J. Perrault

"Garden Light" Available on EBay

2012-01-29T12:58:00.000-05:00

Small 6x8 original oil painting. Oil on linen. Painting is sold unframed.
This model is a dance major home for the summer. She posed in a fellow artist's garden on a warm, summer morning. It was the light raking and defining her torso - combined with the deep shadows behind that I attempted to capture. The contrast between her warm, tanned skin and the various overt or subtle greens also intrigued me.

Xanadu Gallery Ad in American Art Collector magazine

2012-01-21T20:41:00.000-05:00

Page 39 of the February issue of American Art Collector Magazine has this painting of mine as part of the advertisement for Xanadu Gallery.

Gray Sweater
Available at Xanadu gallery

Winter 1947

2012-01-15T19:57:00.001-05:00

Winter 1947
Sold

Small 6x8 original oil painting. Oil on linen. Painting is sold unframed.

At Christmas my mother brought a dvd collection of old family home movies. One scene of a snowstorm circa 1947 caught my eye. I froze (pun intended) the scene on the TV and painted this from the couch. In it are my mother, her brother, sister and a family friend. Plus the dog. Mom is second from left. She's about 11 or 12 years old.

Our First "Whine & Critique"

2012-01-01T21:17:00.001-05:00

Since the death of Tom Buechner and with "Open Studio" being mothballed, artists in the community had found themselves increasingly drifting apart. It was decided to have a monthly get-together, a time for artists to share a glass of wine and a piece of art. The piece could be finished, unfinished or something the artist is 'stuck' on. The goals are to network and help each other move forward.

Our first W&C was held at 171 Cedar Arts Center. The Center's director, Lynn Rhoda Dates, generously opened up the second floor art studio for two hours. About 18 artists attended ( I did a head count - but forgot what it was) and almost all brought a piece of work. The next W&C will be held in the studio of Bridget Bossart von Otterloo. All artists polled thought it would be interesting for other artists to host the monthly event, sort of a 'book club' format. We want to see each other's studios, perhaps gain some tips on set-up and working.

Any artist is invited. All are welcome. Please bring a beverage of your choice or a dish to share. It's very informal. Pieces are displayed. The artist is asked to say a few words on the piece, then everyone jumps in.

Lessons learned from the first W&C:

We need to start talking about the art earlier, leaving the socializing for afterward.
There needs to be a time limit on the critique of each piece.
Two hours wasn't enough. Three is better.

Two pieces of art seemed to gather the most attention. Barb Blumer brought in two small paintings she'd done using eye shadow. Barb started the pieces for fun, to see if it was possible, and wasn't expecting the (positive) reaction. Marty Poole brought in a large interior he found himself stuck on. Marty presented his problems and requested comments. He got a lot of them.

We didn't get to all of the work. Thus the idea of a timer. Comments on the night have been very positive. It's apparent there were a few rough edges - but hey, it was our first one. They're scheduled for the third Mondays of the month. We have an email list but it isn't complete. If you're intererested in attending and not on the email list, please contact West End Gallery (607) 936-2011 or email me and we'll get you the details.

Artists: Jackie Braselmann, Maria Holbein, Rebecca Finch, Barb Blumer

Artists: Barb Blumer, Criag palmer, Jen Palmer

Artist Sheila Ortiz with her work

Thanks to Lynn Dates (l) for hosting the event

Big News! J. Perrault represented by Xanadu Gallery

2011-12-01T18:50:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I received notice of acceptance into Xanadu Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. For now I'll be a part of their virtual gallery. If sales are good then I can be invited to show in the physical gallery.
This is a huge opportunity that I've been working hard toward since my visit there last February. Now I'm going to have to work even harder to maximize this chance. Wish me luck...

To visit my virtual on-line gallery with Xanadu gallery click here: J. Perrault

Gray Sweater
oil 20x16
Available

Chelsea (8x10): Progressive Steps

2011-11-25T13:31:00.001-05:00

Shot with my iphone, (except the last one).

Chesea oil 8x10
Available

My New Paintings at West End Gallery

2011-11-23T12:16:00.001-05:00

"White Knight"
oil 8x10 in.
Sold

"Find Time to..."
Oil 16x20 in.
Available

artmatch 4u

2011-09-10T10:08:00.004-04:00

"artmatch 4u" an online art magazine has posted my review of the Open Box M easel system. Check out their site. It has a lot of interesting stuff (besides my article). here's the link: artmatch4u

Juanita

2011-09-07T11:42:00.002-04:00

Juanita - oil on linen 8x10
Available

Two New Ones

2011-09-03T11:20:00.003-04:00

This one is at West End Gallery in Corning, NY for the "Windows" exhibit.

Amelia's Morning Meditation - oil on linen 11x14
Available

Not titled just yet - or finished
oil on linen 11x14

Changes

2011-07-25T17:49:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite lines (as my son well knows) is "the only constant in life is change". Since the beginning of May my attention has been diverted from painting to a significant event that is, and will, cause drastic changes in all of our lives. Because of an initial period of adjustment and struggle I've been neglecting my painting. Slowly...very slowly, I've begun working again. First I finished up a boatload of paintings I'd left in various stages of completedness. Now my decks are cleared and I'm ready to start fresh on fresh work. If you have been checking back here wondering what's going on, I can tell you soon I'll posting some of this new work. Stay tuned for updates. Thanks!

My Son's Chess Set

2011-05-06T10:00:00.001-04:00

Red King and Queen
16x20 oil on linen $1200
Available

White Queen
8x10 oil on linen $300
SOLD

The Lewis Chess Set

For Christmas my son received a chess set. The set is a replica called The Lewis Chessmen, and while over 800 years old, is know to teens and tweens from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". One morning, struck by the clear, winter light hitting the pieces I immediately got down on my hands and knees for a closer look.

The Lewis Chess Set is actually the best of four different sets. They were found on the Isle of Lewis in 1831 by a farmer walking the beach after a storm. The rising seas had exposed a stone chamber near the ruins of a nunnery. One version of the story has the young farmer actually falling into the chamber during the storm. Startled by the arranged pieces illuminated in a flash of lightning, he ran home to his wife saying he'd been captured by "the little people". Practical-minded she marched him back to the find, then sold them to a dealer in Edinburgh.

No one knows how the sets came to the remote Isle of Lewis, or why they were entombed. Experts agree the sets are 12th century Scandinavian in origin. They were carved from walrus tusks and they accurately represent the dress and customs of the time. Carved on their faces are the realities of a warfare that was brutal, close and personal. There is no glory - just horror and survival.

On that winter day I was struck by the humanity of the little pieces, a quality not normally found in a chess set. I wanted to paint them.

Couple Things

2011-04-26T10:22:00.000-04:00

Now on FaceBook thanks to some serious lobbying by Bridget Bossart van Otterloo, Barb Blumer, and others. I'd had an account for a while, just never became active. So if you want to be 'friends' look me up.

Other news is I've a "Get-to-Know' entry on West End Gallery's blog. Basically it's a question and answer. I'll probably post it on my blog also, but if you're impatient you can find it here.

Noah takes a photo of himself every day for 6 years.

2011-04-15T08:58:00.000-04:00

There are other videos on YouTube of people taking everyday photos of themselves and blending them into a sort of time lapse video. I think this one is the best.

It's like time is swirling all around Noah, almost as if he were in a river. The changes in his background are fast and dramatic: light, people, locations, but the changes on his appearance are subtle (except for his hair). He gains some weight, his forehead recedes, he seems to grow sad, then recover. I'm not sure why, but I've been thinking about this video all week.

Other similar videos are OK, but lack the power of this one for various reasons. In one a teenaged girl pays no attention to lighting, or anything else really, and its disjointed, confusing. In order to make it work the lighting has to be consistent for a good number of frames and the 'triangle' of the face (eyes, nose, mouth) need to be in the same position time after time.

Another guy tried his hand at it. He seemed to shoot each photo after getting out of the shower everyday. I know why, he was lining his face and head up with the tiles behind him, using them as a grid. So you see his appearance through time, and only his appearance. In order for it to work the face has to remain reasonably steady while life swirls and spins around behind.

And of course there's an App for this. It's called - what else? - "EveryDay'. It works on iPhone4. It will remind you at set times to take a photo, then uses your phone camera to take the picture. The previous day's photo is ghosted on your screen so you can line up your head to keep consistency. Looks like it would work.

Fur Hat

2011-04-08T16:55:00.003-04:00

Willa in Fur Hat
Oil on linen 8x10
Available

Didn't spend a lot of time taking these photos (obviously) but you get the idea. 8x10 oil on linen. To see C&C at WetCanvas click here.

Yes! I'm painting!

2011-03-25T11:36:00.001-04:00

Readers might be forgiven if they thought the recent Kim English workshop had traumatized me into not painting. Not so! There are quite a few paintings rotating on and off my easel, it's just that none of them are quite yet in a state I'd like to show. Soon...soon, I'll be posting them soon.

In the meantime please enjoy this painting of me painting by Kim English. He painted it plein aire in ten minutes at our recent workshop. I had no idea he was painting me painting - then I neglected to get a photo of his result. Without my asking, he was kind enough to send a copy. I'm afraid to ask the price....

By Kim English (completed in ten minutes)

For the record, my kids say I look too old in the painting. Gee thanks Kim.

Also recently this past week I had a chance to view a significant portion of my unsold landscape paintings all together. My wife has moved into a new office with bare walls and she requested (no - demanded) all my unsold landscapes. So I duly recalled them from the gallery and attic. Pretty cool seeing work from two, three, even five years ago. I have no idea why some of them went unsold, but I'm glad because now they're going into her permanent collection.

