The David Oleski Studio Journal: Winter of 2003/04

The Paintings of David Oleski The Studio Journal
Winter of the Year 2003/04

Previous issues:
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. Read about his recent adventures in southeast Asia in The Travelogue of Thailand.
Tuesday, March 25, 2003
I just arrived from the grueling thousand mile drive from Orlando. Winter is officially over, it's sunny and birds are singing. Tonight I'll relax and unwind, and tomorrow I'll get back to work.
In a giant pile of mail I found the acceptance letter for the Wells Street Art Show in Chicago in June.
Read on...to Spring of 2003
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
The painting is finished, and I'm racing out the door to catch a plane to Tampa.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

I'll be back in the studio in the middle of next week.
Monday, March 17, 2003
I continued to develop the painting of white tulips against a dark red background. It seems as though a different part of my brain is getting a workout with the completely different color range. This piece is very close to being finished, and I should be able to wrap it up before we have to leave to catch our plane to Tampa tomorrow afternoon.

Sunday, March 16, 2003
Just to toss things up a bit I started a small painting of white tulips. This is a subject I've been interested in approaching for the past few weeks, and I didn't expect to find such a dramatic color combination when I placed them against such a dark and rich background. This should prove to be a challenging exercise in contrast and luminosity.

Saturday, March 15, 2003
I finished the painting of three granny smith apples.

Click on the image to see a larger version.
Friday, March 14, 2003
I started on a relatively tiny painting of three granny smith apples. I made a fast and furious start to the painting, and I'm quickly to the point where I can start having some fun with it during tomorrow's session. Hopefully I can make this look easy.

Wednesday, March 12, 2003
I finally finished the giant painting of three apples.

Click on the image to see a larger version.
Tuesday, March 11, 2003
The giant painting of three apples is almost finished. I continued to carve out some rich color and depth with some massive amounts of paint. While the painting seems very close to completion, I'm sure it will take most of tomorrow's session to wrap it up.
Monday, March 10, 2003
I continued hammering out several pounds of paint onto the giant canvas of three apples. I decided that the predominantly yellow apple didn't represent enough of an accent element because of it being more analogous to the colors of the rest of the painting, rather than presenting a more dynamic color scheme of complementary colors. I'm finding that the more I study a subject, the more I'm pushing and pulling elements of the colors of the subjects to find tensions brought on by pairing complementary colors together. I replaced the yellow apple with a red one at the beginning of the session. Tomorrow should see this painting round the final turn and start down the home stretch.

Sunday, March 9, 2003
Of course I wound up racing out to the store last night and picking up two more bags of apples, just to make sure I can make a strong decision. Right now all of my counters are covered with red and green and yellow apples, and I really do feel that I've succumbed to a certain madness. I swapped out all three apples with different ones, and now I'm ready to start really carving out a painting. Hopefully things start moving forward tomorrow, as I'd like to see this piece become more of a study of color fields rather than a struggle with arranging apples.

Saturday, March 8, 2003
I started on a giant painting of three apples. This is a new size, 40 inches by 72 inches, just to see how the dynamics play out over a wider composition.
Here is the rough sketch of the start of the painting.

Here is how it looked after I blocked in the colors, in the final minutes of sunlight.

I'm not sure if I like having two gala apples and only one granny smith apple. Something about it just doesn't sit right with me. Of course nothing seems to sit right with me lately, so I shouldn't be surprised.
Friday, March 7, 2003
I finished the painting of a single royal gala apple.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

One thing that has made life so much nicer here in the studio is the use of a pair of old steel easels I have left over from my art school days. When a painting is finished I can take it from the work area and clamp it into an easel, facing the wall. For the first time I can walk away from a finished painting with a clear head, feeling the thrill of the triumph of completion. There is always another detail that I'll feel the need to tweak on a finished painting, and I can remember times I actually dug flowers out of the trash to set up an arrangement again just to put some more work into a piece that was otherwise finished. Having the most recently finished painting facing me can drive me totally insane, and the distraction costs me the focus I need for my next project. Turning it to the wall feels like victory, as though I've dropped a great weight that only grew heavier with each successive brushstroke. Life is too short, and sometimes my head just feels too fragile.
Thursday, March 6, 2003
The day started with rain which started freezing and then turning to snow, all under a slate gray sky. The sky finally grew brighter late in the afternoon, so I did manage to get in two hours of work on this painting. It should easily be finished tomorrow, possibly in time for me to start on something else.

