Keeping it Simple

Just a Simple Bouquet   watercolor   11 x 8.5

We are also story tellers, we visual artists.  And, just like writers, there are a myriad of ways to tell your story, dependant on how many details and embellishments you prefer.  

I have a theory....maybe it is just for me.  I believe that each picture plane possesses a limited amount of visual power.  Therefore, the more objects (shapes) are sharing the space, the less power each form holds. And, as I enjoy impact and an interaction between positive and negative spaces,  I prefer fewer shapes and allowing the negative space (background) to possess more power.  Poetry vs. prose.  

A higher word count does not guarantee success.

Show Off

Show Off   watercolor   14 x 10

 

Considering Containers

Daisies in a Paper Bag   watercolor on Khadi paper   13 x 10.5

Flowers are not my favorite subject.  I do paint them, however, as they are certainly a challenge with all of their pieces/parts.  And....flowers are really a necessary lesson for art students...there is much to learn:  the circle; the ellipse; implied 3-dimensional depth on a 2-dimensional surface.  And then, also, how to contain the blooms?  My favorite way to arrange them is to lay them flat on a surface, creating a nice resting gesture.  Enter the vase.  Clear vases offer the challenge of painting stems through glass and the off-kilter illusions tthey provide.  I am afraid the often, the vase, which is a supporting actor, receives way too much attention and somehow winds up in the middle of the canvas or paper.  Not good.

For this project, the subject was a bunch of humble messy daisies, putting on no airs at all.  The paper was Khadi, a handmade paper from India, laden with texture.  i chose to put the entire pot in a wrinkled paper bag which seemed appropriate for the subject.  The texture in the bag was played down to give more shine to the daisies.  More texture than usual for me, but it is complete.

Weeds- the value of values

Weeds   Watercolor   21 x 13

I am a value painter above all.  For me, values tell the story and lead the eye around the painring.  Yes, I use color....but I am aware that color further complicates the work, especially when one is married to the scene or the reference before you.  As I enjoy a limited palette and a careful evaluation of color harmony, it seems that those works require much much much more time and thought. 

Values get to the nitty gritty of what I am trying to say  A warm brown does the trick, as it has a dark innate value and the dilution of the pigment can create a multitude of values.  Of course, in order to pursue this aim, it is necessary for the reference or the scene before you to have a wide range of values, including the most important sparkling whites.  (In fact, I often push the value scale up to the lights in order to create more lights)  This reference photo was taken when the sunlight was strong....before 10 in the morning.

This work tells my story of pulling weeds so very completely.  I am pleased.

Cottontail - what's not to love?

Cottontail   oil/canvas   12 x 12 x .5

 Our grandchildren frequently ask about our favorite animals. (along with colors, and flavors of ice cream). For some unknown reason, W., age 3 has loved giraffes for seemingly years and can frequently be seen  wearing a giraffe costume.  R., age 5, will tell you that her recent favorite creature is axoloti, the Mexican walking fish.  

Mine is, and always has been, the rabbit.  Come spring, when I see rabbits in our yard, I feel that all is right with the world.  They represent new beginnings and the rebirth of nature.  I have painted them a few times.

Below is the one from last year.  

Cottontail is available at Hudson Fine Art and Framing in Hudson, Ohio. 

Trumpeter - un certain "Je ne sais quoi"

Trumpeter   oil/canvas   40 x 20 x 1.5

In any given gathering or situation, there are prospective painting subjects that move me...who knows why?  These are not Facebook poses with smiling faces and an outward positivity that are being given to the world of "out there"....the audience.  The poses that speak to me are those with an inward stance that reflect a quietude and introspection that, to me, are more knowing, more charming.

These days, more than ever, taking photos of strangers seems so invasive and could be taken as perverted.  And so, most of these opportunities are discarded for the sake of privacy and respect.  In this case, a middle school band concert, the band was asked to stand at the end of the performance for group photos and audience appreciation.  This fellow's hesitancy stood out to me and several surreptitious photos were taken.

Painting instruments is difficult, especially when your references were quickly shot and leave out some vital visual information.  Luckily, I was able to fudge it.  The pose is sweet and so-very-middle-school.  Circle motifs were added to reference the trumpet and the circular sound it produces.  In my mind, this young fellow is a star.

