Art & Soul Productions
  • Home
  • What's New!
    • a new Blog!
    • Charles W. Eliot Arts Magnet Academy
    • Mindscapes at The Warehouse!
    • Glam Slam and Paisley Park Revisit!
    • The Venetian Casino Revisit
    • Octavia E. Butler Mural
    • Robin Paul Memorial Mural
    • Desert Scene Gerden Mural
    • Altadena Arts Magnet Dance Room Murals
    • Altadena Arts Magnet Library Murals
    • Tiger Eyes! for Legacy High School!
    • Kokopelli's Magical Mystical Gateway
    • Alisal School District Mural
    • Wall of Honor Mural
    • 'Wall of Honor: First Responders' Mural
    • Community Kitchen's Parrots and Roses
    • Ochoa Hawks!
    • Hey Cardinals!
    • Period-Inspired Arts and Crafts Style Mural Frieze
    • Graphic-Murals for IMPAK
    • Cirque du Antiques! Pasadena Antiques Warehouse Mural
    • Tiki Hut and Woody Mural
    • Architectural trompe l'oeil mural-friezes
    • Geodesic Dome for the Studio!
    • Laurence Linkus: In Memoriam
  • Residential Murals
    • Wall Murals & Friezes
    • Ceiling Murals & Domes
    • Trompe l'Oeil Painting
    • Children's Rooms & Nurseries
  • Commercial Murals
    • Hospitality: Bars & Restaurants >
      • Community Kitchen's Parrots and Roses
    • Nightclubs & Casinos >
      • Glam Slam and Paisley Park
      • The Venetian Casino
    • Signs, Totems & Super-Graphics
  • Public Murals
    • Theatrical and Entertainment Murals
    • Liturgical Murals
    • Community and School Murals >
      • Charles W. Eliot Arts Magnet Academy
      • Octavia E. Butler Mural
      • Altadena Arts Magnet Dance Room Murals
      • Altadena Arts Magnet Library Murals
      • Alisal School District Mural
      • Pasadena Antique Warehouse Mural
      • Tiger Eyes! for Legacy High School!
      • Wall of Honor Mural
      • 'Wall of Honor: First Responders' Mural
      • Marshall High School...
      • Ocelot Territory! Mascot mural-frieze
  • Easel Paintings
    • Landscapes
    • Mindscapes >
      • The Continuum
      • Quantum Foam series
      • Pipe Series
      • Vessel Series
  • About...
    • About the Studio >
      • Geodesic Dome for the Studio!
    • About the Artist
    • About the Clients
    • Affiliates & Associates
  • Contact
  • Blog

The Shamans of Prehistory: Trance and Magic in the Painted Caves

2/4/2025

0 Comments

 
This post was scheduled for the first Monday of February…
However Monday, February 3, 2025 was:

A Day Without Latinos:
The Peoples Fight for Justice

https://brownrock.org/2025/02/02/brown-people-matter-the-peoples-fight-protest-for-justice-in-downtown-los-angeles/
(Thanx Elaine!)
I hope you missed me! -RQ
​

"Here's another one of my favorite
books from my library!"
​

“The Shamans of Prehistory”
Trance and Magic in the Painted Caves
by Jean Clottes & David Lewis-Williams

Picture
Picture



• Harry N. Abrams, 1998

• ISBN 0810941821 (ISBN13: 9780810941823)
• Hardcover, 120 pages
From: 
https://www.bradshawfoundation.com/books/shamans_of_prehistory.php

This startling book reveals a new way of understanding the remarkable images painted or etched on rock walls by the people of prehistory.

Noting the similarity of prehistoric rock art with that created by some contemporary traditional societies, archaeologists Jean Clottes and David Lewis-Williams suggest that the ancient images were created by shamans, powerful individuals who were able to contact the spirit world through trance and ritual. In many societies throughout history, shamans have been consulted to try to change the weather, foretell the future, control the movements of animals, and converse with the dead.​

With an abundance of full-color illustrations, Clottes and Lewis-Williams draw on neuropsychology and ethnography to follow prehistoric shamans into their trance states. The authors shed light on what these artists were thinking and how they may have worked.

​On these pages, Paleolithic art and life are seen in a new and astonishing way.

Picture
Since the first report of cave art (at Altamira in 1879), attempts have been made to explain the purpose of the mysterious drawings. Art for art's sake; totemism; hunting, destructive, or fertility magic; and modern structuralist theories have all been proposed. Clottes (The Cave Beneath the Sea: Paleolithic Images at Cosquer, LJ 4/1/96) and Lewis-Williams (cognitive archaeology, Univ. of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg) propose a new theory emphasizing the shamanic aspects of Paleolithic cave paintings.

