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Archive for the ‘Recent Paintings’ Category

The Thin Shard

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, Technique/History, tagged on October 24, 2010| 2 Comments »

There are particular types of paintings that I do that I sometimes paint expressly for certain galleries where they show more interest for that particular type than other galleries.  One such case is the long, thin sliver paintings such as the one shown here.  This piece, The Thin Shard, is an image measuring 4″ wide by 44″ tall on paper and was done specifically for my upcoming show at the Kada Gallery

I have done a number of these paintings over the years for all of my galleries but Kathy, the owner of the Kada Gallery along with her husbamd Joe,  has always had a personal preference for this tall, lean shape which comes across when she talks with her clients.  As a result, these paintings have always left the gallery fairly quickly.  Whenever Kathy asks what is new in the studio she almost always asks if I have been working on any of these this slices for her.

I started painting this shape early in my career, basically as a way to make use of all the scraps of paper left over from other more traditionally shaped paintings.  As I painted them, I realized that there was a certain pleasure that came from putting together this type of paintiing, from conquering the puzzle of how to create a scene that incorporates multiple elements into such a thin view while still maintaining a certain cohesiveness and natural feel, without the appearance of being contrived.  Creating depth into the piece was also an obstacle that had to be overcome without the benefit of a wide horizon and little room to convey much perspective. 

Then there was the problem of creating the balance in the painting that I’ve talked about in past posts.  It’s still there in each thin painting but it’s a tighter, more organized sort of thing that requires more precision in the placement of each element that makes up the painting.  A misplaced line or a sloppy juxtapostion of colors can be disastrous in such a such a small area with little room for compensating in other ways.  The shape of the painting seems to make the normal puzzles of painting seem larger.

But for me, these barriers create a wonderful environment for the paintings to grow.  The narrowness of the pieces creates its own visual excitement and is a wonderful carrier of color.   When successful, these pieces have an easy feel that allows them to be taken in at once.

I like this particular piece very much.  The color is rich and  and the weighting of the color and contrast, along with focus created by the placement of the moon,  make the eye take in the depth of the piece easily.  The tree breaks mildly out of the picture plane, giving it even a bit more feel of depth and an interesting silhouette.  On the wall, the size of the painting when framed (10″ wide and 50″ tall) gives the piece great visual impact.  It demands the eye, which is ultimately what I hope for all my work– that they have a force that is so vibrant and alive that they reach out from the wall.

I think The Thin Shard does that.

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Edge of Light

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, Technique/History, tagged , on October 22, 2010| 2 Comments »

This is a painting I just completed yesterday, an 8″ by 26″ piece on paper, that I’m calling Edge of Light.  It’s another piece that I am showing at my upcoming show, Toward Possibility,that opens November 6 at the the Kada Gallery in Erie, PA.

There is a lot that I could talk about in this painting.  It has great underlying texture with swirls of chaotic fingerpaint-like slashes in the gesso.  It has great depth into the picture plane that gives one the feeling of being able to fully enter the landscape.  It has elements I seldom use in the stone walls of the short cliffs next to the water.  It has rich colors and a winding road that pulls the viewer along.

But the element that stands out for me is the balance in this piece between the light generated from the hazy sun that burns through on the right side of the painting and the darkness in the color and shade of the left.  When I look at a painting like this, one that is more horizontal, I always look at it as though there is a fulcrum underneath it, as though the painting were a teeter-totter and it rested on a support which allowed it to pivot upward or downward depending on which end had the greater weight.  What I am trying to do is make the painting on that fulcrum, balancing elements so that it seems to hover effortlessly level above this pivot point.

In this painting, this is all about balancing the light between the two opposing sides.  The greater the light coming from one side, the greater the darkness in the other side.  The darkness on the left makes the light coming from the other side appear brighter.  However, in a wide piece like this, if the the contrast is too great, the lighter side becomes too dominant, too heavy in a way,  and the balance on the fulcrum is broken.  I think this painting has that balance that I’m seeking.

I don’t know if this makes sense to anyone but myself.  Like a lot of things I do, this is a matter of feel and trying to describe how feel works often requires using analogies that may not always make sense.  In the end, I simply paint and if I’ve done all I can with the feel of which I talk, the viewer will easily take in the painting without considering things like balancing on a pivot point.

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Product of the Past

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged on October 20, 2010| 3 Comments »

This is a new painting, just finished yesterday.  It’s an 18″ by 18″ canvas that is a very simple tonal composition, letting the atmosphere created between the sky and the burnt orange field that runs to the horizon create the impact of the painting.  It has a very clear air about it that gives it the sense of being a very distinct moment in time.

It has a bittersweet feel, at least in the way I see it.  The openness of the landscape and the stream that runs to a far horizon indicates a hopeful, forward looking quality.  Optimistic.   But the colors in the sky and the field have tinges of darkness that hint at an underlying deeper and less optimistic quality.  Perhaps the shaded thinking that comes with experience.

