Back from the cottage so we could move our children. Exhausting.

Well been up to some big En plein air work while up at the cottage, got some of the bathroom done and got to do some large-scale woodworking.


First up the painting stuff.

Here is my new easel on the OUTSIDE of my studio at the cabin
6 x 4.5 feet 

Roughed in color

More work done

More detail and now its back in the home studio for finishing

Here is the start of my dining room table top. Dado and splines to hold it all together

Here is the top on the legs and I added a breadboard piece to the ends to give it a nicer finish

BTW This is the wood that I used. We had to cut down some trees to do the cabin  so I got them  turned in to planks and now I make furniture from my very own trees!

Back from the cottage for a bit.

Working on ideas for the "Exposed: The Nude Self" show. Lots of ideas and images to work with.


Thinking of "Nurture or Nature" and "Self-Unemployed" as two titles.


Got some visual images in my head and now to tease them out.....

Yellow Bearded Iris. Stage Six

Think that this one is done. Time to let it sit and talk to me through out the day.

Hmmmmm time to start another one? Or should I be hanging lights in the new gallery space?

Yellow Bearded Iris - Stage 6 - 3 feet x 4 feet 5 inches 

Yellow Bearded Iris. Stage Five

Had to take my paintings in to the new show that will open next week. Also worked on the new adjunct gallery electric today. Still had time to paint. Current status on the Yellow Bearded Iris.

Yellow Bearded Iris - Stage 5 - 3 feet x 4 feet 5 inches 

Yellow Bearded Iris. Stage Four

Boo the Dog is asleep in his bed and I'm up painting.... Who is the smarter one?

Yellow Bearded Iris - Stage 4 - 3 feet x 4 feet 5 inches 

Yellow Bearded Iris. Stage one/two/three.

Starting on new painting of Yellow Bearded Iris.

I will try and finish this one in one day to loosen up.

Yellow Bearded Iris - Stage 1 - 3 feet x 4 feet 5 inches 
. 

Yellow Bearded Iris - Stage 2 - 3 feet x 4 feet 5 inches 

Yellow Bearded Iris - Stage 3 - 3 feet x 4 feet 5 inches 

Falling Venus posts disappearance

Due to a request, the pictures and posts of my latest painting "Falling Venus" have been removed.

Sorry about that.

Working on a new painting and will start posting later today.

Grace #1 Hope is Done

Finished this one off with a frame and clear coat and delivered to Caitlins Mom (my Sister In-Law).

Everyone very happy with it. Picture below is Caitlin's bother mugging with the painting. Yes it is that big!

Grace #1 Hope Done?

Think that I'm done here. Good day painting. Now a small glass of wine to celebrate! I will let it sit and see what it looks like in the daylight tomorrow morning.

Good night all! Where ever you are.

Grace #1 Hope - Stage 7 - 34 x 40 inches

Grace #1 Hope

Background done and now down to the detail work. Perhaps another 2 hours?

Grace #1 Hope - Stage 6 - 34 x 40 inches

 

Grace #1 Hope

Well I've been painting about an hour and here is where we are so far.

Grace #1 Hope - Stage 2 - 34 x 40 inches

Grace #1 Hope - Stage 3 - 34 x 40 inches

Grace #1 Hope - Stage 4 - 34 x 40 inches

Man the Acrylic paint is drying really fast. I have to scrape it off the pallet just to keep going. Must be 88 degrees in here!

Happy Canada Day and Independence Day!!

Starting on two paintings. This will be the one I will be working on over the weekend. Wonder how much I will get done between all the fun and parties. :-)

Using a new method to get my images squared up on the canvas. Got a Pico-projector that I can connect to my computer and then do a rough of my comp. Then I will use my photo from the monitor for all the detail work.

Some may say this is a form of cheating but.... I can draw and can prove it but it takes to long to get the paint up on the canvas. So rather than doing a grid and scaling up and sketching it out via a grid... this is quicker and I can work on the painting bit which takes the longest anyways.

Ref Photo

Grace #1 Stage 1

As you can see there is not much detail but just enough for me to mix skin tone and get to work.

