Peek into the Woods

Here's a look at what I'm working on lately for the February show. It's 58x87 inches, and will most likely stay a landscape.   After reviewing everything that's likely to go in, it seems like I will have a pure landscape in every medium.   Pretty radical for me, since I identify as being a "figurative painter."  The landscapes act as punctuation for the other narratives, creating a space for rest.  They could be the view of the characters themselves, but they also act as point of entry for the viewer to become the protagonist.

Solo Date Set

The date for the SMFA opening is set for Friday, February 5th, 2010. Note it's a month later than the earliest projection, but we're all but guaranteed that my fictions will match reality.   So mark your calenders, and place your snow boots by the door. 

Had a very good studio visit with Susan Maasch today.  It seems the hardest decision to make for February is what paintings to include.  Having too many to choose from is a good place to be.   Tentative estimates include 6 or seven framed works on paper, 6 linen panels, 4-6 large panels, and probably both of the very large canvases. This week we'll be selecting images for the show announcements by Friday.   If you'd like to be on my mailing list, send me an email (leaving in blog comments field is not recommended) and I'll mail you one personally.

Minor Adjustments

I've shown these two before, and the changes may not be obvious past this point.   They are nearly finished, barring perhaps some more minor adjustments. 

Two Starts

Here's a couple more of the linen panels in the works.   There's no figure in the bottom panel yet.

Another Fall

I had this bit of woods on the wall for a while, and was long considering a figure in the clearing.  Inspired by the recent accident, we see another fellow with his ear to the ground.   Taking a nap in the winter usually is not a good idea, so he may just be listening to the snow.  Sometimes the ground just calls you. 

Shrinking Jogger

You may remember this one.   A night scene, waiting for someone to come for the longest time.   Suddenly, a young woman comes into the foreground.   I really liked the figure actually, she was loose and had just that touch of almost-Fraggonard in places that made made her something to keep.   However, I did not like he placement.   It really felt like a cop-out to keep her in the same plane as the tree.   I added snow to the tree as I had intended, but it was no solution.   Among other desperate thoughts, I considered cutting her out and keeping her under my pillow.   (It's on paper after all, and I am spending way too much time on these paper pieces.)   Consoled by the permanence of digital record, I told myself that I'd always have an image to reconstruct her somewhere else.  (Yet, it was the paint itself that made the hoodie so nice. ) So, keeping some of the same place (and paint), I projected her into the scene. A much better story is the result.  The writing rule of "kill your darlings" certainly applies to narrative painting. 

Accident

So I was working on this little linen painting. Two days before, the head was a green blob. (Really thought I took an image of that) The face developed rapidly, and I was imagining that it would go the way of eave; maybe he was just some guy leaning against a tree, catching his breath.  I didn't know why he was leaning into the tree so hard with his shoulder like that--I try not to question at this stage.











Anyways, still the same painting.  I was photographing a lot of little work for the blog, and was being lazy (or efficient) by placing this painting on its side to photograph since the camera was already on its side in the horizontal position.   I was immediately struck by how much more sense the image made.  There's nothing like lying in the snow, feeling ice against your cheek.  (Now that's a breather!) All that was lacking was some light and gravity.

With the paint still wet and the camera still on the tripod, I was compelled to make some quick changes.   Okay, so it's a little colder and maybe a wholly more pessimistic image, but that's what happened.   I may have to make more images of this situation to figure out what's going on.  

Puffy Coat

Halloween may be over, but winter is just starting.  There's nothing like losing that hour of daylight to put me in the mood for these paintings.  Working on these during the summer felt like pure fantasy, but now the chill is in the air.  It was 34 degrees on the walk to class this morning, and I'm guessing my scarf will be on for the walk home from the studio this evening.