Kim English Workshop: A Review

2011-03-04T17:23:00.003-05:00

Mid-February in upstate New York is a good time to leave for a week in Arizona. So I did. Around Valentine's Day my friend Bruce and I flew to Scottsdale for a workshop with nationally known painter Kim English. It was my first workshop ever.

L to R: artist Rose Nadeau, Kim English, artist Karen McLain, artist Rick Graham

How and why this workshop was chosen is a long story I'll condense to a paragraph. Bruce's wife gifted him a workshop anywhere/anytime for his birthday. That was two years ago. He wouldn't (or couldn't choose) so she started working on me, asking me to find one he'd like to attend. The catch was she wanted me to go with him because she thought he'd enjoy it more. This made sense. I was game. After mucho discussion we decided on Kim English in Scottsdale. I had a place for us to stay - so that saved me some money, and English's style of painting appealed to Bruce.

Going in I knew the workshop would play to Bruce's strengths, and my weakness's. Bruce has done a lot of plein-aire, he paints fast, and he favors a looser style. I on the other hand, hate to leave the studio, paint relatively slow, and incline away from the "painterly" styles of oil. But my thoughts were I'd get a lot of brush time and get out of my comfort zone. Besides, the high here was 8 degrees F and 70 degrees in Arizona. No brainer.

First impressions of Scottsdale Artist's School were positive. Nice, light-filled building. Hallways hung with paintings by renowned artists. Friendly, helpful staff. Large, well-equipped studios. We didn't see much of the studio as almost all of our painting was outside, but we met in one every morning. I considered it an auspicious omen that a painting by Tom Buechner was hung just outside ours.

Kim started the first day with his painting box set up. Two models carried on a casual conversation in front of him while he demonstrated some tips for capturing a scene quickly. He pre-mixed piles of color while commenting on his palette choices. He showed how he wanted us to quickly mass in the figures and background, explaining there wasn't time to do a line drawing of the scene or match each and every value. A broad, gestural glance was more what he was looking for.

Someone said they'd heard a Kim English workshop was like a boot camp for artists. It is, but not in the sense that you have someone standing over you screaming while you attempt to paint. More in the sense he seems to believe in the discipline of painting, and painting a lot, under the self-imposed stress of time. Kim gets down to the basics of capturing a scene quickly while outside in changing conditions. He wants the artists to think on their feet and adapt.

To do this we started the day with five minute poses. That's right - five minutes to get the figures and the background down. Five minutes and the models changed the pose - and the pose wasn't static. The models pretended they were two ordinary people chatting and interacting as we painted. These five minute poses lasted all morning - three hours with very minimal breaks. I sucked at it.

A word here about surfaces. The course calls for 10 - 15 small panels (8x10, 9x12) that will be painted on and wiped off. Thinking to economize Bruce and I bought cheap, and I mean cheap, acrylic primed duck surfaces. This was a mistake. Expensive as it is I'd strongly suggest bringing primed linen panels. Wiping off the cheapos was a chore. The surfaces took paint poorly and when working fast you want the paint to glide smoothly off the brush. I ended up buying some linen panels at the school toward the end of the week. They wiped clean and the paint lay bright and smooth.

In case you're wondering, yes the five minute poses were gradually stretched to ten, and even twenty minutes, through the week. We never went over twenty though. Kim explained that if you get used to five minutes, then ten seems a luxury and twenty downright hedonist. I guess that makes sense if your ideal is to capture quick plein-aire studies. Useful tip he passed to me when I asked about capturing figures in motion ... He says the human walk is broken down into five stages. Memorize them. Then when you see a figure's action close your eyes quickly freezing the movement on the back of your eyelids. Then open your eyes and get the movement down immediately. With practice you can get pretty accurate.

Throughtout the workshop Kim painted alongside his students, making rounds to comment on our work. Sometimes a student would stop by his painting and ask a question, then a few more would crowd around and it became an impromptu demo. On the second day during one of these 'demos' the question was asked if all his gallery paintings were plein-aire. Kim said none of his gallery paintings were plein-aire. I'm sure I heard a collective gasp.

His methods of working are to paint plein-air sketches on site and take photographs. Then back in the studio he reviews the sketches and photos to begin a gallery piece. He paints it alla prima (in one go) from the computer monitor, and he never goes back to 'tart it up' afterwards. The painting has to stand on its feet from just one days painting.

Some bubbles were burst when he told the group this, but I smiled to myself as I'd guessed it from looking at his paintings. Kim's idea is to capture the scene with the urgency and freshness of on-site painting, while painting in the studio. If he's not painting he has a camera in hand, a large digital SLR. Once when I was driving to lunch with him chatting, he suddenly leaned across to snap a picture out my window. It was of a young man sitting on a bench rim-lit by the Scottsdale sun. Anyone who has spent any time with a photographer is familiar with the quick shot mid-conversation, then the casual return. I noticed Kim took a lot of photos, all with some sort of dramatic light and color as subject.

Each day the models were different and there were always two. Each day the location changed, but it was always on the grounds of the school. Most students saved their best paintings of the day. As the week went on and Kim became more familiar with each student's abilities and personality, he would make the rounds offering pertinent advice. When getting to me however, he would mostly stand behind and sigh.

Thursday in Scottsdale is the Gallery Walk when all the galleries stay open late. A large part of the class went out to dinner together that night, then hit the galleries afterward. Wow is all I have to say. It was a real thrill seeing the work of artists I'd only read about. Legacy had a $40,000 Lipking. Then there were Robert Coombs, Daniel Gerhartz, Steve Hanks, David Leffel, Amy Lind, Aaron Westerberg...and that was just Legacy. Also saw Michael Workman, Marci Oleszkiewicz, Calvin Liang, Joseph LaRusso...ok, lots of artist's work. Were there any cowboys and indians? You betcha, far too many, but this was the Southwest. In my opinion our galleries here have far too many lakes and vineyards.

Friday was a group critique. Kim is gentle. While he has a hint of sarcasm in his humor, he's kind and pertinent in his critiques. I saw no one in tears. As a matter of fact his sense of humor kept the class fun. The entire week was hard work with lots of laughs. What could be better? And I mean hard work. Bruce and I were up at 6:30 every morning for the drive in to Scottsdale, and home at about 8:30. Then we went to bed - exhausted. Friday night we went out to dinner with our new friends. More laughs and some - just some - wine. Saturday we flew home to be greeted by a snowstorm.

Everyone loves Bruce

Conclusion: This class is not for the faint of heart or those without some skill - especially in plein-air. Kim is a good instructor, but he doesn't hold your hand. You won't come home with any finished pieces, but you will hopefully have a practice method to get a scene down fresh and fast. Highly recommended if you want to refine/speed up your plein-air sketching with figures. This is also a good course if you are looking for some intensive time on the brush.

Note: If you have questions about this workshop I may be able to answer, please leave a comment or email me.

And last but not least - A Very, Special Thanks! to my sister-in-law for hosting us in her home. Thanks Annette!

Website Update

2011-02-02T13:58:00.006-05:00

Currently in the process of reworking my website. Taking longer than I thought it would... www.jperrault.com

Open Box M: A Review

2011-01-31T20:44:00.002-05:00

Recently while browsing the web I popped in at the Open Box M site. I hadn't been there in a while since my own Open Box is working just fine. I was astonished to see this message posted prominently on their site, "Please Plan Ahead! We are a small company that makes handcrafted artist equipment. Due to a high demand for our products and our attention to quality, it can be up to 4 weeks until your order is completed. Please contact us for expected delivery times. Thank you, open Box M."

Palette

I've been meaning to do a review of the Open Box M palette. This little message by the company, plus the fact their products run in the hundreds of dollars, spurred me on. If a serious artist is thinking about plopping down - oh say over $500 with tax + delivery - I'm sure they'd want the opinion of someone who's used it for a while. I know I would.

A brief history: at one point in my artistic career my thought was to be a plein aire painter. A friend uses an Open Box M palette so I bought one. I wanted a set-up that would work in the studio and in the field. So I bought an Open Box M. I think it was the 11x14 model with the walnut case. This was around 2007 and I don't know what I paid. Now the same kit is going for $460.

Walnut Case and Panel Holder

I used the kit all summer - well I used the palette. This is the working part of the set-up. it's essentially a shallow box with a means of holding panels/canvas. The interior of the box is supposed to be used as a palette. The box itself is set up on a tripod - not included in the price.

A word about the method of holding the canvas/panel. They use two brass rods that are spring loaded to hold the painting surface. It's really quite ingenius. I've taken it apart to see how it works (they cover up the innards with brass plates) and it's a simple, yet elegant method. This is the real heart of the Open Box M system, why you see photos of artists using it in magazines like Workshop and American Artist. The brass rods hold the painting surface secure with no rattle or shake. Competitors have nothing to match it.

The only part of the kit I use is the palette. I found the walnut case beautiful, but too big and heavy for everyday use. The wet panel carrier isn't as well thought-out as the palette holder, so I reverted to my old method of carrying wet panels.

This can be confusing. I found it so on their site when I was looking to buy. Here's a breakdown: the kit includes a big, heavy wooden box (beautifully finished) to hold paint, brushes, etc. It also holds a wet canvas carrier - basically useless. And the real reason for buying the kit is the palette, the shallow box with brass rods that mount to a tripod. This is what you paint on.

There are alternatives offered. For instance you can buy a kit that doesn't include the walnut box, instead substituting a messenger bag + palette + wet panel carrier.

After using my Open Box "M" palette all summer in 2007 I decided it wasn't for me. Now I wanted a Soltek. In my defense this was my 'experimental phase' when I was trying as many different set-ups as possible in search of that mythical, perfect set-up. A friend jumped at the chance to buy my Open Box and I sold it to him. Then:

I bought the Soltek. I sold the Soltek.
I bought an Easy "L". Now its down the basement.
I bought a Guerilla Box. Now down the basement, joining the Jullian.
I even tried my hand at making my own.

