Elguera In reply to Tete-DePunk [2011-04-05 01:52:34 +0000 UTC]

Theresa,
Sorry I've been silent for so many months, but The Medium has been all consuming. It went to press this last week and should be ready for distribution by next week. The Metropolitan Opera Gift Shop has taken 20 copies of each libretto which thrills me....It's rather like being at the Guggenheim! I would love to send you a copy of each, but I must have some kind of mailing address where you will be sure to receive them. If you are able, email your response at relguera@comcast.net it will still be a while before I am able to visit DA on a regular basis.
Hope all has been well with you and promise to stay better in touch now that The Medium is finally done. I've sworn an oath never to do another one of these librettos until I am offered $2 an hour by some benefactor......at $2 an hour I figure it should pay somewhere in the neighborhood of a quarter million!! LOL!
Ron

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Tete-DePunk In reply to Elguera [2011-04-05 04:19:39 +0000 UTC]

Ron,
You have no idea whatsoever what immense joy and exhilaration it gives to hear from you again! I was worried a great deal as I recalled you had mentioned that you were experiencing some financial difficulties, and had assumed the worst befell you. But thankfully, this was not this case.
You must be exhausted with your work on The Medium! It surely must have sapped you of energy. This is most fortunate!! I cannot believe it , I am just stunned! The Met Opera Gift Shop has taken 20 copies?! Ron, this must be a pinnacle of success! This is just stunning!

Ron, I thank you so much for your endless generosity, but at the moment I am experiencing so much trouble , I fear I would not be able to receive it, and notwithstanding I could not accept unless I could pay you in some way, you have been such an impact in my life, I already owe such a debt to you, Ron,

It does my spirit a vast deal of good to hear from you again! Perhaps you will be able to take a well deserved respite this spring.

2$!!! You should be commissioned for at least 20$ an hour, esp with the caliber of your work and your dedication!

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Elguera In reply to Tete-DePunk [2010-06-19 02:05:30 +0000 UTC]

theresa,
will reply to your last letter soon... have you seen my latest painting of the Maria Callas Tosca? Ron.

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Tete-DePunk In reply to Elguera [2010-06-19 23:49:08 +0000 UTC]

Thank you immensely, I will comment on it shortly!

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Elguera In reply to JimmyMcCullough [2010-05-20 00:11:49 +0000 UTC]

Will do! and ILU!![link]

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JimmyMcCullough In reply to Elguera [2010-05-22 00:09:54 +0000 UTC]

did it make it?

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Elguera In reply to JimmyMcCullough [2010-05-22 18:35:40 +0000 UTC]

Yes it did! Just yesterday as a matter of fact and I was tuning in to Deviant Art specifically to thank you. It must've taken hours to make! I shall treasure it always. I hope to return the kind thoughts soon. In the meantime, The Butterfly Libretto is an all time consuming Frankenstein. Thanks again for the lovely work of art...the stamp and postmark on the front are sure to increase its value! Ron. [link]

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JimmyMcCullough In reply to Elguera [2010-05-23 16:39:59 +0000 UTC]

oh good. glad it made it out to you safely. i had fun making that one.

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Elguera In reply to the-rite-of-spring [2010-03-23 00:45:15 +0000 UTC]

You are not the first to say my work is Picassoesque. A term I find to be flattering to say the least. If you will take a closer look at my gallery however, you will see that only a far small portion of my work is like this great painter. I have studied ALL the great masters thoroughly, and think that my work is reminiscent of all of them, while being uniquely me at the same time.
Why do you assume I am Spanish? I was born in Chicago and lived in the US most all my life. Ron Elguera.

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the-rite-of-spring In reply to Elguera [2010-03-23 22:24:59 +0000 UTC]

interesting response. i assume you are spanish from your last name. by spanish i included any country that speaks the language.

anyway i am interested in knowing which masters you have studied. i am still learning to draw and haven't tried to emulate masters yet.