Fish Story

Fish Story   oil/canvas   20 x 16 x 1.5

 Every family has them.  This one involves two brothers who, instead of dipping their poles into the lake, hooked a dead large mouth bass onto one pole and headed for home, expecting accolades from their mom.  Apparently the stench preceded their arrival.  This story gets funnier and funnier to the brothers over the years but, as always, I relate to the mother role and fret over how to dispose of this stinky fish.

The previous textured painting on this canvas was painted over with light blue.  The painting proceeded in earthtone shades of brown.  Some green was added for resistance.  The tattered wooded fence is the only background element.  I loved making this painting and I still love the result.  (the actual painting OR the emotional connection?  I must beware)

Wabi Sabi.  Jolie laide.  In between.  

Winter Reading - Getting to the Point

Winter Reading   oil/canvas   11 x 14 x .5

I have always admired the painting-a -day artists!  Their brief spontaneous strokes are inspiring...as well as their ability to let go.

While I, too, attempt to use broad expressive strokes, there always seems to be a passage or two that needs more tending, more detail.  But, as we all know, adding another stroke or a bit more detail leads to the domino effect.  If you tend to this over here, then you must tend to that over there.  I liken it to cutting your own hair.  The improvements are soon out of control and you yearn to back up to the fresh beginning!

This painting was no different in that I longed to add the book labels, titles, etc.  But I resisted the compulsion, and two weeks down the line, I am glad I did!  The books and the mug are enough.  I am happy.

Boston Beat...oh,, the Irish!

Boston Beat   oil/canvas   40 x 30 x 1.5

 

As Is

Snow Peas and Tomatoes   oil/canvas   12 x 12 x .5

 Imperfect things are often sold "as is", inviting the purchaser to decide if the imperfections fall within his/her notions of acceptable. It is for this reason that almost everything I buy is pre-owned.  I happen to enjoy the scuffs and snags that give household items and clothing some vitality.  And....likewise....I have come to dislike "perfectly arranged" set-ups for paintings.  You know...the two ceramic items and a flower for a still life.  And a seated figure, perfectly lit, in a comfortable chair, holding a teacup.  Just writing about it gives me the creeps.

I really really like noticing the artful that is all around us in our daily lives.  This strainer holds rinsed snow peas and cherry tomatoes that will be stir-fried.  They were balanced in my sink and backed by a large cutting board whose shape has been retained without distracting details.  The circular shape has been reiterated.  This work is color-driven.  I am pleased.

Find some preexisting art today...it is all around you....even in the basement.  

Saint Brigid's Day (Imbolc)

 

Spring Snow   oil/canvas   14 x 11 x .5

is a folk tradition in Ireland marking the beginning of Spring.  Even before I was aware of this Irish festival, I was greatly aware of the changing of the sun this time of year.  Snowy days seemed warmer.  Shadows longer.  

This small painting illustrates that change with warm colors and translucent feels.  This painting was selected to be a part of the Winter Exhibition at Cuyahoga Valley Art Center.  The exhibition runs through March 5.  Gallery Hours:  M-T:  10-3; Wed:  3-6; Thurs-Fri:  10-3 and Sat.  10-2.  So many wonderful paintings grace the gallery.  Call:  928-8092 for further information.  

The Cuyahoga Valley Art Center is located at 2131 Front Street in Cuyahoga Falls.

Fadeout

Fadeout   oil/canvas   20 x 30 x 1.5

 

Scene:   A typical drive back from Columbus on 1-77 North

Task:  Photograph as many barn scenes as possible from my passenger seat in my moving vehicle

I have never had luck with this before, but current technology allowed me to zoom in on the scenes most satisfactorily.  Barns have really never been my thing...nor landscapes, for that matter.  But....I am a believer in pushing myself.  This particular scene really stuck my fancy with the barn  disappearing into the horizon in the grayness of the day.  I finished the work to my almost-satisfaction but the scene did not allow this painting to be read at any distance.  And so I added a slight color temperature shift at the top of the roof.  That seemed to do it for me.

