Author Archives: Alegria

Salvador film

Paris 3- Inspiration & Action!

Maron’s words:

When I try to explain what was going through my mind in those days where I was trying to make my way in the world of art as a painter in Paris, the first thing I tell myself is that it is almost impossible and not worth the effort unless it is a duty and yet, the truth is that then as now and always, I was faced with tremendous doubt of whether my work could be of interest beyond the circle of friends, more specifically the closed circuit of art galleries, given that my painting style  was as nothing I saw in them, meaning that all the exhibits seem to be a repetition of the same subject and I didn’t do two equal paintings, and something told me I would never get exposed, and the thought that no one would see my paintings gave me the idea that it was best not to show any, giving birth to the hidden paintings.

Let me start by stating that this is one of my favorite posts as I will display him working on my personal favorite series…”The Knots” or the original French “Les Toilles Caches”.

It is important to understand what he was feeling and the truth which was the realization of greatness and singularity of style, classic yet modern and fresh, so well rounded in the form of art. My father felt that Galleries showed art that was in a way monotonous and it displays art that is all the same in a sense…so this brilliant idea was that a series of paintings that were hidden within a painting itself was the project to be executed and it was…beautifully!

Let me take you there

Here he is painting

closer…

working away…

taking a break to eat…believe me once he starts painting it is like pulling teeth to get him to even drink water!

Beautiful shot!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this one! I mean seriously!

Now drawing it! wow…

oh my goodness…look at his eyes fixed…in the zone.

We can all thank my mother for always taking such nice pictures! You can see her story by clicking HERE

I anxiously leave you here and next we will see the Knots!

picture Dick Polak

Maron in Paris-2. It continues and grows…

We are continuing in Paris and it gets closer and closer to what is actually familiar growing up, so for me it is a very special transition in the story…

Here in process of painting the studio in Paris…wow!                      Ph. Dick Polack

It is now blossoming and becoming. I wanted to share with you some words from my father and give you a good insight on what is transpiring…

Although the saying  ¨a picture is worth a thousand words” is well known, sometimes it is also necessary to use words as in this case when it comes to review my evolution as a painter one thing is becoming all too obvious as can be seen, my painting is figurative. I always paint what I see, simply because that is what I prefer to do, and apparently posses some skill to it, especially spontaneously without complicated techniques that I had never studied and in many cases that can be dangerous for any artist’s creative process. Yet I knew I had much to learn, and to paint what you see can not always be done using the simplest form, nor was it a novelty in recent art history, and as we know it leads to the total abstraction of Modern Art and I frankly prefer Classic Art. At the moment I was in Paris, the capital of art, in a studio worthy of any great master and a life ahead full of possibilities,it was a matter of working and I set to the task.

So well written, I can see that I write like him… But now here we are in Paris and he is painting, living, creating…

This table, I know this painting and it is beautiful, it is very personal becasue I see the table and everything on it being reminiscent of them! it is that style and feel of it. This is a marvelous piece that will be available soon so keep posted, such a nice size too!

Mi tio Pedro (my uncle) xoxoxo This painting is so well posed by him…

Painting of my mother. I want a picture of myself like this, it’s sexy right?

Here is the painting, the painter and the model. Ph.by Tony Kent for French Vogue

*Almost Sisters*

My mother and Susan Bottomly, such a sweetheart and so beautiful she is, I would love to see her soon.

Here is the painting of their good friend Jose Kleber who with they stayed in Brazil, he went to visit them in Paris. Well! this is simply a beauty, I remember this piece and I always admired it, it is so classy and detail that keeps you looking…really great.

Here you go…take it all in…

Here is a portrait of Miroslava. I met her not more that 3 years ago, it was also then that they had seen each other after all this time, very nice woman. I love to see her back in time through this painting.

Here they are hanging and having some tea? That is Miroslava on the left and my dad in the middle and Yannis Thomas to the right, in their studio in Paris.

Here is Oksana, Miro’s sister…under the brush. Love to see this picture because I also know this painting.

WOW! here it is…don’t rush…take your time

This is Juan Carlos Herrera, this portrait is very interesting because it shows the style of painting that he does in a fast pace, this is a large size portrait that he does in just a few hours!

What a place!