Eventually... reluctantly... I decided the best system was indeed the Open Box "M" palette. Now I had to buy another one. (In case you're wondering if I'm like this in other areas, my wife and I have been married eighteen years and my truck is six years old.) This time, however, I ignored the heavy (expensive) walnut box, opting instead for the messenger bag set-up.

A word here about Open Box's competitors. I'll break down their negatives because that's what decided me against them.

Easy "L" - too large and heavy. Needs a massive tripod. Panel fastener is inferior to Open Box. Hinges are superior to Open Box. Second most popular among artists based on my browsing of workshop photos.

Guerilla Box - large and heavy, yet indestructible. Worst drawback is their panel fastening system. It requires you buying a separate holder for each size panel. And the panels rattle with each brushstroke. I want my painting surface to be rock steady.

Jullian - large and heavy, but incorporates tripod into system so you don't have to carry it around. Set-up can be complicated ( I see people at almost every painting session I go to struggling with their Jullians. And I see many elderly painters asking for help.) Ultimately I found the palette surface of the Jullian too low for comfortable painting. I didn't like the panel fastening sytem either. You can't get to your entire surface without some mid-painting adjustments.

Soltek - ahhh...Now this is one I'd choose again. The tripod is part of the box and it all folds neatly down into a compact package. If some crazed art materials thief stole my kit tomorrow, I'd buy a Soltek as replacement. Drawback to the Soltek is a lousy palette inside. Wilcox may have changed it, but mine was a piece of flimsy plastic gray tupperware. The Soltek is basically an updated 21st century Jullian made of aluminum and plastic. Comes at a premium though. Cost is comparable to Open Box. (Note: they offer a "pro" model that's supposed to be for artists over 5'8", but I'm 6' and it fit me fine.)

and now for the negatives of open Box M:

There aren't many - otherwise i wouldn't have settled on one. I'm nit-picking. The box could have dovetailed corners. Needs a quality tripod, but it doesn't have a to be a huge tripod. I get along quite nicely with a lightweight Bogen. Hinge system can be annoying...and ...ummm...that's it.

If you're thinking of buying one are they worth the money? Probably. Are they worth the money and the wait? Not for me...I'd get a Soltek. Or for the price I'd try this new version offered at Dick Blick. Looks like it would work...or you never know it might end up down the basement.

Craftech Sienna Plein Air Pochade

Parka - 11x14 oil on linen

2010-12-22T18:29:00.000-05:00

11x14 oil on linen

On the easel, and I apologize for not cropping it out.

Braid: A Portrait

2010-12-17T17:16:00.001-05:00

Braid
11x14 oil on linen
available

I posted this painting in the WetCanvas Portrait forum and got some outstanding C&C (Comments & Critique). When I make some of the suggested changes I'll post the newer version with this old one side-by-side. Here's the link to the forum if you'd like to see the C&C.

A Stolen Story

2010-12-10T10:14:00.001-05:00

Over on his blog Red Tree Times artist Gary Myers has a short entry about a diner in Horseheads. This is, I believe, the diner setting for a great little story friends told me. In fact I like the story so much I'm going to steal it.

First off my friends moved here a few years ago. She was an instructor at the Rhode Island School of Design, and he moved here after being hired by Corning Inc. Gretchen is an artist and Ron a very accomplished amateur photographer. They both have a very strong interest in the arts, hitting openings on a regular basis and show their own work locally.

One Sunday morning, shortly after moving here, they decided to try a diner in Horseheads, NY recommended by a friend.

The way they tell the story it was a leisurely breakfast reading the New York Times. After a while Gretchen pulled out her sketchpad and started drawing. The waitress came up and asked them if they wanted refills on their coffee, and she noticed Gretchen's sketchpad.

"Are you an artist?", she asked. Gretchen told her she was and that her husband was a photographer.

"That's so cool...you know my great-uncle is an artist," the waitress said.

To be polite Gretchen asked about the artist uncle. She imagined he was a retired art teacher (at best), or perhaps a senior citizen who painted as an enjoyable hobby. She wasn't expecting the answer she got.

"That's nice,"Gretchen said. "What does he paint?"

"Mostly landscapes and sometimes people, but he's really, really old now."

"What's your Uncle's name?"

"Andrew Wyeth."

True Story, though I haven't gone to the diner and asked about Andrew Wyeth's niece/ waitress, though every time I pass the diner it crosses my mind.

Here's the link to Gary Myers' blog entry on the diner.

Nude by the Pool

2010-11-07T10:54:00.002-05:00

6x8 Oil on linen This past summer we gave the model a hat and asked her to pose by the pool. French Riviera in Upstate NY.

Sold

H.inLRD@Window

2010-10-26T14:07:00.002-04:00

11x14 oil on linen (LRD=Little Red Dress)
Available

S@JackiesOct

2010-10-25T09:49:00.007-04:00

11x14 oil on Linen. Hopefully this one will be in West End Gallery. After putting it on WetCanvas for C&C I worked a few things. The link to WetCanvas is here if you're interested in their comments.
Sold

Untitled Nude For Sale on Etsy 6x8 in.

2010-10-06T21:07:00.003-04:00

An original oil painting on oil primed linen, mounted on a birch panel 6x8 inches. Every Wednesday myself and a group of artists hire a model for life painting/drawing.This painting is from the model, from my references of the model, or a combination of both. This painting is sold unframed.

Available

Nude Blond Sitting from Back 6x8 in for sale on Etsy

2010-09-29T21:26:00.004-04:00

An original oil painting on oil primed linen, mounted on a birch panel. Every Wednesday myself and a group of artists hire a model for life painting/drawing.This painting is from the model, from my references of the model, or a combination of both. This painting is sold unframed.
New Paintings listed every Wednesday at 8:00 PM EST.

Sold

Nude Blond from Back for sale on Etsy 6x8 in

2010-09-23T11:11:00.004-04:00

Sold

Untitled Nude For Sale on Etsy

2010-09-15T20:00:00.005-04:00

Stretching Ballerina 6x8 in.

2010-09-08T20:00:00.010-04:00

Posted on West End Talk

2010-09-02T11:47:00.003-04:00

Over on West End Gallery's blog I posted an entry about framing and the upcoming "Rituals" exhibit. If you'd like to check it out click here.

Brunette Green Dress Dancing Summer Day for Sale on Etsy

2010-09-01T20:00:00.006-04:00

Great Advice

2010-08-03T12:10:00.002-04:00

Alyssa Monks did an interview here that I found pretty interesting, but the real gem is at the bottom where the interviewer asks what advice she has for aspiring artists. Here is her answer:

"Skills are very important, but nowhere near enough to make art. Definitely acquire the skills through whatever practice and education you choose and embrace it with discipline but have no attachment to success. Work as hard as you can. Don't ever compare yourself to others. Learn how to work on your work. The more you paint or sculpt or draw the more you will know what to do and the more you will develop your voice. Stay true in your work. Don't try to make art about things you don't know about, care about, or understand. Make art that you care about, because you believe it should exist. Know your place and be humble and grateful always. It's a competitive world and most people will not succeed, that is the reality. It's not an easy road and too many artists complain constantly about how it's not fair and it's not merit based. These are excuses. Take ownership of your work. Never show anything that isn't completed. And don't try to describe your ideas in words to other people, be a little bit brief and coy about them, you can never really convey anything visual in words anyway. And share your process and work with other artists you admire, allow for real critiscism, don't take it personally, just let it make you better. Read art magazines and learn about the art world. Know your history. Love art. Love your materials. Let your materials humble and surprise you. Don't try to control the process, but do have a plan. Plan, plan, plan...then be open to surprises and twists. Be fascinated. Find a job that can sustain you and leave you a bit of time to make work, but doesn't require any creativity. I'd suggest not even taking a job in the art world. I was an administrative assistant all over NYC in different temp jobs to sustain myself. Don't wait till you have the perfect studio to make your best work. Make the best of your space and do whatever you have to do to make it work. It will be decades before you find the perfect space, if ever. Ask questions. Be kind. Be respectful always. Don't burn bridges. Have a website. Share your work. Take the feedback with a grain of salt. Read art books. "What Painting Is" by James Elkins. "Art and Fear", a great essay about being an artist. Be patient with the art world, and impatient with yourself. Write your artist statement, mostly to clarify your intent for yourself."

I'll probably print this out and hang it in my studio.

Paintings for "Rituals" at West End Gallery

2010-07-31T08:00:00.012-04:00

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These two are framed together....Sold

The final three floating in a series.

The framing of these pieces is an experiment - an expensive experiment. I thought it would be neat to use a floater frame coupled with a high end frame, then to frame the pictures in series. Problem is the expensive framing option jacks the price way up. We'll see if they sell.

Vacation!

2010-07-30T14:43:00.000-04:00

It's been four years since we took a family vacation. Last week we rented a house and hit the Jersey Shore. The house was in northern Jersey, near my old base when I was in the Coast Guard. The water was warm, the waves were perfect and the sand was white. It was also a VERY hot week; great beachin' weather.

Jillian

Connor

My Wife - Sungji

Acting on the advice of Gina Marriner I gave them all lots of kisses and hugs, even my 13 year old son who thought I was nuts, and who tried to push me away with a grin. It was a time for long, long walks on the beach with my wife, teaching my son to boogie board and finding shells with my daughter. Now back to work.

Sad News...

2010-07-16T09:44:00.003-04:00

Gina Marriner, aka Antique Art Garden, is a collector who has bought a few of my paintings. More importantly I consider her a friend. She's given me a ton of advice (most of it unsolicited!) that has helped me grow and encouraged me as an artist. This week her 21 year old daughter was killed in a motor vehicle accident.

