Read Red

I started Read Red yesterday with the dark red background. This afternoon I roughed in the drape, which is a saffron yellow Indian scarf. I love the warm saturated color. The scarf has a red pattern I'll be adding towards the end.

All the books are various shades and intensities of red, thus the title. I pulled them from my shelves and they make a kind of commentary on my life. They are books that shaped me.



Today I roughed in the front and top of the chest, and made a vat of gumbo.

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.

Omens & Portents

Another good day in the studio. It's a steady drizzle here, so the light is soft and there is no temptation to go outside.

Didus is too wet to fool with - more likely to smear what I have than make progress - so I turned to the other canvas, Omens & Portents.
Before lunch I mixed paint, then laid in the back ground.


After lunch got the magazines, the top of the chest, the twine and some of the newspapers indicated. You can see the dominoes and crystal ball through the magic of painting negative space, but they are still raw canvas.

Didus Ineptus

I started on the Metamorphosis series this morning, a small (12x16) painting called Didus Ineptus. Here's what I did between breakfast and lunch.


Worked until five and got the books, dodo skull and a bit of the brocade drape roughed in.


Really looking forward to doing the illuminated manuscript page, which is a knight kneeling in prayer to the Virgin.

Finishing up, beginning again

Thanks all. I think I am ready to varnish the Palais Liechtenstein Library and the Jordaan Market. I actually was heading downstairs to varnish the Library yesterday, but couldn't resist tweaking the highlights.

I did the bike spokes and the leaves and all manner of dappling on the rug of the Jordaan.


If I don't see anything that needs doing, I'll be hauling these to the basement (Robert's shop) to varnish them at the end of the week.

I also gessoed two canvases a mid-value ochre/umber and worked out the maths for the grids that I'll use to draw images on the canvas. I thought I'd dip my toe into the new Metamorphosis series by starting with one of the small ones; a 1930 Royal typewriter and ribbon.