TWO ACCOMPLISHED ARTISTS, AFTER KNOWING EACH OTHER FOR MANY YEARS, AND HAVING HAD GREAT SUCCESS INDEPENDENTLY, THEY HAVE CREATED COLLABORATIVE WORKS ON CANVAS AND PAPER, INCLUDING MONOTYPES.

 

INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED ARTISTS, ARTHUR SECUNDA AND JOSEPH BRETON, HAVE COLLABORATED PAINTING FOR SEVERAL YEARS. HAVING WORKED AND EXHIBITED IN BELGIUM, HOLLAND, FRANCE, SPAIN, ITALY AS WELL AS IN THE UNITED STATES, THE TWO OTHERWISE DISSIMILAR ARTISTS ENJOY JOUSTING, INTERACTING AND THE PLAYFUL CONCEPTION OF CREATING ART "ON THE SPOT", PAINTING TOGETHER ON THE SAME CANVAS AT THE SAME TIME.

 

INTERMINGLING THEIR BOLD BRUSH STROKES , POURING OF COLORS AND SPLASHING OF SURPRISING ABSTRACT SHAPES.  SECUNDA AND BRETON ARE INSPIRED BY JAZZ MUSIC AND CLASSICAL MUSIC WHILE THEY PAINT, SYNCHRONIZING MOVEMENTS OF MUSIC WITH BRILLIANT COLORS AND FORMS.

 

THIS UNIQUE CREATIVE ACTIVITY TAKES ON A LIFE OF IT'S OWN, IT IS A DUET OF VISUAL COMMITMENT OF THE MOMENT, FEATURING A HEALTHY MIXING OF EGOS , PSYCHES AND JOY. THE DUO COMPETE YET COOPERATE.  THEY COMPLIMENT ONE ANOTHER YET REMAIN INDIVIDUALS.

 

THE FORMAT IS A TESTAMENT TO THE POSSIBILITIES OF SELF EXPRESSION, AND THE ANTICIPATION AS TWO DIFFERENT ARTISTS COMBINE THEIR DIFFERENT APPROACH ONTO A CANVAS, RESULTING IN SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT EACH WOULD PRODUCE ALONE, AS THOUGH PRODUCED BY A DIFFERENT ARTIST.

 

TODAY, THE ARTHUR SECUNDA MUSEUM IN CLEARY UNIVERSITY, DISPLAYS MANY WORKS BY SECUNDA FROM DECADES OF HIS PROLIFIC LONG LIFE, IN ADDITION, AS PART OF THE MUSEUM'S PERMANENT COLLECTION IT HAS ABOUT THIRTY COLLABORATIVE WORKS IN EXHIBIT, THE RESULT OF SECUNDA-BRETON WORKS ON PAPER AND CANVAS. 

 

ONE OF THE MORE NOTABLE WORKS NOW DISPLAYED AT THE JOHNSON CENTER RECEPTION HALL OF THE MUSEUM, A 10X65' HANGING CANVAS, "METAMORPHOSIS", *FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT, THE LARGEST OF THEIR COLLABORATIVE WORK AND EMBLEMATIC OF THEIR LONG ARTISTIC FRIENDSHIP.    THIS ORIGINAL WORK OF ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, WAS CREATED ON MARCH-APRIL OF 2013, IN SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA.  THE LARGE OPUS WAS SHIPPED AND INSTALLED JUST ON TIME TO BE DISPLAYED FOR THE GRAND OPENING OF THE ARTHUR SECUNDA MUSEUM, LOCATED IN HOWELL MICHIGAN, MINUTES FROM ANN ARBOR.

 

AN IDEA IS BORN:

 

WHILE TOURING THE JOHNSON CENTER, WHICH WOULD BECOME THE SECOND BUILDING IN CLEARY UNIVERSITY TO BE DUAL-PURPOSE FOR BOTH ACADEMIC AND MUSEUM FUNCTIONS, ARTHUR DREW JOSEPH'S ATTENTION TO AN EXPANSIVE WALL HIGH ON ON THE CENTER ATRIUM, AND ASKED JOSEPH IF HE WOULD LIKE TO COLLABORATE ON A PIECE SUITABLE FOR THAT SPACE. JOSEPH'S RESPONSE WAS:  "WHEN DO WE START?" A DIRECT QUOTE  REGARDING HIS EXCITEMENT OVER THE CREATION OF SUCH LARGE UNDERTAKING.

 

" I SAW ARTHUR'S INVITATION TO COLLABORATE WITH HIM AS BOTH, AN ACT OF ULTIMATE GENEROSITY ON HIS BEHALF, AND AS CLIMATIC CLOSURE TO OUR COLLABORATIVE JOURNEY", SAID JOSEPH BRETON.

 

A PLAN OF ACTION FOLLOWED, WITH JOSEPH TAKING FULL RESPONSIBILITY OVER THE LOGISTICS RELATED IN BRINGING THIS PROJECT INTO REALITY.

 

FROM DESIGNING A SUITABLE ART BASE THAT WOULD WORK ON THE HIGH WALL OF THE MUSEUM, TO A BEST HANGING SYSTEM.  ALSO THE TASK OF SECURING A WORKING SPACE FOR SUCH LARGE PAINTING, BUYING ALL OF THE NEEDED PAINT, BRUSHES AND RELATED SUPPLIES.    AT FIRST AN AIRCRAFT HANGAR WAS FOUND TO BE AVAILABLE, HOWEVER IT WAS SOLD SHORTLY THEREAFTER.  LATER, AN EXTREMELY LARGE SPACE THAT HOUSED 60-80 CARS BECAME AVAILABLE, AND THE OWNERS WERE KIND ENOUGH TO ALLOW US TO USE IT FOR THE PROJECT.

 

WHEN IT CAME DOWN TO PAINTING THE CANVAS, ARTHUR AND JOSEPH DECIDED NOT TO ALLOW ANY DISTRACTIONS TO INTERFERE, NO GUESTS, CAMERAS, LIGHTS, NO EXTRANEOUS CONVERSATIONS.  THE NEED FOR UNINTERRUPTED FOCUS AND CREATIVE ENERGY WAS A MUST.  THE OPUS WAS COMPLETED IN THREE WEEKS.

 

MATTEO MARCHISANO-ADAMO, A CALIFORNIA FILM PRODUCER AND COMPOSER, FRIEND OF BOTH ARTHUR AND JOSEPH, WAS CALLED IN AFTER THE LAST BRUSHSTROKE, AND WHILE THE FRESH PAINTING WAS STILL LAYING FLAT ON THE FLOOR, THE CAPTURING OF THE MOMENT BEGAN.  A SECOND VIDEOGRAPHER WAS WITH MATTEO, AND THEY FILMED THE COMPLETED WORK AND SIGNING OF THE CANVAS, ALONG WITH THE CAREFUL PREPARATION OF ROLLING AND THE CRATING THE LOOSE CANVAS FOR THE LONG TRIP TO THE ARTHUR SECUNDA MUSEUM IN MICHIGAN.

 

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