Veranda Tea

Veranda Tea
oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

This is another of my Anna's Veranda pix. I set this glass of tea down on the window sill, and thought to myself, "that could be a painting". The glass has such a great shape. I love the facets, and the flared top. If you'd like to bid you can access the auction by clicking here.

Perc and Cup

Perc with Cup
oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

I've had this little percolator for a few years now, and it's one of my favorite things to paint. It doesn't produce a mirror image of the room like some of my other appliances, but it does create wonderful patterns of color in its' surface. I enjoy pairing that material with the subtle variety of light and shadow in the cup. It's a recurrent theme in my work, and I hope to continue to use it well into the future. If you'd like to take part in the auction, you can bid by clicking here.

Anna's Doorknob

Anna's Doorknob
oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

Back in February Karen, and I spent a few days at Inlet Beach Florida. Karen had discovered a beautifully restored Victorian home for rent right on the beach over the internet. The house was called Anna's Veranda (hence the title), and she wanted to use it as subject matter for new paintings. My primary job was to be her assistant, and tech support. Busy as I was, I did manage to find some time to do a little photography for myself. When I noticed this doorknob on one of the bedroom doors, I couldn't resist taking a couple of shots. I loved the shape of the knob, and the detail on the escutcheon plate with its' keyhole, and chipped paint. I thought this close crop, combining the knob with a small section of the multiple recessed panels, made a nice composition. If you'd like to bid on the painting you can take part in the auction by clicking here.

Crossed Red Shoes

Crossed Red Shoes
oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

I shipped out all four paintings for the Chicago commission this morning. It's always an anxious time when I have to entrust the safety of my work to an independent agency, i.e. FedEx. I've been lucky so far in my art career, in that I haven't had any of my paintings, lost or damaged in transit. Nonetheless, I still tend to worry until I hear that they've arrived in tact.

I've been spending a lot of time since the completion of the commission working on my website. It hasn't had a significant update in well over a year, and I thought it was time to do some renovating. I eliminated a lot of pieces, then researched my archives for some older overlooked, but worthy, paintings to replace them with. In addition to those, I've added many new paintings completed within the last year. I've also reworked the layout, and overall design of the site. Hopefully, this will enhance the presentation of the paintings, and make the site easier to navigate. It will be a week or more, until it's finally ready to publish. The site is huge. I had never counted the number of pages before, but during this update out of curiosity I did, and found it to be over 250 pages. Thank goodness for Apple's iWeb, it makes the process very easy. Anyway, when it's actually up, I'll mention it in a future post, with a link for those who haven't been there.

I've also been working on some new ebay paintings. Red Crossed Shoes will be the first of five going up this week. Once all of these are set in motion, I'll be getting back to work on some larger paintings for the galleries. If you'd like to bid on the painting above, you can access the auction by clicking here.

4th Completed Commission: Play

Play
oil on canvas
16'' x 16"

Well, the Chicago commission is complete. The fourth painting representing the theme of "play", is in the drying phase prior to varnish. These have to be in the hands of the client by the end of the month so that final process will have to be expedited. I hope that when these are unpacked the client is pleased with the work. Now it's on to some ebay paintings, then it's back to work for the galleries. It's been a long time since I've shown them, "any love". I'll have to work hard, and fast to make it up to them.

Oranges & Sardines Magazine

Karen is one of the featured artists in the April 2009 issue of Oranges & Sardines Magazine. This is a quarterly publication offered online, or you can purchase a hard copy at either Amazon.com, or createspace.com. Content for the magazine is centered around poetry, and the visual arts. Didi Menendez, one of the editors at the magazine contacted Karen, and interviewed her for the article. It provides an interesting insight into Karen's creative process.


Deep Breathing
oil on canvas
36'' x 48"

In addition to the Q&A, the article includes four, full page, images of her work, including Deep Breathing, above. If you'd like to read the article online, and view the other featured paintings, you can visit the magazines website at: poetsandartists.com.

Karen was also interviewd by Jeff Hayes for a new feature he's begun on his blog. It's a monthly in depth interview with other artists. Her interview was posted last night, and can be read by clicking this State of the Art link.

