Pumpkin Patch Waltz. SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 8 x 8 x 1.5
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Date: 12.21.09



















"T'was the day before the night before Christmas" so I thought I'd post early... This week I am posting Pumpkin Patch Waltz, new, and Cherry Pie, from a few weeks ago that I am just now posting.

There is a riddle to the title Pumpkin Patch Waltz. The only clue I am giving is that it has to do with the time signature of waltzes.

"Merry Christmas to all"...

Cherry Pie. SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 5 x 7 x .25
Medium: Oils
Date: 12.5.09



















As this is a folk art cherry pie I felt I had the liberty to make it as deep and thick as I wanted to. So I did.

Pumpkin Pie

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 5x7x.25
Medium: Oil
Support: Canvas board
Date: 12.15.09














Here is yet another piece of pie. Next week I will post the cherry pie. I found out Little Folk Art Houston also sold at the C-Note show and possibly the two Paper Route pieces. It can sometimes take a while for the sales to show up in the system so I won't know for sure until all data has been entered.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Click image to enlarge. Click title to enlarge or for more information.
Size: 5" x 5 " x 7/8"
Medium: Oils on canvas
Dated: 12/04/09



















This one went over to SDAI today as my entry into the next Regional Show for the One Foot category. I also took Three Messengers for the main category. While I was there I learned that in addition to Eclipse, that Little Dog Big Plans, Modern Retro Kitchen Collage/Clock, and Loft #10 had been sold in the C-Note Show. Like Eclipse, I suspect the latter two must have sold before I got downstairs opening night because they were not on the walls. Modern Pop Art Woman was not in the show. The frame was not to code so I will try entering it again. C-Note runs for a couple more days. I hope the rest sell too.

Apple Pie-SOLD

Click title to enlarge image or for more information.
Size: 5"x7"x.25"
Medium: Oils
Support: Canvas board
Dated: 12/1/09














I am still determined to use up existing canvases before buying any new ones. Some of the remaining stock is quite small. 5 x 7, 6 x 8 etc. Small still life paintings work well on these sizes. But of course I couldn't just paint a traditional slice of apple pie.

Saturday evening I stopped by the SDAI C-Note show. My 40x60 abstract, Eclipse, had already sold by the time I got downstairs. I was especially happy as I did NOT want try to get it back home. My friends Karen and Dennis paid me a surprise visit as I was about to leave. But their presence so renewed my tired feet and back that I stayed on a bit!

Three Messengers SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click Title for more information.
Size: 20 x 16 x 1.5
Medium: Oils on Acrylics on Canvas
Dated: 11/15/09
















If I have learned anything from my long break to reevaluate my painting career it is to spend less on support materials. No large, pre-stretched canvases and; using up smaller support materials I already have on hand and more experimenting in using paper without framing. 16 x 20 is a nice size, easy to work with and to store and much less expensive than 30 x 40, 40 x 60 or 36 x 36.

7 Stars to Heaven SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click Title for more information.

Title: 7 Stars to Heaven.
Size: 16 x 20 x 1/4"
Medium: Acrylics
Date: November 1, 2009

It's been so long since I have posted to the blog, I almost forgot how! I am still evaluating how to proceed going forward. But over the weekend I decided to paint a few canvas boards I had on hand. I have been trying to use up what I have rather than buying new materials. Just for a fun, I used acrylics this time.

Last week I took 9 paintings over to SDAI (MOLA) for the upcoming semi-annual fundraiser C-note Show. If are planning to be in the area, opening night is November 28. Here is LINK for more information. As far as openings go, it's usually a fun one.

Update

Tuesday I received a call from SDAI (San Diego Art Institute) that one of my two entries for the next Regional Show at SDAI was accepted (i.e., juried in). I had entered Loft #11, posted July 1 and Blue Moon, posted 10/05/09. Of the two I did not anticipate Blue Moon being chosen. But each SDAI show is juried by a different member of the art community so one never knows.

The show runs from October 9, 2009 to November 15, 2009, with Artist Reception Friday, October 16, 2009 from 6 to 8 pm. Works may also be viewed online after the 9th by clicking the UPDATE link above.

