CONTENTS

So months went by, and finally, as my work schedule is beginning to hit its busiest stretch, I felt I needed to finish the bathroom.  It was a couple months ago I haphazardly painted over the wavy lines that created a frieze through the room.  In their place were blocked in areas of navy blue on the powder blue walls. 

The sloppy rectangles recalled Mark Rothko, a Texas artist who killed himself shortly after finishing his Rothko Chapel in Houston.  What better way to pay tribute to this Texas artist than painting a bathroom dedicated to our minimalist hero?  And then the true stroke of genius hit me - I wanted to include some of Chris Chappell's work - my friend and colleague, who himself painted toilets and pictures of toilets for over two years. 

Thus, the Rothko-Chappell was born.

When I called Chris and told him about my idea, it was met with the sound of his eyes rolling and a sigh followed by, "Why don't I ever think of those things?".  The most creative thing I've managed out of my last name was adding -vision to it and making it into a website.  With a last name like 'Chappell', I imagine I'd have a lifetime of source material, The Rothko Chappell, The Precious Moments Chappell, the Sistine Chappell, etc.  But my destiny was a different road, so it goes.

I picked two of Chris's paintings (seen here and here) from his website, and spent roughly an hour doing my best to imitate their style and color.  Once the paintings were finished, I hung a real Chris Chappell painting on the far wall. 

And so, after almost two years of consternation, I can breathe easy knowing the bathroom is now done.  Now I can concentrate my efforts on the twelve foot gap of unpainted drywall that resides above the stairs by my studio. 

The unfinished wall

..after Rothko's influence was combined
with Chris Chappell's work.

click on a picture for a larger view