Local travel, anniversary, Portland Open Studios

                                                   Deluge watermedia on Yupo 26x20 inches

 An abstraction of natural phenomena. This intrigues me. The juxtaposition of different textures and colors gets me going. My fate as a painter has always involved the landscape.

 

                                                                     Todd and Randall

                                                                                  Beach

                                                                       Blue Morning

                                                                        Cliff Reflections

                                                                      Sea Lion Cave !!

 Even in beautiful Oregon, it`s great to get away and see some other gorgeous corner of my adopted home. We met my childhood friend and his new wife who had traveled to the coast for this rendezvous.

Many years ago she was on a business trip in the Northwest and somehow stumbled into the Inn at Otter Crest. That is not easy to do. It is difficult to find even when you know it 'has to be here somewhere'. She kept coming back for good reason. It is a spectacular location with stunning views everywhere you turn. There isn`t anything lavish about it but it is super comfortable. A perfect place to hang out and be with old friends. Though I can`t find the motivation to paint them very often, I do love seascapes! Here are three of my favorite painters of the sea;

                                                                     George Bellows

                                                                        Emil Carlsen

                                                                   Frederick Judd Waugh

 Once again this summer, I spent Friday mornings painting with my pal Mitch.

                                                                             Mitch

The conversation was good but the paintings were not. Here are the best. I keep trying to do it different and nothing engages in a meaningful way. The weather was always fine.

                                                                   Community Garden

                                                                             Solstice

                                                                     Phantom Bluff

                                                                         Sun and Shade

                                                                             River Turn

                                                                              Clouds

         

 Twentythree years! 

Almost missed him! We were at two different Starbucks 50 yards apart but out of view of each other. It was a crystalline September afternoon, much like today. 

My husband John is a kind and generous man that I waited a long time to find. 

When my cat Louie vomited in the kitchen and he sprang up from the couch where we were watching a movie to clean it up, I knew. Yes, it was his training as a nurse but still, it was my cat. 

I also noticed I liked who I was with him and that seemed significant.

                                                              apologies to AngelaFV

OCT  8 and 9. OCT 15 and 16.  10am to 5pm

Please come visit!

5373 Lakeview Blvd

Lake Oswego OR

97035

503 380 4731

I`m ready for some feedback and I`m sure the others are too. Portland Open Studios happens on two consecutive weekends. Enough time to get immersed!

My friend in New Mexico, Judith Shaw Beatty, posted this on Facebook. She is passionate about vaccinations as she had polio as a child. It`s so heartfelt and extravagant, I thought my visitors would enjoy her version of gratitude on that day;

Good morning. Grateful today for my health; my friends; my little loving dog; beauty everywhere; cool nights and warm days; my big and growing family; my Facebook friends, most of whom I will never meet; art; my writing; the food in my fridge; Social Security checks; a good book; my spiritual world; being able to laugh, even when I'm alone; my trusty car; Zoom; this beautiful little condo and the people who rent it to me; hummingbirds; equanimity; my job and the dozens of helpful, kind, loving people I work with; my leg brace that supports me; a dishwasher; cobalt-blue skies and fat black clouds that pour down delicious rain; and always, always having enough.

please click HERE to see work for sale in my studio

 

Fair Kansas!

                                   Across the Canal, Aug. 22, watermedia on Yupo 26x20 inches 

Thank you Kansas! Your unequivocal common sense vote to uphold reproductive freedom sent a clear and strong message to our countries 'leaders'.  No, you can`t roll back 50 years of settled law to reimpose limits on a woman's right to choose her own destiny! No one thinks of women as property anymore, who do you think you are?? A 6 to 3 vote of the Supreme Court to allow laws forcing a woman to bear a child is an outrage. Even the conservative citizens of Kansas understand that. People have sex for pleasure, women cannot be condemned if there is a pregnancy. Every child begins with the sperm as well as the egg, yet men are nowhere to be found in these ridiculous laws. This really does change everything. The Republican Party is trying to forcibly inflict its religious views on everyone. This will not prevail and it could very well hasten the end of that cruel, criminal and delusional party. The sleeping tiger is now awake, be careful what you wish for.

Human beings have a splendid new example of what we can do when talent, resources and vision are united toward a worthy goal. The James Webb Space Telescope is a triumph for all humanity. Twenty six years in the making, this incredibly sensitive device will be able to see some of the origin of the universe. Projects like this and efforts to slow down global warming are the tasks that should animate governments now. And maybe, finally, can we find a better, more efficient way to desalinate water? When the glaciers are gone, we will have no choice but to drink the ocean.

