oil on canvas
Not a whole lot of progress, but some. This was just red and orange underpaint, so I pulled it out and worked some more on it. Once the paint has a chance to set up a bit, it’ll get another coat to brighten it up. Probably oil pastel, but we’ll see. The background will get the same opposite(ish)-color treatment, so it’ll end up being some sort of red. If I can find my alizarin crimson, that is.
Red Pear
oil pastel on denim
7 1/4 x 6 inches
It’s Big Al’s birthday. I remember the date, because it was the database password when I worked at the art museum. Altogether, I worked there seven years, so that string of numbers may be permanently tattooed on my brain. I often can’t recall my phone number, the last four digits of my social security number, or my checking account number, but I will always remember Alain’s birthday.
So, happy birthday, Big Al. You were the best and most infuriating boss I’ve ever had. I will always remember you chain smoking, cussing up a storm, and chugging warm Tab from a 2-liter bottle. You made me laugh and cry and I’m pretty sure I wanted to kick you in the shins at least once a week. You also let me create my dream job, turning what could have been a boring data entry position into one where I got to research, write about, and play with art. And when I graduated and was no longer eligible for student employment, you wrote a grant to keep me on full time. I will always be deeply appreciative for that. Not only was it a wonderful way to finish off my work there, but it let me segue into another university job, which in turn was a stepping stone to the job I have now. Thank you.
This is one of my very favorite paintings. I love the Fauves, and this one is, as Alain would say, “seriously cute.”
André Lhote, Under the Trees I (Sous-Bois I), 1906, oil on canvas, 28 3/4 x 23 5/8 inches (73.02 x 60 centimeters), Ball State University Museum of Art, Gift of David T. Owsley
In Progress
collage and acrylic on canvas
38 x 38 inches
The background is getting closer to where I want it. I’m doing a lot of scrubbing to remove extra paint, so the stretcher bars are showing through. I’ll have to fix that. And then, I can finally start working on the tree itself.
It doesn’t look very different, but I’ve put a layer of sculpting gel over the tree, as well as another layer of underpaint on the background.
Anyone want to take bets on how long it took me to get paint on my iPod? For reference, I think it took me less than 24 hours to get my new camera paint-y. Aieee!
acrylic and collage on canvas
38 x 38 inches
This is really rough. The paint is just a quick layer to block in the main shapes. I usually block in with the complement of whatever the end color is going to be, if I can manage to plan ahead that far. It probably doesn’t matter with acrylics, but with oils, doing so makes the colors pop.
The tree is all collaged with pages from an old paperback copy of Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge. I read it in high school and can’t imagine wanting to read it again (the first time was painful enough!), so it was a good candidate for recycling.
Rearrange the Things You Feel
encaustic and collage on board
9 1/4 x 20 inches
I think this one is pretty much finished.
9 1/4 x 20 inches
painting and encaustic collage on board
Details
These are really crappy flash photos, and I didn’t bother to do much in the way of color correction or fixing the levels. I’ll get better photos after I’ve finished some touch ups.
Three Pears (detail, in progress)
oil on canvas
32 x 48 inches
The background drapery is only about half done. I also need to do some tweaking to the fold that goes behind this pear. And add the stems. And do the platform they’re sitting on. It’s getting there, though.
Oh, and it’s raining again, which will probably mean more ice by morning. Fun.
Pears (in progress)
oil on canvas
Please ignore the bad flash. I do have a tripod, but there’s still not enough light inside to get a decent shot. The way things are going, by the time I finish this, the weather will be warm enough to take outdoor shots of it.
These are the two flanking pears. There’s a Bosc pear between them, but that one is only blocked out at this point, so there’s nothing to see. The two red pears are by no means done, but they are progressing, at least.
Hopefully, I’ll remember to shut the studio door, so the cat will not be able to lie against the bottom of the canvas while it’s still wet. The last one I was working on needs some cosmetic surgery, because Pandora smeared the paint around. That’s what I get for leaving a towel on the table in front of it. She thought it was a nice bed, I’m sure.
red paper boat 