Sausalito Art Festival Lesson #2

Generous Creativity:  Many of the booths at the Sausalito Art Festival asked people not to take photos.  It seems like a reasonable request; artists put their creative soul into their work and they don't want others to copy or steal their ideas.  But is it?

As I wandered through the rows of artwork, I was particularly struck by the work of Armando Pedroso which included gorgeous abstracts somewhere between painting and sculpture with luscious colors and a finish so deep you felt like you could fall into it.  (He tops his paintings with 60 coats of lacquer!) 

I stopped to ask him about the process of coating he used and he proceeded to tell me in detail what to use and how to use it.  We talked for quite some time and I raved over a particular piece that called to me even though it was out of my budget.  As I was starting to leave, he invited me to take pictures.  When I expressed surprise and mentioned all the "No photos" signs I had seen, he told me that his philosophy was to share as much as possible because so much had been shared with him.

I like the idea of generous creativity.  Nothing is truly original anyway, we all build on what has gone before us, or what nature has been doing for millennia.  And every idea or piece of information that pours through us is processed through our own filters, experiences, skills and perspectives so it all comes out unique anyway.  There are people who will copy and steal but if we spend our time and energy trying to block them, we'll only derail our own creativity.  Better to just keep moving forward and stay three steps in front of anyone trying to mimic us.

Anyway, check out Armando's work.  Only after I returned home and went to his website, did I get a little more of his backstory.  He states:

After September 11, 2001, I was laid off from my corporate sales job of 18 years. It was at that time I "thought" I  heard a voice within myself which told me to paint. Strange as the voice was (I have never painted before), I listened and gave over all my future corporate energies to make a bold move and pursue my new dream of being a self taught artist....risky, eh? Well, much to my surprise (as well as that of my family and friends), my art career took off in ways unimaginable. I say,  “if you don't believe in the voice of God or being connected to your inner spirit...we need to talk.”  I have seen first hand countless doors of opportunity fly wide open for me, what laid beyond those doors was this new person, this artist inside I never ever knew existed... all because I took the chance of listening to that small crazy voice inside myself.

I deconstruct and reconstruct layers of roofing tar, plaster, found objects, metals, symbols, rich acrylic colors and words to create an inspirational and emotionally driven paintings. My focus is to encourage the viewer to act upon their hidden passions and dreams.

Sometimes playful, gritty or with an urban feel, my paintings capture the essence of what an individuals dream might look like if inspired to take that leap of faith.

The attached image is the one I fell in love with.  I tried to get rid of all the reflected images but obviously I didn't.  Makes me wonder what those folks with the "no photos" signs are so worried about.  Unless someone came along with professional lighting and gear, the conditions would have made it very hard to take a commercially useable photo.