 |
From Mulholland Drive II, 1997
Oil on canvas, 41 x 54
Available* |
*For price or other information about pieces marked Available, please contact me:
JosephCorsoArt@gmail.com
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Back to the Hollywood Hills
This painting came back to me recently after a 20-year stint in Oregon! I'm happy to have it again. It was part of a short series of views from the LA's iconic Mulholland Drive.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
LA River #19
This one was a challenge! So much blue space. I'm pretty happy with the result.
 |
| L.A. River XIX: Clearing Storm, 2016 Oil on linen, 36" x 60" Available* If you find yourself in Calabasas City Center, this painting and my previous piece will be hanging in the lobby of City Hall through October. |
 |
| Paintings being hung at Calabasas City Hall.
*For price or other information about pieces marked Available, please contact me:
JosephCorsoArt@gmail.com
|
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
After the Storm
There really is quite a bit of life along the river. After a rainy day, cyclists, skateboarders and dog walkers take to the pathways.
*For price or other information about pieces marked Available, please contact me:
 |
| LA River XIII: After the Storm oil on linen, 36" x 48", 2015 Available* |
*For price or other information about pieces marked Available, please contact me:
JosephCorsoArt@gmail.com
Friday, March 20, 2015
LA River: Exploring the Downtown Bridges
A new painting: This iconic view is from the floor of the river looking north to the 1931 Fourth Street bridge, with the 1929 First Street bridge in the background. Both were designed by the great city engineer Merrill Butler.
 |
| LA River XVII oil on linen, 36" x 60", 2015 Private collection. |
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Small Paintings for an L.A. Show
I'm excited to have these four small L.A. River pieces accepted by Couturier Gallery in Los Angeles for their annual group exhibit "Present Art," a collection of smaller, affordable works by 24 artists.
The opening reception is this Saturday, December 6th, from 6:00 to 8:00 and the show runs through January 3rd. More info: http://www.couturiergallery.com/showdetail.asp?ShowID=173
 |
| L.A. River XII: Field Trip oil on linen, 12" x 9', 2014 Available* |
.jpg) |
| L.A. River XIII: The Source oil on panel, 10' x 14", 2014 Available* |
.jpg) |
| L.A. River XIV: Widening oil on linen on panel, 6" x 12", 2014 Available* |
.jpg) |
| L.A. River XV: Recreation Center oil on linen, 9" x 12", 2014 Available* |
The opening reception is this Saturday, December 6th, from 6:00 to 8:00 and the show runs through January 3rd. More info: http://www.couturiergallery.com/showdetail.asp?ShowID=173
*For price or other information about pieces marked Available, please contact me: JosephCorsoArt@gmail.com
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Looking Downriver
A new piece in my L.A. River series, looking south from the Arroyo Seco confluence near Elysian Park. In the distance is the new Metro Gold Line Bridge framing the century-old North Broadway and Spring Street bridges.
.jpg) |
| L.A. River XVI; Three Bridges oil on linen, 48" X 48" 2014 Available*
*For price or other information about pieces marked Available, please contact me:
JosephCorsoArt@gmail.com
|
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Redondo Beach
This summer view of the beach was done for my sister Anne, who lives nearby.
 |
| Redondo Beach, 2009 oil on linen, 26" x 32" Collection: Anne and Scott Salisbury |
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Ready for my Close Up!
I have completed two small LA River pieces for a group show at Stone Rose Gallery in Long Beach. Varnished, framed and labeled. Over 60 artists will be featured, each with two small pieces. I'm really excited to be part of this exhibit and I can't wait to see what everyone else has come up with. Join us Saturday for the opening reception!
 |
| LA River XIII and LA River XII |
LONG BEACH SUMMER III
A grop exhibition of small works
Stone Rose Gallery
342 East 4th St.
Long Beach, CA 90802
July 26th through August 16th
Opening Reception
Saturday, July 26th, 7-9 p.m.
