Little Folk Art Bern SOLD

Click image to enlarge.
Size: 8" x 8" x 1.5"
Medium: Oils on canvas.


No, it isn't Thursday yet. This week's post is a bit early due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

In the mid 1960's I lived in Switzerland. Lately I have been remembering it fondly and missing it. Hence this little MiniScape of the beautiful city of Bern, its capital. Preparing for the painting I spent days pouring over images of the city. It almost felt as if I were there. (Oooo. I just listed it on eBay and I see it already has a "watcher". Let's hope it turns into a bidder!)

Today the blog is a bit long. But that is because I have some Some fun news to share with you:

* Remember the last blog and how I was embarrassed to post the painting for you to see? Well, it sold at auction with multiple bids! (I'm still embarrassed and I am still not going to show you!)

* And remember the painting posted October 15 entitled Little Folk Art Tubac? The one I entered in the National Call for Artists Little Treasures show? I learned that it was one of the eight chosen for their silent auction! I am so excited. I will keep you posted with the auction results.

* Lastly, Saturday evening I decided on the spur of the moment to attend the SDAI (San Diego Art Institute Museum of the Living Artist) annual Winter C note show. I had entered 8 paintings (the maximum) and wanted to see what these events were like (It was fun) and whether any of pieces had been chosen for the event. I felt like a spy as I anonymously wandered through the gallery watching and listening.

I came upon a group of four of my paintings and invisibly watched as people either looked at or passed by each painting. Soon there was a little group gathered around In the Beginning (posted to the blog September 18); the one Aaron Brothers framed for me because the canvas was out of square. I watched as the group discussed the painting. I looked at their faces and wondered what they were saying. And then, I had the distinct pleasure of watching one of them buy it, right on the spot. Once he was at the cashier's desk I introduced myself and thanked him. He plans to hang it in a contemporary second home he is building in the desert.

As a reminder, a few of you have mentioned you feel you have missed a blog or two. You have not actually missed any. It's that I only publish it every other week now. So, on this happy note, Happy Thanksgiving and I will see you again in two weeks!

Well, I did paint something for this week but I don't like it very much so I will not be posting it for you to see. It was the third attempt to paint something I liked on the same canvas.

Often, painting over an earlier piece results in something I like because I can use the existing painting as under-layers for the new piece. But this time it did not work out. So now I will probably end up painting over it a fourth time in hopes of finally arriving at something I like...

Joyful Sea aka Primitive Seascape SOLD

Click image to enlarge. Click title for to purchase.
Size: 24 x 24 x 1.5
Medium: Oils on Linen


This is an example of what I consider a somewhat primitive, abstract, folk art seascape painting. As a style it remains among my favorites and reminds me of the way children approach painting: simple; colorful; no rules. At this point in my life that approach does not necessarily come naturally and yet I continue to be drawn to it and think it is worth the effort of reconnecting to that childlike approach.

Scroll down to previous post to see update on In the Beginning, the out-of-square canvas.

In the Beginning SOLD

Click image to enlarge.
Size: 30 X 40 X 1.5
Oils on Canvas


In post #105, September 18th, I explained my plight with an out-of-square canvas. Aaron Brothers made good and framed it at their expense in a simple wood frame with a lip that was meant to hide the problem. It does a good job but minimizing it but it is still a bit out of square. I prefer the painting unframed, but it just cannot be.

Little Folk Art Tubac SOLD

Click image to enlarge.
Size: 5" x 7"
Oils on canvas board.


Located in the Santa Cruz River Valley Tubac, Arizona has a more than 250-year-old Spanish history. Father Eusebio Kino is said to have built many missions, ranches and farms after entering the valley in 1691. In 1752, Juan Bautista de Anza was appointed as the commandant to the Presidio at Tubac. Tubac had become a Presidio to protect the northern frontier of Spain’s New World colonies. A 50-man garrison was established, women and children began arriving and Tubac became the first European settlement in Arizona.