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Elguera In reply to the-rite-of-spring [2010-03-29 21:14:49 +0000 UTC]

Start with Titian, El Greco, Rubens, Rembrandt, Velasquez, Boucher, David, Goya (Goya is a must!) Ingres, Daumier, Delacroix, Manet, Monet, Renoir, VanGogh (another must), Cezanne (absolutely required!!!) Matisse, and of course Picasso...there is NO WAY you can bypass Picasso....then Marcel Duchamp (who not only pointed art in a new direction, he completely re-defined it!).Once you start studying the 20th century, it gets harder and harder, because the closer you get to the present, the more numerous the artists become. By the time you get to the present day, the number of artists is somewhere in the thousands. Good luck to you! My best recommendation is that you start at the beginning and just keep going chronologically. Not only will this teach you a great deal about art, it will teach you an untold amount of humanity in general and how humankind got to be the way he is today. Ron Elguera.

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the-rite-of-spring In reply to Elguera [2010-04-05 22:38:22 +0000 UTC]

hey, could you reply to my question? I'm really interested, maybe you didn't see it:

"
so you try to copy their work?

thanks for the great list, I really appreciate. I am familiar with most of these names, it is mostly the procedure that is unknown to me. Basically, what is learning from a master, and how do I do it?"

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the-rite-of-spring In reply to Elguera [2010-03-29 23:13:28 +0000 UTC]

so you try to copy their work?

thanks for the great list, I really appreciate. I am familiar with most of these names, it is mostly the procedure that is unknown to me. Basically, what is learning from a master, and how do I do it?

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Elguera In reply to the-rite-of-spring [2010-04-07 21:48:24 +0000 UTC]

dear rite of spring,
I apologize for taking so long to get back with you....I'm really swamped at the moment with a HUGE project of downloading librettos for two comlete operas and have to be done by next week.
Before you can learn from the masters you need to learn a few basics. Start with a thorough study of perspective...you can't succeed without it. After that, study on composition and color. There are several great books on the subject. I highly recommend Ernest Norling's Perspective Made Easy, although it may no longer be in print. Studying the great masters involves reading up on their lives, their times, and what it was they did that made them great. Time Life books has a SUPERB series on the great painters and your library should have the entire series. It is composed of 36 volumes, each volume is called "World of...." (World of Giotto, World of Michaelangelo, etc.) Each one is written is simple, plain English and are easy, interesting, and delightfully informative.
Yes it is beneficial to copy the great Masters, 'though it's harder than it looks. First, you need a command of the theory I mentioned above (perspective, composition, design, anatomy, etc.), then, you have to choose a Master's painting and study it carefully. Try to figure out which colors he laid in first, which he laid on top of those, the next layer, etc. Believe me, it ain't easy! Even when you do a great job, it'll NEVER look like the original...copying a master painting is like trying to forge a perfect signature, but a thousand times more difficult.
You might be interested in checking out my website at artbyelguera.com
I have paintings listed according to category and Old Masters is one of them.
Keep me posted on what you're doing. I should have a little more time in a couple of weeks. Ron Elguera

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the-rite-of-spring In reply to Elguera [2010-04-12 21:56:19 +0000 UTC]

thanks a lot Ron, it was very helpful. I checked out your site and the mastery over all styles in inspiring. I ask myself how I should paint amidst all of these. Also I have trouble putting the past behind, I love it aesthetically so much more than the modern art. But your site puts everything in a new perspective. I see you've completed art history studies too. I've taken some art history classes and while it is always a learning experience, I find them a pain in the arse and wouldn't see myself completing a degree. IMO the profs who aren't artists suffer and are left to speak among their non-artist university club.

Thanks again, David

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Elguera In reply to chapmike9 [2010-02-28 07:26:26 +0000 UTC]

Interesting gallery.....how about you check out mine? Ron.

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chapmike9 In reply to Elguera [2010-02-28 08:14:13 +0000 UTC]

Thank you, very random I know. Sure I will check it out.

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Elguera In reply to drewschermick [2010-02-07 22:30:14 +0000 UTC]

Drew,
Please be sure to check out my journal as I mentioned you in it! ILU!!! Ron.

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Elguera In reply to bear48 [2009-11-24 07:39:12 +0000 UTC]

you're very welcome!

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Elguera In reply to amyhooton [2009-11-13 19:10:19 +0000 UTC]

absolutely!

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Elguera In reply to look----Esther [2009-11-13 02:07:42 +0000 UTC]

Thank you for the lovely comments. To get a closer look at my avatar (I assume you mean the 'logo', go to my website at [link] On the black bar on the left hand side, click 'ortraits 1', when the small images appear, scroll down to the 3rd row, column 1. Click on it to see a larger image....let me know what you think! Ron.

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