Intertidal and a day for the dead

                                               Intertidal watermedia on Terraskin 24x18


 Another abstraction, I`m getting a feel for Terraskin. Made from minerals, it seems the environmentally better choice than the plastic Yupo. This is on the heavy weight version but it is still fragile, especially damp. Things stay put a lot better though than with Yupo. No walking up to a completely different painting after using the bathroom. There are many acrylic layers in places and the repainting of those areas was easy. Though I bought these big 20x40 sheets for drawing, I have a feeling everyone will be used for painting. Working on paper has always been my first love. Easy to store and much less precious than a panel or stretched canvas. I let loose much quicker, and my best paintings usually are made with element of chance. Quite often after seeing something beautiful on a walk, I come into the studio and paint it disappointingly conventional. That riles me up enough to risk destruction and then the process gets really interesting.

                                                            young Gary Tipton


 Yesterday would have been my brother Gary`s 71 birthday. He died ten years ago of pancreatic cancer, and it was fast, two months between his diagnosis and death. My family was shattered. Premature death upends all expectations of reality.
We`ve had ten years to recover.
Gary`s wife Mary thought of it; a memorial for the family near his birthday rather than the day he died. Using some ideas from the Mexican Day of the Dead, she constructed a little shrine and we placed objects there that were his, gifts he gave us, and photos. We ate Mexican food which was his passionate favorite, some drank Black Russians, his cocktail of choice, and the brothers wore his clothes or the football jerseys of his beloved teams.

                                                                shrine for Gary


 Then we told stories as we sat in Norma`s beautiful garden and the long northwestern light of summer, faded into night.
In the memories we shared, generosity, respect and loyalty were the means by which he loved us.
The night was as joyful as any I`ve ever experienced.
The loss of a husband, father, brother and son can be survived. That lost life came alive again for each of us and we were stunned with gratitude.

                                                   by Denise Levertov

                                                              by Masao Yamamoto

                                                           Joan Eardley on location

 She is a hero of mine and a ferocious plein air advocate. She too left the world way too soon.

                                                     Summer Sea by Joan Eardley

 Finally, if you haven`t seen this video on a death in Ireland, it is well worth watching.




Portland Open Studios Tour 2018


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                                        Fog on the Mountain Studies. Try to stay cool.

A Break in my Weather

                                                  Early Winter Tangle oil on panel 14x11


 Something shifted in me as I was painting this. After weeks of an uninspired routine in the studio, this suddenly came through me. The 'flow' phenomena is well researched now and athletes and artists seem to experience a pure form of it. The sensation is one of elation and a sure knowledge that something other than oneself is involved. There is a patient rolling excitement as it unfurls. All of the decisions are right and it is a gift in the truest sense.
 Good paintings, research and performances happen all the time without it, but as it is underway, one is sure this is as good as it gets. I`ve been so ready to paint again with spirit, I savored it and watched it and felt somewhat redeemed. It`s been a long time.
 As you might guess, I`ve been more confident. I`ve had more fun.

                                              On the Reef watercolor on Terraskin 12x9.5

                                       Mojave Madonna watercolor on Terraskin 11.75x9.25


  Terraskin is a newish paper made from minerals. It is archival yet inexpensive. In many ways it`s much like Yupo, it`s very smooth yet it has a slightly more 'organic' feel. Paint doesn`t lift as easily for corrections but it doesn`t move around with it`s own agenda like on Yupo. So the control is better. I might even prefer it except for one huge downside; it is very fragile. It can tear if you look at it wrong. Several serious watermedia pieces were destroyed simply by trying to remove the paper from the drawing board. If there is a tiny seal of paint at the edge of the painting onto the board, it can easily rip as you lift the work from the support. I do this now extremely carefully with a new razor blade at the ready to cut through any place that stuck. If it`s damp, it is even more delicate! Try it for the fun just be super careful at the end.

                                Forest Alcove watercolor and graphite on Terraskin 16x13.5


 At the end of weekly plein air excursions last summer, I was pretty much done with the idea. It had always been more of a social project than artistic. Though I sold a few, it was a real hassle hauling an aluminum lawn chair, water, supplies, drawing boards and me out into nature. Once settled I was always happy to be there, the conversations were excellent, but the experience did not positively affect my studio practice. In fact it was really disruptive. So I vowed that if I did it this year, I would have a different approach. Why not just draw? I liked this so I ordered some huge drawing paper and a lot of new pencils and water soluble graphite. Yesterday was the maiden voyage.
This is where we went;

 Busy and green but a sweet ambiance.
I sat down with the large paper on my lap and couldn`t begin to reach across it! Should have been obvious before I left but I didn`t test it. I find the plein air experience much more fun and comfortable if I don`t over think the details. It`s daunting enough. So I drew in a corner of my big piece of Terraskin.
 With the subject being so complex I mentally insisted that every stroke be enjoyable. I would NOT get bogged down. With a working drawing done on site, I then brought it into my studio for the watercolor tones. I used many different tools and brushes and found that wet q-tips made some of the best marks. I`m capable of precision but it isn`t pleasurable for me. Consequently my drawing is a loose contour style with tonal elements added for depth, texture and atmosphere. I want a richer look but not go crazy getting there.
Also the paper I took into the forest was a heavier weight Terraskin. Hopefully tougher.

                                                    High Water oil on canvas 24x24


 This larger oil was painted from a plein air study of a flooded area in the Columbia River Gorge last May. I kept the vegetation to the sides to suggest the seasonal incursion of water.

 The arts organization, Tiger Strikes Asteroid in NYC, is offering a nice opportunity for artists that work on paper. Deadline is July 31. Your stuff in the Big Apple at last! It could happen!

                                                                 Randall and Julie


 Julie Ford Oliver was in town yesterday and she came to see me! She`s from England originally, I had no idea, no one tells me anything. She is one sharp artist and believe me, I wrote stuff down as soon as she left. So many helpful suggestions for the business and lots of praise for my paintings!
We`ve been occasional correspondents for years but if I`d known how delightful she was, I would have made the pilgrimage to her studio in Las Cruces! She was exhilarating and she left with a painting that has been hanging in my bathroom for years. I just switched it out last week.
Here it is photographed it in the early morning sun a couple of weeks ago;

                                                                      Puerto Landron

    I don`t like this about me but I`m a skeptical audience for photography as an art form. I want to see something astonishing and intensely personal. I love the work of Masao Yamamato; 

                                                            by Masao Yamamoto

                                                                 by Masao Yamamoto

                                                              by Masao Yamamoto

 If you`ve never seen a mating dance of cranes, this Youtube is well worth watching. Imagine coming home and seeing this on your lawn. She was listening to the radio.

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Portland Open Studios 2018