Paul Minotto

the primeTimesublime: 

A)  a suburb of contemporary society located somewhere between the soul and the mind
B) elevating and inspiring awe, beauty or transcendent excellence from that which is banal and meaningless
C) reducing and commercializing that which is unique, complex and sacred to something meaningless and banal
D) all of the above and none of the above

The primeTimesublime is a series of paintings created in NYC at the Church of the Immaculate Deception (my studio on 26th st.)  from 1994-2000 that incorporate collage, graphite and oil paint on large canvases.   It's also the name of an orchestra that performed music that i wrote and produced from 2000 to 2008.

In the paintings, the painted images are taken from my sketch books and then developed within the context of the painting. 

The collage elements are taken from a wide variety of sources:  
magazine advertisements, old psychology text book diagrams, born again christian propaganda,  mid-century middle school science textbook illustrations , diagrams from philosophy books, cartoons mostly Warner Brother's from the 50's and 60's, and many other sources all linked and referenced with other (unrelated) elements within each painting.

Each painting has a reference to Elvis Presley hidden somewhere amongst the complex web of information.

                     "Each of his pictures is a kind of word, or rather meaning salad - a playful                
                      seemingly spontaneous, even uncontrollable stream of free associations 
                         that make no conventional sense."                                                                                                                                                           

                        - from the review Paul Minotto, Dada Painter by Donald Kuspit
                         (he's a famous art critic that uses words you never heard of)

During its 7 years of existence, the primeTime sublime Community ORchestra composed, recorded and produced 3 CDs on the Corporate Blob Records label: New Music that doesn't fit anywhere.  The 3 CDs (      ), A Life in A Day of a Microorganism, and Songs That Will Never Win A Grammy, received radio airplay in over 60 countries around the world, mostly in Europe and the U.S. on public, university and community radio stations, and in Italy and England on the national stations RAI and the BBC. Some of the music was also used in cable TV productions on MTV, VH1, Biography Channel, and others. 

The basic agenda: the fusion, juxtaposition and/or superimposition of simpler music (various forms of popular music, at times cheesy and rather banal) with more complex music (mostly avant-garde jazz, classical, electronic music) guided by a sense of humor, irony and often irreverence. 

In essence, it's about integrating extremes and opposites, different musics that don't normally belong together - a sonic salad of diverse music styles and surreal associations - just like the paintings.

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/1LZopfY0OOtZBroASS7XSL

Apple Music - https://music.apple.com/.../the-primetime-sublime.../6279218

https://www.facebook.com/primeTimesublime

On a Southern California mountain top, 2000 feet in the sky, 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean, Casa Davis sits majestically overlooking a valley of oak trees and chaparral plants with an infinite view that extends to the Pacific Ocean and beyond.

The owner’s passion for nature, art, and Italian automobiles are the key inspirations for the design.

Having to work within certain budgetary guidelines, living spaces dictating basic, white cubes became the blank canvas on which to start from. A connection to the outdoors was essential and wood frame construction with cement stucco was chosen as the main materials.

Creating a softened contrast to the cubes, “living” domes over the garages planted with wild flowers and native plants burst with color during the growing season and echo the nearby mountains. Other plants such as Agave cacti on the roof and succulent green walls further integrate the house with the surroundings.

Lemon trees accent the yellow of the exterior walls as other Agave cacti dot the landscape. Zen garden design concepts, California natives and Mediterranean plants intermingle around the home, reducing the water needs for maintenance.Given the proximity to the Pacific Ocean, constant breezes allow a wind turbine to generate energy, supplementing the solar panels. Energy consumption is further reduced due to the tight envelope and quality insulation used throughout the home. With a SW orientation and a folding, glass wall that extends the entire south side opening out embracing nature, air conditioning is rarely needed.

Exterior ornamentation revolves around 4 colors: white, black, gray and yellow.

A circular motif/ sphere features prominently: the entrance wall painting, corner spaces, black finials at the conjunction of walls, roof perforations above the pool deck and of course the 2 living domes. There is a balance between a mechanical line and an organic (hand-made) line reflected in the painting. This interplay of “opposites” is a key feature in the design, mirroring the rectilinear forms of the architecture and the organic forms of nature.

With yellow dominating the exterior design, red becomes the featured color of the main living space with the owner’s favorite Ferrari as the central focus. A window between the garage and the kitchen allows the red Ferrari and the red Pedini cabinets with chrome accents to become one, dramatic statement of Italian design.Another interior feature is a mural painted at the end of the hallway entitled “Stairway to Heaven.” No not a homage to Led Zeppelin but rather a transformation of what was a dead end wall into a surreal exit from time and space.

paul minotto
architectural projects
https://www.facebook.com/minotto