Archive 2016 | mysite

Robert Flinkman
Bear Canyon Landscape
pastel and colored pencil on paper
18" X 24"
2016
copyright 2016 Robert Flinkman

September 7th, 2016 Wednesday

Yesterday after some errands...drove up to the Michael Emery Trailhead to see what I could find for a landscape. I pulled into the parking lot and was amazed - really! - how empty the parking area was. Only a handful of cars were there. I brought with me an 18" X 24" drawing pad to gauge the scenes, and hit a few trails. I found a great scene on a trail to the right of the Michael Emery Traihead, down the trail to the right, up a slope, then down again, and right there were the trail forks in two I found the spot! I think I'll head over there Friday and draw out the basic structure in graphite, then work the scene in pastel,oil pastel, colored pencil and maybe gouache. I'm really excited with this new landscape, and I hope going in the late mornings there won't be any parking issues.

September 29th, 2016 Thursday

Early afternoon took my Regal Cinemas gft card and headed up to the High Ridge to see a really great film, Max Rose, written and directed by Daniel Noah, featuring Jerry Lewis, Claire Bloom, Kerry Bishe and Kevin Pollack. In dealing with the extra marital affair, the film offers with sensitivity and understanding and maturity the aspects of passion and the strength of forgiveness and understanding in dealing with it. In addition, the film illustrates the tenuousness of human relationships, Max with his wife, Eva, and Max's relationship with his own son. Regret and anger color it all. With all of this, it is tempered and given greater depth by handling it in a subdued, quiet, restrained way. I especially like the segment where Max searches through Eva's artwork to find clues and answers concerning her affair with Ben, played by Dean Stockwell. The flashbacks concerning Max's relationship with his wife are woven seamlessly into the storyline. Then with Max's eventual confrontation with Ben, I think Max sees almost an image of himself - ailing, elderly and Ben's love for Eva mirrors Max's love for her as well.
It's a mature film, a quiet film, and it's handled with sensitivity, depth and understanding.