Anne Irwin Debut

some of the paintings from the show at Anne Irwin Fine Art

The debut show of my work at Anne Irwin Fine Art was friday night. Anne, Tiffany and Sybil had done a beautiful job hanging the paintings. My loyal cadre of intrepid friends, and family braved a rather cold drizzly night to attend, and show their support. They were augmented by a modest, but extremely warm, and friendly band of gallery goers. Each of them eager to let me know how much they admired my work. They were all very sweet, and it was great to hear so many favorable critiques. Listening to these positive comments really helps to substantiate ones hope that what you do is working. A constant question in the back of my mind. It's also wonderful to hear that your work affects people in such a positive way. It doesn't get much better than observing an art patron walk up to one of your paintings, and react with a smile.

p.s. I also sold a painting that night. The Half Perc.

Coke Crate No.2

coke crate no.2

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

. . . and finally this week, the other half of a coke crate I painted a couple of years ago. The crate was sitting on top of a weathered metal cooler embossed with the coca cola logo, just outside a "chuck wagon" style fast food vendor in Seaside Florida. I always liked the first version I painted of this composition, and knew that one day I'd revisit it. If you'd like to bid on this painting, you can take part in the auction by clicking here.

Cherry Plate

cherry plate

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

Cherries. There is something special about this succulent little fruit. It's beautiful, tastes really great, and it's one of my favorite things to paint. If you'd like to bid on this painting, click here to take part in the auction.

Couple

couple

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

Back to the commission themes once again. His shoe, her shoe. If you'd like to bid on this painting, click here to participate in the auction.

Blocks No.3

blocks no. 3

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

I thought I'd try the blocks on an ebay auction, and see if anyone bites. I really like this particular subject, and this would give me another reason to paint them. If you'd like to bid on this painting, click here to take part in the bidding.

PB&J No. 12

pb&j no. 12

oil on hardboard panel
6'' x 6"

I've got a new batch of ebay paintings coming up this week. Starting off tonight with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I'm very happy with the use of the negative space on this one, borrowing the idea from the half perc below. I love funky crops. Once these five are all up, I'll be getting to work on new paintings for Stricoff Fine Art. The corporate commissions early in the year, and preparing for the show at Anne Irwin Fine Art forced me to set them on the back burner. So the next few months will spent getting them some new work. If you'd like to bid on the painting above, you can take part in the auction by clicking here.

Half Perc

Half Perc

oil on hardboard panel
12'' x 12"

My plan was to complete two more paintings for the October show at Anne Irwin Fine Art, but alas, "the best laid schemes o' mice and men, gang aft agley". Time just ran out, so this will be the final piece. Eleven paintings is not too bad actually, considering the brief amount of time I had to get ready. I've done this "half perc" before for ebay in a much smaller format. It was nice this time to paint it larger, and include the wonderful deco engraving on the front. Now, I'll get busy on some new ebay paintings, and once those are all on the auction block I'll be working on photography. I've been actively procuring new items from ebay for future paintings, and I'm looking forward to some fresh compositions, and a few new subjects.

Espresso Cup

Espresso Cup

oil on hardboard panel
12'' x 12"

I've been painting coffee cups like this for years now. I've been on a quest to capture that elusive translucent quality of the ceramic surface. I feel I get a little closer with each new attempt, and one of these days I'm going to nail it.

This piece gave me a lot of trouble when it came to photographing the finished painting. I'm still not happy with the final image, but after nearly an hour of phutsing with it in Photoshop, I felt it was acceptable. Photographing the final painting, and producing an accurate likeness is a real challenge. I've been modifying my technique over the years, and have yet to come up with a foolproof method. As with the technique for painting ceramic, I hope to, one of these days, develop a system that consistently results in a faithful reproduction.

Pool Bowl No.10

Pool Bowl No.10

oil on hardboard panel
12'' x 12"

I don't think I could put together a group of paintings for a show, and not include at least one painting of my ubiquitous pool balls. Pool Bowl No.10 will be that one for the October 16th show at Anne Irwin Fine Art. At this point there are still a couple of weeks before I run out of time to add more work. I've got one on the easel now, and I'm going to attempt to squeeze in one more. This will be my first show since the demise of Twinhouse, and I have to admit I'm a little nervous. I think I've put together a pretty good group of paintings, just hope people show up opening night.

