In the studio 6/7/15
Grandfather was turned against the wall for a long time; I just didn’t like the direction it was going. Since then I’ve completely altered the background by adding the landscape through the window, and the green curtains. I wanted to make a painting that didn’t look ‘modern.’ I used to think about categories of subject
In the studio 5/10/15
This morning’s painting session was my 15th on The News. I finished the painting and took a short break, celebrating with a cup of coffee. Returning to the studio, I immediately realized the last thing I painted was too strong and needed healing. I worked another 45 minutes and set the brush down and went upstairs for a
Mountain Retreat
The beautiful painting Clouds Visiting a Mountain Retreat is currently on view at the Cleveland Art Museum. The museum regularly rotates its vast Asian collection, and new works (new to me) are frequently to be found. The cloud-swathed mountain dominates the landscape; the travellers in the lower-left are easily overlooked. It’s early morning or early
In the studio 1-18-2015
Main Street #2 is on the old easel in front of some unfinished paintings. One of the challenges (and pleasures) of Main Street #2 is the large number of figures in the space–14. Although the painting is largish, 40″ x 56,” the figures range from small scale to very small scale. Originally it had even more
In the studio 1/11/2015
I’ve had about a half-dozen painting sessions with The News. The 44″ x 60″ painting is mid-flight. I estimate there will at least that many more sessions before it’s finished. Large-sized paintings with just a few figures enable me to really work the figures. A lot of my paintings recently, even the large ones, have small-scale
Finished painting: John in Profile
I finished this small painting this morning. It’s another in the series of my young children posing outside with a white lawn chair. I think this is the 3rd or 4th in this series. I have another small one in-hand. I’m thinking about doing this painting in a larger format, say 36″ x 48.”
Finished painting: Black River
I finally got this small painting–21″ x 30″–to a good place. This morning’s session was the 9th. I wanted to do a full figure in a small format, and I wanted to paint green. Are those enough reasons to make a painting? I titled it Black River because the subject (my daughter, Jane) is proudly holding
In the studio 9/21/14
I had several sessions with this painting, Dinner in Trenton, over the past few days. It was the first opportunity to use my new Terkell flats; first-rate brushes–and affordability priced. How many more sessions? Hard to say. Working on a large painting (Dinner in Trenton is 42″ x 56″) is a series of calculations. It’s easy to make