Hold the presses - Virtual Errata Slip

Turns out wires were crossed and I was misinformed.

The opening of the Friday, April 13th show at Mason Murer Fine Art gallery masonmurer.com  is NOT A RECEPTION.

 It takes place during normal business hours 10-5pm.

There will be a closing reception, May 18th instead.

In a nutshell, the show opens and new work will be up,  but no snacks and the gallery closes at 5.

 Sorry for the confusion.  really.

As I have resent emails, edited the Facebook event page and am even now pasting this on my blog page, I have newfound respect for the Friday the 13th superstition.

A Grateful heart

As close to done as I could get yesterday, though I'll be looking at it long and hard later this morning.

Answered Prayers: Gratitude
oil on canvas, 16x20"

 

As I lit candles and prayed for my family and myself, I didn't know exactly what I was asking for, but it turned out to include a life as an artist, fidelity, and unconditional love.

Painting detail

 

Art show deets

Please join me 7pm, Friday 13th, for the opening of the spring show at Mason Murer Fine Art gallery masonmurer.com Click on the link for directions.
The show runs through May 12.

New series: Answered Prayers
In 2004 I was lighting candles in Italian churches and praying for my family's happiness. I didn't know what I was praying for until later, when I learned what makes each of them - including me - happy.
Harmonium, 18x36", oil on canvas

More Tomatoes & Knives

Sometimes I find the knives, sometimes they find me. I audition tomatoes at the farmers markets.

Home stretch

Rocked out on the last painting, the one that's my answered prayer. Decided to add my dogs - my stand-in for unconditional love - and a jar of brushes. There's a basket on the lower left that actually held candles, but it looks remarkably like a dog bed. That's where I'll place the dogs and next to it the mason jar with brushes.  It will be relatively subtle.
 One of the reasons this image is mine is the shadow that divides the space. Being a Gemini and all, and keenly aware of my dual nature, this speaks to me.
Today I'll be deepening the darks and adding the dog/jar/brushes. Maybe hanging a triangle from a candelabra arm.
No title yet, though I am considering several; among them 'Grateful Heart,' 'Ars Longa, Vita Brevis', 'Divine Intervention.'
I've got four tomato and knife paintings done and four out of five of the Answered Prayers. Showtime is April 13. That's a Friday.  I know, right? Still, lucky for some, as they say.
I have exactly seven days to have this finished, dry, varnished and wired. It's possible. Really.

Adding this from Tuesday

Made darks darker, added a layer to the rug and the stone floor and sharpened the candelabra. One more round of light on the right side wall - not there yet but closer to the value I'm aiming for.

Carefully added Moochie and Maddie - scraped the paint off and did it again on a different scale, with only one dog. Better. Then added the jar and brushes. Worked wet on wet and fast (for me).
Here's a detail of the new elements.

Saturday in the studio

First I varnished three paintings from the Answered Prayers series. Next I did a final round on Uzbek.


Here's a detail of the engraving. The canvas is rougher texture than I usually use, but I wanted it for the shadows.



After lunch (shrimp, mango and pears) I tackled the Walking Dead. The seeds need work and the wet glitter on the tomatoes, but it's close.

Four down, two to go

Nearly done with Tomatoes & Uzbekistan Knife. Worked on details and the very important engraving. About half way there, because the knife needed more reflection. Thinking it will be done tomorrow. That's four down - I signed St Crispian, Quick Draw and Harmonium yesterday - two to go.

Time's a wastin'

Harmonium's last day on the easel.

One minute I'm chugging along in the studio at a measured pace, one eye on finishing up the series for  my next Mason Murer group show, the other on a new triptych that's in the drawing stages, and Wham.
First an email pops up about a Mid-summers Nights Dream Show in June (small works, under $2000, one night only) Sure, count me in.
Followed by a letter accepting two of my paintings - Clothe the Naked and Thirsty - for the Decatur Arts Festival fine art show. Yippee.
This morning I confirmed the date of the show at Mason Murer, which I had a hazy idea was scheduled for end of April, beginning of May....nope. My paintings are due on April 10th for an April 13 opening.  I'm sending three ( maybe four) Answered Prayers) and three (maybe four) of the Tomato & Knives paintings.
Yikes! I lunged across my desk to the easel, where I have been moving paint to canvas ever since.  I don't expect to surface from the studio until April 9th. Nothing beats a deadline.

leopard print and purple suede

Second round on the shoes


Here's a close up...



