Playhouse Square
I started a series of paintings early in the winter called Playhouse Square. Each painting in the series portrays the area around Cleveland’s Playhouse Square and the people going about their Square-related business. I am amassing photographs for the project; I already have several hundred. I’ve taken photos in all weather and all light conditions. I took
In the studio 3/15/15
I worked all day yesterday and today on The News. According to my studio journal, today’s painting session was the thirteenth. I’m almost finished. People who know me laugh whenever I say a painting is almost finished. Some paintings have been almost finished for months. But if the drawing is good and there are no
In the studio 3/8/15
Yesterday’s painting session was the 4th for Taking Note. The underapinting is finished, which is fast (for me) considering it’s large size–42″ x 56″. But it’s only a single figure and the design is simple and straightforward. In the background on the floor is the new Sunday Parade, which is also 42″ x 56″. After several
In the studio 3/1/15
I worked the past several days on finishing the under-painting of The Woman in Purple Boots. The Woman in Purple Boots is 40″ x 50″ which is a nice size and format. I’m thinking of preparing a batch of canvases that size, say 4-5. I often prepare batches of the same size. Last year, I prepared 7-8 canvases that are
In the studio 2/22/15
This 30″ x 40″ oil was almost among the unfinished paintings recently purged. Instead, things started clicking during yesterday’s session. I will finish it. The canvas is from a batch of canvases I prepared a year or so ago. All were finished the same way and were the say size–30″ x 40″. The ground on
In the studio 2/18/15
The under-painting is done on The Photographer. All color areas are close to their planned final tone. Having said that, no part of the painting is finished; with the figure being the least finished. I’m happy with the stool and the hat. This 36″ x 48″ painting is thematically close to the similarly-sized The Explainer, which was
In the studio 2/15/15
After a marathon 13-hour session with The Picnic, I think I’ve wrestled it to the ground. The Picnic has fought me since day one.. First, the canvas, from a sub-par batch of cotton duck, wants to sag against the cross bar. Worse is the lousy ground. I’m always looking for efficiencies and this time it
In the studio 2/8/15
I worked on these paintings this morning. I painted-out some foliage in the upper-right of Three Girls. The tone in the photo of that area is more yellow–by far–than the actual tone. The under-painting is done (has been for a bit) and I’m driving toward finishing it. It’s a lot of fun painting the VW Bug. Three