"Sitting Idly By"

6 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

I've shied away from painting artists set up in the museum, painting a chosen work of art.  I don't know why.  This gentleman's choice was a great one, a portrait by John Singer Sargent, Ellen Peabody Endicott (Mrs. William Crowninshield Endicott) - a daunting challenge for any artist studying Sargent's paintings.  

Ellen Peabody was born into a wealthy, Salem, Massachusetts shipping family - grew into a socialite in Boston, married William Crowninshield Endicott who served on the Massachusetts Supreme Court and became President Grover Cleveland's secretary of war.  Although it's not confirmed, at the time of the sitting, Ellen was possibly in mourning after her husband's recent death, explaining her black dress and somber expression. 

Sargent's portrait hangs in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

"Xun"

6 x 8"

oil on panel

sold

For the letter X in my series ArtistZ,  I spent, I'm guessing, five or six hours researching and hunting an artist.  Google painters who's name begins with the letter X and you'll find hundreds of mostly Chinese artists, a small number of Greek and a handful of other nationalities.  At one point, I went to the New York Times archive, because I vaguely remembered the artist Sun Xun, written about several times in past few years and I found him.  Sun Xun lives and works in Beijing, he's around 36 years old, which is impressive given his wide range of mediums and amount of work.

Quite frankly, I don't respond to most of Xun's works, he has explored mixed media, animation, block printing, ink drawings and painting - and I zeroed in on an exhibit in 2012 titled 'These Years', a collection of mixed media oils that include still life, landscapes and figuratives, including my choice piece Waiting.   I just love the grey-green tones and the strong turquoise/aquas together.

"X"

5 x 7"

oil on panel
sold

I have to tell you - figuring out the X in my series  A to Z  was mind-boggling until I started focusing on the X as a pattern rather than a word.   

A glass ceiling projecting patterns and shadows on the floor while a young woman sketches in the Sculpture Gallery of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.

The Last of the Hilton Head Gang

Now that I'm finished this fun project, I want to explain, one more time, what the Hilton Head Gang is.  I get emails that prove some are confused.  I taught a workshop in Hilton Head last fall and had 19 women join me as well as Vince Fazio, the arts director from Sedona Arts Center, who assists me and the students during the workshop.

One of our days included my demo painting of a police mugshot - afterwards my students painted one of their own, which always proves to be a good learning experience for all.   On the last day, someone came up with the idea of taking mugshots of each other and painting them when we returned home.  If you notice some had a sad, defensive look about them, that was the idea.  As if we just were arrested and booked.  Like my mug.  Some smiled.  So what.  This was for fun and for a continued exercise.

I've really enjoyed painting these - and especially proud that many have done the whole gang.  Check out our blog and look at the slideshows on the right column of each of us - you'll see a remarkable variety of styles.

Below, the redhead is Sheryl, very fun to paint - Sheryl doesn't have a blog yet.  Below her is Sherrie Hilliard, who does.

Also wanted to mention, this fall's workshop in Hilton Head is full, but putting yourself on a waiting list often does work, so don't hesitate to call Vince and do so.  Contact information is on the right column on this blog.

Now it's time for me to get busy with an upcoming show in September.   More soon....

4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

Two More Hilton Head Gangers

  4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

A true mugshot pose - fellow artist Kit Hefner

  4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

and Cathy Engberg.

On a Roll

4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

I'm on a mission to finish up these gals - the Hilton Head Gang.  It has been a well-timed exercise for me, I'm about to bear down and paint a grouping for a show coming up in September.  It's much like stretching and getting into shape before running a marathon.  Not that I'd know anything about that.

You can paint every day and occasionally lose the ability to 'see'.   Paintings become more mechanical, overworked.  I tend to see things in blocks of color, not so much the details - that comes as things progress.  That's what, I think, makes a successful painting in the end.  So these fast, painterly studies put my brain back in place.

Above is Terri Buchholz, below is Judy Elias.

4 x 4"

oil on panel

nfs

Two More in the Hilton Head Gang

 4 x 4"

oil on panel
nfs

Fellow artist Allyson.

 4 x 4"

oil on panel
nfs 

And fellow artist Linda Nickles.

Hilton Head Gang

4 x 4"

oil on panel
nfs

This is fellow artist Betsy Stevenson, a member of our Hilton Head Gang - who I'm proud to say does have a website and blog showing her work.  

I like this one.  It was done fast and furious, I barely looked away - as if my hand had taken over.

Hilton Head Gang

4 x 4"

oil on panel
nfs

Fellow artist Diane H. - a Hilton Head Gang member who doesn't have a blog or website yet.  I'll bug her until she does.

More of the Hilton Head Gang

4 x 4"
oil on masonite

And a happy December to you. I've been working on a larger painting, I can't say much about it yet, when it's official I surely will. I put it away for the day, thought I'd warm up with another mugshot of our infamous Hilton Head Gang.

Our third gang member is Linda 'the Joker' Popple - Linda disarms her victims with humor and then shoots with reckless abandon. Yes, Linda thinks she is funny, but her crimes are very serious. Please approach her with with caution. Linda was last seen driving off Hilton Head Island wearing a teal sweatshirt and a blue baseball cap driving a red convertible sports car as she was laughing and shaking her camera at the wind. Authorities followed her until she left them in the dust....

