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ART YOU CAN LOVE November 21, 2017
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"Ragged End"
Original oil painting on canvas 30x40 inches
Available as a print on canvas, paper, or metal.
"Ragged End" is the northern end of Ragged Point, with its ‘Million Dollar View’.  It is a landmark stop for travelers heading north to Big Sur or south to Hearst Castle along California’s iconic Highway 1 Discovery Route. Towering 400 feet above the Pacific Ocean, the view from the point reveals miles of deep blue ocean, waves crashing on remote beaches, and seasonal whale watching.  
I painted it with the Big Sur Pacific ocean blues.  From this point I could see the horizon at such a distance it blurred in to the sky.  The cliffs are amazing, and the sound of the waves are muffled by the height of the place.

 
Woman in Gold

Movies billed as “A true story” are rarely found. “Based on a true story” means the movie takes pretty big artistic license.  “Inspired by a true story” means the story has no affinity to reality whatsoever.

So when I decided to watch the movie Woman In Gold which is based on a true story I watched it with some skepticism.  I was pleasantly surprised by the authenticity of the movie.

David Ferguson gave it a review that sums it up pretty well:

“Helen Mirren portrays Maria Altmann, who emigrated to the United States by fleeing her Austrian homeland during World War II, and leaving behind her beloved family and all possessions. After the death of her sister, Ms. Altmann becomes aware of the family artwork stolen by the Nazi's during the invasion. This is not just any artwork, but multiple pieces from famed Austrian artist Gustav Klimt … including "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer". See, Adele was Maria's aunt, and the stunning piece (with gold leaf accents) has become "the Mona Lisa of Austria", while hanging for decades in the state gallery.

The story revolves around Maria's partnering with family friend and upstart attorney Randol Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds) to take on the nation of Austria and reclaim the (extremely valuable) artwork that was seized illegally so many years ago. They are aided in their mission by an Austrian journalist (played by Daniel Bruhl) who is fighting his own demons. The seven-plus year legal saga is condensed for the big screen and we follow Maria and Randol as they meet with the Austrian art reclamation committee, a federal judge (played by the director's wife Elizabeth McGovern), the U.S. Supreme Court (Jonathan Pryce as Chief Justice), and finally a mediation committee back in Austria. But this is not really a courtroom drama … it's a personal quest for justice and search for identity. What role does family roots and history play in determining who we are today? It's the age old question of past vs. present, only this is seen through the eyes of a woman who has survived what most of us can only imagine.

Director Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) uses startling flashbacks (with Tatiana Maslany as the younger Maria) to provide glimpses of Maria's childhood through her marriage and subsequent escape. We get to know her family, including some scenes featuring Aunt Adele (Antje Traue), and Maria's father and uncle (Henry Goodman, Allan Corduner). We understand this family's place in society and just how dramatically they were impacted by the Nazi takeover.

Helen Mirren delivers yet another exceptional performance and manages to pull off the snappy lines without an ounce of schmaltz, while also capturing the emotional turmoil Ms. Altmann endures. Director Curtis and writer Alexi Kaye Campbell round off some of the rough edges and inject enough humor to prevent this from being the gut-wrenching process it probably was in real life. This approach makes the film, the story and the characters more relatable for most movie goers … and it's quite an enjoyable look at a fascinating woman and a pretty remarkable underdog story."

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