*San Sebastian*

This one I have to add, I know and remember this one, he gets himself so well on every self portrait. I think it is the hardest part to identify yourself so well to get it to perfection the way he does. Love it!

STUNNING

Here is the painting of the studio, finished!

Well this certainly took me to a good place…I love the little black cat walking through :) but we have lots more to do so stay with me and I will take you to the next chapter soon!

*Don’t forget to visit my mother’s blog to see her story of this time line!* Click HERE to get there

With much love xoxoxo

 

 

self portrait Paris 1973

Paris – an artist is realized and a calling pursued…

Now my friends things get serious…they are in Paris in a beyond amazing studio they were able to get into after the lady who’s father designed the place realized he was an artist, for that complete story go here…so there they were in the best artist studio in Paris, and Maron knew now that his calling was an inevitable reality. He is a painter and great artist! Now I take you through this episode picture by picture…let’s go

Salvador’s self portrait 1973.

This is a gorgeous painting of my brother Alejandro in Paris…he must have been 5. The size of this piece is very nice, I would say about 4 feet tall by 3 feet wide, give or take.

Here is my grandfather Salvador in Paris, you can see his portrait to the right of the picture…yes indeed that’s him! he was a very funny man, I remember his laugh and loudness! as a young kid I recall the phone conversation between he and my father and how loud you could hear him from a distance! :) So Andaluz he was…Un beso ABUELO!

This is a wonderful piece, a portrait of their friend Pablo and although I have never seen it live, from the picture it is as if I have, I can only imagine in person…lovely!

This is a portrait of Jesus, a friend from Spain which carries a story. He found my father through family and friends and wanted to become a photographer. My father connected him with Tony Kent and so he worked as his assistant for a while…he suddenly was affected by tuberculosis and went to the hospital, he passed away quickly thereafter, sadly and so young. This portrait was given to his parents by Maron.

Well well…here is the MUSE…my mother. LOVELY. (Very nice size as well)

Here he is doing a promo piece but I don’t have much info on this particular one…I could not deprive you of it nevertheless.

Now here is the First of the knot series…my favorite series even though they all amaze me but I particularly love the knots. To the right of the knot it is a portrait of Tony Kent, the theme of the playing card is because he could do amazing magic tricks with cards…look closely at the portrait, it almost looks like a magic trick of his face appearing on the canvas, see it? And below I share with you the knot painting it self up close

The first Toile – 1973…MAGNIFICENT! The wall that has this right now is a lucky wall…

Paris continues and there is more to come

together

Personal prelude of what is to come in the form of a letter…Maron, my father.

My dear friends, we are now at a very special crossroads in this venture. My father wrote a letter I want to share with you all, this is a very special project for me on many levels…for one they are my parents and I know what they are in terms of art and creativity and even then I am floored every time, even while writing this story I learn more and  more about their timeline and how it all took shape for them, like you reading this for the first time I learn something new about their story. Then this is also my legacy and what I know to be my purpose  in many degrees so sharing this with the world is very important, I thank you personally for following the story and rest assured…there is plenty to come.

Here is the letter from my father, the artista! This is a peak of what is to come and a round up of where we have been and what is next:

My dearest Willy and Alegria, first of all I give a million thanks for everything you are doing, so wonderfully documenting the history of my profession as a painter of fine arts, as the great Mirikitani said: “Now I am a great artist. ” In 1972, we were in Canada and decided to return to Europe. It was then that I made the decision to devote myself entirely to painting, because everything that had happened until then you could say “was offered on a silver platter¨. Not surprising that I was the last to believe that I could really be a true artist. The way things happened it was not easy for me to keep up the image I had created with the help of Juan de Prat-Gay. In short I mean is that it took several years and many trips to face the inevitable dilemma that life had presented me. In ’72 I was resigned to the idea that everything that I had done under the tutelage of Juan was lost or at least missing. When returning to Madrid, finding all my work saved in the “Andalucia transport ¨ ,  seemed a sign from heaven that in fact  painting was my path and Paris seemed the most logical step. But before undertaking this second part of this story, it seems appropriate to look back at those 9 years of my transformation from childhood to adulthood almost without notice..

