Forgery, Piracy, or Artistic Licence?

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This is a sketch of the opening of Danny Rock‘s show “The Urban Art Forgers” that was hung in March. I did a drawing of Danny working in his garage studio on one of the pieces for this show. In response to that article, I got an e-mail from a Tampa artist named John LaFree. This is part of that e-mail…

“On February 23, a Facebook follower of mine messaged me with the discovery that another artist (Danny Rock) had not only forged an illustration of mine, the “Arrogant Airedale” and signed it as his own original idea…. and proudly proclaimed on Facebook that he had SOLD IT. And not only sold it… But had the audacity to state in his post “Support Local Art Always.”

Now, first and foremost, I am flattered that Mr. Danny Rock thought so highly of my illustration that he felt compelled to replicate it. That’s what he does. I get that.

The issue that I want to point out to you is that your article quotes him as saying that “All the reproductions are open domain.” However, the artist that you featured forged MY artwork – the work of a local artist – placed his signature on it and sold the piece…. Without giving any indication that he recreated an original idea from an artist an hour and a half away… Without consent. The artwork is absolutely NOT open domain. I own the copyright and intellectual property. Yet, he forged it and gladly accepted payment AS IF it was his own original idea. In fact, the piece that I drew was one of over 50 different illustrations that I created as a commission for a children’s dog-themed card game produced by Greymalkin Designs.
My commission and involvement ended with the final illustration. But
because of the recent events, I have reached out to them. Looks like the game is “coming soon” and has been
renamed as “Pooched”.

Once we learned of the forgery, we immediately contacted Danny Rock via his Facebook page and voiced our displeasure. Within hours, the post was deleted. And as a “Thank You” to the Facebook follower who alerted us to the issue (who is a volunteer with the National Airedale Rescue), we created a week long sale on our site to benefit the NAR.

I encourage you to view my website as well as Facebook and Instagram to get a full understanding of how hard My wife and I work to market myself as an artist.”

The irony is that this show at  Loft 55 Gallery and Boutique, (55 West Church Street, Suite 114 Orlando FL) was a show about forgery. All the paintings were replicas painted by Danny Rock. Ashley Small is a partner and director of marketing for this small storefront gallery. These types of boutique galleries are becoming increasingly popular. Ashley has an amazingly kind heart. She spoke to several disadvantaged individuals who stopped by the opening, and she took the time to listen to their stories, which is in itself a gift.

I asked Danny about the issue of the Airedale. He explained that the client had insisted that he use a very specific reference to do the painting. This client could have probably purchased a print from John in Tampa for less than the commission paid to Danny. Danny admitted that he made a mistake in copying the art and he is willing to head to Tampa with me if or when I sketch John’s studio. John has moved on from this incident deciding it isn’t a large enough issue to stay upset about. Danny said it was an isolated incident and he learned from this mistake.

There have been quite a few incidents where people have lifted my sketches offline to promote their events or neighborhoods. The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival used one of my sketches without asking me to promote this event which features Artists from around the country, so I understand John’s frustration. My work, done at art openings often has small postage stamp sized reproductions of others artists paintings in the context of the sketch. These sketches are meant to promote that artists work. Part of me wonders if I am infringing on that artists copyright. Is a sketch of another artists work always a theft?  Since these drawings done at openings seldom sell, I might be safe. My work is so loose, rough and simplified that there must be plausible deniability. So many artists in town work from reference from photographers they have never met. Pop culture seems up for grabs. Is every image online considered public domain? Movies proclaim that piracy isn’t a victim less crime. Are all artists in this digital age pirates? Pablo Picasso said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” Perhaps copying means a direct forgery but when we steal, we make it our own.

Danny Rock presents “The Urban Art Forger.”

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I went to the studio of artist Danny Rock in Casselberry as he put finishing touches on ten forgeries he will be showing at Loft 55 Gallery & Boutique (55 West Church Street, Suite 120, Orlando, Florida).”Urban Art Forger” will open this Thursday March 19th as part of the Downtown Third Thursday art scene.

