SHOP TALK: Rob Schamberger Newsletter 13OCT24
They came for a beating and he came to brawl.
Hi. My name's Rob Schamberger. I'm that guy who paints rasslers. And other stuff. I guess time just makes fools of us all.
WORDS
Here’s a 9x12 watercolor of a couple columns at the Giunti Odeon bookshop-cinema, a brilliant establishment in Florence, Italy that I instantly fell in love with. It’s a combination bookshop and theater, where the floor seating was converted to a bookstore while the balcony seating allows you to watch silent films projected onto the screen. It’s in a gorgeous 15th-century theater with these intricately decorated columns that I felt would be perfect for a painting study.
Here’s a preview of Thursday’s new Darby Allin painting. Fun one!
UPCOMING AEW/PWT PAINTINGS
Darby Allin - SIGNED!
Sting
Abadon
Jamie Hayter
Card subject to change.
Rob’s Art on ShopAEW
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Rob and Jason Arnett's novella Rudow Can't Fail!
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Rob’s prints and shirts at Pro Wrestling Tees
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Instagram
Threads
Cara
YouTube
WHAT I LIKED THIS WEEK
I was thrilled to find out about the novella Livesuit by James SA Corey coming out. As a part of their new Captive’s War series, it’s a gripping examination of what a truly alien war could look like. There’s also an examination of a classic philosophical question that I don’t want to spoil but I was really fascinated that they went there.
Superman ‘78: The Metal Curtain by Robert Venditti and Gavin Guidry is wildly great. If you’re unfamiliar, this series follows the first two Christopher Reeve-starring Superman movies, giving them an unlimited budget but keeping the charm of those classics. The antagonist in this one is Metallo, reimagined as the USSR’s answer to Superman. As soon as I realized that this was essentially the fourth Superman movie (because they only made the two, there definitely weren’t two others), it plays a bit like Rocky IV in all of the right ways which definitely sucked me in.
Yesterday morning I read Naked City by Eric Drooker and it’s absolutely perfect. On the surface it’s a story about a young woman who’s lost everything going to New York to chase her dreams of being a singer songwriter. There’s a parallel story about a painter trying to keep up with the hustle of being a professional artist while trying to chase truth in his work along with chasing enough money to keep doing it. SOUNDS FAMILIAR TO ME. Beneath the plot, it’s a gorgeous story about finding truth and happiness in yourself, independent of society’s external validation. ALSO SOUNDS FAMILIAR.
FIGURE DRAWING
Tuesday night was our final figure drawing session at Art School KC before they close up later this month. The owners had an opportunity arise out of state that is right for them and their family, so it’s the right time for them to make a change.
Our excellent model Joanna posed for us. Above are some one minute poses.
Five minute poses.
I started going to these sessions in early 2022 and it made a measurable change in my life. For a variety of reasons, primarily the pandemic, I had become severely isolated and antisocial. Along with my my work in therapy I slowly built myself back up and doing this once a month was key to that process.
A five and a ten minute pose.
Initially it was just about going out and doing something, along with the benefits to my art from working with a live model. But over time I became friendly with Art School KC’s owners Diana and Allen, along with my fellow artists and our incredible models. A lot of genuine friendships developed, I’m lucky to say.
Fifteen minute pose.
After a while I started going to a few other drawing groups around town. It’s been fascinating to see the different approaches and atmospheres that each have. Some are more formal, others very relaxed, some more conversational and others very focused on the art.
Twenty minute pose.
It’s wildly helpful to walk around during the breaks to look at other people’s work, to see how they approach the same model. I like to think of the making of art as a process of problem solving. You need to convey this thing with these materials in this time period. There’s a lot to learn in seeing how others solve those same problems. I’m a big fan of sharing everything about my process with the other artists. Hopefully there’s something that helps them, but I know I get a lot from their feedback and conversations around it all.
Fifteen minute pose.
I’m grateful for these years. I grew a lot as an artist, but more importantly as a human being. From their end they were offering something for local artists. From my end it helped me to find myself again, one coat of paint at a time.
Romance.
YOU GOOD?
Eighteen years ago today on a Friday the 13th Katy and I had our first date. (Eventually. She had to push it back a bit because she was getting her hair done, which is the most Katy thing ever.) We talked about all of the things that you’re not supposed to, I accidentally ate meat (‘prosciutto’ sounds like a type of cheese, right?), and then we walked over to a bookstore (our natural habitat) for a hot drink. Everything since then has been kind of a blur except the excellent cats we get to live with.
We’ve been through a lot. We’re going through a lot. We’re doing a lot. And we’re doing it together.
Love you more,
Rob