It's shifted the mood of the painting completely.

I think my  favorites are the Tuxedo shoes in the far background - a wonderfully absurd cross between saddle oxfords and formal wear.

A shoe-in

I've been unhappy with the Stiletto painting, mostly because I felt the joie de vivre factor was lacking. After due deliberation, I decided it needed more shoes.

Daughter kindly brought over the props - two laundry baskets heaped full of her shoes.
It took three days of lining up shoes and taking photographs to get it right. It worked out that the only step that was long enough to mimic the step in the church also required me to stand in the thorny embrace of a ginormous climbing rose and lean to the left.
The shoe set up changed in form and content many, many times. The sun went down. The sun came out and splotched the step. The camera battery died. The printer choked. I prevailed.

I painted the shoe lineup this morning. Nearest to farthest it's purple suede sandals, peeptoe leopard print ankle boots, patent leather kitten-heeled sling backs, and a pair of stiletto heeled peep toe shoes that mimic a tuxedo shirt with a bow tie. They are just started - the ankle boots need their leopard print, and there are buckles and rivets and shadows yet to come, but you'll get the idea.


I am so so much happier. I went from feeling defeated to positively hopeful. I not only like the way this is true to my daughter's shoe-coveting heart, but the idea of all the barefoot women running on the stone floors of the church. I wonder who the patron saint of shoes is?

Aphrodite, Walking Dead Tomatoes, drawing

One of those overlapping times in the studio when I'm starting a new series, still doing photography for the last one and fiddling with tomatoes and & knives on the side. A full rich life.

Added the lettering to the page of script, darkened the shadow. Starting to add a little of the juicy gleam and pick out the edges of the seeds.


Here's the current state of Aphrodite after adding lots of purple to the shadows on the torso. It's still more distinct that I have in mind. I'll think about it while I work on the letters carved on the stone wall and add heft to the candelabra.



The new series is all on horizontal.  Though it barely reads in a photo, for example can't see the dozens of trees I drew on the right side, here's that drawing I was working on Tuesday.

Walking Dead Knife details

Yesterday was spent on The Walking Dead knife, and adding layers of color to the tomato on the far left.

My favorite bits, barely visible at this point, and the drips of seeds and tomato gelée that are stuck to the top of the handle and blade. Bracing myself to attempt the block letters.

Uzbekistan Knife

Worked on Uzbek today. The knife itself, which - oh joy- reflects the yellow tomato. Love the handle made of horn, and there is marvelous scrolling engraved on the blade. I'll be adding that at the very end.
Added layers to the other tomatoes. Deepened the mottled colors of the shadows that I noticed are in the Mardi Gras spirit - green, yellow and purple

in progress

First, the start of  Tomatoes & Uzbek knife. One layer on everything but the knife.


Now for Answered Prayers; Aphrodite. I figured Valentine's Day would be the right time to place the vanishing-in-the-shadows torso. It's supposed to be more of an apparition than a realistic element. I still don't know if I can pull it off, but I'm stepping up to the plate.


Finally Tomatoes & The Walking Dead Knife. Actually did the background one day, the tomatoes another, and the knife today. It's like going to summer camp, after a day wrestling with the Answered Prayer series.





The big black block letters of the script will get done last, after the background is as dry as it can be, so I can clean up black edges with turp. I have lots of surface detail to go on the tomatoes and and the knife.

Answered Prayers:Harmonium

Pressed onward with Harmonium. Far from complete but it's beginning to come together.


Worked on the the tiles floor and the altar marble today, the harmonium last weekend.


Need to take on the marble steps next. I'll eventually glaze the candle light reflection using Indian yellow with a touch of crimson. Trying to build enough brightness to shine through it after it's glazed. There are myriad gleaming wires in the body of the harmonium that I have yet to place.

Tomato trio finished

All done. All 10x10" and oil on canvas. Varnishing day is Thursday. Starting two more today.

Love bouncing between these and the Answered Prayers series, whilst planning the next series. Need a massive  (for me) canvas something on the order of  24x48'. Heading to Binders next Monday.

Tomatoes & Edinburgh Sgian Duhb

Tomatoes & Global Knife (Sold)

Tomatoes & Carpenter Knife