ART ATTACK!

In the Studio - a good day

A good day in the studio drawing, getting ready for  "Artist Open Studio"  and listening to my son's music. Fantastic. I've not been rocking out like that since I was his age (20) Its good to know the young people still got it. Also, have not come down from a fun and thought provoking artist party last night. Good friends, beautiful and delicious food and Bagpipes!
Still crazy after all these years.
P.S. The tunes? Dream Theater "Metropolis Pt. 2", The Mars Volta "Deloused in the Comatorium" and the best of all (my heart be still) OSI "Free"

Flower Power

These three paintings are now nearing completion. "Portrait of Leah","Dark Necessity" and the one relating to this particular post "Self-Portrait at 200". When they are varnished and receive final glazing they will get professionally photographed. That's when you'll see what their really all about.

Skull Magic

Thursday morning I was visiting David Oleski, an artist friend of mine. I was admiring his recent work and he showed me this beautiful painting of a skull. I was also going to start a painting of the same subject that afternoon. This post is the result. Thanks for the inspiration Dave.

Exotic Birds

Now I finish the other paintings-"Dark Necessity" and "Portrait of the Artist" while this is drying. Then I'll complete "Leah at fifty" next week.

Leah and Moon Flowers

Tomorrow I'll work on the birds, then it'll be turned to the wall until next week "to ripen." After varnishing comes the glazes(40 or 50), finishing touches etc.

Painted Bird

What to do while the Leah painting is drying? Paint a bird. Now this will have to dry before I can finish it. I know very well that few will notice all the glazes and subtle nuances of color that I'll add over the next few weeks but somehow it seems necessary. Even if few see these layers consciously I can't help thinking that viewers will feel everything I've put into it in some way and we will communicate.

Leah's Fur Coat

A few hundred years ago Ruben's painted a nude of his second wife wrapped in a fur coat. It's a wonderful and passionate Baroque image. I've been meaning to do my version for several years. I was just cleaning my brushes at the end of the day when Leah came home wearing a red shawl. What better way to start a slide show.

Baroque Pears with Leah

Believe it or not, this painting, so far, has been done with only four colors; white, black, cadmium red and yellow ocher.

DRAMA in the Studio!

This slide show covers a period of four days. In the middle of work Leah had to drive me to the emergency room in Philadelphia. Things started to look funny and my eye Dr. here said I was in danger of a detached retina. Yikes! Worst case scenario, surgery, best case the irritating spots in my vision will be gone in several weeks. Wish me luck.

On a more interesting note; My child hood was more or less a cartoon so 20 years ago I collaborated with Michael Price and turned it into a comic book which will be posted on this blog soon one page at a time. Michael H. Price an amazing, larger than life musician, artist, writer. Give him a google.

Skull Magic

This post is called Skull Magic. The painting (basically done) is Titled "Dark Necessity" and is one of a pair. I'm still working out this blog thing. The previous posts; Day 1,2 etc. is misleading because often its several days but only the next post.

Without the encouragement and help of two artist, Jeff Schaller and Dave Oleski this would never have happened. Thanks for dragging me into the 21st century. I don't think they are going to stop until I'm making movies.

Rabbit Raw - Day 2

This is actually several days work....I love irises.

Leah Painting Day 5

After all this time, still painting Leah. She's been my muse for twenty five years.

Suzy and BT asked about glaze and scumble.

In this particular case glazes and scumbles will be applied to Leah's face when everything I painted today has dried (several days). They are alike in the sense that they're both going to be pigment suspended in lots of medium (i.e. very transparent) applied very thinly. Consequently, the painting underneath will show through. If the transparent mixture on top is darker than the painting underneath it is a glaze if it is lighter it's a scumble. I often use glazes in the shadows of the face to make them rich and glowing and scumbles in the lighted areas (particularly female faces) to give their skin a pearly and glistening quality.

Wish me luck.

Leah Painting Day 4

Its great to be back!

Third New Painting-Day 2

This fish is an under-painting. I've got to let it dry and then apply glazes and scumbles.

Third New Painting - Day 1

From now on I'll be struggling with three paintings at once. The images of the last few days are indeed macabre, but not to worry, things will get more overtly beautiful. As the work nears completion I'll start explaining their meaning. At least that's the plan.

Rabbit Raw - Day 1

This was a VERY long day. I usually work on several paintings at once because oil can take 72 hours or more to dry, and that's good. I like to think about my stuff.

Also, working on several things simultaneously keeps me wiggin' and buggin', and that's good because thinking sometimes gets in the way of feeling.

Mostly, painting today was "Sweet as rat pie," as Molemo said to me many years ago.

Day 3 of New Painting

For the first time, I am posting a painting as it is created. More like a slide show than a movie at this point. Will it eventually have a sound track? A voice over? Cool special effects? Superb technically quality?...Yes to all of the above ...eventually. Stay tuned. This is actually yesterday's post. Today's will come this afternoon. (hint, it will be two new works.) So, I'll be working on three at once, as per usual.

Day 2 of New Painting

In the Beginning

This is how it all starts.