LIVING on the slopes of the Moelwyns not far from Porthmadog, David Grosvenor is not short of breathtaking scenery.
What’s surprising is that until recently he rarely painted the mountains, preferring instead to produce summery watercolour paintings of flowers.
His latest exhibition, at Cardiff’s Albany Gallery this month, reflects a bold change of direction: there are some flower paintings but the majority of the work depicts the mountains of North Wales, executed in oils.
Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that he has managed to retain many of the fans who originally fell in love with his brighter, floral artwork.
Since changing his style he has had a number of sell-out shows in North Wales, and many of his buyers have collected his work for many years.
“I was very fortunate to take them with me,” he says. “A lot of people have told me, ‘I normally only like watercolours but I like your oils’.
“I wonder if it’s because I bring something of how I paint in watercolour into the oil paintings.”
The son of a missionary, David spent part of his childhood in Madagascar and studied English Literature and Art at Exeter University, where oil was his chosen medium.
His first career was as an illustrator and graphic designer in London but in 1991 he moved to Wales in order to focus on his painting.
His use of watercolour sprang from his background in illustration, and in Wales he found that it suited the summer months, when flowers were blooming in the garden and the light was bright.
Oils gradually emerged as a way to paint through the darker winter months.
“In the winter the light doesn’t suit watercolours,” he says.
“With watercolour you can get really lovely light bright colours because the paint is transparent and the paper shines through; it suits the sunny summer days. Oil isn’t like that; it’s dense, it’s opaque and when you start to mix the colours you’re much more likely to get more sombre colours. I think it suits moodier subjects.”
Nothing could be moodier than a mountain but David admits that he initially found them “a bit frightening” as a subject.
It was only as time went by and he started to walk their paths that he began getting to grips with them on canvas.
“I’m painting far more of the mountains now than I’ve ever tackled in the past – the textural quality of oil suits their ruggedness,” he says.
“I’ve started to walk more and when I get up there I find it completely energising. I wish I could take big canvases with me to work on.
“There’s a feeling about being up in the mountains looking over the edge of a crag that’s almost spooky, so the initial fear I had was probably not just about painting them but also going to some of those places as well.”
A string of wet, gloomy summers strengthened his resolve to paint mountain scenes, which are typically completed in the studio shortly after a mountain walk, while the colours and feelings are still fresh in his mind. Familiarity with his subject is vital.
“It’s rather like portrait painting,” he says.
“If you don’t know somebody and you’re asked to paint a portrait from a photograph, that painting cannot possibly depict that person because you’ve got no idea of their personality.
“It’s the same with mountains and flowers. I love gardening and growing the flowers that I paint. I think that kind of intimacy with your subject is important and that’s probably why I didn’t paint the mountains when I first moved here; I wasn’t intimate enough with them.”
His change of subject matter has gone hand in hand with a switch from brushes to palette knife.
“To start with I didn’t get on with them but I kept persisting and then stumbled across one particular shape of knife which is bliss to paint with, it just suits the way that I work.
“It’s shaped like a chisel and it completely changed my way of working.
“I think the biggest step forward I made in oil painting coincided with the finding of that knife. It has tiny corners so you can work in relatively small detail, but you’ve also got about two inches of blade itself so you can be quite expansive with it, painting not just with the wrist but with the whole arm.
“It’s made a huge difference to the way that I work and the satisfaction that I get from doing it.”
Satisfaction also comes from exhibiting his work at the Albany Gallery.
“Filling up cupboards and rooms with paintings would be quite a fruitless exercise but being able to get lovely feedback from people who’ve bought the paintings is really rewarding.
“I’m very fortunate that I do something I enjoy and can give pleasure to other people through that – I can’t tell you how lucky I feel.”
2012年2月1日星期三
Eager artists get painting lesson at APL
A handful of lucky youth got the chance to put paint brush to canvas this past weekend when local painter Lorne Peterson taught a classroom full of eager artists the fine art of oil painting at the Airdrie Public Library.
The class, which ran from 1 to 2:30 pm, was part of the library’s ongoing Art in the Library program which encourages artists from all mediums and disciplines to share their skills and talents with youth in the community through the teaching of hands-on seminars and workshops. Classes are open to children ages 9 to 12 years of age and cost a total of $3 for supplies.
