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Notes about the Artworks and Price List
DETROIT360
EXHIBITION -
PAINTINGS
& PRINTS
BY Lowell Boileau
CASS CAFÉ - DETROIT –
22 JAN – 9 APR 2005
DETROITYES.COM/360
About the Paintings
I am not a realist; I am a possiblist. While appearing realistic, the
subject matter of most of my paintings is neither a representation of an
actual scene nor a totally impossible setting. Some paintings are direct
representations of actual scenes, some are collages of scenes, but most are
evoked from memory. It is like the challenge of trying to describe out a
scene and event from the past. Recreating the feeling that existed is more
important than describing actual details of the setting. As the old saying
goes, “You would have had to been there to understand it.” In all works
there is an emphasis to display the powers of light and color that can be
achieved by simply assembling millions of tiny yellow, red and blue dots via
the Micropointillist painting technique.
About the Micropointillist Painting Technique
“The end of all method is to appear to have no method.”
Anonymous Chinese aesthetic quote
The Micropointillist painting technique is a method of creating
brilliant and luminous paintings using only the three primary colors or
yellow, red and blue. It is complex in technique yet simple in concept. In
concept it is related to divisionist or pointillist painting of the 19th
century, whereby color is divided into distinct points of pure color which,
standing side by side, cause the eye to blend them into the full spectrum of
colors. The main difference is the size of the points, microscopic in my
case, and the method of application. To learn how it is done, I invite you
to visit click here
to learn the lengthy details. |
|
NO |
TITLE |
SIZE |
MEDIUM |
PRICE |
WO/FR |
IMAGE |
|
1 |
St.
Cyril
“The Agony of St. Cyril” is a panorama of the ruins of the interior of St.
Cyril cathedral on
Detroit’s eastside. The cathedral which was the core of a working class
immigrant neighborhood was finally demolished in 2003. “The Agony of St.
Cyril” is a color photograph in an edition of 25. It is optionally framed
behind non-glare acrylic glass framed by a simple oak frame. |
29 x 9.5 |
ph |
340 |
190 |
|
|
2 |
Gloaming
“Gloaming” uses the diamond shape, plunging perspective and dramatic
lighting to emphasize a topic of decay and renewal and the replacement of
craft and personality with economy and impersonality. The elements are
borrowed the skylines of
Detroit and Chicago. It is the yang of its yin/yang companion “Dawn”. The
central element, based on the ruins of the former Michigan Hotel in Chicago,
protrudes from the picture while the central feature of Dawn, a rising
skyscraper recedes. “Gloaming” is a Micropointillist technique acrylic on
canvas painting was created using only the three primary colors of yellow,
red and blue. |
48x48 |
a/c |
4800 |
|
|
|
3 |
Grande
Ballroom
“Grande Ballroom” is a panoramic view of a legendary
Detroit westside ballroom. Following its days as a formal dance hall it
went into decline. It was briefly reprised as a rock and roll concert hall
and many of the great legends of 1960’s rock era performed here including
the MC5, Iggy Pop and Stooges, Janis Joplin, the Doors, the Cream and many
more. “Grande Ballroom” is a color photograph in an edition of 25. It is
optionally framed behind non-glare acrylic glass framed by a simple oak
frame. |
29 x 11 |
ph |
340 |
190 |
|
|
4 |
Grand
Ballroom Cadillac Hotel
“Grand Ballroom Cadillac Hotel” is panoramic view of the ruins of the Grand
Ballroom of what was once
Detroit’s premier hotel and the largest hotel in the world at the time it
was built. It had the feel of being the in the ballroom of the Titanic, but
without the water. Now slated for restoration as a hotel-condominium
project, the ballroom has since been gutted and cleared. The project is in
progress. “Grand Ballroom Cadillac Hotel” is a color photograph in an
edition of 25. It is optionally framed behind non-glare acrylic glass
framed by a simple oak frame. |
29 x 8 |
ph |
340 |
190 |
|
|
5 |
Pathway
1/27
“Pathway” is a serpentine vision of auto culture and its mark on the urban
landscape which becomes defined by the ongoing flow of headlights. “Pathway”
is a serial painting in a sequence of 27. It was created using a