More Joy Less Struggle.

OK, cant make this painting work. So rather than pushing a lot of paint uphill and having it roll downhill every night, I'm cutting my losses and I've re-gessoed it and will start over with a different subject. Much easier to paint with joy than with a huge struggle.

So bye bye and will see you later (maybe).

Antler Flower - 54 x 36 inches - Acrylic on Canvas Stage GONE

Hands are much better.

OK worked on my truck yesterday and replaced the ABS Tone rings. (don't ask) Found out something new for me, 220 Ft Lbs on a Torque Wrench is most of my body weight and half a big grunt. Truck will now pass inspection. :)




Hands felt really good yesterday while wrenching the truck so went to bed a little nervous but woke up with hands a little stiff but ready to rock and roll. Sitting around not drawing or painting has been driving me nuts, so today will be a day of art and relief.

Today, back to painting. Iced hands every hour and ibuprofen since Thursday and no more trigger finger and hands are much better. So... off we go

BTW have been invited to the Shoe Factory Art Co-op ( www.shoefactoryarts.com ) for a meeting tonight on joining as a Stakeholder for a new venture there. Beth Brown, Director, has found more space for a permanent gallery for local emerging artists. So we help pay rent, volunteer time, show off and sell our art. Best of all we get to have monthly meetings where artists will have a supportive network of other creative minded members to network, brainstorm, and help guide the policies and direction of the "House Artist" gallery. 


Love it!! So I'm in on this with both feet. Its hard sitting in the studio for months at a time with out some one to bounce ideas off of. Well my dog Boo has helped but he always agrees with me.


More later and everyone have a great day making stuff!

Hmmm Next painting?

I got Trigger Finger (Flexor Tendinitis)

Crap! Found out that I have trigger finger in both hands. Ring finger in each hand locks up during the night. So Ice, Ibuprofen and no painting for a while. Poop!

Hands are sore in the morning and feels like they are being squeezed in to a ball. So thanks to the we I have found out that I have Tendinitis of the hands. Hummm. Seems that I have to stop stretching my own canvas for a while.

Well I will have to take it easy here for a while.

If anyone has any suggestions on a fix, I will pay attention!

Thanks. 

Per a reqest Iris III

Per the request of my lovey wife -

Iris III - 12 x 12 - Stage 1

Iris III - 12 x 12 - Stage 2

All done! Let it dry, sign and gloss coat and off to the next one.

Iris III - 12 x 12 inches - Done

Small Iris Done!

Small Iris - 12x12 inches - Gallery canvas - Acrylic
Done!

Taking a Break from the Big Painting

Taking a break from the Big painting and working on this one as fast as I can. I need to clear my head on the big painting so I have found that working on a small one and banging it out in a day pumps me up to start on the big tasks.

Don't know what works for you but this always works for me when I get hung up with painters block. :-)

Small Iris - 12x12 inches - Gallery canvas - Acrylic

Here some more after walking the dog and having some lunch. All is not work you know.

But there is about 3 hours in to this one painting already.

Small Iris Stage 2 - 12x12 inches - Gallery canvas - Acrylic

Emily's B-Day Present

Did a quick 6x6 inch portrait of my niece Emily today. Her B-Day is tomorrow and this is what she is going to get!

Emily - 6x6 inch - acrylic on canvas on board

More Purple flower - Fri

Just some more wiggling around on this one.Define and find colors and shapes.

Antler Flower - 54 x 36 inches - Acrylic on Canvas Stage 4

Purple Flower - Mon-Tues-Wed

Wednesday - did some more work and here is where we half way through the day. More to follow.

Antler Flower - 54 x 36 inches - Acrylic on Canvas Stage 3

Tuesday - Working some more paint on the canvas and then grabbed the carpenters pencil and started to figure this one out for detail work.

Antler Flower - 54 x 36 inches - Acrylic on Canvas Stage 2

Monday - Starting a new flower painting today. Here is the photo that I took of a flower across the street. Wish I knew what it was. Looked on line and could not find anything like it.

