hmmmmm

3 6"x6" oils on panels

I'm not sure what to make of this. I applied what I thought was thick paint only to see it dry in front of my eyes in different spots. Hit some more paint and no change. A few spots stay dark. It is out of my control at this point. My studio is about 90 degrees. I've seen similar things in the past but this is unusual. Oil paint is dry to the touch in half an hour. I'm using a water based white only because that's all I have right now. The darks have no white in them and they dried the quickest. In fact, they dried lighter than when mixed. Jeez, I've been doing this a long time now and don't know what to think. I'm curious to see what happens when completely dry. Might need to varnish for uniform look. Off to the Orchard Lake fine art show in Michigan tomorrow. Cheers

back in the clouds

20"x24" oil/ canvas

So, I guess my head is back in the clouds. Driving home from Madison a few weeks ago at sunset the sky became incredible. The storms we had at teardown blew through and left these great sky scenes. Liz was shooting photos left and right. Actually west was best. Lightning was flashing east, still, but west was out of it.

This foreground is reading blue....like water...it's not in reality. But I like it just the same.

Last weekend on Long beach island was shall we say.............brutal. I'd like to write an analogy but not sure I can. Ok, imagine this. 150 people in tents. 150 people in tents wiping sweat from their brows continually from 10 am till they had finally had enough. 75 people in tents around 1pm wiping sweat from all body parts watching maybe 10 patrons. Oops, not patrons.... just more exhibitors heading for ac or their hotels. Or both. Show promoter attempts to limp through the remaining survivors/ exhibitors and say it's ok to zip up and call it a day. At least that's what I think she said. Delirium was close. And I don't mean the Belgian beer although I wish it was. Dropped a weight on my big toe zipping up. Kiss that nail goodbye.

Day 2. Who really cares? You get the point. ...Well I should mention the wicked storm that rolled in at tear down. Fortunately, I felt it coming and tore down early. No more than slammed the van door shut and Hell broke loose. Yes my friends.............It was Hell..............

same old same old

48"x24" oil/canvas

I hesitate to post this but am anyway. As usual I like the first piece more and completely dislike trying to capture anything more than once. The first one was photo'd with artificial light and appears more yellow than it is. This one is in natural light.

The goal was to intentionally place masses on edge of canvas and through the use of angles and distance keep the eye bouncing around the center of the canvas, forgetting about the side masses. While maintaining atmosphere. Frankly I'm tired of the piece and don't know if it worked or not. I even went back over it with some thin layers. Something I never do these days. I have to ask myself why would I even attempt this, let alone make it a piece I attempt to do large scale. Well, I'll have 2 days to ponder it while I sit in the blazing heat that is the Long Beach festival of the arts. Forecasted heat index of 109 degrees with high humidity both days. Here we go again. It just keeps getting hotter. Oh yeah, they put my cronkite boat painting on the advertising card for the show. Hope it helps. That's assuming the patrons don't die from heat stroke!

break rules

12"x6" diptych

So I'm back from Westport and tackling a new subject. I'm working on breaking the -Don't put masses too close to the edge of the canvas- theory. Also, I'm going to attempt a seriously high light key. This is the initial breakdown. The landscape is California again. By the time I'm done with the subject the viewer should smell the eucalyptis and feel like they're being dressed in sunlight. A tall challenge but that's what I'm chasing.

ps. I realize that the composition law could be unbreakable. I'm still consiberably tired. Will try anyway.

California mountains

30"x40" oil/canvas

Made progress with this subject finally. I mixed an absurd amount of paint but at least I didn't run out! This piece has a nice surface variety in person. I am happy with this one. The last one lacks textural interest. Off to Westport Connecticut.

self perception

24"x24" oil/canvas

Ok. I'm at a tough point. I can't gauge the work that I'm doing. The schedule is probably to blame. While painting I am still completely focused. The instant I stop, the schedule is my main focus. I'm excited about some of the upcoming shows but I've learned it's not beneficial to be excited....leads to dissapointment. My paint appears to be thinning as I feel rushed, yet I feel I must continue painting. In a way, it's self therapy. Learning ones own reaction to circumstance can only be helpful. So bare with me as I continue to stretch my faculties and see what the outcome will be. This has happened before and I've put work away only to realize later that it wasn't horrible after all. Or at least salvageable............Off to Westport CT. this weekend. They were kind enough to feature me in the show advertisement so I want to live up to expectations. I will paint again before leaving and will post the piece no matter what the outcome is! Cheers

exhaustion

6"x6" oil

This is what I do when I'm worn out. A quick light sketch. Just got in from Madison Wisconsin...took the van to the garage... picked the van up... bad water pump....ordered frames... ate food finally....my palette has a ton of color mixed yet this piece looks very minimal. I'm preparing a big painting from the east view of the mountains around big sur. The mountains are classic California. They look like pillows to me. So inviting..............and I'm quite tired.

Toast

30"x40" oil

Pardon the poor picture quality. I've sat roasting in the Hamptons for 3 days trying to sell my work. It was in the 90s. Got home to Harrisburg..... it's over 100 degrees f. My studio is about the same. I picked this scene from our trips to California. It might need tweaking... I'm off to Madison WI. tomorrow. I remember the cool air around pebble beach. Trying to recapture it...........

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.

oxford boats

30"x40" oil

This is a view from Oxford MD. at the close of the show. I really enjoy tearing down complicated subjects with paint much more than I enjoy tearing down my booth!

eastport boats

30"x40"

oil/canvas

A view from last years Paint Annapolis.

Eastport is a great place to paint.

allegorical metaphor

24"x24" oil

The schedule is getting increasingly crazy. I was just invited by Cynthia McBride to participate in the july salon show at McBride gallery in Annapolis Maryland. I am very excited about this! She has one of the finest galleries I've been in. This posted painting is a bit of a departure for me. I was most interested in the light at first. As the piece progressed I was engaged in the dialogue between the foreground figures and the distant landscape. The dome is symbolic of many things and the figures are pondering this scene.

The shows continue and this weekend I'm off to Oxford MD. for a 3 day show. I'm planning a 30"x40" Annapolis boat scene for tomorrow. Can't wait to dig in!

Chester county studio tour

My apologies. The schedule is insane. I'm posting a shot of my booth at last weeks show which was incredibly fun by the way. David's wife fed us like we were royalty and the guests were treated the same way. Some work found loving homes and the weather was great. My painting process however is on hold. I'm on the road tomorrow to the Long Island Fine Art Festival in East Meadow NY. I have slurries mixed on the easels and can't wait to attack, but I must wait. I just found out I'm in the Alexandria fine art show this fall. Loriann, perhaps we can finally meet!

Commerce center show

Here is a slideshow of my work at the commerce center in Philly. The show runs through June. Also, a reminder, I'll be exhibiting this weekend at the Chester County studio tour. Check the link to the right.