Micropointillist technique acrylic on canvas painting using only the three
primary colors of yellow, red and blue. A series of templates keep the
drawing constant, but variations in paint amounts and skies give each
painting its individuality. |
20x32 |
a/c |
600 |
|
|
|
6 |
Pathway
7/27
“Pathway” is a serpentine vision of auto culture and its mark on the urban
landscape which becomes defined by the ongoing flow of headlights. “Pathway”
is a serial painting in a sequence of 27. It was created using a
Micropointillist technique acrylic on canvas painting using only the three
primary colors of yellow, red and blue. A series of templates keep the
drawing constant, but variations in paint amounts and skies give each
painting its individuality. |
20x32 |
a/c |
600 |
|
|
|
7 |
Pathway
4/27
“Pathway” is a serpentine vision of auto culture and its mark on the urban
landscape which becomes defined by the ongoing flow of headlights. “Pathway”
is a serial painting in a sequence of 27. It was created using a
Micropointillist technique acrylic on canvas painting using only the three
primary colors of yellow, red and blue. A series of templates keep the
drawing constant, but variations in paint amounts and skies give each
painting its individuality. |
20x32 |
a/c |
600 |
|
|
|
8 |
Michigan
Theater
“Michigan Theater” is a view of the former Michigan Theater whose space was
transformed into a parking lot. Remnants of the theater give the scene
great irony made more poignant by the fact that this was also the site of
Henry Ford’s first workshop. The wealth created by Ford’s genius put
America on wheels and caused the city of
Detroit to
explode in size over night and a skyscraper with a 4000 seat movie theater
to supplant Ford’s humble shop. As time passed and suburban theaters with
free parking emerged, the Michigan Theater with its lack of parking failed
and the commercial viability of the Michigan Building was similarly
threatened. The solution was to turn the theater into a parking lot.
“Michigan Theater” is a color photograph in an edition of 25. It is
optionally framed behind non-glare acrylic glass framed by a simple oak
frame. |
16 x 14
.5 |
ph |
300 |
150 |
|
|
9 |
After
the Storm
“After the Storm” was created for the sheer joy of color and light that the
Micropointillist painting technique enables. The scene is totally
fictional, yet could be almost anywhere. It arises from memories of the
dramatic play of light and color displayed when city lights illuminate the
landscape after a summer downpour. “After the Storm” is a Micropointillist
technique acrylic on canvas painting was created using only the three
primary colors of yellow, red and blue. |
45x45 |
a/c |
4800 |
|
|
|
10 |
Ancestor
“Ancestor” is an homage to all American ancestors past, present and future
who have struggled their way here. “Ancestor” is a Micropointillist
technique acrylic on canvas painting was created using only the three
primary colors of yellow, red and blue. |
48x12 |
a/c |
600 |
|
|
|
11 |
Hudson Implosion
Sequence
“Hudson Implosion Sequence” is a sequence of five dramatic images I captured
from the fifteenth floor of the
First National Building on
October 25, 1998. By
sheer luck the a brilliant afternoon autumn sun sent its rays through its
crumbling upper floors while illuminating autumn colored trees in the
foreground Kern block.
“Hudson Implosion Sequence” |
29 x 11 |
ph |
340 |
190 |
|
|
12 |
Rouge
Sunset
“Rouge Sunset” is a panoramic photograph looking across the
Rouge River at the legendary Ford Industrial Complex accented by the colors
of a dying sun on a winter day. Covering two square miles and once
employing 100,000 workers it epitomized American industrial might power at
the height of the Detroit’s auto industrial world. “Rouge Sunset” is a color
photograph in an edition of 25. It is optionally framed behind non-glare
acrylic glass framed by a simple oak frame. |
29 x 9.5 |
ph |
340 |
190 |
|
|
13 |
Parting
Friends
“Parting Friends” arose from a memory of a group of friends saying their
good-byes as they separate in front of a decaying party store along Woodward
near my Highland Park
house. A warm event on a cold night. I chose stark features, light and
color to challenge the perception of the event to a passerby. The
perceptions of the passerby to this image on the internet and in real life
have often been the opposite, reading conflict or unease into the scene.