I was one of the featured artists in the first edition of O&S magazine back in the summer of 2008. That article is still archived, and can be read online, by clicking here. I'm nearing the finish line with the Chicago commission. I'll probably have the fourth painting completed within the next couple of days. I'll post an image as soon as it's done. It's the smallest of the four, but one of the more complicated to paint. It's been a real challenge, but if it works, I may use this same subject for future gallery paintings.

3rd Completed Commission: Family

Family
oil on canvas
24'' x 24"

Here is the third of four commissioned paintings headed to Chicago. The title/theme of this painting is, "family". I had come up with a number of ideas while contemplating this theme, but it was Karen's suggestion of using shoes that finally made the cut. It was an inspired idea. The "fathers" shoe, in back, was issued to me at Lackland Air Force Base on November 17, 1972. They were part of my dress blues, and I still wear them today as my dress shoes. The rest of the family came from the Goodwill. A great place to find props. I love the combination of the black, white and red. Now I'm into the final piece, titled Play. It's a complicated one, but if it works out like I hope, I think it will look pretty cool.

Sliced Bread No.2

Sliced Bread No. 2
oil on canvas
12'' x 12"

And finally the third ebay painting for this week, Sliced Bread No.2. This will be the final large painting on canvas to be listed on ebay for a while. The Chicago commission is getting closer to completion, and I plan to get back to multiple small paintings on hardboard for auction once it's done. I'll also have to get busy producing new work for the galleries. These commissions have taken me out of the loop for sometime, and I need to start concentrating on all of them. I must admit I'm going to miss this commission work. I'll post an image of the third completed commissioned painting tomorrow. If you would like to bid on Sliced Bread, you can access the auction by clicking here.

Iced Tea

Iced Tea No. 2
oil on canvas
12'' x 12"

Here is the second of three larger paintings to be auctioned on ebay. It's 12 x 12 on gallery wrapped canvas. Tomorrow I'll post the final piece for auction. The third commission for Chicago is complete, but I'm going to wait until these auction paintings are all up before I post the image. The theme for this one is Family, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out. It's simpler that the previous two, but it has a good feel. I like it. If your interested in bidding on the painting above, you can participate in the auction by clicking here.

Update: ebay, friends & dino bones

Stacked Bread No. 2
oil on canvas
10'' x 10"

The third commissioned piece is nearing completion, and I should have an image of that in the next couple of days. In the meantime, I've gotten back a few gallery paintings, and I've decided to auction them on ebay. Stacked Bread No. 2 will be the first. There will be three in total. Two paintings at 12 x 12, and one at 10 x 10. These will all be offered with a reserve price of $500 for the 10 inchers, and $700 for the 12's. If you'd like to bid on this first piece you can access the auction by clicking here.

In other news, our friend Robert Deyber just announced the publication of his first hardbound book of select paintings. Production was handled through his gallery, Martin Lawrence, and it's titled, A Language All His Own. Our copy arrived a few days ago, and it's terrific. The book is layed out beautifully, and the reproductions are gorgeous. Karen and I are so happy to see our good friend doing so well. Congratulations Bob, "you're the man"!

Thicket - by Jeff Cohen
oil and encaustic on panel
48'' x 48"

Our friends Jeff and Leslie Cohen have joined the blogoshpere. Welcome to the Monkey House was launched on March 14th, and will be a combined effort of the both of them. Thicket will be sent to Alan Avery Gallery for his April 17th show.

Waiting for Burritos - by Leslie Cohen
oil on canvas
8'' x 8"

Jeff and Leslie are two of the most entertaining, and talented people we know, and I'm sure this site will provide informative amusing prose, as well as their beautiful artwork. If you'd like to participate in the auction for Leslie's painting, Waiting for Burritos, you can bid by clicking here.

Tellus: Northwest Georgia Science Museum

One of the more unexpected moments of the last week began as Karen and I were in the waiting room of the doctors office. I was leafing through a magazine when I came across an article that included pictures of dinosaurs. I am a sucker for dinosaurs. So I'm reading the article about this new science museum that had just opened north of Atlanta, when it mentions the name of the executive director, Jose Santmaria. Jose and I went to high school together. He and I had kept in in touch up until the eighties, but eventually we lost contact with each other. When I read his name in the article, I couldn't wait to get home, and give him a call. It was great to hear his voice again, and we had a good conversation. Before we ended the call we made plans for Karen and I to come up, some time in the near future, visit the museum, and get reacquainted. The name of the facility is Tellus: Northwest Georgia Science Museum, and I can't wait.