Red Shoes

Red Shoes

oil on hardboard panel
12'' x 12"

As with the painting of the blocks below, this portrait of a woman's red shoes, also comes from a batch of photos I created for a recent corporate commission. I shot hundreds of images for that job, but only used four. That left me with a surplus of really good compositions, that I still wanted to paint. Red Shoes, as well as an earlier painting titled My Right Foot, will represent shoes in the October show at Anne Irwin Fine Art. If they prove to be a popular subject, I'll be happy to return to them again. If they don't, I'll shelve those images in hopes of returning to them at a later date. Now I'm onto another 12 x 12 also planned for the fall show. In fact most, if not all, of what I'll be working on during the month of September, will be headed to Anne Irwin. Opening night is scheduled for the 16th of October, so I've still got a little time to flesh it out.

Blocks

Blocks

oil on hardboard panel
18'' x 18"

I knew when I created many of the images I used for the Chicago commission I would be returning to them for gallery work. I'm not sure how they will be received by the art going public, but I'm very fond of many of those compositions. These blocks in particular are one of my favorites. It's headed to Anne Irwin Fine Art for the October show along with the cherries below. The Dick Blick panel I painted this on was wonderful. I only wish they came in larger sizes. I think if I could find all of the sizes I need, I wouldn't use anything else. Ampersand makes a pre-primed panel called "gessoboard" that does come in a wider variety of sizes, so I'm going to give them a try, and see how it takes paint.

The first pass on the ladies red shoes is done, and while it's drying I need to get going on my next painting. One of the most difficult aspects of this career, for me, is deciding on which composition to do next. Occasionally it's necessary to bring in an outside source to break a tie. Karen and I usually provide that service for one another.

Cherry Bowl No.6

Cherry Bowl No.6

oil on gallery wrap canvas
12'' x 12"

I finally finished the cherry bowl, along with a second, larger painting, which I'll post an image of tomorrow. These will be part of an October show I'll be sharing with another artist at Anne Irwin Fine Art here in Atlanta. I'm currently working on a pair of ladies shoes, and have drawings done for a number of other paintings to be included in that show. The opening is scheduled for October 16th, and I'm working quickly to get as many pieces done as I can prior to that date.

Pool Bowl No.7

Pool Bowl No.7

oil on hardboard panel
5.5'' x 5.5"

. . . and last but not least a bowl of pool balls. This completes the weeks ebay offerings. I recently did a tally of all my pool ball paintings, and this will be number 26. It's been a joyful run, and I think a subject that still has some life left in it. I'll be shipping the large pool balls up to Wynne/Falconer on monday, where I hope a collector will give it a good home. I'm also nearly done with the first pass on my next gallery piece for Anne Irwin Fine Art. I should mention that I am delighted with the surface of the Dick Blick pre-primed panel I'm using for that piece. It's wonderful. If you get the urge to bid on the painting above, you can take part in the auction by clicking here.

Half Loaf

Half Loaf

oil on hardboard panel
5.5'' x 5.5"

Karen has made it clear to me that I should have a bread painting in the works at all times. She's a fan of my bread paintings, so I've done a small one for this weeks auction offerings. I cropped this one tight, diving right into the heart of the loaf. It's an unusual composition, but I believe it really works. In fact I'm thinking of doing it again down the line in a larger format. If you'd like to bid on this painting you can access the auction by clicking here.

Milk Jug

Milk Jug

oil on hardboard panel
5.5'' x 5.5"

This little milk jug pops up from time to time. It's been a while since I painted it, but thought it was time to visit it once more. There is something about the convoluted top of this glass bottle that really excites me. The patterns of light, and color produced by the shape of the glass is so beautiful. Bidding for this painting can be accessed by clicking here.

