Girl with Flowers 3

The ear tends to be lazy, craves the familiar and is shocked by the unexpected; the eye, on the other hand, tends to be impatient, craves the novel and is bored by repetition.

W. H. Auden

I just can't leave well enough alone ~ guess I'm "craving the novel." Once again I feel I've overworked another drawing. While the detail in her outfit sits okay with me, there is way too much going on in the bouquet. With every drawing, though, I learn so much. The other problem here is that the I've overworked the paper ~ too much charcoal and too much erasing. Well, there's always another drawing to be done.

Girl With Flowers 2

In early youth, as we contemplate our coming life, we are like children in a theatre before the curtain is raised, sitting here in high spirits and eagerly waiting for the play to begin.

Arthur Schopenhauer

She seems to be coming along. This drawing is a real exercise in balancing detail with the looser style I'm trying to develop. I want her face, particularly her eyes, to be the focus of the picture and the flowers to just frame her intense look. The goal here is to draw the viewer in, capture his interest and make him wonder what the girl is thinking about. I have my own idea what's on her mind which also presents a challenge ~ how do I convey what's I think is on her mind in her demeanor?

Girl With Flowers

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gift from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.

Rachel Carson


I have decided to do a series of pencil drawings of children. This first one is of a young girl staring directly at the viewer. One of the things I am going to concentrate on is trying to be a little looser with my renditions. I have a tendency to put too much detail in parts of my drawings that would be better left to the imagination. As in all portraits the eyes "have it" so in this case I will attempt to leave the flowers alone and not draw in every petal. We'll see.

Morning Bouquet 3

The father of every good work is discontent, and its mother is diligence.

Lajos Kassak

Lots of big changes since the last time I posted. First of all I darkened the upper right corner and started blocking in the tablecloth. Here comes the "discontent" part. I don't like the tablecloth at all. The decision now is whether to even leave it in. That's one of my big problems ~ sometimes I get impulsive and add things that I don't like the next day. Then its time to balance discontent with diligence. Should I keep working on the tablecloth until it pleases me or give in to my discontent and get rid of it now? I do, however, like the way the vase is starting to shape up. And, I'm also pleased with the placement of the greenery and the flowers. Anyway, guess I'll live with this one on the easel for awhile the way it is before I make any changes.

Morning Bouquet 2

There is no royal road to anything. One thing at a time, and all things in succession. That which grows slowly endures.

J. G. Holland











I like the quote above ~ slow and sure wins the race! Here is the result of my second session with the Morning Bouquet. Although there doesn't seem to be too much progress at first glance there's actually a lot of new stuff going on. The table has taken on more dimension and the vase is starting to appear in the background. Another thing that is becoming very clear to me is that there is too much light in the upper right corner. Although it's not quite so obvious in person, the photograph really brings out the contrast. I had originally thought I would do red flowers but now am thinking maybe white. For now, I'm just going to keep working on the background. Once I darken the corner and add a little more green it will be easier to reach a decision on the flowers. No rush ~ steady progress.

Morning Bouquet

Be regular and orderly in your life like a bourgeois, so that you may be violent and original in your work.

Gustave Flaubert










I have hit a wall in several of the projects I'm working on and finally decided last night that I just needed to start something new and get a brush back in my hand. Keeping with the theme of "nothing is working right" this photograph doesn't come close to showing the colors on the canvas. For some reason my camera has decided to do its own color editing ~ whatever. I am not in the mood to pull out the manual and figure it out this morning. This picture does, however, capture the values that I'm going to be working with ~ at least as I have them so far. Bright light in the upper right hand corner will reflect off the left hand side of the table while the left top of the picture will fade into darkness as will the edge under the table. Getting started on the background of a painting is always the loosest painting I do and for me the most creative. I'll do a couple more sessions on this background before I begin the bouquet. I need to know where the color is going to go with this before I decide on the flowers. Next time I promise a better photo.

As far as the quote above, being "regular and orderly" in my life explains the lack of posts recently. It was thrilling last night to put aside my bourgeois existence, turn on some Beethoven and become "violent." I highly recommend it.

The Sailor

Roll on, thou deep and dark blue ocean ~ roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin ~ his control
Stops with the shore.

Lord Byron


When I was twelve years old I crossed the Atlantic aboard the SS Stavangerfjord with my parents to visit my father's homeland of Denmark. In the middle of our crossing we encountered an enormous storm and for over a day we were tossed about by waves over 40 feet tall. My father had been a sailor in his earlier days. He thoroughly enjoyed the storm and his serene acceptance of our situation calmed all my fears. Peering outside it was quite a sight to watch the sailors crawl across the open deck clutching a rope above their heads that had been strung from the main part of the ship to the bridge.

