The Storm is Lifting

                                           The Storm is Lifting watermedia on yupo 26x20


 My brother Mike asked me the other day how I would characterize the work I`ve done in the last year. I told him wildly uneven.
For much of the year I didn`t know if I was getting better or worse. When I realized worse, I quit trying to push myself with exercise. I never stopped but I quit trying to rehabilitate myself. I was making the pain much worse. Now, as I wait for my new knee next week, my painting is as scattered as ever.

                                                     Across the Canal oil on  Yupo 20x16


 I was sitting on the bank of the lake`s canal trying to decide if I was cold, was it too early to paint outdoors. I did the drawing below and thought the weather was fine. Across the channel I could see a level area dense with vegetation. I tried to paint it from memory, first in acrylics and then in oils.

 Next I thought I`d do something I`ve never done before but had heard was an excellent way to learn. I would copy a hero. Bjornar Aaslund, a painter from Norway, slides in and out of abstraction as he paints his landscape derived, dynamic paintings. His work is adept and passionate and I admire it a lot;

                                                                    Bjornar Aaslund

                                                                     Bjornar Aaslund

                                                                     Bjornar Aaslund

                                                                    Bjornar Aaslund


 His painting, at its core, is suffused with nature. As if he has studied it all his life up close. As if he were a biologist. That last one, just above, is the one I decided to paint. I thought I could learn about his process and just adopting his palette was educational.

                                                  Bjornar and Me watercolor on Yupo 14x11


 Quickly I went my own way but it was a fun exercise. It wasn`t hard to imagine the lakes finally free of ice, suddenly teaming with plants in the warm sunlight.

                                                                 Bjornar Aaslund



 Because of my limited mobility I can`t get to all the places which are the basis of what I do. Consequently, I`ve had more creative blocks than ever. Usually I don`t become over concerned. A change of mediums will get things moving again. This time has been different. It feels like I`m actually denied that part of my brain. As if my imagination were inert or empty. A modest walk in Bryant Woods or a review of one of my Pinterest boards can change the chemistry in my thinking somewhat reliably but what is going on? It has been on, then off, frequently. I bet it has a hormonal element. Anyone else experience this as being cutoff from oneself?

 My show at the Hanson Howard Gallery in Ashland OR is up the whole month of April!

                                                                     John Wolseley

 This is plein air painting! This Australian painter is another naturalist/artist. Really inspirational.

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Easter!

                                          Wetlands Somewhere oil on canvas 30x24 [2011]


 Once this holiday was celebrated. Now it`s a quaint relic, or so it seems. I`m no longer a church goer so I may be wrong. It sure was a big deal when I was a kid. Mom was a Southern Baptist who had to agree at the outset that any children would be raised Catholic, like Dad. Since neither were particularly religious given their young age, this may have seemed minor. Yet as the brothers were born, the Reformation was reenacted within our family. For Lent, Dad strongly 'encouraged' us to give up candy to better understand the suffering of Christ. It worked, we were miserable. Especially during Holy Week when we also attended long services in Latin almost every night of that week. But come Sunday, that secular rabbit came through! Our Easter baskets were heavy with chocolate! No doubt the experience of delayed gratification was a helpful prelude to real life. As I got older, the mysteries of the Church had their way with me and I was a true believer! So as not to leave my Mom feeling isolated, I also memorized Bible verses through the BMA. I was one thoroughly Christian little kid! But it unraveled rather quickly as a teen, just through the idea of a loving God. No salvation necessary, just do your best. My outrage would come later as I fully understood the persecution of homosexuals.
 Easter was holy and I still think so. A celebration of rebirth, spring planting, warmer and longer days and for new starts, new hope! It`s worth a party!

                                        The Storm is Passing acrylic and ink on Vellum 10.5x8

                                               Split in the Cliff watercolor on Yupo 14x11

                                         Fallen Tree watermedia on mineral paper 9.75x9.25

                                             Untitled in Gray watermedia on Yupo 14x11

                                                  Untitled BW oil on cradled panel 14x11


 Some recent small paintings.
For the first time in memory, I have a lot of unfinished work around. Usually I`m too obsessed to walk away from something. But as I mentioned, it`s been difficult to concentrate. There is a limit to how long I can stand. In this period of waiting for my surgery [April 23], I had hoped to complete some of these disappointing paintings. Luckily I had the good sense to contact someone wiser than me. She told me no, just do new things. Chores right now aren`t good for my head.