My Shoe

My Shoe

oil on hardboard panel
5.5'' x 5.5"

Next up this week is a spin off of one of my commissioned paintings. I liked a lot of the photography I did for those, and planned at the time to eventually incorporate some of those images in future gallery and ebay paintings. One of my favorite themes were the shoes, and so I've come back to those. I love painting them, and I'm hoping they prove to be popular, so I can do more. You can access this auction by clicking here.

PB&J No.11

PB&J No.11

oil on hardboard panel
5.5'' x 5.5"

In between passes on my current cherry bowl painting I've been working on five new pieces for auction on ebay. Up first this week is the eleventh in a series of peanut butter and jelly sandwich paintings. A favorite theme of mine, "borrowed" years ago from a piece I saw painted by Duane Keiser. Hopefully, by the time these are all listed I'll have completed a version of the cherry painting I'm happy with. This one, for some reason, has been really kicking my butt. I've also begun a new painting slated for the October show at Anne Irwin Fine Art. I'm using a 16 x 16 pre-made panel from Dick Blick for that one. I'm curious to see how this surface takes the paint. If you'd like to bid on the painting above, you can access the auction by clicking here.

Pool Balls No.6

Pool Balls No.6

oil on gallery wrap canvas
24'' x 24"

I finished up the big pool balls a couple of days ago, and I think the painting turned out pretty nice. It was encouraging to complete an over-scale painting, and be pleased with the results. I haven't decided exactly where it will be going just yet, but it will probably wind up at Wynne/Falconer. The cherries painting is still a work in progress, and I'm wading into my next five ebay paintings. I should begin listing them next monday evening.

Chevrolet

Chevrolet

oil on gallery wrap canvas
16'' x 20"

And last, but not least, this vintage automobile, I titled simply Chevrolet. The painting has made the rounds, and still not found a home. If fate deems that I wind up keeping it, that's okay, because I really like it. A lot.

The pool balls are finished, and I'll post the completed image tomorrow. I think it turned out pretty cool. Painting that large was definitely a new experience. In the scheme of things, 24 x 24 isn't really all that big, but it was a leap for me. I couldn't help but wonder, "how much larger could I go with something like this"? I suppose I should wait, and see how it's received before I jump in with both feet.

Today I'll be working on the Cherries, followed by either group of ebay paintings, or the reflective piece for Wynne/Falconer. If you'd like to take part in the auction for the painting above, you can place a bid by clicking here.

Tomato on the Edge

Tomato on the Edge

oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

The second of my three returns is another "item on a sunlit mantle", and I'll toot my own horn a little here by saying I think it's one of my best tomatoes. In other news, I'm getting close to the completion of the really big pool ball painting. It should be done in the next day or so. I'm also about halfway through a new bowl of cherries painting slated for the fall show at Anne Irwin Fine Art. Karen and I went to an opening there last Thursday to see a show of emerging artists. Our friend Leslie Cohen had her work on display. It was a fun night. The gallery was packed. Literally elbow to elbow. A bunch of other galleries in the area were also open that night, and we hit most of them before the night was over. I'll be getting started on a reflective piece for Wynne/Falconer as soon as the cherries are done. If you would like to bid on the painting above, you can access the auction by clicking here.

Small Kettle

Small Kettle

oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

My next three posts may evoke feelings of déjà vu for some of you who have followed my blog for a while. Each has been here before. In the course of my brief career as an artist, a few of my paintings, have for what ever reason, proven to be "red headed stepchildren". Years ago I began to refer to these unfortunate, and unsold paintings, hanging on the wall of my studio, as "the gallery of shame". I still, jokingly, use this phrase today when I speak of my unsold paintings. The paradoxical aspect of this situation is that many, if not most, of these paintings were in fact, some of my favorites. Happily, over the course of time, these paintings did sell. Small Kettle, and the paintings in the next two posts, will highlight my current family of orphans, seeking a home. If you'd like to bid on this painting, you can access the auction by clicking here.

Some Really Big Pool Balls: in Progress

Pool Balls

oil on canvas
24'' x 24"

I'm inching my way up the large scale ladder. I've been dancing around the idea of doing a big pool ball painting for a while now, and at 24 x 24, I believe this one fits the bill. I get requests, on occasion, to include some in progress images of a painting. Since this particular piece will probably take some time, I thought it would be a good one to use for that purpose. The image above shows the painting at the completion of the first pass. I'll post more images as I conclude successive passes.

