I am Leo the Colorman!
I live in rainbows, fantasy dreamer, beauty pusher,
color wheel rider, painter of tones, shades, shadows,
textures, pattern, sweetness, sorrow, love and desire,
victory, defeat, comedy, satire, tragedy, slapstick,
spring green, summer red, autumn brown, winter grey,
true blue, lemon yellow, pink cheeks, plaid skirts,
strawberry, cherry, carousels, clowns, birds, butterflies,
fireflies, pumpkin pies, flowers, seashells, tropical fish,
pure white, black moods, nice nudes, colorful dudes,
imagination, inspiration, innovation, creation.
Follow me…I am Leo the Colorman!
Leo the Colorman!
. . . imagination, inspiration, innovation, creation . . .
Stupendous as always, Leo.
Hello color man! I hope you are well.
Hugh
grandmaster leo monahan… call me grasshopper.
Ice cream cones and boats. Perfect ingredients for a summer’s day. Having seen the originals, I am amazed at how beautiful they also look on a computer screen.
Hi, Leo and Everyone Else,
Just when I thought that last week’s color wheel couldn’t be topped, I’m going to have to say that, in my opinion, the robins have flown a little higher. How beautiful.
I loved hearing the story about the birds heralding in the Spring. That must have been the same flock that I’d wait to see. Day after day and then more days after days I’d watch and then, finally, a single bird would arrive followed in short time by others. How exciting for me then and how nice to be able to relive it today.
I kind of go for that orange breasted bird. Seems like he got his seasons mixed up.
When I was looking at the beautiful forest, it appears to me that you’ve capped the tree tops with a hairdo similar to that at the top of a carefree girl-child’s head. I can see the her bangs and the blond rise to the top of her skull. It made me chuckle because if I were again a little girl, I would have loved having butterflies using my golden strands like a Maypole. How fun and magical. I’m wondering, too, if you hid that sun at the base the trees to keep your viewers on their toes. Or, maybe it’s not the sun after all. Is it, instead, an egg, rounder than most, that was unintentionally overlooked by the forest’s children during last week’s Easter egg hunt?
I like these color studies, Leo, and I’ve learning something new each week. Thanks for that. But, I’m equally fond of exercising my imagination whenever I stop by. Color seems to do me a world of good. Hmmmm!
The robins are fantastic, however on my computer I seem to miss the red one or else the red-orange one. I see them as yellow, yellow-orange, orange, red, and then magenta, etc. Is it my computer or my color interpretation at work here? Whatever, they are truly beautiful! Not to be niggling, but you didn’t mention two of my favorite other language words for butterfly; fafalla in Italian, and papillon in French, also the name of one of my favorite movies with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. In all deference and respect to Karen, I have always considered Schmetterling to be at the bottom of that list, mainly because of the way it sounds in German. All the other names in their pronunciation seem to connote lightness and floating whereas Schmetterling has too heavy sound to it. (Now I am being niggling!) Thanks as ever for your incredible blog. I really look forward to it.
Loved your blog and the Robin color wheel Leo. Your sense of humor continues to be sharp and right on top. I see you are as creative as ever thinking outside the box and creating more beautiful pieces.
I had to look twice to overcome my initial response to the form of the newest color wheel. Nice curves, delicate lines. Then the rest emerged and, in this instance, more was better. Thanks, too, for the information about the painting techniques in your work. Can’t say I’d have thought of some of them on my own.
I liked that photo of your friend, Ben, and your memories of South Dakota. The color wheels would have been enough but the extras make it all the better for me.
See you soon.
It’s Friday and time for more color and another story. What a hook to keep us returning.
While Tim holds the top spot, you’ve become my second best Friday night date ever. And you didn’t even need to spring for dinner!
61 years, the brother I never had.
I’ve had a brother but friends from the Navy, Korean war are few and far between…we had good times…leo
In the garden all day
Not one color the same
Kept thinking of Leo
I remember hearing lots of that penguin pigeonholing as a child. How sad for those of us who believed some of it was true. I like your take on the concept much better. Like the looks of your penguins, too.
The cows are udderly fantastic (I know you were inviting some dumb ass person to say that, and I stepped right up to the plate) and the Godot characters wonderful. I miss not having a haiku, however. As we age (I remind you that you’re three months OLDER than me) we sadly do lose old friends. If I believed in a deity of any kind, I would thank him (probably a her or neuter – why are we so f**king anthropomorphist? Are dogs canineopomorphist or cows bovineopomorphfist?) for at least not taking the memories away too.
looking foward to reading your journeys of life and imagination….
Marco pointed me to your blog and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing and the images are superb. Marian
My fave was the feathers in the wind……………But then I saw the butterflies in the forest… The multitude of colors bring out the kid in us all.
So beautiful and the use of shapes and colors are miraculous.
It was a pleasure meeting you on Tuesday evening.
Thanks so much for your time and the art.
Marie
Love that Cowboy vest you did from memories of Pat Hogan Leo, terrific work. Couldn’t leave it on the month because July was not an option when I went to the site.
Your work is engagingly fanciful, terrifically creative and excellently designed. When i was teaching K-12 art, i surely wish i had known you were nearby. My introduction has come via my friend, Jim Morrison, and i do thank him for that. Not only does he speak highly of you as an artist, he forwards some great mail, too! I look forward to meeting you some day. Best to you in your fun and success as an artist!
sara briggs
Hi Leo,
Hope you remember me from SILA shows and stuff. I just heard something about a Chouinard reunion in February. I am planning on heading to New Orleans around the 5th. What’s the reunion and when and where? Maybe I could make it? I graduated in 1969.
Bob…of course I remember you…The reunion was at CalArts on Sunday, Feb. 8th…It was a blast…It was put on by CalArts but they don’t have a good data base for Chouinard…A goodly number of our classmates didn’t know about it and would have come…
Hi Leo, your Christmas paper art does so much more than painted works. The colors are bright and cheerful and the cut paper figures come out at you allowing you to instantly take notice of them. You make the world a better place with your creations and I am so happy that I got to work with you in another place and time…….. Take care my friend and may 2016 bring you more happiness and continued good health.
Hello Leo, I used to work at WDI and took one of your color workshops. I am the person who had you build the indian and cowboy for the tiny animatron at R&D.
Everybody loved them.
And now, many moons and retirement later, I am experimenting with some paper work. But I keep wondering what glue to use that would be permanent so that a year from now it wouldn’t fall apart. If you could suggest one I would greatly appreciate it.
Still am in thrall of your work and glad to see it still goes on.
With much appreciation, amy van gilder
Amy…what a surprise to hear from you…a pleasant surprise…I use Elmers glue for almost everything…some of my work is 50 years old and still hanging in there…you can email me at leothecolorman@gmail.com
I’ll go into more detail on adhesives…hope you are having a good retirement…leo
Hi Leo
Enjoyed seeing you at the book signing. Please come visit my studio. Does Wed afternoon work for you. My website is gaylepaulpainter.com. Would love to talk more with you about color and how to promote one’s self. Enjoyed looking at your new work on your web site. Gayle Paul
515. 491 9456
Hello again Leo. We briefly met today over breakfast and guitar music. You gave me a brochure of a beautiful white cockatoo.
I just visited your images and find them to be a breath of fresh air.
Perhaps we will meet again.