Up Close and Personal

Yesterday, while running errands, I noticed the train was stopped at the 6th street bridge downtown. It's not often you get to walk right up on a running train and snap pictures. Having a good day in the studio today as a result. Hope you're having a great one too.

Thursday morning thoughts

Sitting in the backyard yesterday after pulling weeds and deciding what we needed to do to get our garden in shape for spring Noelle asked me what was wrong. I guess I was looking down or something. I dunno. She asked me what I had done that day. I told her. It was a great day productivity wise but something was nagging on me. I had taken a rendering to it's final stages and it looked good, weeded the front yard and done some work in the back, and checked a ton of stuff off of my to do list.
"well what else did you do"
"I wrote in my blog"
"oh good, what about?"
"how happy I was"
We both laughed our asses off. It just struck me as funny. Yesterday I gushed about my utter joy et all and then proceeded to have one of those blech days. Maybe I put my day's allotted happiness into the writing and that left me dried out. I don't know. Either way, it was a great laugh.

Here's a little duck for Thursday.He seems happy enough.

The long way around

84 Christopher St. West Village, NYC.

I was talking to Paul Jackson  recently about trying to meet up again. I attended his workshop in Pensacola last January. I became aware of his work, specifically his piece Floating Palace via another friend Tom's comments on Facebook, and thought "what the hell, I'm going to go meet this guy." I just couldn't believe how Paul captured the sheen and transparency of the reflection so naturally in that painting and I wanted to talk to him about how he works. Until that point I had always been somewhat of a reclusive painter and wanted to give myself a kick in the ass about getting out there and doing something that would push me to start painting with some new energy. I emailed Paul's wife Marla, plonked down my deposit, and began to plan a trip south. I never expected that the 4 hour drive to Pensacola would be the first leg on a much longer journey that continues to this day with no end in sight.

I've been painting and drawing with relish since I was a kid. I've been a successful and comfortable architectural illustrator for the last 14 years. In all that time I had continued to do side paintings with some idea of having a show and starting a career as a gallery artist. Things got in the way;  I had a son, Noah, (a wonder and a gem), I got married (one of the great joys of my life), we took on a renovation of a 1905 Alabama home (nice now, but see how you like washing dishes in a bath tub), all this took money and dedication so I churned out the illustrations and worked like hell on the weekends. At some points I was producing 2 or 3 images a week every week for months on end. This continued right up until New Years Eve of 2008. I finished a rendering, scanned it, sent it off to the client, and then the roof fell in. The architectural industry came apart in the recession but unknowingly I had already switched careers.

Back to Paul, Marla, and a bunch of oysters. I drove down to Pensacola ready and fired up to paint. This was early January 2009. The workshop was in a small framing gallery and there were about 11 of us. I met everyone, put my stuff together and looked on expectantly. For anyone that has taken a workshop (I've taught a few myself) you'll know what I mean when I say we had a mixed group. The skill levels were all over the place. Unknowingly I had signed up for the beginners course, which wasn't a big deal at all. I just wanted to see the guy paint and see how someone else does it. Paul teaches with a refreshingly laid back style. No ego, no pressure, no worries. I did two paintings of the same subject; a reproduction of one of Paul's pieces that I wanted to explore. I chomped some of the sweetest oysters. I drank Budweiser. I met Paul and Marla, Steve, Jan, Evin, and Jonathan. I talked about painting with someone who's work I admired and I came away with something hard to define. I was back in love with painting and my old mistress was alive and beautiful. After years of painting for a small and specific group of clients within a very strict set of rules I was free to explore wherever I wanted.

I have worked like a mad scientist ever since. I've screwed up countless paintings. I had some successes. I started teaching drawing, painting, and composition at the University level. I had two shows last year. I have more planned this year. I've sold a few and I've had a lot of commissions. My studio is brimming with new work and my head with new ideas. I am happy, I mean really damn smiling to yourself making strangers feel weird happy, with what I do. The architectural work is back and that's great. Just don't expect me to paint em like I used to.



As always. A couple of new ones and thanks to all of you.

is

Beneath the Brooklyn Bridge NYC

Last Light Lower East Side- NYC

National Watercolor Society All Members Show

Got the mail yesterday and found a letter addressed to myself from me and knew I had gotten notice of the status of my submission to the National Watercolor Society All Members Exhibit. Just before heading out to New York for a week or so of painting and exploring (more on that later) I hurriedly put together a submission for the juried show.

Well, my painting Tracks #2 Opelika, Alabama was selected by juror Mary Addison Hackett to be included in the show. Very pleased here.

I'll post some pics and a bit of info on the New York trip in the next few days. I've been sifting through pictures, sketches, and a few on site watercolors, as well as doing some studio pieces of the trip.