And as for barns?  Why do we enjoy them so much?  I am not sure, but the simplicity of the shapes, and of the scenes, keep us in touch with our primitive agricultural roots.  Enough said

Maybe another barn next year?.

Back at the easel.......

 

2025 was a most challenging year for us.  Loss.  Pain.  More loss and frustration.  I could barely catch my breath.  For me, painting was and is the elixir of joy, a place where my feelings were sorted along with all of the visual information in front of me.  But there was no time.  No time for healing.  But such is life.  And in the big scheme of things, I, we, are lucky.  

The pain, the fear, the exhaustion and the loss will be woven into each forthcoming brushstroke, each new idea.  How can it be otherwise?  The layers are rich with life's potholes.  

Now...where was I?

Fun and Games

Boys' Clubs   oil/canvas   30 x 30 x 1.5

 

Worship/Worry/Worshipped

Worship/Worry/Worshipped   oil/canvas   30 x 20x 1.5

This painting has arisen from the ashes of my attic.  Originally entitled "Living in the Light", it was painted over 20 years ago from 3 studio sessions with a model...her name was Wilma. At that time, my goal was to sift and sort the visual information in front of me to compose a work that, well, looked like the scene in front of me.

My process has evolved.  My life has evolved and, as a result, my beliefs have followed suit.

And I started to wonder about Wilma....and her motivations on Sunday mornings.  Perhaps all is the same for her.

Much of this work was covered over and recreated imposing my own ideas onto her. Her worry and her submissive worship have been transformed.  She is the Goddess (Goodness), the one worthy of being worshipped.  Thoughtful painting.  

Strawberry Almond

Strawberry Almond   oil/canvas   14 x 11

Come Valentine's Day, my thoughts wander to the simple sweet simplicity of Wayne Thiebaud.  I first encountered his work on some notecards.  Such surprise when I looked him up to find many other paintings...some quite large, and some not that sweet.

This year I photographed this cake through the bakery case at the local grocery.  While quite simple, everything is a lesson in portrayal, in texture, in suggestion.  The almonds were a challenge.  The thick palette knife frosting was such fun.  As I have iced many cakes in my kitchen, I used that same technique with the paint.

Simply fun.

Bestie - Jo

Jo - private collection

 

R. Love - Portrait Painting

R. Love   watercolor on Khadi   13 x 9.5

Portrait painting is an incredibly satisfying experience....or not...depending on the delicate balance of oh-so-many factors.

The quest for likeness provides, of course, the drive.  But, for me, especially for me, when likeness takes over, the work can become too finished, too slick, too plastic-y.  
Because expressive stroke-making is so important to me, I have to be willing to forego small details and to be satisfied with a broader description.  Where to stop?  That is the difficult part!

And, because I am searching for something honest rather than perfect, I feel that I must shoot my own very spontaneous reference photos.  

Another factor is the color palette.  I prefer a quite limited palette....a warm brown and an accompanying cool, along with the resultant neutrals when these two are combined.  Value tells the tale.  Rainbowy local colors are too sweet and leave me cold....they also distract from the rawness that I prefer.

In this case, I used Khadi paper.  It is very unforgiving and highly textured.  It holds water easily. Using it required me to move more slowly and carefully.

The hardest thing of all is to paint someone you love.  It can never be perfect enough.

And so, as you can see, this undertaking was a bit of a quest for me.  And it was accomplished by going more slowly and working more deliberately....dividing the work sessions into smaller bits.

I am happy to say that in this case, the result matches my vision.  I am happy....and I love her.

Spring Snow

Spring Snow   oil/canvas   14 x 11

The quality of the sun is quite different come February.  The sun is higher in the sky, moods become lighter and the color palette of our surroundings changes and subtly shifts from blues and violets to yellows and greens.  

These late-in-the-winter snowfalls are still so captivating but the snow often doesn't last the day and everything just looks meltier....is that a word?

This winter landscape records those subtle changes, I think.

I am pleased.

Coneflower Past - and past their prime

Coneflower Past   watercolor   9 x 6

Who decides at what stage flowers are beautiful?  Cars?  Furniture?  Clothing?....and people?  At some point, we must stretch our minds to widen this narrow, culturally-influenced circle of beauty.  