I sent off a note to SDAI about my new blog, Artists Trading, and they will be including a piece about it in this month's Journal. My hope is to encourage some of the artists from SDAI to trade their art at the site. There are a few with whom I personally would love to trade. The idea of beginning my own art collection has suddenly become very appealing to me!

Artists Trading

Last week I mentioned the idea of an artist's trading blog. This week it's up and running and already has 14 artists following it. To take a peek, click on the Title link above.

In the news recently was an exciting article about one of my favorite artists, David Hockney who is now creating digital paintings! This has to lend credibility to the genre which pleases me no end, since I like working in the medium so much myself. Yesterday, Digital Cupcakes sold. That brings my digital painting sales up to three. The prices are still far lower than for an oil painting of the same picture. Ironically, the digital cupcakes took longer to paint than the canvas-painted version, Newlywed Cupcakes, perhaps because all the drawing is done with the mouse. The other two digital pieces are

Piano and Musician and
Digital Apples

The NY Times writes about digital art's emergence into the art world
Here.

NewlyWed Cupcakes Painting NFS

Click image to enlarge. Not for Sale.
Size: 6 x 8 x 1.5.
Medium: Oils on Canvas.


Here is the painting of the Newlywed Cupcakes. (See previous 2 posts for reference.) Now it just needs to dry so I can wrap it up and give it to the Couple. Today I will be sending a jpeg of it to
Different Strokes From Different Folks.
I don't know whether it will be posted there, but if it is it will be by Thursday. It's very kind of Karin Jurick to take her time to view and upload all these images to her site. Many thanks to her for such an interesting art-blog. UPDATE: Well, my painting Newlywed Cupcakes made it onto the Different Strokes From Different Folks. If you click on the link it will take you to her blog, then scroll down to see my painting and be sure to enjoy all the others while you are there. It really is fun to see the different takes on the photo.

On another matter, I have been pondering how to set up an artists' trading post by blog or website. The idea is that artists would post a piece of work they would be willing to trade and other artists interested in trading could exchange art. Does anyone have any ideas as to how that might be set up? It would be a good way to begin collecting for those of us who want to but cannot afford it.

I received some nice comments on my blog about the cupcake painting from other participating artists. Click on the Comment link below at the end of today's cupcake post on my blog to read them and feel free to leave your own comments, especially about an artists' trading site. Be sure to click on the artists in the comments section to view their art.

Digital Cupcakes #2 SOLD

Digital Cupcakes Version #2

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information or to purchase.
Size: 6 x 8
Medium: Giclee

This is the final, framed version of Digital Cupcakes. Next I will be posting the painting.

Digital Cupcakes Version #1
Size: 6 x 8
Medium: Giclee



Still taking stock and reviewing my situation, but meanwhile here's an update.

I have been in the mood for a camping trip...in a small travel trailer....to an idyllic, country setting, maybe the woods of northern California...where I would set up my paints and enjoy the fresh, tree-filled air. Perhaps it's because my friends Kate and Gerard tell me about their lovely backpacking trips to mountain meadows in Idaho. Perhaps it's all the reading I do on the TinyHouse blog. But alas, such a trip is not a possibility just now. But a field trip, a day of painting in the country, this I can do.

Tuesday in the last few hours of the afternoon and again Wednesday morning, I set out with picnic, canvas, brushes, paint tubes, sketches, container of water, rags and of course, a cup of tea. I was heading for a spot with trees, the sound of a bubbling creek, the songs of birds, the glimpse of wildlife, the scent of the earth and a comfortable place to sit, where I would be undisturbed. In less than 60 seconds I was there....on my own tree-filled-canyon balcony.

The bubbling creek was my water fountain but the rest was actual country. The piece I worked on was in response to a challenge on the Different Strokes painting blog. Not a plein air scene, as you might expect. But cupcakes! The timing was perfect.

Neighbor-friends were recently married and they like cupcakes. Although the invitation strictly forbade gifts, I thought that I would give them some special cupcakes as a "non-wedding present". But when cupcakes served as their wedding cake it seemed redundant. Besides, the new pastry shop I had in mind suddenly closed. A casualty of the times I think. Then came this painting-challenge and I decided to paint cupcakes for them that I would also enter into the challenge.