 

Danny explained that the work “Is a recreation of classics done in a new world trying to
relate to what is real verses what is not. The point of this exhibition
is to bring the awareness that fine art collectors and patrons  would rather
spend millions on forgeries than support local fine artists with real
skill and poise. All  the reproduction made are open domain.”

 

On his work table was a book about how the Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre by a former staff member, Vincenzo Peruggia. He didn’t steal the painting for profit. He loved the painting and wanted it for himself. His tiny garret had a wooden stove and the Mona Lisa leaned up next to it for years. Pan drippings and spatter from boiling soups might have splashed the painting. After two years, he took the painting to Italy and kept it in his Florence apartment.  He wanted the painting returned to it’s homeland. Magazines had just come into vogue and the image of Mona Lisa circled the world until she was found.  Vincenzo only served two months in an Italian jail when convicted. Now behind bullet proof glass, it must be the most visited and photographed painting in the world. I went to see the painting and was shocked by the crushing crowd of tourists all viewing her in their digital devices. It was a surreal scene, which I call the digital salute. A digital picture takes a second to create and then is
forgotten on hard drives or lost. Danny on the other hand is taking the
time to apply delicate glazes and trying to understand the subtleties
of the masters. Recently a second Mona Lisa has appeared painted on canvas. Da Vinci usually worked on wooden panels. In this painting there are two columns on either side of her. Some experts claim that this was a study done by Da Vinci for the final painting. Others believe it is a forgery. Danny decided to create a forgery of both.  Digital 3-D printers can now duplicate a painting with all the thick impasto paint and color. Though accurate it would still lack the human touch. It also could not replicate the deep pools of glazes applied. Perhaps we are becoming a society that only wants reproductions instead of originals. Everyone expects Wall mart prices even in art. Danny’s forgeries are available for only a couple of hundred dollars each.

See Art Orlando

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I went to Loft 55 Gallery and Boutique (55 West Church Street, suite 114, Orlando, Fl), curated by Ashlie Lawson, to see  an interactive performance concept by Stephen AG Carey. This local artist will be locked within a gallery to only portray the messages given to him by the community. He calls this exhibit “Messages 4 the Cure” to help advocate for those who have survived, still battling or lost their lives to cancer. People were able to write a message and tape it to the gallery
windows for those individuals who survived, are still battling, or lost
their lives to cancer. The artist then rewrote the messages onto an art
piece hanging on the galleries wall.

Unfortunately when I arrived a little before rush hour, a sign on the door said the artist was out for a three hour break. The painting in progress had maybe ten lines of copy written into the piece. The writing was too small for me to read. The painting was far from complete. This was a sad excuse for performance art. The concept was good but the execution wasn’t great. I lost interest and left.

Since I still needed to do a sketch, I hiked to Lake Eola to sketch one of the new See Art Orlando sculptures of a flock of gulls swooping over the lake. See Art Orlando’s mission is to enhance the aesthetic experience and cultural image of Downtown Orlando through a major Public Sculpture Community Project. The installation of iconic works of art throughout the City will bring National and International attention to Orlando and will add to the economic viability of the community.

The flock was sculpted by Douwe (“Dow”, a Dutch name) Blumberg. He came to his art career by a rather circuitous route. Born in Los Angeles of two amateur artists. During a childhood that was almost a continual art education, he spent some formative years in Europe being exposed to western artistic traditions. Later he attended the University of Southern California’s prestigious Idyllwild School of the Arts and Music. This was followed up with four years of sculpture/metal working education during which he won many national awards. His education was capped by an apprenticeship at a CA art foundry where he mastered the many facets of creating bronzes. He attributes his ability to work in varied techniques and styles to this style of learning.

Upon graduation however, he did not immediately pursue an art career. Instead, he became a professional horse trainer, a career he pursued for 18 years at his ranch outside of L.A. Gradually, however, he started sculpting again, albeit part time, and began accepting commissions. As demand for his work grew, he was forced to choose between the two careers; his lifelong passion of sculpting won out. Closing his barn in 2000, he relocated to centrally located Kentucky where he has a studio and home north of Lexington. Douwe has completed well over 200 private and public commissions and has numerous awards, residencies and shows to his credit.

