Blood & Knavery, Cold

Worked hard on Blood & Knavery Cold. I love the limited palette, the cool, measured feel. It has an almost abstract quality to me.
Did itsy bitsy detail; the notes on the music, the reflection of the title in the silver tray, another layer on the pebbled texture of the books. Here and there, some lighter lights and darker darks. It's very close to done.
Here's the over all progress. The canvas is 16x20, so it's quite compact.



A couple of close ups-





I gave myself the thrill of chalking the grid on Read Red and making the first couple of graphite marks. I'll work on the drawing tomorrow, while this dries. I might gesso another couple of canvases, get them prepped to go. Having two shows to prepare for is very energizing.

Blood & Knavery Hot

Not yet varnished, but finished.

Paintings x 7

Here's one of the first flower paintings. I went back over the leaves this afternoon, but white takes slightly longer than forever to dry, so refining the petals will have to wait. I hope I can keep the soft, gauzy feel when I deepen the value changes. I want all the creamy edges to melt.


And here's some backgrounds I've blended for a painting of hydrangeas, falling through the frame like it's raining hydrangeas, and another magnolia. I'm not sure the opalescent colors will read on this photo, but you get the idea.

There is something very relaxing about doing small paintings with a single focus, after working for months on large, complex paintings.


Here's Blood & Knavery Hot - I added the burnt match and the wisp of smoke from the candle, all the detail of the B&K plate, and brightened up the book pages yesterday.

B&K Cold is lagging a little behind, but not far.

And today I mixed a dozen blues for Periodical Blues, and started on the background drapery

At last count, I'm working on seven paintings. By the 18th I'll be working on 13, counting the six small works for the Hand to Hand project. I've gessoed the wooden cut outs and am ready to start.

My goal is to finish all of these by the end of August. Meanwhile, I am not starting anything else, no matter how tempting the idea is. I feel like Ben-Hur during the chariot race.

On the positive business side, HHFA sold the Delft Swing, and last Friday we shipped Rembrandt at the Kunsthistoriche to Hawaii.

all the balls in the air

My life as a painter is blend of old tools and new technology, big projects and small experiments. I like that.
Lots of paintings and drawings in progress -
•B&K hot is nearly complete.
•I revisited the Tarot card painting and sharpened up some edges of card and reflections, plus another layer of color and texture on the rug.
•Gridded a new linen canvas gessoed with clear gesso (!) for the Periodical Blues.
•Picked up the photos of magnolias, hydrangeas and mimosas I shot this week. They look simple and fun to experiment with. I have to decide what size to make them and whether to paint them on canvas or board. I am thinking of them as little vacations from the big Metamorphosis project.
*I'm excited to be part of Cecelia Kane's Hand to Hand project. http://www.handtohandproject.com/
My task is to pick a news story about Iraq a day from any source (radio, online, newspapers) and create one glove or hand art in response for Monday July 13 through Saturday July 18. I'm to use my normal media (oil) and preferably come at the war issues from the angle of the imagery that I am already using in my art. I'm supposed to date the gloves and can be literal or abstract with the headlines. Being me, my images with be representational and in oil on board. Robert cut six (plus two for back up) glove shapes out of wood for me. Somehow I will have to find a way to make the imagery I choose personal as well as about the war.
•Tomorrow I gesso the cut outs and work on the drawing of Blues.

today's art brought to you by the letter A.

B&K Cold: worked on both letters A, the number 8 and the top third of the cat. Also did more on the front right hand side of the silver tray and some interesting orangish reflections along the lip of the tray.


B&K Hot: Worked on both letter A's, letter P, numbers 7 & 8, the candle, and the business end of the hammer.

progress on B&K Hot and Cold

Worked on B&K Cold yesterday - mostly went over the background adding another layer of color and beginning to add texture and details.


Today, after a morning of ferocious weeding, I worked on B&K Hot building up the colors on the dresser and the candlestick, some more of the bottom book pages and added to the darks here and there. I am going to add a burnt kitchen match below the candlestick.


Saving the detail work on the metal plates for dessert.
We started setting up my little portable studio on wheels in the dining room. I have a new still life set up I want to photograph. And I have an idea about adding a background to the objects that goes a little bit in the direction of magical realism. instead of the wall, maybe a cloud scape, but ghostly, like a double exposure. I am just thinking about it.

Hot & Cold

More on B&K Cold.

Everything has one layer of paint except the eponymous plate. I worked on the music plate, the letter balanced on top of it, the two letters balanced beside it, the silver tray, the 8, Y, and two letter As.

Then I worked on B&K Hot.

Did the candle, the books and all of the letters, plus the business end of the hammer.
They work best together, like a pair of fraternal twins.

Blood & Knavery, Cold

I've started a new painting. I have two version of these same elements, one very warm in tone, the other - this one - very cool. It's another in the Metamorphosis series.
I worked on the top book, roughed in one of the metal printing plates, did the wooden corners of two other plates and part of the pages of the bottom book. Worked on two wooden printing blocks, the number eight and the letter p.
This painting, named for one of the plates, is relatively subtle in color. It will go slowly because the detail is exacting. The background - one of my favorite parts on this one - is going to get a lot more texture and detail. The shifts of color and pattern on the piece of sheet metal that's the background are the result of it being tempered and colored by frequent exposure to heat.

Drawing

Three paintings are still wet, so today I drew the next in the Metamorphoses series, a still life of metal printing plates, movable type, wooden printing blocks, two old leather books and a candle. One of the metal plates is an illustration of a medieval butcher in his shop and is titled 'Blood and Knavery.'
I did a fairly detailed drawing on a toned canvas, gridded with chalk. There is something so calming about drawing.