Triumph: Complete

Triumph  |  36 x 36  |  Oil on canvas

On day 36, give or take a day or two, I finally completed the Triumph Bonneville. I spent a huge chunk of today with my camera and in Photoshop trying to get a good photograph of the finished painting. Trying, being the operative word because I've never had so much trouble coming up with a decent image of a painting. This is the best of the twenty five versions I came up with, and I'm not very pleased with it. It's a little muddy with an overall bluish cast and the background color is off as well. 

So, as soon as this painting is dry I'm taking it to Gallery Street and have it photographed professionally. They do all of the photography of Karen's paintings used to produce her prints, and I'm hoping they can do a better job than I have. If they can produce a more accurate representation of this painting, I'll post it again with some detail shots. I will also include all the progress images like I did with the P-51 I painted back in the fall.

Now it's time to get busy putting together some work for a show at Tree's Place this July. 

Triumph In Progress: Day 21

Triumph  |  36 x 36  |  In Progress: Day 21

Day 21 and the underpainting is finally done. I really bit off a mouthful with this one. Now it's time to go back to the top and start all over again. I'm spending way too much time on this one painting I know, but I have to admit I'm really savoring the process. I haven't had this much fun working on a painting in a long time, so I'm just going to enjoy it while it lasts. The second pass of a painting is always my favorite part. The hard work of building the structure is done and the subsequent passes where enhancing the detail comes into play is pure pleasure. This will be the final In Progress image. The next post will a high(er) res image of the completed painting.

Triumph In Progress: Day 15

Triumph  |  36 x 36  |  In Progress: Day 15

A couple of more days and I've got the underpainting of the fuel tank laid in. The word Triumph in the lower badge will be much darker and appear to have three dimensions in the final piece. Today I'll move down into the engine. The engine, the engine, the engine. . . . 

Triumph In Progress: Day Twelve

Triumph  |  36 x 36  |  In Progress: Day Twelve

The last few days were spent finishing up the first pass on the frame and working on the name badges on the fuel tank. If you look closely at the word Triumph on the right hand side you'll see a "shadow". My first attempt at putting in the type was a no go because I didn't center it properly. So, I had to re-measure and paint it in a second time. Even though the type will eventually be a dark charcoal color, I put the name in white to help distinguish it since I was laying it right on top of the previous version. A task that was a little confusing. 

Triumph In Progress: Day Nine

Triumph  |  36 x 36  |  In Progress: Day Nine

The last couple of days have been spent working on the upper frame, front fork and wheel. The rubber sleeve covering the suspension was a real challenge. I'm debating whether to finish the frame first or head into the fuel tank next. The fuel tank frightens me so I'll probably finish up the front end first.

Triumph In Progress: Day Six

Triumph  |  36 x 36  |  In Progress: Day Six

Moving downward. Had to do a lot of redrawing in the handlebar area hence all the lighter shades of grey in spots that would otherwise look black. Those will become more defined in subsequent passes. I'm not sure how many passes this painting will take. I've bitten off a lot with this subject and I think it's going to take a few. As complex as it is, I have to say I'm enjoying the process. I may be singing a different tune when I get into the engine and the name badges on the fuel tank. Enough whining, onto the front fork and frame.

Triumph In Progress: Day Three

Triumph  |  36 x 36  |  In Progress: Day Three

It's been a couple of days and I've worked in the first pass of the rear view mirrors and the left hand grip. I'll probably wait until I have the right hand grip and speedometer laid in before I add my next post about this painting. 

Triumph In Progress: Day One

Triumph  |  36 x 36  |  In Progress: Day One

It seemed like a good time to post some "In Progress" images again. It's been a while since I've done this but this composition seemed to be a good one to offer up. I've never painted a motorcycle before and I'm hoping this turns out ok. The drawing is a little wompy, and there are a bunch of spots that have me freaked out. Parts of the engine and fuel tank in particular. Fingers crossed I can "fake" those in a believable way. I'm also trying something new here by placing the subject on a background of solid intense color. The blue areas are painters tape used to ensure a crisp edge on certain components. 

Coke with Straw No.2

Coke with Straw No.2  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on panel

I've been working on a few paintings for C. K. Contemporary in San Francisco here lately, and realized that I'd never sent them a "Coke" painting. So, I decided to do a second empty bottle with a straw composition. I love the accordion fold in the straw and how it's distorted by the shape of the bottle. 

It's a good thing I have some green and red paint left over, because just as I finished this piece I got a commission from Tree's Place Gallery for another Coca Cola painting. 

Commission: Place Setting No.3

Commission: Place Setting No.3 |  18 x 18  |  Oil on panel

This third version of Place Setting was a commission contracted through Tree's Place Gallery. It should be ready to ship in a week or so. With it complete I've moved on to another piece for C. K. Contemporary. I've not sent them a "Coke" painting yet, so I've got one of those going. I'm not exactly sure what I'll choose to paint after that. There's talk of another commission, and I've also acquired some new props, so depending on how things go, it might be time for some more photography. 

Cherry Knife No.2

Cherry Knife No.2  |  16 x 16  |  Oil on canvas

With Precious Metal on the road to C. K. Gallery in San Francisco, I was in the mood to paint a smaller still life. I had a lot of images from the fishing knife and cherries shoot and was eager to paint another. I really like the pearly handle of the knife and the tarnished silver cup. Once it's dry and varnished, I'll be shipping it to C. K. as well. I wasn't able to show them much love in 2013 and plan to send them more soon, but my next painting will be a commission. It's possible that the next two paintings will be commissions, but once they're complete it's back to work for California.

Commission: Pool Bowl No. 23 Final Painting for 2013

Pool Bowl No. 23  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on panel

The final quarter of 2013 was a real mixed bag of unexpected activity that ate up a lot of painting time. Some of that activity was really fun but the bulk of it was a real drag. That said, I still managed to get in one more painting before New Years Eve. A commission for a Pool Bowl arranged through Rehs Galleries in NYC. I think this was the largest format I've ever used for this subject and it took a lot of hours to complete. Hope the client will be pleased when it arrives.

Now it's on to 2014. I've got a lot of catching up to do and there's been discussion of a few commissions as well. At this point I'm just trying to sort all of that out, so I'm not sure what's going to appear here next.

Happy New Year Everybody!

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.