s right, I loves me some junk food! Go big or go home. Honestly, it’s the first stop I make when I head to Vegas. However, it’s quite rich, so you might want to share an order with a special someone. But get there before midnight, because as I recently found out, that’s when they quit serving it. I was ecstatic to get the very last order when I stopped in there a couple of weeks ago… and the twenty people behind me in line were groaning pretty loudly. And let me tell you, there was a guy hovering near my table as he ‘waited for his wife’ who was using the restroom. He was eyeing the goods… but I wasn’t sharing. No way no how.

Art, Interior Design

GEN LUX Magazine

August 25, 2014 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Spider mum painting installation for Palm Springs home. Decor and Paintings by Romi Cortier — Spider Mum painting installation for Palm Springs home. Decor and Paintings by Romi Cortier

'Blue Spider Mum', Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier — ‘Blue Spider Mum’, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier

'Pink Spider Mum', Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier — ‘Pink Spider Mum’, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier

'Chartreuse Spider Mum', Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier — ‘Chartreuse Spider Mum’, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier

'Orange Spider Mum', Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier — ‘Orange Spider Mum’, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 20, Romi Cortier

Photo shoot for GEN LUX Magazine in front of my Spider Mum Painting Installation, Palm Springs. (Romi Cortier)

I was photographed by GEN LUX Magazine during their early years, for an editorial piece that sadly never got published. The photo shoot happened in 2005 at my Palm Springs residence, in front of a series of paintings called ‘Spider Mum Installation’. The photographer/writer for the piece was the friend of a client, and was fascinated by the idea that I’d designed both the interiors of this home, as well as an art installation specific to the residence. The pitch idea also included the fact that I was a successful salon owner and hairdresser. Apparently this was a ‘triple threat’ and a conflict of interest to the other salon owners who’d purchased ad space in the new magazine. The pitch got shot down, but the photographer very graciously gave me these photos. Nearly a decade later, and I can’t tell you how much I enjoy having these images. (I look better than I remember)

The lone interior photo at the top shows the Spider Mum Installation in the context of the home. It was taken by a photographer I’d hired for the purpose of archiving my interior design work. You’ll also notice there’s an additional Spider Mum painting over the bed, seen just beyond the frosted glass door. The home has continued to evolve over the years, and was recently the location for my POP UP GALLERY during Modernism Week 2014. The DIY Video shot at this home in 2013 (Butterfly Mural – How To) is embedded below.

When I created this painting series, I actually painted 2 variations of each color palette. Two Orange mums, two blue mums etc. The pigments from each tube of paint had different densities, therefore, some paintings were more successful then others. The Chartreuse Mum was always one of my favorites, primarily because the thicker paint allowed more of the brush work to show. While some of the mums ended up looking more like sea anemones, it still worked in the larger scheme of things. This series can also be hung with three vertical or horizontal paintings or two rows of two, creating a large square. Personally, I like the impact of all nine works hanging side by side.

Over the years, I’ve sold off several of the pieces at my salon, usually as individual works. I still have a handful of them left, and would be more than happy to arrange a private showing of them to any collector who might be interested.

Art

Palm Springs Pool Series Paintings

August 13, 2014 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

'Bigger Towel', Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier — ‘Bigger Towel’, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier

'Towel' Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier — ‘Towel’, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier

'Curved Towel' Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier — ‘Curved Towel’, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier

'Pink Striped Towel', Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier — ‘Pink Striped Towel’, Oil on Canvas, 24 x 30, Romi Cortier

This is my Palm Springs Pool Series of Paintings, inspired by photos that I took around the pool of my mid-century home in Palm Springs. It’s amazing how something as simple as a Barbie Towel from Target can take on a whole new life when draped over the edge of the pool. Faded after years of use, the old towel’s tones became richer and more saturated in the water, which made for great photos and even greater paintings.

