Pool Balls No. 6

Pool Balls No.6
oil on gallery wrap canvas
12'' x 12"

Yes, another painting with pool balls. Number six in this particular composition. They remain a popular theme, so I'm happy to continue along this line. I admit it makes for redundant blog posts, but it's the most colorful of my subjects, and I enjoy doing them. This piece, along with the last two paintings, will be shipped to Stricoff when they are dry.

I've been busy with photograpy these last few days. Working on compositions for the commission which, hopefully, will be interesting, and cohesive as a group. I transferred my first drawing to canvas this morning, and was a little unnerved by the size of the subject. These items will be huge. I've never worked this large before, and I believe it will definitely be a learning experience.

I did a mock up of the board room in Photoshop using some of my images so far to get an idea of how the paintings will work together. If I can pull it off, I think it will look pretty cool. It's a big "if". I've never painted a small bag of potato chips 30 inches wide before. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I'll start on the first painting tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Paper Goblets

Paper Goblets
oil on gallery wrap canvas
16'' x 20"

The painting above was intended to be shown as an "in progress" image, but by the time the completed painting below had had a couple of days in the spotlight, this was completed. It will be headed to Stricoff Fine Art, Ltd. along with the milkshake mixer, and the soon to be completed pool balls. Paper Goblets almost didn't make it. There were a couple of times during the process where it came very close to being wiped off, and replaced by something else, but it was working well enough to keep me with it until it reached a point where I felt it was actually going somewhere. I'm glad I stuck with it, because looking at it now, it comes pretty close to my expectations. I'll put up the new pool balls in a couple of days.

Hamilton Beach No.2

Hamilton Beach No.2
oil on gallery wrap canvas
24'' x 36"

Well, I've finally completed the second "large" milkshake mixer slated for Stricoff Fine Art, Ltd. It's been finished for a little while, just haven't gotten around to taking a photograph of it. I have a couple of new "in progress" pieces I'll put up in a day or so. More Pool Balls and something shiny.

I met with a corporate client yesterday. I don't usually take on commission work, but this is a pretty lucrative project with a prominent business in Atlanta. All the particulars haven't been worked out yet, but it looks like it will happen. The company is PrintPack Inc. Somehow one of the "higher ups" saw my Bread Bag painting, and felt a connection. I suppose it's because their business is plastic packaging. If it all works out, my paintings (five in total) will hang in the board room. A pretty impressive space, I must say. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how this goes. I have to admit I'm a little nervous about it. Hope the quality of my work will be equal to the significance of the space.


the space I'm to fill


the view opposite my wall

These commissioned pieces will be posted here as they are completed. I'll have the in progress images of my current paintings up in a couple of days. Till then . . . .

New Milkshake Mixer in Progress

I had finished everything up for the Twinhouse show, and was excited about getting into this new large Milkshake Mixer for Stricoff when . . . I came down with a second cold. I had about three days into this new painting when I got slammed for the second time this year. I couldn't believe it. I haven't been sick in years, and I even took the precaution of having the flu shot, but to no avail. Haven't had the energy to work at my easel for nearly a week. Just sleep and cough.

I'm on the mend now, and feel I should be painting again possibly as soon as tomorrow. I was strong enough yesterday, and today to work at my computer compiling tax information for 2007. Ugh, tedious, tedious work, but it's nice to have it mostly behind me now. Barring any more unforseen delays, I should have the completed version of the new mixer up late this week.

Twinhouse Winter Show 2008

The show went off pretty well on friday. Attendance was lower than previous shows. I believe the inclement weather kept all but the most adventerous patrons from driving in. Family and friends "have" to show up, so they provided a number of warm bodies that night. Above is my nephew Jason, and his girlfriend Alison checking out my wall.



Here are two patrons admiring Karens' work. Twinhouse is such a beautiful space. It's always exciting to see your work hanging there after having it stacked around the house for weeks prior to a show. The strip of businesses that include the gallery had been bought out by developers, and it looked as though the gallery would be demolished in the upcoming months. Now we've heard that there has been a reprieve, and it will remain in its' current location for the next 18 months to two years.