As a parent I cannot even imagine her pain. When I do try to imagine it - my mind recoils. If you have the time, please stop by her blog and leave a note of sympathy.

Antique Art Garden

Miss Sarah Anne Marriner

Pictures

World Cup 2010 - My Thoughts

2010-06-27T20:58:00.006-04:00

Now that both the teams I was rooting for are out, and my emotions are high, I thought I'd vent a little:

- The US team beat themselves in the game against Ghana. The forwards had chance after chance to put the damn ball in the back of the net and didn't do it. We were weak both forward and back and you don't go deep in a World Cup with just a strong middle. 300 million people and the best we can come up with back is Jay DeMerit? And as for Altidore - he showed NONE of the skill or speed that he showed in Germany 2006. At 20 years old he looks old and fat. Kudos to Donovan, Dempsey and Bradley but three aren't a team.

- While I started this WC wondering about the coach's son, I leave it wondering about the coach. Michael Bradley was awesome in this WC, but his Dad? Did he want to lose to Ghana? That's the only reason I can think of for him starting the players he did.

- I don't like Efan Ekoku's announcing. He's a pretentious, snotty prig. I like Steve McManaman and Alexi Lalas; they tell it like it is. Klinnsmann is OK but a bit too New Agey to stomach. Give him a hug?

- The Jabulani ball is a disgrace. Any idiot can see how it sails off the toe. What in the name of God were FIFA thinking? Oh yeah, that's right they don't think. How are players with tens of thousands of hours with a real soccer ball supposed to adjust their play in the course of a few weeks with a BALLOON? Somebody, somewhere is making a fortune off this ball I wouldn't let my nine year olds practice with.

- Officiating: there will always be mistakes; that's human nature. There is no excuse for a Coulibaly though. Obviously in an effort to be PC and have African refs FIFA put in a woefully inexperienced ref. Americans have never in their history allowed one person in authority to manage their destinies. That's one reason it's so hard for American fans to stomach the complete authority of one referee on the field making all the calls.

- Thank you Fate for the referee in the US-Ghana game. He let the game play out and the Americans hang themselves. No Dr. Merk anywhere on the field (and how sweet the karma that allowed US to get a penalty kick!)

- Why OH WHY (and I'm crying here) can't FIFA get their heads out of each other's asses and allow instant replay? Oh yeah we're talking about Sepp Blatter, a guy who laughed out loud when the Irish didn't make the WC due to a French handball. A guy who's under investigation for just about everything...gee, makes you wonder?

- England, Oh England! Maybe they need a few World Cups like the French just had, so the English media give up the ghost. Then the players can come back and ENJOY the game, and win the Cup.

- Both the England and US games point out the need for a solid defense. A watertight, mobile back line won't win the World Cup, but not having one loses the World Cup. Duh, but something seemingly forgotten in the hype over flashy forwards and strikers.

- It's a beautiful game. It really is...but somehow the Euros muck it up.

-NINETY MILLION FOR ONE PLAYER!!!??? Is there really that much money sloshing around? Should it be spent on a sport? (I don't follow baseball or pro football, I'm sure the salaries are just as outrageous.) Money spent on players, money spent on betting - who knows if a bit goes into the ref's pockets? The officiating certainly makes you wonder, that and the pigheadedness of FIFA.

-THANK YOU ESPN and ABC for crystal clear High Def, intelligent live programming. THANK YOU!!!

Now I can get back to painting. My hours the past few weeks have seriously suffered.

A Couple of Tom Buechner Links

2010-06-25T16:36:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to Tom Buechner's obituary in the New York Times: nytimes obit

Here's a link to Tom's book on painting: "How I Paint"

The memorial service is tomorrow at 10:00 in Corning, NY

"Inspiration" Show upstairs at West End Gallery

2010-06-22T19:39:00.002-04:00

The model and I had been working all morning on ideas at a farm near Lawrenceville. Now it was after noon, between twelve-thirty and one. The sun was high overhead and the light was at its most harsh.

While driving between the fields in my truck I saw that she could be skylit on the hill in the plowed field. This would take advantage of a light most artists and photographers shun. I stopped the truck and the model kicked off her shoes. Walking down the hill I realized that in order to get the correct angle I had to shoot the photos while lying down in the field.

The model started doing her “rain dance”, as she called it, on the top of the hill. I concentrated on getting the exposure correct, while at the same time keeping her in the frame. We knew we had something - a nice theme - after reviewing the photos. The next day we went back with a different dress to get more references.

Inspiration is the fuel driving the painting to completion.

Both paintings 6x8 framed oil on linen
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Katya

2010-06-19T12:39:00.000-04:00

This is the May portrait I did for the last Friday Night Portrait Group. A full blog article on my experience can be found at WestEndTalk. I'd promised the Gallery Director, Lin Gardner, an article on the May sittings. At the time I didn't know it would be Tom Buechner's last with the group.

Thomas S. Buechner: 1926 - 2010

2010-06-14T21:41:00.001-04:00

Tom Buechner: Sorrowful News

2010-06-09T07:52:00.002-04:00

It's with a heavy heart I share this email from Lin Gardner, the director of West End Gallery, sent out yesterday...

West End Gallery Artists

Although some of you may already be aware of this, it is with great sadness that I am writing to let you know that Tom Buechner is very ill and is not expected to live much longer. He was very recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. We can take some comfort in the fact that he is not in pain and is sleeping a great deal. The family has asked for privacy at this time. This news has taken us all by surprise. He will be greatly missed. We will keep you informed.

Lin

I've known Tom was sick for a few weeks now; learning just how serious his illness was last week. May is usually the last month of the "Friday Night Portrait Group" before breaking for the summer. Tom painted the first two Fridays, but said he didn't feel well. The third Friday he was in the studio instructing but didn't paint. The last Friday is usually a critique and he was unable to attend.

I had planned on writing an entry on the May class for West End's blog, and took pictures to illustrate it. Not sure if my heart is in it now.

Please send all your prayers and thoughts to Tom and his family.

Paintings for Arnot Art Museum Gala

2010-05-23T20:39:00.003-04:00

Full credit to the models - all of them.

20x24 oil

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16x20 oil

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News

2010-05-20T22:08:00.004-04:00

Well,the paintings are finished except for glazing and I have a couple of drawings - the museum only needs one drawing so I'll pick one after they're framed. Will be posting images tomorrow. Tuesday I made an appointment with Tom Buechner to have him take a look at the paintings and offer suggestions. On one he had quite a few, but they all turned out to be minor. I only needed 15 minutes to knock off his list. The other he had fewer suggestions, but it took longer - about an hour. Dustin Boutwell has signed off on them also. After a few weeks living with these I'm done with them emotionally and physically. I popped them in frames today to see how they worked. They work fine.

Taking a few weeks off from Ebay listings

2010-05-02T19:58:00.000-04:00

Right now there's a lot on my plate - or should I say paintings on my easel - that I have to finish. Also I'd like to get EBay inventory back up before listing paintings again. Give me a couple weeks.

Sorry, no listing tonight

2010-04-28T20:15:00.002-04:00

I'm working hard this week on two large-ish paintings for the Arnot Art Museum Gala. Also have to get something to West End Gallery for the new show. Hope to have a new Ebay listing for Sunday night.

Untitled Nude for sale on EBay

2010-04-25T20:00:00.002-04:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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Untitled for sale on EBay

2010-04-21T20:00:00.001-04:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

Untitled for sale on EBay

2010-04-18T20:00:00.002-04:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

By the Pool for Sale on Ebay

2010-04-14T20:00:00.003-04:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.
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Garden Buddha Portrait for sale on ebay

2010-04-11T20:00:00.002-04:00

A painting from a small statue in our garden. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

In the Studio with Morgan Weistling: Video Review

2010-04-08T10:58:00.004-04:00

In the past I have been reluctant to review instruction videos put out by artists because I hate to mess with someone's bread and butter. These artists rely not only the sale of their paintings, but on workshops and videos to supplement their income and pay their mortgages. So after giving it careful thought I decided, what the heck.

Over the Christmas holidays I had a chance to watch Morgan Weistling's mammoth ten hour video (yes 10 Hours!). It was so interesting I decided I just had to review it. Someone, somewhere may be thinking of buying or renting it, and before investing that amount of time watching the video, may want to know someone else's opinion.

Mr. Weistling himself will be the first one to admit the video is long - very long. So long rumour has it he swore never to do another instructional video. In the video he paints a girl aged about twelve sitting at a desk with a forelorn expression on her face. She is placed somewhere in the romantic past of 100 years ago wearing a dress straight out of "Little House on the Prairie". The painting is a large gallery piece and is entitled "Homework".

When thinking about watching this video I was hesitant for two reasons: I'm not much of a fan of Mr. Weistlings paintings or his style of painting. I think it was Ken Auster who said you should try to learn from artists whose work you admire, and whose style of painting is compatible to your own. Unless of course you want to get out of your comfort zone. That being said, I figured I'd give him a look.

He paints thick, very thick with Langnickels. He doesn't use any thinners, instead rinsing frequently in a container of walnut oil. He places his composition on the surface with charcoal, not bothering about details, then he fixes and tones the canvas. He paints in what I call "The Puzzle Method", that is he works on one section at a time comparing value and color to an adjacent area. There is no overall block-in and development of the painting. Each section is developed to its final form before moving on to the next, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. This makes sense when painting from the live model since areas like the hands and shoulders will move or shift from session to session - no matter how good the model.

As the painting progressed the under-drawing was used as a guide or map, but it wasn't strictly adhered to. Objects were moved, folds were painted over and the composition was refined. The progress was very much like putting together a puzzle with 'little tiles of paint' (his phrase), moving from the face down the figure to the hands and foreground.