I painted this sequential series of paintings (the top three) all at the same time. This was a new approach for my work, as I’d never had the required studio space to work on so many paintings at one time.

These paintings are larger in size than their actual environment, and they’re also very tight compositions of moments that most people don’t notice. Therefore, when they’re viewed in person, people have a difficult time understanding what they are. They often see the geometry in the images, but not ‘what they are’. Once they finally see it, there’s a big ‘ah hah’ moment.

I’m a big fan of the artist Francoise Gilot. I had the pleasure of meeting her about 8 years ago at a spectacular gallery opening of her works on the upper east side in Manhattan. I was so captivated by the large scale geometry of her work, that it challenged me to see images in a different way. At the time of the show, she was about 85, and I found the boldness and modernness of her work remarkable for someone of her age. But why should age have anything to do with the quality or tone of your work? It was my perception of how I thought an older woman should paint. But this is a woman who has been painting for over 70 years, and who spent a decade with Pablo Picasso. In her book, Life with Picasso, she talked about how Pablo challenged her to distill her work, and say more with fewer strokes of the brush. Reduce. Reduce. Reduce. Paint the image, then take some of it away.

Over the years, I’ve continued to let this concept resonate with me. In the above paintings, I also focused on texture. Francoise will often use her fingers to create surface texture in her paintings, so I gave that a try with the different colors of the towels. I used a stippling brush technique with the concrete pool coping, and chose an uber smooth finish for the pool tile. The water brushstrokes are very horizontal and blended, creating a mirroring effect of the surrounding tones. These elements combined together, create a true richness to the overall finished product. Interestingly enough, I haven’t sold a single one of these paintings. So lets hope the test of time works in my favor and some savvy and sophisticated collector falls in love with these works and simply has to have them. If not.. I’m happy to enjoy them myself.

Art

Surrealist Inspired Wall Mural

July 30, 2014 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Surrealist Mural, Creating the composition

Tracing the Branch before Painting the Surrealist Wall Mural

Painting the Branches of the Surrealist Mural

Painting the Clouds of the Surrealist Wall Mural

Surrealist Wall Mural, Concept and Completion by Romi Cortier — Surrealist Wall Mural, Entry Hall Landing, Concept and Completion by Romi Cortier

This is the Surrealist Inspired Wall Mural that I painted in 2008, Inspired by LACMA’s 2006 Rene Magritte exhibit: Magritte and Contemporary Art: The Treachery of Images.

Surrealism can be defined as Contradictions of Dream and Reality, including the element of Surprise, Unexpected Juxtapositions and Non Sequitur. My objective with this mural was to turn a second floor indoor entry landing, into an area that felt like it might be outdoors, complete with tree branches and floating clouds. However, based on a few of the previous Youtube comments regarding this mural, some viewers felt that the mural wasn’t Surrealism at all, at least not in the way that they know it. Think Salvador Dali’s Melting Clocks, or Max Ernst‘s Les Hommes n’en Sauront, known as the first Surrealist Painting. Yes, those images are classic Surrealism. I simply wanted this little landing to feel like it might be floating in the palest of blue skies, with a few clouds and tree branches surrounding it. I believe that meets the definition of Surrealism. It’s so easy for people to be ‘armchair activists’ or ‘arm chair art critics’ then to actually go out into the world and create something. To quote a friend of mine: sometimes you have to consider which horses ass it’s coming from, and take it with a grain of salt.

