Answered Prayers: Harmonium & Answered Prayers: Aphrodite

Returned to Answered Prayers: Harmonium yesterday. Mostly worked on the candles and altar area, and the harmonium keys. Compared to the little tomato paintings this thing is huge, lots of canvas to cover. Kind of fun to haul out the big brushes. The photo is off because the light is glaring on the center pew, but you get the idea.


Today I worked on Answered Prayers: Aphrodite.  Once I get paint on all the canvas, including the candelabra, upper wall and the cherub on the right, I'll tackle the shadowed nude on the left. It's going to take a lot of layers to get the dark as deep and velvety as I want.

Global +Tomato

I spent the day on Global Knife, tackling the handle with its pattern of dots. Added more colors and layers of paint on the blade, and revisted the tomatoes themselves. Did  layers of scumbled yellows and reds, and started picking out the fine details on the seeds and creases in the tomato stems. Getting close to final highlights.

About to draw the next one - either Tomato and Walking Dead Knife or a knife from Uzbekistan. Good times.

Answered Prayers : Quickdraw

This is Quickdraw, the second in the Answered Prayers series. My prayer for my son's happiness turned out to be big wall climbing, thus the coiled rope and the quickdraw, made from two carabiners and a dogbone strap.

Today I worked on the golden twirly thing on the upper left - don't know what exactly it is, except covered in gold. Put more shading on the rope. Finished the quickdraw detail. Added texture to the balustrade. Puts darker darks inside the dark browns of the spine and branches of the candelabra. It's getting there. Here's a detail showing the quickdraw and a bit of rope.

Tomato Trio

Started at 8 and worked until 3. First, the Carpenter Knife - I glazed the reds, added texture to the surface and interior, upped the scale of the leaves and seeds and added another layer to the background.

Next the Edinburgh Dirk - layers of variations on red, reworked the handle, added blue and pink highlights to the blade, grain in browns and greens to the table, underscored the shadows.

Finally, another round on the Global Knife - all of the background, additional texture and detail inside the tomatoes, the beginning of the pattern on the handle.


Thinking the first two may be done. but I often think that at the end of a painting day. I'll see what I think in the morning when I look at them with fresh eyes.
For now it's a cup of tea, and my Nook by the fire. It's cold today in Atlanta. Brrr.

Global Knife

More work on the tomatoes, sharpening detail mostly, and a first pass on the knife. To come - a gazillion tiny black dots on the handle, each with it's own white crescent of a reflection. Total painter bliss for me. Glad I have two virtually done, and two more in the works.

I went to the gallery to pick up Gripland, which is going to the juried show 'Reflections' that opens January 2. First time I saw my work from Origins & Derivations at Mason Murer, and they looked lush and generous, just full of color and life. Of course they were gorgeously lit and well spaced, and that has something to do with it. I had a moment of disbelief that I had anything to do with making them. A good moment.

Tomatoes of the heirloom variety

After a long holiday layoff, during which I recovered from a major operation, took a workshop on using my iphone camera app, and painted multiple small cavalier sketches for the Swan House, I am back in  the studio at last,  working on tomato paintings I started last year.

Today, I tackled the heirloom tomatoes and a Global knife. Borrowed that knife from the contractor who worked with me on my bathroom, a terrific woman with a keen sense of design.

This morning was all about placing tomato colors. I've got their names written down somewhere - a Mr Stripey is all I can bring to mind. They are still floating, and the knife got no paint at all, but progress was made. Going to go pop it in the drying box.

Shameless plug for an art and music maker extraordinaire

That's my daughter Emily, the creative geyser-in-chief of the art/performance band, The Back Pockets. They've been approved for Kickstarter, an online fundraiser for art and music projects.

Please check out the link The Back Pockets Circle America! and donate a few bucks. You get to make art and music happen, and my undying gratitude.

Note the entertaining premiums offered for various amounts, $5-$5,000.

Who They Are: The Back Pockets are a flock of musicians, performance artists, & dancers based out of Atlanta Ga. Since our conception in Aug. 2008, we have played over 300 shows, released 4 albums & several music videos, & extensively toured the southeast. We hand paint every cd cover, hand sew every lyric book, do all booking, managing, & producing ourselves. Shows are elaborate acts of theater, audience interaction, set design installation, costuming, & music.

What they're doing: The Back Pockets hope to embark on an "epic circle america tour" beginning March 8th & ending May 6th 2012, while creating a short film, spreading the joy of our elaborate shows, & promoting our newest album. Film to be based on our actual lives w/ added elements of magical realism, directed by film maker & bff Bill Guzik!