 My part of the 'Nature Perceived' show, now goes from the museum to the Hanson Howard Gallery in Ashland Oregon. Four other paintings are also included. The local paper has published a preview saying I am a disciple of Richard Diebenkorn. While I think he was a terrific painter, I`ve never thought of me as a follower. Too distractable!


 Earlier this month, I was the juror of acceptance for the California Watercolor Association`s regional show. I said who`s in and who`s out. It`s true, the power was intoxicating!


Anybody know anything about the Myers-Briggs personality tests? Is there anything to it? Years ago I took the test and wrote down what I was, INFJ. Never thought much about it until recently when I`ve learned of others of my 'type'. I have no time whatsoever for astrology, so if this has any validity, it would be great to be more predictable.


Some art I`ve enjoyed;

                                                              by Adrian Ghenie

 Look close, it`s everyone`s favorite painter! The red on his cheek is brilliant, raw and exposed. That`s exactly how I think of him, defenseless against reality. The good dying young.

                                                                 by Adrian Ghenie

 Another. Vulture in a dead tree, atomic explosion in the distance. Hope this isn`t a prediction.

                                                                   by Fred Cumings


 I love every scrap this man produces. In this truly awesome seascape, all is poised for the crash of the wave. The waters are gathered back, the dark cloud hovers, sunlight breaks on the cresting wave, the waxing moon will witness, the receding film of foam rushes toward the monster..... It`s so dramatic! Fred Cumings paints everything with such sensitivity!

                                           The Descent from the Cross by Anthony Caro


 This sculpture takes a little time. We`ve all seen paintings of this desolate moment. I found this very tender.

                                                                  by Fiona Strickland

Botanical illustration is an old love of mine. Might have been the career that blended my interest in art and science. Fiona Strickland brings a breathtaking intensity to the genre.

                                                                by Joan Mitchell


Here`s a simple, early Joan Mitchell! Everything threatens to fly off the canvas but doesn`t. All is contained though whirling.

OMG, what if he`s right?!



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Little Travels

                                                               Autumn Field oil on panel 12x12

                                                              Apple Bloom oil on canvas 20x20


 Blogging my new work feels a little like turning in a term paper. Yet many bloggers will say this sense of accountability is positive, keeps them on track, diligent in their process. That`s valid I suppose though showing you what I`ve done doesn`t seem to improve the quality of my painting. However I do feel uncomfortable, especially when I`m aimless. For far too long the state of my legs has been so distracting it`s thwarted any forward momentum or cohesion. When I`m myself again, I`m going to plant myself on Minto Brown Island until I have so many ideas for new work I feel like I will burst. That is when painting is the most fun. When the images demand to be made.

                                                    Untitled in Gray watermedia on Yupo 12x9


 I thought I might have one more Fanno Creek Ice Fog in me but that well had run dry. Instead this odd abstraction remained in the end. It reminds me a bit of some of John Altoon`s work from years ago. He was an early hero of mine though he had already died at 44 when I became aware of him.

Nature Perceived continues through the month of March at the Grants Pass Art Museum.
Ruth, Don and I were all in attendance for the opening. It was fun meeting some of the local artists and patrons.

                                                                                      Ruth

 I`m terrible at documenting anything, this photo doesn`t do Ruth`s intelligent face justice.
She has developed so quickly as an artist it`s hard to keep up. Five years ago she abruptly gave up the figurative work she had been doing for years to begin painting abstractly. The new paintings were loosely based on her memories of the family farm and her deep Willamette Valley roots. They were and are powerfully dynamic with a lyricism all her own. Sometimes I`ll gasp when seeing a new piece. She`s never predicable.

                                                                                       Don

At 22 Don flew to Chads Ford Pennsylvania, unannounced, to meet Andrew Wyeth. The artist was home and he critiqued Don`s work and showed him work of his own that had never been exhibited. The chutzpah and naiveté in the young Don is so endearing. He did indeed go on to become a professional artist and supported his family in the process. He is beloved by all lucky enough to know him.

                                                                               two of Don`s best

                                                                                Tiptons and Grays


 From Grants Pass we drove north to Roseburg to see a collector/friend and her new home perched above the glorious Umpqua River.

 From there went went upstream to visit Falls Creek, an exquisite little rainforest canyon I was fearful had burned in the huge fires of last summer. It was intact and gorgeous and I made my way carefully up the trail with my cane.