Wednesday, March 5, 2003
I'm finally back in the studio, starting on a relatively small painting of a single royal gala apple. I'm interested in not painting any apples at some point, so maybe this piece is a step on the way toward painting no apples at all. I decided to raise the image resolution of the main camera view, but this may result in those with slower internet connections having a problem with receiving the image before it begins to reload again. If anyone is having this problem, please let me know, and I'll reset the image resolution back to where it was before.

The trip to Florida was exciting and successful. The drive down was quite an adventure as we drove though heavy snowfall through most of Maryland and Virginia, culminating with freezing rain through most of North Carolina. We spent one night in Chapel Hill with my brother and his family, and then drove for eleven more hours through heavy rain for the remainder of the trip to Tampa. I looked forward to my father seeing my work in person for the first time, as well as getting his input from seeing what I'm doing in the venue of the outdoor exhibition. Gasparilla turned out to be an amazing show. I had a chance to meet one of the longtime fans of the website, and from among the assortment of quite talented artists we made a few new friends. Richard C. Harrington was one particularly impressive artist that we had the pleasure of meeting. We compared notes on how we've attempted to gain acceptance of what we do from our fathers. I guess it's a common theme among male artists that they should somehow measure up to their father's expectations of what they should be doing. Of course the only thing that really matters is within ourselves, but we can't help but to keep trying, nonetheless. Strange thing, really.
It was quite warm and comfortable in Florida, although it rained on and off throughout the weekend. Several paintings found new homes in and around Tampa, and I'm looking forward to the next show in Winter Park in three weeks. We left the van parked at my father's place and took the first leg of a round trip flight back north on Monday so I can continue to paint between the shows.

Monday, February 24, 2003
I'm scrambling to get things together for the trip to Florida. Unfortunately I haven't had time to paint, but at the same time none of the afternoons have been consistently bright enough to paint anyway. I'll spend the day tomorrow loading the van in preparation to leave on Wednesday morning, when we start the trip. If anything newsworthy does happen, I will be making journal updates from the road.
I'll be back in the studio next Monday.
Thursday, February 20, 2003
Today I finished the mid-sized painting of two royal gala apples. This piece snapped together surprisingly fast, and I could have called it finished several times early on in the session. I found a great kaleidoscope of color spiraling across the contours of these apples, as well as a satisfying richness to the surface after only the second day of painting. As my days wind down to our departure for the long drive to Florida the painting sessions seem to be moving faster and faster.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

Wednesday, February 19, 2003
As it seems that my last painting may not work for the commission for which it was intended, I decided to start on yet another painting to hopefully satisfy the needs of my client. This is a simple study of two of the more yellowish royal gala apples from the previous painting, and once again on a mid-sized canvas. Today was very productive, and I carved out a solid start on what should be a fast and lively piece.

Tuesday, February 18, 2003
I finally finished the painting of eleven royal gala apples. I think this is a very strong piece, and for the most part it landed solidly in that zone of being rough and tight at the same time.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

Monday, February 17, 2003
While the world around me dug itself out from under the blizzard I continued to make some strong progress on the painting of eleven royal gala apples. Things have really started to take shape, and this painting should easily be finished with one more session. I may set up a reflector to brighten up some of the shadows while I work on this tomorrow, as I'm sensing that the dark days may have added up to this being a dark painting.

Sunday, February 16, 2003
While the eastern United States is getting hammered by a blizzard, I continued to work on the mid-sized painting of eleven royal gala apples. Heather and I ventured out for groceries this morning, and by the time we walked back our footprints were already filled in with fresh snow. The storm is supposed to continue through the night and into the morning, but hopefully the sky grows bright enough for me to put in a few more hours of carving out this painting. Things are quickly coming into shape and the colors are quite bright and lively.
Saturday, February 15, 2003
After arranging and rearranging the eleven royal galas a few more times, I finally made a good start on the mid-sized canvas. Tomorrow should see this piece really snap into focus as I develop it further.

Friday, February 14, 2003 Valentine's Day
I finished the small painting of gerber daisies in a blue glass vase, and immediately started arranging royal gala apples for a tentative commission.

Click on the image to see a larger version.
Thursday, February 13, 2003
I am almost finished with the little painting of gerber daisies. I should have this wrapped up easily by the beginning of tomorrow's session, in time to start on another painting.

Over the past two days I've spent several hours tearing the entire studio apart in a search for a self portrait from four years ago. When someone inquired about purchasing the painting, I realized that I couldn't remember having seen it for a long, long time. I think that it's actually been almost four years. If anyone reading this has any idea where it might be, I'm all ears. Drop me a line, as I'm fairly puzzled as to what ever became of this painting. It's strange, to think of one of my paintings just slipping through the cracks and becoming fairly untraceable in the eyes of history.
Wednesday, February 12, 2003
I started another small painting of a trio of gerber daisies in a blue glass vase. Once I finish this piece I'll have a series of new projects to get started on.

