an oldy...hopefully goody

I think I've mentioned before that sometimes as my 'artist skillset' evolves, I don't only gain things but often lose things, too. I look back at drawings from my highschool days and long for the laser focus I could hold for hours on end, rendering scenes with photographic precision. Nastiya still has this skill in spades, so maybe that has something to do with stage of life.

Before Genna and I began collaborating, I was creating texture and interest in my work with heavy 'impasto' style brushwork. As Genna brought me increasingly complex and nuanced 'start points', my painting style became increasingly flat and broad. This shift made images that used to be no brainers a huge challenge for me. I revisited one such image last week with "Logsled". Here is a 'pre-Genna' version, circa 2003:


(Logsled, oil on canvas, 85" x 65")

Each log end is a single, heavy brushstroke where the brush was loaded with multiple variations of the taupe color. The edges of some strokes are ragged and stuttering, a technique I have completed abandoned for now.

Here we are circa 2006. Simplification had begun but the underpainting process had not fully matured:


(Logsled, 40" x 30" oil on canvas)

And here's the current version, circa last week:


("Logsled", oil on linen with metallic acrylic underpainting, $2600)

Different, no? Check back in five years and I'll make it again!

feeling strangely fine

We're about two weeks away from launching our fall travel schedule...7 shows in two months. We've done it before, 7 shows in 7 weeks last fall, but all things considered this is definitely the most we've ever had at stake. First up is the Sausalito Art Festival in early September. Just getting ourselves and all of our goodies there and back is one of the trickiest (and priciest) numbers we've ever taken on. Shortly after that will come The Plaza in Kansas City which we've been shooting for for years. At the very end of the season will come Savannah, which has been our best of the year two of the last three years.

What work I complete by next Thursday will be all we have for the fall season as we won't have time between shows to create new inventory.

Am I freaking out? I'm totally not! or maybe just a little bit. I have enough work to fill at least four booths, but I always worry I don't have exactly the right thing. The right combination of work so that it presents cohesively, the right type of work for the area we're traveling to, the right balance of large and small, the right color for the moment, yikes.

I'm trying to practice my 'allowing' and be OK with what I have. I'm going to post all of the new work next week before we hit the road, be sure to check out the sneak preview!

(Ya, that's me with a big shark. I thought it would be a good metaphor, like me taming the savage beast that is my fear of inadequacy. I actually have a painting I want to show you, but maybe I'll get around to that tomorrow.)

long tall drive, in process

After a tricky week in the studio (I'm not going to show you what I made as I don't want to prejudice anyone against my 'problem children'), I think I'm finally on a roll again. I haven't done a post showing the stages of a painting recently, so I decided I would today. Then I forgot what I was doing...so the first half of the piece wasn't documented.

Oh well! Here is "Long Tall Drive", 60" x 36":







I'll post a better photo of it was soon as we have a day with good light.

Have a great day, everybody!