“I really enjoy teaching art to children because all of my four children, since the age of six, have won first prize in art,” said Peterson. “My 13-year-old daughter was actually accepted into the Calgary Stampede Art Auction and sold her painting for $600 to a collector from Idaho and my eldest daughter was selling numerous pencil portrait sketches to her place of employment when she was only 17.”
Though his own love of painting didn’t take root as early as those of his children and students, Peterson has managed to make up for lost time by creating gorgeous paintings that incorporate his love of tall ships, western landscapes and personal portraits.
“I first began oil painting at about 18-years-old,” noted Peterson. “I applied to attend the Nova Scotia College of Art and the school suggested I attend a life class. Not knowing any better I attended the class, which turned out to be a bad decision. I then [enrolled] in a graphic arts class.”
Not satisfied with what he was learning in the classroom, Peterson decided to take his studies to the library where he began reading books about 15th century art and artists. Self-taught, he began to dabble in various mediums, including photography, but eventually settled on oils.
“I paint in oils mainly because of the special effects I can achieve and also the durability
of the finished picture,” explained Peterson. “Great paintings from the past and notable contemporary art are all in oils.”
Though the process of painting a picture can take up to 60 hours to complete, Peterson never tires of the process and remains inspired by the world around him.
“I have always enjoyed learning,” he explained. “Upon leaving school I was a machinist, a marine engineer, an artist, and from there a design draftsman. Art of course is certainly my favourite because it is artistic and painting is capturing light, similar to photography.”
The class, which ran from 1 to 2:30 pm, was part of the library’s ongoing Art in the Library program which encourages artists from all mediums and disciplines to share their skills and talents with youth in the community through the teaching of hands-on seminars and workshops. Classes are open to children ages 9 to 12 years of age and cost a total of $3 for supplies.
“I really enjoy teaching art to children because all of my four children, since the age of six, have won first prize in art,” said Peterson. “My 13-year-old daughter was actually accepted into the Calgary Stampede Art Auction and sold her painting for $600 to a collector from Idaho and my eldest daughter was selling numerous pencil portrait sketches to her place of employment when she was only 17.”
Though his own love of painting didn’t take root as early as those of his children and students, Peterson has managed to make up for lost time by creating gorgeous paintings that incorporate his love of tall ships, western landscapes and personal portraits.
“I first began oil painting at about 18-years-old,” noted Peterson. “I applied to attend the Nova Scotia College of Art and the school suggested I attend a life class. Not knowing any better I attended the class, which turned out to be a bad decision. I then [enrolled] in a graphic arts class.”
Not satisfied with what he was learning in the classroom, Peterson decided to take his studies to the library where he began reading books about 15th century art and artists. Self-taught, he began to dabble in various mediums, including photography, but eventually settled on oils.
“I paint in oils mainly because of the special effects I can achieve and also the durability
of the finished picture,” explained Peterson. “Great paintings from the past and notable contemporary art are all in oils.”
Though the process of painting a picture can take up to 60 hours to complete, Peterson never tires of the process and remains inspired by the world around him.
“I have always enjoyed learning,” he explained. “Upon leaving school I was a machinist, a marine engineer, an artist, and from there a design draftsman. Art of course is certainly my favourite because it is artistic and painting is capturing light, similar to photography.”
2012年1月15日星期日
Jazz played like rock in a trio of new releases
Intertwining jazz and rock is not itself a novel idea. From Miles Davis to Weather Report to Last Exit to the Bad Plus, it has been going on for more than 40 years. But artists are constantly finding new ways to bring elements of rock into the folds of jazz.
Sidony Box - saxophonist Elie Dalibert, guitarist Manuel Adnot, and drummer Arthur Narcy - refers to itself as a power jazz trio. Posed on the jacket of their new album in hooded sweatshirts and unshaven faces like the Beastie Boys, they are clearly aiming for a young audience. Their music, which blends shoegaze and modern prog-rock with jazz improvisation, feels expansive. “Pink Paradise’’ (Naive Records) pleads to be popped in a car stereo and played at high volume on the open road.
