Monday, May 17, 2010

Dreamer's Chair

Its funny how you evolve as a painter. Here is one of my early works from 2001, or 2002, I can't remember for sure. I was really influenced by Picasso, and loved his innovative way of painting. I would spend lots of time in my big studio working on paintings like these, knowing that the public was just going to love them. But they didn't. I have since come to find out that if something is too new or innovative, or communicates across a narrow band, people can't duplicate (they don't get it), and hence they won't communicate with it. And when your art doesn't generate 2 way communication with a viewer, well its just going to sit in your closet storage. I heard a quote said that "an abstract painting isn't done until somone looks at it". I guess that sums it up.
Anyways, I hope my little dry spell here at the studio dissipates, and I have a fresh new piece of work to post in the morning.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Sugar Fix

I am waiting for my paint order to show up from the mainland, and I am getting very close to running out of Titanium White. So the new challenge is..........painting with little or no white. (you mainland artists never have these problems....here I have to drive 30 miles to a store which will charge me $20 for a $9 tube of paint) But I do have an ocean view :)
Anyways, I like the sweetness of this piece, both literally, and figuratively. Sugar for the eyes!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Darker Side of Blue


I'm a big fan of Chuck Connelly.....how alive his work looks, and how you can see the sadness in a lot of them. How interesting his self portraits are and the view that he has of himself. Its his point of view that really speaks to me. There are days I can feel those same things when I paint. Usually those works are the best artistically, but are a bit too personal to interest or engage anyone else.
"The Blue Clown (My Life)" 14 x 18 is one of these. What more can I say?

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Is this the Black Forest?

Let them eat cake! Or at least maybe a painting called "Black Forest Cake" 12 x 16. I'm finding the cakes and pies a bit more constraining than the Ice Cream paintings as with ice cream, you can do just about anything you want. With cake or pie you can't stray too far off the path, or people won't be able to "duplicate" what your trying to get across to them.
Well anyways, I feel I might be winding down on the deserts for now, and all this cloudy weather is making me think I might need to get out some blue paint.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Where's my fork?

I keep looking at this blank page, and I think, what do I write about today? I need to make something positive happen today. At the rate I'm going I'll need 2 more lifetimes to achieve any kind of monetary success as a painter. So everyday from now on, I will do at least one thing to "market myself" every day.
Today I'm going to try and figure out how to put my blog link and my website link onto all my emails. Yeah I know, but its a start.
This little 11 x 14 is called "Cherry Pie". Trying to get a cherry red color can be a bit of a challenge. I have discovered a really neat color called Acra Red that is transparent and really unifies your reds when you apply it right over the top your Cad reds. It sure makes this pie look delicious!!! j

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Extreme ways


I have lamented in the past about how some of these ideas might translate into larger pieces. Well this is a step in that direction. "The Big Ice Cream" is a 24 x 30 on canvas, and about as big as my studio/office/workout room/closet can handle. After being besieged on TV by all the extreme eating/food shows I thought, why not......it will give me the opportunity to add.....anything I want to my ice cream.
Now the question becomes, how large can I paint, and still have the pieces be marketable. I can sell up to 16 x 20 fairly regularly, but larger pieces really narrow the buyer pool, and I have not yet established the reach, or status to attract actual collectors. Right now the house is busting at the seams with paintings, and I have days where I just want to load it all in the truck, and take it to the dump. Hmmmmmm. must be this grey weather. later, j

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

A (not so) simple slice of pie

A simple little piece of pie titled "Lemon Meringue" 10 x 12, but what a monumental effort. I had this idea of an all yellow painting first, but as I progressed it just wasn't happening. So add a little pink......better, more yellow, and a tiny bit of green. Its improving, but not really taking off. And it never really did. After I was done, I cropped the panel down, and phew..........its done. There is just enough awkwardness in the piece to give it some charm, but what an effort, and what a LOT of paint. The next one has got to be easier!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

I knew it couldn't be this easy


I've been enjoying the "food as subject" series I am in the midst of. So far the subjects and the results have made me happy. This piece titled "Double Decker" 11 x 14 was one that just flew on to the board. Every color choice and brush stroke seemed to be right on the mark. Its so fun to paint that way. So much fun that I thought I'd just do it again...............wrong.
Everything that went so right with this one went so wrong with the next piece. But that's for tomorrow.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

It seemed like the thing to do

Got up this morning and painted this banana. I kind of wanted to see how simple a subject I could make look interesting, plus I wanted to paint with yellow and blue. I'm kind of liking it. The color really sings, and that's what this one is all about. Maybe I should paint a really big banana!! A four footer! Hmmmmmmm.... I wonder. :)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Days gone by

I'm not quite old enough to have ever really experienced a "soda shop", but I can relate to days gone by. I remember learning to paint back in my first studio, way back in Rochester, NY. How exciting it was to have my own separate space in an artist community, and to be creating these wonderful pieces of art that were going to take the world by storm. How I sold my 1st painting at the Clothesline Art Festival. All the "Coffee Shop" shows when we moved San Francisco. Boy I was going somewhere. But then like the soda shops, it just kind of slowly of went away. And I ask sometimes, "where did it go?" "What happened?" And once in a while I think.......I can still do it! Just like I thought I could smell the Black Cherry when I clear coated this piece. Black Cherry Soda.......12 x 16