Summer Halo

8x6 oil on panel
$450 framed

Available at dk Gallery

Today I am framing and packing my small works for the December show at dk Gallery. I am excited to get to attend the opening reception this time on Friday Dec. 6. If you are in the Atlanta area, I'd love to meet you at the gallery.

Today would be a good day to be wading in Barton Springs like this little girl. I bet its packed with people and dogs playing. Its near record highs today in Austin. Though earlier this week, it was near freezing overnight. I can move my plants back outside now I think.

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Upcoming Events: 

• November 20: Chocolate and Chiaroscuro Event, Joel's Coffee House, Austin
• November 29: Major's Fundraising Art Sale begins 
• December 6: Small Gems show dk Gallery, Marietta, GA

 

Exhibit Montmartre

8x8 oil on panel

Ask dk Gallery about this painting

I am packing again. This makes 3 out of 4 weekends I will be out of town this month. Its a little crazy! This weekend is a Girl Scouts camping trip and should be a lot of fun. Our weather is just beautiful now in central Texas.

Seafoam

10x8 oil on panel 
Ask dk Gallery about this painting

I'm working on some small paintings for the upcoming "Small Gems" show at dk Gallery which opens December 6th. I plan to attend that opening and am really looking forward to that visit. I'm taking my daughter because I could not go to Atlanta without her or risk her eternal disfavor! She desperately wants to visit the Georgia Aquarium - she has hopes of meeting Jeff Corwin and working there one day. 

Tis the season for small. A lot of galleries and artists turn to these tiny treasures thinking that people like to buy for holiday gift giving. What a lovely gift original fine art makes. I am painting quite a few in the hopes of offering some here, entering the 6x6" Squared show again at Randy Higbee Gallery, and putting together a little event at Joel's Coffee House where V....Vaughan and I work together so often. We owe Brad, the chocolatier extraordinaire, some payback for allowing us to use his space to paint large and small, and do some occasional teaching.

Here it is framed and ready to go!

Aw Shucks!

16x16 oil on panel

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This began - and sort of ended - as a sketch. I just thought that I had said enough once I got the initial block in done. Its painted over a toned panel which allowed me to just be vague about the non-essential bits.

Friday opens the Farm to Table show at DK Gallery on the Historic Marietta Square. The show features all their gallery artists sharing works celebrating the growing focus on farm fresh foods. I am happy to contribute with some of my favorite subjects featuring foods being prepared or enjoyed. To see a preview of the variety of works you can click here. 

I'm still really excited to be part of DK Gallery. They have monthly show openings coinciding with their local First Friday Artwalk. The shows give artists and patrons an opportunity to explore all kinds of ideas and themes. I wish I was nearer and could attend. I'm hoping for a visit during their Holiday small gems show.

This scene is from my New Orleans trip earlier this summer. We walked for a long way to find that Cafe du Monde serves nothing but beignets. That wouldn't do for my family. We then found The Original French Market Restaurant nearby serving some excellent Cajun food and got to watch this man shucking fresh oysters for those so inclined.

Off Broadway

30x24 oil on stretched linen
deep sides/unframed

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This was fun for me. I painted a small version of this (also below 7x5) and it sold ages ago. I always considered working it again, but I have this aversion to repeating myself. I  love the play "Waiting for Godot." I've never actually seen it, but have read it. Read the Wikipedia description of it here.  Perhaps "abdsurdist" is up my alley.

I feel like some of my best works were those I did small for the blog. But I can't seem to paint that small anymore and am not sure the market is even there anymore for the small works. So maybe its time to look back at those early paintings like the interiors and cities and consider revisiting the scenes for larger works.    

 

I'm really excited to be showing my work in a new area at a really exciting gallery in Marietta, GA. The show opens tomorrow night and I hope the paintings are well received.

Canal Street Cars

24x24 oil on cradled panel
unframed
sold

Remember the painting that derailed me a couple of weeks ago? Well this is it. I worked on it some more. I sketched some ideas. I read Dan McCaw's book - esp. the chapter on light. And I decided it lacked a source and direction of light. So I decided it would be back lit and changed the scene accordingly. 

Is it my favorite work? No. I hope it sells and I never have to see it again! Seriously, it was a struggle, but I learned a lot and it was good to make me stop and problem solve a little. There are parts of it that work very well now and I am happy with that. And next time, I will plan better at the beginning! 

European Sculpture Court

24x18 oil on cradled panel

Ask DK Gallery about this painting

How about a little break from the big city to visit the cool and quiet interior of the Met? This view played into two of my favorites - the museum and an overhead view. This is a beautiful space at the Met. All that glass with natural light pouring in and a view to the greenery of Central park. I got there at the right time on this day!

Don't Walk

16x20 oil on cradled panel

Ask DK Gallery about this painting

First, thank you for all the virtual pats on the back and so forth. I don't stay down long. I set aside the two paintings that failed and turned the lights out in the studio for a day or two.

This scene above I showed a few images of while it was in progress. The location is the same intersection in the Village as the painting below but on the opposite corner. The scene with the cupcake title is so named because this intersection is the home of the Magnolia Bakery - made famous in the "Sex In The City" tv series - and many people walking along Bleecker are carrying cupcake boxes to go and eat in the little park on the 4th corner.

Today I shipped off the last of my paintings for this show. Not a moment too soon either. I feel very badly for being a little crazy and not getting the work out sooner. Opening night is FRIDAY! If you are in the Marietta, GA area, try to stop by! It looks like a great group of artists and work represented. I wish I could see it in person. Hmmm...maybe next month for the "Farm to Table" show.

Cupcake Crossing

18x18 oil on cradled panel

Ask DK Gallery about this painting

This is on its way to DK Gallery in Marietta for their show "Oh, the Places You'll Go".

I'm really pleased with this piece. But I've crashed so hard on a couple of others that I am rather depressed lately. I tried a couple of things that failed so miserably that I can't recover. I think I have tried too long to make them work too which prolongs the grief. I've been through the stages... disbelief, anger, depression and now acceptance. One of the failures being the large one I posted the video start of. Man, what a bummer that is.
I think I went astray in a couple of ways.
I let the work become precious too early (the large cradled panel is expensive, I have a show coming up, I posted a video of work in progress). I didn't have a vision for the actual finished painting - just thought the photo was cool. And I end up once again "rendering" and not "expressing". So I became disappointed in myself.

I am struggling to grow and trust myself and express myself. I render things very well. I know the rules and the guidelines and so on. I know perspective and the figure. But I have to learn to use those tools as a foundation for creative expression. I like my work generally 3/4 of the way through. Its that last 1/4 that I begin to lose focus, become unsure of how to finish and then ultimately dislike what I do.

The large painting I shared the video of has been overworked to no avail. Today I've accepted that it is not good and will have to be "deleted". I will let it dry well, sand it and then cover it with my palette scrapings to give it a nice tonal finish. And turn my attention to other subjects. And try, try again!

Summer has just become a bit of a chore. The dogs have each been sickly and high maintenance. I've been trapped inside with a tween who is alternately a sweet little girl and a spoiled rotten teenager. Everyone has been out of town. Its hot. We're bored. And if I have to see "Teen Beach Movie" one more time I'm going to poke my eyes out.

Now if you will excuse me, my pancakes are burning.