With droning guitar and undulating waves of rhythm, the music is textured and layered, so much so that it sounds like a few more than three musicians. Dalibert’s alto sax is alternately melancholy and aggressive on tunes like “Suédois.’’ Despite the instrumentation, the trio draws on the aesthetics of certain rock bands - Radiohead, Tortoise, and Sonic Youth, in particular - as it constructs songs. (And these are structured songs, not aimless jams.) Sidony Box’s ethos crystallizes on the 10-minute drone “Léman’’ and on “Ultimate Pop Song,’’ a tune with a gorgeous hook that evokes both the melodicism and the expansive sound of Sigur Rós.
Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer has forged his identity by bridging the worlds of jazz and electronic music. And it is the best of both: Molvaer pits the warmth and freedom of improvisation against the intense drama of ambient, electronica, and trip-hop. Indeed, he turns the cold, unwavering structure of that world on its head.
It is easy to imagine Davis, if he were still alive, making the kind of music one hears on “Baboon Moon’’ (Thirsty Ear). Molvaer, guitarist Stian Westerhus, and drummer Erland Dahlen construct barren, dark, and dirty audio-scenes that draw direct lineage to bands like Massive Attack. Molvaer blows in a stark, detached manner over the dystopian backdrop of “Mercury Heart,’’ a faint kick drum acting as a heartbeat. Westerhus’s harsh guitar - which also manages to provide the bass line - fuels the rocker “Recoil.’’ In between the abrasives, rhythmless ambient soundscapes like “A Small Realm’’ and “Prince of Calm’’ offer much-needed buffer zones.
Brian Landrus - who plays baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, and bass flute on “Capsule’’ (BlueLand Records) - creates a very special kind of music with his band The Landrus Kaleidoscope. It is modern and contemporary - indeed, pop oriented - but it doesn’t give in to the artificial-sweetener trappings of smooth jazz. No, this quintet, which includes pianist Michael Cain (mostly on Fender Rhodes), guitar Nir Felder, bassist Matthew Parish, and drummer Rudy Royston, makes an organic fusion that ignores the boundaries that supposedly separate jazz, rock, pop, and R&B.
Forget that the music has a backbeat. It’s bona fide jazz, and the openness of tunes such as the driving “Striped Phrase’’ and the reggae-based “Like the Wind’’ provide ample space for wise improvisation. He doesn’t swing like Gene Krupa, but Royston’s drumming is crisp and smart; on “Striped Phase’’ he lapses into an alternative time signature for a few bars while the rest of the band keeps stride. Landrus’s bass clarinet wraps phrases, vinelike, around the skittering drums and airy electric piano chords of “Beauty.’’ The buildup of the soft R&B number “I Promise’’ is so patient and romantic that you half expect Barry White to start singing, but there is no need: Landrus’s clarinet is every bit as sultry. “Capsule’’ achieves a rare feat: It’s easy on the ears and nourishing for the brain.
Sidony Box - saxophonist Elie Dalibert, guitarist Manuel Adnot, and drummer Arthur Narcy - refers to itself as a power jazz trio. Posed on the jacket of their new album in hooded sweatshirts and unshaven faces like the Beastie Boys, they are clearly aiming for a young audience. Their music, which blends shoegaze and modern prog-rock with jazz improvisation, feels expansive. “Pink Paradise’’ (Naive Records) pleads to be popped in a car stereo and played at high volume on the open road.
With droning guitar and undulating waves of rhythm, the music is textured and layered, so much so that it sounds like a few more than three musicians. Dalibert’s alto sax is alternately melancholy and aggressive on tunes like “Suédois.’’ Despite the instrumentation, the trio draws on the aesthetics of certain rock bands - Radiohead, Tortoise, and Sonic Youth, in particular - as it constructs songs. (And these are structured songs, not aimless jams.) Sidony Box’s ethos crystallizes on the 10-minute drone “Léman’’ and on “Ultimate Pop Song,’’ a tune with a gorgeous hook that evokes both the melodicism and the expansive sound of Sigur Rós.
Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer has forged his identity by bridging the worlds of jazz and electronic music. And it is the best of both: Molvaer pits the warmth and freedom of improvisation against the intense drama of ambient, electronica, and trip-hop. Indeed, he turns the cold, unwavering structure of that world on its head.