So why was this video ten hours, and why did I actually sit there watching it? Because of what Mr. Weistling had to say and how he said it. There is a TON of practical advice here for an artist, and it is the way he explains it that makes the video so valuable. Watching artists work on video can be a bit like watching grass grow (or paint dry). Infinitely boring. But Mr. Weistling keeps up a constant, interesting patter. What I like best is the dude is practical. He tells you stuff you can actually use. Then he shows you. He's the first instructor I've seen who admits painting is mostly boring stuff - and hard work. This video won't appeal to those looking to 'express themselves creatively', or who paint for 'fun'.

Maybe its because he came from an illustration background, but Weistling is all about getting the job done. There are numerous side-trips away from the main picture where he illustrates and explains shapes (drawing), values, edges, and color. He demonstrates the Five Value Method. He explains and illustrates edge quality in a no-nonsense way. He talks about color temperature without going into the metaphysical properties of light. The guy is all about making a picture.

Negatives? Waay too much time spent with the camera on his palette. Not sure why, but we're forced to watch every, single, little color mixture he makes - this despite him saying repeatedly color is nowhere near as important as shapes, values and edges. Also not enough split screen showing us the model, and how he solves problems on the canvas. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot of split-screen, but there could have been more if they'd just broken away from that damn palette.

Bottom line is this: The video is ten hours long. I sat through all of it with no fast-forwarding. I'm still chewing over his teaching three months later, AND trying to use his instruction every day. The link to his website is here http://www.morganweistling.com/index.html
There's an interview with Morgan Weistling where he talks about his influences and training etc. here http://www.tlchicken.com/view_story.php?ARTid=3348

Untitled Nude for sale on EBay

2010-04-07T20:00:00.003-04:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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My Application to DailyPainters.com: Status

2010-04-05T13:02:00.001-04:00

So three months ago I applied to DailyPainters.com hoping that if I were juried in I'd increase hits on my EBay sales. DailyPainters juries in their artists quarterly - so I waited. I'd hoped to hear from them last week, but there was nothing. So I waited. Then today I get an email from Micah Condon, the top guy, I guess:

Hello -
I'm excited to announce that DailyPainters.com will be hosting a contest to find our next new member! We'll post the details soon, so stay tuned. This contest will take the place of our usual jury process, so after we start the contest you'll need to post a new application with a bit more detail about yourself.
If you'd like to be notified when we start the contest, you can signup for our mailing list here, or just watch our contest page at www.dailypainters.com/blog/contest
Also, I'll be hosting a FREE art marketing workshop in Boulder, CO on April 24th. So, if you're in the Boulder area I'd love to see you there. You can find full event details here:http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=106234106083806. Or, if you know any artists in Colorado who may be interested, please tell forward the link to them.
I'll also have a dvd and audio recordings available after the event for those who can't attend the live workshop
Thanks!
Micah Condon

This stinks. I feel like I've been had. Man, just give me a 'yes' or 'no' and maybe a 'why'. I was iffy about this whole thing anyway because you have to pay them 49$ a month for the honor. I figured it might be worth it for the increased traffic. Now I think it's just another scam.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T20:09:00.000-04:00

A very happy Easter to everyone. Sorry, no listing tonight, but I'll pick up again with a new painting on Wednesday April, 7th. Enjoy your holiday!

untitled Nude for sale on EBay

2010-03-31T20:00:00.005-04:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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Untitled Nude for sale on EBay

2010-03-28T20:00:00.002-04:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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"Waiting for Spring" for sale on Ebay

2010-03-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

(It's not often I title a painting.)

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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Backlit Blonde Dressing for sale on Ebay

2010-03-21T20:00:00.005-04:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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Untitled Nude for sale on EBay

2010-03-17T20:00:00.005-04:00

This model had the brilliant idea of bringing her old high school prom dress to a model session. She found innumerable, creative ways to use it. Here her pose is a classic drape. We've since borrowed her idea for other model sessions.

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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Blonde Young Woman for sale on Ebay

2010-03-14T20:00:00.002-04:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

SOLD

Untitled Nude for sale on EBay

2010-03-10T20:00:00.002-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

Ballerina Color Study/Sketch for sale on Ebay

2010-03-03T19:30:00.003-05:00

This is an older painting from Saturday Open Studio. 8 in x 10 in. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Untitled Nude for sale on EBay

2010-02-28T20:00:00.005-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

SOLD

Untitled Portrait for Sale on EBay

2010-02-24T20:00:00.003-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

Untitled Portrait for Sale on EBay

2010-02-21T20:00:00.005-05:00

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180472079957&ssPageName=STRK:MESCX:IT#ht_500wt_1182

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

Nude in Garden for sale on EBay

2010-02-17T20:00:00.003-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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Nude as Landscape for sale on EBay

2010-02-14T20:00:00.004-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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Tom Buechner's Friday Night Portrait Class: December and January

2010-02-13T18:10:00.001-05:00

December was a short month because of the holidays. I was able to attend just one session. I'm not sure there was even a critique. Since I knew I had only one session I brought a 6x8 panel - a size I've become pretty comfortable with.

The first hour I worked on my drawing, getting the shapes accurate, not worrying about values or modeling. Tom came by and gave me the OK on the composition. Once again I was in the corner with some pretty flat lighting to work with. He said to keep the eye soft. For the rest of the session (3 hours) I tried working color and tone. At the end I was pretty pleased with what I'd accomplished given the time limitations. At home I was tempted to take the painting further from photo references, but never got around to it.

The model is the 15 year old daughter of Sonjia. She wore a long, rich red velvet dress with a large silver cross on a chain. I really liked Tom's painting of her. He painted on a narrow multimedia board (24x12?) full figure. She looked to me like a young princess sitting on a throne circa late Middle Ages, Northern European. The painting really caught my imagination. If I get permission I'll post a pic.

January I'm back in the same place, just a different model. Right off the bat I nailed a contour drawing of her profile. Then I was lost in la-la land. I think I had three separate sessions with this model and struggled. I wiped the painting out completely, numerous times, knowing I had a strong drawing underneath to start fresh. The difficulty was the strand of hair falling down the right side of her face. Sometimes it covered her eye, sometimes it was brushed back. Drove me nuts. then I would lose the drawing and she would look haggard, or some strange bump would appear on the end of her nose.

This painting I DID work on at home, before the critique. It's 8x10, a slightly larger size. The model is a 17 year old girl whose family owns the Indian restaurant in Corning. She was dressed in a traditional sari seated on, and in front of, some very colorful cushions. This model was a very poised, mature young woman. I don't know if it's because she waits tables at her families restaurant or if it's just her nature, probably a bit of both - but she is very comfortable around adults.

She also gave us some fascinating info on her culture. For instance her marriage will be arranged, but she won't get married until she's 30, only to a guy she likes though because she can say no... before that she's going to medical school to be a plastic surgeon and she doesn't want to marry someone whose family is rich because he has to know the value of money and of course he has to be nice and kind, but they will only get to meet for five minutes before getting married. And she asked her mother if she could get a nose ring because it's very Indian, we're not talking like the skateboarders down on Market St., but her mother said no so she asked if she could streak her hair red (also very Indian) but her mother said "No" so the only thing she can do is paint her toenails. Oh, and she doesn't date or drive or have a cell phone, but she doesn't mind. Whew.

At the critique everyone was kind. I had a problem with the eye and still have it. The strand of hair was a problem too, but I think I corrected it. Again I was tempted to work on this at home after the critique, but decided not to. So there it is...

An Invitation to Arnot Art Museum Gala

2010-02-13T14:18:00.000-05:00

Our local art museum, The Arnot Art Museum, has had a Gallery Gala every year since we moved here. Then there was some sort of restructuring, work was done on the museum and John O'Hern left - not necessarily all related, I don't think. This is the first Gala in a couple of years. They have renamed it. Now its to be known as "Framed".

When we first moved here ten years ago we received an invitation to attend. It was a very nice night, a chance to meet people and look at some great art by local, and not so local, artists. The quality was very high. Over the years I've come to know some of the big names showing: Buechner, Poole, Gardner, Myers, Keeler, Ziegler, etc. To make a long story short one of my goals was to be invited as an artist to show in the Gala. This year the invitation arrived.

The show will run the 5th of June to 9th of July 2010. It is a silent auction format: 50% and 50% to raise funds for the museum. To celebrate my invitation I've uploaded some stuff from sketchbooks. Most are from the model, but some are from TV.

Acting on advice from Morgan Weistling I'm trying to draw AMAP (as much as possible). My friends think I'm nuts, and it does kind of kill the continuity of a TV program to freeze the frame and run off a sketch. Thats why I just channel surf boring programs with the sound off looking for heads. It doesn't always work; sometimes I'm drawn in anyway. You might recognize Lyoto Machida (never boring) or a character from The Tudors (Showtime). But a couple are from commercials or HD programs.

"After Yoga" for sale on eBay

2010-02-10T20:00:00.003-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

SOLD

Nude Yoga Pose Torso for sale on EBay

2010-02-07T20:00:00.006-05:00

Some may laugh at this one. I liked the light, and the fact that she appears at first glance to be floating. It took my breath away ... and I didn't do it justice. Reminded me of E. Weston or Callahan.

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. 6 inches by 8 inches. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

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Nude Yoga Pose for sale on EBay

2010-02-03T20:00:00.004-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

"Chelsey" Portrait offered on Ebay

2010-01-31T20:00:00.004-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Untitled Nude Portrait

2010-01-27T20:00:00.003-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

Untitled Portrait

2010-01-24T20:00:00.005-05:00

An original oil painting from our Wednesday model sessions. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

Etsy Paintings

2010-01-24T16:19:00.001-05:00

"Swirl" 20 x 24 inches

Price

"Swirl" - detail

My February copy of American Art Collector Magazine arrived this week. After browsing through it and being distinctly underwhelmed, I shelved it along with all the other 51 editions. That's when I noticed the size of the magazine had decreased by approximately one half. Hmmm... so I'm paying the same amount of money for half the magazine? If it were a box of pasta that means I'd be paying the same price as a year ago, but getting half a box of air. Someone call Consumer Reports!

