striped in the alley (couple a day #10)

Every once in a while I make something that somehow I'm a little uneasy about. Maybe it's different in a way I can't quite identify, or maybe it's a little 'edgier' than the main body of my work. Sometimes those turn out to be ones I just never like and they get painted over. Other times they turn out to be pieces that are the beginning of a new direction. I think this may be one of those. I wasn't quite sure about it when I made it but it's growing on me steadily.

One thing I know for sure I like is that the couple has no paint whatsoever (what so ever?) on their flesh but are instead little people shaped windows into the underpainting. I love when that happens.

Happy weekend, everybody!

"Striped in the Alley", oil on masonite, 20" x 16", $450

leggy on the water (couple a day #9)

As promised last week, here is another study of my beloved 'leggy lady'. This one is "Leggy on the Water" (oil on linen, 20" square, $600). I've always been fascinated with this photo and how much tension is created with that flexed, extended leg. I want to take it on on a bigger format someday but haven't worked up the courage yet as it's one of those pieces that has to be JUST RIGHT or it won't work at all.

In this woman's defense, I do have some very demure shots of her, but they're just not as good!

Also, I posted the more professional pic. of "Boys of Summer" on the website this morning.

hottie vaca (vay-kay) couple (couple a day #8)

Today was absolutely nuts, but I still have a 'couple' for you. I made a version of this piece as a gift for Genna Christmas 2009. I think they're my sexiest couple ever! This one is "Hottie Vacation Couple" (oil on linen, 10" x 8", $300).

Our Kia Canada contact came to visit this morning with her COO (I have no idea what that stands for) and wound up at the studio at the same time as another client I had there discussing a commission. I can't tell you about the commission as it's currenlty a secret, but it's a much bigger thing than I originally realized. A few minutes before all of these people stormed the studio, I dropped a big plastic jar of clear gesso and it shot all over my pants/shoe/bathroom/in my sock. Tah-Dah!

friday couple (couple a day #7)

For those of you who have come late to the party, I'm posting a painting of a couple every weekday from now until Valentine's Day. Today's offering is "Friday Couple" (oil on masonite, 11" x 14", $375).

I've worked with this image several times before and always enjoy it. It's an excellent showcase for a big swatch of softly striped underpainting up top and features lots of tiny little figures in the periphery that I like to arrange and rearrange from one piece to the next.

Tomorrow is a big day...I have a client meeting at 10, brown bag lunch at the studio with some artist friends, and our Kia Canada contact is visiting sometime during the day to see Genna's setup and choose some pieces for the Kia Korea president to take back to Korea. Whew! I'm still going to squeeze in a 'couple', though, so see you tomorrow!

into the woodwork (couple a day #6)

Today's studio time has been a bit of a failure thus far. I just spent an hour gridding out and drafting a brand new image on a 24" x 36" canvas before figuring out that it just wasn't gonna work. Drag.

However, I banked a few 'couples' at the end of last week, so today I give you "Into the Woodwork" (36" x 36" oil on linen, $1800). This was my first large scale piece of the year, and it felt pretty darn good!

I've been thinking about why I enjoy painting couples so much and have come up with a few ideas. Because my figures have little detail in their faces, their main method of communication is body language. That is what attracts me to a photograph...the tension between figures and between those figures and their surroundings.

When there are only two figures in a composition, that tension is totally pure and draws much more focus. In today's piece, for instance, the gentleman is leaning back just slightly into the woman. In a more complicated, multi-figure composition, that would most likely be lost. Here, it's the crux of the whole image, echoed over and over again in the trees and other forms behind, all leaning into the middle.

I know I said a few ideas, but that's the only one I want to talk about right now.

I'm crossing my fingers and heading back to the easel (easle?). Wish me luck!

enough about me (or) kia pots update

It occurred to me that I never let everybody know how our Kia US order turned out. We shipped more than 630 pieces to almost as many seperate addresses with NO BREAKAGE thanks to one of my new favorite people...Mike at the LaGrange UPS Store. What a pleasure to do business with someone who consistently goes above and beyond. Mike himself came to the studio and transported all of our babies to UPS where they were carefully packed and shipped. Many, many thanks to Mike.