It is easy to imagine Davis, if he were still alive, making the kind of music one hears on “Baboon Moon’’ (Thirsty Ear). Molvaer, guitarist Stian Westerhus, and drummer Erland Dahlen construct barren, dark, and dirty audio-scenes that draw direct lineage to bands like Massive Attack. Molvaer blows in a stark, detached manner over the dystopian backdrop of “Mercury Heart,’’ a faint kick drum acting as a heartbeat. Westerhus’s harsh guitar - which also manages to provide the bass line - fuels the rocker “Recoil.’’ In between the abrasives, rhythmless ambient soundscapes like “A Small Realm’’ and “Prince of Calm’’ offer much-needed buffer zones.
Brian Landrus - who plays baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, and bass flute on “Capsule’’ (BlueLand Records) - creates a very special kind of music with his band The Landrus Kaleidoscope. It is modern and contemporary - indeed, pop oriented - but it doesn’t give in to the artificial-sweetener trappings of smooth jazz. No, this quintet, which includes pianist Michael Cain (mostly on Fender Rhodes), guitar Nir Felder, bassist Matthew Parish, and drummer Rudy Royston, makes an organic fusion that ignores the boundaries that supposedly separate jazz, rock, pop, and R&B.
Forget that the music has a backbeat. It’s bona fide jazz, and the openness of tunes such as the driving “Striped Phrase’’ and the reggae-based “Like the Wind’’ provide ample space for wise improvisation. He doesn’t swing like Gene Krupa, but Royston’s drumming is crisp and smart; on “Striped Phase’’ he lapses into an alternative time signature for a few bars while the rest of the band keeps stride. Landrus’s bass clarinet wraps phrases, vinelike, around the skittering drums and airy electric piano chords of “Beauty.’’ The buildup of the soft R&B number “I Promise’’ is so patient and romantic that you half expect Barry White to start singing, but there is no need: Landrus’s clarinet is every bit as sultry. “Capsule’’ achieves a rare feat: It’s easy on the ears and nourishing for the brain.
2011年9月26日星期一
Tuscany, A Tasting in Three Parts
Inside the entrance to the castle proper at Castello Vicchiomaggio there is a small reproduction of “La Giaconda”—the Mona Lisa. Asked why it hangs there, proprietor and winemaker John Matta smiles and says, “Look out the door, then look at the background scenery on the painting. They’re the same.” According to local lore, he says, Leonardo da Vinci was a guest at the castle while painting the masterpiece.
Well, the scenery does look somewhat the same, although it has undoubtedly changed in the 500 or so years since Leonardo painted his most famous work. But the story, appealing even if apocryphal, underscores how tradition hangs like the grapes on the vines themselves at this historic property.
The property on top of the breathtakingly scenic vine-covered hill (and there are lots of them in Tuscany) in Greve in Chianti dates back to at least the 5th century. Matta jokes that none of the workers have started arriving in Mercedes or BMWs, so he is pretty sure no one is stealing Etruscan artifacts uncovered whole planting and selling them off to collectors. The estate was a storied fortress during the myriad feuds of the Renaissance. Today there is still the elegant house (which takes in paying guests) with its own church (available for weddings) and, of course, the vineyards and winery on the 150-hectare estate.
Wine has been produced at Castello Vicchiomaggio as long as can be documented, and John and Paola Matta, who acquired the estate in 1964, hew to the ancient traditions of the place. In adherence to the strict production code of Chianti Classico, only emergency irrigation is permitted. Sangiovese is the primary grape, of course, but merlot and cabernet sauvignon, as well as small batches of other varieties, are also grown. Replanting takes place on a regular basis. Cultivation is meticulous, Matta says, which makes for lesser yields but more concentrated flavors. Picking on the 32 hectares devoted to grapes (the rest is used for olives) is done by hand.
Such detail pays off. The wines have won numerous awards in Italy and abroad, and so has John Matta himself. Four times Matta, who is British-born of an Italian family, has been named Italian Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit competition.
A sumptuous lunch was the palette for our palates, as we tasted several of Matta’s best wines and enjoyed Tuscan hospitality. (I can never get enough of pasta alla cinghiale, the region’s ubiquitous wild boar ragù sauce.) As a general observation, the wines have a depth of elegance and grace lacking in many of the Tuscan wines that make it to our shores.
But even after we left Castello Vicchiomaggio and our palates waded through a thicket of Chiantis and Brunellos and super Tuscans throughout our brief trip, it was one of Matta’s wines that everyone in our group seemed to favor and return to again and again while relaxing in the evening. His 2008 Castello Vicchiomaggio “La Prima” Chianti Classico Riserva is quintessentially, traditionally Tuscan. I think Leonardo would be proud.