Here is the original letter in Spanish for my Spanish people ;)

Mi queridisimas Willy y Alegria, ante todo os doy un millón de gracias por todo lo que estáis haciendo documentando tan maravillosamente la historia de mi oficio como pintor de bella artes, como decía el gran Mirikitani: “ahora soy un gran artista”. Habíamos quedado en el año 1972, en que estábamos en Canadá y decidimos volver a Europa. Fue entonces que tome la decisión de dedicarme enteramente a la pintura, pues todo lo ocurrido hasta entonces se me había ofrecido se podría decir ¨en bandeja¨. No sorprende que yo era el último en creer que podía ser de verdad un verdadero artista. De la forma en que las cosas ocurrieron no era nada fácil mantenerme a la altura de la imagen que me había creado con la ayuda de Juan de Prat-Gay. Resumiendo quiero decir que tarde varios años y muchos viajes para poder enfrentarme al dilema ineludible que la vida me había obsequiado. En el 72 ya me había resignado a la idea de que todo lo que había hecho bajo la tutela de Juan se había perdido, al menos estaba en paradero desconocido. Cuando volviendo a Madrid descubrí toda mi obra guardada en ¨transporte Andalucia¨ me pareció una señal del cielo de que en efecto la pintura era mi camino y París parecía la etapa mas lógica. Pero antes de emprender esta segunda parte de la historia me parece adecuado hacer un repaso de esos 9 años de mi adolescencia en que pase de la niñez a la vida adulta sin darme casi cuenta.

1964 – This was one of his very 1st works, let me point out that he had never been to as much as a Museum or seen any real artwork on his own., nor did he ever have any art training or schooling. This is a raw work from Maron

1965 – The 1st exhibition and no less than in New York! wow…I don’t think he would have had this opportunity if there was no talent there don’t you agree??

1966 – for this one and from what I know Marie Helene De Rotschild was a woman with truly manificent taste and patron of artists, she saw the talent in front of her.

1968 – One of the first drawing of my mother in Morocco where they met

1968

1968

1969 – NY

1970 – Ibiza

1971 – Kashmir

1972 – Canada

1973 Madrid

Now my beloved ones we are going to go to Paris…are you ready??

Willy and Salvador Canada

Maron goes to Canada – quiet before the storm, the artistic storm in Madrid.

We are taking you now to Canada, this is where they felt would be a good place to take some time for themselves and since my  mother was still recuperating from being sick in Singapore & her sisters were there it was the perfect time. Vancouver was the place and the details you can follow on my mother’s blog by clicking here.

Now I want to share an amazing collection of drawings of their time in Canada ending in their time in Madrid…please look at every drawing, it is so “far out”!

 

This next series is a sort of diary book of drawings that I really like because you can look at each drawing and see a tale, a “trip”, psychedelic times, funny ones and personal ones, all different in their own way and unique pieces all on their own…enjoy

Now we go to Madrid and you can see drawings of my father’s side of the family, I can see my Grandmother Margarita on the top 2, her face and her hand. Then you see my uncle Pedro in the next 2…then my Grandfather Salvador sleeping…a friend Jesus next to him and lastly my aunt Margarita…love them!

Once they are living in Madrid something remarcable happens…almost a decade before he had his things and art sent through a transport service to Madrid to an address which was without anyone to accept it so it was returned and the transport service only held things for a year but then years go by and now he is back hoping to find his treasures but not very optimistically. To his surprise when he walks into this office he sees his work framed and hung all over! It must have been such a feeling to walk in and see that what you made with your hands was so revered by another, they let him know that his things for the most part were kept safely by the Director of the Regional office because he LOVED the work so much…he kept it and took care of it very well actually, had drawings framed and hanging all over his office and was fervently letting him know that he had decided to keep them and appreciate them properly. So much so that he had to apologize for giving some drawings away as gifts to other regional managers in other countries and friends of his own. Well even though it hurts to not have all of your things it is such a cool thing in reality! so there they were and they were so loved that Maron let him keep some, the ones he knew he would not leave the man’s office with ha! The rest he took back home where they belonged so many years earlier.

Here are 2 of the surviving drawings he did in ’66 from that adventure

My brother, oil 1972

My Mother, oil.