                                 Over the Sea, Aug. 2022 watermedia on Yupo 26x20 inches

  Another new painting, this one inspired by a day on the coast that was perfect. Warm and clear as a bell. The towns were packed with visitors loving this rare occurrence. This far north, the Pacific Ocean doesn`t deliver many calm beautiful summer days. If it is hot inland, that usually sucks in a big cold fog bank onto the shore. I wanted to paint the joyful feeling.

                                               Rivershore watercolor on Yupo 26x20 inches

 And another though this was preceded by a study from a couple of years ago. The problem with those small experiments is they can satisfy the original impulse. Nothing more evolved or ambitious is necessary. This idea lingered because I found the monochromatic quality so interesting. Below is the brush I used for the grasses. I think it is called a dagger. I don`t remember buying it but I collect all sorts of brushes. They each do at least on thing really well. This one seemed magical it was so responsive.

 Because I was using Yupo, I mixed in some gum Arabic with the paint to make those pale washes and strokes stick instead of slide away. That is a real negative aspect to Yupo, it wants to flow with the gravity.

                                         Crossing the Stream watercolor collage 14x11 inches

More repurposed paintings turned into collage.

Nieces, nephews listen up; The second Sunday of August, every August, is National Gay Uncles Day! Yeah, no one told me either, but here we are. Now we know. Now the gratitude can commence. At last a little justice. Dear nieces and nephews, don`t hold back any longer.

                                                                Maja Lisa Englehardt

                                                                      Emily Mason

 These two painters have done what I have attempted. They have merged abstraction with landscape in a personal, unique way. This kind of work is exciting.

I can`t help but find this funny. I`m completely sympathetic with her plight but this cows affection would not be denied. I hope there was a nearby bathroom.

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HERE for big prints and merchandize 

What has happened?

                                                     Morning oil on canvas 24x20 inches

A new Bryant Woods painting.

RANDALL DAVID TIPTON

Randall David Tipton is a self taught Northwest contemporary landscape painter using an experimental approach to explore pure abstraction in both oils and watermedia. Derived from direct observation in forests and wetlands, Randall approaches each painting in response to what he finds is most compelling on the site of these fragile ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest. With minimal use of drawing and photo references, he constructs a framework upon which to improvise. Specifically during the pandemic, Randall has developed a more conscious attempt at pure abstraction while involving a classic question of balancing form and substance with atmosphere.

 

This is what I`ve been doing, getting this show ready. Hanson Howard Gallery, Ashland OR July 29-Sept. 10

Does it seem like 2022 has gone seriously south? I think so. Not as bad as 2020 with it`s pandemic terror but not as fun as last year when I felt more release in my survival. Lots of life and death and I`m thousands of miles from Ukraine.

 

This helped a lot. Meet my newest Great Niece Mira. Granted I haven`t been around a lot of babies, unfortunately, but I`ve never seen one charm a crowd like this one. Her parents were so natural to their new roles. Young humans are so vulnerable for so long, yet the human race just keeps on. No matter how bleak the world may seem, it is an ultimate act of faith to have children. Cherished babies like this one, are always good news. Every kid deserves the unequivocal love and support Mira will have.

That being said, I was utterly disgusted by the Supreme Courts decision on abortion. That was not about babies. To me there is only one issue here. no one can tell a woman what she must do with her body. That personal autonomy is sacred. Period. This is a truly spiritual issue. If women can`t make choices for themselves, then they are not accorded full human dignity. We all know this by now. 

When I first learned about patriarchy in the 70`s, it was such a broad, encompassing concept, I thought it too simple. As a white man, I know now how difficult it is for the privileged to see their advantage. I don`t feel like I understand Patriarchy's biological origins but its tenacity is always on display. As if our country weren`t divided enough, those sanctimonious justices made certain this issue will engulf the culture for years. You cannot remove 50 years of respect and law. It will not stand, though getting to a national legality again  for the procedure will be a political battle like we`ve never seen. How unnecessary. Conservatives, especially the religious type, are about to learn what they have done.

                                                                          by Fred Cuming

Fred Cuming recently died at 92. He was a British landscape artist whose sensibilities melded perfectly with the local weather. He was ignored for much of his career and supported his family with teaching. I suppose he has been a role model, I sure loved his work. You can read more about him Here. Four years ago his son and his wife died. Yet he still painted.

