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Spring 2006 | Winter 2005/06
Fall 2005 | Summer 2005 | Spring 2005 | Winter 2004/05
Fall 2004 | Summer 2004 | Spring 2004 | Winter 2003/04
Fall 2003 | Summer 2003 | Spring 2003 | Winter 2002/03
Fall 2002 | Summer 2002 | Spring 2002 | Winter 2001/02
Fall 2001 | Summer 2001 | Spring 2001 | Winter 2000/01
Fall 2000 | Summer 2000 | Spring 2000 | Winter 1999/2000
Fall 1999 | Summer 1999 | Spring 1999 | Winter 1998/99
See the Gallery for some exciting detailed images of the artist's work.
Thursday, September 21, 2006 Autumnal EquinoxI'm finally recovered from the Rittenhouse Square show, all the loose ends have been gathered and piled up to one side, the season is suddenly changing, the light is shifting, everything is now passing. I was in the city this morning, helping Jeff Schaller deliver a mural for a huge Septa project that's been in development for five years. On the way home, I picked up a bouquet of sunflowers. The summer season will end, with me planning on tomorrow, as always.
It all turns over, changes colors, and now it starts getting darker and darker.
Read on...to Fall of 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006Here is Frank, howling at the church bells at the Rittenhouse Square Fine Art Show.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006I'm back from London. I had a nice trip, visiting the great art museums, and walking endlessly all over the city. It took some time to accept that I wouldn't easily find good food. One morning I watched a woman throw a scoop of slop and gristle onto a bun, and the customer stood by patiently and watched while she emptied a squeeze bottle of ketchup onto it. I wanted to hurl, but apparently it was just what the man wanted to eat. Eventually I figured out that the Thai food and Vietnamese food was the safest bet. The streets all have "look left" and "look right" in big block letters as you step off the curb, to keep from getting whacked by the cars that tear around without slowing for turns or lights. I learned that London no longer has fog, from changing global weather, so the phrase "London fog" no longer applies. I was expecting to be amazed by some quality of light, or clouds, or sun, but alas, I wasn't. For two days there was a brutal and terrific wind blasting through the streets, unlike anything I've experienced in the US. Usually a wind like that in the states that means a storm is coming, in London, it only means that there is more wind. Another day there was no air to breathe, and the temperature soared to a sultry and stifling thickness. Here is a carousel, by the Thames River, near the Millennium Eye. There was a brief escape from the city, to find a charming small town, surrounded by rolling hills and forests and horse pastures, that reminded me so much of West Chester. To go so far, and find a place just like home. And now, I'm so connected with another place, and I've left my heart on yet another continent, and I am only thinking about going back again soon.
I'm immediately gearing up for the big fall Rittenhouse Square show. No time to think.
Thursday, August 31, 2006The commission study of sunflowers is done, and now I'm throwing my bags together and racing out the door, to spend a few days in London. I'll be back on September 11, and probably with great stories of wonder and amazement.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006I'm back from Chicago after a fun weekend at the Port Clinton Art Show. Several paintings found new homes, and I met up with many friends from the show circuit. I finally met Ty Kelly in person, after corresponding online for about five years or so. For some reason I thought he would be taller.
Today I started work on a small study of sunflowers, for a commission. The sun hasn't been out since I've been home, so I'm digging in the dark to find some color.
Thursday, August 24, 2006The painting of sunflowers is done.
I'm throwing my bags in the truck, and heading to Chicago for the Port Clinton Art Show this weekend.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006The painting of sunflowers is almost done.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006I started throwing paint down onto the new study of sunflowers. Everything looks crazy and rough, but I'm learning to expect things to be ugly at first.
Monday, August 21, 2006I finally managed to find more sunflowers for yet one more study. I came home and started mixing colors.
Sunday, August 20, 2006I finished the new study of sunflowers. Click here to see an image of the finished painting.
Friday, August 18, 2006Between trying to put an advertisement together and making invoices and trying to help someone shoot booth display slides, I managed to work a little more on the study of sunflowers. The plan was to wrap up this painting today, but I just couldn't do it. Tomorrow I'm in Georgetown all day for my reception at the Thomas Moser showroom, so hopefully I can keep this alive long enough to finish it on Sunday.
Thursday, August 17, 2006Today I started throwing down paint. At the very last minute before the paint started flying, I decided to turn the canvas and make a vertical composition out of it.
Last night driving home from the gym I surprised two giant raccoons that were loitering at the end of my driveway.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006Today I actually picked up the new sunflowers for the new study I started yesterday. I'm almost to the point of throwing some paint.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006I started mixing colors for a new study of sunflowers.