After an unavoidably technical chapter providing the basics of shamanism, the authors examine Paleolithic paintings from across France and Spain, noting the use of animal figures, composite figures combining both human and animal characteristics, and geometric designs that are all common elements of shamanism.

The bulk of the book is both fascinating and thought-provoking, and while it is not likely to be the last word on the subject, it is an important contribution to the field. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Picture
Picture





​​Theory of prehistoric shamanism

Some of Clottes's most publicized contributions to the study of prehistory have come not in the form of field research, but in his efforts to propose a plausible theory of the psychological and social context in which prehistoric cave art was created.[3][5] In 1994 he joined with South African anthropologist David Lewis-Williams to study prehistoric art in light of known neuropsychological phenomena associated with shamanic trances.[3][5][6] Together they concluded that there is a strong argument for believing that much of prehistoric art was in fact produced in the context of shamanic practices.
In 1996 they published their findings in the book Les Chamanes de la Préhistoire: Transe et Magie dans les Grottes Ornées (published in English in 1998 as 
The Shamans of Prehistory: Trance and Magic in the Painted Caves).[5]


The book received heavy criticism from some other researchers, with some objections stemming from a reluctance to use modern ethnographic or psychological observations as a basis for speculating on the meaning of prehistoric art, following clumsy early-20th-century attempts to do so.

Other experts found the ideas compelling, and suggested that academic infighting or jealousy may have played a role in the criticism.[3] 

In response to their critics, Clottes and Lewis-Williams published an expanded version of their book in 2001 (Les Chamanes de la Préhistoire: Texte Intégral, Polémique et Réponses).
David Lewis-Williams later went on to develop aspects of their thesis more fully in his own book The Mind in the Cave[6] and its sequel, Inside the Neolithic Mind (co-authored by David Pearce).[7]

Picture
Jean Clottes is a prominent French prehistorian.
He was born in the French Pyrénées in 1933 and began to study archaeology in 1959, while teaching high school.
He initially focused on Neolithic dolmens, which were the topic of his 1975 Ph.D. thesis at the University of Toulouse.
After being appointed director of prehistoric antiquities for the Midi-Pyrénées in 1971, he began to study prehistoric cave art in order to fulfill the responsibilities of that position.
In the following years he led a series of excavations of prehistoric sites in the region.
In 1992, he was named General Inspector for Archaeology at the French Ministry of Culture;
in 1993 he was appointed Scientific Advisor for prehistoric rock art at the French Ministry of Culture.
He formally retired in 1999, but remains an active contributor to the field.
Picture
James David Lewis-Williams is professor emeritus of cognitive archaeology at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.
David Lewis-Williams, as he is known to his friends and colleagues, is regarded as an eminent specialist in the San or Bushmen culture, specifically their art and beliefs.
His book, The Mind in the Cave: Consciousness and the Origins of Art (Thames & Hudson) won the American Historical Association's 2003 James Henry Breasted Award.
His most recent books are:
Inside the Neolithic Mind: Consciousness, Cosmos, and the Realm of the Gods (Thames & Hudson) co-authored with David Pearce and published in 2005,

Conceiving God: The Cognitive Origin and Evolution of Religion, published in 2010, and

Deciphering Ancient Minds: The Mystery of San Bushman Rock Art, co-authored with Sam Challis and published in 2011.
Picture
​Review from Booklist:
With an abundance of full-color illustrations, Clottes and Lewis-Williams draw on neuropsychology and ethnography to follow prehistoric shamans into their trance states. The authors shed light on what these rock artists were thinking and how they may have worked. On these pages, Paleolithic art and life are seen in a new and astonishing way.

“The most obvious question about cave art is why is it there, and Clottes, a prehistoric rock art expert associated with the French ministry of culture, and Lewis-Williams, a South African professor of cognitive archaeology, propose an elegant answer in this beautifully illustrated volume. 

They begin by documenting the universality of certain cave art images, then suggest that these paintings are shamanic in nature. 

They make their case in a fresh and lucid discussion of the methods shamans use to achieve altered states of consciousness in order to get in touch with the spiritual realm, then, shifting to a neuropsychological perspective, characterize the types of hallucinations experienced at the three main stages of trance: geometric shapes, objects of religious or emotional significance, and visions of animals, monsters, and people. 
​

The three sets of visions are depicted gracefully on cave walls deep beneath the surface of the earth, the perfect setting for a journey to another world. 
​

This is a handsome and quietly thrilling solution to an old and essential mystery.”  —Donna Seaman
Picture


Reviewed by Barnaby Thieme, 8/22/2012:

​
The good folks at Erowid have posted my (Barnaby Thieme) review of The Shamans of Prehistory by Jean Clottes & David Lewis-Williams, two prominent authorities on paleolithic cave painting. 

