Precious Metal: Complete

Precious Metal  |  36 x 60  |  Oil on canvas

I ran into a rather large snag just as I finished the underpainting for Precious Metal. Without going into detail, we had a series of house disasters which occupied all of my work time for nearly four weeks. After what felt to me like an eternity, I was able to return to the easel and finally complete work on the P-51. Once its' dry and been varnished I'll be shipping it to C. K. Contemporary Gallery in San Francisco. I've got a Pool Bowl commission next on the schedule, then it's back to work for C.K. 

Precious Metal: In Progress - Day 24

The underpainting is finally complete. Now the real work begins. Fortunately, for me, the next stage is my favorite part of painting. The refining layers. I'll probably hold off on anymore "in progress" posts since the upcoming photos won't look that different from the image above taken in my studio. The final post will be of the completed painting shot with the "good" camera in hi res with appropriate lighting and none of the background clutter. 

Precious Metal: In Progress - Day 20

I've got the first pass of engine in place, and now it's on to the prop and the spinner.

Precious Metal: In Progress - Day 12

Slowly inching towards the nose. I'll be starting on the exposed engine today, making my way up to the prop. The engine . . . definitely the scariest part of this painting. Wish I could fast forward to my next post to see how it turns out.

Precious Metal: In Progress - Day 6

Precious Metal:  |  36 x 60  |  In Progress - Day 6

I made a wee mistake in my first post of the "in progress" image of Precious Metal. I wrote that the dimensions were 30 x 60, when in actuality they are 36 x 60. Ooops. So, this is the canvas at the end of day six. I'm slowly laying in the first rough layer of color. I've also been adding in some panel lines that got lost and refining much of the type. I'll probably post the 3rd progress shot once I reach the engine. Be back in a few days.

Precious Metal - Day One and Dinner with Terry Miura

Precious Metal  |  Day One  |  30 x 60  |  Oil on canvas

I've been gradually easing into my next painting. It's a 30 x 60 painting of a modified P-51 from the Reno Air Races I attended last September. I think it's fitting that I got started just as the 2013 races began this year. This is posted as "day one" but it's actually a couple of days into it. I've been refining the drawing, laying in the type and at this point I'm masking off the aircraft to lay in the first pass of the sky. This is one of my favorite planes that race at Reno each year. It's named Precious Metal and it's all bare metal. Lots of shiny in this one. The engine cowlings are off in the composition revealing the engine, so with that and all the reflections there's a lot going on in this piece. As always I'm freaked out by the complexity of what I've taken on, and am having doubts about my ability to achieve what I'm after here. But, I'm in it now . . . . This painting will probably take some time so there will be a number of these in progress shots.

Karin Jurick  |  Karen |  Terry Miura  |  and me

We also had the pleasure of having dinner with Terry Miura the other night. He was in town giving one of his workshops and contacted us and Karin Jurick to see if we could get together. Fortunately we all managed to find time to meet at the OK Cafe on Sunday evening. Sitting around eating good food and talking shop. It was great. We've already planned to meet again the next time he's in Atlanta.

Cape Cod and NYC

Eastham MA, near our bed and breakfast

Karen and I got back from out trip to Cape Cod and New York a couple of days ago. We went up there to attend the opening night reception of our two person show at Tree's Place Gallery in Orleans. In our 30+ years together this was our longest trip away from home. We took two days for Cape Cod and then added another four days in New York.

Karen with Julie's (the gallery director) soon to be father in law

The first day on the cape was spent mostly just getting there. We did stop by the gallery then we checked into our B&B and headed out to the beach. After cleaning up, we went to our favorite place to eat. A restaurant specializing in South African cuisine, with really great vegetarian dishes called Karoo Cafe. The last time we were on Cape Cod the Karoo had a single location in Provincetown, but this year they had added a second location in Eastham. Which just happened to be where we were staying.

Me with Steve and Sue Zafarana opening night

The day of the show was spent entirely in Provincetown. A visit there is always on our to-do list when we go to the cape. Lot's of galleries and of course the Karoo Cafe. Our friend Johniene Papandreas has a gallery there called Gallery Voyeur, and it was really nice having time to visit with her. After a full day of visiting galleries we finally had to leave to get back to Orleans in time for the opening of our show. 

When we arrived people had already begun to show up. A good sign. I was really happy to see our friends Sue and Steve Zafarana. They are type designers and artists and I love that they take the time to come to my shows. 

Donna, the owner and Julie, the gallery director

I think it's safe to say that the show was a success. The gallery space was nearly full the entire evening with enthusiastic art lovers, and by the time the doors closed we had sold seven paintings between the two of us. Donna, the owner, Julie the gallery director, Karen and I were all pretty pleased and went out to eat after the show to celebrate. Karen and I had to make it an early evening because we needed to catch the 8:45 train to New York from Boston the next morning. 