For more information or clues to her whereabouts, check out her blog.

The Passing of an Idol

'Winter' by Andrew Wyeth

I raise my glass to one of the greatest American artists, who passed away in his sleep at the age of 91. He has been and will always be a great influence in my life.

”Oftentimes people will like a picture I paint because it’s maybe the sun hitting on the side of a window and they can enjoy it purely for itself,” Wyeth once said. “It reminds them of some afternoon. But for me, behind that picture could be a night of moonlight when I’ve been in some house in Maine, a night of some terrible tension, or I had this strange mood. Maybe it was Halloween. It’s all there, hiding behind the realistic side. I think the great weakness in most of my work is subject matter. There’s too much of it.”

Here's to a great man and a extraordinary painter.

A Mention in Southwest Art Magazine

The editor of Southwest Art Magazine was kind enough to feature me in their 'Artists To Watch' feature, in the April issue. I am very proud. Please click here if you'd like to read the article.

Workshop with Carol Marine & Me

Carol Marine is one of my favorite painters and when she suggested I join in on one of her workshops, I jumped at the chance. It'll be the first workshop I've ever attended and the first I've taken part in. A trial by fire for me - I'm very excited.

The details that are available now:

March 14th, 15th & 16th
9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
At the Art Center of Williamson County in Round Rock, Texas
(north of Austin)

More details and contact information available here.

Carol and I decided on a maximum of 16 participants - if you are interested, please reserve your spot early on - and come paint with us!

The workshop enrollment has sold out, as of Monday, the 7th - but please keep in mind you can put your name on a waiting list, in the event someone cancels. If this goes well, Carol and I teaching together, we will happily consider doing another workshop in the future.

Upcoming February Show

Now would be the time to announce an upcoming show - at the Howard/Mandville Gallery in Kirkland, Washington - featuring myself and an Arizona artist named Fred Calleri, who's work you're sure to love. The opening reception will be Saturday, February 9th and the paintings will be showcased through the entire month.

Despite my usual habit of painting something and posting it the same day, the pieces for this show will not be revealed until the week of the show's opening, with an exception of a few that will be featured in the invitation and advertising. I'll be going nuts up until then, because your feedback is always so important to me. So...... if you see gaps in my postings, be assured I'm painting. And meanwhile, please think about coming to the opening night at the gallery. I will do my best to be there as well.

"Sketch Artist"

8 x 10"

oil on masonite

I truly enjoyed working on this piece - mostly because it gave me the opportunity to focus on the young girl and surround her with color and light. Just a nice, quiet scene where you can barely hear a pin drop, when museum visitors were invited to sit down and sketch.

The Pursuit of Happyness

Just about 4 years ago, I picked up a paint brush for the first time in many, many years. My business was hurting, I was going on two years without a paycheck and I needed to figure something out or else I'd have to let a couple of my employees go. And I just couldn't do that. I wouldn't do that.

I knew I could draw, so I got busy doing these little paintings, like the garlic above. I put them on eBay, for the first time, sold them for around $20 and when I made $100, my motivation kicked in like you wouldn't imagine. I'd work all day, paint every night, and I kept at it for months. When I got enough savings, I tore down my old shed in the backyard and built a place for me to paint. A real studio. The day it was finished, I bought oil paints and started teaching myself - and trust me, it wasn't easy. Little by little, I got the hang of it - and in three months, I had my first, sellable painting ready to put on eBay. That was January of 2004.

The rest of the story is that this is what I do for a living. I paint. I still have my business, still have the same employees and out of necessity, I stepped into a whole new chapter of my life. It is possible.

Often I am asked where to start. We live in the best of times - remember - the internet and computers are the fuel to get you going. Learn all you can and work hard at it every day. It'll happen.

"Family Room"

9 x 12"

oil on masonite

sold

Well.... duty called this week. Lots of work to do at my frame shop. July can be a busy month, I expect because it's too hot to do anything outside so folks work on their insides.

I finished this new painting last night - a young woman sketching the painting before her by Peter Paul Rubens, "The Holy Family with Saints Elizabeth and John the Baptist", which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago. As a teenager, I spent endless hours in that museum, doing the very same thing.

Please click here for a larger view.

"Drawing"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

I don't paint many kids - it's tough, I think. This pose was so natural, the slouch, the loose hair, the light from the left. I really wanted to paint her.

This was a young lady in a drawing class held in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

"Sunnyside"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

I couldn't resist trying another of this subject. There's been some discussion on my blog about painting on a black background, and I think this piece shows how a little bit of black can be used within the edges. This is another little crowned artist drawing on the sidewalk at an arts festival.

"Early Retirement"

6 x 6"

oil on masonite

sold

As I was squirting out a new palette of oils, I realized just how many tubes were close-to if not empty. I guess it's time to hit the art store - a rather happy way to start off a new year.

It is, indeed, refreshing to paint objects after a long stretch of doing mostly figurative pieces. The majority of the time, I paint from where I've been - forgetting to appreciate those simple things that surround me.