Olivier Paul-Moradini—just call him Olivier, it is easier—is easy to hate: he has rock star-looks and an impossibly beautiful hillside property in Tuscany’s maritime Maremme region that turns out wines of great depth and charm. Olivier also possesses great charm, so, no one can really hate him. And we were privileged to be the first group to visit Volpaiole.
Olivier is not of a winemaking family. He is a Belgian whose job was, of all things, as a European Union bureaucrat. He worked to improve a European-wide emergency call system, establishing 112 as Europe’s emergency phone number, just like 911 in the United States.
But on visits to Tuscany, Olivier fell in love with the wines of a tiny mom-and-pop winery, Volpaiole. Located on the coast of Tyrrhenian Sea, the island of Napolean’s exile, Elba, is visible from the hilltop winery. Olivier returned time and again, befriending the owners Armin and Liliana. In 2007, the couple said they wanted to retire and offered Olivier the opportunity to buy Volpaiole, which means “Fox’s Corner.” He jumped at the chance.
When I say “tiny” I am not kidding. The vineyards are a shade over one hectare, although some new plantings were planned to perhaps double that. Sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot are cultivated, along with some cabernet franc.
Olivier and his winemaker Luca D’Atomma like to keep things green. Grapes are handpicked, and the skins and stalks are recycled back into the soil.
As for the production facility—well, that can truly be called a garage operation. There are a couple of tanks, and maybe a dozen larger and small oak barrels about in a space that really looks like it once was a large garage. (There is also a small olive press producing simply stunning olive oil. Unfortunately, production is so miniscule that it does not reach these shores. Sigh.)
Well, the scenery does look somewhat the same, although it has undoubtedly changed in the 500 or so years since Leonardo painted his most famous work. But the story, appealing even if apocryphal, underscores how tradition hangs like the grapes on the vines themselves at this historic property.
The property on top of the breathtakingly scenic vine-covered hill (and there are lots of them in Tuscany) in Greve in Chianti dates back to at least the 5th century. Matta jokes that none of the workers have started arriving in Mercedes or BMWs, so he is pretty sure no one is stealing Etruscan artifacts uncovered whole planting and selling them off to collectors. The estate was a storied fortress during the myriad feuds of the Renaissance. Today there is still the elegant house (which takes in paying guests) with its own church (available for weddings) and, of course, the vineyards and winery on the 150-hectare estate.
Wine has been produced at Castello Vicchiomaggio as long as can be documented, and John and Paola Matta, who acquired the estate in 1964, hew to the ancient traditions of the place. In adherence to the strict production code of Chianti Classico, only emergency irrigation is permitted. Sangiovese is the primary grape, of course, but merlot and cabernet sauvignon, as well as small batches of other varieties, are also grown. Replanting takes place on a regular basis. Cultivation is meticulous, Matta says, which makes for lesser yields but more concentrated flavors. Picking on the 32 hectares devoted to grapes (the rest is used for olives) is done by hand.
Such detail pays off. The wines have won numerous awards in Italy and abroad, and so has John Matta himself. Four times Matta, who is British-born of an Italian family, has been named Italian Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirit competition.
A sumptuous lunch was the palette for our palates, as we tasted several of Matta’s best wines and enjoyed Tuscan hospitality. (I can never get enough of pasta alla cinghiale, the region’s ubiquitous wild boar ragù sauce.) As a general observation, the wines have a depth of elegance and grace lacking in many of the Tuscan wines that make it to our shores.
But even after we left Castello Vicchiomaggio and our palates waded through a thicket of Chiantis and Brunellos and super Tuscans throughout our brief trip, it was one of Matta’s wines that everyone in our group seemed to favor and return to again and again while relaxing in the evening. His 2008 Castello Vicchiomaggio “La Prima” Chianti Classico Riserva is quintessentially, traditionally Tuscan. I think Leonardo would be proud.
Olivier Paul-Moradini—just call him Olivier, it is easier—is easy to hate: he has rock star-looks and an impossibly beautiful hillside property in Tuscany’s maritime Maremme region that turns out wines of great depth and charm. Olivier also possesses great charm, so, no one can really hate him. And we were privileged to be the first group to visit Volpaiole.