Now I am going to show you a painting that is so amazing to me…this is a painting of the 3 of them but it is done from him looking at a Polaroid photo, this was sort of an “experiment” if you will…I mean if you think about it really, he did it just looking at a Polaroid photo! I know the original painting and it is of a nice size and the detail is crazy! ok here you go, enjoy

At this point he really wants to dive into painting, it is now March 1973 and they are feeling a Paris movement…Until we arrive there…

*Foot note: you can see all pictures in larger scale by clicking on them 2 times…trust me it’s worth it!

Salv in Singapore

Singapore – Salvador, Willy & Alejandrito continue

We are in the Tiger Balm Gardens in Singapore, Maron is walking with his young son who mirrors the woman in his life (my mother). This journey was full of beauty and inspiration. The East so romantically and culturally antiquated. So now it is the end of 1971 and while in Singapore they bring in the New Year for 1972 and there he did some beautiful drawings. In regards to the above picture of my father I can only think of how much I resemble him there! wow…Now let me share some drawings he did during this time

Willy, I love the look in her eyes on this one…she is so serious which is not what I am used to! it was rescued from a flood so it has even more character. Love it!

Willy with a more calm look in her eyes :) Amazing drawing…

Self portrait. This is such a good drawing I must say of himself which I find the most daunting challenge and yet he makes the best self portraits.

Willy doing something creative I am sure! love the colors on this…

The drawing above may very well be while she was very ill along with my brother due to eating some bad veggies…she turned yellow and felt terrible! poor mama. Drawing of Willy in India but so beautiful I am adding it!

Hmmm…sort of has an anime feel doesn’t it? love it!

Sexy! I know it is my mommy but I can recognize her sexy! :)

here is a drawing of their Spanish friend they happened to see on New Years eve by complete coincidence walking on the street, his name is Alfonso O’Lasso.

Now they are back in India and they met up with friend from Ibiza, above David Bushman. From here they went to London as they could only stay a few weeks due to how sick mom and Alejandrito got so they needed to recuperate…Now we go back to the Western world where I will take you along on the next chapter…stay tuned!

Salvador in Kashmir

Kashmir, India – Salvador Maron, drawings and more

They arrive in Delhi, India and start what you can call a pilgrimage…this was a very special trip for Maron in the sense of spirituality and self awareness, in that time it was still pretty untouched by the modern hands that now pollute it with the things that we see today. There was earthly beauty in this land and in a way they fit right in, in fact he was told many times that he looked Hindu so he was in his “sauce” as we say in Spain “en su salsa”. They found a beautiful house boat in Kashmir that they could live in and this was a wonderful time for them, the artist lovers and their son. My father did a lot of amazing drawings in this passage and I want to share them with you here…

2 Kashmiri women

Here he is drawing

Here is the book he was drawing…follow the story ;)

Here is a beautiful drawing of a man

Here you can see him with my brother, Alejandrito was his nickname…they are on their house house in the lake

Very nice drawing…

While in Kashmir their friend Alejandro arrived from Afganistan and they decided to go to Goa, which is South of Bombay. Once they arrived they found a beautiful house on the beach. At that time there was a war going on between India & Pakistan. But between Kashmir and Goa a year went by and since their Visa came to an expiring end it was time to move on…next stop Singapore.

Painting of oranges in progress..

Ibiza continues – Salvador & Willy living the life

So they have been living in Ibiza and now it was time to move on, make some money and be the nomads that they are…modeling jobs were not a problem for this couple and so they ventured out of Ibiza for a while leaving behind some treasures with friends to keep until their return. When I speak of treasures I mean all the beautiful things that they came to collect, from all their travels. I have always known them to have to most amazing things, not things that have names or brands and cost lots of money but the truly beautiful things that come to have meanings and stories behind them while possessing one of a kind beauty. So they leave to Marbella (Spain), Milan (Italy), all through those travels they did modeling jobs to make money and kept moving, the 2 lovebirds and the baby (my brother) here you can see a picture of one of their jobs while in Marbella… them along the beach holding my brother

After those travels they returned to Ibiza once more and stayed in an apartment for a short time. From this apartment you could see the sea really well and there was a rock which he drew from the balcony

