Author Archives: Leo

Five Golden Rings

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The Twelve Days of Christmas are from Christmas day to January 5th, or Epiphany. 10 years ago, when I was still in the illustration game, I got the job to produce paper sculpture illustrations for a book on the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” I had recently moved to North Carolina, the publisher was in Santa Monica, CA, so it was a cross-country project on a tight deadline.

Once the layouts had been approved, I cut, painted, and assembled the illustrations three at a time. Then they were shipped to be photographed by Blue Trimarchi in Pasadena, CA, because at that time I didn’t have a relationship with a photographer in Asheville, NC.

Paper sculpture is basically a decorative medium, and my versions of the 12 days of Christmas are “over the top” decorative illustrations. The 12 backgrounds were painted from yellow through a 12 step color wheel. I had been teaching Bauhaus based color theory on and off for 50 years, so it was a logical solution.
1st Group2nd Group3rd Group

I had to make sure of the character count, for example 12 drummers drumming, by making small silhouettes, because I was told that the children were darn sure going to count them.

I have exhibited them during Christmas seasons past in the Asheville Community Theatre, the Grovewood Gallery, an artists co-op gallery, the Care Partners Solace Center, and now they are on display at Mission Hospital, a major medical center. Heaven forbid you have to go to Mission Hospital during the holidays but if you visit someone, go to the Cafeteria and see the illustrations hanging in the hallway…

Early Morning Cheer

Early Morning Cheer

Thank you to everyone at Arts for Life for helping make this possible, along with all the wonderful folks in the Child Life Unit at Mission, and the Facilities folks who approved and hung the display.

Panorama of the Twelve Days Display at Mission

Enjoy this fun rendition of the song itself.

Read more about the song to help get it out of your head.

Thanks for visiting me …

leo

They’re Better at This…

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Now and then, I have collage classes in my studio for as many as six adults at a time. When they sign up I tell them, “Don’t bring your children, they’re better at this than you are.”

I’ve given workshops at children’s museums, galleries, schools and in my studios. Clever little devils they are. Their innovative solutions to the tasks I give them are, across the board, better than those done by their parents, who sometimes participate.

The kids have no preconceived ideas or experience with content or visual results. They are not shy about using color or unusual concepts, and they entertain and startle their audience. During the Weaverville Art Safari studio tours I demonstrate paper sculpture principles for anyone curious about this unique medium. These children are the niece and nephew of my neighbors, Thom and Gaye Carmen.

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They get right up close to watch me cut, fold, and bend flat paper into dimensional shapes. They ask a lot of pertinent questions and when I give them the paper object, they react as if I am a magician. I do something for each child who watches me.

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Doctor Fisher and my son, Marco, say that she is either teaching me to dance the Charleston or that I should go to the restroom before I do a demonstration.

One of my former students, Pete Figliozzi, who took my course in basic design and color at CalArts in the ‘90s, moved to Asheville, NC, and found me in an article in the Asheville Citizen Times.

He sought me out, we renewed our friendship and now I give periodic classes for his nine-year-old daughter, Kathryn. She is the most sophisticated, innovative, charming child I have ever had the pleasure to teach. When Pete brings her to the studio she always has the most amazing collages, and a lot of them. These are the results from a nine-year-old.

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Life is fantastic when kids are around.

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Thanks for visiting me …

leo

P.S. Advice to adults: Make sure the kids have plenty of art materials, tell them to make a picture that they have in their mind. And leave them alone to make a mess — and art.