"Milkin' It"

 

 

8 x 12"

oil on panel

sold

The next time you're lucky enough to stand in front of an original painting by Johannes Vermeer, imagine yourself, in 1657 in the Netherlands.  You're standing behind the artist as he's painting in his studio on the top floor of a nice townhouse and the only lighting is the blue daylight coming through a window and the candles lighting his palette and canvas.  Their maid, an older, sturdier woman poses beside the window, seemingly unaware of the viewer, pouring milk in a ceramic bowl with stale bread used as props on the table.  Nothing fancy.  Just a domestic woman doing her everyday chores.

The Milkmaid is one of Vermeer's most-famous paintings - one of a few that survived a fire. And lucky for us.  Vermeer appreciated light like no other artist of his time.  The woman against the white wall, the glimmer of white on the stream of milk being poured, the left side of her face and clothing lit as the rest recedes into shadows.  And his details.  Right down to the nails in the wall and seeds on the loaf of bread.  Just wow.

The Milkmaid has traveled all over the globe and is currently back home at the Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam.  Thanks go to Cindy Pronk, a photographer who lives in Holland and offered her original photo for a painting reference during this time when traveling and museum visits have been put on hold. I really appreciate the generosity of others.

Please click here for a larger view.

"A Voice" (study)

6 x 8"

oil on panel
sold

Jean-Michel Basquiat is probably the most recognized Neo-Expressionism artist of the 20th Century, born in Brooklyn, NY in 1960, his father was Haitian-American, his mother was Puerto Rican.  I would describe him as brilliant (he could read and write at the age of 4, fluent in French, English and Spanish at age 11) self-sufficient (at 15, he ran away from home, living in a park in New York City for a week, later supporting himself by selling paintings on postcards and T-shirts) creative (became a well-known graffiti artist under the pseudonym SAMO) musical (formed a rock band Gray and played all over New York) all before he found fame in the elite art world at the age of 20.  

Basquiat then rolled with the famous - David Bowie, Madonna, Julian Schnabel and collaborated with Andy Warhol - was on the cover of magazines - his paintings were selling for as much as $50,000 - all the while loosing his grip with a heroin addiction.  After his good friend, Warhol died in 1987, he sank into a more isolated existence and died of a herion overdose at the age of 27.

It's tragic, I know.  The man had a lot to say and express about race, love, beauty, culture, pain, success, snobbery (I could go on).  

One of my top-10 favorite movies is Basquiat - Jean-Michel played brilliantly by Jeffrey Wright, directed by Julian Schnabel who knew Jean-Michel well, David Bowie as Warhol - man, it is a great movie.  Watch it.

A big thank-you to my good friend for the reference photo - two young, African-American men soaking in Basquiat's Untitled (Cadmium), in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta.

Upcoming Hilton Head Auction

Happy November and Hello to All ~

My beloved Mac was returned to my studio today and I'm whole again.

First thing this week, I wanted to let you know about the details of the upcoming Hilton Head Auction taking place this Saturday, November 8th, starting at 2 pm.

I have three paintings in the auction. If you're interested in participating in the bidding you can do it three different ways.

- You can be present at the auction taking place at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, in Hilton Head.

- If you can't attend the auction, you can place an absentee bid with the gallery. 

- Not able to make it to Hilton Head for the auction?  Watch it through a live streaming webcam and bid online!  How cool is that? 

So..... here are my three paintings.

'Savior'

7 x 10"

oil on panel

sold

'The Boys of Summer'

10 x 10"

oil on panel

sold

 'True Grit'

10 x 10"

oil on panel

sold

I do hope all of this helps for those who are interested in my paintings and love the thrill of an auction. 

I'm excited and thank you all.

"Palm Monday"

12 x 11"
oil on masonite
sold

I've been playing with a palette knife in the recent months, mostly with the small portraits - and I wanted to give it a try with a larger painting. See if I could maintain some control, which is the tricky part to me - but I'm new at it. I went back to the photos I took of these two young men, thinking it would be a great subject to use the knife - the long leaves, the thick, stucco-like wall. Also realized I took the photographs on a Monday, hence the title. I labored over this painting - moving slow and deliberate - and I love the finished piece - mostly for it's strong color and additional texture. This painting will also be included in the upcoming Charleston Art Auction in November - a quintessential scene around the bustling market in the center of the city.

detail

Please click here for a larger view.

Back To Planet Earth

As I understand it, sometime on the 19th of February, an AT&T worker pulled the plug on my internet access while he was making other changes and forgot to plug it back. It took me 8 days of going through the bureaucracy of tech support, while suffering with three communication giants pointing the finger at each other to take responsibility for my problem. Thanks to a man named Jay, I'm back on planet earth and catching up - including the debut of the paintings now on exhibit at the Morris & Whiteside Galleries, starting with 'Sunshine Boys', one of my personal favorites.

10 x 10"
oil on masonite
sold

These two young men were sculpting roses from palmetto leaves - I spotted them on Market Street in Charleston, South Carolina.

Please click here for a larger view.

All of the paintings can now be viewed here - please know you are invited to the opening reception held on Friday, March 13th from 6-8. I will be attending and it would be my pleasure to meet you. A map of the gallery can be found here - which is the Morris & Whiteside Gallery's new location - and I am thrilled to be their first show in the new space.

One more thing...... I made a little movie of the show pieces which can be viewed here. I hope you enjoy the paintings and the video.

"Brotherhood"

9 x 12"
oil on masonite
sold

I really don't see too many kids in art museums that truly are interested in the art. Most squirm a lot and want to get going. These two brothers were the exception - seemingly enjoying the paintings. It's a nice thing to watch.

From the Art Institute of Chicago - accompanied by Renoir's famous 'On the Terrace'.

For a larger view, please click here.