Gallery Hours, Wednesday and Thursday, 12-6 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, 12-7 p.m.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
A Day at the Beach
This view is of Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, where Jacques and I spent an afternoon last fall. I was drawn to the groupings of people in different stages of interaction, and the bright pops of man-made color against the greys of the landscape.
 |
| Pfeiffer Beach 2014 Oil on linen, 36" x 54" Collection of John and Debi Corso |
Funny, this beach is also the setting for the 1965 film The Sandpiper in which Elizabeth Taylor plays a painter.
Monday, April 7, 2014
The Source
This small painting is of Glendale Narrows, one spot on the LA River that has never been completely paved.
Ground water from the San Fernando Valley bubbles up to the surface here, creating the year-round source of water that was vital for indigenous people and later for Spanish colonists. The city of Los Angeles began as a small agricultural colony to supply nearby missions, taking advantage of this one reliable water supply. Because this section never goes dry, it still has a permeable base, allowing groundwater to percolate down. Despite being hemmed in by concrete banks, Griffith Park, and the 5 freeway, it is a tranquil spot.
The history of Los Angeles is so intertwined with its river, yet few of us ever see it now. I'm really enjoying the discoveries I have made while painting this series.
 |
| LA River 11: Glendale Narrows, 2014 Oil on linen, 18" x 24" Available |
The history of Los Angeles is so intertwined with its river, yet few of us ever see it now. I'm really enjoying the discoveries I have made while painting this series.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Confluence
This view is looking south toward the confluence of the LA River and the Arroyo Seco, the spot where the Los Angeles Pueblo was first founded.
Today the site is also the confluence of the 5 Freeway that parallels the river, the 110 Freeway that runs along the Arroyo and a busy freightcar line.
 |
| LA River 10: Confluence, 2013 oil on linen, 20" x 24" Available |
Monday, March 3, 2014
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Mrs. Crump
I received an unexpected call last week from Jeri Fouts of Oregon. I have never met her, but she happens to be the granddaughter of a woman pictured in a lithograph I made in 1983.
While attending CSULB in the late 70's, I passed this Anaheim Boulevard cleaners on my commute through Long Beach. Each morning the proprietor was there, in a red sweater, drinking coffee and reading the paper. The scene looked like an Edward Hopper painting to me, with the lone figure and the long shadows on the building. A few years later I was passing by and there she still was, in the same position, as if time had stopped. I had my camera with me and took a photo, which I used as a reference for the lithograph.
It hung in my friend Rick's restaurant in San Pedro for several years. One day a surprised couple told Rick they knew the building and the woman in the picture. They were Jeri's mother- and father-in-law. More of the family came by to see it and they purchased one from a nearby gallery that carried my prints. This was 25 years ago.
I was thrilled to get the call from Jeri, who now owns the lithograph. She had a few questions, and she told me more about her grandmother. Her name was Merle Crump, but her family called her Princess. She and her husband owned the cleaners and the house in back of it, where they raised Jeri's mother. Merle did indeed enjoy her coffee and paper each morning, so much so that after her husband passed away and the business was closed, she still came into the shop each morning to have her coffee, read her paper, and visit with neighbors.
There are so many coincidences and connections here, but one detail Jeri shared with me gives me chills: The day her in-laws discovered the picture in Rick's restaurant was the anniversary of Merle's death.
 |
| Crump Cleaners, 1983 lithograph on paper. 30" x 44" Edition of 24; 2 available |
It hung in my friend Rick's restaurant in San Pedro for several years. One day a surprised couple told Rick they knew the building and the woman in the picture. They were Jeri's mother- and father-in-law. More of the family came by to see it and they purchased one from a nearby gallery that carried my prints. This was 25 years ago.