Looking through all the entries, I wanted to do something different than any I saw and that would also appeal to the newlyweds. I decided to paint two pieces. One in oils on canvas and one digital piece, using only my clumsy mouse as my drawing tool. I am halfway through the painting and I am on my second version of the digital piece. Unfortunately, I discovered later that the challenge is closed to digital art. But as it is a style I like I will continue to work on it.

It has been lovely painting outside and I plan to continue as long as my canvases are small and the weather is perfect.

Blue Moon

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.

Size: 10 x 10 x 2 framed
Medium: Papers and paint
Date: 8/28/09


This feels like a secret post. It isn't being sent out to the subscriber list. Just the art and I as I evaluate my situation at the 3 year mark of painting and selling art on line. In a way it feels good to write this way, more like a private diary and personal record of my journey. Something to think about. Update: this piece just returned from the October 2009 Regional Juried Show at MOLA in the 1 foot category.

Reevaluating

No art to post for today. With the economy as it is I find I need to periodically reevaluate my approach to art as livelihood. For the next few weeks I will be doing just that. If I have anything noteworthy to post, I will. Otherwise I will be back in touch down the road a bit.

Paper Route 2, SOLD

LDClick image to enlarge. Click title for more views and information.
Title: Paper Route 2
Size: 24 x 18 x 1.5 framed in a contemporary, clear acrylic box frame. Non-directional.
Medium: Assorted papers printed on my inkjet printer: on craft paper; acrylic paint.
Dated: 8/14/09


Continuing the theme from last week, is Paper Route 2. It's been fun taking this detour back into collage work. I am exploring another collage idea now but also another painting.

The painting idea is inspired by a painting I saw of a San Francisco street. It was part of a weekly painting challenge blog I stumbled upon. The blog host Different Strokes from Different Folks posts a photo and artists submit paintings of their interpretation of the photo. At the end of the challenge, selections are posted.

On another note, below is a poster of a collage/painting I finished July 1, 1998 called Pianos. It was made on one side of a brown paper bag. I have never been willing to part with it and have it hanging in my home. But I thought it would be fun to turn it into a poster and list it on eBay.
Pianos for $9.99 on eBay

Paper Route

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information or to bid.
Title: Paper Route
Size: 25 x 19 x 3/4 framed. Non-directional
Medium: Assorted papers I printed out on my inkjet printer, on newspaper with acrylic paint.
Date: 8/10/09


It's August. This means it has now been three years since I began painting and listing my art on eBay! Therefore, in honor of the occasion, today's collage/painting is linked to the eBay auction, rather than to the Yessy site.

I seem to be veering further into collage. This one is assorted papers I printed out on my inkjet printer and then pasted onto a collage of newspaper pieces making a sort of collage on collage. The black line circumscribing the colored pieces forms the "route". The title "Paper Route" refers both to the declining newspaper tradition as well as to the playful journey the painted line takes around the papers.

Update

No painting to post for last week or this. I thought I had an idea for a new collage/painting of the seashore but the sketch didn't quite work and I have been awaiting a new inspiration. Maybe next week...maybe not.

Little Dog, Big Plans. SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 12" x 24" x 7/8"
Medium: Oils and Paper on Canvas
Date: 7/22/2009



I did another collage/painting of a little dog for this week. Not sure what I will do for next week. Dachshunds, aka Wiener Dogs; Hot Dogs; Sausage Dogs are another favorite of mine so I how could I resist a painting?

On another note, unfortunately Little Folk Art Houston was not accepted for the Elder Street Gallery It's a Small World miniatures show. When the show opens I will include a link so you can see what they did select.

Loft #12...SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 30"x40"1.5"
Medium: Oils on Canvas
Dated: 06/09/09



Good news #1: Got my external hard drive working again just in time for this week's post. I needed to have access to all my painting files. And after a week of troubleshooting my old keyboard and two non-Apple replacements I am back at work with my new Apple keyboard and able to type again.

