The Storm is Coming

                                                The Storm is Coming watermedia on Yupo 11x14


 More ink play.
I was looking over my new work and there seemed to be a lot of gray and pink. Yes it`s winter and that might be the reason I`ve been craving pure clear color. February often has mild sunny weather that can make one ache for summer. I`m usually immune being winter`s cheerleader but this year I could use some rich bright color. Ink is the answer. But the stuff is intense and figuring out how to integrate it into my work is a challenge. The landscape is not full of primary colors. The piece above was once extremely saturated and cheap was the affect. When I muted it, it came alive. Probably just my lonely Nordic soul looking for my Mediterranean mate.
Here was another attempt at high keyed color;

                                                        Bryant Woods November oil on Yupo 14x11

 The last remnant of autumn in late November is so special. What color remains is isolated now and bittersweet in the dying vegetation. I love being in the wet forest at this time. If I`m warm, I have a cozy, homey intimacy with the trees as I`m walking along.
So that`s what I tried to paint but I`m not sure I got it.
Hitting that expressive unequivocal sweet spot of color just short of overkill is my goal.


She had cut my hair twice, we had walked together and she was the mother in law of our handyman Joe. But it wasn`t until I looked closely at her website did I understand who she was. I had been aware of P A Jones of Texas for a long time. Peggy now lives in West Linn and we`re buddies!

                                                                  painting by P A Jones


 My local plein air group, Las LOPAS, will be happy to have her join us. Anyone can join us! Talking shop with other painters in the cool morning sun of summer can`t be beat.


Speaking of Handyman Joe, if anyone local needs a fix it guy, he is the One! He repaired a hundred year old ceiling in my upstairs guestroom. cleaned our gutters, repaired our screen door, helped me with a framing issue in my studio, took stuff to the dump and built this sturdy little hand rail;

 I will need this after my surgery. Last year I was helpless to get down off our porches without assistance. This little addition will mean 'freedom', right when I need it most.
Joe is smart and very professional. Text me for his number. [me-503-380-4731]

                                                               Quincy Jones by Art Streiber



 If you haven`t read the profane, eye opening interview with Quincy Jones in the online magazine Vulture yet, I highly recommend it. Such a fascinating, behind the curtain look at the music industry! This guy has known everybody.

                                                                    by Richard Diebenkorn


 This is the most charming little painting I`ve ever seen by the master. I suspect it is in a sketchbook he carried on a European trip. When his wife Phyllis died a couple of years ago she donated his sketchbooks to Stanford. You can see them with this link.

                                                             Over the Sea 28 oil on panel 12x12


new additions to my
Work for Sale blog

Skies! - Water Woods and Stone

                                         Laramie to Lander 2 watermedia on paper 24x18

 I came out of my self imposed retirement from teaching to work with the Buffalo Grass group once again. They ask good questions, are very respectful and pay well. Instead of haranguing them about the importance of drawing again, I thought maybe a simple topic might be fun. As a landscape painter, I use the sky as a pivotal yet flexible element. It is usually the first thing I concentrate on because if it doesn`t set the right tone, there`s no use in proceeding. I like to think of the sky as the emotional architecture of a landscape. Everyone knows clouds come in an infinite variety and nearly every color known at some point appears in the sky. Often it seems like an after thought in many landscapes I see and it`s a lost opportunity. You can get away with putting all sorts things up there! I love how Ferdinand Hodler used clouds to frame and heighten the majesty of the Alps.

                                     The Lady of the Isenfluh 1902 - Ferdinand Hodler   

This guy is one of my favorite painters, well worth checking out. Thirty years ago I was a tourist in the Bay Area and wandered into the art museum at UC Berkeley and was bowled over by his huge symbolist paintings. Like this;

                                                       Ferdinand Hodler, Day (Truth)



 So that painting up at the top was a practice piece  I did the night before the class. It had been months since I had painted in watermedia and thought I should be prepared. My first demo was on Yupo:

                                                 North Slope watermedia on Yupo 26x20


The next was on Arches cold press 140lb;

                                                       Updraft watermedia on paper 24x18


 Speaking of Yupo, here is a tutorial on my Holy Grail of watercolor; mounting the Yupo on a cradled panel so there is no mat, frame or glass to come between the viewer and the art. Working on paper is such a joy but the whole traditional framing expense is just daunting. And what we usually pay for is glass that gives off an annoying glare! When oh when will museum glass become affordable?


Here is a little video featuring Richard Cartwright and his lyrical landscapes. They are like dreams;

                                           "Sailboat at Midnight" by Richard Cartwright


Look at Fabienne Verdier`s brush!

work for sale

Oregon Refuge [s]

                                                    Oregon Refuge 6 oil on canvas 20x16


 On a hill in the Finley Wildlife Refuge is an enormous oak with a platform built around it for a comfortable view across a sweeping meadow with distant trees rising from a ridge beyond. It is a rare scene of how Oregon looked before the settlers arrived and it is sublime. Though I like to work in series, I don`t want to continue without sufficient interest. Though I`ve only seen it twice, both times in Spring, this view seems iconic in its hopeful beauty. Here are the other five;

                                                          1. oil on canvas 14x11

                                                          2. watermedia on Yupo 12x12

                                                          3. watermedia on Yupo 20x20

                                                          4. watermedia on Yupo 20x20

                                                         5. watercolor on paper 13x11


 When he was alive, Francis Bacon was extremely controversial in the art world. For good reason I thought. In my opinion the quality of his work declined drastically after 1960 or so. Became formulaic. Earlier in his career he did surprising images of people and animals in motion, businessmen trapped in deep blue voids, the famous screaming popes and a poignant series of portraits of Van Gogh. Both horrific and tender, he paints the genius artist as he wanders the fields of Arles.

