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Thursday, February 24, 2011

Fresh Starts



An alternative title for the post could be "all about nothing" as I dare post three rudimentary starts in the name of process.   The first two are tiny by my standards, 10 x8 inches, and the last is another Kracow-size 20 x 24.  Far from nothing, settling on the color for is everything when I work in my nocturne-method of finding a particular violet to evoke mood before stumbling about to place the protagonist.  I had a more concrete vision for the third, so I dove right in sinopia-style, drawing to mark the canvas before I left for the night.  It doesn't get more mysterious than the first stage, so I'll re-post them with the second stage as each develops.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Clay Sketch


All the Kracow paintings are still in the works nearing the finishing stage, which means they are hanging on my walls until something truly bothering demands my attention.  The changes are so incremental that I've decided that they would be completely boring as blog posts, except for those who enjoy playing "Where's Waldo"  scoping for changes. It seems all the progress-excitement I can offer comes from those early stages of painting where something dramatic occurs every few hours.   So, I've started a new cycle of canvases that are still that white or blue field stage that should provide something of interest soon.

For a little change, I spent a couple of hours sketching in clay yesterday and snapped some blurry photos for you.  As with most of the work in the nocturnes, I just made him up, or mushed the clay around until the character started to evolve. Although I've yet to work from models, I wouldn't be surprised if this little fellow gets used in the development of a painting someday.  In art, any method that sparks the imagination is fair game.

Monday, February 14, 2011

There and Back, Again

I've been off the blog for quite some time now.  Last post, I was reporting highlights from New York's November gallery and museum offerings.  Today, I am back in Portland after another five days in Manhattan and have little to offer in way of shows seen as I was spending most of my time in the Hilton at 53rd and 6th Avenue at the 2011 College Art Association conference.  For those of you who might not be teaching art at the college level, this conference, most commonly referred to as "CAA,"  is a yearly  4-day conference packed with discussion panels and formal presentations offered across a wide range of topics in art.  For Art Historians, it is but one of many international venues where the most current research in the field is presented.  For educators, CAA is also the largest annual opportunity for employers and job-seekers to meet. So, concurrent with tens of ballrooms booked in a constant barrage of scholarly topics, you have hundreds of candidates interviewing in rapid succession at tables, in booths, and even in rooms at the hotel.  Although many colleges do not use CAA to screen applicants, enough do to make the trip worthwhile for candidates with prearranged interviews.  I count myself lucky to have been busy this go round.  With not much time to see art, I did make time to visit with friends over some great meals.   Two memorable first experiences: authentic Sichuan in New Jersey and riding on top of the double-decker Megabus from Boston.  Though the view on my ride back on Bolt yesterday was less dramatic, the winter landscapes were incredible and left me hungry for the studio. 

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Eastern Michigan Show

Though the show "Figurative Work" at Easter Michigan University is coming down soon, I thought I'd give a quick link to a nice photo album of images from the show that was posted up on the EMU Art Galleries Facebook page.  It's especially nice to see all the great work that was present from the exhibition since I was unable to attend. Thanks to the staff for the fine job in documenting.