Coneflowers in their prime are the perfect subject for floral painting....vibrant color and stiff strong stalks.  In my own garden, coneflowers are dead-headed regularly into October.  And the pruner must decide which heads still retain beauty.  Past-the-prime flower heads offer their own sense of beauty when the leaves curl and provide interesting counter-spaces between the leaves, giving us a sense of rhythm.  The seeds are not full, demonstrating the picking-off by weather and insects.  These, too, are beautiful to me.  Color is faded the leaves start to into themselves.  All are beautiful.

This small painting is pleasing to me and allows me to meditate on the importance of all things past their prime.

Kickline

Kickline   oil/canvas   30 x 40 x 1.5

 I love to dance.  And, as a dancer, I have always seen and felt the rhythms created by dancers in high volume.  And....here's  the big one, I have always felt that people who dance together could never be enemies.  My pipe dream is seeing the world dancing, a universal language.

There is a postcard that has been hanging on my inspiration board for over 20 years.  It features 5 women of various ages in a beautiful line.  The photo is by Dennis Deloria (copyright 1981) and features the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, which has been called by The San Francisco Chronicle "an opportunity to see America dancing".  Tools for Change.  The card is an SCW product featuring feminist, multicultural, lesbian/gay allied, racially inclusive and honors elders and children. 

"Kickline" is my response to this conversation  It features a few of the artists from my watercolor class.  Many  reference photos were taken, and, unfortunately, some dancers were not included due to the tangling of legs and arms....my own faulty and hurried direction.  (I prefer a more hurried photo session, which seems less planned and fresher but invites more mistakes).  Visual art = another universal language.

"If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution"  Emma Goldman

My thoughts, exactly. 

Chef or Chief - more than one way of looking at things

Chef or Chief   oil/canvas   48 x 24 x 1.5

 There is nothing more not-me than painting by formula....you know what I mean.  You come up with a successful painting and try to repeat it either by style or by subject ad infinitum.  Spin Off.  That is the way the art market works. Been there.  Done that.

My yearning for novelty is so strong that I wish each painting to present too me different problems to solve and different ideas to consider.

This is/was a fairly old painting of a Chef that was painted from a live model situation.  Loosely stoked realism.  Very dark.  The title was "Trusting Chef Roger".  

My thought processes regarding painting has evolved greatly over time, and quite quickly most recently.  I need very very limited palettes, LOTS of light, and a distillation and simplification of form.  Design elements and principles have been my constant sidekick throughout the years and, at this point, I am involved in and seduced by the the combination of realism and abstraction.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

A large brush and an intuitive approach help here.  As I painted, I thought of the uniforms and regalia of positions of all kinds....the things that make these people stand out from the crowd.  Certain hats.  Easily identifiable uniforms.  Props.  Attitudes.

The result:  Chef or Chief.  I am pleased.  (and stimulated to carry this notion further).

Harvest - have yourself some play time

 

Harvest   oil/canvas   11 x 14 x .5

Cast aside illusions of grandeur.  

Grab a smallish toned canvas....there might be a failed painting underneath.

Set up a few fruits or veggies.

Use large brushes and large piles of paint.

Spend a couple of hours making sense of the information presented to you.  (a working discipline of design elements is a huge benefit)

Focus on shapes, movement, and, perhaps, color.

Make shape and form more important than detail.

Do like the daily painters do.

Celebrate your simplicity.

All That Glitters

GlimmerFlitterFly   oil/gold leaf on canvas   16 x 20 x 1.5

 My favorite summer insects are both dragon- and damselflies.  They flit about our gardens lending energy and magic to the surrounds.  When out in the kayak, they skim the water and land on paddles, the boat itself, and even on your head!  There seems to be an intelligence about them as well as a bit of kinship...as if they are conversing with you.  The same dragonflies or their lookalike offspring seem to frequent the same garden spots from year to year.  

I had to switch up my approach for this project...soft edges gave way to a more scientific (for me) depiction.  Details were honored to a  degree.  And, while contemplating the "where to go from here" and the "what else is needed?", I vacillated between using saturated hues in the background or a textured calligraphic approach.  It sat in my studio for weeks before I settled on using gold leaf, the use of which seemed to be emblematic for my summer friends.  The application of the leaf is both exhilarating and maddening, as the very thin papery leaves are strewn everywhere even from breathing.  

