Former Runci Cover Model Steps Forward

via my website, www.CristinaAcosta.com

Hi, I'm Deanna Marie Wolfe, the little girl in the painting holding the dog is me. My parents were friends with Edward and Maxine Runci. I own a very similar painting my parents received from them. It is hanging in my home. I also own a few of the Walter Foster Art Books with my portrait on the cover (same as on your web site). Your site is very cool thanks. Do you want me to forward a picture of the portrait I own they painted (according to my mother they painted my portrait together with Edward adding his touches with the brush along the way.) I hope you get this and respond and thanks again.
Deanna Marie Wolfe

Dear Deanna,
Thank you so much for contacting me about your participation as a cover model for Maxine Runci's art instruction book, Painting from the Family Album. I love "what ever happened to...." stories, and I think your information is a valuable fact for any future Runci enthusiast. Here is the lovely picture you sent me of another painting they made of you at the same age. What a beautiful portrait. And thanks for sending the current photo of you and your husband. You look beautiful!

Best Wishes,
Cristina

Click here to read more about the Runcis

Controlling with a Light Touch

Planning a painting or any project reveals that planning is about levels of control. Sometimes a plan is so cursory that it's just a light sketch. More of a push in a certain direction than a map to get to a particular place, whether physical or metaphysical.

Because the first painters I ever saw in action were Edward and Maxine Runci, I followed their example and only created a light sketch with paint on the canvas. With experience that habit became a philosophical approach. I learned that for me my commitment to creativity was the practice of creativity in many forms.

Because painting is risk-free (in the sense that parachuting isn't) I prefer that what happens after the beginning of a painting be a bit of a serendipitous surprise. I like the dance between control and lack of control. I've learned that controlling an image with a very light touch can lead to something better than I could have consciously planned. This can get me in trouble sometimes, but that's what gesso is for. Gesso is a thick white primer that can cover months of seeking without finding. If gesso isn't enough, I move on and move the piece to the burn pile.

Whatever the outcome, the risk of failure is worth the satisfaction of creating something new.

Some artists call this approach stream of consciousness. I suppose that the word stream refers to the sense of flow I feel when this approach is really working well. My book, Paint Happy! North Light Books, 2002, 2004 presents a version of this approach, albeit with the light touch of control being the restriction of keeping the imagery upbeat.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Watching Great Artists at Work - Edward Runci and Gerry Lopez

So... what do a former pin-up artist turned portraitist and one of the best modern surfers in the world have in common?

I've been lucky enough to watch both of them in action. The late Edward Runci was my first painting teacher. I was twelve years old when he and his wife Maxine invited me to attend a painting workshop at their home in Big Bear Lake. Gerry Lopez lives in Bend and surfs sometimes on the Oregon coast. He's also a board shaper and stand up paddle surfer. He's a generous guy, sharing tips with any of us beginners lucky enough to be on the water with him on the Deschutes.

Last fall, I watched Gerry surf at Pacific City. The waves were 8 - 10 feet and he was out there all day, carving turns with his paddle and standup board. Watching a surfer from the beach rather than on a video or film is like the difference between live-theater and a TV sitcom. Go to the beach, you'll be glad you did. I was struck by the elegance and beauty of his movements in such a way that watching Gerry reminded me of the first time I saw Ed Runci paint.

The elegance and economy of movement was a beautiful thing to see. Both men wasted little effort; Runci with a brush and Lopez with his board.

I was struck with their quiet passion. Without fanfare, Gerry was on the water more than anybody else that day. He's a life-long surfer and he's still so into surfing that he's out in the cold Oregon coast waters longer than anybody. Mr. Runci was in his 50's when I first met him. In the midst of a long, very prosperous and successful art career, he began every painting he made with enthusiasm and love of the medium.

The beauty of the medium shone because of the man. Like the perfect dance partner, both artists showcased the medium in all of it's beauty, so much so that it seemed easily accessible. Watching Gerry, I could almost feel my body responding the swell and curve of the wave. Watching Ed Runci, I could imagine the image appearing from my canvas as if it were stepping forwards from a darkened room.

I've devoted my art practice primarily to painting -- thus I deeply understand the expert artistry of Ed Runci's work. I began learning to surf last summer and I'm in awe of the artistry of Gerry Lopez.

Edward Runci (and his wife Maxine) left hundreds of paintings and images behind with their passing. Thankfully, Gerry Lopez is still surfing the planet. Check out his blog entry on the Kialoa paddle blog.