Anyway, Kia was very happy with their order and have already followed up with an order for a large vase they gave as a gift to a visiting Korean dignitary in December. They wouldn't tell us who it was, so I'm guessing the President of Korea (aim high, right?). Here's what we sent them:



Funny story about that. We were at my parent's place for Thanksgiving which is in the middle of the woods and gets horrible cell reception. Genna got a call on his cell phone. Listening to his side of the conversation, I could tell it was a telemarketer. After struggling to understand her for several moments of a really bad connection, he says (in a not very nice, actually pretty mean tone of voice) "You know what, this is really not a good time for me. You're gonna have to try me another time." Then he listens for a few more seconds with an irritated face before going completely pale and launching into the 'I'm so so sorry' talk. It was Kia America President Ahn's executive secretary calling to thank us for a gift we sent him and trying to place an order. HA!

So, Kia America was happy enough with their order that they recommended us to Kia Canada for a similar project. Genna is a few days away from finishing up throwing 230 vases for them. Here is a sample of what the finished product will look like:



If we play our cards right, maybe we can just work for Kia from now on! It's definitely easier than the Art Fair Circus.

boys of summer on the easel

Hi guys! I'm on a 'couple' break for the weekend but still in the studio. Before I left yesterday, I began a new version of my grandpa and his navy buddies on the beach. It's a big one, 48" x 60", with a beautiful 'sunset striped' underpainting courtesy of Genna. Here's what it looked like this morning:



I like to paint the lightest lights and darkest darks first thing so that I can see the overall composition through all of the screaming underpainting. My first thought when I looked at this this morning (which actually was more like noonish!) was that I loved that stuttering blue stripe running through the center of the figures and wanted to hold onto that if possible. To play that up, I painted in a similar blue between the bottoms of their legs:



After separating their figures with some changes in skin tone and filling in the shirt and towel shape, I believe I'm about 95% finished:



I'll post the properly photographed finished piece on the website next week. I'm tempted to call this "Smokin' on the Beach" as they're all hot and holding cigarettes, but cutesy titles make my skin itch. So, she's either "Boys of Summer" or "Sunset Quintet Redux". Probably "Boys of Summer".

saucy duo (couple a day #5)

Today's offering isn't technically a couple, but I think they share enough of the same spicy attitude, palette, and compositional similarities to make a really great diptych. Check out that shape echo between his elbow and her leg, yum!

The photo I used for the lady piece ("Leggy", oil on linen, 10" square, $300(sold)) was from a large lot of photos I bought on ebay years ago. I have many shots of this same woman and she REALLY liked her legs. I'm working on another couple that features her leggy-liciousness today.

The male half of the duo is "Harley Guy", oil on linen, 10" square, (sold).

take five (couple a day #4)

It occurs to me that I've committed myself to something like 26 'couple' paintings. Yikes.

Today's is "Take Five", an oil on linen, 10" x 8", framed in black for $300.

I'm starting to itch for a larger format, so maybe next week there will be some bigguns to see. Have a great day, everybody!

bushes portrait (couple a day #3)

We're at T minus 23 work days and counting to Valentine's Day, and I give you "Bushes Portrait" (oil on masonite, 9" x 12", $350).

I am so in love with the composition of this piece that I think you'll see it much larger some time this year (maybe 30" x 40" or 36" x 48"). I like the way the branch shapes mimic the shapes in the gentleman's jacket.

Now, these guys could could be brothers, father and son, neighbors, what-have-you...but it's two figures so I'm counting them as a couple for the purposes of my exercise!

patterned couple, (couple a day #2)

Hi guys,

Here we are with my 'couple a day' numero dos...counting down to Valentines Day. I've been sitting on the reference photo for this one for ages and finally felt like I was up to the challenge of her striped dress (which is really the whole point of the painting). I'm into the patterning thing right now, reference yesterday's "Beautiful Music".

This is "Patterned Couple", oil on masonite, 16" x 12", framed in black, $400 (sold).

See you tomorrow!

my funny valentines, or 'a couple a day'

Hi everybody! I just gave myself what amounted to almost 3 weeks off from work and am now struggling back into studio life. Hope everyone had a brilliant holiday season!