OK then.  It is done. I only hope that I have done justice to this small lovely creature.

August

August  oil/canvas   16  x 20 x .5

floral displays include a profusion of hydrangeas....all sorts, all sizes and many colors.  The blooms are grand...some larger than a human head.  Nature is most mysterious.  

This canvas was toned with a light wash of red brown.  The painting was done from life with the blooms on a table before me.  When finished (is it ever?), I was overwhelmed with the darkness of it all and I just couldn't live with it.

My own sense of artistic "correctness" has evolved greatly over the years.  Given that, I decided to create some hydrangea stripes,, making the resultant shapes more interesting, I think.  

I am pleased.  FOR NOW. 

Protrusion Confusion and just general confusion

 

Protrusion Confusion   20 x 16 x 1.5

The way we see things evolves continually.  The bell bottom jeans I wore in 1970 were replaced by many, way too many, other styles.  

In the beginning of my art career, my work was so much more precise....and I felt success if my work looked exactly like the subject...no strokes out of line, colors fenced in and made to obey.  It wasn't long before I started taking chances and my work became known as loose.  But the risk-taking didn't end there, as I yearned for more and more challenges and a simpler and simpler manner of visual story-telling.  My palette was limited and soon became mostly blues and browns, as well as the resultant colors of the mixing of the two.  Less and less detail.  Oh, the freedom!  My process, for some time, had become create and destroy. All but the essential was merged into the ground.  My eyes simply could not tolerate all of the visual chaos. I became happier and happier. I distained all manner of formula and wished for a singular experience each time I was behind the easel.

The gentleman at the right posed for my art group in 2007.  He was a parttime employee at the local post office.  I was tingling with excitement as I further set my brush to this painting from 2007, in which everything was so realistically described.  This process became all-encompassing as I was able to see the visuals in a completely new way....more creativity, more shape-oriented.  Broad strokes, pencil detailing.

Complete bliss.

The artists who inspired me to move beyond myself  were Alex Kanevsky, Tor-Arne Moen and, more recently, Ron Hicks.  There truly is no one way to paint.

Glory be!

Fishes or Brushes

Fishes or Brushes   oil/canvas   14 x 11 x .5

 After one has been drawing and painting for a while, the notion of transparency arises....the background seen behind the object, the shape of the object, the material of which the object is made and yes, the lighting as well.  All of these factors came together for me as I painted this set up at the art center where I teach, right down the overhead fluorescent lighting tubes.  I have always found the distortions intriguing...a simple-yet-complex idea.  Paint the confusion.  Paint what you see not what you know.

And while I have been tempted to buy some gold fish for the sake of painting them, the responsibility seems daunting and I am content to house art supplies therein.

Chautauqua and Mayville

Mayville   oil/canvas   14 x 11 x .5

 One of our summer forays was to

 Chautauqua Institute.  We had been curious for many years as its mention pops up now and again.  In a visually beautiful surround, the institute houses the trifecta of artistic and creative experiences. Plays and symphonies and galleries, oh my!  ...along with pleasing bike rides.  The food, environment and entertainment in She Sings Cafe in Mayville was both sweet and stimulating.  This painting was done with the help of reference photos in Mayville, one of the towns that borders Chautauqua Lake.

Wrinkled

 

Wrinkled   watercolor   14 x 11

Here is something I rarely say:  I love this watercolor!  

Yes, the subject is humble....who wants a painting of an iron?  But the paint quality is what I strive for in each attempt.  The white have been preserved.  The dark values create a pattern that moves downward.  The light values create a pattern that moves upwards.  And.....drumroll, please....the imperfect shapes and strokes actually create the notion of wrinkles.

After all, isn't it the wrinkles, creases and lumps that make our lives colorful and interesting.  Perfection is not only unattainable, but the closer we get to it, the more life is squeezed out of the work.

Wabi Sabi.

Let's hear it for wrinkles!

