When I was between my junior and senior years in college I got a job working at the Silver Seahorse restaurant and marina out on the east end of Long Island. The great attraction was being in East Hampton and Amagansett out on the island, where a lot of New York artists spent the summer. What a treat to catch site of a …
This past weekend I visited a show that, sadly, ended on May 1. It was at the Hoffman Centerfor the Arts in Manzanita, and was titled Capturing Oregon’s Magic. It featured a sampling ofworks included in the book, “Oregon Painters Landscape to modernism, 1859-1959”.This is a wonderful book by Ginny Allen and Jody Klevit. It was a beautiful show. I …
Here is something I heard years ago, and I paraphrase here. Watercolorists like to pull form out of light, (light being the pure unpainted paper.) Whereas, oil painters like to pull form out of darkness, (ie, Black or color close to black.) I feel most successful with watercolor when I do small spontaneous pieces that are not designed. With oil paint, …
I just returned from a short trip to New Mexico to look at art, paintings in particular. We visited galleries in Santa Fe,Taos and Albuquerque. I got a good intense dose of Southwest art. Art is BIG there. Landscapes featuring mountains, rock formations, indigenous people, horses, cattle, cowboys, cowgirls and ravens are favorite subjects, and sometimes whimsy. Abstract art, not …
Many years ago, I was doing a job for the Clackamas County Library Headquaters in Oregon City. As I was struggling on a ladder to do the exterior lettering, an older man stood watching me. Why aren’t you using a pounce pattern?” He asked. “What’s that?” I replied. He explained that in a pounce pattern, you draw your design or lettering on …
I had a wonderful art teacher in High school named Fred Pilkington. He emphasized consistency in making art. “One hour a days beats 7 hours in one day”. This was inspirational and foundational for my life in art. It has become a satisfying work pattern. . It gives me the patience to remember that tomorrow is another day and perhaps …
Thoughts about Frieda Kahlo and Diego Rivera at the Portland Art Museum exhibition. I loved closely examining the paintings to understand their process, what brushes were used and how color was modeled and the designs of their work. They were both superb draftsmen, and could both draw beautifully. There were aquatints of details in one of Diego’s murals, and they were …
These days I usually buy pre-stretched canvasses, instead of building stretcher bars, stretching and priming the surface. But, I still want to double or triple the primer coat. This act of priming is my first encounter with the surface I want to use to create a painting. Touching, and brushing the canvas several times, feeling the texture and getting used to …
Occasionally the title of a painting can be the initial inspiration . All ready to be put down onto a surface. This rarely happens to me. Sometimes, when I was more of an illustrator, the title would simply identify the focus/subject, like the name of the person in your portrait. When I was creating a scenario inspired by historical events, …
My life as an artist has morphed recently. 7 years ago I broke a leg,and then had a fractured pelvis. All this which made it impossible to work on sites for Mcmenamins. I spent the time recuperating and focussing on my personal studio art. I rediscovered my abstract roots, (I studied art in the 1960’s,) and my love of …