My Abstract ArtEnergy workshops are producing some remarkable results.
Abstract Art Fun
Invitation to join one of my collectors on a tour of Southern India
Wikipedia tells me….that in fact, Ebru Art is ‘Paper Marbling is a method of aqueous surface design, which can produce patterns similar to smooth marble or other stone. The patterns are the result of color floated on either plain water or a viscous solution known as size, and then carefully transferred to an absorbent surface, such as paper or fabric. Through several centuries, people have applied marbled materials to a variety of surfaces. It is often employed as a writing surface for calligraphy, and especially book covers and endpapers in bookbinding and stationery. Part of its appeal is that each print is a unique monotype.’
I had the unique experience of being shown first hand by Coskum Uzunkaya from the Turkish Cultural centre here in Istanbul just what and how Ebur Art is achieved. He happily gave me a ‘sample’ and I was impressed with the patterns and designs that Coskum made in a few short minutes. www.tkhv.org
The finished artwork by Coskun Uzunkaya
I expressed interest in Russian Contemporary painters and to my delight and surprise a visit to The State Tretyakov Gallery which possesses a unique collection of Russian art which includes masterpieces created for more than a thousand years was organised for me.
The Gallery was founded by a Russian merchant and maecenas Pavel Tretyakov. He donated his collection to the city of Moscow in 1892. The State Tretyakov gallery has since become a world-famous museum. Nowadays it contains more than 160 000 works by Russian artists from the early religious paintings to the modern art objects. This gallery and the adjacent sculpture park had a profound affect on me and I have come away inspired and a little humble having seen such great works collected over a lifetime and now available for public viewing. I will definitely travel to Russia again as there is so much that I would like to see and so much more I would like to learn.
Kihavah Coral acquired by a keen art collector from Bangkok.
Christopher Hogan painting Kihavah Coral
Diving out of Kihavah Huravalhi Island, Baa Atoll in the Maldives is a great inspiration my new work, having said that, just walking on the island’s beach and finding a magnificently textured and vibrate coloured Crown Jellyfish a few days ago, also helped me create this paintings.
Bold combinations of the unique features of Maori Wrasse or Napoleon Fish, as they are know here in the Maldives and the bumpy textures and brilliant purples of the Crown Jellyfish have come alive for me in this painting.
'Triggerfish' by Christopher Hogan (photo courtesy Anantara Kihavah)
As we all know, Art works have been hung in hotels for decades.
I have read the tales of down-on-their-luck residents at the Chelsea Hotel in New York offering up their work in exchange for rent.
In this century there is a growing number of ‘ArtHotels’ being built around the world, where not only public spaces but rooms and gardens are themed, painted or designed by artists, or that contain unique collections of not only paintings but sculpture and designer carpets and wall hangings.
Art can add a much-needed Organic Element to a resort or hotel.
Today, hoteliers are thinking even farther outside the square by installing art in the most unexpected of ways and challenging guests to think more deeply about their experience. At Anantara Kihavah Villas in the Maldives, my concept of designing artwork on buggies has come to fruition, but my Christopher Hogan’s ‘Kihavah Fleet of Fishes’ Collection, with designs exclusive to the resort. Every buggy is an original Christopher Hogan from my Reef Series of paintings which depict the reefs and it’s fishes.
‘Christopher Hogan has affectionately known as the man who paints fish skins’
In recent years, hotels like the Wynn Las Vegas, the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Orlando and the Sagamore in Miami Beach have all displayed extensive collections of art. And the Gramercy Park Hotel, whose total refurbishing by Mr. Schrager debuted in 2006, has so much high-caliber artwork that the Museum of Modern Art once took a tour group there.
“The art is a part of the identity of the hotel,” said Jason Pomeranc, a co-owner of the Thompson LES, “and it integrates into the architecture, design, concept and what we ethereally call the vibe, the intellectual soul of the hotel.”
“If you think about Minimalism and Conceptualism, those artists have been trying to get off the wall for 50 years,” said Glenn Schaeffer, the co-founder, president and chief executive of Fontainebleau Resorts, “and now we’ve got a space for them.”
The Pod Hotel in New York also features frameless art. J. M. Rizzi painted city scenes and abstract shapes directly on the walls of the lobby, corridors and some rooms. I have been doing this at resorts in Thailand and the Maldives over the past year, here are a few examples of Christopher Hogan’s original wall murals.
One&Only Reethi Rah Maldives - Original art work by Christopher Hogan
Angsana Laguna Phuket Thailand wall mural designed by Christopher Hogan
The Henry Jones Art Hotel in Tasmania in my native country, Australia is an excellent example. From the hotel’s website, GM he said “we are truly privileged to be involved with the breathtaking transformation of a historically-sensitive site, such as this. In doing so we have created a luxurious and innovative way to engage with not only our cultural heritage but also connect with contemporary culture through modern Tasmanian works of art.
Tiles of Dreams, the newly named wall mural designed by Christopher Hogan
Recently completed the design of a 7 metre by 2.5 metre wall mural at Angsana Laguna Phuket, where a young family from Australia, joined by art class and under my direction, painted several tiles for the mural. It is heartwarming to see that they were the winners of the naming of my mural and will forever be part of the wonderful event, hosted by the Angsana Laguna Phuket’s GM Jerry John and David Campion who is Group Director CSR Operations for the Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts. Congratulations to everyone involved. Another ‘Christopher Hogan‘…….Tropic Series of Paintings.