Red

Things in My Pantry That Are Red   watercolor   12 x 20

 has always been a color for others.  Red turns up the spotlight and puts a target on your back.  Although I do admire strong background reds in the work of other artists, that simply would not, could not ever happen in my work.  Objects with the local color red seem to be immune to this personal rule.  (Where did this come from?)

In order to try to reason with this dislike, I pulled a few items from my pantry that were indeed red.  The focus, however, was to be the transparency of the jars.  That way, I could sneak up on the red.

Enough said.  Enough red.

Trickles

Trickles   oil/canvas   30 x 24x 1.5

My partner grew up in the East.  His childhood vacations were taken to the Jersey shore.  At the beginning of our marriage, we, too, vacationed in Jersey...it was all so exciting with the mix of ocean, sand, sun and the boardwalk with its carnival atmosphere, aimed at entertaining the little ones with shiny toys of all kinds.  As our family grew, our vacations moved to North Carolina where the sand was whiter, the ocean warmer and cleaner and the environment less populous.  The bottom line:  we were a beach family.  

This painting was referenced from a small square black and white photograph.  This is my mother-in-law, E, and my husband, also E.  I painted this for my partner's 75th birthday.  The work was done on top of a less successful highly textured painting  which provided just the right amount of challenge and chaos for me.  It happened easily and I am so very happy.

Trickles of the tide.  Trickles of water between rocks.  Trickles of memory.

Mary

Mary 20 x 10 x 1.5

is a painter from my oil class.  I feel so privileged to meet so many creatives of like mind!

One of the challenges I always try to introduce is the study of the figure.  We (I) don't have nearly enough opportunities to draw and paint from life.  Why?  Hiring models is expensive and prone to many difficulties.  Sometimes they don't show up.  Sometimes they want to relate so much that they talk through the sessions, moving every muscle in the pose.  And...the sessions must be timed.  Five minute breaks turn into ten.  And, when painting in a group (more affordable), the pose is often determined by the most dominant artist in the group.  The pose is usually sitting and often involves a fancy tea cup and massive draperies.  (UGH!)  At  one point, I hired a model for my small studio...the space limitations created even more problems, as I prefer standing at quite a distance in order to blur the too-many details. There... it is off my chest.  

On the flip side, photos flatten images, skew the values and offer up way too many details.  

This painting was created using a spontaneous photo reference from a moment when Mary was simply admiring the work of another artist.  As I really do like the small gestures that occur naturally in the comings and goings of humans, this shot satisfied me in that this pose with hands crossed behind the back IS SO MARY.  The plaid shirt is implied, the pattern  rendered more accurately at key junctures.  No mistake.  I believe that this small work implies Mary more than a portrait might.

I am happy.

Donuts for Wayne

Donuts for Wayne   oil   11 x 14 x .5

The work of American artist Wayne Thiebaud has always fascinated me, from the first time I saw his work on a notecard.  Pastries.  Ice Cream Cones....and, yet, his work was taken seriously.  His style was nothing like my own.  Nothing..  Simple flat shapes.  Simple pastel-painted color fields.  Little regard for perspective.  Giant dark shadows.  Everything my work is not.  And I am convinced that is why I love his work so much.  That, and the obvious sugar fix.  

And so, come Valentine's Day this year, we gave a nod to Thiebaud by painting donuts from Dunkin'.  My resultant work has strayed from that of Thiebaud with far more detail, a lack of flatness (that seems to be out of my range) and color that is far more complex.  So be it.

And, yet, I am pleased.  

Laden

Laden   oil/canvas   20 x 20 x 1.5

is perhaps the best word to describe the peak of winter joy for me...trees weighted down with snow, their shapes achieving completely different personas.  We take notice.

This is my front yard.  Foreground drifts are thickly described using few strokes and a palette knife.  The trees are fairly accurately described.  The warmth of the background has been amped up to achieve a more dynamic relationship with the foreground.  

An older painting with plenty of texture was covered over in this work.  I am finding that I really enjoy the layering over of canvasses....more surprises, more character, more chaos.  What a rush!

I am pleased.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes   oil/canvas   11 x 14 x .5

This work painted itself before I began...knew what I wanted.  No table. No bowl....and no pretty tablecloth.  Very minimal with warmish white background.