Continuing on with the paleontological theme, I received a very nice email from artist Darren Maurer a couple of weeks ago in refrence to the first of my Chicago commissions, titled Discovery. He was very complimentary of the work, and surprised to read that I had such an interest in science. As it turns out Darren is an amateur paleontologist. He is part of a group of four fossil hunters that spend all of their free time between April and October at one several dig sites in western South Dakota. His group was responsible for the discovery of the creature on the cover of the December 2007 issue of National Geographic magazine! That is so cool. Thanks Darren for the kind words about my painting. Good luck this season.

2nd Completed Commission: Learning

Learning
oil on canvas
24'' x 24"

Here is the second completed Chicago commission. The theme of this painting was Learning. The first thing that came to mind as I mulled over this subject was wooden blocks. I spent a considerable amount of time on ebay searching for vintage wooden blocks, and discovered quite a few listings. Most of them were suitable, and reminiscent of the blocks from my childhood, but when I came across these I knew I had found exactly what I was looking for. They're hand crafted by a woman named Brenda, and sold under the banner My Fathers House 4. You can find these blocks, and other items she creates with that "vintage" look on her blog. Now it's on to number three. The subject of that will be Family.

In the Meantime . . .

Beach Read by Karen Hollingsworth
oil on canvas
36'' x 36"

The second commissioned painting is getting very close to completion, so close in fact that I've decided to hold off, and wait until it's done to post it. It'll probably be up in the next few days. In the meantime, I thought I'd post some current event items. Leslie Levy Fine Art, Karen's gallery in Scottsdale Arizona, has chosen to market her prints. They've done a great job of presenting them on their website, and we're hoping this will prove to be a successful venture. Biased as I am, I have to say that the quality of these reproductions is exceptional. Gallery Street does an amazing job producing them. Karen is a fanatic about matching the prints to her originals, and these are, "spot on".

In other news, Karen was doing an internet search yesterday for Liana Repass, an artist we both love, who also shows at Mason Murer Fine Art. She does superb pastel paintings of water. In her search for more information about Liana, Karen came across the website of Deborah Dyste, an interior designer here in Atlanta. As she scrolled down the page she came across the image above, and thought the paintings looked familiar. Further scrutiny showed it to be a trio of my coffee cup paintings which had sold through Twinhouse, my now defunct Atlanta gallery. I don't know how newsworthy this is, but you so rarely get to see your sold paintings hung in their new homes. It was nice to have an opportunity to see how these had been displayed.

Redneck Riveria by Karin Jurick
oil on canvas
12'' x 7"

Our friend Karin Jurick is in Hilton Head SC this weekend to attend the reception of her one man show at the Morris & Whiteside Gallery. They recently aquired the Red Piano Art Gallery, and this will be the premiere opening following that aquisition. This is a very nice gallery with some heavy hitters in the art world. The roster includes artists like: Milt Kobayashi, Joseph Lorusso, Dean Mitchell and Stephen Scott Young. The work Karin has produced for the show is wonderful. I think some of her best work to date. Karen and I had been debating as to whether we would drive up for the reception. With all we both got going on right now, and having just returned from Florida ourselves, we opted to stay home, and work instead. I think it's going to be a great show. Can't wait to talk to her, and find out how it went.



And lastly, I got myself a new computer this week. My trusted Power PC was over five years old, and starting to show its' age, so I convinced myself that I needed a new computer, and got one of the new 24" iMacs. I bought my first Apple computer in 1988, and have been a loyal owner ever since. When I saw that the new iMacs had come out with a significant performance boost/price drop, I couldn't resist. I have to say, "it's glorious". I've spent the beter part of the last two days "playing" with it. This is another reason I couldn't take the time to make the journey to Hilton Head. So anyway, if you're in the market for a new computer, I highly recommend stopping by an Apple store, and checking out the new iMacs. It's a sweet machine.