Good news #2: Waiting, the painting I posted last week, was selected by jury for the upcoming SDAI Regional show. Modern Folk Art Flower was entered as well, in the One Foot show, but I still don't know whether or not it was accepted.

Waiting. On View at SDAI Regional Show Through 8/23/09

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information and views.
Size: 20x16x1.5
Medium: Oils, Acrylic And Paper On Canvas.
Date:07/08/09
This painting will be on view at the San Diego Art Institute's Regional show through August 23rd. Dr. John Marciari, Curator of European Art at the San Diego Museum of Art is the juror.

There are two paper parts in this collage/painting: the lining of the shoe and the chain-linked fence. The most challenging aspect of this entire piece was the fence. The painting had been moving along well and was finished, except for the fence. I found the image I wanted to use, printed it out, carefully matched the fence parts, glued the pieces together, sprayed the paper with a protective coating, carefully cut out the dog's hind quarters and glued the entire piece to the canvas. It looked perfect. And then it happened.

Right before my eyes the paper buckled and puckered! After waiting a week for the oils surrounding it to sufficiently dry, I wet the paper and removed it. The next week was spent printing and reprinting the paper until the background colors were the exact right shade (I ran through two ink cartridges); spraying and re-spraying the protective coating because it kept leaving spots on the paper; cutting and re-cutting the dog's hind quarters out of the paper to fit exactly, and then finally gluing it back down. It would have been faster to build a chain-linked fence and install it on the painting! Even the tiny little paper shoe-lining was cut a number of times to get just the right shape and angle! Although I could have painted these elements, in the end I am glad I used the collage-method because it adds interest and I like the outcome, at last.

On another note, yesterday an artist-friend took me to a gallery in La Jolla he rightly thought I would enjoy called Quint Contemporary Art . It was founded in 1981 by Mark Quint, whom I remember from high school and I have been intending to visit it ever since. I'm proud of Mark for managing to open and continue running a gallery and doing it this well. Afterward I was treated to a delicious lunch on the patio of the Museum of Contemporary Art a few blocks away. It was an inspiring afternoon and a perfect break.

Loft #11. SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 30 x 40 x 1.5
Medium: Oils on canvas
Dated: 06/08/09


Just to show you I am really and truly working on multiple paintings, here is one of the new Lofts.

Pop Art Woman Portrait-SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.

Size: 16 x 20 x 5/8 framed
Medium: Oils on canvas board
dated: 6/15/09



This is the Pop Art Portrait I wrote about last week. The painting/collage of the dog is still in progress. It would have been finished but for the buckling of the collage paper. So once the oils are dry enough I can wet the paper portion to remove and replace it. Paint seems to be taking longer than ever to dry. I even had a customer contact me yesterday about a painting that had arrived with the shipping materials embedded into it. This could only be due to the paint being insufficiently cured after what was a normal amount of time. This is a first.

MOdern Folk Art Flowers SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more views and information.
Size: 10 x 10 x 1.5
Medium: Oils
Date: 6/10/09


The smaller pieces that I am now painting, to round out the rotation of five ongoing paintings, seem to lend themselves more to figurative abstracts or folk art.

In that vein this week I also finished a pop art painting of a portrait-collage I made in 1992, and am well underway on a painting of a dog. Not only do I like this new rotation plan but it is fun to paint on smaller, more manageable and less expensive, medium sized canvases and in a more figurative style.

Modern Folk Art Flower

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 10" x10" x 1.5"
Medium: Oils on Canvas


This week I set up my studio to allow work on up to five paintings in the same week. Two easels accommodate two large canvases for the abstracts. And my extra-long table is roomy enough for three smaller pieces. What this means is that while paint is setting up on one piece or while I am waiting on the direction to take a painting, I can work on another that is ready to move forward. It seemed to work out the way I hoped and I have four completed works and one about half way completed. It isn't making my days longer, just more efficient.

I don't know the name of the artist who painted the piece below that was my inspiration for Modern Folk Art Flower, so I can't give him/her credit. While web-surfing one day I came accross it and it captured my imagination. Today's post is my interpretation of it.

Inpsiration piece.

Loft #10 Art for Contemporary Urban spaces SOLD

Click image to enlarge.