Also he painted a beautiful piece “The Oranges” here in progress

Do you notice the trunk is on top of? this trunk was full of those treasures I mentioned before and while they left it to travel, after some time it never made it back to them :( so many beauties in there…Here is a picture of “The Oranges” today, owned by Micheline & Dominique Arnould

Now it was time to leave Ibiza and really start a new journey so off to Paris, once there they decided to buy their plane tickets to India which they had to buy it in Brussels and they drove in a Volkswagen beattle along with my God mother Cooky and her boyfriend at the time Pablo, somewhere along the drive they had a bad accident due to snow and ice on the road and the car turned a few times and caught on fire! they had a few thousand dollars in cash in the car.The money and Pablo were trapped in the car…it was time for action, and believe me my father never hesitated to jump in thick of it, so he rescues Pablo and saves his life and then saves the life of those few thousand dollars which was what they needed to buy those tickets! thankfully the money even though a bit burned was ok, it could be spent ;) This put Maron the artist and adventurer in a cast as he hurt his leg and broke his ankle. This obviously delayed the trip so once they got back to Paris he spent a lot of time at home. Where was their home you ask? well as usual they had an amazing place at the Place D’Iena, here is a current picture of what the place looks like

While at home he painted his self portrait…very good I might add!

Paris was the city of love and fashion but now it was time to move, see new things…So the 3 of them plan the next trip again, India! That is where we will travel next so stay tuned.

Salvador  Ibiza 1970

Ibiza – Art, nature, living…

We travel to Ibiza in 1970… my parents just left New York because my father was called to go to the Spanish army, back then it was mandatory so off they went to Las Palmas (Canary Islands) where they stayed for a few months, he ended up in the auxiliary army reserve and was not drafted after all. Their friend Nancy who they had met in Morocco and saw in NY wrote them and asked them to come to Ibiza which is now a very popular Island in the Mediterranean Sea where all the young people go for the IN parties…back then it was so much more raw and naturally beautiful, so they went! There were a lot of adventures in these Islands but we will save those for the book. Here he is…

Below you can see a painting he did of Nancy and Sharon, they had a restaurant in Ibiza called Double Duck…I can tell you to this day she is an amazing cook!

Here is drawing Joni Mitchell…she is holding my brother :)Here he is painting

and the finished piece

 

 

 

 

Now I will show you an amazing work of art he did of my mother, it was enormous!

you can see the size in perspective here….and below the finished piece

And finally my priced possesion…another very big painting of my mother with my brother. This one is very dear to me, I own it but do not have yet in my home…it is being securely guarded by my father for now. This is a beauty!!!

From Ibiza they went to Paris via Madrid.

NY Salvadorb

Maron in NY NY – Big city of Dreams and more…

It is time to go for it again…this time I am going to share some drawings and art work that is truly beautiful. Now we find him in New York and he is with my mother at this point, they are young vibrant, free spirited and full of adventure! meeting people all the time and going to parties, I mean this is ’68-69 so you can imagine what things were happening then, can’t you?? he did a lot of drawings of my mom and you can sense there was a lot of sexual tension…I know I know this is kind of strange for me to notice but it IS there! let’s take a peek

 

Wow!

I can totally recognize their home decor taste on the drawing below, the bed covered in beautiful linens. They made the best of any place with the collection of items they had…to this day they remain original in their home decor like everything about them…

This one is amazing…

Ok now I will share 2 self portraits…this first one is a drawing I really like. Psychedelic much?? I mean this is a really good self portrait and he let’s not forget how young he still was!

 

This next one is a beautiful painting that was a set of 2, one of him and one was my mother as “The Sun”, he was “The Earth”. I mentioned before that these 2 paintings I know very well as they have been around all my life, they would be hung right over their bed in every home we lived…masterpieces!

 

And here are some drawings of my brother Alejandro van Rooy who was a baby then…

 

And here is the man he was named after…a good friend of theirs Alejandro Vallejo Nagera

 

There was not much painting for Maron during this time in New York as it was more of a time for adventure and love between he and my mother but that is something I will let them tell in their own way…their story has so much to it, ups and downs, endless passion…I mean the notebook doesn’t even compare! theirs should be a movie but who knows…maybe in the future?

Well my dear friends this is it for today as I don’t want to spoil you to much! :)

 

Blessings