About a block from our hotel

We got to the train with time to spare and the ride in was pretty nice. We got to our hotel a little early, and they didn't have any high rooms with a view, so we met my brother Doug at the pier near 29th street and had a drink and relaxed until more rooms came available. A couple of hours later we returned to the hotel and had a great room on the 22nd floor with a wonderful view of lower Manhattan. We all had dinner that evening at a very nice vegetarian restaurant called Blossom then called it a night.

Karen and Doug at the Met

The next morning we met up with Doug and had breakfast at the Chelea Cafe before heading up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I just love that place. As always there's never enough time to see as much as you'd like, but we got in about five hours. When we left the Met we walked to the Guggenheim to see the James Turrell exhibition. Doug and his team had spent a huge amount of time working out the mechanics of the exhibit and constructing the installation and he was anxious for us to see it. The crowds have been huge for this exhibition, and it was really nice getting in through the back door with Doug. I felt a little guilty at first, but that faded pretty quickly. Before we entered the rotunda I thought it was just going to be another light show, but it was much more than that. It's really impressive.

View from our seats on the Frying Pan

We finished up the evening with dinner at the Lightship Frying Pan back at Pier 66 where we had had a drink the day before. It was a beautiful night and we stayed there for a very long time enjoying the scenery and the cool night air. 

On our way to the galleries in Chelsea

Day three started like the previous two days with breakfast at the Chelsea Cafe. Doug was back at work at the Guggenheim, and our plans were to spend a good portion of the day checking out the galleries in Chelsea. It was still early when we finished breakfast so we walked over to the High Line and strolled the length a couple of times until a little after ten then headed to the gallery district. Our plans were dashed when it seemed that every gallery we came to was "closed for installation". There must have been been a gallery walk planned for later in the week, because a huge number of galleries were closed. I have to say most of the work we saw in the galleries that were open was pretty sad, so in the end the gallery adventure was kind of a bust.

Barbar shop in Chelsea

I had purchased a new camera for this trip. I wanted something smaller than my DSLR to walk around with and do some street photography, so I got a Fuji interchangeable lens compact. I also wanted to do some black and white while we were in New York. Something I hadn't done that since the days of film. Hence the black and white shots in this post. It was really fun thinking in black and white again. Since the gallery thing didn't pan out we just walked and shot. Karen bought a new Sony RX100ii for the trip. It's an awesome camera and she got some great shots there. That night we had dinner with Doug at a terrific Chinese restaurant called Grand Sichuan not too far from our hotel and planned the next days adventure. 

Doug outside Lombardi's Pizza with Karen and I in the window

Our plans were to spend the day walking around lower Manhattan. Karen and I wanted to see Soho, Greenwich Village, Little Italy, Chinatown and the lower East side, so Doug took off from work and we all spent the day walking and taking lots of photographs.

One of the great things about being in a city with someone who's been there for a while is that you don't just pass by structures that have some historical significance. Two of the places that Doug pointed out to us were Jasper Johns studio from the sixties, and the building that is on the cover of the Led Zeppelin album Physical Graffiti. 

Me photographing fish at a market in Chinatown

We had a wonderful time that day. The weather was perfect and we got tons of pictures. Our trek finished up at Washington Square Park. Lots of people and a festive atmosphere. We hung out here for quite a while. At one point we came across a jazz trio playing under the trees which was terrific.

Jazzman with a pint sized fan

Doug eventually had to go back to work, and we hung out at the park a little longer. After a long rest listening to some really good jazz it was time for us to go too so we walked up Fifth Avenue back towards our hotel. We met Doug one last time for dinner that night then said our good byes went back to our room to pack for the flight home. 

It was a great trip. Kind of sad it's over, but it's good to get back to work. 

Fire Truck

Fire Truck  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on Panel

I just finished a new painting for Rehs Galleries in New York. I did this toy truck once before and wanted to try it again. It's still drying and won't be ready to ship for a couple of weeks. In the meantime, I've got my canvas ready and am working on the drawing for a piece for C. K. Contemporary in San Francisco. It's going to be a big one, and those always really freak me out. Due to the time it will probably take, I'll more than likely be posting some in progress shots. 

Karen and I in American Art Collector

Karen and I shipped our paintings up to Tree's Place Gallery yesterday for our two person show August 31st. Shipping is always a stressful time. Putting months of work into someone else's hands to deliver is tough. Neither one of us can truly relax until we get a confirmation from the gallery that everything has arrived undamaged. 

Click the page to view an enlarged version

Our mood was lightened quite a bit this morning when we checked our mail and discovered the September issue of American Art Collector.  I have to say, it's really nice to see your work in print. This is the third time I've had my paintings in AAC, the second for Karen and it's just as exciting each time. 

