GE  |  16 x 16  |  oil on panel

I've been working on this painting, off and on, since April. Other than taking time to create Big Drill No 4, it's one of only three paintings I have worked on in 2021. I've been looking at it for so long I don't know what to think about it anymore. So, here it is. I've started on something new. It's one of, if not my favorite subject . . . Aircraft. I could use a little comfort food right now, and airplanes really fill that need. 

Big Drill No. 4   |   16 x 16   |   Oil on panel

 

It's been a long and difficult year and my production has taken a back seat to other more pressing obligations. I currently have a half finished piece in the works, and I just completed this painting for an upcoming show at Rehs Galleries. The theme of the show, if you can call it a theme, was that his artists were to do a painting using a surface created by a new company called Artefex. I have to say they're nice panels. The show was originally intended to take place this fall, but due to the state of, everything right now, it has been pushed to the spring of 2022. As for me, I feel I'm starting to get my groove back and hope to be posting new work much more frequently in the near future.

Robert's painting for Tom Petty's Highway Companion

 

In the early 2000's Karen was in a co-op gallery called Heaven Blue Rose. It was her first gallery and since it was a co-op she would have to spend a specified number of days each month running the place. On one of those days two gentlemen walked in and struck up a conversation with her. They were both named Robert and one of them was an artist looking for a space to show in. That was Robert Deyber. Karen and "the Bobs" hit it off immediately and when she came home that day she told be about these wonderful men she had met at the gallery and that I had to meet them. That was the first day of a nearly 20 year friendship. 

Today that friendship ended when we heard that Robert had taken his own life. He had spent decades in pain. In the years that we spent a lot of time with him his pain was bad, but in the later years after he and Robert Graham moved to Connecticut it became a chronic debilitating pain. Multiple surgeries and mountains of medications provided little relief until the day it became too much for him. 

It was so great hanging out with Rob and Bob. It was like being with family. A really engaging, funny and creative family. Bob and Karen would get into these creative riffs. Bouncing ideas off each other like professional tennis players. It was a joy to watch. We didn't see them much after they moved to Connecticut, but I always felt that if we could get up there we'd pick up right where we had left off. Karen and I are really going to miss him.

Karin Jurick

 

In the early 2000's my wife Karen and I were just beginning our art carriers auctioning our paintings on eBay. Part of that experience was searching eBay for other artists. It was a productive exercise that turned us on to a wealth of new talent. One day I came across the painting above and asked (practically begged) Karen to split the cost of it if we were to have the winning bid. We won the auction and when we contacted the artist discovered she lived just across town. She said she was a huge fan of our work and would love to deliver the painting herself. A week or so later Karin Jurick showed up at our door and twenty years later was still one of our closest and dearest friends. Tragically, a few days ago she suddenly passed away.

Karin was a remarkable woman to say the least. She was tough but had a huge heart. She was funny, smart witty and a true genius at painting. Karin was a virtuoso with a paint brush. Karen and I would watch her paint on occasion and we would just sit there with our mouths open in awe. Karin was also one of Karen's most trusted advisors. If Karen had a question, about practically anything, Karin would always give her her honest opinion on that subject. Karin had a way of cutting through the BS, so you knew when she spoke it was the laser focused truth. 

We shared numerous shows with her and took quite a few trips to the beach with her and Brett her partner of thirty years. Karen and I would frequently meet on their side of town for lunch at their (and our) favorite Mexican restaurant. I can't tell you how much I looked forward to those visits, or describe the size of the hole her passing has left in my heart. I love you Karin.

Detail of Current Work in Progress

Detail of GE WIP  |  16 x 16  |  Oil on panel

 

I've been out of the world for a while, but I'm close to finishing up the underpainting of my current piece. This is a cropped image showing a detail. It's pretty rough, but it's a start. There have been rumors of a possible corporate commission, but as yet it has not materialized. If it does get the go I'll need to put this painting aside until until I can complete the commission. My next post should show which direction this story takes. 

Ryan PT-16 Complete

Ryan PT-16  |  24 x 24  |  Oil on panel

It's been two months, and it's finally complete. I say "finally" like I'm glad it's over, but not so much. I loved working on this painting. I just hope someone will want to buy it. Now comes one of the hardest parts of this "job", figuring out what to paint next. 

Ryan PT-16 Underpainting In Progress No. 3

Ryan PT-16  |  24 x 24  |  Underpainting In Progress No. 3

With the addition of the remainder of the engine cowling, exhaust ports, wings and the Ryan logo the underpainting is done. Now it's back to the beginning, starting with the prop. This will be the final WIP image. The colors area little whacky with each of these posts. Shot with different camera's under different lighting conditions.The next post will be the completed painting with an image taken with the "good" camera. Really hoping I don't screw it up!

 

Ryan PT-16 Underpainting In Progress No. 2

Ryan PT-16  |  24 x 24  |  Underpainting In Progress No. 2

 

Progressing apace as it were. Engine cowling with inlet ports and more rivets. The color of the background in this image is closer to the actual color than that in the first WIP image. 

Happy New Year!

