Last of the cavaliers

Last of the Swan House Gallery show cavalier series. All done. Of course, these are my favorites.  Thankful for this quick, happy series.

oil sketches

This morning's effort
It won't be dry enough to take to the gallery tomorrow, but maybe by Thursday.

Flirt, 5x7", oil on board

Daughter gave me a ride to Binders to find frames, then we took turns throwing a ball to Maddy the dauntless tri-color. I have begun thinking of these as little oil sketches. I love what their body language expresses, more than the hair-perfect portraits.

Seven spaniel paintings

Since November 7th,  I've spent four days in hospital and two weeks post surgery quietly recuperating. Here I am with spaniels and my Nook.

Last week the news came that three of the four cavalier paintings sold before the show opened.  Would I do more?

I went straight to the studio and mixed paint. Glad I did that little drawing the other day, a profile of a Blenheim, my first dog. I plan to do three more total and see how it goes.

And here they are. All 5x7. oil/board. Robert is framing them for me tonight, and I'll deliver them to the Swan Coach House Gallery Tuesday.  I have one more drawn but we'll see how these do. So far, one of life's simple pleasures.

Wait


Blenheim Profile


Watch

Little dogs mean a lot

Painted a few small (5x7") works for the Little Things Mean A Lot show at the Swan Coach House Gallery that's opening November 17.
Decided to use my in-house models, who pose for kibble.  I had pulled source images from the Corporal Works of Mercy series. And, honestly, what says 'little things mean a lot' more than an itty-bitty spaniel with a big old heart?

Sit

Stay

Down


Leave it

Born a bubble off of plumb, off-kilter perspective works for me

Current incarnation of the second Sgian Dubh. I got rid of the fussy background and am much happier with it. Still need to darken up the handle a bit, and add some more glisten to the tomato.





Back to the harmonium, fiddled with the placement of the tile, and where I want the reflected candlelight. The perspective is definitely wonky, but I've decided that the slightly off kilter-ness suits me. I'm thinking of it as a happy accident.

Did a bit more on the Divided canvas. I won't be putting climbing pitons on the wall - they would be invisible at this scale. Might lean Emily's banjo on the wall. Jury is still out on this one.


Finished a drawing yesterday of a new candle set up, not shown here. It's horizontal, half in shadow and half candle lit in front of a scrolling bit of marble and half obscured cherub. I'm going to add a woman's torso seen from behind to the left side of the canvas, not unlike the male in Gripland, but more shadowy. Heh.

Patterns and texture

Worked on Harmonium again: the marble veining at the top, and the patterns in the tile below. I'll be adding texture for ages. Glad I've got four paintings in rotation (not counting two small tomatoes.)

 

 Stiletto about finished. The photo is lacking some of my favorite details. For example, on each candle is a wisp of a black wick with a red spark on the tip. The flames are a curve of blue, then pale yellow punched up with flake white. They are flickering because when someone kicked her shoes off and ran, she created a draft.

Got my son to leave me a bit of climbing equipment he calls a quickdraw - it looks like two carabiners linked by a little flat bit of a strap. I plan to hang it off one of the candelabra arms in Twirly.

Harmonium Keys

Had a great day developing the harmonium.

Mostly it was about keyboard, knobs and going a little crazy with color in the shadows.

Next I'll be working on the different marbles doing veining. Those patterns reminds me of maps seen underwater. Very Zen, hand-eye activity.

About to draw my second horizontal image that's half velvety dark shadow and half illuminated carved stone and candles.

Took some photos to Wolf today - another couple of images for the behind the scene crew series that I'm pulling together. Feels great to be going full tilt in the studio.

The quiet before the storm

Before the reception began, I took photos of the space and my work on the walls.
It's a quick visual tour.

In front of the entry-

Roses and Vampire Diary Knife & tomato-

first wall-

second wall-

third wall-

Fourth and home-

Thirsty, and me with 20/60

I had a great night, and the folks at OCAF are wonderful. A class act.

Tonight! OCAF solo show. Paintings #15, 16 & 17

20/60 Self Portrait, 20x24"
The artist will be present and, if it's cool enough, wearing this coat. Say howdy, if you are so inclined .Relativity series

Death Takes A Holiday, 24x30"
Sometimes Death is not the enemy, it's a servant in disguise. Who else opens the door wide enough for the next generation? Relativity series

Clothe the Naked, 24X30
One of the corporal works of mercy and the painting that led me down the dark country road of figurative work. Corporal Works of Mercy series

Origins and Derivations, a solo show of paintings by Virginia Parker

Artist reception next Friday, Oct. 7, 6-8pm

OCAF Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation

34 School Road, Watkinsville, Ga, 30677

706-789-4565

ocaf.com

Tomorrow night, artist reception 6-8pm

 

Tomato & Vampire Diaries Knife, 10x10"

I love to paint knives and tomatoes. This time I went with a box cutter borrowed from a nice grip on the Vampire Diaries crew. South of Eden series

 

Tomato & Macpherson Sgian Dubh, 16x20"

  Tomatoes and a sgian dubh, ceremonial Scottish dirk graciously offered by my Scottish host, on the ledge of a Georgian house Edinburgh. South of Eden series

 

Solo show this Friday: paintings #9, #10, #11, & #12

 

Bitter, 18x24

My relationship with sugar is ...complicated. South of Eden series 

 Sweet, 18x24" 

A nostalgic look at cherished sources of sweetness. South of Eden series

 Corn & Consequences, 14x18

A comment on the profit-driven practices of corporate agricultural and the connection to obesity and diabetes. South of Eden series

 

Spin, 24x24
Transforming heavily subsidized corn into a plethora of products. South of Eden series

 

 

 

Solo Show this Friday, paintings #7 & #8

San Marco Savanarola Chair, 30x40"