                                                                       by Fred Cuming

                                                                           Ruth Gordon

"Oh, there is so much bullshit out there! Your age is the Golden Age. It's a gift. It's yours. Make it work. The time in which you are born is meant to be, and it's yours to use, improve, expand. All this looking back is good, because we should honor and respect those who came before us and learn from them. But take from what they did and do your own work in your own way. Get on with it! Jesus! Nostalgia is a narcotic. Avoid it. Make things work. This is your time and my time. Right now. Look back too much and you're over." Ruth Gordon/Interview with James Grissom

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Tributes and Loss

                                         Lemons and Daylight watermedia on yupo 14x11 inches

I have so many unfinished paintings that I should be working on but I just wanted to lose the subject again and concern myself with only color. As recreation. After I began this, I had a phone call from a friend telling me a mutual friend had lost her husband suddenly. Unexpected death shatters what we believe to be reality. Most of us will experience this in time and learn the world doesn`t reassemble in the same way again.

My friend, Ruth Armitage, also had an exhibit open just two days before her family tragedy. The concept of the show is novel. Her nine new paintings are based on the relationships she`s had with each of nine mentors. These are artists she feels helped her advance in her artistic evolution. I am one of them. These nine also have a piece in the show. Each of her square canvases incorporates what she drew from the mentors` practice and it`s interesting to see what was important to her and how the 'example' fed her own exploration. She doesn`t want this heartfelt show to be lost to sorrow.

Here are the details; 

Waterstone Gallery, 124 NW 9th AV, Portland OR, 97209.   ph.# (503) 226-6196

Hours; 11-4 pm Wed.-Sat. through July 3                         

 Some of Ruth`s work;

                                                        Constellation by Ruth Armitage

                                                          Nature Boy by Ruth Armitage

                                                    River of Dreams by Ruth Armitage

                                                   Confluence oil on canvas 30x30 inches

Fanno Creek at the Tualatin River. One of my favorite places in winter.

Also new; 

This was a demo. An earnest friend came by to learn some of the principles of watercolor. So I began talking about working light to dark and emphasizing the importance of drawing. I quickly felt cornered and realized I can`t teach things I don`t do myself. I don`t 'believe' in the traditional way of working with watercolor where the white of the paper is the lightest value that you build upon gradually getting darker. That can make for gorgeous paintings, John Singer Sargent did it repeatedly on his camping trips and other travels. I just don`t think it matters ultimately. What any artist 'says' is far more important than their technique. If you give a child a paint box they don`t ask about mixing colors, they just go do it as they`re working. Their vision is the critical thing, what they want to get down, leave a record of. My mom saved a piece I did of a fly on a television screen. I don`t remember doing it but I`m sure I was quite serious. 

Now that being said, a beginner needs to start somewhere. But where? This is why I rarely teach. I don`t know the sequence for learning this stuff. My own education was mostly by trial and error. I felt bad I had so little guidance for my pal. So I`m asking you dear reader, if any of you know of a good book on the basics of handling watercolor, please tell me. randalldavidt@gmail.com  Thanks.

Speaking of learning, I was taught two super important concepts in junior high. One was about negative space. That the empty areas around or between a subject also have a shape. The other was that the perception of color was always dependent on the context. The color around or beside an object determines how we perceive its color.

                                                    oil on Multimedia Board 12x12 inches

Any of you know what that thing is? I showed it to John and he said 'eww, it looks like a skull'. Now he is an Oregon native well acquainted with our forests. Though I painted it on a lumpy board with many failures underneath, I thought it was successful. It`s a tricky subject. In our soggy woodlands, a big fir will lose its grip and topple. The trunk will be colonized with new vegetation immediately but the root ball will loom up out of the ground in a huge circular tangle. Over time they weather away becoming intricate, sculptural forms with a distinct elegiac quality. I was disappointed he didn`t recognize what it was. Well I love them and will paint them again. I searched high and low for another term or word for 'rootball'. It`s so inadequate for the grandeur they possess. Do the Scandinavians encounter these in their forests? Patagonians? The best alternate I found was root crowns. I bet another language would refer to these things with more respect. 

                                                    Nature Variation 2 by Deborah Stewart

She makes it look easy.

                                                 

It`s Gay Pride Month! Give the homosexuals in your lives some love!

Click HERE for available work in my studio