Monday, February 10, 2003
I finished the little painting of gerber daisies in a blue glass vase.

Click on the image to see a larger version.
Sunday, February 9, 2003
I decided to put the ambitious allegorical piece on hold while I start a very small painting of gerber daisies in a blue glass vase.

Friday, February 7, 2003
I spent the day arranging and rearranging Heather and a chair and a rubber recusci baby. I'm attempting to recreate one of the classic Madonna and child compositions. At this point I've been studying the dynamic tension and drama of Leonardo da Vinci's Virgin and Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist, but without St. Anne and St. John.
Thursday, February 6, 2003
Ah yes, I finished the painting and then proceeded to do a victory dance around the studio. Sooner or later I'll find a way to turn painting into a full body contact spectator sport.

Click on the image to see a larger version.
Wednesday, February 5, 2003
The painting of tulips is now very close to being finished. Some areas are on the verge of spinning out of control, but I should be able to tighten things up and bring it all together tomorrow.

Schwartz is continuing to feel better all the time.

Tuesday, February 4, 2003
I started on a new painting of yet another bouquet of tulips, built on top of the ruins of yesterday's failure. I'm overdue to start on a new and exciting change of subject, but I feel as though the gauntlet was thrown down over this painting, and I need to conquer this subject one more time. Things are progressing well, and I should see this start to really snap into shape tomorrow.

The results of Schwartz's blood test showed that his thyroid medication was overcompensating for the problem, so the dosage was halved starting this morning. Suddenly he wolfed down a can of food as though he hadn't eaten in weeks. If I can keep him eating and fatten him up a bit, we'll all be doing worlds better.

Monday, February 3, 2003
Amid great frustration I decided to scrape out the painting of purple tulips in a glass vase. Everything in my world seems to be more and more frustrating as of late. I'll be starting another painting in the next day or two. And I'm still waiting to find out the results of Schwartz's blood test from last Thursday night.
Sunday, February 2, 2003 Groundhog Day
I pounded out some more paint in a desperate effort to get on top of this study of purple tulips in a glass vase. Despite things seeming fairly hopeless, I'm still pushing ahead as though I might have one more day to work on finishing this painting. Yesterday remained too dark and overcast for me to make any progress, and by today the tulips are almost completely open and beginning to lose some of their color. Tomorrow will decide if I can get a handle on this piece, or if I'll have to become inventive in finding ways to salvage what appears to only be a good start on an ambitious piece.

And with great disappointment I just found out that I'm not listed among this year's exhibitors for the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair. The summer show season is suddenly not looking very good.

Friday, January 31, 2003
I started laying down some color on this new painting of deep purple tulips in a glass vase. It might actually turn out to be something over the next few days.

Heather was working in Philadelphia today, so the studio was fairly quiet. I have no idea how many times I asked Schwartz how he was feeling.
Thursday, January 30, 2003
I started mixing colors for a mid-sized painting of deep purple tulips in a glass vase. This ratty little bouquet may not even last through the night, but we'll see how it looks in the morning.
I contemplated trying something completely different from the still-life paintings of the past few years, but after two days of arranging and rearranging chairs and tables and Heather I decided to just dive into another painting of tulips instead. I've been toying with several different concepts, but right now nothing seems to have any meaning to me.
The Cherry Creek Arts Festival jury results were just posted on their website, and it turns out that I was not accepted. To add to the frustration of the day, Schwartz is taking a turn for the worse, so we're leaving shortly to visit the vet again.
Tuesday, January 28, 2003
I rearranged the corner of the studio in preparation for something completely different. We'll see what I can figure out.
Monday, January 27, 2003
I finally finished the painting of yellow tulips.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

Yesterday I had to be in Philadelphia to jury slides for the Rittenhouse Square Art Show. Heather and I had lunch in the city, and then we spent the rest of the evening with my brother and his wife and my little niece, Rachel.

Put your mouse over the image, see how cute she is.
Saturday, January 25, 2003
I crashed and burned while trying to finish the painting of yellow tulips. I'm in Philadelphia all day tomorrow, so I'll wrap this up on Monday.
Friday, January 24, 2003
I'm almost finished with the painting of yellow tulips in a glass vase. If things go well I should be wrapping this up tomorrow.

Thursday, January 23, 2003
I made a decision on another background color for this current painting of yellow tulips in a glass vase. I'm not sure if it's a shortcoming of my eye, or a shortcoming of my abilities, or just limitations within the palette of colors that I use, but it seemed unreasonably difficult to create a believable sense of light and space with pink as a backdrop color. Almost immediately upon changing the background color did the depth and light of the arrangement open up. Tomorrow should be an exciting day as the bouquet continues to open up and the painting begins to gain more definition.