Sometimes when you've been out of the 'creative loop' for a while, it's tough to get back in. I'm starting off this week with a number of new couple paintings. Pairs of figures are absolutely my favorite thing to paint...married couples, mother & child, siblings, father & son, whatever. I figured I'd ease back into the painting groove with some small couples (8 x 10 or so), and just in time for Valentines Day!

Borrowing loosely from my friends Scott & Kathrine's brilliant 'cupcake a day' idea, I'm going to try to post a 'couple a day' from now until Valentines Day. I have no idea if I actually have the self discipline to pull that off, but I guess we'll see!

So, Day 1 Couple is "Beautiful Music", oil on particle board, 10" x 8", $300. Genna treated this board for me by forcing paint into the grooves in the wood, sanding it smooth, and sealing it with a clear gesso. I love, love, love the look of the particle board between the shapes and how it plays into the patterned nature of this little couple.

I'll be posting the 'couple a day' paintings soon on our webpage or you can email me anytime at admin@galleryair.com to make a purchase.

Congratulations to "Inspirations" Winner!

A much belated congratulations to Kimberly Beavers who won the painting "Trike Girls" (30" x 24" oil on linen) at our 16 Patton opening in November. We were thrilled to meet Kim at our reception in Asheville and to find out that she was already an enthusiastic supporter of our work, having purchased two pieces previously through Danna at 16 Patton.

I think it was fated that Kim should win her painting. The photo she submitted was of her mother as a child with a friend on a tricycle. Her mother was a twin (although she wasn't with her twin in the photo), and Kim recently gave birth to twin girls. Kim's girls are blond and brunette, as are the girls in the painting. Kismet, no? Kim's friends and family were as charmed as me by all of these connections and she won the email vote by a landslide!

Many thanks to Danna Anderson at 16 Patton. Danna is a model gallerist...professional, friendly, hard working, consistent, and pro-active. An article she solicited about the show in the Asheville Citizen Times was my favorite ever written about our work. Unfortunately, it's no longer on their website. I'll try to get it to share with you guys...

coming up for air

We're entering winter...usually the time when Genna and I both kick into coast mode, slow down our travel and rest after our fall season. Not so this year! Genna is still up to his eyeballs in pots 12-13 hours a day (540 down, about 90 to go) and I'm still going full steam in preparation for Telfair in Savannah, the Christmas commission season, and our solo show at 16 Patton.

Speaking of which, thank you to everyone who sent in submissions for our second installment of the "Inspiration Project". My fave image so far (above) was made from my friend and fellow artist Steve Frenkel's submission. I'm calling it 'Railmen'. It's a 20" x 30" oil on linen. Voting for everyone else's faves will begin in a few weeks. Here's one of Steve's fantastic acrylics that I'm proud to say is part of my budding collection:



It's a 12" square called "Hourloupe Dry Cycle". Steve and I met while we were both showing at Opus One Gallery in Atlanta. He is an incredibly talented and dedicated artist. Check out more of his work online at www.stevefrenkel.net.

I have so many more things I wanna tell everyone about...Nastiya's first commission, Genna's pot progress, my first festival experience without him (I hope it was also the last!)...but right now I have to get back to work. Cross your fingers for me.

win a grushovenko!

Last call, everybody! Our solo show at 16 Patton in Asheville is opening November 21st. The concept is this...all works in the show will be made from photographs sent in by our friends and clients. The paintings will be posted online and put to a vote. The painting with the most votes will be given to the owner of its inspiration photo, free of charge.

We will continue accepting submissions for the next few weeks. You can email scans of your photos to admin@galleryair.com. Make sure to include your contact information in your email.

We did this at our gallery in LaGrange this past winter with wonderful results. We had nearly 300 photos sent in and completed better than 50 works for the show. A few of my favorites are "Boy Line, Bike Tangle" and "Good Mama" above. Both photos were sent in by LaGrange folks. You can see the results at www.galleryair.com/inspiration.htm.

pete and repeat

Lest you think all I'm doing is putting pots in boxes all day (this is almost true), I offer you my latest..."Pete and Repeat Class Portrait".