It's the economy, of course. The bottom has fallen out of the art market. As much as American Art Collector in its pages pretends otherwise, art is a bad business to be in right now. "Somehow it just doesn't seem very urgent to buy that painting for the living room wall. Let's wait, honey."

On Friday I stopped by West End Gallery to drop off a painting. The gallery owner, Lin Gardner, gave me eight paintings back. I'm not sure what the expression on my face was, but after one look Lin hastened to add, "Nobody's selling Jeff. Nothing's moving." Lin was optimistic and upbeat that 2010 would be a much better year. At the time I didn't want to burst her bubble, but I don't know... Nobody's said 'double-dip recession' yet, but with an unemployment index around (or over) 10% you have to wonder.

Apparently brick-and-mortar galleries are closing right, left and sideways. It would be a tremendous loss to the Corning/Elmira community - no to the greater Finger Lakes area - if West End closed its doors. Any community losing a gallery suffers a cultural loss.
Now to the brighter side. As I carted the eight paintings to my car (not all at once) it occured to me this was an opportunity. Last July I heard about a unique site called Etsy. It's sort of like EBay except one can only sell hand-made goods. Art qualifies as handmade so... time to open a store on Etsy.

While it's kinda, sorta like EBay there are differences. For instance they don't have an auction system. The price is set and the buyer and seller come together with payment usually through PayPal. Each seller gets a 'store' and Etsy facilitates by being a middleman. Of course they take their cut too, but it's not a deep one right now.

My Etsy store can be accessed here or you can just search for JPerrault under sellers. The first painting offered is "Swirl". I'll be adding others soon. Hope you can visit!

Untitled for Sale on eBay

2010-01-20T18:56:00.004-05:00

An original oil Painting from our Wednesday model sessions. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

S old

Untitled Nude for sale on EBay

2010-01-17T20:00:00.005-05:00

(I like this painting a lot. It's killing me to list it. Oh well...)

An original oil Painting from our Wednesday model sessions. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

Untitled Nude for Sale on eBay

2010-01-13T20:00:00.013-05:00

An original oil Painting from our Wednesday model sessions. New paintings listed every Sunday and Wednesday night at 8 PM EST.

Sold

Untitled Nude for Sale on eBay

2010-01-10T20:00:00.009-05:00

An original oil painting six inches by eight inches from our Open Studio session.

S old

Untitled Nude 3: For Sale on eBay

2010-01-06T20:00:00.007-05:00

An original oil painting six inches by eight inches from our Wednesday model sessions.

Sold

"Jack's Back"

2010-01-03T20:00:00.005-05:00

6 x 8 in Original Oil Painting "Jack's Back"

Sold

Untitled Nude 2

2009-12-30T17:00:00.006-05:00

Oil painting 6x8 inches. From our Wednesday model sessions.

Sold

Untitled Nude

2009-12-27T20:00:00.010-05:00

An original oil painting six inches by eight inches from our Wednesday model sessions.

Sold

The Elephant in the Room

2009-12-16T17:15:00.002-05:00

Artist David Rourke says something on his blog I've been thinking about for a long time. It's the elephant in the room very few artists, gallery owners, workshop participants, magazine editors want to talk about. His blog entry is here: http://rourkevisualart.com/wordpress/2009/12/03/style/ I'd added a comment of my own to it.

Paintings for Sale on eBay ....Coming Soon

2009-12-13T17:46:00.001-05:00

Now that I've got this blog up and running for a few months, it's time to start offering paintings. So at the end of the month I'm going to be listing paintings for sale on eBay. These will be small 6x8's and bidding will begin at 99 cents. A new painting will be listed every Sunday and Wednesday - and obviously auctions will end then also. There will be examples of the paintings posted here, along with a link directly to the auction.

I'm pretty excited about this, and see it as a win-win situation. Even if a painting sells for a buck fifty, the way I look at it at least some money is coming in. Plus I have the added benefit of doing the work, and hopefully it will kick me up a level or two.

I've done some research and discovered a few a things I didn't know. On the advice of an article in Art Calendar Magazine bids will start at $.99. Yes, that's 99 cents. I know quite a few artists begin bidding on their work at $100, or they have a reserve that has to be met. I won't. Does that mean some paintings will sell for less than a dollar? Probably. Will it hurt. Ya, there will be an 'ouch' moment, but hopefully there won't be too many of those moments.

Last month I started laying up an inventory of 6x8 paintings to start off, and I've been busy trying to get the inventory up to a couple of dozen. The 6x8 format is challenging, but loads of fun. For years I resisted going small, even when the gallery asked for small pieces. Now I've done a 180. (Maybe my skill level has improved enough that I can handle it.) I figure that right now two paintings a week is doable. Any more and I'm not sure I could keep the quality high, in other words paint my best. Perhaps as I get better at it I'll offer more per week.

Subjects will be figures and portraits. That's my interest right now, but there may be the occasional landscape if I get out plein aire. The paintings will be from the model at our weekly Wednesday sessions, or from reference photos of the model, or more likely a mix of the two. I'll start a painting or two at the Wednesday sessions then work on them through the week.

Bottom Line: Original 6x8 oil paintings offered on Sunday and Wednesday nights (8-9ish). Bidding to start at .99 cents with no reserve. First auction listing is December 27th. Hope to see you there!

Portrait Session Last Weekend

2009-12-09T21:21:00.001-05:00

Last weekend Bruce and I painted his sister-in-law at his cabin in Pennsylvania. I took my daughter, Jillian and she was happy because she was able to go horseback riding. It was a great time: good company, good food and good conversation. The painting - for me - was a bit depressing though. Poor Roya sat for about 2 1/2 hours and I must have wiped out four or five efforts. This is my final try - not even a sketch really... In the meantime Bruce started two different paintings and both were good. Damn him.

Today I opened a Facebook account. My first 'friend' is one of my teachers, Dustin Boutwell. I'm kind of lost re facebook. I guess I just don't get it - yet. We'll see. I was excited though to see Dustin's work - especially some new work. I know he's been busy with a new baby (heck the guy has four kids all under five!) so it was great to see this portrait he'd just finished. It's pretty awesome.

"Willa" by Dustin Boutwell

Some Sketchbook Drawings

2009-12-06T19:38:00.000-05:00

Getting Familiar with my scanner.

Tom Buechner's Friday Night Class: November

2009-12-01T11:02:00.001-05:00

November only had two sessions for me, since I was alternating with Bruce. The model was sick for the first two weeks, so the class worked from a black and white photo of Tom. I'd brought my Open Box to paint with, but forgot the tripod attachment. Tom graciously lent me his half-Jullian.

A word about these old Jullian's. I've seen a few of them and I can understand why older painters swear by them. The hardware is very solid, they feel heavier and more substantial than the newer ones, and they last. The Jullian's I've bought (full and half) began coming apart within months. Buechner's and Tom Gardner's are over 30 years old. If you ever come across one of the older Jullian's at a yard sale or on Ebay, snap it up. Old paint can be scraped or sanded off.

Once again I painted next to Tom (painting himself). He told me to put the photo on the wall about seven or eight feet away. Doing this forced me to concentrate on the big shapes, drawing and values. I couldn't get into detail because I couldn't see any detail. Used raw umber and Tit white.

The next session the model was present, but still feeling the effects of bronchitis. I'd brought a 6x8 because I knew I'd only be working one session, and I didn't want to waste a larger size. I set up before Tom had posed the model, and I didn't pick the best side to work from.

Tom posed him in an old US Army greatcoat, shirtless. The model had a great head of hair, tightly curled, and very high sharp cheekbones. Tom wanted to light him from below - in effect theatrical lighting - in order to show the class how normal value assumptions changed. The right side of the model's face had some wonderful darks. Unfortunately, my side was rather flat. Made the best of it though and really enjoyed working on a smaller surface.

Lessons learned: go for big shapes and values first, work with the pose you get, try to lay a stroke down then step back (I'm horrible at this - smudging and blending way too much), working smaller can be fun, and Everett Raymond Kinstler was a student of James Montgomery Flagg. Didn't know that.

My Andrew Wyeth Painting

2009-11-22T12:13:00.001-05:00

In late August I was in Hammondsport,NY and ducked inside an antique shop to get out of the rain. Killing time I walked around and noticed this painting hanging near the entrance. It was in a god-awful frame of cheap pine, the glass was all dusty, and my first thought was,"Andrew Weth print-badly framed.". After a turn around the shop I came back to the print. I'm always interested in anything Andrew Wyeth.

To my surprise the 'print' looked like an actual watercolor. I couldn't find a signature. The price was $50. I asked the lady working the desk if she had any information about the painting. She said the shop was a co-op and it wasn't one of her pieces - but I could take it outside in the better light if I wanted to examine it. I declined. The rain had stopped and the Hammondsport Square was filled for the Palette Auction. I walked out.

After the auction my friends wanted to browse so we ended up back inside the antique shop. I pointed the painting out to them and said it was done in the 'style' of Wyeth, but it was unsigned. They encouraged me to buy the painting, saying even if it wasn't an actual Wyeth, it's still a nice watercolor. I hesitated. The style certainly looked like him: drybrush for the shrubs, fingernail dragged through darks, outstanding draftmanship...but the composition was bad. What was that white shape in front of the boat? A log? A bank of snow? And there was no signature. I know from my reading that Betsy had Andrew sign EVERYTHING, and his watercolors were usually signed "A.Wyeth" in pencil. Maybe there was a signature on the back of the painting? Stranger things had happened...heck they found a copy of The Declaration of Independence behind an old photo. You never know....