Lake Eola Sunset

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On August 28th I found myself downtown with several hours to spare before going to an artist paint out in front of Loft 55 Gallery and Boutique (55 West Church Street, suite 114, Orlando, Fl). Walking around Lake Eola I was struck by the amazing sunset and decided to do a straight forward landscape sketch. I avoided line much of the time trying to just capture the play of warm and cool colors in the sky and on the buildings. The city has invested in brand new swan peddle boats which must have cost a fortune. Joggers and people walking their dogs circled the lake.

There were several other events I could have been sketching, like an Urban ReThink Town hall meeting and a Social Media Club Meeting.  Sadly, Urban ReThink has had to close its doors, but It will be returning in a new form at the recently refurbished Cameo Theater (1013 E Colonial Drive Orlando, FL). I was playing hookie. It felt good to slow down and take in the sunset.

Tu Tu Tango

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Cafe Tu Tu Tango (8625 International Dr, Orlando, FL) is designed to feel like a Spanish artist’s loft, it
evokes a time when artists found inspiration and community in sharing
food, drink and philosophy with one another. The bohemian lifestyle
fashioned life as a grand celebration, a feast of the senses to be
shared and treasured. Together, artists found kinship over meals shared
on appetizer-sized plates, over drink, music, and conversation.

One of the things that truly makes Cafe Tu Tu Tango unique is the menu.
Not only do they serve up creative fare that captures exotic flavors from
around the world, but they do so in small, appetizer-sized portions that
were meant to be shared. Choose an array of dishes for your table, and
let the party enjoy them communally. Experience a spectrum of the
world’s most tantalizing tastes together. Savor both the food and the
company. This is what life is all about.

I went to the Cafe because Ashlie Lawson, the director of marketing for Loft 55 Gallery and Boutique pointed out that Samuel Rivera, the Gallery owner, arranged for artists to work at the cafe. I had eaten at Tu Tu more than ten years ago and now I was curious. I sat at a table that had a view of an artists work area. About three artists work live as guests eat and chat. Local artist Julio Sanchez Julsan began organizing his paintings in his work space.  I have seen Julio’s work before at FAVO. It is bright and colorful folk art with a modern edge. My goal of course was to catch Julio as he painted. I grew impatient as he made phone calls and surfed the web. I finally drew him as he was staring at his cell phone screen. After probably an hour and a half he finally did put a brush stroke to canvas. I erased the cell phone and put a brush in his hand.

On the table a Windsor Newton jar held all the utensils. Paintings were hung everywhere but most were truly awful. An odd green elephant stood next to a primitive butterfly. A ghastly painting of a clown face brought me back to my childhood in which my parents had two paint by number clown faces hanging in the basement. I suppose one of my older brothers or sisters must have filled in the numbers. But they were a classic example of middle class bad taste. The food however, came out almost immediately and everything was delicious. A belly dancer worked her moves several times that night but my center of interest was Julio so I never caught her. As a local, I lost sight of this place but it is a great place to hang out with friends. Mark Your Calendar! Every Friday Tu Tu Tango has a “appy hour”, that is appy as in appetizers, with two for one drinks and $3 appetizers!

Loft 55 Gallery and Boutique

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Via Facebook, I got an invitation from Ashlie Lawson a partner and director of marketing at Loft 55 Gallery and Boutique (55 West Church Street, suite 114, Orlando, Florida) to paint live on Wednesday nights. For $10 artists can set up outside the gallery which is in the breezeway between Urban Flats and 7-11 in front of the fountain. All local artists are welcome to join the resident artists every Wednesday night to paint live. It is the perfect time, (7pm to 10pm) and day to take advantage of Wind Down
Wednesdays at Urban Flats which is a very crowded outdoor happy hour only a few steps away from the gallery. The live painting event is a great opportunity for artists to gain exposure and build up their presence in the arts community. If anything is sold, then the gallery gets a 20% commission for gallery efforts. If you bring another artist, the gallery offers commission discounts.

