Saturday, July 30, 2016

Siuslaw Study - Iceland

                                                              Siuslaw Study watermedia on Yupo 12x9


 Driving home from Coos Bay a couple of weeks ago, we stopped along a road in Appleton to get a good look at the Siuslaw River. It was flowing quietly in the evening light and the riverbank was in full summer flush.

 Iceland delivered! The beauty was everywhere, ridiculously casual! The most astounding sights breezed past our moving car. We took many photos while in motion because there were very few places where the road was wide enough to pull over. This was one of those;




 Just a farm with a waterfall and canyon in the backyard.





Another.
Many places were quite similar to New Mexico but with even less people. The place was immaculate too. No litter, billboards, crappy tourist attractions, or distractions of any kind other than the extraordinary landscape. The smallest waterways were lush with healthy vegetation;




 Art Travel booked us into a remarkable place called Solheimar, the oldest intentional community on earth. It was our base as we explored the South.
Word to the wise, get Icelandic made GPS if at all possible. We had two that often proved worthless. The small, tasteful roadsigns were barely legible so maps became much more necessary. Although  everyone graciously speaks English, the language is still ball busting. With seven extra letters, the pronunciation of anything is an embarrassing guess. John was making some headway, he loves languages, but Icelandic is a tough nut. Place names are naturally in the mother tongue, and that makes talking about them very difficult. But with lots of stops to confer with the locals, we found our destinations. Gjian was one of them. In dusty terrain that could have been Utah, one tiny sign directed us to this extravagant oasis;











 So over the top magical, it reminded me of a hippie, back to the earth poster from the sixties. BTW, you pronounce it gal-win. It wasn`t easy to find and    Fjaorgliufur wasn`t either;










 Even though I was there less than a week ago, it`s hard to believe something so completely fantastical exists. Look at those curves!
We also saw some of the more famous sites too, such as Gullfoss;




 Although geothermal activity was visible with steaming fumaroles throughout the landscape, there were also concentrations of features like at Yellowstone.







Now being so far north, the day stretched on endlessly. As a night owl who wishes he could be a morning person, the vast daylight was a total luxury. One can go visit Geysir at 11 pm! or 2 am! Plenty of light in July and no tour busses then! Sunset at midnight is a beautiful thing!


 Not much artwork was made except for I-pad doodles drawn on the plane or in downtime;
















Sunday, July 17, 2016

Final demo - JFK suggestions?

                                          Iron Mt. Fog 5 watermedia on Yupo 13x20


 This is the fourth demonstration painting I did for my workshops last weekend in Coos Bay.

 On our return from Iceland July 28, we have a 7 hour holdover in the Jet Blue terminal at JFK, 12:30 pm to nearly 8 pm ! Any ideas to gainfully use that time are greatly appreciated! Suggestions for interesting stuff in that area of Queens are too! Especially with transportation instructions. Or, if anyone would like to visit, I`ll buy you lunch and promise to be entertaining.


                                                                 Washougal River


 Taken yesterday on the new greenway in Camas/Washougal WA. This is where I want to live. House hunting and moving are the next big projects in my life once we get back.


work for sale in my studio

"New Landscapes" Coos Art Museum July 9 - Oct.1

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Demos - Iceland


                                                   Summer Marsh watermedia on paper 18x24


                                                       Evening Oaks watermedia on paper 18x24


                                             Stone at Bunk Creek watermedia on Yupo 26x20


 Three of the four demonstration paintings I did for my workshops at the Coos Art Museum a few days ago. Each was completed back in my studio. The demos all begin the same way, I`m trying everything to establish a mood which looks only vague and nebulous to the group. Nervously I assure them I know what I`m doing and slowly it begins to develop. I can feel as confused as the participants as I grope for something to build on. Suddenly something falls into place and the fun begins! No logical procedure, my moves are as much random as deliberate. From this, I hope to show that pleasure is more important than planning, to trust their memories, become inventors of technique and to be guided by impulse. Action painting in other words, even if it`s 70 years beyond De Kooning`s innovations and even if their subject is the lake they were camping at last weekend.

