Summer 2014 in Beverly Hills, Florida
Ethan and I spent last summer together for 2 weeks. Our usual day casually revolve around us doing what he does together and vice versa. We swim, play video games, watch tv, movies or youtube, listen to good rock n’ roll and paint in between. I find him competitive yet magnanimous, easy going but introspective, with a good sense of humor. Working with him side by side, I see his impulses come with good instinct, making his marks freely but with focus. He knows how to work his ‘canvas’. I find myself looking at his work that had him looking at mine. As it progressed, we started doing some pieces together. I start on one and he adds to it, he starts one and I do the same, and this goes on till we both agree and decide its finished. Since we were both on the same page doing “paperviews”, I do most of the finishing touches adding the “test patterns” on the bottom half of the pieces for both his, mine and our collaborations. The decision on how to finish his pieces are his alone. He’s familiar with my work so he knows how I can finish them and hepicks the pattern he wants. The colors are also his decisions.
His works gives me the privilege to learn more of what I do and have already done. Its like having a fresh pair of curious intelligent eyes. He understands my framework and extended it further by giving mea new space to play in. Look at the 3 horizontal pieces…two are his and the third a collaboration. When it was time to give the body of paintings we did together a more thoughtful look, it was harder than I suspected to easily pick out his marks from mine. As far as we’re both concerned…NO_matter_WHO_did_WHAT_&_WHY…we are both happy with time spent doing them.
This summer, unfortunately, finds both of us doing our own thing. He has his competitive swimming, basketball and tennis camps. I have work and other things while the paint dries. We don’t get to physically be with one another side by side, but we get to spend a month again together with our show at the West Gallery. Cheers E!
p.s. 3 weeks after the show ends…Ethan turns 13.
-bert antonio
24june2015
somewhere between boston and beverly hills