This is only the fourth or fifth time I've worked with the basic idea of yearbook picture contact sheets and it still holds alot of mystery for me, which is awesome. I don't know about any of my full time artist fellows, but for me it's easy to feel the bloom is off the rose when I feel 100% confident and comfortable about what I'm making.

This image was made by transfering individual portraits from a 1950's yearbook and then flipping them and using each portrait again (henceforth the pete and repeat title). When the time came to apply paint, I made no effort to match the pairs or make them unique but instead let each unit speak individually. I love that each character has his or her own essence and personality even without any facial features. My favorites are actually some of the units that are silouhettes only.

The exciting thing about this idea for me is making something dynamic and rhythmic that basically repeats the same basic form over and over. The palette I used was also quite narrow, relying on Genna's underpainting color for variety.

Here's a detail:



If you want to see a larger file of "Pete and Repeat", I'll be posting it on the website tomorrow along with a dozen or so other new pieces.

Headed for Houston next week. I think Genna will be thrilled to be driving the car instead of making pots 13 hours a day. Everything's relative, huh!

the baker's dozen(th?)

So here's my plan...I won't post anything here for maybe a month to six weeks at a time and then I'll post 8-10 times over the course of a few days. Just trying to keep everyone on their toes.

The piece above is the baker's dozen of my "Purdy Dozen" kia pot faves. Check out the first twelve on Genna's webpage.

All twelve are high fire stoneware with temoku glazed necks, copper wire wrap, and one of two glazes on the body...dark green or robin's egg (shown above). Can you tell which ones have which glaze?

first 100 fired

Hello, all! Our largest project ever rolls on. Genna's Ukranian friends/assistants/saviors have both gone home for a time while we await the final count on our order. Currently we're holding at 560 total pieces. Of these, I believe Genna has nearly 400 thrown and about 150 completely finished (bisqued, wrapped, glazed, glazed, and fired).

We took 100 of our faves out to see a little sunshine Sunday on the back steps at the studio (first & second photos). I was TERRIFIED that I would knock one over on the top step and they would all go down like dominos.

Interesting to see in the second photo the range of color and texture in the glazing. We're using only two glazes, a robin egg blue/green with a subtle speckle and a transparent dark green. Slight variations in glaze application, kiln temperature, and kiln spacing create the amazing range of color you see here.

Photo three is of a particularly interesting firing. We cracked the lid and said 'Holy dingbats, Batman...what's going on in there?!' The upper level of three was a showstopper and COMPLETELY a surprise. The mid and lower levels were as dissapointing as the upper level was pleasing and we wound up with nearly twenty unusable pieces. As best we could decipher, the kiln was overpacked and caused a seriously high, too hot overfiring. One of many lessons learned along the way thus far!

I shot a dozen of my faves studio portrait style on Monday night, watch out for those soon.

they're everywhere, they're everywhere!

Wow! Genna has received two commissions from Kia Motors America...our new West Point neighbors. The first order was for 160copper wire wrapped vases, the second is for the same object and is currently at 400 pieces and counting. As of today, we have approximately 280 thrown, so we're about half way there.

In addition to being a wonderful reason for Genna to get back into the pottery studio full time, this project has created an excuse for us to invite his good friends Natasha and Tigran for an extended visit. Both were fellow potters in Ukraine...Natasha his studio mate and Tigran his very first pottery teacher. Natasha is now living in Toronto and Tigran in Detroit, and they will both be in and out lending a hand until the project wraps. They are on the right in the first photo, Genna and his lovely daughter Nastiya are on the left. Nastiya is putting her genious hands to work on the wire-wrapping portion of the process. (You don't see me there because part of my job as logistics manager was to take the photograph!)

Cross your fingers for us folks! This is the largest single commission either of us has ever taken on.

Kudos to Kia for selecting a local artist for this exciting project! The vases will be given as gifts to journalists and dealer at several events this fall.

the daily cupcake

Our good friends and fellow 'art couple' R. Scott Coleman and Kathrine Allen-Coleman have launched a new blog featuring a 'cupcake a day' by Scott. They are both incredible talents and great folks. See the blog at www.scottscupcakes.blogspot.com and both of their works at www.thespringgallery.com.