Snow in the South

Ah, I had been waiting for this. Last year a Facebook challenge The Watercolor Snow Scene Festival cranked up and I wanted to paint snow I had actually seen and felt. I was in Alaska last year, but somehow southern snow what I wanted for this project. So, I waited. We got through January and nothing, (it is the south), and late in February finally some snow. For those of you who don't live in the south, our snow, if we're going to get it, comes in late winter. It's most common in March for some reason. Usually we just get a dusting if anything, but the last two years we've had decent accumulation. 5 inches this year. Nice for us and it's gone in a day or two. Everyone stocks up like we're planning for a nuclear winter then we play a sort of bumper car rally when people are driving around looking at the snow. Hint- just because you have an SUV doesn't mean the laws of physics don't apply. An object once set in motion wants to stay in motion, etc. SUV- more mass, you get the idea. We walked. Noelle made it to the end of the street, ran in to visit a neighbor and warm up, then made it another half block before deciding she lived in the south for a reason, that reason being she didn't have to walk around in any damned snow, and turned for home and a warming glass of wine. I joined our neighbors and we walked down town took pictures, tossed a few snowballs, had a beer in a deserted Opelika. We packed a couple of hideaways in case the coffee shop was closed. Here are a couple of my warm studio paintings of the day. Still working on a few more. The gal in the red jacket would have been Noelle, but my neighbor Audra braved the cold so she got the glory. It was a great day all in all.

South Railroad Avenue 13" x 9"


Red Jacket 6" x 4"

Thoughts on Commissions

Oregon Coast #1 9" x 13"

I've recently finished a commissioned work for an old friend who found me on Facebook, maybe I found him, I can't remember. Still, the fact remains we got in touch. He saw my recent paintings and, most kindly, contacted me about doing a piece using his photography as inspiration. Over the years I've done quite a lot of commissioned work, but until now, I hadn't thought about how they are different than my architectural illustrations and gallery work. They are, in essence, paintings done of a subject you are given and not found yourself. Secondly, someone has asked you to create something with expectations already in mind about the outcome. Both of which are extremely similar to an architect calling you and asking you to complete a rendering for marketing or client needs.

So, how do you keep that vital fresh feeling alive in a commissioned work? Man, I don't know to tell the truth. I have found something useful that tends to bridge the gap though. I'm honest up front that I am not going to do an exact representation of what I see in a photograph. It's got to go through my filter and come out the other end. (insert joke here) Colors, time of day, built elements; well all of it really, is subject to manipulation and changes. I usually ask for many different photos of one subject or multiple photographs showing different subjects and ask that I be allowed to choose what photo or combination is used. This way I get to have the click of the light bulb and if I know anything it’s that little click that means all the difference. I had a great time working on these although I must admit I fussed over the first one and ruined it. You won’t see that here. It’s back in the paper bin awaiting another chance at life as a study.

A good patron hires you. A great one also says go for it. Thanks J.



Marina 13" x 9"

Sunday moring coffee roundup

I had the weekend to myself as Noelle was in Atlanta with two of our three dogs. She was attending a dog / Terence party and Ginger our beagle is sort of a canine Weezer of Steel Magnolias fame. Her social skills are limited at best and to top it off they were having a dog cake which is as I understand it is just a load of dog food and treats piled up and stuck together which, when introduced to a largish pack of hounds, creates a festive feeding frenzy which would make the most seasoned piranha whet his pencil and take notes. When the 15 or so fights are broken up and the pups returned to the bosom of their owners, all that is left is the stripped carcass or cookie sheet and a few dazed onlookers. Quite fun I hear and I asked that Noelle shoot a video so maybe I'll post that here too. If you have had the pleasure of watching our beagle eat you will understand me when I say there is no way in hell I would allow her to attend this sort of event. Things would quickly spiral out of control and in addition to a party there would be possible vet visits and legal issues to be sorted out. It seems that this little experiment is touching on my dogs as much as my work, but hey, that's my life. Equal parts animals, wife, work, and play.

So, I had the weekend to myself as I said. I decided to try quick watercolor sketches and did around 6 all told. I've included a couple here. My work is pretty exploratory right now. By that I mean I've taken it upon myself to see as much work from other artists as I can and that always makes me want to try new things. I have in the past tried to stick to a certain style, but right now I'm just seeing where this is going. The guy that seems to be moving me the most right now is Joseph Zbukvic. If you haven't seen his work I highly recommend it.

http://jzbukvic.com/

Here are a couple of my favorites. I love a sketch. I'm trying to keep that spontaneous feeling going during the painting process. Sometimes it works and more often that not I end up having to take the lessons learned from a failed painting and try and correct it on the next go. I'm more than happy to do so. If you're not screwing something up you're not learning in my book. If you feel you don't have anything else to learn then you are a dead man.

The two images are both approximately 10" x 6".