Mug & Perc

Mug & Perc

oil on canvas
12'' x 12"

I mentioned in a previous post that I had done some bartering with my nephew/dentist for some dental work. This is my half of the bargain. Jason, and his partners are in the process of moving into their new office (a very impressive space) and he asked for one of my reflective percolators to hang above the coffee station that will be included in the waiting area. I completed it a few days ago, and will be sending him an image of it today. Hope he likes it.

After I completed the painting above, I began a really big (really big for me) pool ball painting. The dimensions of the canvas are 24 x 24. Each of the balls is about 14 inches in diameter. It's a strange experience, painting them that size. Essentially six times larger than my traditional compositions. I have to say, it looks kind of cool. Karen really loves it. It will take some time to complete, so I'll be putting up some "in progress" images. I'll post the first image tomorrow.

PB&J No.10

PB&J No.10

oil on canvas
18'' x 18"

Finally finished up the most recent PB&J. It's a little bigger than I usually go with bread, and sandwiches, but I think it still works pretty well. This is slated for a show in the fall at Anne Irwin Fine Art. Now, I'm finishing up my "bartered" piece, for our nephews new dental office. We delivered Karen's piece to the new office yesterday, and everyone was thrilled with it. I think it will definitely put the patients at ease, as they await their fates in the outer office. Once my contribution is complete, it's back to work for Wynne/Falconer.

Cherry Bowl No.5

Cherry Bowl No.5

oil on panel
6'' x 6"

This is a smaller, and subtly altered version of a cherry bowl composition I painted a couple of years ago for my now defunct Atlanta gallery. I always liked this image, and when I saw how much red paint I had left over from my most recent pb&j, I figured that I could use it for a cherry painting. I'll post the image of that pb&j in the next day or two. If you'd like to participate in the auction for this painting, you can bid by clicking here.

Cup and Spoon No.7

Cup and Spoon No.7

oil on panel
6'' x 6"

I have this ongoing quest to paint a simple piece of white porcelain accurately. To reproduce that wonderful milky translucent surface realistically. Duane Keiser is great at it, and I hope to one day approach his level of skill. This is a fun challenge, which has resulted in a large number of "cup" paintings, and I feel that I learn a little bit more with each attempt. If you'd like to bid on this painting, you can take part in the auction by clicking here.

Half Perc No.3

Half Perc No.3

oil on panel
6'' x 6"

Of all my percolators, I think this Coffee Master is my favorite. Partly because it was a wedding gift to my parents in the early 50's, and as such inhabits my earliest memories, and partly because of its wonderful shape. The complete coffee maker is composed of two parts, and as yet I haven't painted it in its full configuration. I just love the look of each individual component on its own. Its Tweedle Dee shape, and mirror like surface combine to give you a terrific distortion of the percolators surroundings. One of these days I'm going to buckle down, and put the two pieces together, and paint a large version of the entire appliance. If you'd like to bid on this painting, click here.

Holstein

Holstein

oil on panel
6'' x 6"

Viewing Karin Juricks recent set of blog posts, with her paintings of bucolic Lancaster Pennsylvania, and its famous population of Amish residents, got me in the mood to paint some livestock. It's no secret that I love painting cows, so I dug into my archive of photos searching for a suitable image. Years ago my dad had arranged for Karen and I to visit the University of Georgia's school of animal husbandry for the soul purpose of photographing their cows. We had a great time that day, just walking around the fields surrounded by these beautiful animals. This image came from that visit. I was specifically looking for a composition that had the cow looking directly at me. I thought this was a good one. If you'd like to bid on this painting you can access the auction by clicking here.

Honey Chair

Honey Chair

oil on panel
6'' x 6"

My schedule needed some modifying this week. I had been working on a larger piece for Anne Irwin Fine Art, but it needed extra drying time because of the quantity of red in the painting. I decided to get started on a small painting I was planning for my nephew, and now my new dentist, as a trade off for some (beautiful) dental work he had done for me. Karen and I are both contributing art for his groups new office space as payment for dentistry. What a great idea - bartering. Anyway, the first pass on that painting was completed before the AIFA piece was ready, so I figured I'd go ahead, and get busy on some ebay paintings.