And last, but not least, a couple of patrons discussing the merits of "Business Opportunity in Monkey Town". Jeff Cohens' work looked great. The show included one of his most beautiful water towers. All in all, it was a good night. I sold two paintings, and Karen sold one. I haven't spoken with Jeff since that night, and so aren't sure if he has had any sales as yet. Now it's on to the other galleries. I've got a good start on my second large Milkshake Mixer destined for Stricoff. I'll put up an in progress image soon. Before I end this post I'd also like to thank Karin Jurick for sending me these images from the show. I took my camera, but didn't take a single shot.

Small Kettle

Small Kettle
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

Well, we've finally reached the end. This is the final piece for the winter show at Twinhouse. I'm not exactly sure what this "little kettle" is, but that's how I've named it. This may actually be a creamer. I just like the shape, and how its' surface reacts to light. I also felt that my contribution to the show needed one more refltective piece.

All the paintings have been delivered, and are at the gallery being hung. Susan always does a great job of positioning the work, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she presents the paintings this year. It looks as though the weather will not be cooperating. It hasn't rained a drop here in Atlanta for the last nine months, but it will be raining on friday, with a chance of thunderstorms. Hopefully the hardier gallery patrons will brave the elements to attend the show.

Anyone interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting can find contact information to the gallery by clicking here. If you'd like to see all the completed work, for Karen, and myself, you can either click on the "Upcoming 2008 Twinhouse Show" link or click here.

Sliced Bread No. 2

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

As I said in my last two posts, "heavily weighted toward the subject of bread". Sliced Bread No.2 is the final bread painting, and the last of the paintings that were previously shown at Twinhouse. It is a larger piece than the others in the group, sized at 12 x 12. This is, in my mind, one of my best bread paintings.

If you're interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting you will find contact information to the gallery by clicking here. If you'd like to see all the completed work, for Karen, and myself, you can either click on the "Upcoming 2008 Twinhouse Show" link or click here.

Sliced Bread No. 3

Sliced Bread No. 3
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

As I said in a previous post, "heavily weighted toward the subject of bread". Like the Tomato on the Edge, this particular painting has been at Twinhouse since the fall. I've included it for the same reasons I listed with the Tomato painting. Hopefully this will be seen by someone who is unfamilar with it, and experience love at first sight.

If you're interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting you will find contact information to the gallery by clicking here. If you'd like to see all the completed work, for Karen, and myself, you can either click on the "Upcoming 2008 Twinhouse Show" link or click here.

Pear Platter

Pear Platter
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

Here is the second of the two pear paintings for the show at Twinhouse. I'll be putting up a painting a day to get these all in before the 22. If you're interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting you will find contact information to the gallery by clicking here. If you'd like to see all the completed work, for Karen and myself, you can either click on the "Upcoming 2008 Twinhouse Show" link or click here.

PB & J No. 6

pb & j no.6
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

My portion of the show at Twinhouse this year is heavily weighted toward the subject of bread. I'm hoping that I haven't tipped the scale too far in that direction. It's been a popular theme in the past, and maybe there is still life left in it. No pun intended.

If you're interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting you will find contact information to the gallery by clicking here. If you'd like to see all the completed work, for Karen and myself, you can either click on the "Upcoming 2008 Twinhouse Show" link or click here.

Tea Cup

Tea Cup
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

Next in the line up for the winter show at Twinhouse is this little cup. I hadn't done a tea cup painting in quite a while, and thought it was time. I have to say it was really fun to paint, and I think it turned out well.

I'm intrigued by white ceramic, and have been trying to master that creamy translucent surface for years. I'm getting there, but haven't got it yet. There are a lot of subtle layers, colors, reflections, and highlights in this material, and it's been a challenge to capture those qualities properly. I'm hopeing one day to fully realize those in a painting, and am looking forward to that learning process.

Those who may be interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting can find contact information to the gallery by clicking here. If you'd like to see all the completed work you can either click on the "Upcoming 2008 Twinhouse Show" link or click here.

Tomato on the Edge

Tomato on the Edge
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

I'm going to be completly honest with all of you, and confess that this particular painting has been at Twinhouse since the fall. It will be included in the grouping for the winter show, because: 1. It will help flesh out my portion of the gallery and, 2. I really like it. I felt that I nailed the tomato, and I love the composition. It was in fact one of my favorite paintings of last year. I don't always "see" my paintings as others do, and often miss the mark. None the less, I think it's pretty good. No, really good, and am looking forward to seeing it with the other pieces on the wall. I hope you can forgive my pride.