I (Barnaby Thieme) am sympathetic to the book’s central argument that many painted caves served a ritual function related to archaic forms of shamanism, but I found their specific cognitive-archaeological model to be under-developed.

Clottes and Lewis-Williams ground their theoretical framework in an altered states model of shamanism and speculate that early shamans may have utilized visionary plants to induce trance states. The Erowid site which hosts a massive online archive of information relating to psychoactive plants and chemicals and their use.
​
You can read the full review here.

Beginning some 35,000 years ago, hundreds of cave sanctuaries throughout southern France and Spain were lavishly adorned with beautiful and evocative paintings and engravings. Prehistoric artists carried out their work with remarkable stylistic continuity for over 20,000 years. 

Since this world of buried art was rediscovered and explored in the last hundred years, these paintings have been admired for their rich, expressive depictions of animals and geometrical patterns.

But what do these paintings mean, and why were they created? How were these caves used?
 At various times, scholars have interpreted cave paintings as art for art’s sake, hunting instructions, sympathetic magic, totemistic representations of clan identities, or symbolic vocabularies with complex systems of meaning.

In The Shamans of Prehistory: Trance and Magic in the Painted Caves, two prominent researchers argue that many European caves are linked to shamanic ritual practice and initiation. Renowned expert Jean Clottes, who served as principal researcher of the magnificent Chauvet cave of southern France, co-authored this book with South African cognitive archaeologist David Lewis-Williams, a specialist on the San culture of the Kalahari, which practices rock painting to this day.
Picture
At 120 pages, this book is essentially a long essay laying the basis for the authors’ shamanic hypothesis and attempting to ground it in biological terms.

While I (Barnaby Thieme) found their central thesis to be underdeveloped, the authors do an admirable job of surveying the available evidence, providing a valuable analysis of the known art.


The book is lavishly illustrated, though the pictures are rarely captioned with date information.

In the book’s introduction, the authors present a brief account of shamanism as a religious paradigm. They focus on the role of shamans as expert practitioners who carry out supernatural feats by entering trance states through various means, including the use of visionary plants, isolation, fasting, chanting, and dancing. In these altered states, they travel into the heavens above, or into a world beneath the earth, where they encounter spirits and animal powers who assist them in their work.

Picture
The authors argue that the visionary states experienced by the shaman conform to a three-stage model that characterizes trance or altered consciousness, including those evoked by ritual practice and those caused by psychoactive substances such as LSD.

The authors interpret the generality of their three-stage model as evidence for a shared biological process at work, one that is triggered in different ways but produces a similar experience.
​

Stage one of their model consists of the appearance of vivid, luminous, geometric patterns.
Picture
In stage two, the fuzzy and ambiguous geometric images begin to take on meaningful shapes and symbols, as the subject “recognizes” them as outlines of known shapes (e.g. horses, lions, etc.). The transition between stages two and three is often marked by an experience of passage, such as moving through a tunnel or flying. Stage three involves frank hallucinations of otherworldly symbols and beings.
Picture
​This model is used throughout the book as a framework to explain the universality of characteristic shamanic visions, such as the magical flight, which may be interpreted as the transition between stages two and three. Many cave paintings can be interpreted as reflecting one or more of the stages. This may indicate the caves were ritual or initiatory centers that either depict or help elicit shamanic visions brought about through various means.
​
In my (Barnaby Thieme’s) opinion, the model is inadequate as an explanatory mechanism, and unable to do the heavy lifting Lewis-Williams and Clottes require of it. Its key terms are extremely vague—especially the central concept of “altered states”.

This term can refer to a vast array of states of awareness, including alertness, stupor, delirium, hallucination or bliss. Even if we restrict ourselves to visionary situations that involve both visual distortions and frank hallucinations, we still find a diverse set of experiences that is poorly characterized by this model.
​
​The authors suggest at several points that the fitness of their altered-states model to the evidence may indicate that hallucinogenic plants were ritually used. To evaluate that hypothesis, we need to examine which hallucinogens fit their three-stage model, and ask if they were available in Europe in prehistoric times.

I submit that the classical tryptamine and phenethylamine hallucinogens, such as psilocybin or DMT and mescaline, are the best fit for their altered-states model. 
Unfortunately, these are overwhelmingly found in the New World, and were probably unknown within Europe until sometime long after the caves had been painted.