So I bought it. When I got home I took it apart to examine it closer. The paper was old. It had been taped off for a border. It was an original watercolor. There was nothing on the back, and no signature on the front. Hmmm...the size bugged me too. I knew Andy liked to paint on full-sized sheets, even when painting plein-aire. There are pictures of him walking around with 22x30s tucked under his arm. This painting is 15x19, an odd size.

So the painting sat for two months. My Mom noticed it on a visit and asked if I'd painted it. (Thanks Mom!) I half-thought about contacting The Brandywine Museum to see what they had to say. Life goes on though and I never got around to photographing it. Then a couple of weeks ago I was photographing some paintings and pulled it out. I took some digitals, wrote a quick email and sent it off to the Brandywine Museum, pretty much addressed: "To whom it may concern, or (whoever is interested). This is what I wrote:

"Hello, I was wondering who I would contact to find out if this is an original Andrew Wyeth? I bought the painting in a Hammondsport, NY antique shop. It is an unsigned original watercolor on older wc paper 15x19. The painting is smaller with a border approx. 11x15.5. Any help would be appreciated. Thank You, Jeff Perrault"

Then I went for a run.

Of course while running I played out various scenarios: the kids getting their college education paid for by an old, forgotten Wyeth, no answer at all and i live with the mystery. My favorite scenario was somebody at the museum asking to see the painting in person, and me getting my picture taken with Betsy. When I got back from my run - no emails. Oh well.

Then at about dinner time I noticed an email from Mary Landa, and I must admit my pulse rate went up. Mary Landa is Betsy's personal assistant, and the one most knowledgeable about Andrew's paintings, (besides Betsy of course). She was there when Andrew revealed the Helga paintings to Betsy. She's the one putting the Catalogue Raisonne together. Apparently my email had been read, the attachments looked at, and it had been bumped up to the top. It was a definite "Holy Shit" moment. Here's the email:

"Forward: Mary, What do you think? Lora

Lora B. Englehart

Public Relations Coordinator"

and then: "Dear Mr. Perrault,This is a lovely little watercolor, but there is nothing to indicate it is by Andrew Wyeth. Wyeth’s records were quite complete and just about everything out there that was sold had a signature.

Thank you for sending this – I wish I could help track down the artist. Mary Landa"
Darn! Double Darn! But hey, it is a "lovely,little watercolor" very skillfully done. It was way underpriced. I'll give it a decent frame and a home. (Still would have liked to have my pic taken with Betsy, though.)

Discovering Dirk Dzimirsky

2009-11-20T10:46:00.000-05:00

"Trinity by Dirk Dzimirsky, Charcoal on Canvas

Normally I'm not a fan of photorealism. I guess I don't see the point of making a painting/drawing look like a photograph - from a photograph. I'm sure there was something shocking and fun about it way back when, in the 60's when Chuck Close and Estes were pioneering the effect, but in my opinion it quickly degenerated into cliche and technique. These portraits, while technically photorealist, I think go beyond photorealism.

The artist is Dirk Dzimirsky and he's featured on the cover of the Fall issue of Drawing. An interesting quote from the article: "When looking at magazine photographs its obvious that beauty-mania removes every sign of a human face...I want to oppose this with my portrait drawings and show people as they are. I believe art has to be true - then it really is beautiful. for me, Things such as glamorously styled magazine beauties or pinups are not only boring but also have something disgusting about them."

Nelson Shanks said something similar when talking about judging entries for the portrait/figure category in the recent Artist's Magazine competition: ""Remember it's no longer 1880 or before! In other words avoid too much romanticism and make your work reflective of your time. Reacting , perhaps, to a number of portraits of beautiful women , Shanks admonishes, "'Pretty is dangerous ground." If your subject is inherently pleasing to the eye, it's important to look beyond that - toward what appearances may hide..."

Dirk Dzimirsky in his work goes beyond appearances AND technique. Go check his work out.

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

2009-11-09T22:49:00.003-05:00

WIP Preliminary Drawing

I'm reading "The Black Swan" by Taleb. Halfway through it. Here's a paragraph guaranteed to keep me in bed in the morning: "Many people labor in life under the impression that they are doing something right, yet they may not show solid results for a long time. They need a capacity for continuously adjourned gratification to survive a steady diet of peer cruelty without becoming demoralized. They look like idiots to their cousins, they look like idiots to their peers, they need courage to continue. No confirmation comes to them, no validation, no fawning students, no Nobel, no Shnobel. "How was your year?" brings them a small but containable spasm of pain deep inside, since almost all of their years will seem wasted to someone looking at their life from the outside. Then bang, the lumpy event comes that brings the grand vindication. Or it may never come."

Last year my dog made more in guide fees than I did in sold paintings. Lately I've been dwelling too much on that fact.

Tom Buechner's Friday Night Class: 2nd and 3rd Sessions

2009-11-05T09:28:00.000-05:00

Second Session

The Different Levels of Expertise are categorized as follows:

Novice - has minimal exposure to the field.
Apprentice - has completed a period of study beyond introductory level and is usually working in a domain under supervision.
Journeyman - can perform routine work unsupervised.
Expert - is highly regarded by peers; whose judgements are uncommonly accurate and reliable; whose performance shows both skill and economy of effort; and who can deal with unusual or tough cases.
Master - Can teach others; a member of an elite group of experts whose judgements set regulations, standards or ideals.

I guess in this table I'd fall somewhere between Apprentice and Journeyman. It's a long road with a lot of work involved. That's why I find this Friday Night Portrait Group so valuable. Tom Buechner is a Master, and it will be interesting to line up all nine portraits in June and see where I've gone and how I got there.

I like the effort above. It was taken after my second session when I was ostensibly trying to work with a very limited palette getting darks and lights down while simultaneously going for a likeness. Before each break I took a photograph and the model's expression changed subtly in each photo. She is barely a teen and at first she had a "deer-in-the-headlights' expression with wide eyes and a cautious tilt to her head. As she became more comfortable with people staring at her, the expression became more confident, at times cocky, without her even being aware of the change. I liked the initial expression as it showed an openess and vulnerability.

Most of my time spent on this portrait was attempting to capture this expression and get a likeness. Others in the class had different goals and Tom is the first one to admit a likeness is not the sole goal of the sessions. The critique was held at the beginning of my third session (their fifth).

It was my first critique with this group and I wanted to be on time, but I also had to instuct my kids in how to carve pumpkins. They wanted to start them that night and I wouldn't be there. Still I thought I'd made it to the door of the studio on time. My heart sank when I saw everyone already seated with their paintings in front. uh-oh. Everybody said Tom was punctual; I knew that going in. So I apologized to him and the group, explaining I thought the start time was 7:30. Tom looked at his watch and said, "It's 7;32 Jeff." Darn.

My portrait was up last, obviously, and we all have to say something positive about our own effort. Well that was hard, so I mumbled something about liking the fleshtones. When your painting is suddenly thrust into an objective space in front of you, it's difficult not to see the flaws. There were many. In striving to get the expression I'd gone for way too much detail, particulary in the eyes, and the eyes were too dark. The temp of the shadows was off. Edges were too hard. Etc, etc. Note to self: I've noticed that when you're working on a painting and the reading glasses come out you get waaaaay too close to the painting and forget to step back.

After the critique the model takes the stand for a final bow and we're allowed one last shot. That's the effort below. I'm not going back to this from photos because, like I said I want to line them all up in June. I'm not happy with the result (I liked the one above better), but it is what it is.

A Few Sketches

2009-10-28T21:00:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the idea of copying paintings as exercises. I brought up on my mac screen or printed out drawings and paintings from artists I admire like Mark Demsteader and Henry Yan. After copying a few of them I went to my own reference files, and using photos from our model sessions, I took what I learned from copying and tried to apply it. I like the way it turned out and think it has helped even in live model sessions. The above sketches are from: (l to R) todays model session, a session in March and one from the summer.

Artist vs. Painter: Which?

2009-10-24T13:38:00.003-04:00

There's a story floating around my artist group. The facts aren't as relevant as the content. Not sure if it happened at a workshop or during a class or in art school.

A student approached the Master and asked how to be an artist. The Master thought for a moment, then replied that it was the wrong question. First the student had to decide if they wanted to be an artist or a painter. The student asked, "What's the difference?"

A Painter develops her craft to an exceptional level then paints pictures that sell to collectors for high prices and makes a lot of money. The student said, " Hey that's what I want! But what's an artist?"

An Artist develops her craft to an exceptional level then explores her creativity using that craft, perhaps pushing the boundaries of the Art of Painting and enriching the whole of humanity.

The student said, "That sounds good too! What's the catch?"

The Artist is poor because she paints what interests her and what facilitates her growth. The Painter makes money because she caters to a collector base painting whatever the collectors want/however they want.

I can find lots of examples to corroborate this worldview, from DaVinci to Van Gogh, Sargent to Cezanne. Stepping outside the world of painting we can find examples in music with the concept of "selling out", or in performing arts with poor theatre people vs. very wealthy action movie stars. But I'm not sure the worldview is accurate, though it's tempting to believe the evidence. If one digs a little deeper the clear distinctions become blurred.

Take Van Gogh for example: This was a guy who painted what he wanted, the way he wanted, with little commercial success in his lifetime. Shortly after his death his painting was found to have value and now it has exceptional value - both monetarily and culturally. But history tells us Van Gogh was beginning to be appreciated in his lifetime, with some early critical notice from Paris - then he offed himself. If Vincent had stuck around longer he might have enjoyed some commercial success (gasp), as Monet did.

