Bennington, Vermont continues to inspire me as an artist. This year I returned to Art New England, a Mass College of Art workshop program that convenes on the Bennington College campus each summer. It is a remarkable gift to work every day for two weeks without other responsibilities, far from the madding crowd. The focus yields incremental but essential changes in my work, especially while guided … [Read more...]
NdS Collage
My recent collage series is inspired by the great paintings of Nicholas de Staël who was a pioneering figure in mid-century painting. He directed his gaze outward at a time when New York artists and critics were obsessed with solitary struggles of the inner-Man. In his work he reveled in the convergence of sky, sea, and land on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco, Algiers, and Antibes. His … [Read more...]
Masterpiece Copies
"Paris offers... the museums in which you can study the old masters;... from 12 to 4 you copy, in the Louvre or the Luxembourg, whatever masterpiece you like." — Zola’s letter to Cezanne, 1858 ~~ Art made in eras that are historically and culturally different from our own provides a limitless source of instruction and inspiration. For the artist, the process of copying masterpieces internalizes … [Read more...]
Looking at Watteau
Five years ago, I spent time in Madrid indulging in the feast of the city and in some of Europe's greatest museums. I carried a sketchbook with me to draw in the galleries. A few pages shown here are of Jean-Antoinne Watteau's paintings at the Thyssen-Bornemisza. Watteau was the progenitor of the 'fêtes galantes' genre, theatrical scenes of idylls and pastorals. Other visitors were kind to me, … [Read more...]
Tv Portraits
Journalists, politicians, reporters, and policy experts are the portrait subjects of the five minute animated gif in this post. Drawings were made while watching tv news shows during the three month period between the presidential election and first six weeks of the new administration. News of the day opportunistically provided subjects for drawings that are presented in roughly the order they … [Read more...]
Four Xmases
Although nothing goes out of style quicker than the holiday season, I decided to share four recent collages that I made in January from Christmas cards I received in the mail. By keeping the cards grouped by year, from 2013 to 2016, the commercial and personal graphics of a self-selecting community of friends, relatives, and businesses produced a composite portrait of each year. You may recognize … [Read more...]
2016 Review
The through line of my artwork in 2016 was the continued variety of materials, form, and subject. I worked with still life, figure, and landscape in oils, gouache, collage, animations and gifs, acquired a Namiki Pilot Falcon flexible nib pen for drawing, and constructed and painted an artist book. Concerned that a catalogue of fragments might confuse readers, to be a generalist also conflicts with … [Read more...]
Reporter’s Notebook
I am among countless fans of Gwen Ifill who were shocked and saddened by her premature death on November 14, 2016. Her wit, warmth, incisive intelligence, and "megawatt" smile are deeply missed. She provided invaluable insights into contemporary politics that I appreciated as a frequent viewer of Washington Week and the PBS NewsHour. Many of the journalists seen on the two shows became subjects of … [Read more...]
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