Monday, August 14, 2006The new painting of sunflowers is finished. Click here to see an image of the finished painting.
Saturday, August 12, 2006I started mixing colors for another study of the same bouquet sunflowers.
Friday, August 11, 2006The painting of sunflowers is finished. Click here to see an image of the finished painting.
The world didn't change that much, maybe in some ways I couldn't see, but for the most part, not that much.
Thursday, August 10, 2006Strangely, this study of sunflowers is coming together nicely. I wasn't expecting it to snap into place the way it has, and I should be able to nail this one down and move on tomorrow. Maybe I've learned something since my last series of sunflower studies. Maybe I'm actually figuring some things out about painting. Maybe I'm finally gaining an understanding of light and space and color, and every painting I do will be nothing more than laying down a series of correct decisions. Maybe I've finally grown up, and everything in life will make sense and fall into place for me, and things will get easier, and the world will become a wonderful place again. Food will taste better, I can run faster, jump higher, my clothes will fit better, I'll sleep well, eat well, focus on my work, take time to relax, cultivate friendships, build business relationships, Frank will learn to drive, Ojisan will stop being so evil, woodpeckers will stop attacking my house and waking me up in the morning, the sun will always shine, everyone will be overcome by love and we'll all join together for one big group hug, all over the world, every culture, every continent, all of us smiling and singing, holding each other with joy and happiness....
We'll see how tomorrow's painting session goes.
Wednesday, August 9, 2006I'm back from my weekend in Westhampton Beach, and back to work again. The show was all that I needed it to be, and more of my work now lives in Westhampton. I saw some familiar faces, and I made a few new friends. I find myself getting lost in the thoughts and words of so many people, traveling with them through their own experiences, sharing what we can as we pass on by to other shows, other challenges in life, and other places.
Today I collected my paintings from the restaurant in Leola, bringing a six year run of the display of my work to a close. Suddenly some very old and interesting pieces are back in circulation for my next few shows. I've been stopping at every grocery store for two days trying to find sunflowers for my next series. I was walking out of a market empty-handed, when a car pulled out and revealed a little grey and white bunny cowering in the hot sun. I picked up the wiggling rabbit, thinking about all the possibilities of adding yet another beast to my menagerie. Suddenly a woman stopped to admire my fine animal, and offered to give him a loving home among her guinea pigs. The rabbit seemed to like the idea, so I tossed him into her minivan, and she sped off with a new rabbit.
I came home and started mixing and throwing paint for a new study of sunflowers. It all feels so happy and safe in this early stage of the painting, we'll see how I fare by the end of tomorrow's session.
Friday, August 4, 2006I finished the painting of granny smith apples.
Thursday, August 3, 2006I started a small study of granny smith apples.
I'm getting ready for my show at Westhampton Beach this weekend. It's so strange, leaving an empty house behind, saying goodbye to nobody, just driving down the hill, through the low hanging trees and escaping out onto the road, onto the highway, driving away. I'm coming up on a year since I've been alone in this place. Frank is sleeping on the floor by my chair. Ojisan is sleeping in a dark corner, by the bronze hand of Buddha. The forest around me surges with noise, the house is silent except for the keyboard as I type this.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006I finished the study of royal gala apples.
In other news, some good friends of mine welcomed Michael Vale Cannon into the world, on Saturday morning. All in all, I would tell him the world is good, and he will like it.
Tuesday, August 1, 2006I decided to do yet one more small study of these same royal gala apples. The darkest one keeps challenging me to nail it down, and I would love to know I finally can hit it with this last attempt.
Monday, July 31, 2006I finished the triptych of gala apples, amid a great fanfare of frustration and anxiety. I thought the second one would be easier, but it didn't turn out that way. I ran out and bought shoes.
Sunday, July 30, 2006I started throwing down paint for another triptych of gala apples.
Saturday, July 29, 2006I finished the triptych of gala apples. You would think the finish of a painting would get easier with time, but I still struggle with trying to see things with a fresh eye after staring at it for hours. It just never gets easy.
I lost my telephone line in a violent storm on Friday afternoon. The phone rings when I get a call, but a rush of static is all I can hear when I answer. I managed to find every other way to communicate with the world, with MSN pc-to-phone calling, Skype, cell phone with limited coverage here in the woods, and I'm about to try drum talking and smoke signals soon. Hello? Hello? Anyone there?
