Artist talk with John Leavey-June 19th, 4:30PM

Artist: John Leavey

Untitled work: Scenery Painting (1980)

From Jack Leavey:

There is a special provision in the Taft-Hartley Act, allowing for an entrance exam before gaining admission to a Union.

 Local 829, the United Scenic Artists of America, is one such union.

 The exhibited work was part of a month-long test from 1980. 

 It was done in acrylic paint, from a black and white 4×5 inch photo showing a room in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.  

 This is an example of a “Hollywood Drop” i.e., realistic and detailed. Think of a window showing the exterior of a 1930s or ’40s movie. Today they would use a photograph.

 All scenic painting is done in water-based paint as it is rolled and “dropped”–a backdrop is dropped.

 In effect this work would be for a movie camera.

 Allowances are made depending on whether a work is for a movie, T.V. video or for opera or theatre. Each requires a different approach.

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