Click the page to view an enlarged version

I'm finishing up a new painting for Rehs Galleries now, and I'll have a post of that in a day or two. Then I'm dedicating myself to C. K. Contemporary Gallery in San Francisco for a while. These paintings may be pretty big, so I'll probably include some in progress shots.

A Bowl of Pool Balls

Pool Bowl No. 22  |  18 x 18  |  Oil on panel

It has been ages since I painted a bowl filled with pool balls, but if you check the number of this particular version you'll see that I've spent a lot of time with this subject. So, when Reh's Galleries asked specifically for a new one I jumped at a chance to meet back up with an old friend. 

The Pool Bowl took a full two weeks, longer than I anticipated, and as I completed it I suddenly realized that I was quickly running out of time to complete work for my show at Tree's Place coming up at the end of August. I was hoping to do two more for that show, but I've got a little less than a month to have them all finished, and the one I just started is quite large, so it's going to be close. There's a chance I may come up one short. 2013 has been a year of tight deadlines and it looks as though that trend will continue for some time yet. 

Juice O Matic

Juice O Matic  |  16 x 16  |  Oil on canvas

I'm emailing this image to Cape Cod today in hopes that it will not be too late to be included in the Tree's Place catalog for the fall show. The printer deadline was the end of June, so it may be a lost cause. This is a really cool vintage "Juice O Matic" orange squeezer I picked up at an antique store the last time my brother Doug was in town from New York. It's fitting that I complete this during his most recent visit which ends today. I thought this particular piece would fit in nicely with the other two "fruit based" paintings I have already completed for our show. 

Now I need to divert my attention from the show for a little while to complete a couple of paintings for Rehs Gallery. When those are done, it's back to work on the last two paintings for the show, and after that I'm dedicating myself to C. K. Contemporary Gallery in San Francisco. They've been extremely patient, and it's time to repay their kindness. 

Hover

Hover  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on canvas

I was really in the mood to paint something with lots of colors, so I went searching for one of my vintage tin toys. This tin top was just what I was looking for. This piece went rather quickly and I've still got about a week before the printers deadline for images to go into the catalog for the Tree's Place Gallery show is up. I think I can squeeze in one more small(ish) painting for them before time runs out. Then I've got to get going on the Pool Bowl painting for Rehs. 

Vintage

Vintage  |  16 x 16  |  Oil on canvas

Tree's Place Gallery is producing a catalog for the show they are having for Karen and I in August, and their printer needs as many images as he can get before the end of the month in order to have the piece ready in time to promote our show. I've got two weeks left and I'm hoping I can get one more done by the deadline. Once this printing deadline is past, I need to get a couple of paintings to Rehs Gallery before I return to work completing the show for Tree's. When that is done I'll start to work on paintings for C. K. Contemporary. They've been incredibly patient and have earned some serious attention. 

Heinz

Heinz  |  24 x 24  |  oil on panel

So, this isn't a Pool Bowl painting. I received word from Tree's Place that they were producing a catalog to advertise our show there this fall. They needed to have as many images of paintings as they could get, as quickly as possible, in order to meet their printers deadline. I knew they would be printing some type of promotional material, but I didn't realize that they would need the images so soon. The deadline is the end of June, so I had to re-think my painting plans and get back to work for the show. 

As if the deadline wasn't enough pressure, this piece proved to be a real bear to paint. Some paintings flow along smoothly as you and the canvas work together as a team and others, like this one, fight you every inch of the way. I'm claiming victory, but it was an epic battle. 

Pocket Knife with Cherries

Pocket Knife with Cherries  |  16 x 16  |  Oil on canvas

This is the second painting slated for my summer show at Tree's Place Gallery. As I mentioned before, this will be the first time Karen and I have shared the spotlight since 2007, and we're both really looking forward to it. As always, I'm behind, and producing a shows worth of paintings plus getting new work to my other galleries as well means a busy spring and summer. Howard Rehs at Rehs Galleries, Inc. has requested a pool bowl and I'll be starting that today. Haven't done one of those in a long time. It'll be a relatively large painting, so I'll probably post some in progress shots along the way.

Coke for Tree's Place

Coca Cola  |  24 x 36  |  Oil on canvas

The Delta commission has been delivered and is making its' way up to New York with all the other artwork and photography slated for the Delta Sky Club at JFK. Susan Nicole-Gibbs head of Twinhouse Art Advisory, Inc. who arranged the job will be there to oversee the installation has promised me that she would take a lot of photos so I can see how the paintings look in their new home. 

Now I'm back working for the galleries once more. Coca Cola (above) is the first piece for the two person show Karen and I are having at Tree's Place Gallery this summer.