9 x 12"oil on masonite
sold
I wanted to do a very special piece for an upcoming Small Works Show at the Howard/Mandville Gallery, so I chose an image with a beautiful, strong red. Hopefully to catch someone's eye amidst a large group of paintings. I like it very much. These were two, what I gathered, best girlfriends, enjoying time together in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
What goes along with experimenting is failure - which was yesterday's painting, 5 hours of work and wiped off in 30 seconds. Today was much better. It all clicked. And I'm looking at, what may be, my top 10 personal favorites. It's not the subject matter so much as it's simply how I want to paint.
This was a bright, summer day at Rehobeth Beach, Delaware - a few days before Labor Day weekend. Please click here if you'd like a larger view.
This painting has sold.
6 x 6"oil on masonite
sold
This is a very painterly piece - an impressionistic view of what could be considered just an ordinary street on a bright, summer's day in Asheville.
Just to mention - between all of catching up on the mundane chores of life this past week, I've been trying out a couple of ideas and a bit too shy to show them yet. With a little breathing room with the galleries fully stocked up on paintings, I try to take the opportunity to step back and study .... experiment.
One thing that gave me a jolt was watching this BBC miniseries "The Impressionists". Rent it, it's good. There's reminders that we need to take the time and look and study the world around us. It reminds me to stick with what I think we really do see, at a glance - the blocks and shapes of colors, shadows and light - and to paint just that.
I also discovered an artist that reminded me of what I just mentioned. He's Doug Braithwaite, and you'll notice the thumbnails look somewhat ordinary until you opt for a larger view.
8 x 8"oil on masonite
sold
Corot's painting "Interrupted Reading"
After spending days getting caught up on my neglected life - housework, yardwork, varnishing, framing, packaging, shipping... I collapsed on my chair and started to paint. I think I just needed to do something completely different, get some practice time in - I chose a painting that I've been enamored with for years - titled, "Interrupted Reading", by Jean Baptiste Camille Corot. Oddly, I felt the urge to flip the image, with all due respect to the artist, and I delve into the rich, autumn colors (something my brain misses). I really enjoyed painting this piece and it was a nice way to end the day.
9 x 12"oil on masonite
sold
As I was working on this new piece, I thought this was a good example of a key element to figure drawing/painting and I wanted to share it with you. I drew a red line connecting the center of the neckbone, to the tailbone and down to the heel of the foot to show that weight and balance, no matter what the size of a person is, always lines up this way. Naturally. In other words, when we stand up, the weight of our body either rests on one leg/foot or on both. Where the weight is put on should connect straight up to the center of the back of the neck. I learned that a million years ago and never forgot it.
This painting hopefully conveys the direct connection we feel when we have the pleasure of viewing a work of art in person.
6 x 6"oil on masonite
sold
On such a bright, beautiful day today, I chose to paint one of my favorite places in my favorite city, Chicago. Formally titled "Cloudgate", informally called "The Bean", here it reflects the wall of buildings along Michigan Avenue, with slight hints of visitors and the yellow umbrellas in the cafe in front of Millennium Park. It's a challenging subject to paint, relying on shapes and blocks of color that hopefully make sense in the end.
"Capitol Domes" sold
"Performance Art" sold
"Bench Rest" sold
I do like to keep my gallery paintings fresh and from time to time I'll pull something out and replace it with a piece more recently done. These three are available for a direct purchase, thru eBay and Paypal, if you are interested.
Saturday update - the three paintings have sold. Thank you so much for your consideration.
8 x 10"oil on masonite
sold
I overheard this woman asking a guard to direct her and her husband to the American Art galleries in the museum, so I offered to lead the way. They were a really sweet couple - from Harrisburg, I think. I caught a glimpse of them in front of Grant Wood's "American Gothic", standing still and reserved, while listening to their headphones - and it just seemed so right.
6 x 6"oil on masonite
sold
What I love the most about painting people is capturing that kink of the hip or twist of the neck - whatever it is that makes it more candid or believable. You don't get that when someone knows you're looking or taking their picture. Just people being themselves is what I always want. This young lady was enjoying the paintings in the Art Institute of Chicago.
9 x 12"oil on masonite
sold
Very much a 'zen' painting for me. Quiet and still. I spend a lot of time avoiding greens, mostly the grassy greens - once in a while I get brave and try it. I don't like to paint pretty garden pieces - don't much care to paint florals either - but this setting, the young woman, the ease, is what I found pleasing.
7 x 5"oil on masonite
This little painting was done for a fund-raising event called Postcards from the Ledge, held in Asheville, North Carolina. Sponsored by the city's Public Art Board, postcard-size artwork will sell for $25 each. If you're interested in donating a work of art or would like to attend this event, click here for details.
11 x 14"oil on masonite
sold
Clearly, an irresistable painting subject - a pretty, little girl admiring Claude Monet's "Water Lily Pond". I watched her and her sister look and talk about the art, accompanied by a wise grandmother. Most kids fidget and become bored in an art museum - those two girls were soaking it all up, like a sponge.
9 x 12"oil on masonite
sold
I mostly love the young woman's form in this painting - the slumped over posture, the weight on her arm, the strands of hair falling forward. She is seemingly unimpressed with the painting before her, done by the modernist Marsden Hartley, titled "Madawaska-Acadian Light-Heavy", which hangs in the Art Institute of Chicago.
Please click here for a larger view.
A big thank-you to Anne B. for helping me identify the painting on the wall in front of the woman.
I said I was going to take a few days off but today's been a perfect, mellow, end-of-the-summer day. A good day for painting. I enjoyed the free-hand piece so much yesterday, that I did another, staying as loose as possible. After all, it's a day at the beach. Real people, real life. Enjoy your holiday.
This scene is from South Beach, Miami.
Please click here for a larger view and purchase information.
8 x 10"oil on masonite
sold
I kinda took the day off today - I had lunch with my good friends, Neil & Karen Hollingsworth, who are both extraordinary painters. After we ate, they persuaded me to paint something and this is what I did. Free-hand, loose, painterly - just how I love to do it.
Karen & Neil are having a show at the Wynne/Falconer Gallery, in Chatham, Massachusetts - the opening reception is next Saturday, the 8th. They've worked hard on this collection of work - a lot of the pieces are pre-sold. You must take a look.