Imaginary Landscape #10

T. Renner, "Imaginary Landscape #10," 2010, acrylic on paper, 6" x 4".

Originally posted November 30, 2010.

The Miraculous Mandarin #2 (for Bela Bartok)

T. Renner, "The Miraculous Mandarin #2 (for Bela Bartok)," 2009, acrylic on paper, 5" x 7".

The eighth in a series of works inspired by the "Powerful Percussion" program performed by the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra on Friday, October 30.

Keep up with the activities of the SLSO by following Eddie Silva's daily blog!

Originally posted on November 8, 2009.

Pre-Election Jitters

T. Renner, "Pre-Election Jitters," 2008, ballpoint pen on paper, 4.25" x 5.5".

Originally posted November 2, 2008.

Cora & St. Louis

T. Renner, "Cora & St. Louis," 2012, digital photograph.

X for KDHX

T. Renner, "X for KDHX," 2012, acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24".

Outrageous and chaotic, this competitive art auction event benefits FM 88.1 KDHX! Admission is $15, and all proceeds benefit KDHX. 6:00 to 11:00 p.m.

Art Attack 4 is a single elimination tournament pitting 32 local artists head-to-head. Audience response to each painting will be judged, with the piece receiving the most applause progressing to the next round and the losing piece being auctioned to the highest bidder. But there's one catch...

If bids aren’t high enough, the art will face a perilous future in front of the Wheel of Misfortune! This large wheel includes six diabolical and imaginative ways of destroying the losing piece: Perhaps by chainsaw, an evil Lunch Lady or a relentless Arch Rival Roller Girl.

Buy some art, or punch it in the face: you can't lose!

Dragon

T. Renner, "Dragon," 2010, acrylic on paper, 4" x 6".

Originally posted on December 30, 2010.

Dragon

we were all excited
we would have dodged
fire struck
from her breath
but by the time
we started out
sudden darkness
scapegoats invented

-- Tony Renner

"Terrible are the momentary facts and our desire goes beyond the hourglasses."

Here is my contribution to the upcoming Poetry Scores event (more information below). My painting "illustrates" the line "Terrible are the momentary facts and our desire goes beyond the hourglasses."

From 7-10 p.m. Friday, November 9, Poetry Scores will host its 8th art invitational where some 50 visual artists make new work based on the same long poem at Mad Art Gallery, 2727 So. 12th St. in Soulard. This invitational responds to "Phantom of the Dreams’ Origin," an excerpt of the first masterpiece of Greek Surrealism, Blast Furnace (1935) by Andreas Embirikos, translated into English by Nikos Stabakis.

The event is free and open to the public; Mad Art will run a cash bar and there will be some free food. The art work will be for sale, with proceeds split evenly between artist, gallery and Poetry Scores, a St. Louis-based non-profit arts organization that translates poetry into other media. Wole Soyinka, the Nobel Laureate in Literature from Nigeria, describes Poetry Scores as “a very special celebration of creative collaboration.”

Variation for Robert Motherwell #10

T. Renner, "Variation for Robert Motherwell #10," 2008, acrylic on paper, 4.5" x 4.5".
Originally posted December 21, 2009.

Improvisation for Alex Herzog

T. Renner, "Improvisation for Alex Herzog," 2008, acrylic on canvas, 8" x 10".

Alex Herzog is a Swiss artist who was included in the inspirational "Immediate Touch" exhibition at the St. Louis Art Museum. Originally posted December 9, 2008.

Improvisation for Charlie Parker #2

T. Renner, "Improvisation for Charlie Parker #2," 2008, acrylic on panel, 19" x 17.5".

Originally posted February 1, 2010.

Improvisation for Ornette Coleman

T. Renner, "Improvisation for Ornette Coleman," 2008, acrylic on paper, 7" x 5".

Originally posted October 28, 2008.

Webster University Film Series presents Ornette: Made in America, Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Moore Auditorium.

Ornette: Made in America (Shirley Clarke, 1983, USA, 77 min.) This documentary captures the inner life of artist-innovator Ornette Coleman and his evolution over three decades.

Returning home to Fort Worth, Texas, in 1983 as a famed performer and composer, documentary footage, dramatic scenes and some of the first music video-style segments ever made, chronicle his boyhood in segregated Texas and his subsequent emergence as an American cultural pioneer and world-class icon.

Contributors include: William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Buckminster Fuller, Don Cherry, Yoko Ono, Charlie Haden, Robert Palmer, Jayne Cortez and John Rockwell. Viewing Ornette: Made in America is essential for anyone who wants to understand the history of jazz and the fertile creative exchange that highlighted the 1960′s and 70′s in America.

Two More Improvisations for Ornette Coleman

T. Renner, "Improvisation for Ornette Coleman #2," 2008, acrylic on paper, 7" x 5".




T. Renner, "Improvisation for Ornette Coleman #3," 2008, acrylic on paper, 7" x 5".

Originally posted November 9, 2008.