Today Tubac is considered an artist's colony in a town of about one thousand people. When the Tubac Center of the Arts issued a call for artists" for its "Little Treasures 2008 National Juried Miniatures" exhibition November 21 -December 27, it seemed a perfect fit for a MiniScape. Only 5" x 7" canvases may be entered. My entry is a MiniScape of the town of Tubac. Two entries are allowed so if I can paint another and get it dry before the shipping deadline, I will post it as well.

Update: This painting was selected as one of eight to be part of the Silent Auction. Today 1/7/09, I learned it sold with several bids.

UPdate

Well, I am not off to a very good start with my new painting schedule. After being hit with a Shingles Virus two weeks ago, I had just recovered enough to start painting again. Then yesterday it was confirmed the virus was now in my right eye and I should use my eyes as little as possible for the next two weeks. Fortunately it was caught fairly early and there should be no permanent damage or loss of vision. I plan to recover and to be painting faster than expected!

Ubran Light-No Longer Available

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



This abstract is another in the Urban series. It went through a number of color and compositional changes before it became what it is now. To begin with it was very dark with blues and grays and a more pronounced arrangement of shapes. I was not happy with that version and put on a new layer of paint, worked with that for a few days and was not happy with it either. Reworked the composition and put on more layers of paint and arrived here, nowhere near where I started. Adding layers is almost always a good thing. So is knowing how much of them to remove...

Going forward, at least for now, I will experiment with painting two pieces per month rather than four. This means the blog will be published two times per month rather than four. I want to see whether I paint differently if I allow myself more time or whether I really prefer spending no more than one week on a painting. You'll be the first to know!

Special thanks to Ron for his input and Barb for her insights.

In the Beginning SOLD

This week I learned something new to consider when shopping for pre-stretched canvases. Before purchasing, measure them with a right angle ruler.

The painting I just completed on a pre-stretched 30 x 40 canvas is 3/8" out of square. When I finished it I quite liked it. That's always nice, because there are also those times when I finish a piece and don't like it at all.

But once it was able to be transferred to a wall to dry (which is when I finally get enough distance to actually see what a painting really looks like), I noticed the problem. I tried to adjust the frame, handling it ever so carefully since it is still wet, but with no success.

In desperation I called Aaron Brothers, where I had purchased the pre-stretched canvas. They said to bring it in and they would surely be able to solve the problem somehow. I will have to wait a few weeks until it is dry enough to withstand that type of handling. So, for now, it is being posted but is not on auction.

No paintings today

No paintings today. Most of the past week was occupied with the daily and administrative aspects of selling my paintings; rephotographing past pieces and creating 10 new auction listings. It always takes time but sometimes it really takes time!

This was one of those times. This week I had camera problems (it died as I was shooting and was sent back to Canon and exchanged for another one which arrived with a memory card that would allow me only 3 photographs per shoot!) browser problems (eBay's recommended browser for auction listings, Mozilla, kept crashing during the listing process leaving me no choice but to start all over again, and again, and again, until my brain felt fried.

It also crashed in PayPal and UPS as I was scheduling the shipping and so, of course I had to start over again and again and again...and the rates were not matching up either. Oh, sigh....And, my special ergonomic back chair had to be returned too as it became increasingly uncomfortable.

And finally, I could not get my external DVD player to work with my computer. I had a travel DVD I wanted to watch at my computer to study for a painting. Spent lots of time troubleshooting but it still doesn't work.

This afternoon I finally laid down the background colors for a new, large abstract. Perhaps I will have it finished for next Thursday's art blog. And then again...

Little Folk Art Dublin. SOLD

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


Painting this cool scene of Dublin, Ireland on the River Liffey as its cool waters flow past green and shady tree-lined streets, was most enjoyable during these warm summer days. Actually, my tree-top canyon home has stayed remarkably cool this summer. And setting up and painting on my balcony has been one of the summer's greatest joys.