American, 1947
Colorful portrait in a mix of folk-pop art by American artist Edwin Weaver Jr, or 'Mr. Eddie', framed in cut bamboo. Bright color and texture define this framed fresco.
Signed on the reverse:
Folk art fresco
Edwin H. Weaver Jr.
Mr. Eddie
ABOUT: Artist Ed Weaver considers himself to be a folk-pop artist. He creates work that is a combination of "folk art with pop art colors." To understand Mr. Eddie's frescoes, his career as glass blower is integral. He is known throughout the world for his glass work that is in permanent collections at the Smithsonian Institution and the Corning Museum of Glass. While visiting Italy to study glass blowing in Venice, he was introduced to frescoes, an art form in which Michelangelo, DaVinci and other Renaissance artists worked.
"I'm seeing frescoes — all the duomos have them — and on the sides of street, fascinated by the look of these frescoes," he said.
As he and his wife, Mary, traveled to France, they saw drawings and paintings created by early man. "We saw the cave paintings, basically the same as a fresco," he said. Like glass, frescoes can last thousands of years and are testament to a civilization.
With earth oxides and minerals as colorants in glass, Mr. Eddie began to use the same ingredients to color his frescoes. His pigments are created by compounds for his glass work, and he adapted that medium for his very colorful folk art."
Mr. Eddie uses a one-of-a-kind way to make paint and color, an important part of my painting, he said. Explaining the process, Mr. Eddie said he adds water-based paint to what he calls fresh lime putty. "When the putty is wet, add the paint," he explained. "When it dries, it becomes part of the fresco. The drying process fixes the pigment. That's why they last thousands of years." A trick that every fresco painter must remember is to work very fast before the lime putty dries.
DIMENSIONS: 21" W x 35.25" H x 1.5" D
CONDITION NOTES: In good condition, ready to hang