Wednesday, January 22, 2003
I continued work on the new painting of yellow tulips in a glass vase. I blocked in the colors and even started working up a second level of thickness and resolution before I found myself second guessing my choice of a background color. The pink backdrop troubles me greatly, and I feel that the entire composition is spanning only a limited range of color. Tomorrow I may replace the backdrop with another color, although at this point I'm not sure if I have anything that will sit well with me.

Tuesday, January 21, 2003
Today I started mixing colors for a mid-sized painting of yellow tulips in a glass vase. Heather is finally home from the weekend as of last night, and this morning we made it to Central Market where I found a decent selection of flowers.
I'm suddenly weighing out the logistics of doing the Sausalito Art Festival over Labor Day weekend. The preceding weekend I'm going to be in Chicago for the Port Clinton show, so that's not a problem, but the following weekend I'll have to be in Wilmington, Delaware for the Brandywine show. The show in Sausalito extends to Monday, and setup for Brandywine begins on Friday, so we would have to cross the entire country from coast to coast between Monday at 6pm and Friday afternoon of the same week. It adds up to 60 hours of driving, so I'll have to think about it for a bit. At this point it doesn't seem likely, but hey, we're always up for an adventure.
Sunday, January 19, 2003
After another few hours of work, I am now finally finished with the painting of tulips in a vase.

Click the image to see a larger version.
Saturday, January 18, 2003
Shazam, I think I'm done with this painting, but by light of day tomorrow I'll make the final decision. Heather is out of town for the weekend visiting her family, so I'm going a little insane in the silence and solitude of the studio.
Schwartz's stomach medication seems to get him fairly worked up. For the past few days he would continually pace around the studio, clawing at me every time I was within reach, trying to get my attention. Twice he even climbed up my back to perch on my shoulder. Good thing I was wearing a thick sweater. I think he's finally adjusted to the medicine, and today he spent the day wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. At least I don't have to worry about stepping on him.
Friday, January 17, 2003
The painting of tulips in a vase is almost done. I've been finding some exciting colors within this bouquet, and wiring the flowers into place seems to be buying me a little more time on bringing everything up to a focused finish.

Thursday, January 16, 2003
I managed to make some progress on the new painting of tulips in a vase. This piece is suddenly coming nicely into focus, although I don't have high hopes about how this bouquet will look tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 15, 2003
I decided to start this new painting of tulips on a mid-sized canvas. I blocked in the big areas and tomorrow I should begin carving out some details. Unfortunately the tulips have completely bloomed to the point that the petals are exploding backwards. Fortunately I have another bunch of tulips on standby in my cold storage room.
I picked up Schwartz's thyroid pills this morning, and was fairly floored with the cost of only 50 day's worth of medication. Suddenly I found myself becoming fairly depressed as Heather and I discussed the value of a cat's life. Of course the entire world's economics are based on the value of life, the quality of life, and health, so I'm only just entering into the cold world of the acceptance of age and the cost of a long life.

Tuesday, January 14, 2003
I woke up this morning to see Schwartz watching the sunrise from the steps of the loft. It seems as though yesterday's adventure may have given him a new appreciation of life. As it turns out, he has an overactive thyroid gland which has been causing his metabolism to run at overdrive, causing him to lose weight and be constantly thirsty. I've been jamming a pill down his throat three times a day to regulate his stomach acid, yet he still insists on constantly tagging along behind me like an affectionate puppy. Strange little animal.
I started mixing colors for another painting of tulips in a glass vase. I'm on the fence about diving into another large canvas or just starting something smaller. I'll make the decision tomorrow.

Monday, January 13, 2003
The painting of a vase of tulips is now finished.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

We decided that the unusual behavior Schwartz has displayed as of late could signify something fairly serious, so we took him to the vet for a series of tests. We're looking forward to finding out the results of the blood tests tomorrow.
Sunday, January 12, 2003
The painting of a vase of tulips is almost finished.
Saturday, January 11, 2003
The painting of tulips is very close to being finished, despite most of the canvas being fairly rough and rude. If the tulips survive through the night I believe I'll be able to nail down a fairly tight final resolution of this subject.

Friday, January 10, 2003
I continued to work on the large painting of tulips in a vase. The flowers finally relaxed enough for the painting to continue, but it was difficult to get started knowing that they would continue to move and change throughout the day. I had to change my mindset from attempting to figure out how to finish the painting into a sense of understanding that the reason I am painting is to study and explore what I actually can see. Right now it is especially important that I should remember that the odyssey of exploration and education should always be the foundation of my painting experience.

