New Studio

   
     So I recently moved my studio into a different room in our house. I was in our study previously, and had done a few paintings of that space last spring. At the back of our house, we have this great room with high ceilings and awesome light, which we had used as a guest room. Being that we only have a few guests a year, it was a shame not to use it more, so I decided to move my studio back there, and my wife moved her studio to the study I was in.
  

     Even though I mostly work on my french easel, it's nice to have a large white wall to view current work on. I constructed this temporary wall using plywood and 2x3s and can place my palette stand directly under it. The daylight is very adequate, but I've also placed clamp lights overhead for working at night or when I need extra light. With views of our garden and tree house in the back, it's been really great so far.
   
     My first painting in the studio has been of the day bed in the room at night. The patterning on the pillows and floor make a nice contrast of textures. I've also included the reflection of my easel in the windows, but my 'portrait' is blocked in the cross hairs of the window moulding. I've got a ways to go still on this, but the painting displays a sense of solitude and quiet reflection that I'm feeling in the space right now.

 

in progress- 22" x 28"

The Gift

  

18.75" x 22.5"

     I've been working on a new painting over the past few weeks, another interior my house.  My initial idea for this painting came late one night as I was walking across the room depicted. Since I usually have my Iphone on me, I quickly snapped a picture. I've been doing this a lot lately, sometimes using the photo to mark a location outside or just capture an initial idea for a painting. In this instance, the whole painting appeared at once...one of those "this would make a great painting moment".  The light in the room was so mysterious and beautiful, with the deep recessed space through the pocket door and the cat peering in. Any painting with a cat in it usually reminds me of Balthus, which is always a good thing in my opinion. Right next to the open door, is our TV cabinet, which we use to "close off" the TV while we're not using it. Here I saw these 2 different opposing rectangular shapes: one hollow, and one full, one protruding and one receding. The 2 aqua vases act as a  nice accent amidst the sea of browns. Again, the heavy patterns became an emphasis in the room, both the ornate rug (which I painted before when it was in our bedroom in Brooklyn) and the different grains of the wood.
     In a lot of these recent interiors, either because they exist in the actual space or are projections of what I'm feeling, I'm painting spaces that are hidden or unknown; somewhat mysterious and 'heavy'...corners, hallways, stairs, dark shadowy spaces that are undefined, both literally and metaphorically. My family and I are anticipating the birth of another child (a boy) in few weeks, and for me, this painting captures some of the mystery and anticipation of this. I've told my wife that watching her go through pregnancy is like staring at a large gift box for 9 months and not being able to open it. While she's experiencing the changes in her body and the movements of the baby, I'm only able to observe, watch and wait...for the gift that is to come.
     Here's the sequence of the painting as it progressed along the way:

 

Downtown Charleston

     Here's a few new ones that I've been working on, both done in downtown Charleston. The rooftop one I started a few months ago, and though I'm not sure if it is entirely finished, it's far enough along to photograph and view here. I like the format of it, the double square, and the complementary colors of red and green create a nice balance. I was attracted to the elevated vantage point and I'm thinking that I'll do a few more from this same location.

12" x 24"

     This second one was done on the harbor side, right next to the aquarium. My kids love the aquarium, so we go a lot...they have this great view looking north, with a few giant cranes used to lift the containers off the large ships after they pull into Charleston harbor. The spot reminded me of the cranes I used to paint in Red Hook, Brooklyn. While I was there, a few ladies stopped by, and while we were talking, they told me they were visiting from New York, and that their father used to work at the Navy Yard in Brooklyn in the 1940s and 50s. They thought my subject matter was interesting; I said I thought so too.

12" x 16"

      I painted this one fairly quickly, over 2 days, in about 5-6 hours. I started first with a drawing in my sketchbook, which I did to map out the composition. I usually like to work my paintings out by doing a drawing first, where I can determine the position of the different elements, as well as, the over-all scope of the scene. From there, I generally determine the canvas size and build and stretch one accordingly. I do, however, usually have a bunch of random sized canvases around my studio, to do 'quicker' paintings such as these. I try not to over-think these a much, and generally try to keep them loose and fresh...this one falls into the later category.
     It was blazing hot both days I painted, with the temps hovering around 100 degrees. Good for having the paint dry quickly but not so good for my stamina. I like the trio of primary colors (Red, Yellow, Blue) and the different structural and linear elements...I plan on doing a few more of these industrial based landscapes this summer.

Studio Visit-Volume Eighteen

    I just received the latest copy of Studio Visit Magazine, where my work appeared on page 190-191. It's nice to see the work in print, and even though the left image came out a little darker than I'd like, I'm happy to be included in this magazine...enjoy!