Olivier is not of a winemaking family. He is a Belgian whose job was, of all things, as a European Union bureaucrat. He worked to improve a European-wide emergency call system, establishing 112 as Europe’s emergency phone number, just like 911 in the United States.
But on visits to Tuscany, Olivier fell in love with the wines of a tiny mom-and-pop winery, Volpaiole. Located on the coast of Tyrrhenian Sea, the island of Napolean’s exile, Elba, is visible from the hilltop winery. Olivier returned time and again, befriending the owners Armin and Liliana. In 2007, the couple said they wanted to retire and offered Olivier the opportunity to buy Volpaiole, which means “Fox’s Corner.” He jumped at the chance.
When I say “tiny” I am not kidding. The vineyards are a shade over one hectare, although some new plantings were planned to perhaps double that. Sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon, and merlot are cultivated, along with some cabernet franc.
Olivier and his winemaker Luca D’Atomma like to keep things green. Grapes are handpicked, and the skins and stalks are recycled back into the soil.
As for the production facility—well, that can truly be called a garage operation. There are a couple of tanks, and maybe a dozen larger and small oak barrels about in a space that really looks like it once was a large garage. (There is also a small olive press producing simply stunning olive oil. Unfortunately, production is so miniscule that it does not reach these shores. Sigh.)
2011年8月8日星期一
Amy was suffering a killer disease. And the name of that disease was Blake...
WHEN you walk into Sam Shaker's jazz club it looks like a shrine to Amy Winehouse set up since her tragic death last month.
But the striking portraits of the singer on the walls of Jazz After Dark - one of Amy's favourite places - were lovingly painted by Sam throughout his decade-long friendship with her.
They have been on display in his club in London's Soho for years as a tribute to her talent.
Now, though, there are four gaps on the wall where thieves have stolen some of the precious portraits since she died.
Sam - the man Amy called her "second dad" - is devastated and disgusted that people could be trying to cash in on the star's death.
Pointing to the wall in the side room he calls Amy's VIP area, Sam says: "Before Amy died, people called her names and they would ask me why I had so many paintings of her. They would say, 'She's a junkie. Why do you put a junkie on the walls?'
"Nobody liked Amy. They focused on her drug addiction. Now they want to steal Amy."
Egyptian-born Sam was at his studio in Alicante, Spain, when the pictures were stolen last week.
He fled there after her death to work on three unfinished oil paintings of Amy, commissioned by the star before she was found dead - aged just 27 - at her flat in Camden, north London.
But when he was in Spain he was too grief-stricken to work on the remaining canvases.
Sam, 72, says: "When Amy died I couldn't stand it here so I went to Alicante to finish some of the paintings. But I found myself completely stressed and distraught.
"I couldn't find Amy's CDs - they have sold out in Spain, just like here - and how can I paint Amy without listening to her music? I always listened to her albums when I painted her."
It was at Jazz After Dark that Amy's family and close friends held a tribute on July 28, two days after her funeral.
The amazingly lifelike images of the star - including those on these pages - stare down from every wall, her trademark beehive and tattoos re-created with photo-like precision.
But the striking portraits of the singer on the walls of Jazz After Dark - one of Amy's favourite places - were lovingly painted by Sam throughout his decade-long friendship with her.
They have been on display in his club in London's Soho for years as a tribute to her talent.
Now, though, there are four gaps on the wall where thieves have stolen some of the precious portraits since she died.
Sam - the man Amy called her "second dad" - is devastated and disgusted that people could be trying to cash in on the star's death.
Pointing to the wall in the side room he calls Amy's VIP area, Sam says: "Before Amy died, people called her names and they would ask me why I had so many paintings of her. They would say, 'She's a junkie. Why do you put a junkie on the walls?'
"Nobody liked Amy. They focused on her drug addiction. Now they want to steal Amy."
Egyptian-born Sam was at his studio in Alicante, Spain, when the pictures were stolen last week.
He fled there after her death to work on three unfinished oil paintings of Amy, commissioned by the star before she was found dead - aged just 27 - at her flat in Camden, north London.
But when he was in Spain he was too grief-stricken to work on the remaining canvases.
Sam, 72, says: "When Amy died I couldn't stand it here so I went to Alicante to finish some of the paintings. But I found myself completely stressed and distraught.
