Blues

Still going gonzo for the show, but the spring is so beautiful I have to take a walk around the yard several times a day just to admire.  This was a scene from just a few moments ago.  So beautiful.

Rising Wolf

If you read my last blog post, you'll recognize the underpainting of this mountain scene.  That's what I saw in the abstract layers of paint that I posted.  I love to see what appears to different people out of the same textures and colors… This reminds me of Rising Wolf mountain where I camped in Glacier National Park.

Just for fun...

I've talked to some of my friends and have mostly decided not to post every painting that is going in the show - have to have some element of surprise… but I will share a few, as well as the process. 

So, here's a start from the splashing paint I mentioned in the last blog.  I did this one several days ago and have gone on to the next level with it, but I thought it might be fun to share this and challenge you - what do you  see in it?  Does anything emerge out of that abstraction?   

I like it as is and thought about leaving it as is, but then something appeared to me and I brought it forth.  What do you see?  I've posted it in several orientations - that's what I do when I'm trying to decide what I see…I rotate it around and study it.   I'll post what I saw in a few days… By the way, its 3' x 5'.  

Its fun to play with imagination.  The possibilities are limitless.

p.s. to those handful of people who have seen what  I did with it, kindly hold your tongue(s)…  tee hee.

Full tilt boogie for the May show!

The paint is literally flying as I go full tilt preparing for my Moving Colors show at the Craven Arts Council & Gallery in May-June.  Sorry to neglect my dedicated blog followers!  Here's what I've been up to:

This week I've been splashing paint around - using Golden Fluid acrylics and a variety of mediums.  Its great fun and every once in awhile something really cool comes out!  For those that don't, well, there's always gesso!  I just gesso over the ones that don't work and start over… and a nice thing about this is I can do it outside in this gorgeous spring weather…stay tuned.  : )

Moving Colors

I was telling my pal Sam about having "cleared the decks" of commissions and other work and am ready to spend time preparing for the May-June show at the Bank of the Arts in New Bern (Craven County Arts Council & Gallery).  He replied:  "I can just see you in front of the big south window moving colors around…"

And it hit me:  That's what I'm going to call the show:  Moving Colors.  It fits perfectly!  One does move color around on the palette, the colors have been moving with me across this country, I plan to do paintings with flow of water - more moving color, AND I'm hoping the colorful paintings that I do will be moving (as in the emotional sense) too.  Thanks Sam!

So I rolled up the carpet in my living room and put down some old scrap carpet so I can make a mess and have converted the entire space into a much bigger studio.  I have different "stations" set up - one area for sorting out all of my notes, one for drawing, one for acrylic painting (and the sunroom, when its warm enough, for oil painting)… and two cork boards to post ideas and reference material.  So excited!

I spent today organizing the piles of notes, memorabilia and painting studies and re-reading most of the blog and journals to refresh my memories.  Here's a shot of the "creative mess."

One idea that has occurred to me is to have a sort of travelogue of the trip with funny anecdotes and such at eye level in the gallery.  Then the next level up I'll display the studies and paintings I did along the way…then the next level will be larger realistic paintings from the studies…then I hope to also do some abstract works that capture the emotions/light/essence of the experience of the place.  What an exciting challenge - hope I can pull it off!

…and I've been trying to figure out how to incorporate music into the show.  Think I got it figured out. I'll create a website with links to videos of the songs I enjoyed along the trip - will number them according to a number by the painting to which it relates.   Then visitors to the show can bring their smart phones with earphones and listen to the songs if they want.  Cool!

New Year, New Work

I've been busy trying to get all caught up with commissions and the galleries so that I can dive full time into the preparation for my upcoming show May-June, 2016 at the Craven County Arts Council & Gallery.  (Mark your calendars, the opening will be Friday the 13th of May).

I took this one to them yesterday.

Rhapsody in Blue, 36" x 48"

And I also took this one in to Fine Arts at Baxters:

Optimistic

Catching up...

Seem to have fallen behind on the blog - please forgive me - got side-tracked by Facebook…oh dear!
Here's a recent face that I just took in to Blu Sail gallery in Morehead City.  "Aglow" is 24" x 30" acrylics on canvas.