After Emanuel Skarlatos hung up the phone with his son, Alek Skarlatos, who was calling from France, he turned on the TV and more details about what had happened to his son unfolded.
“I didn’t have much of (a reaction),” Skarlatos remembered. “I was outdoor working in the yard and he tried to call me first but my phone dies sometimes and my wife came running out of the house to hand me the phone.”
Skarlatos’ son, Alek, was one of three men who took down the terrorist on the train heading from Amsterdam to Paris in August of last year. The incident made national news and the men were later recognized by French President Francois Hollande and U.S. President Barack Obama.
“The train incident makes you think that bad things can happen in any moment and you can’t just sit there and do nothing. People have to act and defend themselves and if enough people do that, the terrorists don’t stand a chance,” he said.
This month, Skarlatos has an art show, “The Tradition of the Masters” at the Orland Art Center, which runs through March 26.
“Alek is an artist himself,” Skarlatos said. “He’s more non-objective abstract and I’m more of a traditional painter but he’s quite good at it.”
Skarlatos, who lives in Roseburg, Oregon, has 45 oil paintings of landscapes, seascapes and still life for the March show. The show houses images of the rugged coast of Oregon, the lushness of the California countryside, the vibrancy of the Aegean Sea and coastlines of Greece, the painter’s ancestral origins.
After receiving his bachelor of arts degree in 1972, he traveled to Greece where he spent several months honing his skills in art — working on everything from plein air painting to studio work and photography.
“Just being in nature is an inspiration every day. Sometimes, people try to make art too cliché but painting, itself, is the language,” he said. “I remember going to galleries back in ’70s and there would be a big abstract painting and next to it, the artist had almost a book written (explaining what the painting is). If you have to explain it, it takes away from the painting. If there’s a feeling in it, let the people feel it.”
In his paintings, Skarlatos is very keen on capturing light and using the right shades and edgings to create an image filled with air and space.
“If you find a painting inspiring, it just has certain elements or design. And the light. It’s all about light and how it’s conveyed as juxtaposed to shade,” he said. “It’s definitely creating an illusion that’s really not there. It’s creating a three dimensional, a painting that makes the person feel like they just walked into a painting or creating the air and space around you.”
Skarlatos’ eye for these elements are mastered in his own paintings of boat docks, sea waves and mountain sides.
He said he loves the colors of the ocean and seascapes and paints mostly when the sun rises and when the sun sets — when the light is most saturated so he can capture rich colors and defining shadows.
“You don’t always have to copy what you see. They call it the ‘painters license.’ It’s how you interpret things any way you like,” he said.
Skarlatos oil paintings achieves the three-dimensional effect because he understands the basics and he’s mastered the skills. He also credits his success to studying classic artists such as Matt Smith, David Leffel, Joaquin Sorolla and Isaac Levitan, which he recommends serious artists to study as well.
Artists cannot become overnight successes, he explained. It takes time and practice.
“Just relax. Don’t take everything seriously. If you enjoy it, you’ll become better. Your heart has to be in it. You have to enjoy it to be good at it. If you enjoy it, you’ll create an understanding for it.”
Resource: http://www.orovillemr.com
“I didn’t have much of (a reaction),” Skarlatos remembered. “I was outdoor working in the yard and he tried to call me first but my phone dies sometimes and my wife came running out of the house to hand me the phone.”
Skarlatos’ son, Alek, was one of three men who took down the terrorist on the train heading from Amsterdam to Paris in August of last year. The incident made national news and the men were later recognized by French President Francois Hollande and U.S. President Barack Obama.
“The train incident makes you think that bad things can happen in any moment and you can’t just sit there and do nothing. People have to act and defend themselves and if enough people do that, the terrorists don’t stand a chance,” he said.
This month, Skarlatos has an art show, “The Tradition of the Masters” at the Orland Art Center, which runs through March 26.
“Alek is an artist himself,” Skarlatos said. “He’s more non-objective abstract and I’m more of a traditional painter but he’s quite good at it.”
Skarlatos, who lives in Roseburg, Oregon, has 45 oil paintings of landscapes, seascapes and still life for the March show. The show houses images of the rugged coast of Oregon, the lushness of the California countryside, the vibrancy of the Aegean Sea and coastlines of Greece, the painter’s ancestral origins.
After receiving his bachelor of arts degree in 1972, he traveled to Greece where he spent several months honing his skills in art — working on everything from plein air painting to studio work and photography.
“Just being in nature is an inspiration every day. Sometimes, people try to make art too cliché but painting, itself, is the language,” he said. “I remember going to galleries back in ’70s and there would be a big abstract painting and next to it, the artist had almost a book written (explaining what the painting is). If you have to explain it, it takes away from the painting. If there’s a feeling in it, let the people feel it.”
In his paintings, Skarlatos is very keen on capturing light and using the right shades and edgings to create an image filled with air and space.
“If you find a painting inspiring, it just has certain elements or design. And the light. It’s all about light and how it’s conveyed as juxtaposed to shade,” he said. “It’s definitely creating an illusion that’s really not there. It’s creating a three dimensional, a painting that makes the person feel like they just walked into a painting or creating the air and space around you.”
Skarlatos’ eye for these elements are mastered in his own paintings of boat docks, sea waves and mountain sides.
He said he loves the colors of the ocean and seascapes and paints mostly when the sun rises and when the sun sets — when the light is most saturated so he can capture rich colors and defining shadows.
“You don’t always have to copy what you see. They call it the ‘painters license.’ It’s how you interpret things any way you like,” he said.
Skarlatos oil paintings achieves the three-dimensional effect because he understands the basics and he’s mastered the skills. He also credits his success to studying classic artists such as Matt Smith, David Leffel, Joaquin Sorolla and Isaac Levitan, which he recommends serious artists to study as well.
Artists cannot become overnight successes, he explained. It takes time and practice.
“Just relax. Don’t take everything seriously. If you enjoy it, you’ll become better. Your heart has to be in it. You have to enjoy it to be good at it. If you enjoy it, you’ll create an understanding for it.”
Resource: http://www.orovillemr.com
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