1st Completed Commission: Discovery

Discovery
oil on canvas
24'' x 24"

I finished the first painting for the Chicago commission yesterday, and I'm very happy with it. The company is dedicated to promoting childrens' health, and each of these four paintings is to represent a specific theme in the development of a child. The subject of this piece is "discovery". I developed this composition by re-visiting my own childhood. My brother Doug, and I were both fervent naturalists in our youth. My brother especially. Had he followed that route, I think he would have made an extraordinary scientist. I did "encourage" him somewhat. To this day he recounts the story of how I forced him into a closet, and refused to release him until he had named all of the geological epochs. In chronological order. Fossils, sea shells, rocks, fish, insects and reptiles were a big part of our young lives. So, when I pondered on how I would portray discovery, I concluded that my own childhood discovery of the natural world was what I wanted to represent. "Learning" is on the easel now.

Karen's Group Show at Mason Murer

The evening before we left for Florida Karen, and I headed into town for the opening night reception of Karen's first show at her new Atlanta gallery Mason Murer Fine Art. It was a group show, with a large attendance. By all accounts, her work was very well received. We both had a great time. Met some new artists, and also got to spend some time with old friends. One of those friends Jeanie Tomanek emailed us this morning to alert us to this video created that night, and posted on the Mason Murer website. Karen's segment comes in near the end.

I've completed the initial pass on the first painting for the Chicago commission, and being so close I decided to wait until it's finished to post an image. Hopefully, it will be ready in the next few days. I don't usually allow myself to appreciate my own work in progress, timid that it will jinx me, but I have to say, I really like how it's turning out.

Update

Anna's Veranda at Inlet Beach FL

No new art to post this week, but I did want to check in, and update everyone on what's been going on these last few days. Karen has had her eye on this particular beach house for sometime now as a source of new images for her paintings. She decided that the winter rates were such that it was feasible to rent it for a few days, head down, and do a lot of photography. Anna's Veranda is a classic Victorian home moved to this location in the early 2000's, and it's really beautiful. The house completely lived up to the image promoted on its' website.

We were lucky, in that the weather, and water, could not have been better. Plus, being there in February, we had virtually the entire beach to ourselves. I was there basically as Karen's assistant/tech support, but did manage to get a few shots in of my own. This was definitely a working vacation, and as exhausted as we both were when we left, we did have a great time. The image below is the sunset the night before we returned to Atlanta.



Now we're back. Karen is filtering through the hundreds of images from Florida, and I'm getting started on the Chicago commission. This evening Karen and I are heading into town with Jeff and Leslie Cohen to attend the opening night reception of the David Arms show at Anne Irwin Fine Art. He will have a large number of paintings there, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Trust by David Arms
19'' x 16"

That's about it. Stricoff Fine Art, Ltd. is anxious to have the Hamilton Beach Mixer (below), so I'll be shipping it off early next week. Now it's time to buckle down, and really get busy on the commission. Hopefully, I'll have an image of the first painting up some time later next week. If not the completed piece, at least an in progress shot.

Hamilton Beach Mixer No. 3

Hamilton Beach Mixer No. 3
oil on canvas
24'' x 36"

I began this painting way back when, but got caught up with the Print Pack commission. It felt good to get back to it once more. I love this old Hamilton Beach mixer. The juicer attachment looked so wicked with that long toothlike appendage, that I couldn't resist painting it in that configuration. I know it's an odd composition, and may have limited appeal, but it was a treat to paint. When I started this piece my intent was to offer it to Stricoff Fine Art Ltd., so I'll be emailing them this image for their approval. If they like it, it's theirs. Now that the mixer is done, it's time to get started on the commission for Chicago. There is an absolute deadline on this job, so there's no time to waste. As always, I feel as though I've bitten off more than I can chew, but I'm really happy with my photo references, and am looking forward to getting the project underway. Depending upon how things go, I may decide to post some "in progress" images of the painting process.