Size: 30 x 40 x 1.5
Medium: Oils on canvas
Date: 5/29/09


An entrepreneurial mother with small children in Seattle has been collecting my paintings and reselling them privately and in her space at Pacific Galleries. When a painting is pre-sold there is no listing associated with the blog posting. She and a few others have requested advance notification of listings. This means an early notification of an eBay auction, Yessy listing or pre-listing of a painting. LLL, keep this in mind for your gift certificate!

Update on the SDAI Summer C-note: Both pieces, Loft #4 and Starry Night #3-Sparkler, sold! This helped off-set the disappointment of Folk Art San Diego not making the Regional Show. Last Sunday I attended the take-down of C-note and the jury of the Regional. It gives artists an opportunity to watch the process of painting-selections. The juror was Larry Baza of Noel-Baza Fine Art Gallery at 2165 India St. He did pick up the painting and study it and later placed it among a small group he revisited. But in the end it was not chosen. I am looking forward to visiting his gallery.

Starry Night SOLD

Click image to enlarge.
Size: 30" x 40" x 1.5"
Medium: Oils on Canvas

I forgot to post this one somehow. It was finished 1/05/09 and was the first in the Starry Night series.

Little Folk Art Houston for It's a Small World show. SOLD

Click image to enlarge.
Medium: Oils on Canvas
Size: 5" x 5" x 1.5"



All sides are painted. This is the bottom view.

Although I applied more layers of paint and spent more time on this MiniScape than usual, Little Folk Art Houston is finally finished, and well ahead of the June 31st deadline. Waiting days for layers to dry wasn't an issue because I began so far in advance of the deadline and because its small size afforded me the space to work on other pieces too.

The building at the center left is the Elder Street Gallery and Artists Lofts space. Since I never found any good, recent photos of it, I don't know how well I captured it.

Artists will be notified of acceptance by July 18. Next I will re-read the entry details and ask the gallery any questions. I hope it is accepted! The It's a Small World show runs from September 19-October 4, 2009.

For more information about the show:
Elder Street Gallery
1101 Elder Street
Houston, Tx 77007
elderstreetgallery@gmail.com

Digital Still Life Apples SOLD

Click image to enlarge
Size: 8 x 8
Medium: Giclee
Type: Digital



This is an original, one of a kind, digital painting. That is, a painting drawn with a mouse and brush tool and painted on the computer. Drawing with a mouse lends a natural clumsiness which can produce interesting results. In this case, I liked the results. The scene is a still life of golden apples, inspired by artist Carol Marine's charming piece, Three Golden Apples.

A giclee is defined as: An image created, scanned, or imported as a digital file into the computer, and printed on a high-end ink jet printer. (I used my own) The inks used produce extremely true colors without a dot pattern.

As it happened, the eBay buyer is a resident of the ultra chic Harbor Club in downtown San Diego where, thanks to her several purchases of a painting and two giclee prints, I have now made two deliveries in the last week. Creating digital art isn't necessarily faster than traditional painting, but the materials are much less costly than canvas and oils.

Little Folk Art Houston is almost finished. I hope to show you the finished piece next week.

Update-Houston Elder Street Gallery It's a Small World

Click image to enlarge


My camera is back on the job and just in time for a visual progress report on the miniscape of Little Folk Art Houston, which will be my entry for the It's a Small World miniatures show at Houston's Elder Street Gallery. Still quite a long way to go before it's finished. Due to the specifications for true miniatures, I am adding more tiny details than I normally would for a miniscape.

Update-Elder Street Gallery Miniatures Show MiniScape

Making slow progress on the MiniScape for Elder Street Gallery Miniatures Show, It's a Small World. Life is full of interruptions lately which makes painting slower than usual. On the other hand the frequent breaks are welcome. My stamina for the little scapes has diminished since the last one I painted. (December's Folk Art San Diego, I think?) I would have posted a photographic progress report but I don't have my camera back yet. Oh yes, and the repair was $100.00. I told them if it needs repairs again I am switching to Kodak!

I found a wonderful little brush for MiniScapes this week. It's a 20/0 which is quite fine and works well for these tiny details. Too bad I didn't see this brush when I first started painting MiniScapes.

