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I’ve had an intensive week of painting. It’s been a couple of years since I did oils on canvas. I’ve been painting on my printmaking paper, and I like the texture and immediacy of that, but this week I had a sudden urge to paint larger. I’ve been thinking about several images for a while now, and I just dove in. I bought three 30x40” canvases and took off. None are quite done, but it’s a nicely solid amount of progress.
The first one I started was one of Mr. Darcy in the lake out at the farm. I rode out with my dad after getting home and took several photos as he walked into the lake to get cool. This is a composite of those photos.
The first one I started was one of Mr. Darcy in the lake out at the farm. I rode out with my dad after getting home and took several photos as he walked into the lake to get cool. This is a composite of those photos.
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Darel Snodgrass at WKNO fm was nice enough to have me on the air again this morning for his daily interview show Checking on the Arts. I was mostly there to talk about next week's Night Vision show at Playhouse on the Square (opening Friday, May 4th from 5:30 to 7:00), but I went in with a whole list of current projects, and we covered all of them. It's fun to go in and get to talk about what I do, when I spend most of my work time by myself in my house (except for my studio helper Mr. Darcy, of course).
And for a little bit of eye candy, here's a recent sketch of my new favorite drink that I haven't posted yet.
And for a little bit of eye candy, here's a recent sketch of my new favorite drink that I haven't posted yet.
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I posted my small watercolor studies for these oils last week, and here are a few of the oils I’ve been working on from those studies and also from reference photos, which is a reasonably new thing for me. I spent years working almost purely outside, or working from studies done on site. I remember my painting prof saying that once you’ve put your time in, you learn how the light works (and how the camera changes it), and you can transition into working more from photos. It still feels a bit like cheating, but I do feel that coming to working from photos in my 40’s, with a couple of decades of on site work under my belt, made a big difference to how I would approach these pieces. I will say that the convenience is lovely, especially since I’m doing nocturnes. It can be fun to paint a bit in the dark and see what you get, but a whole show of inconvenient painting would be a lot. Now that the weather is beginning to get nice, though, I’m also itching to get back out with my watercolors when I have the time. A number of deadlines (seven commissions plus the show to hang in the next few weeks) are looming, but then I’ll get to go out west and paint a bit more whatever I feel like for a while. It’s nice to have that rhythm built into my life at the moment.
Here are a couple of the smallest oils for the show (about 10x13”). Now that I’ve got my “second tea” brewed, I’m going to get back upstairs to the easel and keep working on the new one I started this morning.
Here are a couple of the smallest oils for the show (about 10x13”). Now that I’ve got my “second tea” brewed, I’m going to get back upstairs to the easel and keep working on the new one I started this morning.
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I’ve been working away on a series of oils on paper for my May nocturne show, but I realized that I’ve been sharing sketches (and got distracted by the #100people and other sketch projects), so I’m slow sharing them here. I’ll go back and take photos and catch up, but in the meantime, here is yesterday’s small oil of the late, lamented Cleveland Street Flea Market.
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Melissa Bridgman and I had our annual open studio sale this past weekend. I love having her pottery in my home, and I feel so grateful to everyone who came out to support independent artists. It takes a whole community to support the arts, and we have an amazing community here in Memphis. I so appreciate all of you who read this blog, share my work, invite your friends, and maybe take something home to live with. Thank you, friends. And have a wonderful holiday!
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Here is a sneak preview of my Skyward show that opens next Friday night, November 3rd, from 6-8pm at Eclectic Eye (242 S. Cooper in Memphis). I'll have more than these, but I decided to put up the first batch on my website today.
I've been doing massive amounts of computer work the last few days, which is never as much fun as making art, but I did manage most of a new, small painting for the show next week as well. I've been working to get more serious about an email list. I've always collected them on my paper mailings lists at shows, but I have a printing press I'm in love with, so I haven't been that serious about using email. However, all of the book publishing/marketing emails I've been listening to lately (I'm thinking ahead to the Mr. Darcy book while I paint for the fall show) have really emphasized the importance of an email newsletter. So I've decided to join the 21st Century and dive in, at least occasionally, when I have shows or other important news.