I was thrilled to get the call from Jeri, who now owns the lithograph. She had a few questions, and she told me more about her grandmother. Her name was Merle Crump, but her family called her Princess. She and her husband owned the cleaners and the house in back of it, where they raised Jeri's mother. Merle did indeed enjoy her coffee and paper each morning, so much so that after her husband passed away and the business was closed, she still came into the shop each morning to have her coffee, read her paper, and visit with neighbors.
There are so many coincidences and connections here, but one detail Jeri shared with me gives me chills: The day her in-laws discovered the picture in Rick's restaurant was the anniversary of Merle's death.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Eating My Hat
Ah, the 70's.
This is a self portrait from college done in the style of Rembrandt, using an old glazing technique to make the most out of simple earth colors from that period: Raw Sienna, Indian Red and Ivory Black. I tried to match the lighting Rembrandt used, and because he always had something on his head in his self portraits, I wore THE HAT
It was a two-dollar cap I bought in Ensenada. I thought it looked really cool but I didn't wear it much because it wasn't very comfortable. My brother John discovered it and began to wear it a lot. He had longer hair and it really flattered him. It also looked great on girls. He loaned it to a few of them without asking, and it began to disappear for long periods of time. I should have just given it to him, but instead I got jealous. We had a big argument and I forbade him to ever touch it again.
He complied until an opportunity for revenge presented itself on a family vacation in Yosemite. We were quite a large group, and one afternoon most of the gang took a side trip to see the giant sequoias. I stayed behind, but traded cars with John because mine sat more people. The hat was forgotten under the seat. Who could blame him? John went on a photographic spree, shooting everyone in the hat--our sisters, friends, our parents; even the Mariposa tram driver--before returning it to its hiding place.They all kept quiet until a picture party later in the summer. John put on a slide show and as the hat pictures appeared one by one, everyone started applauding. I was furious at first but by the end of the series I was on the floor laughing. It was such a comeuppance! I had to (ahem) take my hat off to him
I painted the self portrait later that year. I like to think I had the last word on the hat but by now you've stopped reading and you're checking out John's adorable pictures of 70's babes. There are some arguments you can't win.
This is a self portrait from college done in the style of Rembrandt, using an old glazing technique to make the most out of simple earth colors from that period: Raw Sienna, Indian Red and Ivory Black. I tried to match the lighting Rembrandt used, and because he always had something on his head in his self portraits, I wore THE HAT
 |
| Self Portrait with Suede Cap, 1979 oil on canvas, 24" x 18" Artist's Collection |
It was a two-dollar cap I bought in Ensenada. I thought it looked really cool but I didn't wear it much because it wasn't very comfortable. My brother John discovered it and began to wear it a lot. He had longer hair and it really flattered him. It also looked great on girls. He loaned it to a few of them without asking, and it began to disappear for long periods of time. I should have just given it to him, but instead I got jealous. We had a big argument and I forbade him to ever touch it again.
He complied until an opportunity for revenge presented itself on a family vacation in Yosemite. We were quite a large group, and one afternoon most of the gang took a side trip to see the giant sequoias. I stayed behind, but traded cars with John because mine sat more people. The hat was forgotten under the seat. Who could blame him? John went on a photographic spree, shooting everyone in the hat--our sisters, friends, our parents; even the Mariposa tram driver--before returning it to its hiding place.They all kept quiet until a picture party later in the summer. John put on a slide show and as the hat pictures appeared one by one, everyone started applauding. I was furious at first but by the end of the series I was on the floor laughing. It was such a comeuppance! I had to (ahem) take my hat off to him
I painted the self portrait later that year. I like to think I had the last word on the hat but by now you've stopped reading and you're checking out John's adorable pictures of 70's babes. There are some arguments you can't win.