​
What potentially hallucinogenic substances were most likely to be available in the late Stone Age in Europe?
​
I suggest the following candidates: carbon dioxide, cannabis, opium, Amanita muscaria, Syrian rue, and solenaceous plants, including datura and belladonna.


At the right dose levels, carbon dioxide intoxication does fit well with the three-stage theory, as we learn from the extensive research of Dr. Ladislas Meduna. The authors do not mention carbon dioxide intoxication in this book, but Clottes speaks of it in his Cave Art (Phaidon, 2010), where he speculates that some cave chapels may have caused carbon dioxide intoxication due to poor ventilation and this could have played a role in the paintings.

The problem with this theory is that high levels of carbon dioxide rapidly cause unconsciousness and death; indeed, the gas is frequently used to euthanize animals. Hallucinations generally occur at the threshold of unconsciousness, and it’s hard to imagine how any shaman could fall insensibly into a visionary stupor in the depths of a cavern thick with carbon dioxide, and then live to tell the tale.
Picture
Psilocybin-containing mushrooms may have been known in Europe in prehistoric times, but the evidence for this is extremely tenuous. Surprisingly, the authors don’t consider the famous rock art bee-masked being that may be covered with mushrooms, found on the Tassili plateau of southern Algeria. But the link between that image and psychoactive mushrooms is speculative, and Algeria is a long way from Dordogne.

 Cave paintings usually depict easily recognizable animals in crisp, elegant outlines, either isolated or in small groups.
 Modern visionary art inspired by hallucinations, on the other hand, frequently emphasizes figure-ground ambiguity with crowded visual fields saturated with suggestive images.

It would also be remarkable to find a long-lived visionary bestiary so limited in its repertoire. We frequently find horses, aurochs, and mammoths, but almost never snakes, insects, or birds. What kind of visionary artist doesn’t paint snakes?

I don’t believe the theory works much better with endogenous altered states. Trance states evoked by meditation, chant, isolation, prayer, or dance are no less diverse than those evoked by psychoactive substances. I don’t see the three-stages model as a good description for my (Barnaby Thieme’s) experience of any of them.

It’s entirely possible, or even likely, that psychoactive plants were part of the spiritual tool kit for Homo sapiens in the Paleolithic, but I don’t see clear evidence linking them to cave art.
Picture
I (Barnaby Thieme) am also a firm proponent of the shamanism model for understanding Paleolithic cave art, but on comparative grounds, such as those advanced by Mircea Eliade.

The structure of many cave sanctuaries strongly suggests an initiatory domain, easily recognizable from sacred spaces used by cultures today. The placement of key artwork in remote, difficult-to-access chambers implies a journey. The animal images are of an archaic character that fit extremely well with what we observe in contemporary shamanic cultures, such as among the Intuit, Tlingit, or Haida. And some of the composite “sorcerer” paintings are richly evocative of trance states or initiatory visions of a well-known type.
​

Picture
​Purchase Book
The Bradshaw Foundation Book Review



0 Comments

Eaton Fire Update!

2/3/2025

0 Comments

 
This is to inform my Throng-o-Followers, my Posse,
and my many Friends and Family…



All is well at the Art and Soul Productions’
Studio, Estate and Compound!

"I sustained some minor wind damage and some ash and smoke infiltration, an inconvenient evacuation, loss of power, and some really pissed-off felines!" -RQ
Picture
The Night of the Fire! View from my Studio.
​But!... 
The Devastation to Altadena
was complete! 

"My Heart goes out to all of my Dear Friends

 (at least 10+!) 
who have lost their homes,
and to the entire Altadena community!"


"We are all 'Altadena-Strong'!
but the suffering and destruction will take a long time to heal and recover from. 

Below are a few links to follow if you wish to help and/or stay informed:"



Altadena Fire Recovery Information & Resources
https://recovery.lacounty.gov/altadena/



Disaster Recovery Centers
https://recovery.lacounty.gov/recovery-centers/



Recovery Altadena
https://www.recoveryaltadena.com/



EATON FIRE RELIEF & RECOVERY FUND
https://pasadenacf.org/funds/eaton-canyon-fire-relief-recovery-fund/



2025 Eaton Fire Emergency Resources
https://www.altadenalibrary.org/news/emergency-resources



How You Can Help Today
https://www.redcross.org/local/california/los-angeles/ways-to-donate.html
​


Altadena Town Council grapples with Eaton fire recovery, rebuilding, in early forum on next steps
https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2025/01/22/altadena-town-council-grapples-with-eaton-fire-recovery-rebuilding-in-early-forum-on-next-steps/



0 Comments

Virgin Goddess, VHestia, Appears at Random Drive-By!

