Tag Archives: Beauty

in the studio

The Ham – the making and process of my million $ piece – me and my daddy

If I could summarize the importance of this painting and the sentiment attached I would be here a long time and frankly it is probably too personal to be able to convey in words what it is to me but I want to show you some of the process and the timeline of “The Ham”, Here you can see him working on it before I make it this world….you can see that delicious ham hanging…mmmm…it is 1977

Now here he is again and I have to say how  much I look like him on this shot…wow! Although I would use a much more stylish clip on my hair ;) but you know how men are, they do what they can…

This next one is incredible to me because the details you can see transpiring are breath taking, look at each hair! I mean it is out of this world to me…well I can only imagine 4 years of work the way he works on a painting, just all the incredible texture and dimension it has to it, let me clarify that the detail is something that leaves me in awe! too much? nah! Ok so here it is…

Ok so this next one is just because I want to and it is so cute! It is my 1st birthday and I am wearing a dress my mother made for me :)

Here he is still working on it…I am answering the phone or at least I believed I was

 

Here he is in another moment in time…painting

It is 1980, 4 years of working on it and finally the moment when he decides it is finished. We unveil the master piece! Drum roll….

OMG! I love love love this painting! I own it and it hangs on my wall proudly. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I have. Until next time, much love to all!

To see what my mother Willy van Rooy is doing during this time CLICK HERE

 

 

painting the Ham beginning

Paris and The Ham – my treasure among others & the prelude to my arrival!

The Ham    ’76-’80

Let me begin by giving you a bit of insight into The Ham and the preciosity to it…The Ham came to be 2 years before I was born, I was born October 3rd, 1978. After the exhibition he went to Madrid for some family matters he had to attend and while there he did what he loved so much which was hanging with his parents. My grandfather had tons of charisma and my dad always enjoyed an outing to get some tapas and have a few beers. In the painting The Ham are all the emotions, like being taken to a sort of a basement full of Jamones hanging by ropes from the ceiling, just curing and becoming magical (did you tell I love this ham?) The whole ceremonial way of even selecting the right ham! oh man…Ok so he goes into this place and the owner chooses the ham for him and so there is my father with his ham, which in reality he planned to eat, ha :) Instead when he gets back home he starts to do a painting of it, I do want to let you know that when he paints he will not move him until it is so dark it is basically night so there is no more light! Actually by the end of this painting the rug underneath him was tearing and completely worn out (from standing on it while painting) This painting took 4 years and by the time it was finished the actual ham was completely dry and in the end you could only make soup out of the bone.

In the meantime he also does other paintings, portraits is what he loves, painting people is what he likes best,  but hard to find the model who wants to pose… Also did still lifes, but mostly he worked on The Ham. 

Here are some of the other wonderful paintings

This is my mother Willy van Rooy wearing on of her own TuniqueUnique. STORY HERE

Here is my brother Alejandro…wow he is so little there…(sigh) :)

Armen – One of my fathers best friends, and to me a sort of godfather

Susan Bottomly – Model and beautiful person all around

S. & S. – Paris French VOGUE –                                                         Ph. Tony Kent

Carry posing in the studio –                                                            Ph. Tony Kent

Carry

My mom and my brother, I believe he has this one, it is so gorgeous and classic!

Awww…ooohhhh….aaahhhh… :) xoxoxo Ok here please note the BEAUTY behind them!!! yes that one is mine ;)

Ok…ok…Working on the Rembrandt book, in braguitas, which look mighty comfy…yep, either that or nothing if you leave it to him so :)

Book of Remrandt – ’76

Visitor in Paris

Love this self portrait (love them all though)

Purple beauties in a vase – ’77

Oh wait what is this?? is that cute baby a little girl??? well look at that, I made it! My loved ones, I leave you here and I tell you that I love you all and I thank you for following and until next time when I reveal the finished Ham, à bientôt!

You can see what is happening during this time also if you click HERE in my mom’s blog

poster

“Les Toiles Caches” – The Exhibition

I know my dear friends, I left you with such an amazing collection and you have been waiting to see what was going to be of those magnificent pieces so here we are…The amazing collection certainly did not go unnoticed and so the exhibition takes place after the daunting task of finding the right gallery to display his work now. This was done by my mother Willy who one day went to the best gallery in Paris called Claude Bernard who loved the work and recommended her directly to another important gallery in Paris called Iolas, who thought this was the perfect compilation for a new gallery that was going to open its doors, directed by Jaqueline Passever, “niece of Giorgio De Chirico“, who instantly fell in love with Maron’s work and was very excited to do the exhibition. 

You can see the news paper ad for it above

the poster

Here is the front of the invitation above

And the back side

The text here was written by Alain Bosquet, beautifully describing what his paintings stirred within…below you can read the translated text, enjoy!