Business Opportunity in Monkey Town
oil on multiple plywood panels

The title of the Twinhouse show is Trifecta, indicating the there will be three artists represented. Karen and I are two of the trio, and Jeff Cohen is the third. He will be showing a number of his "fragments" paintings. He creates these by painting individual plywood panels separately, then mounting those panels to a plywood box. The finished painting is then covered with a beeswax preparation. We spent the evening with Jeff and his wife Leslie (also an artist) a couple of days ago, and saw a number of his completed paintings . . . Jeff's going to have a good show.

I've suggested that he put up all of his completed paintings on a temporary website, so the entire show could be viewed by those who may be interested in making a pre-show purchase. He liked the idea, but he's in a bit of a crunch to finish his paintings, and wasn't sure if he would have the time. If he can swing it, I'll put a link to those paintings in a future post. They're really beautiful.

I've got my small paintings finished for the show, although they are not all on my website just yet. I should have them up in a day or so. Now I will begin working on a new piece intended for Stricoff Fine Art Ltd. Jeff Stricoff was interested in another Milkshake Mixer (yay!), so I'll be working on that for a while. I may post some "in progress" images for it.

Anyone interested in a pre-show purchase of the Tomato painting above can find contact information to the gallery by clicking here. If you'd like to see all the work completed so far you can either click on the "Upcoming 2008 Twinhouse Show" link or click here.

Split Pear

Split Pear
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

I haven't had much luck selling pears in the recent past, but the fact is that I love painting pears, so here is the first of two pear paintings I've done for the Feb. 22 show at Twinhouse. Actually I stole this image from Karen, who had used it in her painting Symmetry, which she will have at the same show. It will be interesting to see if anyone notices.

Those who may be interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting can find contact information to the gallery by clicking here. If you'd like to see all the work completed so far you can either click on the "Upcoming 2008 Twinhouse Show" link or click here.

Shaker Head

Shaker Head
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

Moving on to the next piece from the up-coming Twinhouse show Feb. 22. I love this milkshake mixer from Hamilton Beach. The motor housing is especially fun to paint. If things work out, I'll be able to paint it a lot before people get sick of seeing it. This is the second incarnation. The composition is similar to the first, only much smaller, and sans the cup. Anyone interested in a pre-show purchase of this painting can find contact information to the gallery by clicking here.

We picked up the invitations for the show yesterday at the gallery, and they look really good. It's a nice design, and the reproductions of each artists work is spot on. I may scan it, and put it up later, I'm not sure. If you'd like to see all the work completed so far you can either click on the "Upcoming 2008 Twinhouse Show" link or click here.

Pool Balls No. 5

Pool Balls no. 5
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

With the exception of the Cherry Can, the paintings for the show at Twinhouse will reflect popular themes and sizes from the previous year. I've received quite a few requests for that subject matter, and I aim to please. Once the show is hung I'll be returning to some of the larger pieces I had flirted with at the end of 07.

If you would like to make a pre-show purchase of this painting you can find gallery contact information by clicking here. If you'd like to see all of the paintings completed so far you can do so by clicking here.

Cherry Goblet No. 3

Cherry Goblet no. 3
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

Here is the next painting headed to the winter show at Twinhouse gallery. The show pieces are now being added to my website as each is completed. The site will also include contact information to the gallery for those who may be interested in making a pre-show purchase. The website also includes a link to Karens catalog of paintings scheduled for the show. If you think you may be interseted in the purchase of this piece you can click here for more information.

I was originally planning on doing six 10 x 10's, but with the added time provided by the altered schedule, it looks like I may have nine or ten small paintings in addition to the larger Cherry Can.

See you in a few days with the next installment.

pb&j no. 5

pb&j no. 5
oil on gallery wrap canvas
10'' x 10"

Thanks to all of you who left the encouraging comments on the Cherry Can painting. I was a little iffy about how it would be received at the Twinhouse show in February, but now am much more confident about that particular piece. Jim (you know who you are) thank you for your observations, and comment as well. I'm looking at my images a bit more closely now before I commit them to canvas.

