Sunday, October 30, 2011

My Date with The Baron

Fedora Moon Goddess

A few months ago, I posted a link on my Art of the Pin-Up Girl page on Facebook declaring my love for a pin-up artist that I had recently discovered in my Tumblr travels whose signature was simply, "Baron".  I began to look for him and discovered his website, which archives his body of work and told just a few of his many great travels.  I told him in the e-mail I decided to send that I was mesmerized by his work.  One glance at this divine Moon Goddess and I'm sure you can relate to my swooning.  I explained about my Art of the Pin-Up Girl project and that I would really love to meet him.  The next day I had a telephone call from the artist himself, and he quickly invited me to visit him, since we live only an hour away from each other - as divine fate would have it!  It was one of the best days of my life.

Gerald von Lind has painted over a thousand paintings in his life, (his medium is oil on canvass) and his classic pin-ups are licensed all over the world.  He thrilled me with his stories of a life in art, especially pin-up (he was friends with Gil Elvgren at Brown & Bigelow at the height of the calendar art era), but also with his military service (18 years and he served in Vietnam), his touring as a musician (he plays bass guitar) and as a husband and father of 7 children.  I found him endlessly fascinating and a true renaissance man.  He has painted classical, pulp-fiction covers and portraits, and he is a sculptor and novelist.  He said he was afraid he would "talk both my ears off", but honestly I couldn't get enough and I still have both my ears. :)

Baron von Lind has painted movie stars like Sophie Loren and Elizabeth Taylor and even a presidential portrait of Ronald Reagan, which hung in the White House.  In his studio was a partially finished pin-up-in-progress and several other completed pieces ready for shipping to their lucky owners.  And all throughout his home, were paintings that he had done - each more beautiful than the next!  Do I have to tell you how excited I got when he showed me the wine bottles that bear his pin-ups??  (Forgive me as I swoon right now.)

Tomorrow (yes, Halloween) is Baron von Lind's birthday and although he has reached 74 years, he has the aura and attitude of a much younger man.  And at the same time, he is so full of the wisdom and brilliance that can only be earned by such a lifetime of artistic pursuits.  He has clearly lived with passion and purpose - to inspire us all.  And in his amazing generosity, he has agreed to be the official artist of Art of the Pin-Up Girl and although we shall discover many artists along our journey through the history of American pin-up, Baron's work will always be the artistic vision to grace our title and presence on the web and for all of our programming - from the stage to the screen and wherever this glorious journey takes us.  It is an announcement I am thrilled to make, especially on this day.

Happy Birthday, Baron!  You are a gift to us all!  We celebrate you!

Baron's Rosie the Riveter!

You can find more about Baron and all of his art at:  www.baronvonlind.com

And buy his books on Amazon!



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