My Porch

My Porch watercolor 20 x 12 Autumn is such a naturally beautiful time of year....and my heart quickens as I approach the side door of our farmhouse. Pumpkins are stunning to me....large and round and ORANGE. This work was painted from reference photos shot at a time of day where the sun played with the objects on the porch. And, yet, there is a sinister quality to this time of year with shortening days and the falling of leaves. No one did pumpkins more soulfully than Andrew Wyeth, in my opinion. The climate of his work is positively haunting. My watercolor style, too, is a bit heavier than some....perhaps that is because I am also an oil painter. I also take "heavier" watercolors more seriously....they have, to me, a more thoughtful, more layered quality that packs a punch that can be read from a distance. (Sometimes, I wish to be a lighter painter, but, I am not). The shadow area in this work was ever so important with a few hues underneath the final dark blue-green wash. The support beam on the porch is not upright and suggests, to me, my approach up the stairs. And, of course, it follows that my notion of life, in general, is more complex, more serious, weightier. And, so.....this is my porch.

Essential Lotto

Essential Lotto...ARtGraf graphite block on paper...30 x 16 Ideas come in fits and spurts. During my many walks each week doing a loop around the central area of our small township, I took note of the people going in and out the door of Circle K.....and caused me to wonder just what was essential enough to dawn and mask and shop at a convenience store....gas? made-to-go sandwiches and hotdogs? and, yes....LOTTO. A dream of winnings that might be the way out for many folks of the apathy and distress that seem to hover over this period in time. So....surrepticiously, I shot many photos of these customers as they entered and departed. The plan was to create a series of figurative works describing what each of these individuals considered to be essential. The woman in this work was not young....it took her many minutes to unfold from her car and conduct her business. The door itself was not easy for her to maneuver. Several minutes later, she emerged with a long string of lotto tickets. Ah...THE DREAM. I am quite happy with this work. I hope she scratches off a winning number. I wish her hope.

The Yellow Sofa

The Yellow Sofa ArtGraf graphite block 36 x 29

Our mornings begin with reading. The simple shapes and backlighting of this scene were too much to pass up. Photo references were shot and I relished the opportunity to experiment more with ArtGraf graphite blocks. This medium is DENSE...and then some. My previous attempts were far too dark, far too opaque and I yearned for more of a continuum from softly rendered to opaque and dense. I find that these are unlike any other drawing mediums...adding water makes them even more dense. It really did take a while to find my footing....and some semblance of a comfort zone. While most mediums thin out and become more transparent with the addition of water, these graphite blocks are the exception. I quickly became more judicious about crossing the surface with a wide brush loaded with water. This work was done on 140# hot press watercolor paper. I like the final result, which has a bit of everything, yet reads boldly from a distance. I am not sure that I would use this medium on a subject with a softer inclination. And, typically, true to me, I seem to yearn for that which I do not have.....my next work will be a more softly rendered one using softer drawing tools.....conte crayon, charcoal or pastel.