 Small road trips can be as refreshing as a longer vacation. It`s always good to get away and then return ready to take up our life again.


 Everyone has their position on the second amendment and most people agree something must be done about the mass murder so common in our country. I believe we owe it to our younger citizens to hear their thoughts on the matter as their lives are most at risk.
Listen to Brandon Wolf.
The political involvement of young people can stop a war. I`ve seen it happen. Beware these kids.

                                                            painting by Sophia Schama


Here`s another;

                                                                           by Sophia Schama

 Without anything literal, Schama`s work is drenched in nature. This is the kind of work that really captures my attention, I don`t want to stop looking.


Read any good books? I`d love to know what they are.
At the suggestion of a friend who was visibly moved when talking about it, I just finished 'Paris in the Present Tense' by Mark Helprin. I listened to the Audible.com reading by Bronson Pinchot.
It`s been a long time since I`ve heard a story as atmospheric and sensual as this with such an ethical protagonist. Highly recommended.


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Watermedia

                                                      Bryant Woods November watermedia on Yupo 14x11

                                                         Ice Fog Shadow watermedia on Yupo 14x11


 These were my successes over the last couple of weeks, and they came quickly. Others were labored relentlessly with unconvincing results. I wondered if the process with these two forests was nicely fluid through mastery or merely repetitious. My bottom line is simple, do I want to look at what I`ve done? Both of these held my attention. If I floss and brush my teeth looking at the photo of the painting I just did on my phone,  it`s a good sign I made something worthy. So I`m the guy who paints trees, I accept that.

                                                         Mountain Tower watermedia on paper 24x18


 I began this piece still enthralled with my new inks. Everything was a jeweled color for a while but it was looking more like a poster from the 60s than  a landscape. The sky was a vivid pink that I liked for a few hours before realizing how 'cheap' it looked. So one by one my brilliant colors became altered, less intense and more like me. I`m not sure what, if anything, to do next.

                                                         Poplars in a Field watermedia on Yupo 14x11


 I moved on to this motif which had intrigued me 20 years ago. Sauvie Island is one of the few places other than the coast where we can finally see some vast space. No trees or buildings in the way. I tried to remember the experience of painting plein air there in the summer. Wonderful afternoons sitting in the breezy shade, smelling the green and being deeply content. But what I painted seems more like a golf course than the sublime island I love.

 The three amigos show 'Nature Perceived' opened today at the Grants Pass Art Museum. The real party is next Friday the 2nd of March during the community monthly Art Walk. All of the illustrious artists will be present. Hope to see you there!

                                                                      Rose by Elisabeth Cline

 Another friend, Elisabeth Cline, has created a new web page dedicated to showcasing her intensely intimate portraits of roses. They are so sensual, gazing too long seems like an invasion of privacy. Take a look at her remarkable flowers.

                                                                   by Elmer Bischoff


 This is a favorite of mine by the Bay Area Figurative Movements own founding father, Elmer Bischoff. I`m so drawn to this portrait because of the gentle sensitivity of the artist. With a bare minimum of shape, color and line, he gives us a young woman of extraordinary beauty and intelligence. She stands there bearing our stares without any loss of herself. She`s busy thinking. Enlarge the image to see how casually perfect each smudge is in defining the character in her face.
Of the three heavyweights of the movement, he is the least sung. Only now am I curious, and I don`t know why. His thoughtful lyrical paintings often explore the relationships of figures within his paintings and yet they resist a narrative;

                                                                     by Elmer Bischoff

Such a great painter!

 I`m posting a picture of my leg braces to advocate for their effectiveness. John took a photo of me wearing them but it was too real. My isolated knees looked like huge pale raisins. Not pretty. But I want to report how well they work. They are called 'off loaders' and somehow they keep the bones in the knee from banging on each other. Like any medical device, they are ridiculously  expensive. My insurance covered it because John is a nurse and his union won for the nurses a humane reasonable contract. Yay unions!! That being said, I`d imagine there is a healthy market for such mechanical devices that have been used. Once the problem is solved, no one is going to even want to see these anymore. They are making a dramatic difference for me now as I wait for a new surgery.

                                                           the happy Alexander Calder home


 Here is a photo essay of the protean sculptor Alexander Calder`s home and studio. He knew how to have the best life possible by making things. That`s the secret right there. It`s not acquiring stuff but creating new things that causes happiness.


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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
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