This Friday Taylor Negron ~ Actor, Stand / Up Comedian / Writer / Painter ~ will present his work in an exhibit at the Hotel de Ville Lifestyle. You’re probably thinking, “Wait a minute. The funnyman, the guy who’s been in over 40 films and hundreds of TV shows, is a painter, too?†Yes, folks, unbeknownst to many of us, the multitalented Negron has been silently stroking brushes against canvas for a number of years and he’s finally giving us a chance to view his work.
For most of us, when we think of Negron, we conjure up images of his wildly unique and memorable acting roles ~ for me it’s always the funny stuff, like the crazy Brazilian character “Fausto Squiriniszu†he played in Dan Ackroyd’s “Nothing But Trouble.†Others may recall the more dramatic, such as the evil henchman “Milo†in “The Last Boy Scou
t.†Whatever scene strikes your fancy, bear in mind; Negron’s interest in art preceded his acting career. In high school he won a scholarship to the Art Center College of Design, and went on to study painting in San Francisco and New York. His foray into acting was simply a way to earn money to sketch models. Twas fate that pulled him from his artistic path while on the set of “The Main Event†with Barbra Streisand when he was selected from the extras to “do a little acting work.†Thus a film career was born.
Negron’s paintings, described as “riveting,†are lauded by the Huffington Post’s Patricia Ciaffa Peyser who writes, “This exhibition of his paintings will confirm the dazzling Renaissance scope of his gifts…These two dozen small-scale, informal portraits have an intense presence that belies their intimate size and understated execution. Piquant color and energetic draftsmanship give the sitters a startling immediacy; a flame burns beneath their louche, nonchalant air. Negron’s work has something of the crackling electricity of Schiele and the probity of Alice Neel.â€
The portraits are comprised of Negron’s close circle of show business friends. The challenge for Negron however was not in the execution, but in getting folks to sit for the portraiture, as Negron explains, “Before I paint someone, I always ask, “How much examination can your body take?” “How much do you want me to see?” Most people don’t really like to pose. It is difficult to get them to be present and relaxed under this kind of molecular scrutiny. I want them to understand I’m not simply painting them, I am painting them within a precise moment in time, as a shadow moves across their eyebrows. Then it is gone. The moment is over.â€
Don’t miss the moment!
Open reception for the artist on Friday, July 1, 5:00-10:00 pm.
The exhibition runs through July 24.
Hotel de Ville Lifestyle
1932 Echo Park Ave. Los Angeles
For more details: www.taylornegron.com
