Portraits in the manner of William Adolphe Bouguereau, French, 1825-1905
Landscapes in the manner of Jan Van Der Heyden, Dutch, 1637-1712
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Sidewalk Shrines and Noted Icons A Show of Art by Tom Lohre
Clifton Cultural Art Center
Lower Lobby
3711 Clifton Ave
Cincinnati, OH, 45220
Friday, March 6, 2015 to Friday, April 3, 2015
Empire State Building III, Finished Friday, March 30, 2012, 5" x 7" x .125” x 2 oz., Oil pastel melted on Plexiglas. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2 pounds
Empire State Building II, Finished Friday, March 30, 2012, 5" x 7" x .125” x 2 oz., Oil pastel melted on Plexiglas. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2 pounds
Empire State Building I, Finished Friday, March 30, 2012, 5" x 7" x .125” x 2 oz., Oil pastel melted on Plexiglas. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2 pounds
Bather after Degas, Finished November 1, 2011, 5" x 7" x .125” x 2 oz., Oil pastel melted on Plexiglas. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2 pounds
Arabian Horse, Finished June 4, 2012, 5" x 7" x .125” x 2 oz., Oil pastel melted on Plexiglas. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2 pounds
Perfect North Slopes IV, Finished Saturday, January 24, 2015, 8" x 10" x .016” x 2 oz., Oil pastel on melted on shiny duct metal. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2.5 pounds
Empire State Building III, Finished Friday, March 30, 2012, 5" x 7" x .125” x 2 oz., Oil pastel melted on Plexiglas. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2 pounds
Perfect North Slopes III, Finished Tuesday, January 6, 2015, 8" x 10" x .016” x 2 oz., Oil pastel on melted on shiny duct metal. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2.5 pounds
Marriott Gaylord Texan River Walk, Oil pastel on metal, 10" x 8", May 5, 2013
Queen City Great American Building at Night I, Oil pastel on metal, 8" x 10", Finished Sunday, February 8, 2015
Perfect North V, Oil pastel on metal, 20" x 16", Sunday, February 8, 2015
Crab Apple Trees in the Snow, Finished Tuesday, January 6, 2015, 8" x 10" x .016” x 2 oz., Oil pastel on metal
Perfect North IV, Oil pastel on metal, 10" x 8", Saturday, January 4, 2015
Perfect North Slopes II, Lawrenceburg Indiana Cincinnati Ohio Impressionism Oil Painting, Finished Tuesday, January 6, 2015, 8" x 10" x .016” x 2 oz., Oil pastel on melted on shiny duct metal. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2.5 pounds
Fountain Square ILIX, Oil on canvas, 36" x 48", December 19, 2014
Tom has painted Cincinnati’s Fountain Square over fifty times. At first he painted from the second floor of the Westin Hotel during the winter. Other times he painted birds eye view. This view is derived from the Westin Hotel Series. He discovered that the endearing appeal may be because the figure on top with arms outstretched water pouring out of the hands may tap into thoughts of Christ on the Cross. The simplification and distortion of the buildings, trees and surroundings delivers a bouquet of color. Each color is adjusted letting the canvas come through the transparent color if needed.
Superior Honda Landscape, Oil pastel melted on metal, 10" x 8", January 6, 2015
Dolphin Boy II, Acrylic on canvas, 30" x 40", December 4, 2014
The Tyler Davidson fountain has been painted by Tom many times. The first paintings were done in the winter from the second floor of the Westin Hotel. Earlier Tom painted a woman’s portrait with one of the corner statues in the foreground. This painting is the state of the art Tom’s series. The statue plays a dual role of colorful bouquet of color and abstract image of a popular motif in Cincinnati. The nine colors were refined over years. Each color plays a special role and has a deep effect on the artist. Tom feels that these nine colors can take the viewer where he wants to take them with as little extra as possible. These colors were specially mixed at the paint store and have been used almost exclusively. Every time Tom tries to revise or adapt the series it never hits the mark as these colors do. By expanding the color blob sizes you can abstract the work until it plays against knowing and enjoying.