We're currently studying the science of discipline with our cat Schwartz. While we were in Thailand he learned to drink from the toilet and how to lounge on our kitchen counter. Keeping the lid on the toilet is easy enough, but he's suddenly become very aggressive about jumping onto the counter whenever we turn our backs. This morning he jumped up specifically to drink from our water glasses. His water dishes are rinsed and refreshed every day, but maybe he just has a problem with sharing water with Aggie and Jeckyl. Bit by bit we're finding ways to break him of jumping onto the counter, but I can only imagine what revenge he may be plotting for us.
Thursday, January 9, 2003
I attempted to continue work on the large painting of a vase of tulips. Unfortunately the tulips reacted to the cold by closing up and straightening out, the exact opposite of what they normally do after a day or two. I was able to work up a few areas, but I'll wait until tomorrow to see if the bouquet starts to relax a bit.
Wednesday, January 8, 2003
I starting laying paint down on the large painting of a vase of tulips. Starting tomorrow the race will begin between the painting being resolved and the tulips blooming and withering. Such is life.

Tuesday, January 7, 2003
I'm finally back at work in the studio, mixing colors for a large painting of a vase of red tulips. The weekend in New York City was as fun as we had hoped it would be, although we returned feeling just as rundown as when we left. I'm continuing to battle this cold, and I have the feeling that this giant painting will only provide a whipping post to which I shall have myself tied over the next few days.
Friday, January 3, 2003
So far, every day this year it has been dark and overcast. Right now the rain is on the verge of turning to snow, as we prepare to head up to New York City to spend some time with the legendary H. Philip Lauer at his flat in Brooklyn. It should be a fun weekend, and hopefully the weather will improve by the time we return on Sunday night.
Tuesday, December 31, 2002 New Year's Eve
I just barely managed to finish the painting of wilting gerber daisies. I'm still not totally satisfied with the outcome, so I guess this is how I shall spend the turnover of a new year, by continuing to question myself and my abilities. I should feel fortunate, that this struggle within the quagmire of self doubt should take place within the success of a productive studio.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

The past year has been fairly colorful. Heather and I found ourselves covering thousands upon thousands of miles, across the country and around the world. Most notably, I regained my voice through a great trial of courage and pain. My family is still healthy and intact, and I was able to see both of my parents within the past week. Heather has continued to inspire me with her strength and kindness, and she has helped me to become a better person with each passing day. And as always, I'm excited about what lies in store for tomorrow, and the next day, and next week, and on and on into the spring and summer.
Monday, December 30, 2002
I continued to work on the painting of gerber daisies. It is very close to being finished, and I should have no problem dating this piece with the year 2002.
Sunday, December 29, 2002
I started blocking in some colors on the painting of gerber daisies.

Heather seems to have picked up a bug from one of the children at the daycare where she works, and in the past week we've both started to succumb to whatever it is. I'm barely staying ahead of feeling terrible, although the effort of painting seems to really knock the stuffing out of me.
Saturday, December 28, 2002
I'm back in the studio on my first day back from Tampa. I started mixing colors for a small painting of a bouquet of gerber daisies. I should start throwing some paint onto the canvas tomorrow.

Monday, December 23, 2002
In a fury of brushwork I finished this painting of a trio of mixed apples. I still feel as though I'm not totally warmed up again since returning from Thailand, even after almost a month. I'm just starting to get into that certain zone, where I can stand back from a painting and say "at this point, this painting would be totally finished if only 'blank' were resolved," and then I make a mental punch list of things to fill in that blank. I try to envision the least amount of brush strokes to bring a piece to completion, and then try to specifically address those particular marks that need to be made. Sometimes I feel as though my head is going to explode, as each mark seems to propagate a longer list of things to address, to the point that entire areas that once were somewhat complete suddenly look weak and unrefined. I constantly dance on the edge of having only one more brush stroke to feeling that there is no way I could possibly finish the painting before the end of that day's session. It is really quite maddening.
All of this having been said, I do believe I'm finished with this painting.

Click on the image to see a larger version.
Sunday, December 22, 2002 Winter Solstice
On this first day of winter, the sun barely came out at all, leaving me to stab blindly in the dark in a vain attempt to make just a little more progress on this painting of a trio of mixed apples. Tomorrow will be my last day to work on this piece, as we'll be jumping onto a plane on Tuesday morning to visit my father in Tampa. It should be interesting to see what tricks I can pull to bring this piece together in just one short day.

If you find yourself hungering for yet more dramatization of the angst of a painter, see Fall 2002 for the previous season's struggles.

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