The persistence of art over intolerance. Savonarola convinced Botticelli to burn his paintings, yet people still come to see Fra Angelica’s frescos in San Marco monastery. On the Road series

Blood & Knavery II, 16x20"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These obsolete and abandoned tools of writers suggest the porous border between extinction and evolution. Metamorphosis series  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Solo show, Paintings #5 & #6

El Cap Swing, 30x30" What does faith looks like? Big wall climber swings out over Yosemite valley on a rope. Behind him the Cathedral Spires formation, with the Central Pillars of Frenzy climbing route. Relativity Series

 Hambidge Harrow, 16x20, Inadvertent sculpture, a harrow rusted solid from disuse. South of Eden series

Origins and Derivations, a solo show of paintings by Virginia Parker

Artist reception next Friday, Oct. 7, 6-8pm

OCAF Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation

34 School Road, Watkinsville, Ga, 30677

706-789-4565

ocaf.com

Solo show Oct 7, paintings #3 & #4

King of Hearts, 16x20"  They're called Cavalier King Charles Spaniels for  reason. Relativity series







Gene Pool Roulette, 18x24"  The DNA that buoys one person up, may drag another under. Beware the ancestral undertow. Relativity series

Origins and Derivations, a solo show of paintings by Virginia Parker

Artist reception next Friday, Oct. 7, 6-8pm

OCAF Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation

34 School Road, Watkinsville, Ga, 30677

706-789-4565

ocaf.com

Solo Show Oct 7th, painting #2

Gripland, 20x24"
The natural habitat of the film set; a forest of C-stand, flags, scrims, and apple boxes. Relativity series

Origins and Derivations, a solo show of paintings by Virginia Parker

Artist reception next Friday, Oct. 7, 6-8pm

OCAF Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation

34 School Road, Watkinsville, Ga, 30677

706-789-4565

ocaf.com

 

Solo show and, yes, of course you are invited!

WHAT: Origins and Derivations, a solo show of paintings
WHO: by Virginia Parker 

WHEN: Artist reception next FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 6-8pm
WHERE: OCAF Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation
34 School Road, Watkinsville, Ga, 30677
706-789-4565
ocaf.com

THIRSTY  20x20” oil/canvas

Conceived during Georgia’s drought, the meretricious beauty of disposable plastic water bottles. South of Eden series

This week before the show, I'll be posting images of the paintings and a sentence or two about them.

Candle 1, beginning of Candle 2

Added another layer to Candle 1. Lots of scumbling and a little bit of adjusting angles. Picking up a pair of red stilettos on Wednesday to photograph. Planning to add one teetering on the edge of the step, and one lying on its side in the aisle.


Here's the raw start of Candle 2, affectionate working title Twirly. You can see it's related to the other, but the perspective and color palette make it very different. The candle holder tilts slightly left. I'm going for a slightly off-kilter, the world could slide out from underneath you at any moment feel. In my experience that's when grace happens.

OCAF space and light

Unloaded paintings at the old school house which houses the OCAF galleries. Fantastic light, high ceilings, old wooden floors - just a great space.

Leaned the work against the wall in the order we carried it in and it looked as random as confetti after a parade.


Since this show combines previous series with new works, it has the look of cousins at a family reunion - each person is an individual, yet you can definitely see the family resemblance.

Half an hour later, the remarkable Charles Warnock had placed the paintings in juxtapositions that made gorgeous visual sense. It was like watching a magician pull a rabbit out of your own hat.
I'll take photos on the night of the reception of each wall. What a transformation! It was like handing the man apples and a a bag of flour and getting back a Tarte Tatin.
I'm writing brief captions for each painting this weekend. Thrilled all over again that I was asked to do this. Thank you, OCAF!

Some assembly required

Taking the paintings to OCAF, an hour and a half away, for my solo show. This is the whole shebang on the garage floor. I ended up packing it twice, using cardboard, towels and sheets in between layers.


Then I mixed paint for Candle 2, which I call Twirly in my head, and started in. When it's a wee bit further along, I'll post an in progress photo.

Between the packing, getting a flu shot, and starting a new painting, I am whupped. Getting a pedicure. What? Don't look so shocked. You know Raphael would totally go for a spa day.

Candle I

Another layer - deepening values, scumbling the tile and stone shadows, starting to delineate the delicate wrought iron.



Pretty sure I want to put shoes in this one. One near the front and another farther down the nave, as if she was running away, like Cinderella.

One of the things I loved about this image were the doors in the distance, and the shadowy aquarium green light coming in from the upper right. Also the contrast of the substantial marble and stone with the twirly wrought iron.

Robert, bless him, wired all the solo show paintings last night. Varnished Thirsty and the Macpherson sgian dubh this afternoon. My Mason Murer paintings are heading over at 4. Delivery to OCAF is Friday.

Genus Loci underway

Here's the source photo and the top of the drawing I worked on this week. It's a basilica in Trasteverre in Rome. That's mosaics on the walls behind the columns and candles. Intricate as all get out and my idea of bliss.


And this is the beginning of the first candle painting (working title: candle 1). The burnt sienna I used to tone the canvas about blinded me. I'm using burnt umber to tone the rest.

Once I decide whether I'm adding a banjo, keyboard, or pair of high heeled shoes, it will get a more specific title.

I toned three more canvases, placed the white background on a new tomato painting and worked on the candles above. hotographed bells, a keyboard, banjo and a harmonium in various positions and angles out in the garage, using a white wall and open door to stand in for the stone church steps. I started another tomato painting with heirloom tomatoes by filling in the white marble background. I sanded down a failed painting on a nice 30x40 canvas. I'm going to re-gesso it and use it for one of this candle series.

I've got four paintings in the drying box. All's right with the world.