While I hoped to convey some sense of alarm in the sailor's face above, I also hoped to convey that same sense of acceptance my father wore on his face. We live in the middle of many storms over which we have no control ~ might as well accept it. But just like that storm on the sea, the calm eventually comes.

Wildflowers

Faith moves mountains, but you have to keep pushing while you are praying.

Mason Cooley


I love this little bouquet of wildflowers. There was no source material for this painting ~ sometimes I just like to see what shows up on the canvas. As far as the quote above, it just seemed to fit right in with how I'm feeling about being an artist right now. I'm not sure where it's going but I'm just going to keep on plugging away.

Oh, a little update on the Megilp. While cleaning out some files I found an article from the June, 2005 Artist's Magazine saying that the new medium from Gamblin ~ New Megilp ~ doesn't yellow or darken over time but still provides a luminous quality to oil paint. Now I'm glad I bought that bottle at Pearl!

The White House

Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context ~ a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan.

Eero Saarinen

I have always loved cities ~ particularly those that are laid out beautifully. Washington, D.C. and its many circles, New York and its parks, and, of course, arguably the most beautiful of all cities, Venice and its winding canals all come to mind. An antique etching of a house perched along one of the canals in Venice was the source for this small oil. As I got closer and closer to finishing this painting I was struck by how it began to look more and more like an abstract. Venice, built centuries before the abstract movement was born, like all cities is merely a product of countless components. Great cities, like great paintings, depend primarily on great design.

Going Fishing 4

Inconsistency is the only thing in which men are consistent.

Horace Smith


The only thing consistent about this blog is that I consistently come back to it. Anyway, I finished this little painting this morning. While visiting New York I picked up a bottle of Neo Megilp at the Pearl Paint store on Canal Street. It's a medium to be mixed with oil paint that the woman in the store guaranteed me would not only provide a lovely gloss to the paint but help it go on more smoothly. Before I started painting this morning I cleaned out some of my files where I keep notes on all sorts of tips and helpful hints . Wouldn't you know I came across one that said not to use Megilp as it causes darkening and cracking. I decided to use it anyway ~ after all, everyone has an opinion on what works and what doesn't. That goes for just about everything in life too, I've found, not just painting techiques. Anyway, my fishing boy is on his way.

Grace

Grace is the absence of everything that indicates pain or difficulty, hesitation or incongruity.

William Hazlitt

It's been a long time since I've done any figure drawing. I thought this woman's beauty and in particular her pose exemplified Hazlitt's definition of grace. Charcoal pencils are one of my favorite things! This one was done in one sitting so unfortunately I have no "in progress" shots to share.

Going Fishing 2

If thou workest at that which is before thee, following right reason seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to distract thee, but keeping thy divine part pure, as if thou shouldst be bound to give it back immediately; if thou holdest to this, expecting nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy present activity according to Nature, and with heroic truth in every word and sound which thou utterest, thou wilt live happy. And there is no man who is able to prevent this.

Marcus Aurelius


The outlook on life presented in the quote above is what I hope comes to mind when one views this little painting. Set upon one task, carrying his fishing pole to the river, the young fisherman is solely dedicated to that purpose. Live simply and live well. Focus on the task at hand and it give your all ~ not an easy task with the way our minds jump around, but worth trying anyway.

I've darkened this painting up considerably which intensifies the brightness of the sunrise. There's still a lot of detail to be added but it's coming along.

Going Fishing

Advice is like snow; the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper it sinks into, the mind.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge


After the local art show was cancelled I became very discouraged. I love "doing" art ~ I don't love "marketing" art. I suppose that's true of all artists, though. Anyway, my good friend Lynn encouraged me to keep at it. Lynn's positive, cheerful outlook on life is a gift she generously shares with everyone she meets. So, Lynn, if you're reading this, thanks for the kind words.

I started this small painting last week. I am particularly interested these days in getting the background of my paintings correct. The right mixture of darks and lights are not only key to making the figure pop out but in making him look three dimensional. I've blocked in where I want the shadows to be but now need to spend some time blending them in with the highlights in the background.

The Purple Vase

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

Calvin Coolidge


Last year the Art Club in my development sponsored an art show. Forty exhibitors, myself included, participated. It was a lovely day and the show was very well attended. I have been looking forward to this year's second annual show for months. Unfortunately, it was just cancelled. Only 15 people were willing to put their work on display. Is everybody down in the dumps? I guess I'll just need to work harder to find places to show my art ~ or should I just stop for awhile? Anyway, I'm at least going to finish up a few pieces and try not to be too discouraged.