Above is the first of the 10 x 10's headed to the winter show at Twinhouse. I have three pieces relating to bread. Karen likes my bread, and convinced me to do some more. The date for the show has been pushed back until the 22nd of February, and so I'm going to try, and squeeze in a couple more of these 10 inch squares before the deadline. If I don't make it I'll still have the six, which I think is a respectable number inluding the 24 x 36 for a group show.

I'm sure that a lot of you who frequent this blog are fans of Karin Jurick, and may have seen this painting already, but Karen and I are so proud to have been "immortalized" by her I had to include the painting in this post. The image was taken from our trip to Asheville NC, to take part in the opening night reception of her show at 16 Patton. One amazing thing about this painting is that Karin started it just after we called her to say that we were on our way to her house to meet for lunch with her and Brett. The painting was complete by the time we arrived. She's something else. Karin has a spread in the January issue of American Art Collector magazine on newstands now. She is also painting for a show at the Howard/Manville Gallery in Kirkland Washington. The opening reception is February 9. You can see those works by clicking here.

I haven't updated my website as yet to include the contact information for the gallery, if any visitors are interested in purchasing "pb&j no. 5". I should have that done in the next day or so. If you can't wait you can click on the Twinhouse link, and either call or email Tiffany. She can help you with that. I'll be spacing these new images out, with the final one posted a few days prior to the opening. I'll be back in a few days with the next painting.

Cherry Can Complete

Cherry Can
oil on gallery wrap canvas
24'' x 36"

The can of cherries is finally finished. I don't know if it works or not. It didn't turn out like I'd hoped it would. I may have bitten off more than I can chew on this one. It took much longer to complete than I anticipated, and my cold didn't help speed things up any. Now I'm in a race to produce enough work for Twinhouse to actually call my contribution a "show". Fortunately it's a group show, which takes some of the pressure off.

No more large paintings for the time being though. I've got six 10 x 10's drawn out, and if I kill myself maybe I'll be able to complete them all in time to hang in early February. It's not what I had planned, but the holidays, my illness and the riduculous amount of time I spent on the cherry can has rendered my original ideas moot.

I'll post each of these small pieces as I complete them with links back to the gallery for purchase information. Wish me luck, because I'm going to need it.

My Original Painting A Day

August 1986
ink & marker on bristol board
7'' x 7"

I've been laid up for the last eight days with a terrible cold, and as such haven't been able to put in any time on my Cherry Can painting. This has really put me behind on the work I need to do for the show at Twinhouse in February, but what can you do.

Rather than let my blog languish un-updated I thought I'd post something fun from my past. I recently received an email from someone who used to frequent our type/design shop Pace Typography in the late 80's. In his letter he mentioned how much he had enjoyed my calenders. I hadn't thought about them in a long time, so I got them out, and looked them over for old time sake.

Each month for one year I created a calendar shell, and in each square I'd draw a little picture representing the most significant event of the previous day. Then, I'd color them with markers. Each square was about 3/4 of an inch in size. A lot of these days had no event more significant than working, and maybe watching television that night.

March 1987
ink on bristol board
7'' x 7"

March of 1987 was the last month I did this, and as you can see I never found the time to color that month in. The images are rather cryptic, and I've forgotten what a lot of them are supposed to mean. We did go to a lot of movies in those days. A lot of movies. I was also spending a great deal of time building scale aircraft models. Both of which are heavily represented above.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to post my first "painting a day" effort. I have a lot of fond memories of Pace Typography. It was a wonderful experience working everyday with my best friend Michel Valin. He and I worked really hard, never made any money, but for nearly eight years I looked forward to going in to work each day. Many of our clients would come to pick up their jobs, and then would just stay and hang out. People didn't want to leave, even occasionally joining us for lunch. A number of those clients have become very close friends.

I'm back at work now on the cherries, so I should have a new progressive image up soon.

Happy New Year - you all!

Seasons Greetings

St. Angus
oil on canvas
18'' x 36"

For the last few years my annual Christmas card has been derived from modifying one of my old "cow" paintings in Photoshop. Basically transforming a pastoral scene into a winter landscape. I thought this year, in addition to creating hard copies to be sent via snail mail to family and friends, I'd also post it here on my blog, as a sort of "e" card to everyone who has taken the time to visit and comment in 2007. Thanks again everybody. I hope you all have a happy holiday season. Oh and, Merry Christmooooooooos!