                                                                 Francis Bacon

                                                             from my sketchbook

work for sale in my studio


Portland Open Studios coming soon in mid-Oct.

Metolius - Oneanta - Multnomah !

                                                     Metolius Riverbank oil on canvas 20x20


 I`m finishing up a show for the White Bird Gallery in Cannon Beach, opening July 18 and continuing through August 25. Another pairing with my friend Tom Cramer and also the potters Dave and Bonnie Deal. Stop by if you`re on the north coast!
This painting is of a small fragment of the Metolius River, that marvel that gushes from a spring high in the mountains fully formed. I finally saw it last September and it was quite unusual.
The edges of things and transitional zones fascinate me. Like the wetlands which seem to be earth, water and sky all at once. Or the high tide line as the ocean retreats leaving its treasures. The banks of the creeks and rivers around me are often heaped with decaying trees and vegetation with healthy new grasses, ferns, saplings and mosses growing among and upon them. Life and death, side by side.

                                                          Oneanta oil on panel 10x8


 I love my country but not its birthday. I join the dogs hiding in the bathtub. Too much testosterone, booze, heat and noise! A few years ago I had the brilliant idea of going to a late movie and avoiding the mayhem. We saw the charming Moonrise Kingdom. But even in the dark pit of a theater with its encompassing surround sound, the fireworks outside sounded like a bombing raid.
Last night was different. We were invited to a family gathering at the home of Laura Foster. Two years ago she bought this painting as an engagement gift for her daughter.
But Anna was not engaged.
Now living in Minnesota, she still correctly believes Oneanta Gorge to be the most special place on earth. Last Friday on a hike there, her beloved Luke asked her to marry him. The painting was presented to the couple as we ate on the lawn and watched the sun set.
Much better than holing up in my bunker with NPR too loud.

                                              Multnomah Morning oil on canvas 12x12


I`m not often up for the sunrise but if I were and if I was on a houseboat in the Multnomah Channel, I think it might look like this.
It`s on the shores of our big waterways that the sky opens up for our viewing pleasure. The trees are behind us, the breeze smells of mud and sometimes the ocean, and the water becomes an enormous mirror reflecting the movements of the clouds. It can feel perfect.


work for sale in my studio

Papers! Watercolors! Northwest Skies!

                                                            watercolor 17x14

 This is a plein air watercolor done on Second Beach on the Olympic Coast in 1986. I`m posting it because the paper was one I had used, literally for decades.
Meridian 100% Rag Drawing Paper by Pentalic was thin, tough, heavily sized and took watercolor beautifully. Until it didn`t. The formula was changed and it became more like blotting paper. This tragedy sent me on a long lonely search looking for something comparable. I discovered Yupo in my wanderings. Daniel Smith sent me lots of samples to try but none were right. I was like Odysseus just trying to get home.
 Last month I posted some of Georgia O`Keefe`s watercolors and mentioned my interest in the paper she used. Local artist Betsy Chang wrote to say she had been curious too and had asked the Museum of Modern Art for information. She got a boat load and passed it on the me. Mystery solved! It was cartridge paper, whatever that was?! Sarah Fincham of the UK stumbles on my blog, reads my question and writes to say;

 "Cartridge paper is what we use for drawing here in the UK, it comes in various weights and is usually sized for wet media, these days at least. And yes it does take watercolour pretty well, depending how heavy it is. You get a lot of granulation and it is good for wet in wet I find. Also good to draw on over the colour.

Often it is named for counties - for example I use Norfolk cartridge 210gsm - and it's named like this because originally it was used to wrap gunpowder for muskets, and would have presumably been made locally.

As for what it's made of - well these days I don't know if it can be made of linen fibres but I doubt it, it's usually made of rag and wood pulp, and is inexpensive for that reason.Texture wise it's almost the same as what is described as vellum in the USA."

Then she sends me some!! And a couple of others as well! What a love!

First I do a test;

 Seems very promising! Then I do a 'real' painting;

                                             watercolor 11x7.5 [Norfolk Cartridge Paper #3]

  I like this paper! Yet I can see it is not going to take a lot of reworking. Best used in simple compositions in a very straight forward manner. Like O`Keefe`s beautiful Evening Star series. Then I try Sarah`s other gifts;

                                                   watercolor 8x6 [Khachi Smooth Rag]

 This one is so sumptuous, I barely do anything and I`m seduced by color and watercolor magic and just stop. Going to get some more of this! 

