Poem: The Thing She Said to Me
The Thing She Said to Me The poets and rockers didn't go beyond Avenue A, where the poverty was unromantic. My fifth-floor walk-up (Ave. C and 9th) looked over the rooftops of Manhattan, to the sea…
Year: 2013
In the Studio 4/14/2013
Some of today's work: 'Grandfather' is large by my recent standards--40" x 60". The drawing was transferred using a grid. When the drawing was done, I inked it, that is, I went over it with…
Thumbs Down: Sargent; Thumbs Up: Bouguereau
John Singer Sargent and William-Adolphe Bouguereau are not normally considered together, yet their careers overlapped for several decades. In the ‘Undergrad’s Giant Book of Art History’ Sargent is counted among the progressives, while Bouguereau is thrown…
Non Reviews
I was going to title this post ‘negative reviews’ referring to non-reviews—shows I’ve visited that did not speak to me, and so no reviews were forthcoming. Silence as a review, so to speak. But, of…
In the Studio 4/7/2013
Here is a batch of some recent work. The large painting--'The Conversation'--is 66" high. It's not far from being finished (knock wood). The smaller paintings are Betty Jane paintings, that is, paintings of people aboard…
Lost Secrets of the Masters Part I
We are in the midst of a surging revival of interest in historical painting methods. More is written on the topic each day. Many authors point to received experts (Eastlake and Doerner to name just…
The 42nd Student Show at The Galleries at CSU
I enjoy student shows and attend them whenever I've a chance. While most student shows are filled with, well, student-grade work, I almost always find a gem or two. So I wasn't disappointed when the bill of fare for…
Update to Oil Paint Brands
I've updated the Oil Paint Brands material to reflect the recent quality decline of several brands: LeFranc, Rembrandt, and Daniel Smith. All three have fallen from the ‘mid-range, good value’ category to student grade. Avoid except…