Back in the day, I shot my work on an old school camera then loaded the images onto my computer.  These days, my I Phone does the job.  A great job...almost too good.

This is not what my painting looks like.  Trust me.  My phone camera has the ability, it seems, to see through layers of paint.  And brushstrokes are almost super-humanly visible.  The white background is invisible because former layers are poking through.  Oh, yes, I fiddled with the controls and color adjustors until my attention to the task had evaporated.  My entire day is focused on finding the hours I need to paint.  And I resent clerical hours, although they are necessary.

So..........................what you are seeing is not the true picture.  Just imagine a wispy white background.  Wabi Sabi. 

Gerbera

Gerbera   oil/canvas   14 x 11 x .5

 Painting flowers is not for sissies!  So much information...so much detail...and so many relationships!  Painting them leads down the path of itty-bittiness that is not in my nature.  Although they are definitely not my favorite subject, I do paint them from time to time in order to stretch my brushwork as well as my mind.  My goal of simplification of shapes and of brushwork is put to the test.  

This is my latest effort...a single large bloom, single stalk, single leaf, and single pot is all I could muster.  

There be it...until next time.  

Diss-Guise

Diss-Guise   watercolor   13x 10

 

Reboot

Reboot   watercolor   10 x 13

Nothing is a more lively still life subject than an old pair of boots or shoes that still hold the forms of the wearer's feet! After all, Van Gogh did it, right?

My subject is a thrifted pair of Fiorentini Baker boots that I have worn for many years.  These are the boots that are so comfortable that you don't notice them at all.

After exploring a multitude of ways  to arrange 2 boot shapes in the picture plane, I settled on this, which seems to created a circular movement to me.  I am a layerist.  Layering paint creates complex color, complex neutrals specifically, as well as a feeling of the passage of time.  Pure sparkling watercolors are not my thing.  At one point, the color was actually "power washed" in my basement laundry tub.  This procedure removes paint, disrupts the surface and creates texture as well as SURPRISES!  (Note:  I never scrub or touch the surface.  The force of the water as it hits the surface can be controlled by the amount of water used as well as your fingers over the nozzle.  

I am pleased and feel that my  intentions were achieved.

Ode to Dangling

Ode to Dangling   oil/canvas   20 x 16 x .5

 "Having your feet on solid ground", "being grounded"...those phrases indicate a sense of safety, of certainty.  OK.  Opposing those are thoughts of flight, of taking off, of uncertainly...but including thrills, newness, and a willingness to try the untried.  In this case, our young daughter is trusting and feeling the excitement, the exhilaration of  the lift-off.  That, to me, is an indication of spirit, of braveness.

This composition was severely pared down to its essential elements of the group gesture.  Two adults are leaning outwards to support the weight of the adventurous child.  For me, this scene was burdened by the woods, the hiking path and the horizon line.  The gesture resembles the letter M.  Simple. Sweet.  Simply read.  Impasto strokes add to its simplicity. The shared colors and strokes support the sharing of the moment.  This painting was an adventure to me, as well.  

The beauty of flight.  I am pleased.

Golden + 2

This small but brisk portrait was done in fun as a surprise anniversary gift for some dear ones.  The reference was a selfie shot by the two of them that they had posted.  The photo was so much fun that I just had to do it!  

The surprise was well received.

Then...the surprise came my way when we received the holiday greeting below.  

I was soo happy to be a part of such a fun experience!  

Golden + 2   oil/canvas   9 x 12 x .5

Outfield

 

Outfield   12 x 9 x .5   oil sketch on canvas

Homage

I'm afraid my annoyance has far outweighed my appreciation for these large and powerful geese from up north.  After all, their feces seems to be everywhere...including beautiful playgrounds and parks where we take our grandchildren.  I have read recently that these birds defecate every 12 minutes!

But.......while driving home along a dark country road recently, my headlights suddenly picked up a parade of these geese crossing the road ahead of me.  I aimed for a space between 2 birds and drove on through.  I have no idea if I had injured or even killed one of these geese...and, I'm afraid, I will never know.  

What I do know is that my opinion has been forever changed as our paths crossed that night and our humanities merged...their power, grace and vulnerability became mine.
 