I'm Interviewed by Jeff Hayes

Chocolate and Foil by Jeff Hayes
oil on masonite
10'' x 10"

Jeff Hayes has chosen me as the first interviewee for a new monthly feature on his blog State of the Art. He plans to spotlight a different artist each month, and I have to admit it was kind of fun. I first became aware of Jeff when I purchased a small painting of his a few years ago from ebay. We've been corresponding ever since. He, along with Belinda Del Pesco, were instrumental in helping me get my own blog off the ground. Jeff was also our trusted guide through the streets of Boston, when Karen, and I were there for our show at Wynne/Falconer in late 2007. He's a terrific realist painter, Chocolate and Foil (above) is one of his paintings currently available for sale on ebay. I'm honored that he considered me, interview worthy. If you'd like to read the interview, and view more of Jeff's work, you can visit his blog by clicking here.

I've ignored my own blog here lately. I've been busy working on compositions to submit to the company in Chicago for a possible commission. I received word a few days ago that they like what they saw. The images have all been approved, and a deposit check has also been sent. Good news. Now all I have to do is paint them. Which, for anyone who follows this blog, knows for me that means - freak out time.

Since my last post I have managed to work on a new painting for Stricoff Fine Art, Ltd. in New York. It's a piece I began months ago, and never finished. The Print Pack Inc. commission was dominating all my time. It's nearly done, and should be ready to ship within the next few weeks. I'll post an image of it as soon as it is complete. The lack of time I've been able to spend workng for the galleries has been very distressing for me, but it's difficult, especially now, to reject work that pays immediately. Hopefully, I can finish this new commission quickly, and get back to work for the galleries very soon.

Focus: Leslie Cohen

Puff
oil - encaustic - paper - wood
30'' x 30"

One of the personal joys of my blog, is having a platform to brag on my friends, and colleagues. I've mentioned Jeff Cohen (see previous post) a number of times. Tonight I'd like to spotlight his wife Leslie. She was a graphic designer for years before she moved into the fineart realm with her etchings. They are not true etchings per se, but are reminiscent of that genre, and they're absolutely gorgeous. You have to see them in person to fully appreciate the delicate and complex technique involved in creating these. To see more you can visit her website.

Second Gardenia
oil on canvas
8'' x 8"

Then, all of the sudden, and seemingly out of the blue, she has become a photo realist painter. One day she wasn't, and the next day she was. It took me a lifetime to get where I am, and for Leslie it took, like a week. The amazing thing is she is so good. Right out of the gate. Karen and I had to call her when we first saw these new paintings, to ask, "who are you?". It's really exciting. We can't wait to see what will come next. These new paintings are being auctioned on ebay. If you'd like to take part in the bidding you can access the auction by clicking here.

Pool Bowl No.10

Pool Bowl No.10
oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

I wasn't able to get this painting completed by the end of the day last friday, so I held off posting it until tonight. Hadn't done any pool balls in a while, and thought it would be a colorful item to finish off the current group of five paintings for ebay. If you'd like to bid on this painting you can participate in the auction by clicking here.

Had some good news this week. Received an email from Spalding Nix that the five paintings I had done for Print Pack Inc. were hung in the board room late last week. Word is they were a hit. The CEO, and his mother, the wife of the man who started the business, were very impressed. Whew! I can finally breath a sigh of relief. Spalding wrote that all of the art contracted for the project was very well received. I'm looking forward to heading back over there to see everyone else's work.


Jeff Cohen commission for Print Pack Inc.

I wanted to make special mention of the two paintings produced by Jeff Cohen for this project, because they are truly spectacular. These were done in Jeff's "fragmented" style, where each painting is composed of multiple plywood panels. Every panel is painted separately, then mounted together onto a wooden frame to create the final piece. I believe each of these paintings is 48 x 60, and show the presses used to print the packaging for the items you saw in my contribution. Jeff, this is a masterpiece.

Got a little more good news this week as well. The commission for the company in Chicago is still a possibility. I emailed the first few compositions to Curt Nance, who is directing the project, last week, and he was pleased with what he saw. Curt is a no-nonsense guy, and I think he can move this along smoothly. That's my gut feeling anyway. It will be interesting to see how this goes. I hope it works out. It could be a fun project, and with this economy, a source of much needed income as well.

Watermelon No.2

Watermelon No.2
oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

I got a late start tonight so this will be an especially abbreviated post. I think this one speaks for itself. Watermelon. I love painting stuff that's red. If you'd like to bid on this painting you can access the auction by clicking here.