Some Good News & Some Bad News

I think I'll begin with the good news. I got a blurb in the current issue of Southwest Art Magazine. The plug was on the Art Values page. My cyber colleague Chris Stott, and artists Nancy Bea Miller and Lucinda Kasser were also were included on the page. The theme was food inspired paintings. Carol Marine, another cyber friend, and fabulous artist, is featured in this issue on page 79. It's really fun to see your work in a publication!



. . . and now the bad news. My first, and longest running gallery is closing it's doors. Twinhouse will cease to exist November 1st. It had been a long, and fruitful relationship. Karen and I stopped by last week to pick up our remaining paintings, and say farewell. Susan Gibbs and Tiffany Hay were both there, and it was a pretty somber moment. Susan, the owner, had a laundry list of good reasons to move on, so it was understandble. Nonetheless it's sad to see it end. Twinhouse was one, if not the, nicest spaces in the city.

There is a positive side note to the story. There were three other galleries in the city that Karen and I had pondered approaching in the event that Twinhouse were to close. Each of those galleries contacted us the instant the news about Twinhouse reached the grapevine. That was very encouraging. Karen is still weighing the pros and cons, but it looks at this point like I'll be moving to Anne Irwin Gallery. I think it will be a good match.

Commission Update: I should be completing the Coke Bottle today. Tomorrow at the latest. I think it has turned out pretty good. I've been looking at it for so long now, I can't see it objectively. Karen is very enthusiastic about it, so that makes me feel a bit more optomistic. I'll post it in the next few days.

Corporate Commission in Progress: Coke

Coke
oil on canvas
30'' x 30"

Well I've been busy working on the second commissioned piece for about six days now. At this point I'm getting close to completing the first pass. I knew when I began this particular composition that the condensation was going to be a challenge. And . . . that has proven to be the case. I've been basically blocking in the position of the larger droplets, leaving the smaller ones to be added in later. When they are all in place, I'll get busy adding in the detail to each drop. Each drop. What was I thinking?! If I can get through this without going blind, it could turn out looking pretty cool.

Chevy Grille

Chevy Grille
oil on canvas
8'' x 8"

In these troubled times I think it's wise to allow oneself a bit of comfort now and then. Something to ease the pain. This week I indulged myself by painting the front end of a 57 Chevy. Five days of pure creative joy. I was in no hurry to finish this one, and savored each minute. Automobiles can be a hard sell, so I don't do them very often. They're a bit like chocolate, a guilty pleasure I allow myself sporadically.

Motts (below) was enthusiastically approved, and I have been given the green light to begin the second painting for the boardroom. I have to admit this new one's got me spooked. If it works out it will probably be my most complex piece to date. A bottle of Coke covered with droplets of condensation. I'm really freaking out. Starting it today. Wish me luck.

To bid on Chevy Grille, click here.

Motts: 1st Completed Commission Piece

Motts
oil on canvas
30'' x 30"

I felt that I could have continued to work on this, but Karen assured me that it was a finished painting. It is often difficult to know when a painting is truly complete. There were areas that I felt I could refine a bit more, but when I really thought about it, I came to the realization that no one would see the extra work except me. So, here's number one. I'll send an email off tomorrow to the liaison working this project, and with fingers crossed, hope for a positive response. Then it's on to number two. Although, I may squeeze an ebay painting in first. I've got another 55 Chevy I'm anxious to do, and would prefer not to have to wait until this project is complete. I'll decide tomorrow.

Corporate Commission in Progress: Motts

Motts
oil on canvas
30'' x 30"

I haven't updated my blog in quite a while, so I thought it would be a good idea to show what I've been up to. This is the first of five 30 x 30 oil paintings I'm doing for a corporate commission. I've been involved with this project for a number of weeks now, working primarily on photography. If you follow my blog you will remember that the first two paintings were rejected. I was assured that this was not a result of their quality, but rather a decision to emphasize different products.

Following numerous committee meetings on the subject, the client has now chosen five products they feel good about. They wanted to show a variety of packaging types, and these single serving apple sauce cups illustrate one of those. So, last week they gave me the thumbs-up, and when I completed my final ebay painting, I started work on this.

At this point I have about four days into the painting, with probably another three to four to go. Working large is still new to me, and so this is slow going. It's good being forced out of my comfort zone, and I'm hoping this experience will send me in a new direction. By that I mean large. All of my galleries at one time or another have asked for larger pieces. I've done a few larger paintings to date, maybe this project will give me the confidence to go there more often.