semi-impressionist
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Sunday, March 8th, 2009
Decaying Ceiba Leaves, Lake Cote Cloud Forest Reserve, Costa Rica, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Sold.
Bird’s Eye
Saturday, February 28th, 2009
Bird’s Eye, Banff, Alberta, Canada, 11H x 11W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Frame unnecessary. Hang on a wall or display on a flat surface. Signed on the side so as not to impose on the composition.
Progress thumbnail images below:
Logic is one-dimensional, creativity is not
Monday, January 19th, 2009
There are at least four active projects on the go here, and that’s the case with most artists. Because creativity is all-encompassing, and when the unpredictable nature of it is revealed on a daily blog, a defining statement or mission and re-evaluating it every once in a while is all-important.
* Career artists do not generate production like a factory or have the same business formulas and game plans as retailers; for us everything from conception to sale is self-prompted. Motivation to work every day on something often means doing something different every day. I give myself the guilt-free permission to do whatever I want at on any given day. However…
* One main piece of work needs to be on the plate always, and the others are like a sort of coffee break; the mind needs to think of other things for a bit then return to the main work with new perspective.
* About faith and fortitude: eventually things are finished one after the other, some in one day, some not…but every day no matter what, if one puts forth effort even with no results, then something is still accomplished.
* Self-discipline: if a client is expecting an original concept and a complete product within 48 hours, then absolutely: results can be forced. Within that limited time frame, the usual way of working and thinking becomes temporarily chaotic; a difficult process for some, because presupposed thoughts have to scatter and previously-done ideas need to be let go. At some point, maybe with only one hour left – crunch time – trust that chaos regroups into something totally new and unexpected..the best, most rewarding work can occur during these times. In other words, here’s how anything is created: you’ve gotta be willing to go a little kooky if you have to, but always be alert to reason and bring a thing into reality!
* We have long-term goals and short-term goals, and mini-goals within the short-term ones, but the process is one and the same: shifting the usual and expected way of thinking – or working – is the best way to regenerate creativity on a consistent basis.
Sumac Bushes director’s chair started
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
Sumac Bushes director’s chair started. Back and seat of 47H x 22W x 16D inches acrylics on canvas, will be varnished. Up-cycled tall wood director’s chair, work in progress, functional art. The wood will be painted a cherry color.
Sun Shower out again (04 that is)
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
Nov. 15th above the largest thumbnail of the painting are 6 details of Sun Shower 04, 45H x 84W x 3D inches masking medium, acrylics, and matte glaze on canvas, wrapped sides painted. Last few days worth of layering glazes, work in progress. Started May 3rd.
November 10th – Left and right details, continuing to define leaves, not too much though and layering colors of rain and light. Low-light situation today, so the colors shown here are not as vibrant as they actually are.
November 7th – Mask medium has all been peeled off and now layers of matte glazing medium/acrylics color washes gradually bring things to life and into focus.
November 5th – Sun Shower 04 after 2nd application of masking medium, but before peeling it off, and a days worth of painting over top of that, changing the species to Oak..
November 3rd – 
Since Shadows Of Summer (recent, started after this one) is of a Maple tree, and similar ideas of looking up at the canopy will be much more suitable for paintings of the Giant Redwoods and Sequoia, and there will be no duplicates of tree species portrayed for The Majesty of Trees collection, the subject is being changed from Maple to Oak. Above left, Sun Shower #4 before 2nd application of masking medium (usually used for watercolors on paper). This painting started off as a full canvas of Maple Leaves, then changed to looking up at the canopy, and is now being changed again to the original inspiration, the Red Oak in our front yard during a sun shower. Paintings change until they’re done. What will not change here is the principle idea: rain and leaves in rays of light.
Masking medium is being reapplied with a toothpick on top of the first version of this painting..has already had a layer of masking medium removed from earlier stages. When most of the contrasts are taken care of the medium will be removed, revealing raindrops of all the colors underneath.
Work on Sun Shower 04 posted earlier this year: * first entitled Maple Leaves May 3rd * May 8th * May 9th * May 17th * May 23rd is when the name changed and I decided to experiment with the masking medium. * June 17th
Rules, and Bridges to Your Own
Friday, October 31st, 2008
I think that a painting is more than the sum of its parts, but it’s the parts that have more to teach.
Some of the details in this painting are kind of groundbreaking for me, and new things I tried will be applied to future paintings, but with an honest and unbiased eye toward it, from a distance it looks like just another landscape. That seems to be the general opinion about most landscapes; being the most popular genre of painting, they are so common they need a second glance and closer study in order to be fully appreciated. Anyway, with this one I’m now pleased with the efforts, but when I started painting this one I had no intentions of posting it, mainly because it’s my interpretation of a postcard, commissioned by a neighbor.
The neighbors thoughtfully collect our mail and water the garden whenever we’re away, even when not asked, so when they requested a painting to be copied from a postcard of his home town in France I cringed (you know, about the copying thing), but then agreed. With no deadline demanded there was plenty of time to wrap my head around this project, and I took it. I still wanted to do a good job despite my strong convictions about copying, and waited for a time when I felt ready to do my best – because the first few strokes are as important as the last.
There are decent arguments for and against a “right time” for things, and if a job needs doing immediately I have no problem doing it immediately, but I was thankful to have a little more time without the pressure to visualize this one.
I came to terms with the thing by finally just starting it, and the rest of this blog entry explains how that taught me more than my last five paintings all together.
Once I let go of all the over-thinking about ethics and integrity, while resolving to make it my own I got lost in the most important part of anything you create: the work; that zone – we all want to get lost in The Zone! It turned into a really interesting, fun learning opportunity.
There are a lot of slogans, terms, traditions, quotes and art-myths passed along through generations of artists. We absorb them over the years and they gradually play a part in forming our opinions and our work habits to some extent. Impulsively we set up walls that can get in the way of seeing and discovery.
We need assignments like this that challenge us to break free from rules, if only temporarily…rules that may be fine for others but may prevent us from exploring the avenues that lead to our own personal best.
There’s a lot of competition in the Art Biz, a surplus of advice, group lessons, suggestions, and strong opinions about what art is and isn’t, what you should and shouldn’t do, and even a kind of unspoken underground rating system that some people have, pinpointing what style or motivational source is better than another.
The point here is: whatever the initial source is that gets you painting or creating something, then use it. If it feels right for you then it is right for you. There are things in each painting, successful or not, that bridge all our efforts into the next. The act of working is valuable above all, whatever it is or however it’s done. The value you hold for yourself translates into your work that, if successful, may also become valuable to someone else.
Details
Monday, September 29th, 2008
The Fourth of July, past the point of no return. Making one small change affects the whole piece. Rather than post another image of the painting as a whole, because there are already enough pictures of it, here are some details of changes made in the past few days from the lower central portion of the painting. To be continued…
Shadows of Summer update
Monday, September 22nd, 2008
Shadows of Summer, 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas.
Shadows – work today
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
Shadows of Summer work in progress, 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas, custom built stretcher frame. Since these photos were taken I’ve added a gel-wash of Ultramarine. The trunk colors need more contrast and background leaves need more depth.
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Shadows of Summer – work in progress
Monday, September 15th, 2008
Thumbnails: Shadows of Summer, 60H x 40W x 3D inches acrylics on canvas Phase 2, top and lower detail
Left: Shadows of Summer Phase 1 in progress.
Tomorrow: plans are to create more flow and less of a hard line between background leaves and the trunk, plus add more reds and make this an early Autumn scene. Also I’d like this one to be less representational, so now that it’s mapped out will change to imply leaves and space more abstractly and play with subtle changes in planes.
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