1/6/2025

0 Comments

 
Picture
'Vhestia, Goddess of the Hearth', 36" x 36" (0.914M x 0.914M), Mixed Media on Panel, by Roberto Quintana 2024
We interrupt this Mural Blog to report a Goddess sighting
at the Random ‘Slow Down’ drive-by gallery
in Highland Park, California.
Picture
The Apparition of the Goddess was first seen to manifest
at 200 N, Avenue 64, on January 1st, 2025.

The Miraculous Vision is expected to last throughout
the blessed month of January,
at which time a limited edition of
25 framed giclee’-prints on canvas,
of VHestal-Icons will be made available
to Devotees of the Hearth-Goddess,
​for a small sacrifice.


The Original Fine-Art-Manifestation,
3' x 3’ (0.914M x 0.914M) / Mixed Media /
on Laminate Panel 
of the
Apparition of the Virgin of the Hearth
will be offered up to the
‘Most-Blessed Follower’
for a more substantial sacrifice.


Only Fungible-Tokens-of-the-Realm
will be blessed as legal tender for
​the sacrifice and indulgences.
​
Picture
Random Custom Framing and the Slow Down Gallery
http://www.randomframing.com/index.html
Creating frames that protect, enhance, and increase the value of your art.

Random Custom Framing
is a small design oriented shop with over twenty years of experience in producing great frames.
They will listen to your needs and together they will make the right choices for your art.
At Random Custom Framing, They pay attention to detail and employ the latest framing techniques, suited to the media.
They use the finest, museum-quality materials to not only enhance the design but to protect and preserve your artwork.
They value the trust you place in them with your artwork and take great care in storing and handling the pieces in our shop.
They understand that display context is important.
They offer in home design and consultation to make sure that your newly framed artwork fits into the intended environment.
Picture
​Bringing Random to You. 
http://www.randomframing.com/consultation.html

We Offer In Home Design and Consultation.
With over 25 years of experience working with artists and collectors we can assist you with most all of your art needs. Our services include;
• Assessing the framing you currently have, updating the look and quality
• Working with conservators on pieces that have been damaged
• Design and advise framing solutions for unframed work
• Work with you to acquire new artwork
• Arrange, Hang and Install your artwork
Call or email for more information
​Employing Our Skills as Craftsmen to Enhance Your Art
http://www.randomframing.com/woodshop.html

At Random Custom Framing, we appreciate the aesthetics of natural wood. We make our own frames, using maple, walnut, cherry, mahogany and basswood, as well as carrying vender-supplied molding in a variety of materials.
 We’re good at problem solving, and we have the expertise and the equipment to customize molding profiles to suit your particular needs.
Our finishes provide your frame with its own personality. 
We apply:
• Paints to match colors
• Stains to enrich the tone and bring out the wood grain
• Chemicals to age or change the color and enhance the clarity of the wood
• Aniline and plant dyes to color the wood evenly and deeply
• Waxes and rubs to add color and complexity to the final finish

http://www.randomframing.com/location.html
Picture
About Kate and Douglas
http://www.randomframing.com/about.html

Douglas Johnston and Kate Burroughs are the husband and wife team behind Random Custom Framing.
Kate spent some time with Aaron Brothers and Art Center College of Design.
Douglas spent his time in his workshop and the kitchen.
Together their skills and style, interests and inclinations make Random Framing the most awesome shop on the Eastside.
​
Picture
The Birthplace of VHestia
0 Comments

2 (Two!) Individual Artist Grants Now Open from DCA!

10/7/2024

0 Comments

 
We Interrupt this exciting series of blog-posts on ‘Ghosts’
and ‘Resurrections’ for a timely announcement just in from
​the City of the Angeles’ Department of Cultural Affairs!
​
​Feel Free to share these with your creative friends! -RQ
Picture
1).  2024 City of Los Angeles (COLA) Independent
Master Artist Projects (IMAP) Grant Program
The COLA-IMAP Grant Program allows accomplished artists to create a new “mid-career” solo work with the freedom to re-focus on themselves and their core impulses. The COLA-IMAP grant category honors a spectrum of the City’s avant-garde artists who:
    •    Are dedicated to an ongoing body of excellent work.
    •    Represent a relevant progression through their pieces or series over the past 15 years (or 8 years for a dancer/choreographer).
    •    Exemplify a generation of core ideas in their field.
    •    Are respected by their peers and are role models for other artists because of their distinguished record.
Approximately 6-12 COLA-IMAP grant-contracts will be offered for designers/visual artists (including architects, graphic designers, and product designers including fashion designers), literary artists (poets or fiction writers) and performing artists (including choreographers who wish to make and perform individual dance works, musicians who wish to compose and perform individual music works, and multi-disciplinary theater artists who wish to invent and perform solo works).