What's on the stove

Here's a quick post on some new works in progress:

12" x 24"

     Started this one about a month ago, but I've only worked on it for a couple of sessions. The location is from the top of a parking garage that we use a lot when we go downtown. The large red roofs caught my eye while I was there one day with the kids, so I ear-marked it for a future painting. There aren't too many elevated spots in Charleston that I can get to and it definitely reminded me of the kind of scenes that I was doing in Brooklyn. Instead of a skyline of factories and warehouses, here we have church spires....you can't throw a rock down here without hitting a church! I liked how those thin points of the steeple punctuated the skyline and the bright red roofs compliment the greenery in between the buildings. It's been overcast and rainy here for the past couple of weeks, so I'm looking forward to some clear weather to finish this up.

15" x 20"

     Started this one a few days ago, and I'm just smitten with it. I did a sketch of it awhile back after my daughter complained about being scared of the staircase. I told her that sometimes when we're scared of something or don't understand it, it can be helpful to do art about it. Well, I don't think she ever did that herself, but I thought it would make a great image for a painting. I do think that I captured a certain sense of 'scariness' here, but I'm not sure I can place my finger on why, other than the dark shadows as they recede back into space. I've only worked on it for a few nights, and have to articulate a lot of the details, but the scale and the composition seem really locked in. For some reason it reminds me of a combination of Alfred Hitchcock and Edward Hopper.

21" x 28"

    In my last post, I showed an interior scene with the vaulted ceiling and my kids craft table...that is what's underneath this painting. (You can still see some of the raised markings of paint from the previous image here). After working on it for awhile, I sort of lost interest in it. I felt the space was a little forced and not engaging, so it ended up not making the cut. I usually don't like painting over other paintings any more (due to the residue of the texture underneath influencing the new image), but after scraping it down with a razor, I feel that I'll be able to build up the new surface to conform to this new image. I've also started working with a new medium, something that I feel will help with the surface sheen and the ability to hold the pigment and brush marks better. Previously I had used a formula of 1 part poppy oil to 3 parts turpentine. Now I'm back to using the traditional Ralph Mayer formula of 1 part stand oil/1 part damar varnish/5 parts turpentine. To this I'm also experimenting with adding about a 1/4 part Copal medium, which increases the flow of paint and quickens the drying time. So far, I'm pleased with the way it's drying and the luminosity of the paint film. The image is from our front porch, and although it's in the really early stages, I like the feeling of the light and banality of the scene. Our car sits parked in our semi-circular driveway, along with a tire swing which my kids love, which hangs from a wonderful Live oak tree. There are interesting bits which I'm looking forward to clarifying, like the bright red car parked across the street, as well as, the different sections of green foliage as they recede back into space. I like the visual tension that is produced with the different depictions of wood on the right side...the cut lumber of the railing post next to the organic contour of the tree trunk. Have a long way to go on this one...

21" x 28"

     Finally, here's the finished painting from the previous post, the living room. I'm pleased with the way it came out...I was a little worried about reconciling that lamp shade with the rest of the composition, but I think it anchors the whole painting. I like how your eye gets moved through the space, from details of things near to little pockets of space in the background. I really like the couch and the red details...the green/red and orange/blue compliments played out nicely.

New Interiors

     I've started two new paintings, both of them interiors of our house. Coming off my last paintings for a group show here in Charleston, I figured that I'd explore this theme more. They are fairly large for me, 21" x 28", and will probably take a few months to complete. One added bonus is that when it gets so damn hot down here in the summer, I'll be able to work on them in the comfort of my air-conditioned house.
     Both of them I've had in my head for awhile, and this first one is actually based on a drawing I did last summer of our living room:

charcoal on paper, 22" x 30"

     I did this shortly after our move to Charleston last May, and one of the things that spurred me to draw it was the rug. A few years ago I had painted our parlor room in Brooklyn, and this rug was one of the dominant features of that painting. Besides being attracted to the patterning and colors, this drawing also represented our big move...the transition of our furniture (and lives) into a new space. A new place, a new beginning.
     As I went back to the same spot to start the painting, I realized that I couldn't position my French easel to get the same vantage point as the above drawing. I was pushed back a few steps and to the left, which gave me a view with part of the wall over my left shoulder. The lamp shade in the lower corner came more into my field of vision and I thought this created an interesting tension in the resulting sketch I did:

sketchbook drawing, 10" x 13"

     I liked how the smooth, white shade allowed the eye to roll off it into the space, and how the simplicity and blankness of it contrasted with the rest of the heavily patterned elements. The shapes began arranging themselves in the rectangle nicely, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of balancing the depiction of things both very close to me and very far away.

