Top of The Cliff

  oil on panel 8" x 10"

If one is trapped long enough indoors with only indoors things to paint, sooner or later one will resort to imagery drawn from sketches, old paintings of lesser success, or even successful ones of a different size. Thus a rocky promentory somewhere in Vermont, with high summer foliage and sunny summer skies, comes to life in the wintry studio (we had some more snow last night). 

One clings to sanity any way possible.

Bag 2

  oil on panel  10" x 14"

Well the death rattle has passed off me and I am able to stand upright for more than a half hour without exhaustion. So over to the studio and back to my Giant Food giant leaf bag. I layed it down and went into battle - keep it simple; allow seeing to take over; find value structure and form - who would think one could spend a joyous afternoon with a paper bag? 

Pasture Creek

  oil on canvas  28" x 40"

This one just went up in the George Washington University Alumni Exhibit at the Virginia Campus. A little taste of high summer in the midst of the melting ice and mud of late February. I have slowed to a standstill this week, afflicted with a monster cold and feeling punky. It is seeming to lift now and the weather man is dangling better weather in front of me like a leather chew before Angel, the wonder dog. (She's a wonder because we puzzle over what she thinks and does) Back to the hot tea and tissues and hopefully, fresh work for next week.

Brown Paper Leaf Bag

  oil on panel  11" x 14"

There are former students who, during their time in my class, have been traumatized by this sort of bag. As I ignored cries for mercy begging to have bags set before them no more, I assured them that 'a lifetime's joyful work' might be found in bags such as this. The form, the varied surfaces, the opportunity for color exploration within the neutral brown, ... one could go on. They didn't believe me so, thus is launched a series of bag works. I'll show them!    Tomorrow, multiple bags.

Winter Geranium

  oil on panel  8" x 10"

I'm not certain why I placed this pot of Geraniums on the striped cloth but it must have something to do with a desire to set chaos up for myself and fight my way through to some semblance of understanding.

Otherwise it would be cry for help by someone unbalanced. 

Dark Vase

  oil on panel  6" x 9.5"

Ok - here's the second one of the crazy vase - different color / tonal feel to it but still the same source for potential instability in the painter. How can you trust someone so unbalanced? 

Thats it for this week - enjoy the Super Bowl commercials and see you here on Monday.

Light Vase

    oil on panel  6" x 8"

In a fit of miscalculation, I chose to paint a pressed glass vase - after all, I love painting the battle between reflective surfaces and transparency. This particular subject has, as I discovered, a most complex pattern of facets and swirls. All these tiny shapes and swirls inter-connect and form repeating patterns and they each pick up reflective color from the light boucing off nearby surfaces. It is a certain path to insanity to attempt to come to grips with all this while manipulating brushes and paint and even hope to get an image. What I have given you is a record of this slippery path to the rubber room. Then I decided to try it again. Something to look forward to tomorrow!

The Leaktight No. 8

  oil on panel  6" x 8"

This little tarnished metal bucket was rediscovered in the great studio clean out in the winter of 2010 / 2011. The thing that made me keep it was the stamped name in the bottom - 'Leaktight No.8'.

It was just a paint bucket but a paint bucket with swagger - so I painted it to immortalize the little bucket. Plus I'm a sucker for shiny metal. As I was working in my state of concentration I realized the orange reflection is me in my orange anorack standing before the subject.  The magic leaktight! Enjoy.

Old Fan

  oil on panel  6" x 8"

This fan is an old table top model,  probably from the 40s - it still works - and it weighs a ton. I don't know why I did this from the back angle - probably because of the small mass of forms. I don't like to examine the 'why' too much - its hard enough wrestling with the how and the why has to remain mysterious enough to power me through the difficulty. 

I guess that makes sense only to those who do this crazy thing called painting.

Ball Jar 1

oil on panel  6" x 8"

We've got six inches of new snow and all the local schools are shut down and for the first time in thirty-two years all that means to me is it is a little tougher to walk over to the studio! A little celebration is in store with this little jar - I pushed to stay free and loose in technique while disciplined in ignoring the thing and seeing its essence. Easy to say, tough to do. 

PS it is great snow man snow - real sticky.

This painting may be purchased unframed for $125.

Please contact the artist for information. Thanks.

Leap of Faith

  oil on panel   6" x 8"

I tried to be a little looser, a little free with larger brushes - on a panel this small using larger brushes is a relative thing. I do love painting glass, I guess because it is the best example of what the process of painting requires - an absolute leap of faith - you have to suspend your preconceived knowledge of thing-nesss and allow yourself to experience the incredible complexity to be discovered in every day objects - trusting that the exploration of carefully seeing will bring your work closer to what is real. It is part physics; part chemistry; part spirit.

This painting may be purchased unframed for $125.
Please contact the artist for information.

Red Onion

Red Onion

oil on panel  6" x 8"

Still keeping to single subject, kinds re-learning my chops and shaking off the rust. Some reporter asked Rogers Hornsby once what he did during the winter. He answered, "I'll tell you what I do, I sit by the window and wait for spring."  I'm right there with him - but I'll take a day in the high 40s so I can get out and take a shot at making a painting.


This painting may be purchased unframed for $125.
Please contact the artist if interested.