The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) will organize an online and/or printed catalog to promote the entire set of COLA-IMAP grantees as “creative treasures” and document/market the group as one cross-section of the exciting Los Angeles art scene. DCA and community partners will also attempt to showcase a curated selection of each master-artist’s new work in either a gallery exhibition or performing arts showcase
​

Amount: $10,000
Picture
 

-  AND -


2). Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residency and
Creative Optimism-Uplifting Promises Grants
Neighborhood Engagement Artist Residency (NEAR) grants support freelance teaching artists, social-activation artists, and social practice artists in community-based, participatory projects in self-selected non-arts venues within the City of Los Angeles. Competitive NEAR projects will gather, connect, and inspire participants and audiences who have little exposure to the proposed type of cultural opportunity. NEAR projects should be structured as eleven or more free or low-cost sessions culminating in one or more presentations that are open and promoted to the general public (proposing at least eleven workshops is the ideal duration for community engagement; however, applicants are encouraged to propose projects that can be scaled back to five workshops with one public presentation, as DCA staff will notify NEAR applicants next May about whether the City budget is able to provide NEAR grantees with either a $12,000 or a reduced $6,000 service contract)

Creative Optimism–Uplifting Promises (CO-UP) grants support collaborations between a local nonprofit social justice organization and a creative teaching artist (a freelance artist or an artist already working within a non-profit arts organization in the same community as the social justice organization). In some cases, a third partner, acting as a host site for the project may also be named. Eligible collaborative projects should be: 1) new or launched within the past four years, 2) free or low-cost for participants, and 3) culminate in at least one free public presentation that will be accessible to the general community. CO-UP residences should be structured as eleven sessions ending in one public presentation. CO-UP residencies are funded at $15,000 with $12,000 allocated for artist payment and $3,000 allocated for the social justice organization’s administrative expenses (meritorious CO-UP proposals that cannot be fully funded at $15,000, may be converted to a NEAR project consisting of five workshops and one culminating event with a budget of $6,000 — DCA staff will notify CO-UP applicants next May about whether the City budget able to provide grantees with either a $15,000 or a reduced $6,000 service contract)


Depending upon its budget for FY25-26, DCA aims to support approximately 15-22 residences at either $6,000 or $12,000 (ideally one for each of the city’s 15 Council districts) and an additional 10-15 CO-UP residencies at $15,000 each.
Picture

​Application deadline for both grants is
October 25, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.!
​
Department of Cultural Affairs
​City of Los Angeles 

 201 North Figueroa Street, Suite 1400 
Los Angeles, CA 90012 US
0 Comments

‘Duit-On-Luna-Primo-Mon-Dai’

1/8/2024

1 Comment

 
A special announcement from
​the World Famous Artist: 
“As the new title implies, I will now be posting once a Month, on the first Monday... more or less.
I hope you will continue to find my posts interesting.

I know this will be disappointing to my throng of social media followers!  But please, get a Grip!!
If you really need more than a monthly dose of ART TALK…Go and check out the Gurney Journey Art Blog.
Even though there is not very much there on murals per-se’
Mr. Gurney posts daily on (most) everything Art.
I guarantee you will not be disappointed!”
Peace and Love -Roberto Quintana, WFA

​Roberto is spending more and more time in his studio these days, working on all those silly little easel paintings.
Still, feel free to leave a friendly comment.
Dialogue and praise is encouraged.
Creativity, passion and wonder
should continue to be expected. 

‘Bookmark’ this Website/Blog and check back
every now and then,

and don't be shy about sharing your responses.
Politics and personal grievances should be kept to emails.
And please… no Whining!
...and no sales pitches either!
(you can make your own damn blog for that!).
Oh Yes, and...  Don’t be too persnickety over my whimsical spelling and creative punctuations either,
my 'Editorial Department' is still not what it used to be…
We are still seriously understaffed these days.
For some time now ‘Research and Development’ here at 
Art and Soul Productions 
have been enjoying showing off all the great work out there we keep finding. 
‘Sales’ is still totally against the whole idea!
(“We still fail to see any significant improvement
to the bottom-line!").