 My show in the museum was beautifully presented and the paintings had a dignity I hadn`t noticed when they were stacked against each other in my studio. The gallery was climate controlled with closed doors and I smiled to think of the damp underground space they were created in. Here`s a panorama;


                                                                "New Landscapes" Coos Art Museum



                                                                 Fjaorargliufur


 That canyon was made for me, yes it was! Next week at long last, Randy goes to Iceland! My timing is terrible however, everyone seems to be going! Its 300,000 residents are expecting 1,250,000 tourists this year! My ace in the hole is a native tour guide for artists. She`ll know where to go, and it won`t be the Blue Lagoon! That landscape screams 'solitude', I will find it!


 In the perfect painting category, behold Margaret Glew`s 'Hot Salsa';


                                                              Margaret Glew - Hot Salsa


 She`s Canadian and gets it right nearly every time! I admire her so much. Look at this collage!!;


                                                                     Margaret Glew


 Another favorite abstractionist is Mary Nomencos.


                                                                     Mary Nomencos


 Check out this charming little video about her, she has landscape within!


                                                     South Slough Johnny!


work for sale in my studio

"New Landscapes" Coos Art Museum July 9 through Oct. 1

 

Thursday, July 7, 2016

Plein Air & "New Landscapes"

                                                     Edge of the Orchard watercolor 12x9


 Painted on the 4th of July with Jean Gale who did her first yupo watercolor! It was a cool cloudy summer day. Like they used to be. So far it`s been a sweet season; no oppressive temperatures, no smoke from forest fires, no series of teenage boys drowning in our frigid rivers, and the air quality has been great! An embarrassment of riches. I`ve felt really lucky especially after reading Phoenix reached 120 degrees last week.

 Below are the nineteen paintings in my "New Landscapes" exhibit at the Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay Oregon. It runs from July 9th through Oct.1st.


                                                         Coastal Stream Study watercolor 12x9


                                           Calypooya Mountain Summer watermedia 9x12


                                                       Hiver Marais 1 watercolor 12x9


                                                     Hiver Marais 2 watermedia 12x9


                                                     Scent in the Morning watermedia 12x9


                                                          Metolius Morning oil 30x48


                                                                 Camassia oil 56x44


                                                           Circle of Cypress oil 40x56


                                                            Coastal Stream oil 48x36


                                                               Winter Lagoon oil 30x30


                                                                Estuary Rainforest oil 40x60


                                                                       Logjam oil 56x40


                                                             Bryant Woods Spring oil 40x40


                                                               Autumn Slough oil 50x40


                                                                    Shinrin-yoku oil 40x40


                                                               Autumn River oil 58x44


                                                                                Oneanta oil 40x40


                                                                   Boundary Marsh oil 50x36


                                                             Slow Summer Water oil 56x44

work for sale in my studio



Saturday, July 2, 2016

Bright Stars Broad Stripes!

                                                  this is not a flag  acrylic on Yupo 20x26


 This tree hugging, agnostic Christian, gay, pro-choice, tax and spend liberal Democrat loves his country! In our individual ways, we all do. Let's never question each other`s patriotism.


 Listen to Lady Gaga`s stirring performance of the National Anthem during last winter`s Superbowl. Has a more rousing, moving piece of music ever been written?


 Here`s your politically incorrect Independence Day joke;

What`s the hardest part about rollerblading?

Telling your parents you`re gay.


Other efforts this week;

                                                        Forest Floor watermedia on Yupo 10x8


                                                 Winter Slough Study watercolor on Yupo 12x9


                                                  ohne titel watermedia on Yupo 6x14


 Finally I want to recommend the journalist Sebastian Junger`s new [short] book "Tribe". It`s an anthropological view of 'civilized societies' in comparison to tribal communities. He says war and natural disasters often return us to a more communal mind set with a resulting surge in purpose and happiness. Evolution required us to work closely with one another for the survival of the group and that is the existence we are hard wired for. It feels right to help. I found it provocative and very  reassuring. The biological context for human behavior always makes the most sense.
 In an interview he gave here in Portland a couple of weeks ago, he recommended a year of public service for all young people, like in Israel. Might be the military or another program such as AmeriCorp. He thinks it could help heal the awful political divisions in the country. What a great idea!


available work in my studio for sale


"New Landscapes" Randall David Tipton July 9 - Oct. 1, Coos Art Museum OR