The tree itself, for me, has the hallmarks of these same traits.  It is bright and upward moving yet it is bent and twisted from factors that have influenced its growth over its life on that little mound next to a small stream.  The hardships of its past are written in its appearance.  Yet  it remains upward moving, pulled toward light. 

From the last brushstroke that touched the canvas, this is how I saw this piece– as a product of its past, determined by how it weathered its experience. 

It is bent.  It is twisted.  Yet it stands tall and hopeful, open to a new day.

Well, that’s how I see it.  Maybe its just a twisty tree on an orange mound.

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Calming Presence

Posted in Opinion, Recent Paintings on October 14, 2010| Leave a Comment »

I was going to write about the Delaware Senatorial debate that took place last night but I decided I needed something that would sooth rather than inflame myself  this morning.  I’m sorry to say that I did watch part of the awful spectacle between Christine O’Donnell (still not a witch at this point although the day is young) and Chris Coons but had to switch channels after about  a half-hour in.  My head was on the verge of exploding.

The idea that this person, this media darling, this spewer of factless platitudes,  could possibly be a United States Senator was too much to bear.  This is the best we can put forth?  Really? If so, we are in for a world of hurt.

So, instead I will focus on another recently completed tryptych, something that calms.  It’s on paper and consists of three small squares, each measuring 3″ by 3″.  It had a very gem-like quality with the interplay between the colors in the foreground and the clearand transparent greenish color that makes the sky glow.  It has a very peaceful feel, as though the central tree is exerting a calming presence over the houses that are scattered about it.  In fact, I just decided this moment that Calming Presence will be the title of this painting.

I like the symetry of the balanced tryptych and the colors here enhance and carry that  balance across the entire piece.  There is real brightness and clarity in this piece that brings whatever it is truly saying into sharp and immediate focus.  It says what it says quickly and easily. 

I can’t fully explain what I mean by that but I know that I like it.

Anyway, with this painting I have something that is truly a calming presence for me.  Not like the prospect of some of our candidates in the upcoming elections.

Vote.

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You Are Not Alone

Posted in Influences, Recent Paintings, Video, tagged , , , on October 11, 2010| 1 Comment »

Sometimes there is a coming together of influence and the end product in creating a painting.  Such is the case with this painting, a new piece that is an 18″ by 18″ canvas, that will be going to my next show, Toward Possibility, at the Kada Gallery in Erie, which opens November 6.

I watched a segment on The Colbert Report featuring a song, You Are Not Alone,  from Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy written for Mavis Staples, the legendary R & B/ gospel singer.  The two performed the song and I’ve had it in my head ever since.  During the next few days, as I was working on this canvas, the sound of that song and Mavis Staples’ voice constantly seemed to be pushing this piece along.  It affected how I viewed it as I was painting it and affected the determination of its endpoint, its completion.  It was pretty evident to me that this piece was destined to be called You Are Not Alone.

I like the ambiguity in the title.  It could represent not being alone in the obvious spiritual sense but in the human sense as well.  We all share commonalities in our travels through this life although it often feels as though we are going absolutely alone down our chosen paths.  It’s an important reminder that while our paths might be unique, the feelings that we experience are often the same as others on other journeys.  We react as humans.

This is a very simple painting but there is a lot going on within it, as far as color and texture, that give it the needed depth to carry the mood.  The feeling I carried from the song led me to keeping the composition sparse, with no distant landscape in the background and the Red Tree being the sole focus of the canvas.  I wanted that pure focus in this piece and everything in it pushes the eye to that central figure, creating an atmospheric feel that carries the weight of the painting.

Okay, I’ve said enough.  Here’s an acoustic version of the song with Mavis Staples and Jeff Tweedy.  Hope you’ll see what I heard…

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Show Date Change

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged , on September 21, 2010| 1 Comment »

The best laid schemes of Mice and Men
oft go awry,
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!

—Robert Burns

*********************

I decided to go with the less Scottish version of this verse.  Trying to decipher “gang aft agley” (which is shown here as “oft go awry“) into something coherent this early in the morning just seemed cruel.  But the verse is here to remind us that plans often change desspite our best efforts and intentions.

We had originally planned the show, Toward Possibility, at the Kada Gallery in Erie, Pennsylvania for October 23 but found that there was a very big event at a local museum that would be in direct conflict.  So, at almost the last minute, we switched it to the 16th.  Unfortunately, over the weekend we discovered there were other unforseen conflicts that made the doing the show at that date very difficult.

So, we put our heads together and have settled on a final show date for the Kada show:  November 6.  It’s also a Saturday opening starting at 7 PM.

For me, it’s not a problem to switch the show date to a later date.  It gives me extra time to fine tune the details of the work and possibly have new pieces that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.  The earlier date had me hustling around to meet the deadline.  On the other hand, I feel this is a really strong group of work and  would like to have it in front of people as soon as possible.  But the extra time is good and I feel very comfortable with date of November 6.