 ‘Marketing’ remains split ("We still need more data"). 
‘HR’ says it has turned out to be a good way of keeping (what’s left) of ‘The Crew' distracted.
'The Crew' says: ’'We've still got very little else going on…
but will we still get to share more stuff about technique, materials, and equipment?” 
'Legal' continues to protest!
(You MUST put a stop to this!!
We strongly advise you to cease and desist from continuing to reveal where you steal all of your great ideas from!)

Although Roberto really does value their legal advice,
he continues to not be moved by their hysterics.
Enjoy!
p.s. -Here is a fun mural project from our archives:

Parrots and Roses Mural

-at-
‘Community Kitchen’
CAFE, BAKERY & FULL ESPRESSO BAR
(Now Closed!)
1399 East Washington
Pasadena 91104
Picture
1 Comment

Color/Light/Perception: Red Planet Glows Green!

11/27/2023

1 Comment

 
Mars probe sees Red Planet atmosphere glowing green at night!
Picture
Scientists just observed Mars' nightglow
in the visible light spectrum
for the very first time.

Mars might be the Red Planet, but its atmosphere ​glows green.
Picture
Artist's impression of ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter detecting the green glow of oxygen in the Martian atmosphere. This emission, spotted on the dayside of Mars, is similar to the night glow seen around Earth's atmosphere from space. (Image credit: ESA)

​Using the European Space Agency's (ESA) ExoMars 
Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), scientists have observed 
Mars' atmosphere glowing green for the first time ever
— in the visible light spectrum, that is.
The effect is called airglow
(or dayglow or nightglow, depending on the hour),
and it occurs on Earth, too.
While it shares some similarities with the northern lights 
(or aurora) here on our planet,
it's a different phenomenon with different causes.
 Nightglow, in particular, "occurs when two oxygen atoms combine to form an oxygen molecule,"
 according to ESA,
 ExoMars. On Mars, this happens at an altitude of approximately 31 miles (50 km). 
By comparison, auroras occur when charged particles from the sun collide with Earth's magnetic field.

Scientists have suspected Mars to have airglow
for some 40 years, but the first observation only occurred a decade ago by ESA's Mars Express orbiter, which detected the phenomenon in the infrared spectrum. 
Then, in 2020, scientists observed the phenomenon in visible light using TGO, but in Martian daylight rather than at night. Now, we've seen the phenomenon at night
via TGO (Trace Gas Orbiter). -Stefanie Waldek 


1 Comment

Funny Signs / Woodland Manufacturing

10/9/2023

0 Comments

 
“This is a good follow-up to the ’Sign Painters’ book by
Faythe Levine and Sam Macon. 
I am all about custom, hand painted 2D work, but if your looking for 3D signs,
these are the go-to folks! 
​
They do good work and have a great sense of humor.” -RQ
Picture

​1-800-705-4020
 Hours: M-F
​7:00am - 5:00pm MDT



Mailing Address: 
Woodland Manufacturing,

2835 E. Lanark St. STE 100,
Meridian, ID 83642
https://www.woodlandmanufacturing.com/

"Everyone needs signs.
We streamlined custom sign-making so people can focus on what they do best and look good doing it.
We offer friendly customer service with design skills, experienced artisans in our shop, and attention to detail to help get your custom sign made."

Here are a few posts from their
​Funny Sign Friday Collection!
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
“Every Friday, we like to find a funny sign to post on
Facebook and Instagram.

We wanted to keep a collection of funny signs on our website for our employees and customers to enjoy
any day of the week.

We made this page for our Funny Sign Friday features.
Stay tuned as we add more funny signs every month.

Tell us about the funny signs in your area by posting a pic online with the hashtag #funnysignfriday”
0 Comments

Teotihuacán Murals

7/17/2023

3 Comments

 
Beatriz de la Fuente
​Teotihuacán Murals Museum

San Martín Centro, Mexico

Excerpts from an article on Atlas Obscura at:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/beatriz-de-la-fuente-teotihuacan-murals-museum
​
Picture

​The pigments used to color Teotihuacán murals were sourced mostly from semi precious stones and earth; hematite produced a startlingly bright red, malachite an emerald green, and azurite a deep blue.
​
Picture
One of the many well-preserved wall murals of Teotihuacan. https://www.latinamericanstudies.org/teotihuacan-murals.htm

​ELABORATE MURALS ONCE TATTOOED THE walls of thousands of residential complexes across ancient Teotihuacán. Today, many of them live in an unassuming museum within the archaeological site: The Beatriz de la Fuente Teotihuacán Murals Museum. Named after Mexican art historian Beatriz Ramírez de la Fuente, the museum houses over fifty millennia-old murals along with several artifacts recovered from on-site temples and palaces.
​
Picture
Teotihuacan fresco. Museo Nacional de Antropologia. Ciudad de Mexico

