This was the first of several works I designed for the E3 gaming exposition in Los Angeles. The composition is similar in structure to my Dies Irae, which may have inspired the developers. Gears of War is a video game … Continue reading
I created a time-lapse demonstration to show the process of creating a tonal drawing. Below is a link to the youtube video:
The final drawing is also available as a limited edition print. Click here for more information.
The nativity theme is a favorite christmas subject for pavement artists. I did two of them during my first years in Rome. The first was a copy from Tiepolo and the second from Honthorst.
When 3D pavement art became popular I designed my own nativity composition. I executed this composition twice, the first time in the Xanadu commercial center in Madrid, and the second time in Perth, Australia. The Perth version was filmed as a time-lapse video.
The time-lapse can be seen below:
Within the first two years that I was drawing on the streets of Rome, the appearance of a small group of energetic young pavement artists began to create a stir among the Romans. Two young Italians sold the idea of a book to the publisher Gammalibri. They took all the photos and did all the interviews during the three weeks surrounding Easter in Rome. For this reason, the book was not very thorough. I wrote this about the time period:
My favorite spot was on the corner of the Via del Corso and Largo Tritone, where the passersby were a mix of government officials, high-end shoppers, journalists, tourists, and an assortment of young Italians. The location was just across the street from Piazza Colonna and the Italian Parliament, in the heart of Rome. Such a setting meant that I never knew what the day would bring, as there could be demonstrations with shouting protesters or a general strike that left the streets empty and deserted. But being at the center of Italian politics also meant that the national newspaper’s offices were just a stone’s throw from the painting site, and I soon became the subject of many articles.
It often seemed that no one in Rome actually worked, as so many people were always milling about in the streets and piazzas, talking passionately, drinking espresso, and reading the newspapers. Such a lifestyle was marvelous, especially because it gave people plenty of time to look at my work. While working at the train station, I had gotten very dirty, and I knew this would not go over well with the impeccably dressed Romans in the heart of the city. I invested in expensive chalks and pastels to keep the dust to a minimum, and I washed the pavement before starting to work. I did my best to keep a clean, professional appearance, and this instantly enhanced my relationship with the Romans. People asked me questions about my life and work, and they were always perplexed about what an American was doing on the street.
I did a number of sacred works at this time, many of which were never photographed. Recently I have been recreating some of the lost ones as fine arts print editions. Christ in a White Robe is an example of these works. It can be seen at the Andrea Smith Gallery in Sedona, Arizona. The address is below:
Andrea Smith Galleries
Tlaquepaque
336 Hwy 179 Sedona AZ 86336
888-644-5444
Their website is here: Andrea Smith Gallery Home.
My page is here: Kurt Wenner
I did this work in Herald Square right in front of the famous Macy’s department store to celebrate the anniversary of the plaza. It rained for three days of the four day event, but luckily the weather cleared up on … Continue reading
The figure of Moses was the first subject I ever painted on the street. My first try was at the Rome train station. I was not able to complete it, so I did another version on the Via del Corso, also in Rome. Below is my account of the experience:
Early the next morning, I headed for the piazza determined to start a street painting on my own. I knew there were risks involved, such as having my fingers stepped on, or being moved on by the police. The idea of being able to apply all that I’d learned in the past months to a full-scale painting kept me from backing down. At the time, the train station was anything but gracious or comfortable. It had been under construction for many years, and was covered in rusty siding that funneled commuters into a narrow corridor. Black-market sellers, drug pushers, and Gypsies all sought their victims here. By the time I arrived at the station, my heart was pounding. I wove my way through the commuters, looking for an appropriate spot to set out my materials. As a visual reference, I was using my drawing of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. An endless distracting dance of feet fell all around me, but soon a small group of spectators formed, and in their stillness I was protected from the surrounding chaos. I experienced for the first time a phenomenon that would come to repeat itself over and over again: The power of the image transformed not only the space but also everything and everyone around it. As the image grew, so did the audience, and the synergy created between the two was a tangible, positive force.
Being in the center of this radiant field gave me the confidence I needed to set out a few baskets to collect offerings. People tossed in coins immediately and enthusiastically. Given the shadier denizens of the area, I thought it would be difficult to hold on to the money. However, no one tried to take the coins from the baskets. At one point, a large group of garishly dressed Gypsies surrounded me. I tried to ignore their presence and concentrated on my work as they scrutinized the picture. They pointed and talked among themselves, in their own language, until they seemed to arrive at a collective decision. I braced myself. Suddenly, they all dropped some coins into the baskets, nodded at me, and then silently departed.
I only ever took very low quality photographs in the first two years of working on the street. It was lucky I took any at all. When it came time to publish my book, Asphalt Renaissance, I recreated some details of the early works to show the surface texture of the works and better tell the story. I have made this image into a limited edition print. It can be seen at the Andrea Smith Gallery in Sedona, Arizona. The address is below:
Tlaquepaque Suite D102
336 Highway 179
Sedona, AZ 86336
Their website is here: Andrea Smith Gallery Home.
My page is here: Kurt Wenner
I created this image of gulls flying over the Bosphorous for Turkey innovation week in Istanbul. On the last day I gave a talk at the symposium on, “Painting and Innovation.” Two of the other speakers were Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the … Continue reading
This work was one of my most successful projects, both in terms of the media response and the experience. It was done at the National Geographic visitor’s center at the Grand Canyon. It was sponsored by Nature Valley Trails, which … Continue reading
I did this piece at the American food fair in Chicago. This is a trade show for the “food industry” that is not really open to the general public. The work was bordered with real plants and rocks that provided … Continue reading
I finally found the time to upload this image from the November 2&3 Breeders’s Cup races at the Santa Anita Racetrack in Los Angeles. The press release read as follows: The Breeders’ Cup, joined by Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, … Continue reading