"I couldn't find Amy's CDs - they have sold out in Spain, just like here - and how can I paint Amy without listening to her music? I always listened to her albums when I painted her."
It was at Jazz After Dark that Amy's family and close friends held a tribute on July 28, two days after her funeral.
The amazingly lifelike images of the star - including those on these pages - stare down from every wall, her trademark beehive and tattoos re-created with photo-like precision.
2011年4月26日星期二
Coal Free IU finances 8 solar panels at IMU
Eight solar panels producing two kilowatts of clean energy were installed on the roof of the Indiana Memorial Union on Thursday.
The panels are each 250 watts and are located on the left side of the Whittenberger Auditorium entrance, said Jill Minor, Mann Plumbing Inc. solar website designer and School of Public and Environmental Affairs dual masters candidate.
“On the back of the panels, we use micro-inverters, and the panels create direct current electricity like a battery, and the micro-inverters change the direct current into alternating current,” Minor said.
The IU Student Foundation awarded the Sierra Club’s Coal Free IU project with a $12,000 grant to fund the installation of the solar panels.
University Engineer Jeff Kaden said while the grant wasn’t a lot of money to purchase these panels, the product the University purchased was good.
“Hopefully, this is the first of many projects that we can do like this, and hopefully, the next ones will be bigger,” he said.
Mann Plumbing Inc./MPI Solar installed the array, which took about nine hours, Minor said.
“The biggest challenge was definitely getting the panels up on the roof,” she said. “There was no direct access.”
However, because of a slight change in the way the micro inverters are connected, the solar panels aren’t fully operational yet, Kaden said.
“There are a couple electrical items that need to be completed, and quite frankly, it has not been sunny since they have been up so they couldn’t have been producing much energy anyway,” he said.
The amount of energy the IMU uses every day will affect how much of the difference is noticeable, Kaden said.
“The building uses thousands of kilowatts a day so there is going to be very little noticeable effect, quite frankly,” he said. “This is a very interesting demonstration project, and there will be a web-based opportunity for people to see the production, but as far as actually affecting usage of electricity in the Union building, it will not be that noticeable.”
Coal Free IU President Lauren Kastner said the club hopes for the solar panels to be functional by the end of next week and to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony to flip the switch on and connect the panels to the building.
“It is seriously such a huge move for students. It is both student run and funded, and it sends a huge message to the University that students are ready for clean energy,”
she said.
There will be a live monitor in the IMU for people to see how much energy is being used and how much sunlight is hitting the panels, Kastner said.
“We want to use them as an educational tool,” she said. “They are for the good of the campus. We want to make sure people have the access and use it as a learning tool. It is an onsite demonstration of clean energy not only for a better campus but education, research and awareness.”
Kastner said IU needs to take the clean energy seriously as 16 other universities have already made a public timeline to go off coal.
“It is so important that IU is on the path of clean energy now,” she said. “They need to start taking the competition seriously if they want to maintain progress and sustainability.”
The panels are each 250 watts and are located on the left side of the Whittenberger Auditorium entrance, said Jill Minor, Mann Plumbing Inc. solar website designer and School of Public and Environmental Affairs dual masters candidate.
“On the back of the panels, we use micro-inverters, and the panels create direct current electricity like a battery, and the micro-inverters change the direct current into alternating current,” Minor said.
The IU Student Foundation awarded the Sierra Club’s Coal Free IU project with a $12,000 grant to fund the installation of the solar panels.
University Engineer Jeff Kaden said while the grant wasn’t a lot of money to purchase these panels, the product the University purchased was good.
“Hopefully, this is the first of many projects that we can do like this, and hopefully, the next ones will be bigger,” he said.
Mann Plumbing Inc./MPI Solar installed the array, which took about nine hours, Minor said.
“The biggest challenge was definitely getting the panels up on the roof,” she said. “There was no direct access.”
However, because of a slight change in the way the micro inverters are connected, the solar panels aren’t fully operational yet, Kaden said.
“There are a couple electrical items that need to be completed, and quite frankly, it has not been sunny since they have been up so they couldn’t have been producing much energy anyway,” he said.
The amount of energy the IMU uses every day will affect how much of the difference is noticeable, Kaden said.
