Jean le Bon, Paris

Deck the Halls art market, Artspace, Shreveport; opens Nov 15 / Robert Trudeau
Originally uploaded by trudeau

This fellow entered the sketchbook via a notable painting at the Louvre. Jean le Bon, aka John II, was immortalized in a portrait by an unknown French artist, 14th century Paris.

Jean was king of France from 1350 to 1364.

In my recent sketch he has entered the monastery and taken tonsure, which is probably portrayed too broadly. Still, I like the robes d'investiture
and his sanctified glow. His eyes seem to say High As a Loon.

Sugar in Shreveport

Sugar
Originally uploaded by trudeau

Inspired by a van Eyck painting of Christ that I sketched in a Belgian museum this summer, I've been playing with this face and watching it morph.

The eyes seem characterful and somewhat unsettling. Clearly this is a sober and intense person. Angry? Possibly. Threatening? OK.

Partly it is a study of aging flesh. So many furrows in one face.

I think of him as a monk; one of a series. From age 14 to 18 I went to a Catholic seminary, a boarding school outside of Covington, La, in which we were ruled by monks. Order of St Benedict. Some were benevolent fellows. Many were old school-stern and even malicious.

Then why the title, Sugar? For the sake of irony, I think.

Blood on the walls at Deck the Halls

Blood
Originally uploaded by trudeau

Blood might also be entitled Iraq.

You can see a previous version of Blood in an earlier post.

Meeting of cultures.

Many African-Americans are Muslim. Many of them are descended from West African families that were Muslim before coming to the US.

This piece also comments on the much-debated gangsta stance. Are these women veiled or gagged?

It's also about texture, of course. Texture freak.

It will be for sale during the holiday art market at Artspace, Shreveport.
In a heavy black frame.

Calacas: the Godfather of Soul, Artspace, Shreveport

the Godfather of Soul, Artspace, Shreveport
Originally uploaded by trudeau

In a benefit for Artspace and the Dia de los Muertos exhibit, SRAC supplied me with the plastic skeleton, which as you see is quite charming. Found the large raw wood frame in Talbot's collection of old frames. Put in a few screw eyes and wired in the dancing calaca.

It went for $100 in the auction. Thanks to Gif and Bonnie Gillen for fancying it.

Chicken of the Dead, a response to celebrations of Dia de los Muertos

Chicken of the Dead / pen and ink robert trudeau 07, Shreveport
Originally uploaded by trudeau

Being involved in a celebration of Dia de los Muertos at Artspace, Shreveport, has resulted in . . .

* shooting and editing 2 videos: one of interviews with Mexican-Americans and another of the party that marked the opening of the exhibit (please see youtube.com/trudeau11 on the short one).
* making 6 illustrations from the life of folksinger Huddie Lead Belly Ledbetter for a large ofrendas.
* making a calaveras to be auctioned for the sponsoring arts organization.
* additionally, this quasi-skeleton popped out last week.
* expresso pen in a moleskine.