Reference Photo

Antler Flower - 54 x 36 inches - Acrylic on Canvas

Iris Done.

Well I will let this one sit a bit but I think that its time to sign and topcoat and get it ready to go.

Iris - 3 x 3 feet - Acrylic on linen

Got a pic of it hanging in my living room, over the fire place.

Iris

Iris Stage 4 - 3 x 3 feet - Acrylic on linen

More work done this morning and then off to the dentist. Can't wait to get back and drool over my palette. Good thing that I'm using acrylic.

Iris Stage 5- 3 x 3 feet - Acrylic on linen

Happy One Year Blogging Today.

Its been one year since I have started this blog. Lots of things have changed and some have not. So this year I need to work on those things that have not changed. Need to push myself more. Nuff said. Lets move on.

Well, I missed the dead line for the The Shoe Factory Art Co-op, "June Art Exhibit; "Earthly Delights: The Art of the Garden". Seems that the weather, working at the cabin and other things seem to have taken its toll and I just could not get the energy to get going. Cold, dark and rainy days are just not my thing. So now that the sun is out and the temps are up.... I have my energy back.

So now to pick up where I left off.

I had taken some reference pics of flowers that I just did not feel good about. So with the Iris's coming back on the upper deck patio I think I have found what I'm looking for.

Here is my ref photo after some resizing etc.

Here is the start of the painting after I have blocked it up and thrown some color on it.

Iris - 3 x 3 feet - Acrylic on linen

A few interruptions to my work day but still making progress.

Iris Stage 2 - 3 x 3 feet - Acrylic on linen

more fiddling with shading and details, happy with it so far.

Iris Stage 3 - 3 x 3 feet - Acrylic on linen

Where the heck have you been? Part Duh!

Other than ranting and raving about the business of art, I have been working on three projects that required me to work with my niece, cameras and other items to get some background reference photos.

There are two shows at "The Shoe Factory Art Co-op" that I'm working on that required some background work. The first is the June Art Exhibit; "Earthly Delights: The Art of the Garden". Got some photos that I have now that I need to use to create my compositions.

Second show is in August where the subject is "6 x 6 FEET: Extra Large Art". Go big or go home! So I have enlisted my niece Caitlin to help out with what I want to do. This took about 4 days to pull together and get some good photos. Had to resort to begging for some one with a really good camera to come and help. Thanks to Ben Ferro for the nice fast Cannon camera. (Got to get me one of those ASAP). BTW I love to use Photoshop, makes doing comps and color ideas real quick and easy.

Third project I have been thinking of doing is the "Three Graces" but doing the opposite. So the three Graces are to represent Joy, Charm and Beauty. Some say that they should be Creativity, Splendor and Mirth, but I digress.

So instead of Joy, I will try and get Sadness, sorrow, unhappiness etc. Once again my niece "rubber face" Caitlin came to the rescue.

Here are some of the ideas for the 6 x 6 FEET show: (More to come later)

New York Times Art Critic

OK, so why did I want to become and artist and have to deal with the strange industry that seems to have grown up around the act of creating stuff?


I like to create/make/fix/show how I feel/pass on something with out talking etc. is the best that I can give you right now. I also like the praise that comes with doing something that makes people resonate with me. Put that down as job satisfaction. I really like the idea of working with myself to do all the steps it takes to create a product for sale. (Yes its a product, we all have to eat you know it and you can't argue with that unless you are independently wealthy.)


So when I read a blog post from the New York Academy Of Art about a a Career Development Workshop and critique given by a New York Times Art Critic I was rather floored. The words from the NYT Citic sounded like total gobbledygook and made the act of creating Art more like getting a PhD in a romance language.


I then searched for current "Famous" (read rich) artists and I saw a few videos of Jeff Koons talking about his art. Once again I did not understand the comments from an artist point of view. With all my years in the business/marketing/sales world I did get Jeff's sales/marketing pitch quite well. He was selling the mystique of his fame as a "Famous" artist to keep the money machine moving forward. After all he has all those people working for him that rely on the money that he brings in. 


