During the past 18 months, July 2007 to December 2008, I worked in three genres: still life, floral, and landscape;— using relatively small supports: 4x5 to 11x14 inches. Small formats made it possible to develop many rough drafts rather than possibly stall in pursuit of larger sustained paintings. It also facilitated painting every day for a period of six months between March and August of … [Read more...]
The Artist’s Valentine Grant
In January of each year since 1996, give or take a year in between, I've made Valentine cards to apply for a unique grant called the The Artist's Valentine. The holiday mostly stands out for me as the opening scene of one of the all time greatest movies, Some Like It Hot. I usually struggle to come up with an appropriate sentiment in the cards — not surprising given the previous reference. This … [Read more...]
Food Drawings
The search for interesting shapes and colors in the grocery store, for subjects to draw and paint, has brought about greater diversity in what I eat. Tonight the acorn squash transformed from actor in a table-top still life into a nourishing side dish. I've read that when Matisse lived on the coast in Nice, there was a restaurant downstairs from his flat. A waiter would bring up oysters or other … [Read more...]
Wine and Red Onion
I like what's happening with the volumes and roundnesses in this series of still lifes. Black and white ink drawings like the one below make me wish I could do more etching. ABOVE: Still-life, gouache, 7 x 9.25 in, (17.78 x 23.5 cm), 12/10/2008 Still-life, oil on paper, 7.5 x 11 in, (19.05 x 27.94 cm), 12/8/2008 Still-life, micron pen, 5 x 8.25, (12.7 x 20.95 cm), 12/10/2008 … [Read more...]
Small Steps Review
This year I concentrated on a program of self-directed study. I’ve gone back to basics to focus on drawing, color, and composition. I want my paintings to feel contemporary while relating to the history of painting. I often miss and they end up looking old-timey. I’m asking myself painting questions, of how to imbue my work with meaning and emotion without crossing into illustration. The era of … [Read more...]
Master Still-life Copies
Last week I saw the Giorgio Morandi show in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art (closing Dec 14, 2008). Of the many branches in the family tree that can be traced between painters, Morandi leads, among others, directly to Paul Cezanne. In a New Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell (Late Bloomers, Oct 20, 2008), he quotes a letter to Cezanne's from his friend Zola to the then young, undeveloped … [Read more...]
Drawing in Public
I'm pushing myself to draw in public places by bringing a sketchbook with me wherever I go — and actually drawing in it. The Moleskine sketchbooks are compact, good for travel, but the paper has a waxy, slippery finish. It contributes to a wobbly line when using a micron pen. Here are some examples from a recent trip to New York city. ABOVE: Still-life, micron pen on Moleskine, 5.5 x 7 in … [Read more...]
Still-life with Blue Napkin and Coconut
For a long time, I've been disappointed when my oil paintings did have the dynamic energy of my drawings. In this painting, that convergence is happening. This painting also shows the use of a natural glance for the casual arrangement of objects in the composition. Making gouache copies from master's paintings is proving not only to be fun and engaging but also to have unexpected benefits that … [Read more...]
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