Houston Elder Street Gallery Miniatures Show Update

Size: 5" x 5"
sketches on paper

I thought it might be fun to post the progression of the MiniScape painting I am working on for the Elder Street Gallery Miniatures Show, It's a Small World, September 19, 2009. Since I still do not have my camera back from Canon, nor even the diagnosis (because it took until yesterday for it to arrive there) I will not be showing the actual painting yet. Instead I have a couple of sketches of an early pencil drawing and the final, colored sketch from which I am working.

Pencil sketch

I worked on the sketch for a couple weeks, looking at images of Houston and trying to understand its personality and style and how it is laid out. Although I like the sketch, I am not so certain about the painting thus far.

Final colored sketch

And I keep questioning whether I really want to put so much effort into it when in the end it may not be accepted by the jury nor even be considered a true miniature, with all the technical specifications and requirements.

Here is one of the primary satellite images of Houston from which I am working.

At least I have plenty of time before the June 30 deadline, which is worth a lot in itself.

Eclipse__Abstract Expressionism. SOLD

Click picture to enlarge. Click title for more views and information.
Size: 40 x 60 x 1.5
Medium: Oils on Canvas


As the song says, "the waiting is the hardest part". What a mystery abstract painting has become to me. It asks me to be spontaneous, to listen, to respond, to pay attention, to evaluate the unexpected, to make decisions, to be unafraid, to ponder, to be lead and to wait ...and wait...and wait...and wait.

Then at a certain moment the painting reveals itself to me and surprises me with the wonder of its own true soul, that which it was before I began and fills me with an awesome and indescribable joy.

I added the keywords "abstract Expressionism" next to the title because I read that it may help Google find the image.

trying to get a good photo of this painting was frustrating and I spent most of the day at it, until my camera broke and will need to be sent back to Canon AGAIN. If it requires replacement AGAIN, I think I will switch to Kodak.

Oh yes, and this painting used to be Loft #9.

Update - And Elder Street Gallery Call to Artists

No painting to post today. Monday I decided to paint over Loft #9. I am letting the painting set the pace, which is much too slow for me! As someone once said to me: "I want patience and I want it now!" That sounds like something I would say.

It requires restraint on my part not to jump ahead of the painting and impose something on it. The alternative is I wait to hear its side of the conversation. Right now it seems to have paused to consider what it will say next. I am politely waiting. Maybe by next week I will have something to post.

Meanwhile I have also been working on a miniscape for the Call to Artists from the Elder Street Gallery, Houston. The painting may be no larger than 5" x 5". Strictly speaking, a miniature is defined as having:

"* A high standard of draughtsmanship and composition.
* Mastery of miniature technique in chosen media and palette.
* No subject larger than life, portrait head no larger than 2" (5cm). In a top quality miniature every single detail is itself miniaturised, leading the eye down and down, so that with high magnification you may see the immaculate fineness of the brush strokes."

I researched the term "miniatures" in paintings. They are usually delicate, intricate and detailed pieces one might expect to see on a large scale. But they are tiny. So before starting this project I contacted the gallery to make sure folk art abstracts would even qualify and sent in a sample of my miniscapes. They said it seemed like a good idea.

Drops of LIght SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more views and information.
Size: 30 x 40 x 1.5
Medium: Oils
Painting Style: Abstract Expressionism

Painting is teaching me patience. Although I was eager to paint non-stop this week, I waited on the painting. Once I understood the direction, it took on a momentum and pulled me along. If I felt uncertain as to the next step I waited. Do I like waiting? No. I would rather keep painting. But it seems to be necessary in order to stay in touch with the painting. It becomes a sort of conversation between the canvas, the paint and the painter. I am gradually learning how important it is not to dominate that conversation. The process and outcome are quite unlike that of the piece that lies beneath it from two weeks ago, which I declined to post and into which I had pushed ahead because I wanted to paint. I was doing all the "talking" and the result was there was no conversation and it showed

Loft #9 - No longer available

Click painting to enlarge, click title for more views and information.
Size: 40" x 60" x 1.5"
Medium: Oils on Canvas.