Mount Adams XIII, Oil pastel melted on metal, 36" x 24", December 23, 2014
This is the eighth version of Mount Adams from across the Ohio River. In the old days Tom would be on the docks of the Riverside Marina painting. Now he works the new versions in his studio. The marina has moved up river. Tom paints this view over and over in different color versions because of the universality of the water, mountain, and church on top. It looks not unlike Mont Saint Michel Abbey. This is the first large size tableau using the melted oil pastels on metal. Painted with a limited palette of eight of colors. Each color plays a role: medium gray for cold atmosphere and clouds; white for clouds and water reflection of the sky; medium blue for sky and water; light green for sprouting buds of spring in the bushes; dark green for evergreen and moss; light Naples’s yellow for sunlight on stone; light violet for shadow of stone and concrete and blood red for humans.
Perfect North Slopes I, Lawrenceburg Indiana Cincinnati Ohio Impressionism Oil Painting, Finished Tuesday, January 6, 2015, 8" x 10" x .016” x 2 oz., Oil pastel on melted on shiny duct metal. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2.5 pounds
Moby Dick II, 36" x 48", Oil on canvas, Sunday, January 11, 2015
Simplified the whaleship
and whaleboat after rearranging the men in the Poser file.
This expanded version of the portrait of Parsee relies on four painting areas.
The sea foam, periodic wave, current wind direction, clouds and dew point.
Fountain Square LXIX, Oil pastel on metal, 18" x 36", Saturday, January 3, 2015
Fountain Square ILVIII, Oil on canvas, 36" x 48", December 11, 2014
This version of the Lady of the Waters the top figure of the Tyler Davidson Fountain in the center of Cincinnati is derived from an earlier painting that juxtaposed a nude figure in front of the statue. Once Tom started deriving his work into simple nine color blobs the motif came to life. Tom has since painted it many times in smaller sizes now in the size it deserves. In this version the derived work was a nude black woman standing in place of the main figure.
Esquire V, Oil pastel melted on metal, 24" x 18", December 16, 2014
Ludlow Avenue in Clifton is neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio. The neighborhood includes all the features of a charming landscape. “Holidays on Ludlow” is an evening of carriage rides, music, caroling and special events by the merchants. The carriage rides start in front of Graeter’s Ice Cream the view for this painting. The previous painting with this view was done from life. The evening streets wet from drizzle. A delicate balance of color is struck to display night. The dark opaque oil pastel left something to be desired. This derived version in nine colors lightens the scene by keeping all the colors light. The blob abstraction allows the knowledgeable viewer to pick out the features of the street avoiding the ponderous dark nature of the previous painting, Esquire IV.
Mount Adams XII, Acrylic on canvas, 48" x 30", December 1, 2014
Timothy Thomas, Acrylic on board, 24" x 24", December 18, 2014
Timothy Thomas, 19, was killed by Cincinnati Police Officer Roach by gunfire after he chased Thomas into an alley near 13th and Republic in Over-the-Rhine in 2001 around 2 a.m. Thomas apparently appeared to go for a gun. His death and the accumulated deaths of black men by Cincinnati police set off a week of civil unrest in 2001. The resulting investigation and creation of the Cincinnati Collaborative Agreement has become a model for Citizen/Police relations. The Collaborative seeks to discover the reasons for police being called and put in place solutions for the root cause thereby preventing harmful behavior.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-04-03-cincinnati-riots-anniversary_N.htm
THE STATUS OF COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING AND COMMUNITY PROBLEM-ORIENTED
POLICING IN CINCINNATI
John E. Eck, Ph.D.
School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati
April, 2014
From the report:
Rather than merely responding to the public’s requests for assistance, the police look for patterns in these requests, determine what is giving rise to these patterns, and then crafts solutions. Most of these patterns – problems – occur due to failures of public and private institutions to carry out their activities in ways that do not facilitate crime, disorder, and other harmful behaviors.