Webster University Film Series presents Ornette: Made in America, Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Moore Auditorium.

Ornette: Made in America (Shirley Clarke, 1983, USA, 77 min.) This documentary captures the inner life of artist-innovator Ornette Coleman and his evolution over three decades.

Returning home to Fort Worth, Texas, in 1983 as a famed performer and composer, documentary footage, dramatic scenes and some of the first music video-style segments ever made, chronicle his boyhood in segregated Texas and his subsequent emergence as an American cultural pioneer and world-class icon.

Contributors include: William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Buckminster Fuller, Don Cherry, Yoko Ono, Charlie Haden, Robert Palmer, Jayne Cortez and John Rockwell. Viewing Ornette: Made in America is essential for anyone who wants to understand the history of jazz and the fertile creative exchange that highlighted the 1960′s and 70′s in America.

Improvisation for Ornette Coleman #4

T. Renner, "Improvisation for Ornette Coleman #4," 2009, oil on canvas, 18" x 24".

Originally posted on March 24, 2009.

Webster University Film Series presents Ornette: Made in America, Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Moore Auditorium.

Ornette: Made in America (Shirley Clarke, 1983, USA, 77 min.) This documentary captures the inner life of artist-innovator Ornette Coleman and his evolution over three decades.

Returning home to Fort Worth, Texas, in 1983 as a famed performer and composer, documentary footage, dramatic scenes and some of the first music video-style segments ever made, chronicle his boyhood in segregated Texas and his subsequent emergence as an American cultural pioneer and world-class icon.

Contributors include: William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Buckminster Fuller, Don Cherry, Yoko Ono, Charlie Haden, Robert Palmer, Jayne Cortez and John Rockwell. Viewing Ornette: Made in America is essential for anyone who wants to understand the history of jazz and the fertile creative exchange that highlighted the 1960′s and 70′s in America.

"X #2" for Ornette Coleman

T. Renner, "'X #2' for Ornette Coleman," 2009, acrylic on paper, 8" x 10".

Originally posted March 16, 2009.

Webster University Film Series presents Ornette: Made in America, Friday, October 26 through Sunday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the Moore Auditorium.

Ornette: Made in America (Shirley Clarke, 1983, USA, 77 min.) This documentary captures the inner life of artist-innovator Ornette Coleman and his evolution over three decades.

Returning home to Fort Worth, Texas, in 1983 as a famed performer and composer, documentary footage, dramatic scenes and some of the first music video-style segments ever made, chronicle his boyhood in segregated Texas and his subsequent emergence as an American cultural pioneer and world-class icon.

Contributors include: William Burroughs, Brion Gysin, Buckminster Fuller, Don Cherry, Yoko Ono, Charlie Haden, Robert Palmer, Jayne Cortez and John Rockwell. Viewing Ornette: Made in America is essential for anyone who wants to understand the history of jazz and the fertile creative exchange that highlighted the 1960′s and 70′s in America.

Red Sotheby's Faction

T. Renner, "Red Sotheby's Faction," 2008, collage, watercolor, on illustration board, 11" x 14.

Two Masking Tape Drawings

T. Renner, "For Dave Holland," 2008, acrylic and masking tape  on paper, 18" x 14".


T. Renner, "For Charlie Haden," 2008, acrylic and masking tape, on paper, 17" x 20".

Originally posted October 6, 2008.

Architectural Model

T. Renner, "Architectural Model," 2012, digital photograph.

Large 'X' for J.

T. Renner, "Large 'X' for J.," 2012, acrylic on corrugated cardboard, 36" x 36".

Happy 86th Birthday, Chuck Berry!

T. Renner, "Chuck Berry Statue," 2011, digital photograph.

Happy 86th Birthday to Chuck Berry!

This photo is of a statue of Chuck Berry, who still lives and performs in St. Louis (including just last night!), located on Delmar Boulevard in University City. Harry Weber, sculptor, created this bronze work.

Chuck Berry's official web site says:

Born in St. Louis on October 18, 1926 Berry had many influences on his life that shaped his musical style. He emulated the smooth vocal clarity of his idol, Nat King Cole, while playing blues songs from bands like Muddy Waters.

Chuck Berry's music has transcended generations. He earns respect to this day because he is truly an entertainer. Berry, also known as "The Father of Rock & Roll", gained success by watching the audience's reaction and playing accordingly, putting his listeners' amusement above all else. For this reason, tunes like "Johnny B. Goode," "Maybellene" and "Memphis" have become anthems to an integrated American youth and popular culture. Berry is a musical icon who established rock and roll as a musical form and brought the worlds of black and white together in song.

The Birth of the Cool #5: Deception

T. Renner, "The Birth of the Cool #5: Deception," 2008, acrylic on canvas, 18" x 24".