Friday, July 28, 2006Fast forward to two weeks later. What have I been doing? Well....painting. On the evening of Tuesday the 18th a violent storm knocked the power out, the next day I started yet another small study of the same two bartlett pears, and the power came back on Wednesday night. On Thursday I finished the study of pears, and cleaned up my yard from the storm. On Friday I mixed colors and threw down some paint for a final large study of the two bartlett pears, on Saturday I built up a nice surface, on Sunday I slammed down a solid finish. On Monday I decided to do one more large study of the same two bartlett pears. I mixed colors and threw down a first layer of paint. On Tuesday I built up a nice surface, on Wednesday I hammered down a solid finish, and then turned the pears into a fruit smoothie. So tasty. Yesterday I started mixing colors for the first of a series of triptychs I will be doing, today I will start throwing paint. Yeehaw.
Friday, July 14, 2006I thought I might have time to paint, but I did not. I'm throwing my bags into the truck, and leaving for Westport, Connecticut for a show this weekend. It's all just non-stop.
Thursday, July 13, 2006I finished the second small study of two bartlett pears.
Today is my birthday, and I think I'm now older than my older brother.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006I started another small study of the same two bartlett pears, as they continue to change colors.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006I finished the small study of two bartlett pears.
Monday, July 10, 2006I started on a small study of two bartlett pears.
Sunday, July 9, 2006I finished the commission of gala apples, and it looks great.
Saturday, July 8, 2006I continued to slam down paint on this commission of gala apples. It's becoming a very exciting piece, and tomorrow should see the final definition take shape.
Friday, July 7, 2006I started on an odd commission of three gala apples, spread across two separate canvases.
First I laid it out
and then I filled it in.
Tomorrow I will build a surface, and start to wrap it up. Lay it out, fill it in, wrap it up.
Thursday, July 6, 2006I finished the study of green apples. It's a very nice painting. Click here to see an image of the finished painting.
Now I'm ready to start on the commission of gala apples.
Wednesday, July 5, 2006I continued to work on the study of green apples.
Tuesday, July 4, 2006 Independence DayI started another study of green apples.
Monday, July 3, 2006I'm finally finished with the study of green apples. Click here to see an image of the finished painting.
I think I'll start another study of green apples.
Sunday, July 2, 2006I'm almost finished with the study of green apples. I had a friend stop over last night, and stayed over to help me with some projects around the property. We turned the garage into a welding shop, to fabricate a new grate for my pond drain. Instead, we only succeeded in blowing breakers and learning a few things about welding.
Saturday, July 1, 2006I started another study of green apples.
Thursday, June 29, 2006I finished the small study of green apples. Click here to see an image of the finished painting.
It felt strangely easy to paint today, after all this time away from the easel. I met with my grounds crew today, and reviewed how the flood damage will be repaired, and I started brainstorming a massive project to build up the bank of the pond. It's all so huge, it all goes on forever, it's so strange, to be here, in this place, in this forest, with all this water.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006Today was my first day back to work after five days of darkness and rain. The deluge was so heavy at times, the rain was crushing down in the forest with a low roar, on and off, day and night, again and again. Last night my pond brimmed over the edge and carved out deep ruts in the levee, and swept across the road. This morning the spillway was a rushing cascade, and the overflow pipe was only overwhelmed by the massive amount of water trying to escape. Everywhere I could see evidence of a great flood during the night, roadways were destroyed, properties were eroded into piles of rubble in the streets, every stream and spillway was a raging rush of brown water.
With the sun shining, I finally started mixing paint, and laying down some color. The painting of three red plums died on the easel, and I scraped the whole thing down and started over, this time with green apples. The sun is a different color, now on the other side of the solstice, the days will begin to grow shorter, and the colors will all change.
At the dog park, Frank was almost swept away by the swollen creek. He tried to fight the current, then got pinned against a tree. I was about to go in after him when I managed to direct him to swim downstream to safety. The forest by the creek was a tumble of uprooted trees, everything was twisted and upended. It's a strange quiet now, but I can still hear the rumble of thunder in the distance.
Thursday, June 22, 2006I started a study of three red plums.
Bit by bit I'm trying to get this website caught up. I think I managed to upload all the newest paintings, but the referring links in the journal are still not up to date. So much work, so many details. I should take a cue from Frank, and just nap more.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006 Summer SolsticeThe air temperature rises, the morning mist gets burned off as the sun scorches down, and now it is summer.
If you find yourself hungering for yet more dramatization of the angst of a painter, see Spring 2006 for the previous season's struggles.
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