Third attempt and this one I`ll keep. The subject is so simple, it had to be isolated at an exact moment of floral explosion. Two previous efforts were just banal. I walk by these trees every spring with morning light streaming behind them. In early March, one day it`s winter and the next, the season has turned.
This is also new and the place is another landmark on a different walk. I lap Cook`s Butte for a cardio workout circling up and down. It the late summer, it`s dry and dusty in the sunny areas, then cool and green in the forest. I first painted this rock as a demo in a class I taught.
And this got a makeover. I thought it was finished in the spring of 2016 but later knew it could be stronger. It`s a view from a picnic area on a bluff just north of the town of Mendocino Calif. My semester of 'art school' was here. I was 18 when I arrived, and so ready for beauty. I had escaped the smog, the heat and the car culture of inland Southern California. It is so much nicer now and a shining example of what can be when government is progressive.
Maya Angelou said people always remember how you made them feel.
I remember exactly every bully that attacked me, where I was and how I reacted.
So did Christine Blasely Ford. But the trauma and objections of women don`t mater and another sexual predator now sits on the Supreme Court. His opinions about women and their rights are the ones that will prevail. For now.
What an unhappy, unaware small man the new justice showed himself to be in the hearing. Our country deserves better.
This article from Howard Zinn written in 2005 gave me some perspective.
I`ve been so immersed in preparations for the 2018 Portland Open Studios Tour, it`s hard to imagine anyone who hasn`t heard. But if your are, 100 artists in the Portland Metro area will open their studios to the public for two weekends; Oct. 13 and 14, then Oct. 20 and 21. The hours are 10am to 5pm. The website has addresses and maps. There is a Portland Open Studio insert in the Oct. issue of Portland Monthly, and you can purchase an app with all the information for $5. I haven`t been involved with it since 2015 so I have lots of work that is new. Work on paper as well as oil paintings. It`s a fun time and a total ego trip for me. Everyone who comes through the door has seen some of my work online and they`ve made a deliberate effort to visit. I live in an old suburb of Portland a bit out of the way. Come say hello!
5373 Lakeview Blvd
Lake Oswego OR
97035
503 380 4731
In other news... I have a new kitten!! Even though Lyndon is my dream cat, we could tell he was bored and sometimes even a little depressed. Well, no one can be down with a kitten about! Sure enough Lyndon is ecstatic and surprisingly nurturing. We don`t have a name yet. Maybe it`s time to end the presidential series and go with a regular name. Or does he look like a Kennedy?
Here is a sweet essay on Five Things Artists Really Believe In. My favorite is "no one is coming to save you". I had that delusion when I was young.
Have you heard of Allison Stewart? I`ve been loving her botanical, organic, ethereal abstractions for a couple of years. I think we speak alike but different. She is in New Orleans, close to the bayous with all that richness of life to inspire her. She is rarely literal but always lyrical.
work for sale in my studio [updated]
5 comments:
What a sweet baby! I always, always say that two cats are the best choice. They take the pressure off of you and it's good for them to be with another animal of their own kind. You need a slim, sleek presidential name. Maybe Kennedy isn't far off.
You nailed that rock, too, in dappled sunlight. One of my favorite transitions in a forested area is that from sunlight to dappled shadow. You can't beat it for mystery-the feeling of being surrounded and somewhere else entirely.
The whole Supreme Court nomination process was ridiculous with a ridiculous outcome. I can't wait for that tide to turn. Hopefully.
And I enjoyed the article. I liked the point in particular that no one is coming to help you-you must start something by yourself. So true.
Good luck with your studio tour. I know you are going to have a great time!
Libby
Always a treat to find one of your posts in my inbox! Gorgeous pictures, gorgeous new kitty, (he looks quite regal) and great quote. I have a different word for each year and this year 'acceptance' chose me. Radical acceptance is how I think of it, as it takes a lot of working with, but the rewards are great. I catch glimpses of them as I struggle with it!
'You save yourself or you remain unsaved' - great quote from Alice Sebold.
Enjoy your show!
I love all three of these new pieces, Randall. You are on a tear, you must be creating new works nearly evey day! Looking forward to open studio.
Love the new paintings and the new little kitty :). And you’ve introduced me to another fine artists. I always get a lot from your posts and today is not exception. I could fall into that first painting and stay there :). You got it just right!
We have a gray cat too, her name is Haze Gray - will be two years old on Halloween. Gray cats are all over the place these days! Wonder what's up with that? So glad your older cat is ok with the kitten. We had a different story but they get along ok now. Your Circle of Cypress is a big painting and I bet so cool in real life. Happy Halloween in a day or two and happy painting!
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