The second 40 x 60 abstract is finally finished. In order to redeem it, it had to become another "Loft", the ninth in the series now! In part I think the trouble I have had with these last two pieces is that I have been distracted with the more administrative tasks of tax returns and the process of refinancing two properties. I am still working on the other painting I began last week by painting over the piece I didn't post. I am still not happy with it.

Update

Well, I did paint something for this week but I don't like it enough to post it. Nor is the piece I began next turning out very well. It is another 40 x 60. I found a lighter-weight version of this size, which solved one of the problems. It didn't solve the problems surrounding the larger dimensions though. So it didn't fit into my car, which of course I knew in advance. So it hung partly out of my trunk as I slowly made my way home along back-roads from Dick Blick Art.

Unfortunately, my excitement over painting another giant piece waned as the piece progressed. And once again I find myself in the unsettling place in the painting process of wondering whether the piece will be redeemable. I confess that I jumped ahead of the painting and imposed an idea onto it rather than waiting for the idea to emerge out of the first layer of paint, which usually works best for me with abstracts. The result is similar to a client's imposing ideas on the painting. It took until now for me to make that connection. To do it right involves waiting. I need to get much better at that.

Loft #8 SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 30 x 40 x 1.5
Medium: Oils


Tuesday I was again treated to a personal art collection. This time the art was that of an artist and architect-friend. After first visiting his charming architecture space in downtown La Jolla, we drove up the hill to his studio. From there a north window takes in La Jolla Shores and the coastline running northwest toward Los Angeles.

Inside were large, wall-to-wall canvases of work I had previously seen only on his website. Seeing paintings in person is a rather different experience. Colors are more true and the painting's energy intensifies. Viewing art in a relaxed and casual setting, rather than in a public gallery one can also appreciate the paintings much more.

So it was, that in a comfortable chair, in a lovely setting, with tea and cheese and crackers and fruit I viewed these paintings up close and in person and enjoyed the feast. You can see his paintings and architecture
here.

Borrego SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Oils on Canvas
40 x 60 x 1.5


At last. The giant abstract commission is finally finished. My client came to see it Monday and approved! Although the painting was still not dry enough for him to take home, and because he will need to hire a big-rig to move it (just kidding), he had to leave it with me for a bit longer. Nevertheless, being the thoughtful and considerate person he is, he left a payment of our agreed upon price and added a bonus to it. He felt bad that the painting had been so challenging.

In truth, although it was challenging and a bit stressful I am so happy to have been offered the opportunity and that I decided to accept it after all. I would like to be more open to accepting abstract commissions. It's a matter of finding the right approach. Perhaps I could accept abstract commissions as long as they are not customized. In other words, the client could choose the size but not the colors or style of the piece. As one artist-friend put it, in a commission piece, the client tends to want to "participate". And this seems to be a recipe for disaster with an abstract.

Update

Still working on the giant commission painting. What a challenge. Although I loved the original, the customer felt it was too subtle and light. I made some new sketches of it that involved darkening the original composition by painting darker colors over the existing piece. We finally agreed on one. But although it worked well as a sketch, it just did not work at all on the canvas.

One night I painted over it with a beautiful gray I mixed. This was to be the new background color. But in the morning light the beautiful gray color looked mauve. So I let it dry a for a few days and painted over it again and found in it a new composition. Now it's a completely different painting and nothing at all like what the customer asked for. But at this point my goal is to be able to rescue it all as a painting.

In the end I had to separate myself from everything the customer said he liked and wanted and let the painting develop without imposing a plan on it. I like the way it is turning out. That doesn't mean he will. We'll see...

Update and New Bronze Wall

Still working on the 40 x 60 commission piece. Since I therefore don't have a new painting to post I thought I would take the opportunity to show you something else I am very excited about and that is my new bronze, accent wall.

