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Showing posts from March, 2019

2 ARTISTS. 4 PAINTINGS. WHICH GET IN THE SHOW?

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Master of Mud (aka artist) and former Center for Creative Studies (CCS), Detroit,  professor of art, Bill (William J.) Girard Jr., passed away in 2011. The website created to honor him is found at  https://girardsvasari.com/ ------------------------------------------------------- Which of the 4 paintings below belong in an art school's Alumni Exhibit?  Pick a maximum of two. List your picks in the Comments section --  below this post -- for all to see.  Both artists went to the same institution.  Neither graduated.  One lived the life of an artist. One didn't. One was widely collected. The other wasn't.  What gets in the show? Painting #1 The Troll King's Daughter . Oil over Gold Leaf. Painting #2 Annunciation . Mixed Media. Painting #3 Adam . Oil on panel. Detail of #3 Detail of Adam . Painting #4 The Philosopher King . Mixed Media. Two paintings are by  Bill Girard .  Two paintings are by  some

Girard's Marvelous Murals (Pinckney, Michigan Circa 2005)

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Master of Mud (aka artist) and former Center for Creative Studies (CCS), Detroit,  professor of art, Bill (William J.) Girard Jr., passed away in 2011. The website created to honor him is found at  https://girardsvasari.com/ ------------------------------------------------------- These murals were commissioned for the home of a family in Pinckney, Michigan, a drive of several hours from Royal Oak, Michigan, where artist Bill Girard lived.  At least, that's what Bill told me.    "... the powder room which i fancy in the Indo-Chinoiserie style." Artist: Bill Girard. Royal Oak, MI. 1940-2011  Bill sent me these images in 2006, about four years before his passing. The Face of Buddha Artist: Bill Girard. Royal Oak, MI. 1940-2011 The drive was wearisome. But Bill both needed the money and loved his patrons.  A quiet paradise created by a man who loved his pets! Artist: Bill Girard. Royal Oak, MI. 1940-2011 I  imagine that in particularly

A Letter from Bill: The "Nion" Woman

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Master of Mud (aka artist) and former Center for Creative Studies (CCS), Detroit,  professor of art, Bill (William J.) Girard Jr., passed away in 2011. The website created to honor him is found at  https://girardsvasari.com/ ------------------------------------------------------- The letter is handwritten and undated, as you can see, below.  It was written in 2006 and accompanied by photos of the referenced murals. I still have the hand-made postage stamped, shipping container he made to send them with.  The spelling in my transcribed version is Girard's.    In a separate letter, Bill wrote that he prefered  the lowercase, cursive "i" to the uppercase "I,"  as the latter really looks like a "CL." The cursive "i,"  he wrote, "Has grace and style, and it makes me feel good." Dear Glen Here are the photographs of the Semprevivo murals . The Vestibule and hallway, as well as the powder room which i fancy in the Ind