Homage   oil/canvas   18 x 18 x 1.5

Old Buildings

Thurman's Guitar and Violin Repair (Kent, OH)   oil/canvas   10 x 20 x 1.5

Thurman's Guitar and Violin Repair on Franklin Avenue in Kent has always held such fascination for me.  I drive past it en route to the post office.  It is a rather dark building with no signs of life within.  Dark.  Mysterious. Wonder regarding the person who has chosen this as his life's work. And the lives of precious instruments housed therein.

It is such a small niche in the complexities of the everywhere flashy businesses we see daily.  It may speak of a simpler time, where neighborhoods housed small businesses to meet the needs of the local community.  

Throughout my painting career, I always procrastinate when it comes to the landscape genre, which has never held much interest to me.  (Shhhh...don't tell the students who come to my classes)  When the landscape assignment rotated around again, I searched quite a long time to find the photo reference shot many years ago.  And, I gotta say, IF we can squeeze this painting into the landscape genre at all, this is my favorite attempt of all times.  Things were kept simple.  Unnecessary elements were squelched.  

I am pleased.  And, by the way, after searching online, I have realized that this business is still in operation.  So....next time you need your guitar or violin repaired........... 

Aerial Tabletop Bird's Eye Overhead

Citrus Slices   oil/canvas   11 x 14 x .5

These terms all refer to a viewpoint that is atypical for painting.  Shapes from above become so important.  As do their shadows.  I found that my usual process had to be discarded as harder edges were needed to help avoid visual confusion.  And so, I have gained even more respect for two painters that excel at this presentation:  Cleo Clark Williams from Canton, Ohio and Linda Tompkin from Copley, Ohio.  As my strength does not lie in detail, I felt completed weighed down my this small project.

But, as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained....right?

Garden Shed

Garden Shed   oil/canvas   14 x 11 x .5

 This painting of our garden shed is, for better or worse, the image that greets me on an almost daily bases.  In it are tools, pots and potting soil as well as remnants of dried and drying herbs and vines.  It is moody.  It is crooked.  

I am satisfied with this painting, as far as painting from direct observation goes.  

The peeled layers, the cracked glass and the rusty roof provide charm.  This is where scraping and gouging into the work have a direct usefulness.

Don't forget to close the door.  The chipmunks might get in.  

Umbrella

Umbrella   oil/canvas   36 x 48

 I really have no idea why some glimpses of life are more appealing than others.  This scene appeared as I walked around a nearby allotment. This kind couple agreed to let me photograph them, although the small girl seemed to be perturbed by my request.  As per my usual, it is the visual that suggests contemplation...and spurred thoughts of umbrellas and their purposes.  I think that we all agree that umbrellas perform the function of protecting us from the elements.  It creates a bit of a boundary... the inside::outside feeling also provided by clothing, cars, homes and fences.  

And so each of us finds our comfort zone in the interior::exterior polar opposition.  

Do you know where your umbrella is?

In Memoriam: Judith B. Carducci

Turnabout - Carducci   watercolor/gouache   13 x 20

Although I have seen her only minimally over the past several years, Judy was a constant throughout a major portion of my life.  We met through our local arts group The Akron Society of Artists.  It was there that we participated in life drawing, critiques, and hosted exhibitions.  Her medium of choice was pastel.  Mine:  watercolor and oil paint.  One very  hot summer, three of us painted from models one evening a week in the upstairs garret room of The Italian American center in Akron.  Judy, Jack Liberman and I comprised our little group.  While we did not always agree artistically, I believe that we had so much in common...mainly a great love and respect for the human face and figure.

This particular portrait of Judy was done in 1999 as a group demonstration for 

The Hudson Society of Artists.  As Judy lived in Hudson, she was a ready volunteer.  Reference photos were shot and the painting was finished later on in my studio.  The painting was exhibited in Watercolor Ohio 2000 sponsored by The Ohio Watercolor Society and was purchased for their permanent collection.

I believe that each artist's personal aesthetic is comprised of all she has viewed and experienced and loved.   So....Judy was and is and will be a part of my work...forever.

Judith B. Carducci.  She was 86.

Jack Liberman  2004

Judy Carducci 2004