Infusion

Infusion   watercolor/gouache   19 x 27

is the process I feel when I dip my feet into the ocean...an exchange between my body's chemistry and the salt water of the great mighty.  Having just returned from a wonderful vacation at the shore with nuclear and extended family, I was reminded of this painting done many years previously of my friend Jo.  Between us, we raised 6 wonderful and energetic sons.  We had more to do than time allowed.  The annual trips to the seashore provided such a great relief from the worries, the cares and the work load.  The ocean is a healing balm. 

Quick Draw Makes Me Sweat

Clock Tower   oil/canvas   12 x 9?

Artists are notorious for their personal senses of time.  I am no exception.  I believe that in order to be truly creative, one must be unaware of the clock.  That being said, you will understand why quick draw, a timed 2-hour painting done on the green in Hudson, makes me sweat.  My work usually relies on several layers, much contemplation and much alteration, involving create and destroy processes.  None of that is possible at this event.  So I am immersed into "alla prima" painting, from the first......The canvas was pre-toned with an acid green color, a warm yellow-green that fits well, I think with outdoor painting.  I found a location well ahead of the event and plotted.  I will say that this work was more successful that the ones done in years past.  I painted what I saw and tried to avoid re-painting any passages, which always ends up muddy and indistinct.  I did a slight bit of destroy, by softening unimportant edges with my fan brush and a bit of medium.  I softened all of these geometric shapes with a bit of organic leaf-play.  At the end, I wiped through to the the pre-toned canvas in some places to offer up some cohesion.  This work was auctioned at the end of the event.

What would I change given another session?  I would probably correct some of the incorrect shapes, and, perhaps, take some steps toward a more harmonious color palette.  But then there is something to be said for painting on the spot.  Maybe I will try it again..................at next year's event.

Plein Air Painting is not for Sissies

Allium   oil/canvas   14 x 11 x .5

I enjoy my creature comforts.  Painting outdoors requires lots of lugging, much time setting up and taking down, as well as repeated interruptions.  The interruptions are well-intended and kind (why, I couldn't draw a stick figure!  X 12 times/day), but interruptions nonetheless. Staying hydrated is a problem due to lack of restroom facilities, which would require a packing up all over again.   And all of that green....green....green...I am happiest when I can pair organic shapes with geometric, so I often try to include a bit of the man-made along with the wide varieties of plantings.  This is, after all, an event that is in cooperation with the home and garden tour.  Most of the attendees have vast knowledge of plants.  My focus in this work is the planting of allium which are large airy spherical violet blooms from a plant related to chives and onions.  This was my first painting of the event and, perhaps, the one I am most satisfied with.  It was worked with a limited palette and contains both kinds of shapes.

Allium can be seen at Hudson Fine Art and Framing.

Back to the studio....no bugs....few interruptions....and a glass of water whenever I choose.  O.K., then.  Call me a sissy....I can live with that.

Cob

Cob   watercolor on Yupo   3.75 x 12

Cropping as a tool is precarious surgery in my opinion.  I much prefer the in-depth consideration of the composition of a planned painting.  Composition is crucial for providing a focal area and other passages which should support the focal area.  Ideally.  For some reason, I put cropping as a tool in the same category as other "tricks":  using masking fluid; spattering; sponging, etc..  None of these processes will breathe life into an ailing composition....supposedly "saving the day".  I believe that there is practically no such thing as a perfect painting (well maybe one now and then).  I also believe that all paintings have strong passages and others that aren't so much.  I guess much like being a human being.  My aim is to accept the painting as a whole with its all its imperfections.  From time to time, I sort through unsold work and destroy weaker works whose appeal, after some time in catalog, are less than satisfactory.  "Cob" is a small part of a much larger work done several summers ago on Yupo paper.  Yupo produces so much texture on the surface that texture becomes the thing, the key ingredient.  Although working on Yupo provides many chills and thrills, the look of it is too much for my own personal aesthetic.  I did, however, like the cob.  I wiped out all of the painted areas around the cob (which is only possible on Yupo) and framed it in a small and long horizontal.  I think that this might be my first acceptable cropped painting.

Never say never.

And speaking of Boston...

Uncommon   oil/canvas   20 x 60 x 1.5

Uncommon is a work that celebrates the row houses of Beacon Street that edge Boston Common.  There is something very appealing to me about this accordion-like expanse of brick and windows...each building individually unique, but functioning as part of an aesthetically pleasing whole.  Perhaps a metaphor for the vast expanse of heterogeneous individuals known as urban-dwellers.  There is also the feel of the little Christmas villages that are part and parcel of holiday setups.  Twinkling lights in the windows.  Hustle and Bustle.  Peace at the same time.  My goal was to paint this scene without the tedium of overly-described windows and doors.  It had to function as one form for me.  As in any painting with this much detail, there are parts that I adore and some parts that merely exist....I have come to be satisfied with that.  Perhaps that is similar to the momentary glance that one takes as she observes the scene.  I think it is done.  Will get back to you on that...

The Boston Marathon

To Run The Boston   watercolor   20 x 13.5

is the premiere marathon for runners around the world.  For those who have finished it, the race becomes a benchmark of integrity and endurance for the rest of their lives....such as Bob, one such artist and runner in one of my classes, who always speaks glowingly of his multiple experiences in the race.  We were privileged to experience the race in 2011 when our son competed.  Our class assignment:  the cityscape.  Artists in my classes vote on subject matter.  The cityscape does not appeal to me as a genre.  I am not sure why, but I guess it has to do with the amount of information on the page...too much for me.  My reference photo was taken in 2011 and features two runners from Nigeria.  While the initial lay-in contained many beautiful spontaneous strokes, I was not content.  Too many pieces/parts.  My process involves the laying in of subsequent washes and a push::pull that allows some elements to shine, while pushing others into roles as supporting actors.  This is my final answer.

I am pleased that I attempted a work that I wouldn't have otherwise considered.  I was spurred on by the integrity of these African runners.  Ahh.....it's about meeting of the challenge.....courage.