“The building uses thousands of kilowatts a day so there is going to be very little noticeable effect, quite frankly,” he said. “This is a very interesting demonstration project, and there will be a web-based opportunity for people to see the production, but as far as actually affecting usage of electricity in the Union building, it will not be that noticeable.”
Coal Free IU President Lauren Kastner said the club hopes for the solar panels to be functional by the end of next week and to have a ribbon-cutting ceremony to flip the switch on and connect the panels to the building.
“It is seriously such a huge move for students. It is both student run and funded, and it sends a huge message to the University that students are ready for clean energy,”
she said.
There will be a live monitor in the IMU for people to see how much energy is being used and how much sunlight is hitting the panels, Kastner said.
“We want to use them as an educational tool,” she said. “They are for the good of the campus. We want to make sure people have the access and use it as a learning tool. It is an onsite demonstration of clean energy not only for a better campus but education, research and awareness.”
Kastner said IU needs to take the clean energy seriously as 16 other universities have already made a public timeline to go off coal.
“It is so important that IU is on the path of clean energy now,” she said. “They need to start taking the competition seriously if they want to maintain progress and sustainability.”
2011年4月11日星期一
Tigo Raises $10 Million For Solar Electronics
Tigo Energy, one of a growing flock of startups touting chips and equipment to boost the output of solar panels, has raised $10 million.
Tigo’s technology effectively lets solar panels in an array controlled by a centralized inverter operate independently from each other. In conventional string inverter deployments, individual solar panels can only produce as much power as the weakest one. Tigo routes the power from the panels through a device called the Maximizer and thereby masks the real power output of each individual panel for the inverter. In the end, this leads to an increase in power production of 7 to 12 percent.
To date, the company has shipped most of its products to the residential market but will place a greater emphasis on the commercial market this year. It will also try to reduce the size and cost of its components through the magic of Moore's Law. Integrating the components directly into solar panels could drop the cost by 33 to 50 percent. Tigo says that demand will double this year and that 10 megawatts of power courses through its chips (on various solar arrays) a month.
Once a somewhat obscure niche in solar, solar electronics are now a big deal. Enphase Energy, which popularized the microinverter, is arguably the best known and most successful new type of solar electronics company to date. It swaps out the traditional string inverter for individual inverters for each panel. It will come out with a third generation product in June. Competitors like SolarBridge will also soon start to market microinverters.
Tigo, and competitors like InfiniRel, take a slightly different tack. Instead of replacing central inverters, they enhance them.
Whose vision is the correct one? Who knows at this juncture. We will likely see a plethora of different configurations and concepts. There is one thing for certain: there is no lost love between them all. Many companies in this market are fond at taking swipes at each other.
Tigo will also have to watch out for competition from Texas Instruments. Earlier this month, TI announced plans to buy National Semiconductor, which makes solar maximization chips.
Tigo’s technology effectively lets solar panels in an array controlled by a centralized inverter operate independently from each other. In conventional string inverter deployments, individual solar panels can only produce as much power as the weakest one. Tigo routes the power from the panels through a device called the Maximizer and thereby masks the real power output of each individual panel for the inverter. In the end, this leads to an increase in power production of 7 to 12 percent.
To date, the company has shipped most of its products to the residential market but will place a greater emphasis on the commercial market this year. It will also try to reduce the size and cost of its components through the magic of Moore's Law. Integrating the components directly into solar panels could drop the cost by 33 to 50 percent. Tigo says that demand will double this year and that 10 megawatts of power courses through its chips (on various solar arrays) a month.
Once a somewhat obscure niche in solar, solar electronics are now a big deal. Enphase Energy, which popularized the microinverter, is arguably the best known and most successful new type of solar electronics company to date. It swaps out the traditional string inverter for individual inverters for each panel. It will come out with a third generation product in June. Competitors like SolarBridge will also soon start to market microinverters.
Tigo, and competitors like InfiniRel, take a slightly different tack. Instead of replacing central inverters, they enhance them.
Whose vision is the correct one? Who knows at this juncture. We will likely see a plethora of different configurations and concepts. There is one thing for certain: there is no lost love between them all. Many companies in this market are fond at taking swipes at each other.
Tigo will also have to watch out for competition from Texas Instruments. Earlier this month, TI announced plans to buy National Semiconductor, which makes solar maximization chips.
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