Being an artist from my point of view is being able to have a conversation with someone with my work without me being anywhere near. I can feel and see what Rembrandt, DaVinci, Michelangelo and Picasso were trying to communicate with me with out the marketing or a critic whispering in my ear. Some times the emotional power of a piece is over whelming to me to point where I have a physical reaction.


Francisco Goya always gets a reaction from me. His etchings and paintings strike me right to the heart. 


This is what I'm looking for when I create my art. I rarely get there and sometimes I see a glimmer in those that see my work. So I know that I have to work harder and do more before I can strike to the heart of the matter. The goal of being able to sell some of my work to fund the next one is really the goal for any artist and any of the current "Famous" (read rich) artists are just pushing the goal of a personal corporation. 


Thomas Kinkade is one such artist that has created a personal corporation and has surrounded himself with self serving folks that tell him how great he is. Why didn't he become a political fellow or a pop star? Guess that he could not sing and others might have found him rather prickly and would not vote for him. So he took his skill as an artist and created rather mediocre stuff for mass distribution for the money and then he let his ego take over instead of his artistic skills. 


My only critics are those that buy or not buy my work. If they don't purchase then I did not strike them to the heart enough for them to put money on the barrel.This means that I have to try harder with the next piece. 


If they do buy then I had a conversation with them while I was not there. My goal is to then ask them why they purchased the piece to find out if we had the same conversation. If not then I will have to try harder with the next piece. 


Or I could just paint flowers all day, make money and all those interior decorators happy. Na! That would be too easy.


Blog article from New York Academy of Art below

http://newyorkacademyofart.blogspot.com/


He spoke of the complete intersection of art and money that throttles the New York City art scene. This led him, a former Jungian Marxist, to turn inwardly and ask questions regarding the nature of his role as a critic. But with an MFA from SUNY Albany and a BA from Brown, Johnson knew the need for a voice from the perspective of a trained artist amidst the advent of theorists that had cropped up in the 80’s. He articulated with candor on the tug-o-war of desire to stand strong as an independent and for recognition as a competitive player among the biggest voices.

When reflecting on art that moved him, he perhaps tugged most at the hearts of the Academy audience. Johnson spoke of authenticity and wanting to see the self-discovery of the artist and the tangible qualities of the hand made. As a reviewer, he said  he believed in a complete act of art criticism that addressed history, sensory qualities and the concept behind the piece. Speaking like an artist on creating, Johnson said that when he’s writing he “loves that thing that happens when feelings turns into words, true to how I actually experienced something.”

Fleshing out ideas on concept, he brought up the dialectal nature between the metaphoric and the metonymic in art. In their extremes, they are irrelevant with the metaphoric losing touch with reality and the metonymic becoming didactic and obvious. Both still need each other to exist, though. His artistic preferences leaned toward the metaphoric. This may be the subject of his next book, "Ground Control to Major Tom".

Professionally, he offered this: do NOT cold call critics, for better or for worse the “consensual reality” between the galleries/museums and critics still holds true and is the established venue for picking artists to review. He pointed out that because studio visits and the selecting artists to show are the job of the gallerist, reviews tend to be directed not only at the artist but also to the institution who selected them.

From his critique of my work in my studio, I was inspired by our conversation on archetypes, symbology and the uncanny. He insightfully suggested pushing aspects of the subject matter in my linocuts.

Chef John Done!

Chef John 47 x 53 inches

Worked late last night and also some this morning. Time to stop or I will over work it. Painted the 2" edge of the canvas black and time to wire it up. John loves it and will be hanging it in his room today! Yea!

Chef John Stage 4 & 5

Been back at painting today. Lots of activity over the weekend and week so far. Glad to be back to the real stressful stuff of showing what I do all day when I work on paintings.

Chef John 47 x 53 inches Stage four

More work. Must say that I like to use the iTunes Genius Mixes. "Classic Soul Mix" is the way to go!!! Sure makes the painting go fast!

Chef John 47 x 53 inches Stage five