One Way or Another

 I'm often asked how to tell when a painting is finished. Several answers come to mind including intuition, boredom and/or when you can't think of a way to improve the work. When you think that you are done it often helps to  not look at the painting for a period of time- giving yourself "fresh eyes"- that will enable you to see if more needs to be done.

    But perhaps more importantly- how do you begin a new painting? Here again there is no one best answer. Hopefully inspiration strikes. If one is working on a series one painting will lead to the next. Some artists will consult their own sketchbooks or begin sketching an idea. Doing a small study or just applying a colored base layer to your surface can help. My preferred method is to work on several paintings at a time. That way, I can put the painting that might be done aside while I continue working on the other one.

    One way or another the most important part of this is just to start painting.

Studio + Safety

 Cezanne didn't let people visit his studio. Francis Bacon was infamous for the state of his studio that looked like a tornado had visited. My studio (above) leans more towards Cezanne's but besides making it easier to find things it is also safer. Whether  you are fortunate to have a dedicated studio or a room, basement, etc. safety should be considered. Of course one should have ventilation but also a fire extinguisher and high on my list is a metal garbage can with a tight lid. These have come down in price so that should not be an excuse. An artist friend of mine lost his studio to a fire-if he had that type of garbage can it might not have happened. Also you can see in the background my heat gun has a holder so the hot tip stays safe and my heated palette is on a metal table. When working with oils or acrylics I wear gloves and no food in the studio!

 Somehow, to my knowledge, Bacon avoided a fire even though he had oily newspapers knee high! Please stay safe.

Paint it Over (Franz Kline)!

 Franz Kline began his career as a traditional painter and illustrator. But abstraction called. He would "sketch" his ideas with ink on old telephone book pages.  One night while visiting fellow artist Willem DeKooning some of his sketches were projected up onto the wall and the rest is history-he saw how powerful they could be as large paintings.

Recently one of Kline's paintings "Nijinsky" from 1950 has been studied. He had painted over an older canvas-maybe one of those traditional paintings that didn't sell-that had as many as 15 layers. It seems that he primed over those layers and then continued with his signature black and white. Unfortunately the paint surface began to have issues in the 1960's.

I have painted over many paintings-a few I wish I hadn't! Many painters do. Just a word of caution-make sure your primer, gesso, etc. works with whatever is already there. 

Studio + Storage

 Dorothea Rockburne, 88 and still painting, moved into a Soho loft in the 1970's. It is a live/work space of over 6000 square feet with the majority of the space dedicated to her studio. Having been an artist for many years she has a lot of work stored there. Having enough storage space always seems to be an issue-I know it is with me-let alone thinking about climate control like in museums. But recently water from the loft above her studio leaked and over 176 painting, prints, etc. were damaged or ruined. She has had to sue the owner, a former ceo at Twitter for damages. The pain of loosing your work, the pain of dealing with lawyers at 88! Hopefully she will get the settlement that she deserves. On a happier note her work is currently on exhibit at DIA Beacon.

Encaustic class-student work

 Thanks to some of my students-Elise, Bonnie and Deb for entering their encaustic paintings in the Silvermine Arts Center Student Show. Next class starts on July 7 from 1-4 for 8 weeks, come join us.

Nature

 Since I paint with encaustics, garden and am concerned about our favorite pollinators-honey bees-it was interesting to learn about the creations of artist Ava Roth who, since 2017, has included bees in her process. She uses organic materials to create a collage that is framed in wood, wax is added  and then placed in the hive (quick version). She leaves it in the hive for 3 days to 3 weeks during which the bees build comb around the collage becoming part of the finished piece. Wild! Ava, like many of us, also hopes that her work raises awareness to the dangers that bees and pollinators in general are facing. 

Time flies-even during covid

well it has been almost exactly 2 years since i last posted but here we go again. the summer session at  silvermine arts center is open for registration. here's what i will be teaching-be great to see some of you, hopefully with no need for masks!?

Painting with encaustics-8 weeks, july 7, 1-4

Acrylic painting for beginners, 8 weeks, july 6, 1-4

Intro to encaustic painting, july 24, 10-3

Fluid acrylic pours, july 9, 7-9, Pours II,  august 6, 7-9

Acrylic painting-the Masters, july 23, 7-9

Gel plate printing, july 30, 7-9, Gel plate II, august 20, 7-9

another event to look forward to will be the opening of the Jasper Johns exhibition at the Whitney titled "Mind/Mirror". dates are 9/29-2/13/22. more on this to follow.