Young artists today go first to paroxysms. Some want to do without any work, any meditation, any interior sacrifice : they paint as if they were spreading jam on a slice of toast.  
From the moment their instinct falters, the viewer, the dupe, the other, has to be content with it.
Some, a little more audacious, intend to make a clean sweep: the canvas disturbs them,  color is their enemy, the notion of space exasperates them, replacing painting to the reign of matter, as if that at its raw state was a new value in itself. And at the other end of the horizon, some crash themselves before
the past, delayed imitators who are still making nudes, sunsets, fruit, landscapes more or less assassinated.
 It is under these conditions heartening to discover a young painter under thirty years, who does not fall into any of these exaggerations: Salvador Maron. 
The first impression is an incontestable know-how: This Spaniard from Canary Islands embodies – and it should not displease him to be told clearly – a respect to both himself, because he asks a lot of his talent, and others because he offers nothing that is not polished, worked, thoughtful, serious , definite.
This consciousness at the level of craft provides various forms, which don’t exclude virtuosity or a kind of philosophy of” trompe-l’oeil” renewed of the mannerist that followed the Renaissance.The prestige, he is not afraid to stress, as if he wants to challenge the general relaxation of painting, it can serve as an example.
Why would we be obfuscated by this panache, which permits him to be assertive? We feel soon enough seduced by his way, as if we went in a strange impulse of gaiety  but astonishment, check, by a finger, or prying eyes, the texture of his paintings. We resolve to the evidence: it is neither photography or collage, but pretty much brush work, meticulous removed at times caracoled, always superbe. Tromper l’oeil, precisely, is not the goal of Maron : mostly he flatters it, so as the pleasure be more acute. And who says pleasure, says need to dive back, to reflect, to question ourselves at length.
Then appears the unity of the inspiration. Behold a simple texture, knotted at its middle. Here is a material that seems to proclaim its right to existence as an independent object and no more utilitarian. Here an easel covered with  a sheet so as we guess  “wit a la Velazquez” – the painting on it. Here a curtain that lets – by a very calculated prudery – a glimpse  through a frame or a window.
Moreover here, a material negligently- but with lots of precaution- thrown over the night maybe as to conjure it. Here a display of velvet, with its folds, those wrinkled masses, ostensible gilded, don’t go without reminding such contemporary of Zurbaran, maybe Moro, or such contemporary of Tintoretto, perhaps Basan.
Here are, clinging to a panel, shreds: there was a storm, an earthquake, a big rape, a terrible drama in the whereabouts, sometimes prancing, always beautiful. 
To the challenge, is superimposed gradually the obsession. So many linens,cottons, silks, brocades, in form a baroque affirmation of the object, non the less suggest an invisible presence of man. There is a power that is hidden, sights that linger, loves ready to rip the sails. 
That is to say that the depth is not absent from these works. And a humor, we would like to say: smiling, light and ferocious at the same time- underlines many intentions that the painter hardly would want to show. After the materials, Maron will paint other subjects, other objects, other beings:
armed like he is, nothing should stop him to descend into the arena.

The artist standing by his work, looking sharp!

my brother walking the gallery and enjoying the work on the walls…LUCKY! ;)

This poster was displayed on the famous column in Paris where all the great artistic events are announced since the 19th Century.

Amongst the personalities that went to see his work we have The Rotschild’s, Karl Lagerfeld, Antonio Saura, Karel Appel, Leonor Fini, Franco Zeffirelli, Labisse, Christian Marquand to name a few but you get the idea, this was the “creme de la creme” of Paris. This was a big success indeed!

On the next episode we get to the reaction of the press and critics alike, stay tuned! Also to see more of this time and from my mother’s side CLICK HERE

 

first toile

Paris 4 – The jaw dropping “Les Toiles Caches” the ‘Hidden Canvas” series by Salvador Maron

My dearest friends, I open this post with a statement:

This is the most amazing collection of it’s kind in existance, hands down!

There are many I adore and am in awe about but I am going to share a series of paintings that are my very favorite and I have many favorite series so you are in for a treat!

Wow! the first Toile (cloth in French)

The Blue Knot. No no, take your time…take it in…

The Knot Knotted. Seriously!

The Knotted Knot. Oh my…

Mmmm Mmmm

Shut the door!

Magnificent!

Another… do you see what’s happening here?

What can I say… Adore it!

The Ripped Knot. I am becoming speechless…

Here is the Red Painting With Knot that you saw him working on the previous post :)

The Blue Stripes…BOOM!

Honestly what words could I possibly come up with that will describe them justly…This series was the true inspiration flourishing and taking shape. Translating through his eyes and fingers onto canvas he created not only a magnificent collection of detail and dimension but also brought a concept of genius to the game. Think about it, to refuse conforming to standard trends and going the unique route is what transcends here. He did not start off painting things that were common, he shows the beauty of what art really is. Now the paintings are ready and the challenge is to find the right gallery for the exhibition. I only wish I could have all of these pieces but nevertheless they are in good hands and the exclusive canvas prints will be available soon.

At the same time my mother is also creating incredible designs and together they embark on their life, always together and always creating…for her story CLICK HERE!

 

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

 

 

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!

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

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