Artists 'Paint the Masters' for upcoming show

IRONWOOD - Local artists, members of the Range Art Association, have been studying master painters for the upcoming "Paint the Masters" show.

Seventeen local artists have been studying famous master painters. Some of the artists being studied include Paul Gauguin, Georgia O'Keefe, Rembrandt, Salvador Dali, Johannas Vermeer, Claude Monet, Cezanne, Winslow Homer, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.

The artists each study a master artist's work and attempt to recreate the original.

One of the artists, Minnie Malaga, said she has never replicated another artist's work before, usually focusing on her own creations.

"This was my opportunity to paint the masters," she said. "This is a very good opportunity for me."

Malaga and her husband Bernie own and operate the Silver Street Motel in Hurley. The motel's lobby is filled with Minnie Malaga's own creations, as well as one painted by the couple's daughter.

Malaga said she chose to study van Gogh's "The Starry Night" because it is one of her favorite paintings.

"It fascinates me," she said. "It attracts me the most ... the combination of colors."

She said even though Van Gogh had a mental illness, he created beautiful things. According to the Museum of Modern Art, he painted "The Starry Night" while in the Saint-Paul asylum in southern France. Van Gogh wrote about his fascination with the night sky, saying it was "much more alive and richly colored than the day."

Malaga said Van Gogh was religious and said the large bush in the image, presumably a cypress tree, represents the "bridge between life and death."

He also has a fascination with the stars. "But the sight of the stars always makes me dream," he once wrote.

Malaga also recreated Pablo Picasso's "The Dream," also known by the French name "Le Rêve."

"I sketch first," Malaga said in describing her recreation of Picasso's piece.

"(Picasso) has a weirdness when is comes to painting," she said. "He is always distorted."

She said Picasso would often paint other people's portraits, but the portraits were twisted versions. In "The Dream" from 1932, Picasso's 24-year-old mistress, Marie-Thérèse Walter, is portrayed. He was 50 years old at the time.

Malaga said Picasso was always around a lot of women. "(Picasso) was a womanizer," she said. "The Dream" portrays some of his erotic intricacies.

The original artwork sold for $7,000 in 1941 to Victor and Sally Ganz of New York, before it was sold again in 1997 for $48.4 million.

Both chosen artworks were originally done in oil, Malaga said, but her recreations were done with acrylic paints. Though she was unsure about trying to mimic another artist's work, she was confident in her abilities while studying the two artists.

"I'm confident that I can paint like a master," Malaga said. "If you have hesitation, you won't do as well."

The Range Art Association "Paint the Masters" show's opening reception is on April 1, from 5-7 p.m. at the Historic Ironwood Theatre, where the artwork will be displayed. Wine, punch and light hors d'oeuvres will also be served.

For more information about the event or the Range Art Association, visit rangearts.com or contact Gail Kniska at 715-561-2072 or gkniska@centurytel.net or email Pat DiLuna at padiluna@gmail.com.