There's another example: for half his life Claude Monet was poor, miserably poor, rent dodging poor, sponging off wealthy friends poor, burning canvas for heat poor. Then later he was rich. So wealthy in fact he could buy views from local landowners in order to paint them, rich enough to divert a river to create his own personal water gardens. Rich enough to hobnob with celebrity politicians.

After an opening last week a bunch of artists and spouses went out to dinner. We were talking about web sites, and one husband said while designing his wife's website he considered adding a couch at the bottom. A couch whose color a browser could change - just to see if the paintings on the site matched.

My own worldview on this Painter vs. Artist isn't so either/or. It is a question I've given serious thought to, and come to a few conclusions. I think it's a question every "artist/painter" has to face at some point. It's a question that once answered gets every artist up in the morning to do the work.

Tom Buechner's Friday Night Class: First Session

2009-10-12T17:32:00.007-04:00

http://www.westendgallery.net/

Contour Drawing

Last Friday Thomas Buechner's portrait class started. It runs from October to June. My friend Bruce was kind enough to share his 'slot' with me. (There's a waiting list.) We alternate Fridays. The model for this month is a young teen, the daughter of one of Buechner's more famous models - Sonjia.

I have to admit I wasn't looking forward to this. Mondays I study with Dustin Boutwell and my plate is pretty full for the rest of the week. Tuesday is catch-up (framing, painting.)Wednesday is our nude model session, Thursdays I generally go to Ithaca for another model sesssion. Saturday's Open Studio at 171 Cedar Arts will be starting up. (Saturday is also a bird hunting day.) My Sundays in the fall (and spring) are full of soccer and coaching soccer. So the idea of painting Friday nights didn't have me too excited. But -after attending the first session with Tom Buechner I was excited.

I wasn't sure if Tom remembered me from past plein air sessions, but he did. The classes are held at his home on a hill high above Corning, NY. I arrived a few minutes early, which was fortuitous. Tom was able to introduce me to his studio assistants Eric and Maria and generally orient me as to rules and procedures. In order to get the full benefit of the sessions he suggested I paint his way, just like in a workshop, then after a while I could decide if I liked it.

His studio is amazing, and amazingly organized. There are hardwood floors, a wall of northlight windows, shelves of books on various painters (all arranged alphabetically of course) a model dais and mirrors and reflectors and painting materials...go to his website and you'll have a neat view of the space. Tom moved his giant Hughes easel out of the way to accomodate the class, and he painted from his ancient Jullian. Most of the students brought Jullians, though I did see a Soltek. Everyone present had been painting with Tom for years. There's no conversation except on model breaks and he plays opera over a state-of-the-art sound system. Oh, and turn your cell phone off, please.

My position was beside and slightly ahead of Tom. We were all squeezed in pretty tight and it wasn't a full class. Photos with no flash are allowed, so after every break I grabbed a few. I couldn't help but notice on the wall behind me a large blue ribbon. It was an "Award of Merit" from an OPA show. I asked him what he'd submitted and he said he didn't know, that Eric and Maria go through his paintings and pick one out. He's received it in the mail recently. Jeez.

The way Tom explained his method of portrait painting to me was this: the first class draw a contour of the model on your surface. Then fix it at home. then stain it with a wash of yellow ochre and Ultramarine for a weak green. The next session is for painting the extremes of light and dark using Tit white or Naples yellow and a dark. After that he said we'd get into full color and half-tones.

The Contour is supposed to be a "road map" with no modeling whatsover. I hadn't spent three hours drawing one contour in years. Through the first break and most of the second I worked to place the head and shoulders in my rectangle. After I was happy with the position I started the contour in earnest. Generally if doing this on my own I'd make marks to place the bridge of the nose, zyphoid notch, jawline etc. Tom didn't want that and made me erase it. He also said my lines were waaaaay too heavy (at one point asking if I were doing stained glass). I struggled to reduce them. At the end of the three hour session I had a reasonable likeness. Sonjia, the model's mother, was appreciative of it. One thing the exercise did teach me is how easy it was to lose a likeness; one second it was there and the next subtle correction it was gone....

Tom has some great stories to tell and a lifetime of information to impart. He seems to have either taken a workshop with everybody famous or he sat next to them at a dinner party. He doesn't drop these names boasting, but in conversation while making a point about painting. During this session I learned he sat next to Richard Schmid at a dinner years ago, and had a very long conversation with him about painting. He's also told some funny stories about workshops with Kevin Macpherson, and contrasted styles of artists with Nelson Shanks. Stories like these bring the art world to life. I'm left wondering if he has any Hopper or Wyeth stories to tell. I don't know, hell, maybe he has one about Homer or Eakins.

As I said in an earlier blog entry Tom has a retrospective currently at the Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA. There is a piece about him in the October issue of American Art Collector Magazine. His October show opens this Thursday at West End Gallery in Corning, NY. Last week I was previewing the show and got a jolt as I noticed something. Tom must have been pulling out some very old photo references because he has a beautiful portrait of a girl about 12 or 13 years old. The same girl modeled for us recently. Now she's a 22 or 23 year old woman. Upstairs from Tom's show at West End I'll have a nude painting of her sitting on a diving board. Pretty cool.

American Art Collector: A Review

2009-10-08T10:54:00.001-04:00

"There's gold in them thar hills." Unknown

In October of 2005 a magazine unique to the art world was launched. Published by the same outfit that does International Artist it's aim was to bring collectors and galleries and artists together. The magazine is image rich (appropriate given its purpose), intelligently laid out, generous in its size and a pleasure to browse.

The title of this entry is misleading; while I'll be blogging about the magazine, this isn't a Review per se. A few weeks ago I began 're-viewing' my copies of American Art Collector starting at the beginning, Issue #1. There are 48 issues so far, and I'm at #28. Besides being great inspiration and motivation, the magazine is important to me as an artist because it educates me on the Domain of Painting.

Every art has its own domain and part of the education process is learning that domain. The art of science has its domain, business has a domain, soccer and sports have a domain, just about every activity known to man has a domain - including 'Fly Catching with Chopsticks'. It supposedly takes ten years to (ahem) master the domain. This includes mastery of craft. And there are circles within circles in each domain. It's been said the average age of the Nobel Prize winners in physics has continuously increased because the Domain of Physics is getting so huge it takes more time to master.

Painting has its own domain encompassing pretty much all of Art History, Art Theory and Craft Mastery. I believe a painter should be a student of painting and its history. A painter should be able to recognize a Turner or a Caravaggio. They should know where oil painting originated (Northern Europe) and why Durer went to Italy. A painter should have a grasp on the natural sucession of artists from way, way before Giotto right through to Pollock, Porter, Wyeth and beyond. American Art Collector Magazine is the beyond.

AACM has contemporary realist painters and sculptors - contemporary meaning of our time right now. I think it tries to showcase the best painters and sculptors working today in the realist tradition. There are no conceptual artists, fiber artists, abstract artists, video artists, or any artists of that ilk. In some of the first few issues I noticed a photographer here and there, but that has apparently been discontinued. After the first year a special section on sculpture was added.

Every month I eagerly await, then slowly savor each issue that arrives in my mailbox. Galleries take out huge full page and half page adds on upcoming shows. Various featured artists are interviewed and their work displayed. This mag is not a 'how-to' like American Artist. This is a glorious display, the best foot forward, a gallery walk and studio tour. This is a slice of some of the best painting in America today.

A Warning: don't expect any deep analysis on the art or artists. I do like the fact that I can check out prices artists are charging for their work, sometimes even comparing prices from previous years. This info is for the collector to determine appreciation (never depreciation), but it's valuable info for artists too.

Recently the magazine has changed in a subtle way. I've been trying to nail down exactly what changed, but have so far been unsuccessful. Perhaps its a new editor who has shifted emphasis subtly. I do know there used to be photos of the artist's studios, and that seems to have been dropped. (As an artist I love to see other studios.) Perhaps the quality of the art showcased has dropped. Reviewing issues, as I approach October 2009 I find my self less wowed by the work. Flipping pages I'm thinking "cliche, cliche, derivative, oooo bad" more and more with only the occasional "HOLY SMOKES".

Some Observations :

Joseph Todorovitch preceded Jeremy Lipking in the magazine.

Jeremy Lipking's first painting in AACM was a landscape.

Danny Mccaw has almost disappeared from the magazine after dominating early issues.

I find something distasteful in Chinese painters using Tibetans as subject matter.

John O'Hern is a contributing writer (editor?) to AACM. He was the director of our local Arnot Art Museum until recently. While there he put together an annual show called "Representing Representation". Unfortunately he has since left the area. Fortunately he still writes for American Art Collector.

Tom Buechner has a retrospective at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia and he's showcased in the October 2009 issue. I'm painting with TB and hope to blog a little about it.

Robert Liberace is rarely mentioned. Wonder why?

In the US the most important galleries for representational painting are located in NYC, Atlanta, Charleston, New England Coastal, Scottsdale AZ, Laguna Beach and LA. OK never mind, that's pretty much a duh? observation.

I'm continuosly flummoxed by the fact that people actually buy still lifes of grapes and fruit and wine bottles and cheese and vegetables and meat....????

Artist Don Huber grows on you. I like him. He's taken out a full-page ad in the mag from, I think, Day One.

Conclusion: If you're an artist painting in a representational manner - subscribe to this magazine. If you love representational painting - subscribe. American Art Collector is NOT like International Artist or American Artist, etc. There is no talk of how to paint, it's simply a glorious celebration of the paintings themselves. Oh, and by the way, it's monthly.

Full Monty

2009-09-24T12:03:00.000-04:00

After about 45 mins. I think the proportions are a little off. It's funny how difficult it is for the group to pose a male model.

Progress of a Painting - Almost Done

2009-09-24T11:56:00.001-04:00

11x14 Oil