Therefore, let me tell you how I created this Surrealist Inspired Wall Mural. Notice how saturated the ecru or burnt carmel color is. Before I could traverse the color wheel and go to a pale blue based color for the wall, it was very important to prime the wall with two coats of primer. If I didn’t, the wall could look green. Color wheel basics that we hopefully learned in school: when you mix blue and yellow, you get green. So starting with a pure palette of white was key to making this mural successful. After the wall was primed, I used one of my favorite colors: Brains Song by Dunn Edwards. It has just enough violet in it to give the pale blue more life, with out looking lavender. I then traced a tree branch with a basic number 2 pencil, in various arrangements on the wall. I took another color by Dunn Edwards, Cavern, and diluted it with water to make it easier to paint within the lines of the pencil. I used a small tipped brush from the art store that was more firm than a paint brush you’d find at a traditional house paint store such as Dunn Edwards or Home Depot. Once that was finished, I started on the clouds at the top of the room. Again I took traditional white house paint and diluted it with water. Then I used one of those cheap ‘chip’ brushes from home depot (I like how airy and light the density of the bristols are) and used that to apply the paint in a very thin and diffused manner. Blending was key to make the clouds look soft.

After I finished the mural, I set the table with some of my favorite China by Bernardaud. Fine French porcelain always has a place in my home, and makes the simplest of meals look great… yes, I’ve even served my friends Pizza on my Fine China. They laugh, but they love it. As far as I’m concerned, anytime a friend is over for dinner, it’s a special event.

Follow this link to learn more about Bernardaud‘s 150 year history and see more of their exquisite Fine China.

Art

Expressionism, From Van Gogh to Kandinsky at LACMA – Love it!

July 25, 2014 romicortier@yahoo.com 2 Comments

‘Beach at Low Tide’, 1900, Theo van Rysselberghe, LACMA, Photo Romi Cortier

‘Arabian Cemetery’, 1909, Wassily Kandinsky, LACMA, Photo Romi Corrtier

‘Young Girl’ , 1908, Max Pechstein & ‘Modjesko, Soprano Singer’, 1908, Kees van Dongen, LACMA, Romi Cortier

I recently returned to LACMA for my second viewing of the Expressionism Show, From Van Gogh to Kandinsky in Germany and France and I loved it even more the second time.

There are many scholarly reviews online about this exhibit, however, this isn’t one of them. That said, I simply can’t say enough good things about this show. It made me feel something, and I found myself standing in front of several paintings, drinking them in, luxuriating in their use of color and their bold brush strokes. I’ve traveled the world and seen many great shows, and many great paintings. Therefore, I yield to my eyes better judgement, and trust my instincts. Great art is great art, and when you see it you know. If a curator or scholar tells me it’s brilliant and I don’t get it, then so be it. The bottom line I ask myself is, would I want to live with it? And with this exhibit, I offer a resounding yes!! Please Please Please give me that Kandinsky in the black frame!! (Fourth image down) Some scholars are saying this show isn’t meant to be a blockbuster exhibit, but rather a bridge from Post Impressionism into Expressionism, spanning the periods from 1900 – 1914. All I know, is that this show resonates with me in a very profound way and is one of my favorite exhibits I’ve seen at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art during the last decade. My other other fave was the block buster 2006 Magritte exhibit: Magritte and Contemporary Art: The Treachery of Images, which included carpets of clouds on the floor, and wall paper on the ceiling of Los Angeles Freeways. Both of these shows have created total environments, which totally appeals to the interior designer in me.

One of the elements that I LOVED was the use of black walls with navy blue insets, that made the paintings jump off the wall. And I also loved how intimate works on paper were juxtaposed next to oil paintings from different periods. It’s the same way a sophisticated home owner would create groupings in their home if they had this caliber of work. While I know there’s an intellectual order to the way this show was hung, I simply have to say that this layout makes the entire exhibit warmer and easier to absorb. This show is also much more varied than the title suggests. I was surprised to learn that there are more than 40 artists in this exhibit, and works from different periods, such a Post-Impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism. In total there are 90 paintings, and 45 works on paper.

Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know a thing about art. You don’t need to, all you simply need to do is show up, and start educating your eye. I guarantee you’ll find something that excites you here, which in return, may teach you a little something about yourself.

LACMA: Expressionism: From Van Gogh to Kandinsky – Germany and France. Closes September 14, 2014

Where Art Inspires Beauty