My upstairs neighbor and friend Mark of Never Settle Designs painted this dining room accent wall for me. It is quite a process involving many layers and colors to achieve the final, stunning result. Getting a truly representative photo of it has been another story. But I can tell you it is so elegant it makes me dream of bringing the entire condo up to its level. Check out his website to see a sampling of wall treatments available.
www.neversettlesettledesigns.com

Updates

The large pre-stretched canvas for my commission piece arrived Monday by special delivery via my client Jim and a very generous friend. Together they built the 40" x 60" x 1.5" canvas, which was too large for Jim's car. Therefore his friend not only was needed to help build the canvas, but was then pressed into service as a driver for it.

For the next few days I stared at it. It isn't unusual for me to procrastinate beginning a new painting. A blank canvas is powerful, with all its potential for success and failure. Finally yesterday (after being treated to a relaxing lunch on the water at Peohe's in Coronado by my friend Ron and after breathing the invigorating sea air) I jumped in and began laying down background colors and fell in love with working on my large canvas. Never mind that it occupies most of my tiny studio and I can barely get around it, I am having fun.

Lastly, on the 12th and 15th I queried by email some contemporary interior design studios regarding submitting art to them for their projects. One of them is coming this weekend to view several of interest. This would be an exciting avenue for selling and displaying art. I hope it works out. You will be the first to know!

Loft #7 SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 30 x 40 x 1.5
Medium: Oil on Canvas


As I said, sometimes it's hard to depart from the Loft series...I had a completely different idea for this painting when I started. It wasn't working and I removed a lot of paint, making a big mess and wondering whether I would be able to make anything of it. Then low and behold, it wanted to be another Loft painting and I went along. And today, 2/21, I watched it sell with multiple bids. That's always fun.

Update

No painting today. It isn't that I haven't been painting. I have. It's that my current abstract piece is not working out. At this point I am not even sure I can rescue it. So rather than rush it along, which is what I would rather do, I will wait and see what ideas come and how I should proceed. It just goes to show that even with a plan, sometimes paintings have a voice of their own and I will have to listen rather than speak. Perhaps by next week I will have something to show you.

Loft #6 SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information.
Size: 30" x 40" x 1.5"
Medium: Oils on canvas


If I ever venture too far from this series, would-be customers begin asking for them. Since I enjoy painting them I am only too happy to oblige. So here we are with #6 in the Loft series.

Starry Night #3 Sparkler SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information or to purchase.
Size: 36 x 36 x 1.5
Medium: Oils on canvas


Tuesday I spent the afternoon with one half of the couple interested in commissioning the over-sized abstract for their second home. Their penthouse condo is stunning, as is their extensive collection of early California art.

I was shown pictures of the new home and the living room wall where my painting would hang. This was followed by a visit to my online gallery site and a review of my paintings, to show me what they had in mind for the new piece. Afterward we took a short walk to a neighborhood Thai restaurant where I was treated to a delicious lunch. It was a delightful experience and I hope to be given the project.

Starry Night #2

Click image to enlarge. Click title for more information or to purchase.
Size: 36 x 36 x 1.5"
Medium: Oils


This is the second in the Starry Night Series. Next week I will post the third in the series.

I have had such fun painting these three pieces, which were inspired by a single piece by Joan Miro. And I don't even know the name of it. This time I planned the compositions carefully beforehand. Normally with an abstract I have only a general idea of what I will be painting. Even with a good plan, there are many wonderful and welcome surprises along the way.

SDAI International Show

Here are the two paintings I finished and entered electronically into the SDAI International Show. This show is juried online and I will know by February 5 whether either of mine has been chosen for the show.

Folk Art San Diego - Medium
16" x 20" x 1.5"
Oils on Canvas
Click image to enlarge.



Starry Night - SOLD
30" x 40" x 1.5"
Oils on Canvas
Click image to enlarge.


Updates: On the November 25th blog I told you that my painting Little Folk Art Tubac had been selected as one of eight to be part of Tubac Center of the Arts' Little Treasures Silent Auction. Today I learned it sold with several bids! When Suzanne at the Center told me the name of the buyer I recognized it. It is the same name as someone who has bought four of my paintings in the last year, including my last two MiniScapes. I sent her a quick note and verified it was she. It was fun and funny.

The sales tally is in for the November C-Note Show at SDAI. Four of eight I entered sold. I did better last year with six of seven selling. But with times as they are I'm still happy.