“Parting Friends” is a Micropointillist technique acrylic on canvas painting
was created using only the three primary colors of yellow, red and blue. |
64x48 |
a/c |
4200 |
|
|
|
14 |
Detroit Skyline from
Windsor
“Detroit Skyline from
Windsor” is a panoramic nighttime view of the city of Detroit as seen from
the shores of its sister city of Windsor in Canada. “Detroit Skyline from
Windsor” is a
color photograph in an edition of 25. It is optionally framed behind
non-glare acrylic glass framed by a simple oak frame. |
29 x 6 |
ph |
300 |
150 |
|
|
15 |
Detroit From Cadillac
Roof
“Detroit from
Cadillac Hotel” was captured looking north from the roof of the ruins of the
Cadillac Hotel. Both ruins and rise of downtown
Detroit are
revealed in this panorama with the new stadiums seen in the distance. Grand
River Avenue, one
of the great radial boulevards of
Detroit
stretches out to the horizon on the left. “Detroit from Cadillac Hotel” is a
color photograph in an edition of 25. It is optionally framed behind
non-glare acrylic glass framed by a simple oak frame. |
29 x 9.5 |
ph |
340 |
190 |
|
|
16 |
Woodwardish
“Woodardish” floats above a
Woodward Avenue-like
vista of
Detroit and contains allusions to actual places. The house in the
foreground is my former Highland Park House. Another “possiblist” image, it
was made to exude warmth and show what Detroit was, is and can be.
“Woodardish” is a Micropointillist technique acrylic on canvas painting was
created using only the three primary colors of yellow, red and blue. |
24x24 |
a/c |
1800 |
|
|
|
18 |
Passage
Pounding expressways carve up the urban landscape in this edition entitled
“Passage” where each painting varies from the others, in mood, color
intensity, weather and time of day. “Passage” is a serial painting in an
edition of 27. It was created using a Micropointillist technique acrylic on
canvas painting using only the three primary colors of yellow, red and
blue. A series of templates keep the drawing constant, but variations in
paint amounts and skies give each painting its individuality. |
18 x 32 |
a/c |
500 |
|
|
|
18 |
Wesson
Street
“Wesson Street” is based on an actual view of Wesson Street, just north of
Buchanan, on Detroit’s west side. The foreground of the St. Francis Assisi
school playground sets off the row of worker housing under the shadow of a
long abandoned factory. “Wesson
Street” is a
Micropointillist technique acrylic on wood painting was created using only
the three primary colors of yellow, red and blue. It is framed by a simple
oak frame. |
4 x 48 |
a/w |
3200 |
|
|
|
19 |
Dawn
“Dawn” uses the diamond shape, plunging perspectives and dramatic lighting
to emphasize a topic of decay and renewal and the replacement of craft and
personality with economy and impersonality. The elements are borrowed the
skylines of
Detroit and
Chicago. It is the yin of its yin/yang companion “Gloaming”. A foreground
of fading crafted structures frames a faceless skyscraper rising in the
background. Both works segued into the “Fabulous Ruins of Detroit” web art
project. “Dawn” is a Micropointillist technique acrylic on canvas painting
was created using only the three primary colors of yellow, red and blue. |
48x48 |
a/c |
4800 |
|
|
|
20 |
Renaissance
“Renaissance” is based on an actual scene in
Detroit’s Rivertown where the wilderness of an abandoned rail lines and
factory frame Detroit’s Renaissance Center, built in 1972 in the failed hope
of bring a renaissance to downtown Detroit. Recently made the headquarters
of General Motors Corporation, it finally is playing a leading role in
downtown Detroit’s revival. This view was the original home page image of
my for-art website project, “The Fabulous Ruins of Detroit”. “Renaissance”
is a Micropointillist technique acrylic on canvas painting was created using
only the three primary colors of yellow, red and blue. |
48 x 36 |
a/c |
3600 |
|
|
|
21 |
Last
Exit
“Last Exit” focuses on a serene small town while in the distance the lights
and expressways of a large urban center reach out to swallow the village in
its sprawl. “Last Exit” is a serial painting in an edition of 27. It was
created using a Micropointillist technique acrylic on canvas painting using
only the three primary colors of yellow, red and blue. A series of
templates keep the drawing constant, but variations in paint amounts and
skies give each painting its individuality. |
34x22 |
a/c |
700 |
|
|
|
22 |
Nocturne
“Nocturne” looks down on a newsstand on a drizzly urban night illuminated
the reflections of lights from tall buildings. “Nocturne” is a serial
painting in an edition of 27. It was created using a Micropointillist
technique acrylic on canvas painting using only the three primary colors of
yellow, red and blue. A series of templates keep the drawing constant, but
variations in paint amounts and skies give each painting its individuality. |
34x22 |
a/c |
500 |
|
|
|
23 |
Amber
Waves of Grain
“Amber Waves of Grain” is both an homage to and a collage of the small towns
of my youth, quiet and often vanishing islands of tranquility that dot the
vast countrysides of rural
America.
