something about Mary

OK. So I have no image to post. Last weekend I did a show in the north Chicago suburbs. I did ok selling 4 paintings with possible future sales. Old town was better but potential is there. This post is about my neighbor exhibitor at the fountain square show. I challenge you folks to follow this dialogue in this age of reality tv and quick fixes.

Day one: Friday evening I setup my double booth with propanels. Setup was after 7pm so no paintings were hung and I barely got everything anchored down. Met my side by side neighbors but not Mary. Storms were imminent.

3am saturday awaken by a serious thunderstorm. Pray my booth is in one piece.

Get to my booth Saturday morning and everything is in one piece thankfully. For the first time I witness Mary rolling in with her "booth".

Mary is old school! She comes in wheeling a cart with 3 panels meshed together with chicken wire. She carefully arranges them so the wind won't blow them over. Her dress is quite short, her age is quite long although it varies greatly from rear view to front! She puts up her signage. A somewhat replica of a palette that is almost believable but not quite. Mary has a spray bottle that I find a bit odd. Turns out she unscrews the top and takes a sip when needed and sprays her legs when the heat gets to be too much. I begin to realize Mary has been at this for a long time. At this point I realize sales are secondary. I'm witnessing history here!

Day 2
The radar shows big weather coming around show opening. I get there early.. open booth... see storm coming....close booth.... anchor myself in booth...storm comes.... Storm drain clogs in my booth.... I'm stranded standing on my cooler in my booth. 10" of rain in booth. Mary had enough sense to wait till later to show up. Of course she has no tent so why come early? I ask myself " how'd she pass the booth shot?"

Day 2 after the storm
So Mary puts out an award ribbon on one of her 3 panels. Turns out the ribbon is a year old. Her dress is even shorter on this day and her age increases at the same rate that her dress decreases. Mary seemed to jump at a client a day late and a dollar short. I guessed she had a ton of experience but I could be wrong. I never met Mary so I choose my impression to remember Mary

a new horizon

40"x30" oil/canvas

So here is a new one based on the old one. Try as I may I refuse to do the same thing twice. It's more like I can't do the same thing twice. It feels like some entity is trying to kill me when I try to match color...light...composition... same idea...etc... Every piece has to be new. It has to develope from some new part of my psyche. The subject is simply a vehicle to get to a new place in my developement as a painter. Yes, the last one was warm with a fair bit of cad yellow to achieve green water. I liked the idea then. Different tangent now. Perhaps the fact that I tanked at the Scarsdale show has left me scarred and a bit blue. So be it. My paintings are a reflection of my life. I'm off to the next show this week in Chicago. Yipppeee. Those folks know painting and I can't wait to set up for an appreciative crowd.

light study

6"x6" oil/panel

So I had to do another quick boat study. Yesterdays piece needs work. I had some paint left on my palette so hammered out a light study. I will do a big version of this guy next week. Now, I really am off to Scarsdale...................

sailboat

40"x30" oil/canvas

An attempt at an evocative boat scene. I need to work on light through sails. A good subject for light study. I need more time with this subject.

Tonight is the opening at the Governor's mansion group show here in Harrisburg. Tomorrow is off to New York state and the Scarsdale show.

Some more sailboats

30"x40" oil/canvas

Life continues at an hectic pace. Last week I had a very good show in Chicago and look forward to the next show there in 2 weeks. This weekend I'm in Scarsdale New York for a show. I managed to paint 2 30x40s in the last 2 days. Everything feels like a whirlwind and it is very difficult to keep things in order. Taxes......paintings.....hotels....pets.....etccc..... I must say, I think Chicago is my kind of town. They love art and are willing to walk through the rain to enjoy it!

Oxford Pier revisited

6"x18" oil

triptych

Switched up some color to try this piece. I like it more than yesterdays attempt. At least as a pier. I am now okay with yesterdays piece. Overnight I came to a realization. I have had a painting in my head for many years. A painting that I wanted to accomplish but always failed. While going to art school I lived in New Jersey and would spend the months of May and June fishing the jetties for striped bass. The images of fisherman lined up on the rock jetties in various weather conditions are burned in my unconscious. Although while doing that painting I was working from observation, I found myself getting lost in the unconscious. I think that's why I didn't like it at first, but now I think it was inevitable. The piece "for me" reads as 3 masses on a thin structure. Welcome to jetty fishing.

Oxford Pier

20"x24" oil

A very loose interpretation of an Oxford pier. I can't stand this one but Liz liked it and said post it. I'm tiring of this blue phase. Will try a set of 3 small ones tomorrow and change palette. There was a great light in this scene and I have yet to get it.