Jason Dukes, Acrylic on board, 24" x 24", February 13, 2015
Portrait of a victim of gun violence to be placed at the shrine established at the site of his death. Jason was a convicted drug dealer who was trying to straighten out his life. The portrait will be placed at his shrine off Linn Street near Central Parkway. His shrine is maintained by his family who believed strongly in his wanting to change his life for the better.
Pamela Barnett, Acrylic on board, 24" x 24", March 5, 2015
Pamela Barnett was struck and killed by a car while crossing Central Parkway on a wet and cold December evening. This portrait will be placed where her shrine is on Central Parkway.
Esquire Theater IV, Ludlow Avenue, Cincinnati Ohio, 24" x 18", Oil pastel melted on metal, December 16, 2014
Tyler Davidson Fountain ILVII Cincinnati Ohio Impressionist Oil Painting, 8" x 10" x .016” x 2 oz., Oil pastel on melted on shiny duct metal. Framed in a Neapolitan style simulated gold leaf over clay over wood with no seam in corners weighing 2.5 pounds, November 19, 2014
Esquire Theater III, Ludlow Avenue, Cincinnati Ohio, 24" x 18", Oil pastel melted on metal, December 4, 2014
Fountain Square XXXIX, December 5, 2012, 24" x 24", Acrylic on no frame wrap around canvas
Fountain Square XXVII, oil on canvas, 20" x 16", October 23, 2010
Helen XIII, 16"
x 20", October 2007
Facial coloring combination from light to dark: black, dark red brown, dark blue, green, red, light pink, light violet and white with the violet substituting for light yellow for excitement.
• Fountain Square
• Mount Adams
• Esquire Theater
• Ludlow Village
• Timothy Thomas
• Africa Hope
• Buchie Wood
• Angela Grayson
The unfamiliar icons are those who died from gun violence. Timothy Thomas’ death by Police was the catalyst for the 2001 Cincinnati civil unrest. Spurred by Saad Goshen’s “SOS Art Show for Social Peace and Justice,” Tom paints portraits of those killed by violence to go with their shrines where they fell. Revered by the community, with each painting Tom experiences something like a block buster movie with characters larger than life when he learns about the victim and family. They live larger lives with higher highs and lower lows. Tom Lohre won second place at the Golden Ticket Artists Exhibition at the Clifton Cultural Art Center, September 7, 2012 with the Earnest Crear portrait placed at his shrine.
Melting Colors to Life
The colorful portraits and
Icons in this show are painted with blobs. Tom’s blob painting started
in 1980 when Tom explored the possibility of a machine that painted. He was
painting impressionistic works one right after another and thought he could
make a machine to do this. In 2003 he discovered Lego MindStorm Invention System
and spent four years learning the software. On January 5th, 2007 at 9 p.m. he
cracked the code to write a program that took information from an image in the
computer and fed it to a painting machine. The painting machine was a classical
assistant. It laid one of eight colors in generally the correct spot.
The painting machine needed a great stroke to be successful. Tom cannot remember
the exact time he thought of melting wax on hot metal to make a stroke. It was
a beautiful stroke with a velvety surface and heavy impasto. Sakura oil pastels
are melted and mixed into a certain color in a dish on a hot plate then sucked
into a brass tube, cooled and extruded. The Lego MindStorm Invention System
painting machine did ten works. The next painting machine will surf the Web
for a paintable image then paint it.