 

Ryan PT-16 Underpainting In Progress No. 1

 

Ryan PT-16 |  24 x 24  |  Underpainting In Progress No. 1

I came across this Ryan trainer at the  National Championship Air Races in Reno back in 2012. I've been holding onto this photograph since then. I know aircraft art has a rather limited audience, but it's my favorite subject to paint, so here we go. I know this will take a while to complete (there are a lot of rivets in this image) so I thought it would be a good painting to include some In Progress shots. Here's number one.

bread

Bread  |  16 x 16  |  oil on panel

 

My last painting of 2020. I don't know if that's a good thing or bad. Anyway, Karen really wanted me to paint some bread again, so I obliged. One of my more funner subjects to paint.

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, "it's been a strange year". I'm very fortunate that I have my painting to keep me centered. I'm keeping a glass half full kind of attitude these days, believing that 2021 will, for the most part, prove to be a less interesting year (for all of us). Before I go I'd like to thank everyone who visited my social media sites these last twelve months. It's very encouraging to see the "likes" and read your wonderful comments. I'll be back here again in January with a somewhat larger piece that should warrant some "work in progress" posts. 

So, Happy Holidays . . . and have a Happy NEW Year!

POOL

POOL  |  16 x 16  |  Oil on panel

 

It seems like I've been working on this for an eternity, but I'm finally calling it done. Next up was supposed to be a larger piece, but I'm kind of liking this 16 x 16 inch format, so I'm bumping that selection for a smaller piece. When that's done I think I'll be ready for something a little larger. Two compositions are vying for that spot. One is a 24 x 24 and the other a 30 x 30. 

Crayola No. 2

Crayola No. 2   |   16 x 16   |   Oil on panel

Karen just painted a Crayola box for her upcoming show at Shain Gallery in October, and it reminded me of the Crayons I painted back in 2014. I've archived the probably 50 photographs I took of it so I thought to myself, "I've still got all these images why not pick another composition and do it again". So I did. Now I'm contemplating the next painting and haven't decided whether it will be another 16 x 16 or move up to a 24 x 24. They're two completely different subjects, so I'm going to prep both panels, then maybe just flip a coin to decide. The coin toss idea is helpful because if I think "ugh" instead of "yay" when the results are in I can be pretty confident that it's the other subject that I really want to paint.

Heinz

Heinz  |  16 x 16  |  Oil on panel

I really like sinking my teeth into a large painting, but lately it's been fun working smaller. It satisfies that need for "instantish" gratification. I know I've done a bunch of these ketchup paintings over the years. They remind me of my introduction to the photorealist artists when I discovered the work of Ralph Goings in the seventies. Fortunately I was able to see one of his paintings in the flesh at OK Harris in New York before they closed their doors in 2014. Anyway, now I'm back to the most difficult part of this job, deciding what to paint next. Right now I'm not sure but I know one thing, it will be no larger than 16 x 16.

Flying Tiger

Flying Tiger   |   24 x 24   |   Oil on panel

I do a lot of photography, either in the field or creating still life set ups at home. Amongst all those photos there are always a few that I feel are just a little above the rest. Unfortunately due to a serious flaw in my mental abilities I tend to reserve these images for some future date when the time is "right", or I've gotten better at painting to utilize them. Because of this I rarely get around to actually using one of these, what I think of as, "really great" photos. Bogged down in this unpredictable world we all live in now I figured maybe it was a good time to use one of those precious photos. I'm not saying that this particular image will come across to the art appreciating/buying public as anything special. This only pertains to my perception of the image. I am glad I finally broke down and released this shot because it was really satisfying to paint.

inspiredapArt

Artist Katie Koenig https://www.kkoenigart.com/ came up with the idea of a socially distanced art show. It's an online small works exhibition with all the proceeds of the sales to go to the artists. Karen and I both agreed to participate. The show will run from June 19th to the 26th. There's a lot of good art, so if you want to check it out here's the link.

https://www.inspiredapart.com/

Coke Straw No. 2  |   12 x 12  |  oil on panel

Think Small No. 2

Think Small No. 2   |   24 x 36   |   Oil on panel

My first quarantine painting. It's the same bug I painted back about a year ago, after I came across it in a Whole Foods parking lot. Like I said then, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for this car, having owned two in my life. I was having a bit of trouble getting a good photo of this painting because the color was wreaking havoc with the white balance settings of both my cameras. This version is really close.  

I'm indulging myself with my next painting. Aviation played a pretty big part of my earlier life as a fan, a pilot, a skydiver and an aircraft mechanic, so I've picked a P-40 Warhawk. It's an image I've had stored for a while and I figured at this moment with all its uncertainty, it would be nice to do something that reminded me of that more adventurous time.

Mixer Commission

 Mixer Commission   |   16 x 16   |   Oil on panel

Finally . . . the first painting of 2020. A commission for a client of C. K. Contemporary Gallery. Off now to Blick to purchase a panel for the next painting. I've got a couple of different compositions for that panel and hopefully by the time I get it primed I'll know which one gets picked.

Pool Bowl: Orange No. 13

Pool Bowl: Orange No. 13  |  16 x 16  |  Oil on panel

Even though I actually finished this painting in 2020, I'm calling it my last painting of 2019 since 99% of it was actually done in 2019. Coming up next will be a commission of my shiny Sunbeam mixer. 

12 Ounce   |   24 x 24   |   Oil on panel

Sometimes I just have to paint an empty bottle of pop.