“Amber Waves of Grain” is a Micropointillist technique acrylic on paper
painting was created using only the three primary colors of yellow, red and
blue. It is framed behind non glare clear acrylic glass surrounded by a
simple oak frame. |
11x31 |
a/pap |
1200 |
|
|
|
24 |
War and
Peace
In “Peace and War” fictional Violence explodes on a balmy summer night
across a drive movie screen outside a peaceful small town. It was requiem
for the Cold War, a long running threat to the end of human existence that
plagued the world for decades yet, as I look back, it was little more than a
bad movie. “Peace and War” is a Micropointillist technique acrylic on canvas
painting was created using only the three primary colors of yellow, red and
blue. |
48x36 |
a/c |
3600 |
|
|
|
25 |
Tecolutla
“Tecolutla” is a remembered view of the Rio Tecolutla as it enters the
Gulf of Mexico in
the State of
Veracruz. Restaurants and fishermen’s houses line the docks of the tiny
resort and fishing village of Tecolutla on a moonlit as might be seen by
fishermen returning home. “Tecolutla” is a Micropointillist technique
acrylic on canvas painting was created using only the three primary colors
of yellow, red and blue. |
24x24 |
a/c |
1400 |
|
|
|
26 |
Autumn
“Autumn” is an elegy to the end of industrial age
Detroit. The image is suggestive of snow geese migrating south along the
straits of Detroit, a timeless and constant event above the human
fluctuations below emphasized by Chinese-painting influenced mist separation
of the planes. This painting was the winner of the $1000 1st Place Prize and
was part of the Michigan Creative Arts Grant Award project "Michigan at the
End of the Industrial Age". “Autumn” is a Micropointillist technique
acrylic on canvas painting was created using only the three primary colors
of yellow, red and blue. |
48x40 |
a/c |
4200 |
|
|
|
27 |
Steeples
& Stacks Prints
“Steeples and Stacks” is evocative of industrial age
Detroit when tight urban communities that blended places of work, commerce
and worship epitomized the American dream. The juxtaposition of angles is
made to give the scene a flying dreamy bygone quality. The image was
originally created for a friends vinyl record album cover. “Steeples and
Stacks” a four color silk print on Arches 150 lb. hot press paper. It is a
special edition of 26 printed on archival quality paper. |
13.5 x
13.5 |
a/p |
340 |
190 |
|
|
28 |
Zug Island Bridge
Zug
Island is man made
Island along
the Straits of Detroit where fiery coke ovens and blast furnaces turn iron
ore into steel. When I came to
Detroit as a
college student in search of summer work, my first job was on Zug Island
which I entered across the bridge in the background. Hot and choked with
smoke and dust it was a hell on earth. Now somewhat tamed by environmental
laws, day lilies sprout along the banks of its polluted canal in “Zug Island
Bridge” giving the view an ironically idyllic feel while betraying the
millions of man hours of hard grinding work the island represents. “Zug
Island Bridge” is a color photograph in an edition of 25. It is optionally
framed behind non-glare acrylic glass framed by a simple oak frame. |
18 x
13.5 |
ph |
300 |
150 |
|
|
29 |
War
“War” was created to appear and work as an abstract painting from a distance
or at first glance. Mud puddle reflections separate the eye of the actual
terror, much as electronic media separates today’s citizens from harsh
realities, while the chaos of footprints and vehicle tracks frame the scene
and reveal the truth. “War” is a Micropointillist technique acrylic on
canvas painting was created using only the three primary colors of yellow,
red and blue. |
48x60 |
a/c |
3600 |
|