Karen and I found this little chair in an antique shop here in town, and we both fell in love with its shape and honey colored finish, hence the title. Karen has painted it numerous times. This particular composition was "discovered" as I passed one of the bedrooms at Anna's Veranda, the victorian home we rented at Inlet Beach Florida back in February. The chair had been placed there the day before, and I came across this scene the following morning, just as the sun was clearing the horizon. I grabbed my camera, and started firing off shots. If you'd like to bid on this painting, you can take part in the auction by clicking here.

PaintBlog

I got an email this morning informing me that my work had been featured on an art blog called PaintBlog. I followed link, and then spent the next hour delving into its' archives. The site is run by Canadian artist Eric Cator. The piece below is one of his urban landscapes titled Alicia Motel. His spartan landscapes, and rooftops are outstanding.

Alicia Motel by Eric Cator

acrylic on wood
16'' x 16"

His site features a different artist each day. The post contains an image, and a brief subjective bit of text, which also includes links to the featured artist's site, and/or blog. The archives go back to January of 2008, and in the limited time I've spent on the site so far, I've already discovered a number of artists I'm anxious to add to my list. This is a well crafted site, and is a welcome addition to my list of other artists sites, such as Charlie Parker's Lines and Colors, Katherine Tyrrell's Making A Mark, and Artist A Day.

I'm approaching the finish line on the second PB&J slated for the fall show at Anne Irwin Fine Art. It should be complete in the next couple of days. After that I'll be working on another group of six by six ebay pieces, and then back to gallery work.

PB&J No.9

PB&J No.9

oil on canvas
12'' x 24"

I had so much fun painting this particular piece that I've decided to stay in this vein, and start another. No loaf this time, but continuing with the theme of the pb&j. It's an 18 x 18 focusing on the sandwich. This subject was requested by the owner of the Wynne/Falconer Gallery, and will be shipped up to Cape Cod. The painting I'm working on now will be included in a show scheduled for October at the Anne Irwin Gallery here in Atlanta.

Hamilton Beach - Model G

Hamilton Beach - Model G

oil on canvas
24'' x 24"

I finally finished up the latest Hamilton Beach Mixer, which I plan to offer to Stricoff Fine Art. I have now moved on to the next piece. Karen had been on my case lately to paint another loaf of bread, and Wynne Falconer recently expressed a desire for another pb&j, so I've got a new composition going which incorporates both of those elements. It's been a while since I've done a loaf of bread in cellophane, and it feels good to have one on the easel. I just completed my second day on it, and so far it's coming along nicely. I think I was biorhythmicly ready to do this particular painting.

Stacked Cups No. 3

Stacked Cups No. 3

oil on canvas
6'' x 6"

The final ebay painting for this week, is the third in what has become a series of stacked coffee cup paintings. Now it's back to the big mixer, which I hope to complete in the next day or two. That one has been a real bear, and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it will work out. If you'd like to bid on the cups above, you can access the auction by clicking here.

Electric Kettle

Electric Kettle
oil on canvas
6'' x 6"

I picked up this electric tea kettle on ebay a while back, and took a bunch of photographs, but haven't got around to painting it until now. I've selected a few good compositions from that lot for larger paintings, but thought I'd debut it here on ebay as a six by six. As you can see the kettle has this great dome shape, perfect for reflecting its' surroundings. Plus it has a wonderful decoesque handle. I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. I think this is a good start, and I'm looking forward to painting it again on a larger scale down the line. If you'd like to bid on this piece, you can take part in the auction by clicking here.

