Artist, Melissa Ayr
Taught by a student of Pablo Picasso, David A Russo from the Tahoe Art League. For over three years Melissa had worked with David A Russo in South Lake Tahoe. On the weekends he would teach Plein Air Paintings. We would meet in different areas around the Lake with watercolors, water, paper and a paintbrush.
He was full of stories of living with Picasso and his teachings.
He spoke about how he was a shy 16 yr old and was uncomfortable about the nude female model, so Picasso grabbed his hand and placed it on the modes breast, then said now you can draw her.
How to draw a bowl of lemons and if it wasn't correct Picasso would paint a red X on it and say try again.
Picasso would tell his student to leave their empty paint tubes near the door, he then would butterfly them open and use their paint leftovers to use on his paintings.
Picasso would take David to the dump and they would pick out art materials and then bring them back to his place and create things with it, like a goat sculpture. Which was bought by Getty.
Picasso would paint a painting and leave it facing the wall as his dealers came by to pick up a painting and he would make them compete for the painting on the right or left without them seeing them. They would argue with him that they needed to see it. Picasso would tell them, you know my work so I dont need to show you them. It would sell for 2 million.
David was a very compassionate lovable guy. He treated each artist with kindness and would guide us about our own ability where to go next.
During the time I lived in Lake Tahoe, I got a gig at an art gallery at Caesars,now Mont Blu. He came to my show and was impressed with my abstract style.
Later I won an award from LVMH and I used the Butterflied open tubes of paint in my work.
David Russo won the Stephen David Epstein Memorial Art Scholarship which included a year with Picasso.