Next I try a rough handmade little sheet;

                                       watercolor and oil pastel 8.5x6 [Hahnemuhle Bamboo]

 All these papers trigger my fetish so then I go online to see what I can find. A paper with the weight, durability and texture of American currency has been an obsession for quite some time. In the New York Central Art Supply paper pdf catalog I think I may have found it. Ruscombe Mills began in Britain 25 years ago and have since relocated to France. They specialize in handmade [and expensive] papers made from cotton and flax like those from earlier centuries. Creamy colored crisp sheets like Turner would have used.

          watercolor 7x5 [Ruscombe 'Machine Age' Compatible Cold Cream Wove]

 This little piece below, from last year, I include because it`s painted on a new American paper called 'Fluid'. It`s acid free and neutral ph but not rag. It`s cheap, loves watercolor but has a limit as to how long you can work it. Much like cartridge paper but USA made!

                                                                watercolor 6x6

This is blooming in my yard and it smells like heaven, anyone know what it is?

work for sale in my studio

             

 

Over the Sea 27 and others

                               watercolor on paper 24x18

Like most of the others in this series, this began halfheartedly but became serious. This is a 'go to' theme when I need to paint but I`m too distracted to focus. Before I understood what a complete cliche they were, I used to paint pears for this reason. They have such a curvy voluptuous form and with a jaunty phallic stem, there`s something for everybody! Someday I`ll post a bunch of them.
Here are some earlier pieces from this series. As usual, the 'styles' range from realism to symbolism to abstraction. All are me, sometimes just days apart. All are about remembrance.

                            watercolor on yupo 5x5 [#1]

                            watermedia on yupo 8x8 [#4]

                                   oil on canvas 10x8 [#7]

                                   oil on panel 5x5 [#8]

                                 oil on panel 6x6 [#13]

                          watercolor on paper 12x12 [#16]

Larry Groff`s enlightening web site, Painting Perceptions, nearly closed down this week. It never occurred to me that it cost money to produce. Which is naive because it has a wealth of information about representational painters and painting. He`s a really bright guy and asks thoughtful questions when he interviews an artist. The archives are rich with insightful, wonderful profiles. So when he said he was shutting down because of a lack of funds, I quickly made a contribution through the Paypal button I had never paid attention to. Larry wrote to say he could continue for another year. If realism is your bent and especially if painting on location or from a model is your passion, this site is extremely rewarding. Somehow I started reading it early and saw it blossom. Larry`s own recent work has become luminous and haunting.

Got to love Pinterest! How else would I have heard of Peter Hicks? He looks like a merry grandfather and  his website assembled with a kit, but this man can paint! It seems in Britain there is a respected tradition of landscape painting that is missing here. And watercolor in particular is celebrated. Even Winston Churchill was an active, decent painter! Watch this trailer for a film about Peter which is still in process. I love seeing him tilt and maneuver his support. He will do anything to get it right.

The next open studio/demonstration is Sat. Dec. 13, 10am

work for sale in the studio

Over the Sea 25 + Bog Forest Study

                                                          watermedia on Yupo 20x16

This was my demonstration painting I did at the Lincoln City Artists' Studio Association. The Sitka Center asks its residents to do some sort of community outreach. I contacted them and inquired about doing a demo with a casual class to follow. They were agreeable. As I`ve done many times elsewhere, I showed them a complicated mixed watermedia technique that allows for more versatility. Yupo was the 'paper' and I explained why one would go through so much trouble. Or why I do.

                                              watercolor and water soluble graphite 12x12

I`m working on a large oil painting of this boggy area close to the estuary. I did one of the same place in 2010. The depth, reflections,  textures and sense of vitality come together beautifully in this tiny spot.

Oregon Refuge 2

Another view of Finley Wildlife Refuge near Corvallis from the sparkling early June morning I was there. We saw just a few birders but no painters. This is plein air paradise, artists take note!
watermedia on Yupo 12x12

Waterworks Show
White Bird Show

Portland Open Studios Tour
Oct. 12 &13 Oct. 19 &20

In Steven`s Meadow

I saw a very interesting painting on Pinterest the other day that was done on Mylar. Then I remembered I had bought some years ago but hadn`t really played with it much. I found it and did this. It has many qualities like Yupo, the plastic paper from Japan. However, paint seemed to adhere more firmly and did not lift as easily when over painted. Being completely transparent, it required a white surface underneath to see what was happening accurately. I liked it and will explore it further. The subject is one of Lake Oswego`s many parks, a huge meadow that spills down the side of Cook`s Butte. There are a few tiny new trees planted randomly within the grasses.
watermedia on Mylar 9x12


work in my studio

Calapooya Mountain Summer

I taught in my studio today and did this as a demonstration of some techniques. It`s now predictable that I`ll end up being quite excited by the discussions when teaching. Hearing the different motivations, intentions and aspirations individual painters have is stimulating.
The painting is based on a drawing I did in a moving car traveling south on I-5 several years ago. The most casual sketch can contain enough information to evoke a memory of that moment and a more fully realized work later.
watermedia on paper 9x12


available work in the studio

Oregon Refuge

From my visit to the Finley Wildlife Refuge a couple of weeks ago.  This early summer has been so sweet.
oil on canvas 14x11


available work