October 26th, 2012

As a prelude to Villa Ravenna’s smashing annual holiday wine dinner, La Festa di Natale, artist Todd Ford will unveil two stunning new wine paintings (one white, one red), created specifically for this special evening, one hour before the first glass is poured. In addition to making these two pieces available, Todd will be painting a wine piece live in the gallery from 3:00 to 6:30.

“Of all the reference photos I’ve taken, the wine pieces have been the most difficult. I had to set up the shot and pour with one hand/take the photo with the other hand(no remote either). One pour, one shot. It took some practice and lots of patience, but I finally was able to pour and actually hit the glass while stretching to reach the camera.

The wine made quite a mess each pour, so I had plastic stretched and taped all over the studio to catch it (Dexter would have approved).

I repeated the “pour, click, clean, reset” sequence over 300 times for the red wine and the white wine.  Yes, 300 times for each.

When I started reviewing the photos and choosing the ones I would use for the paintings, I was amazed at the level of abstraction in the wine caught in motion. The visual appeal of the static/dynamic relationship between the glass and the wine really spoke to me.

Wine in motion required me to let go and allow the wine to do what it does when poured. I was extremely pleased with the photos I ended up with and was excited to translate them into oil.

A painting instructor in college used to say, “don’t be a slave to the photo”. That advice resonates in every piece I paint. As I have said before, I have no desire to be a traditional photorealist. These pieces are no different. They have photoreal qualities, as much of my work does, but they are simplified in some areas and embellished in others.

I am extremely pleased with the results.” – Todd

If you would like to take part in La Festa di Natale (10 course meal, 11 Italian wines) contact Sergio at Villa Ravenna ASAP, as this event will sell out.
   918-270-2666 or   sergio@villaravenna.com