oil on linen, 21" x 28 (in progress)

     This is where it's at after about 3-4 hours of painting from the motif. My main objective when I start a painting is to lay down the basic shapes of the composition, positioning the different elements in space and going for the over-all feeling of light in the piece. I usually do this simultaneously with the largest and smallest brush in my box. With the large brush I'm going for the big shapes, blocking in the tones and building up the surface. With a thin brush, I'm drawing in the lines, similar to what I would be doing with a pencil, locating the position of things and finding the edges. This opening sequence lays down the foundation for what follows. There definitely is a looseness with the paint that I want to preserve at the end, and this is where it starts.

pencil drawing from sketchbook

     The second painting I started, is done in our guest room, which doubles as my kids' "arts and crafts" room. The previous owners designed it as a music room, which explains the high, pitched ceiling (for the acoustics). It's an amazing room, and kind of has the feel of a barn, with all those rafters. I thought it would make an interesting painting to depict my kids' "studio"...
     As I was drawing this sketch, my eyes and pencil gradually began creeping upward toward the ceiling. I included this in the sketch, but not the final design for the painting...I thought it had too much going on already, although I might return to this idea in the future.
    

oil on linen, 21" x 28" (in progress)

      I want to play with the idea of 2 distinct types of space in this painting; one near and one very far. The hallway on the left recedes deep into space, and is balanced by the elements in the foreground (table and rug) which tilt and compress into the space right in front of me. There is also the dichotomy of an indoor/outdoor space, with it's two different types of light sources, both natural and incandescent.  With both of these paintings, I really want to emphasis the geometric shapes that I see in the room...a conglomeration of circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and ellipses.  The patterns and light will suffuse these paintings with an air of clarity and detail that I usually gravitate towards.

  

Looking in/Looking out

   I'm working on 2 paintings right now for a group exhibit at Robert Lange Studios, in Charleston. The theme of the show is "Everything Changes". Each artist was asked to make two to four pieces that are the same size and depict the same subject, but in two very different ways (different vantage point, different tones, different angles, subject in different positions, etc). Just before I found out about my inclusion in the show, I had started this painting, which I had in my head since last summer:

18" x 24" (in progress)

   It's been a nice change to paint inside after doing a bunch of paintings en plein air. I work on these at night; a few hours at the end of the day after the kids are in bed. I've noticed that the interiors that I do seem "tighter" and more controlled then the work done outside. I think this is a product of me slowing down and not having to deal with things like shifting light and weather conditions...there's a constancy to what I'm looking at each time. Inside or outside, they're all landscapes to me.
   I wanted to do another painting of my studio, similar to the one I had painted in Brooklyn. Both have strong vertical elements...instead of paintings on the painting rack, here, they're books on the shelves. Both depict an accumulation of things over time (art works and knowledge) and describe a very personal space where they are created and experienced.
   The first painting was based on this drawing, which I did over the summer, before the room became my new "studio":

charcoal on paper, 22" x 30"

   My idea for the second painting in the show, was to depict the same space, seen from another part of the room. The chair depicted in the 1st painting is one of my favorites (from IKEA), so I decided to do a painting sitting in the chair. Now that I'm well into the painting, I remember how much I hate sitting down while painting. Too restrictive for me...I need to glide easily back and forth from the canvas.

18" x 24", in progress

   Both paintings share similar objects, particularly the foot stool and the cream-colored, ratan rug. While the room is the same, the space in the paintings function in completely different ways. In the first, the space is closed off, a corner, where your eye pinballs around to the different geometric shapes. The second one is much more open, where your eye wanders diagonally through the space, with the open door acting as a literal and visual exit. In the first painting, on the easel, is the second companion painting, which link the two together. I'm was always fond of how Lucien Freud would paint his other paintings inside his paintings...a sort of meta-narrative about the act of painting.
   I'm also playing around with different light sources and how they effect and create divisions in the same space (the overhead spots in the far room, the lamp light, and the light from the computer).  There's also a lot of patterning that happens in both (a constant theme in our house), from the wood grain, to the coloring of the book spines, to the weave of the rug. The vertical format reinforces the sense of enclosure and visual compression in both, something that architecture inherently produces.
   Because I'm painting in such a dark space at night with only a clamp light overhead, I usually have to go back to tweak the colors during the daytime. The room has windows on both sides, so I can see how the paintings look in natural light. I love walking in first thing in the morning with a cup of coffee to check out what I've done the previous night. Both of these are almost finished, and I'm looking forward to seeing them framed and hung in the show next month.