This little painting is a smaller rendition of a larger one I had in the show last year. Again, I'm experimenting with a looser style. The background and vase are done. The flowers, of course, will never be finished.

Flowering Branch 4

The drop of rain maketh a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling.

Hugh Latimer


I've had a hard time working on anything else since I started this small painting. I was very anxious to see if the original plan of locking in the drawing with the gesso overcoat would work. Actually if I had the patience to follow the drawing with a very small brush and very small strokes it would probably have been possible to get a much closer resemblance to the source material since the underdrawing did hold up rather well. But since the drawing was a copy of someone else's view of the flower it wasn't my nature to follow their exact plan. The whole idea of art is to interpret what one sees even if one is looking at another artist's work. Of course, this painting is not done yet. That's where perseverance comes in. This will probably sit for awhile now but at some point I'll finish it.

A Bouquet 2

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's Heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.

Dorothy Frances Gurney


There's really not much to say about this painting as I am still undecided on this style. I've never done anything this loose before. While I was working on this I listened endlessly to one of my favorite pieces of music. It's called Jerusalem Ridge and is performed by a magnificent fiddle player by the name of Mark O'Connor. The music really affected how I worked. If you can find it, you'll love it too!

The Purple Hat

It's not what I do, but the way I do it. It's not what I say, but the way I say it.

Mae West


I posted this hat when it was a black and white drawing back in September. Every once in a while I get the urge to work with colored pencils and these hat drawings are the perfect thing. There's still more to be done on the hat and then I'll go back in and do a little more molding on the face. Isn't she a pip?

Flowering Branch 3

People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have such things about us.

Iris Murdoch


I have now started to put the highlights and shadows into the flower even though I haven't decided what color it's actually going to be. The source I'm working from is an intricate black and white line drawing. Originally I had thought the flower would be white but am now leaning toward red. At this point, though, there's still a lot of work getting in the detail. The original under drawing is now completely covered so it's a matter of painting from the source. If I do decide to make it a different color it will be through applying a series of glaces. Time to put this one aside for awhile.

Flowering Branch 2

We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.

Charles Kingsley


Of course, the ticket here is to find something to be enthusiastic about. And nothing fires my enthusiasm to paint more than going to an art show. This past week we went to a magnificent Fine Arts Fair in Palm Beach. On display were works from all around the world ~ both traditional and contemporary. What a treat!

I've put the background and leaves in on this little painting but am a little concerned as the drawing seems to have faded. Perhaps I didn't make it dark enough but I was concerned about covering the pencil lines since the flower is going to be white. We'll see.

Flowering Branch

A work of art cannot be satisfied with being a representation; it should be a presentation.

Jacques Reverdy

Jacques Reverdy to my mind is right on when he says that art should be a presentation rather than a representation. Artists are interpreters. They look at what is actually there and then present it as they see it. I love realistic paintings. I love beautiful photographs. To me they are both artistic endeavors. I consider both of them art forms. The photographer using his creative talent uses his camera much the same way the painter uses his brush. Each one using his interpretative way of seeing things changes what is actually in front of him to what he or she wants the viewer to actually visually experience.

I am trying a new techique in this small painting pictured above. I first gessoed the canvas using white acrylic gesso. I then did a detailed drawing of the flowering branch with graphite. To seal the drawing I put a fine wash of thinned gesso tinted with yellow ochre. Hopefully, this will keep the drawing from smudging when I start to actually paint. In keeping with Reverdy's way of thinking I'm hoping to be a little freer in my work even though the drawing is so exact. Should be fun!

The Pagoda

Beauty ~ the adjustment of all parts proportionately so that one cannot add or subtract or change without impairing the harmony of the whole.

Leon Battista Alberti

This little pagoda was outside of an Asian restaurant in Boca Raton near where we used to live. I thought the proportions were just perfect. Another one of those little paintings I have had sitting around that just needed some finishing touches ~ I think in spite of the color scheme it's very serene. I darkened the background a little ~ the original brighter red was too great a contrast with the green leaves and I wanted the pagoda to stand out a little more. It's amazing how different things look when you go back to them after several months!

Olive Oil

I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation.

Madame Benoit


This small painting of a jar of olive oil is one I started several years ago and has been sitting with a group of other paintings waiting for some finishing touches. It was initially intended to be an exercise in learning to paint glass. I'm not quite sure I have that down yet but I am pleased with how the cork turned out! In any event I hope to be posting five or six small paintings in the near future in an attempt to get my studio organized. And, oh, I am dedicating this painting to the most intelligent cook I know ~ Em!

The Jar

I could say I've not been well ~ I could say I've been traveling ~ I could say my computer has been acting like Hal. Anyway, here's a little update on the white jar.