Skull

Skull
oil on canvas
6'' x 6"

I have to admit that this particular painting was done strictly for pleasure, with no regards as to its' marketability. This little skull was used in one of the Chicago commissioned paintings, and I just wanted to paint it again. Skeletons are so beautiful to me, and as I have found out, really fun to paint. This is the third one I've done so far, and it was a real treat. I inherited this skull from Jeff and Leslie Cohen a number of years ago, and it resides on our bookshelf with my modest collection of artifacts from the natural world. I can't say for sure what animal it came from. I'm tempted to say that it was an Opossum, but I'm not positive. If there are any zoologists out there that can identify it, let me know. So, if you are one of those who is drawn to this type of subject, and would like to bid on this painting you can access the auction by clicking here.

Pears in the Sun

Pears in the Sun
oil on canvas
6'' x 6"

Working on this little painting took me back in time to my early days on ebay. While updating my website recently, I rediscovered many of my early ebay pieces, and they made me realize how much I missed those brightly lit pieces of fruit on the bench near our bay window. So, I decided to return to my roots, and paint a couple of sunny pears. I had forgotten how much fun it was to sink your paintbrush into a juicy pear.

Click here to bid on this painting.

Sack Lunch

Sack Lunch
oil on canvas
6'' x 6"

I decided to hang the big mixer up on the wall for a week. Let it dry following the second pass, and while that process is taking place, do a few ebay paintings. I know that I'm taking too much time on this mixer painting, but I want to get it right. After the first layer was complete for each of the five ebay paintings, I picked up on a subtle running theme. All but the final painting used the same color palette. This may be a good thing, or it may not. Nonetheless, that's how it worked out. I'm really drawn to "earthy" colors, ie. variations of olive green, browns and dark reds. I hope this weeks posts won't appear too redundant. I believe the variety of subject matter may help tone down the accumulative effect of those repetitive colors. If you'd like to bid on this painting, you can access the auction by clicking here.

Dis-Connected

Vintage Percolator
oil on canvas
12'' x 16"

It's not unusual for me to go a week or more between blog posts, but this week scheduling was totally out of my control. Earthlink, in an attempt to correct some billing errors originating at their end inadvertently disconnected my internet service. I knew that "disconnection" was the most likely cause of my troubles, since the loss of service came about minutes after Earthlink took care of my problem. Having no other recourse to regain my service, I entered into the bowels of intercontinental tech support. Five days, multiple calls over seas, hours spent following cryptic unintelligible instructions, and several "live chats", accessed via the free wi-fi at my local coffee shop, they came to the conclusion that I needed a new modem. I was convinced that this was not the problem, but having reached the end of my rope, I agreed to have the modem shipped. The following day I received a call from tech support stating that they had discovered the problem. They had accidentaly disconnected my service at their end, but they were happy to report that our account had been reestablished, and that we should be back online. We were. The next day our new modem arrived.

While all of this was going on I took a break from the large mixer I've been working on to let the first layer dry, and returned to the painting above. I had started this well over a year ago, but never completed it. I thought, "maybe this would be a good time to finish this up". I hadn't worked on one of the old percolators in a while, and it was kind of a blast from the past to do one again. I haven't decided where it will go just yet. I'm trying to build up a store of paintings then figure out where they all should go.

I've also been working on some new ebay paintings. I've got the panels cut, primed and the drawings transferred. Once the big mixer is complete I'll get going on them. I plan to follow those with a pb&j slated for Wynne/Faconer. We'll see how it goes. This is my plan, as of today.

My Right Foot

My Right Foot
oil on canvas
12'' x 24"

Vacation is over, and it feels good to get back into the groove once again. I finally finished up this painting of one of my "dress" shoes. The right one I believe. It's from a batch of photographs I shot for the recently completed Chicago commission. While I was in the midst of composing the image for the theme of "Family" I took a number of shots of my shoes alone. I came up with quite a few compositions that work pretty well, and depending upon how this one is received, I hope to return to that folder of images, and paint more along this line in the future.

I'm currently working on another of my large (24 x 24) mixer paintings. I bought a really cool looking Hamilton Beach off of ebay a while back, and have been anxious to paint it. I finished the first pass today, and as always, I'm a little distressed about how it looks. This happens with every one of my paintings, so I'm remaining optimistic that it will turn out to my liking in the end. I haven't decided where I'll be sending either of these as yet. I may just stockpile a number of new paintings, then make the decision as to where to send them.