Mark Rothko "Red" Commission, Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre.

Mixing Paint to Recreate Mark Rotko's famous "Red" paintings.

My wife Bridget served as my studio assistant. Here she applies paint to the large studio easel and drop cloths to give the set a well used studio feel. We were treated very well by the members of the theater staff. We were housed in a gated apartment complex used for visiting cast members, and treated to dinner at the nicer restaurants. And we were paid well to boot. All in all it was a lot of fun.

I had to do some research on Rothko's methods, I learned he would use layers of color to build up subtle color differences in his work. While I do not paint like Rothko, I have respected him since High School, and first realized the inherent power of color in a work from him. Trying to reproduce his works was not as easy as it may seem. I feel I fell far short. Some of the repertory theater staff were hoping to gain possession of the pieces after the show, unfortunately the Rothko Foundation would not allow this, The pieces were used in other performances in Texas, and elsewhere.

These were taken during the performance. By Permission and Courtesy of  Mutz Photography.

Taken during the Red performance. By Permission and Courtesy of Mutz Photography.

Red Performance. By Permission and Courtesy of Mutz Photography.

Red Performance. By Permission and Courtesy of Mutz Photography.

Red Performance. By Permission and Courtesy of Mutz Photography.