Finished this one up in the wee hours this morning(Christmas eve). Couldn't sleep so went into the studio and I'm glad I did. I find painting at all different times a good exercise. Sometimes the mojo is there and sometimes it's not. It's good to do things off the cuff I think. Read a quote recently on Jala's blog from Picasso. "Art is the elimination of the unnecessary" or something along those lines. I couldn't agree more.
Turns out my cold was actually strep throat that I let linger for a week. Needless to say it wasn't getting any better. Hopefully no Rheumatic fever on the way. Starting to feel better. Been reading about Edwin Dickinson and find a unique relation to him work wise. I find it most interesting how he seperated his imagination work from his on site work.
These pieces are a mere warm up. Looking forward to getting back in the swing. The energy required for serious work is not yet available.
So I've been a bit under the weather lately and just standing up has been difficult let alone painting. I managed a few strokes each day to get this little piece. I've been wanting to get back to the limited controlled stroke technique to create abstract/representational work. Will do more....
So this is the roughed in version of the value stage of the painting. A blend of my warm primaries.
The end result. I tweaked a few things and tried to capture the city's spirit. This is the last piece in the Philly series of paintings for now. I need to explore new terrain...internal and external....
I'm working on multiple pieces of the Philadelphia area for a client. The more I study a theme the more I want to break it down. Shall tackle a different area next and do some small really torn down pieces for personal enjoyment....or torment....we shall see
A scene I see frequently but have never painted. Had to change it a bit to make a painting of it. I like November light a lot. The low sun angle keeps an interesting light all day.
I'm back to finding human form over old work. Again gesture in the form of dance appears. I don't dance! I do enjoy finding these entities that do. I could spend a lifetime on this subject........
I've concluded that I'm obsessed with this piece(it's the top one from the last post) and I've decided to share the deconstruction process that I'm embarking on currently. Keep in mind I see the steam from the Three mile Island nuclear cooling towers every day. I typically let a piece go if I don't like it. This thing won't let me alone. It's interesting the tree has been overtaken by power plant steam............ On a side note I'd like to thank Tony Moffitt for including my blog on his blog critique site. You can see the review here artistblogcritique
Yes I've been working. I'm struggling with arranging photos in the blog so I'll break down each piece individually. The theme of this post is "If a picture is worth a thousand words than 2 words are worth a thousand pictures". The two words are self discovery.
This 16"x20" started as a plein air piece. Got it home and started fiddling in the studio. I think I managed to keep the light but completely changed the composition. It reads as a Harrisburg scene but really is a collage of many local perspectives. I'm certain that in the end what we see matters little and what we want to convey is critical to the individual. (Google Jungian Individuation)
So this 8"x10" I did this evening. It's another backlit Harrisburg scene that I haven't touched in studio. It's from the same spot as the above piece almost. I'm trying to get some work in while there is a bit of color left in the foliage. Would I like to tweak this one? No
This 11"x14" was quite different on location. Too tight. A fellow artist said the original reminded him of Hopper. I suppose that was so. I tried to destroy any affiliation. Not because I don't like Hopper.
This piece was posted before. I added some egrets for composition and visual interest. I think it works well as a painting. The plein air work has a more noticeable feel and light.
This is an untouched plein air piece from a few days ago.The Rockville bridge is a local historical object. I think that it's the longest stone railroad bridge in the states.
I'm quite happy with this piece. It was done entirely en plein air. I heard a great interview with singer, songwriter, producer Joe Henry yesterday. When asked how he approaches writing he said basically he just sits down and starts writing having no idea where it's going. Much like writing a letter to his brother. As he starts writing the things he wants to say come to him. I feel the same way. Once paint hits canvas the dialogue begins. PS It's worth youtubing Joe Henry. Try the song Trampoline. Pause.... I haven't yet looked....
It's interesting. The more I challenge my own thoughts towards observation the more abstract the work becomes. I start to feel space and total disregard for what is actually there. At least literally. Doing plein air work I get an overwhelming feeling to catch light and apply basic things learned through study. Intuition is king.
After a foot of heavy wet snow destroyed so many trees with all their leaves still intact, I have to clean the van and take the following four paintings to Mcbride gallery in Annapolis. 2 days later and all seems normal. I can tell you 2 days ago things weren't normal. Trees down everywhere. Some folks won't have power for a week. Our Governer denied it was coming and our Mayor embraced Jim Cantore from the weather channel for coming to Harrisburg. Jim seems cool enough but no one actually want's to see him in their town. It means impending disaster. No state of emergency declared. Thanks Govna...take a drive around....
A quick study of my fair city under good light. Was very inspiring and will go back. The light was incredible as I finished this one. Need to do a very quick one a half hour before sunset. Indeed, this is Harrisburg. The city that is bankrupt and in national news. AArrghh. Still a beautiful place! I was most interested in the highrises blending in with the sky with very little value change.
Here is the larger surf piece finished. A live shot appears below.
11"x14"
This one was done very rapidly when a unique light hit. Whipped the car off the road and setup.
11"x14" linen birch panel
Last one of the trip. This is the drawbridge building as you leave Chincoteague Island. I had my eye on it from day one. The wind was blowing steadily at 20mph with gusts. I hung my french easel on my glouster easel for weight and tried to keep flying paper towels to a minimum. It was a brutal session that I was convinced was futile. I only stopped painting because someone screamed out of their car window "looking good". I figured that was good enough for me. I really thought I'd trash the piece but now that I'm home and out of the wind I see it with a new perspective. It's my favorite.
This is a view from the surf looking inland with that great surf atmosphere. Tried to capture it while hearing the breakers roll in. A strong east wind was apparent.
8"x10" oil/linen
A view from the marina that is on the south tip of Chincoteague. Visited here often.
11"x14" linen/birch panel A sunrise that was worth getting up for even though the bugs are out bigtime in the morning! The sliver of light reflecting grabbed me.
8"x10" oil/linen A rare attempt at painting the surf. Interesting subject. I did a larger one later.
11"x14" oil/linen birch panel Another sunrise where I got chewed up from the skeeters. Painted over the first painting I did on the trip. Enjoyed the paint over as I usually do.
20"x24" oil/linen After a week of painting in Chincoteague Virginia I was able to do 15 plein air pieces. The trip was a blast and the mosquitos were everywhere. I'll post 3 a day. I ended up doing boats, landscapes and a structural piece along with some surf scenes. A new subject for me.
I am an oil painter. I paint mostly from direct observation both indoors and out. I studied at the Art Students League Manhattan under Daniel Dickerson. In my work I strive to maintain a balance between abstraction and representation all the while keeping atmosphere most important. View my show schedule to see where I'll be exhibiting.