So, if you have any plans for seeing this show, make a note of the date change.

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Triptych

Posted in Recent Paintings, Technique/History, tagged on September 20, 2010| 4 Comments »

This is a small triptych that I recently completed.  I’ve done several triptychs over the years and really enjoy the challenge of composing the three separate panels into one cohesive piece.   There are obstacles to overcome in order to make the overall piece work well in attracting and holding the viewer’s attention over the width of the painting.

 This piece, done in the gray style with a dash of red that I’ve used a bit year, has panels that each measure approximately 4 1/2″ by 6″.  The smaller panels change the way I view each panel in composing this.  When doing a larger triptych, I try to make each panel completely autonomous, meaning that each panel has to stand alone as a painting.  Each has to have its own focal point and be complete as a self-contained scene.  However, with the smaller size of the panels I drop that criteria somewhat because the width of vision for the viewer is already condensed.  The side panels still are complete but they have little in the way of focal points in themself.

The overall feel for this piece has a real sense of completion.  The attention is all funneled to the central panel and while the side panels may not be exciting as individual paintings, they have a feeling of rightness in the whole. 

I’ll be working  on a larger triptych soon, perhaps with non-symetrical panels which changes again the way the composition comes together.  I will probably opt for color in the larger piece.  Maybe not.  Who knows?

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Come To Light

Posted in Recent Paintings, tagged , , on September 16, 2010| 2 Comments »

This is a painting that I recently completed (now at the Haen Gallery, Asheville) that is another example of a piece that evolved as I worked into something that I didn’t originally envision for it.

This 20″ by 30″ canvas was started at the end of 2009 and I thought at first that it would be a piece with my typical Red Tree at the front of the picture plane.  But as I painted, the composition began to shift and where I thought the tree might be n longer seemed feasible.  It would be awkward and out of rhythm.  I had painted myself out of what I had first imagined. 

And I couldn’t see where it would go from there.  No matter how I looked at it, I couldn’t see where it could possibly go.  I liked very much what I had painted thus far.  The layers of earth were sharp and organic in feel.  The color was right on– rich and complex with many layers.  But it seemed to have reached a dead-end.

So it sat for a long time.  About nine monthes. I would look and look at it yet it stumped me.  It was a puzzle and I couldn’t figure out a solution.

But one day I took the canvas from where it had been sitting, just to the right of my work table.  I began to see an answer to the question and began to work feverishly on the background and the sky, adding the water, tree and sun.  I changed the whole focus of the piece and began to see it come it together.  It could work and,  in the end, it did work for me.  It went from being a conunmdrum to being what I see as a strong and bold piece.

It just took a little time for the answers to come to light.  The title of the piece is, by the way, Come To Light.

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Explorer

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , on September 10, 2010| 2 Comments »

Well, off on one of my drive-fests, first to Asheville then to Alexandria then home, all within 48 hours. Just the way I like it.

This is a painting that is going to the Haen Gallery in Asheville.  Titled Explorer, it’s a 30″ by 40″ canvas that I’ve been very proud of as it sat waiting in the studio.  It is a piece that, if I had to sum up in one painting what my work has been to this point, would fit the bill nicely.  It has a real feeling of completeness, of being a fully mature and realized piece, as though it exists in only that moment without any thought or deference to the past or future.

I think that might be what I’m looking for in my work-  a self-contained world in its own present time and place, separate  from the world we know.  It’s own sense of landscape, of light and color– all familiar yet apart.  But welcoming.

I could go on wading in esoterica but I’ll spare you that. Let’s just say that it’s a piece that really hits for me. 

Anyway, time to hit the road.  If you’re in the Alexandria area tomorrow, Saturday, stop into the Principle Gallery for my gallery talk or just to say “Hi!” 

 Hope to see you there.

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Bounty

Posted in Painting, Recent Paintings, tagged , on September 9, 2010| 1 Comment »

This is a new painting that is going with me down to the Principle Gallery.  It’s a 10″ by 30″ canvas that  I call Bounty.  I chose the title because there is an idealized feel to the painting, not necessarily a representation of  how things are but how they might be, in a land that is rich in everything but greed.  It feels like a meditation on sharing the richness of the land with everyone. 

 Call it an egalitarian daydream.

Egalitarian.  It’s a word that has been in my mind lately.   It’s not a popular word or concept these days, oddly enough.  The word has evolved to a point where people think of it as another way of saying welfare state or that other dreaded word,socialism.  This is unfortunate because the idea of equality, a society without classes,  is such a beautiful concept and one that was one of the legs that our nation first stood on. 

 Of course, there was never such a place.  Not in post-Revolution America or France or Russia.  Aspirations, yes.  Practical application, no. 

Again, unfortunate.  But one can dream of such a place.  If it exists, I hope it feels like this…

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