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Have you ever wondered if you could get a better view of
Oct. 2012
the tide coming in, if you
tied yourself to the rocks
along the coastline?
My Dad, Victor Czerkas, never went to that extreme,
Crystal Czerkas- but he told me some of his fellow artists did. With their
Sarbacker
brushes in hand, they painted ocean scenes while being
fastened or even chained to steep rocks where they were sprayed by salt
water. This, of course, was a bit over the top and even dangerous, but it
demonstrates the importance of plein air, a genre which features paintings
created on site. Plein air, not to be confused with plain art, has been and
continues to be very popular in the art world…And my Dad really liked that
technique, too. He lived most of his life in California and he spent countless
early mornings and long afternoons outdoors painting its valleys, mountains,
cities and harbors.
He liked to personally visit locations because it was
important to him to see all the visual elements of a
scene, like the sparkle of the sun through a tree or
reflections on the harbor. He had to work very quickly
when he used this technique because elements like
light and wind were constantly changing. But my Dad
found painting on site to be not only challenging, but
also inspiring and especially appropriate for working
in watercolors. With his sketching skills, he could lay a
painting out in minutes and finish it within a couple of
hours. In fact, many of his watercolors were created during
outings with other artists, many of whom, like him,
were from the motion picture industry. They constantly
sought new outdoor settings, and these comrades in
arms eventually became known as part of the California
Watercolorists. For more information, there’s a full color
book called California Watercolors 1850-1970 by Gordon
T. McClelland, which includes my Dad and many other
talented artists from that era.
One of my Dad’s favorite painting locations was an
early Los Angeles neighborhood called Bunker Hill.
Today it’s the site of Dodger’s Stadium, freeways and
condominiums in the city center. But originally this was
the site of ornate Victorian homes served by the Angel’s
Flight, a funicular which ferried residents up and down
the steep hill. When I was a little girl it was fun to
take guests from out of town for a ride on the Angel’s
Flight because it was so unique. But today there’s little
remaining of this historic neighborhood. Only the paintings
created by my Dad and a few other local artists
have preserved it and other California locations for
posterity. Although he was fascinated by the American
South West landscapes and pueblos, California was my
Dad’s home and he devoted much of his life to capturing
its history and sights on canvas and paper.
On the Pier
Ship Shape
November
2016
Harbor Side
Home Sweet Home
The paintings shown here are only a small
sample of the original oils and watercolors in
the Czerkas Collection.
Limited edition giclees on canvas are also
available, and each comes with a signed/numbered
Certificate of Authenticity.
COLLECTION
702/463-0966
Visit our website at: www.CzerkasCollection.com
Bunker Hill Restoration
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