 |
| Mary, Liz and Lois were but a few who modeled my hat for John |
 |
| Yosemite tram driver |
 |
| Our parents. Mom looks like she's feeling a little guilty. |
 |
| My brothers with my hat (and my Volvo). What's with the matching outfits? |
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Impressions from a Past Life
When I first left college I worked mostly in lithography, drawing on limestone blocks and aluminum plates and printing by hand with a used press my father bought me. It's such a beautiful medium, combining the delicacy of drawing with the richness of oil-based inks. It's also very demanding and I eventually gave it up for painting, but the beauty of printmaking is that I still have some of these editions.
 |
| Captive Palms, 1982 Lithograph on paper, 22" x 30" Edition Available |
 |
| Mono Lake II, 1984 Lithograph on paper, 30" x 22" Artist Proof Available |
 |
| Mono Lake V, 1984 Lithograph on paper, 22" x 30" Edition Available |
 |
| Mono Lake VII, 1984 Lithograph on paper, 22" x 30" Artist Proof Available |
Sunday, October 27, 2013
LA River Patterns
The LA River was transformed into a concrete flood control channel in the 1930's, but it cannot be tamed completely. Silt deposits form islands on the shallow bed which breed algea and insects, attracting birds and other wildlife. Trucks add their wheel ruts to the design. Heavy rains wash it all away in winter but the process starts over again each spring.
This is a view looking south from the Wardlow Road Bridge on an August afternoon.
 |
| LA River VIII, 2013 Oil on linen, 36" x 54" Availalbe |
Monday, October 14, 2013
The 6th Street Viaduct
This is a view from 7th Street on a drizzly summer morning, with the historic 6th Street Viaduct in the background. I recently learned that this grand old bridge is due for demolition. Inherent structural flaws make it impossible to keep it in repair. I want to spend more time photographing and painting it before this happens.
The proposed new bridge is sleek and modern and leaves me a bit cold, but that's probably what artists said about this current one when it was built in 1932.
 |
| LA River VII, 2013 Oil on linen, 24" x 30' Available |
Monday, September 30, 2013
The Beginning of the LA River.
The headwaters are somewhere in Northridge, but for me, my paintings of the river began at its end, in Long Beach. I recently had these earlier pieces photographed.
This is a view from the bike path where I often take an evening walk.
 |
| LA River 2, 2009 Oil on linen, 24" x 42" Available |
Here is the spot, just south of the Willow Blvd. bridge, where the concrete ends and the tidal marsh begins.
 |
| LA River 3, 2010 Oil on linen, 24" x 36" Available |
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Dirty Socks
On my way to the Sierras for a family vacation in 1984, I stopped for breakfast in Olancha and found an old postcard of a swimming pool on the Owens lakebed, with '50's-era bathing beauties in a desert oasis. I had driven this road for years and I had never heard of it. The card explained that the pool was called "Dirty Socks" because in olden days miners would wash their clothes in the hot-spring that fed it. It said it was 5 miles east of Olancha.
On my way home I made the detour and drove 5 miles toward Death Valley. The pool was indeed there, in a state of disrepair and surrounded by junk. A sulfur smell told me the story about miners doing laundry was a lie. Still, the group that was swimming seemed to be enjoying it, even though they seemed oblivious to the the beauty of the afternoon light on the Sierra backdrop.
I made this painting in San Pedro the following year from slides I took that day. My brother John bought it before it was finished, though he let me exhibit it for a while. He sent me this photo today, and I'm happy to have it. I wish I still had the postcard too.
On my way home I made the detour and drove 5 miles toward Death Valley. The pool was indeed there, in a state of disrepair and surrounded by junk. A sulfur smell told me the story about miners doing laundry was a lie. Still, the group that was swimming seemed to be enjoying it, even though they seemed oblivious to the the beauty of the afternoon light on the Sierra backdrop.
I made this painting in San Pedro the following year from slides I took that day. My brother John bought it before it was finished, though he let me exhibit it for a while. He sent me this photo today, and I'm happy to have it. I wish I still had the postcard too.
 |
| Greetings from Dirty Socks, 1995 Oil on canvas, 30" x 60" Collection: John and Debi Corso |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)