Now Tom uses the technique for his impressionist paintings. The painting was eight colors. The painting reduced eight colors in various blob shapes to reveal the image. Like color printing reducing realism in four colors he reduced realism to eight colors. Each of the eight colors selected set off an alarm in Tom’s head. After numerous attempts to expand or improve the color set he has not found the next formula. These colors are so important they need introductions. First is white for obvious reasons playing the first in the gray scale, second is light yellow to be the next in the gray scale. All eight colors act as an incremental step through the gray scale. When photographed with a black and white camera the colors act as clear steps from white to a value eight. There is no color darker than a value eight because it keeps the painting vibrant. Darker colors pull the painting down emotionally. The light yellow highlights the face, creates the sun glinted land and acts as the yellow in clouds. Light blue is the next color playing a major role for sky and light shadow. Yellow ochre is the third gray scale in the face as well as burnt grass and light wood. Nantucket red is the fourth color in the face gray scale and if unique being the only red in the palette. It is blood, bramble and dark wood. Dark blue is next the third gray scale for the sky, early shadow for the face, periwinkle for clothes and reflections for water. Dark violet is the first definer of cool shadow, black, hair and deep sky. Dark evergreen is the last for deepest close shadow, black, dense growth and hair. It is hard to believe that with just these colors you can create full color and exact realism if you stand far enough away from the canvas. Once up close the painting becomes a bouquet of flowers.
It was just this cheerful result that led Tom to use it for aggressive street graffiti. Tom participates in Saad Goshen’s SOS Art Shows for Social Peace and Justice. The comradery and forums led him to create portraits for the shrines around the city. The SOS discussion groups gave him the idea to honor those killed by stray bullets by placing a portrait at the site of their shrines. The aggressive, lively, colorful impressionistic portrait manner dovetailed for these signs. You can see the person in the painting while the painting is more than a portrait it is a celebration.
Tom applies the special palette in various forms, oil paint, acrylic and melting fancy crayons on metal. Derived from his painting machine, melting oil pastels on hot metal took numerous steps. After retiring the painting machine that used the technique he adapted it for painting in hotel rooms since you could paint a lively impasto impressionist work without smell. At first he heated plastic sheets of Lexan on a hot plate. Through a mishap the sheet of ceramic he laid on top of a hot plate to heat the plastic evenly broke and he came back to a five foot blue flame. Freaked out since he was preforming this exhibition in a public theater he came to his senses and carefully picked up the hot plate and carried it outside. It is a miracle the smoke alarms did not go off. The plastic burned with such rocket nozzle purity he took it to be an omen.
Eventually he discovered you could heat up the metal with a hot air gun used to melt paint by heating the surface from the front, heating without moving the canvas. The painting machine heated the metal from behind and he developed three ariations using hot plates and electric pancake skillets with magnets embedded in it to hold the metal. It was a nuisance to move the metal to the heated area since heating the whole surface for a long time deteriorated the wax pigment. Now the only restriction to larger works was the weight of the metal, a four by three foot piece of 20 gauge flashing metal weights fifteen pounds. Tom is currently cutting canvases off a three by fifty foot roll of roof flashing metal. Earlier he used aluminum. The shiny surface made an alluring addition to the canvas since it reflects light at the proper angle from the small spots not covered by pigment. The future is shinny aluminum cut from four by eight sheets.
Painting with blobs is reality.
Composition and time of day establishes the painting. This new manner cannot
change the situation. The gross manner lends itself to familiarity. The visceral
manner guided by natural illustration makes everyone there. Each stroke takes
on more significance. Reality reduced to something a printer would do but when
the artist reduces the scene to a few blobs that still have the scene then now
that’s painting. Each round edged blob means more. The blob represents
the reality of painting in the classical manner. Strike while the iron is hot.
Why do anything unless you are ready? The same is true with painting.
The Cincinnati Post On-Line Story about the painting machine
The Lego MindStorm Invention System taught Tom how to paint realism in a loose expressive way. Heretofore Tom’s painted in a classical manner. The robot taught him to paint anew.
Detail of Maggie, Oil on canvas, 24” x 30”
http://tomlohre.com/portrait.htm
Shelter House Video
Butchie Wood 12/9/75 to 6/6/2011, Acrylic on board, June 21, 2012
The new technique lent itself to diverse purposes. Colorful portraits created fit perfectly with Tom’s idea to paint portraits of victims for their shrines.
The shrine portraits won second place in the juried Golden Ticket Art Show 2012 at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center in Clifton, Cincinnati, Ohio.
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