​The museum
consists of nine main rooms, each with its own thematic focus, spanning space and time. Within the murals, the real and the fantastical merge; a feline donning a feathered headdress sticks out a forked tongue and magnificent birds release fountains of water from their beaks. Human-like figures appear throughout the museum, too, some mortal and others deities. 
​
Picture

​The passage of time, closely linked with astronomical observation, is a recurring theme across murals and artifacts throughout the museum. A small monolith believed to have been used to keep track of time and solstices can be found toward the center of the museum. Two ceramic jars, along with eighteen obsidian blades and a human femur, found in an astronomical observation cavern are also on display.
​

Picture
https://www.picfair.com/pics/06542777-wall-mural-of-jaguar-palace-of-tetitla-teotihuacan-archeological-zone
Wall Mural of Jaguar, Palace of Tetitla, Teotihuacan Archaeological Zone, UNESCO World Heritage Site,
​State of Mexico, Mexico, North America

Picture

​Know Before You Go
The museum is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The fee for general admission, which includes entrance to the archaeological zone, is 80 pesos. 
3 Comments
    Picture

       ...to Roberto's Blog!

    ‘Duit-On-Mon
    -Dai-Luna-Prime’

        Roberto has been pestering the ‘Marketing’ staff here at Art and Soul for some time now to get together with ‘Research and Development’ to come up with a fun way for him to share all the great work out there of all the many other talented muralists and artists he's been "influenced by" over the years. ‘Sales’ was totally against the idea! ("How could that possibly improve the bottom-line?!"). ‘Marketing’ remains split, as usual ("We need more data"). ‘R&D’ thought it might be a fun way to "show off a little", and to showcase all those great ideas they keep finding out there on the internet. ‘HR’ said it might be a good way to keep 'The Crew' distracted ("Since they are all so bored since Covid hit, and Roberto is spending more and more time in his studio working on all those silly little easel paintings").
    'The Crew' said: ’'Sure, We've got nothing else going on …but only if we get to share stuff about technique, materials, and equipment." ‘Receivables’ said: "It obviously won’t make more work for us, so why not!". 'Legal' said: "No Way! You are NOT going to reveal where you steal all your ideas from!" (Although Roberto values their legal advice, He rarely listen’s  to their hysterics anyway). So... here we are! Welcome!
    ​

    ‘Duit-On-Mon-Dai-
    Luna-Prime’
    ​     "As the title implies, I will post once a Month (on the first  Monday, more or less). Feel free to leave a family friendly comment. Dialogue and praise is encouraged. Creativity, passion and wonder should be expected. Politics and personal grievances hopefully kept to private emails. And please… no Whining! and no sales pitches either (you can make your own damn blog for that).
       I expect to start becoming a little more savvy with all this social media stuff, but for now ‘Bookmark’ my website and check back every once in a while. I hope you will find it interesting. Don’t be too persnickety over my whimsical spelling and creative punctuations either, my
    Editorial Department is not what it used to be… I am seriously understaffed these days."   
     Peace and Love...
    ​     -Roberto Quintana, WFA

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022

    Categories

    All
    Artists / Muralists
    Art Saves Lives
    Books / Videos / Blogs / Pods
    Color / Light / Perception
    Events / History / Genre
    On The Street
    Rabbit Holes / Misc. / Philosophy Lies
    Tools / Technique / Drawing / Painting

    RSS Feed

Permission Statement: The contents of this web site are protected under copyright and other intellectual property laws. All images and text on this web site are copyright 1980-2021 Roberto Quintana dba Art & Soul Productions and/or their respective owners. All of the artwork on this web site has been hand-painted and/or designed by Roberto Quintana, one of his talented associates, or provided by an affiliate or a client. No portion of this web site may be reproduced, duplicated, copied, sold, resold, or otherwise exploited without the express written consent of Roberto Quintana. Any artwork on this web site that resembles your wonderful and precious artwork is purely accidental, and a huge coincidence, really. Oh, and any representation or likeness to anyone famous, living or otherwise, is most likely also an accident. Every effort has been made to give credit where it is due to clients, associates, and affiliates. If I have left you out please contact the studio, let's get this straightened out right away! Students and teachers may quote images or text for their non-commercial school activities. You also have my permission to quote images or text on your non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you notify me by e-mail, give credit on your site, and provide a link back to this web site. For use of text or images in traditional, or non-traditional print media, or for commercial licensing rights, please e-mail the studio for permissions.