A fateful series of fruitful sessions with Andy Warhol and other illustrious Pop artists at the brink of their fame has served as a calling card for WILLIAM JOHN KENNEDY's photographic production, but he has been a prolific, highly talented and successful artist before and since. In this episode of the Mosaic of Art, Kennedy shares stories from this fertile period of his life.  LOUIS CANALES, creative director of Miami's Kiwi Arts Group, joins us with his expertise on the forces at work during this critical "changing of the guard."

Andy Warhol holding an unrolled acetate of “Marilyn” in the Factory, New York City, 1964.

© 2011 William John Kennedy, kiwiartsgroup.com

A major collection of his negatives, shot during the 1960s at the Factory and in other  settings around New York City has recently been printed and presented to the public in collaborations with Kiwi Arts Group. 

Andy Warhol in a field of black-eyed Susans holding a bouquet of flowers with an early “Flowers” canvas serving as a backdrop in Queens, New York, 1964.       © 2011 William John Kennedy, kiwiartsgroup.com

Actually, it was sort of a self assignment. I had this specific idea in mind of shooting these particular artists, but involving them heavily with their own work. My own belief was that that particular way of recording artists and their work had not been done before that. - W.J. K.

Robert Indiana at his Coenties Slip studio with “EAT/DIE” (1962) diptych on wall and “The Red Diamond Die” (1962) reflecting in mirror, New York City, 1963.      © 2011 William John Kennedy, kiwiartsgroup.com

When his (Robert Indiana's) mother died he was in the Air Force in Alaska and he got a leave of absence to go back home...  when he arrived, he didn't recognize her, because she was so far gone, and she asked him, "Have something to eat," and five minutes later she died... So, there's that autobiographical point of view. Added to that was his view of American consumerism. We're here to eat consume and then die.  L.C.

Robert Indiana sitting in the plant room at his Coenties Slip studio, New York City, 1963.

© 2011 William John Kennedy, kiwiartsgroup.com

He (Indiana) would take one of these particular structures, and then off of that he would go into an abstraction with it, or actually use it as an outline for his numeral works and that sort of involvement. W.J.K.

Robert Indiana holding his cat at his Coenties Slip studio, New York City, 1963.

© 2011 William John Kennedy, kiwiartsgroup.com

The art structure at the time tried to suppress this, because what they were doing, this new group, was a Renaissance in art. What it was going to do was not necessarily negate what had been going on in art before, but the focus would now be on this new group rather than the old group. - W.J.K.

Contact sheet of Ultra Violet in William John Kennedy’s New York City studio opposite his north light window,

New York City, 1964.    © 2011 William John Kennedy, kiwiartsgroup.com

It wasn't so unusual for Bill Kennedy to photograph someone wearing a necktie, but in the case of previous Mosaic of Art guest, ULTRA VIOLET, it was all she wore that day. Bill describes the fun and challenge of this wintertime shoot.  All you had to do with this enchanting woman was give her a prop and let her go; you just let her go free, and you can see the results - a great, great talent.  - W.J.K.

©TOM WEINKLE, Wetlands

Also on Sunday's show, pastel artist, TOM WEINKLE.  I think that one of the things that makes pastels unique is the way that the color reacts with the surface you're working. While if you're painting, you're usually holding a brush or some other implement between you, and it's basically just a bigger distance... I felt like pastel gave me a much greater connection with what I wanted to do and say and record. - T.W. 

©TOM WEINKLE, Adrift

...in some sense the title Adrift is very much what it's about. I saw this boat and I started to realize it wasn't really that the person had to be in it, but this wasn't moored anywhere... This idea of what it means for your boat to be kind of drifting, whether it's calm or rough seas. I thought that was kind of provocative. - T.W.

©TOM WEINKLE, After Hours

In a sense it's an attempt to really show what it is for the fairy. I mean what is her down time like? What happens? Is she tired? Is she exhausted? Is she relieved? And so that was the root of what that painting was about.  - T.W.

©TOM WEINKLE, Near Hacienda Martinez

One of the fun things about being an artist is... Often you're recording, making pictures of things, but at the same time there's a point in every piece of artwork where it sort of takes off and becomes art and not just a recording of what you saw. - T. W.

Please tune in to www.blogtalkradio.com/MosaicOfArt 3-4pm on Sunday. (register if you like, so you can join the chat)  

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Thanks!

George Fishman, producer/host