On Wednesday August 28th, I went to the gallery to sketch. Ashley referred to Loft 55 as a micro-gallery. Apparently these are all the rage in NYC and Chicago. The space is only about three feet deep, just enough room for you to stand back a little bit from each painting. It is all store front and the work is easily viewed without going inside. A large pyramid shaped fountain trickles in front of the entrance. I started sketching immediately and I waited patiently for the other artists to set up and start to work. Artists who painted that evening included Danny Rock, Leroy Santos, Robert Moore and Darrell Johnson. I spoke to Darrell for sometime about his art. He uses intricate ink line work and watercolor washes so we had much in common.

On display in the Gallery were paintings that revolved around the theme of autism. Artists were given three months to create a
painting of their meaning of autism. 100% of all sales went to The Academy of Autism. This sort of selfless giving sets Loft 55 apart as it makes a difference in the Orlando community. Since all the resident artists donated their artwork, Ashley showed her appreciation by inviting them for the judging and ceremony of the “Artist for Autism Challenge” on
August 29, 2013.  There were some appetizers and a few refreshments. All
art work was judged the night of the ceremony by three local
advocates of the Orlando Arts and Culture community, Barbara Hartley the Director at City Arts Factory, Ashlie Rolfe, Showcase Director at RAW Artist and Samuel Rivera  Owner and Curator of Loft 55 Gallery and Boutique. The first place piece was a collaboration between Travis Smith and Ralph Verano. The second place piece was by Peter Van Flores III. All of the art from the “Art for a Social Change Project” will be exhibited at the Academy for Autism once it leaves Loft 55.

Ashley is an artist herself and she was a constant whirlwind of activity as I sketched. She sold several paintings, spoke to every artist and was returning art to an artist from a previous exhibit.  She set up fans outside the gallery to keep the artists comfortable in the twilight heat. She was working on small square paintings that were abstractions of flowers against a light blue sky that worked together as a triptych. All the artists bring different sensibilities to the gallery. Beautiful women in high heels clomped past the gallery to the downtown clubs. Other less fashionable locals used the water fountain I was sitting next to, or tried to use the bathroom which was unfortunately locked.


Mark Your Calendar! If you would like to join Ashlie Lawson and her resident artists on any Wednesday night, contact her by email: info@Loft55galleryandboutique.com or by phone: 321-298-3806. Downtown is buzzing with creativity, be a part of the hip art scene.

Wind Down Wednesdays

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On August 21st I went downtown to go sketch a Yelp Happy Hour. Colleen (Blue) Burns is the Yelp community manager who organizes such events. These get-togethers are a great way to meet fellow Yelpers, those people whose write reviews about restaurants and just about any venue – for friendly conversation, lots of laughs and experience new local hangouts. The event was to take place at Eternal Tap (116 W Church St, Orlando, FL). As I walked down Church Street I couldn’t find and building numbers. I did however notice this large crowd of people gathered outside 55 West. This had to be a crowd of Yelpers.

I got busy sketching from a second story balcony.  An afternoon rain shower had just passed and the pavement was still sparkling wet. Drinks were available from under the green tent and loud music pulsed inside the establishment. I got to watch the social exchange as guys moved in to speak to women. The women were dressed to the 9’s but some of the guys felt it was fine to show up in blue jeans. I was in jeans myself but I was separate from the happy hour scene.

A policeman stood vigil at the Church Street circle waiting for drunken mischief.  It began to sprinkle and the gathering quickly darted inside. With the sketch done I peeked inside. This was Urban Flats (55 West Church Street Orlando FL) which is a chain restaurant. Lights flashed and the walls vibrated from the deep base in the music. Bars along Church Street were just starting to fill up. Eternal Tap must be further down Church Street, closer to the Amway Center. Pan handlers had moved into their positions for their daily take. Loft 55 Gallery and Boutique (55 West Church Street Suite 114 Orlando FL) was just a few steps away. I had met Ashlie Lawson, partner and director of marketing of this Micro-gallery just a few days before at the Solar Games open house. Mark Your Calendar! Every Wednesday artists gather outside the gallery to paint live and talk about art to passers by. Artists set up about 7pm and then paint late into the night. Hit a happy hour and then hang with some artists.