If you'd like to receive an occasional newsletter, please sign up here:
I've been doing massive amounts of computer work the last few days, which is never as much fun as making art, but I did manage most of a new, small painting for the show next week as well. I've been working to get more serious about an email list. I've always collected them on my paper mailings lists at shows, but I have a printing press I'm in love with, so I haven't been that serious about using email. However, all of the book publishing/marketing emails I've been listening to lately (I'm thinking ahead to the Mr. Darcy book while I paint for the fall show) have really emphasized the importance of an email newsletter. So I've decided to join the 21st Century and dive in, at least occasionally, when I have shows or other important news.
If you'd like to receive an occasional newsletter, please sign up here:
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I had a great time over the weekend at the 45th annual Pink Palace Crafts Fair. I don't tend to do outdoors art fairs, but I grew up going to this one, and it's local. I used to go with my parents every year and be able to pick out my Christmas present, and being able to be a part of it as an adult is special to me. Also, since it's in town, I see a lot of friends and can tell folks about my upcoming shows.
I'm a demonstrator there, so I sit out and carve a block all weekend, in between talking and answering questions for folks in my booth. That concert by Rhiannon Giddens the other week was still living strongly with me, and I've been wanting to do a banjo print. It's been fun painting skies
I'm a demonstrator there, so I sit out and carve a block all weekend, in between talking and answering questions for folks in my booth. That concert by Rhiannon Giddens the other week was still living strongly with me, and I've been wanting to do a banjo print. It's been fun painting skies
for my upcoming show at Eclectic Eye in November, but I also enjoyed a good chance to do a print that has been dancing in my head and wanting to get out. It's still in progress, but the first full proof is below. Keep an eye on this space as I work on it and also get back to oils on paper. I've been giving myself a few quiet, slow days to recover from the craziness of last week, but each morning I've gotten up wanting to work on this print for a little while with my morning tea. That's how I know I'm living the life I've wanted to -- vacation is a chance to do more (if perhaps different) work that I love.
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I always seems to do self portraits in Paris. I walk a lot on my own and think, and self portraits seem to be an instinctive part of my self examination process. I did several watercolor ones while I was there, but I had the idea for this one near the end of the trip and took a few photos to help me do it in oils when I got home. My November show is called "Skyward" (a collaboration with Melissa Bridgman), and I decided it would be neat to have a figural piece or two as well as just landscapes. I've been enjoying oils on paper tremendously since I got home.
I took some photos as I painted, as I have been remembering to do lately, so here's the behind the scenes peek.
I took some photos as I painted, as I have been remembering to do lately, so here's the behind the scenes peek.
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I got home and had a frenzy of painting, but I haven't been keeping up here. Here is my favorite sky so far, a view from the place where I stay in Paris. I've also got two that are partly done but not fully finished yet below.
I'm hoping to get back and balance these two and start a couple of more I have banging around inside my skull here soon. It's been funny to have all these images I want to paint duking it out in there to see who gets out onto the paper next. It's lovely and creative feeling, and I'm grateful not to be in a place of artist block. Now I need to stop working on a few other things (like the calendar) and get back to my easel.
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I'm working towards my fall show, Skyward, that is a collaboration with Melissa Bridgman, a potter and sketch artist. It's fun to be home to my easel and doing oils again. I've been doing watercolor sky sketches and collecting photos all year, but I haven't been home with my easel to really dive into the paintings. It felt good that reviewing my photos and sketches and thinking about this show as I walk or go to sleep has kept these images ready for me to dive fully into right away. I started painting one day after getting home from Paris, and they've been pouring out. For fun, I've taken some process photos for you to see the progression. The one above is a Memphis scene, but given my travel, there will be plenty of Paris and Washington skies as well.
