True Confessions

I started this post two months ago-then promptly forgot about it.

Many of you may not remember the publication from back in the day and truthfully, I don't know much about it. The title sure stuck in my brain, however. It is a humbling experience to review ones work and find some of it, surprising in its lack of what one knows as a foundational principle.

This is one that first struck me as decidedly 'off' and yet at the time of its execution I thought I had done such a good representation. Which I had done. The thing was, I ignored what I knew and copied the image with its distortions as if it were true to life. One thing I had forgotten, or neglected to observe, and it is a big thing, is how the phone camera distorts perspective. What's wrong with this picture?

It is that all of the vertical lines should be parallel and straight up and down. The difference in color is from the devices used. The remake is with my iPhone. I think the image above was with my digital camera. A stark contrast...surprising or not, the iPhone image is more true to the painting. It did not take much to straighten the window edges out.

View from Above, 9x12, oil

There will be more revised paintings coming as I pulled a number of them out to revisit. I am so out of the habit of writing and posting that I am way behind. Thankfully, there weren't very many with the perspective lines out of whack. 

This painting is from my last trip to Italy. It reminded me of myself as a child living in France. Our house had three stories and I often sat in the window overlooking a street through our city that was a thoroughfare. I ticked off on the windowsill how many cars with British plates on their way to or from Paris.

View from the Uffizi

View from the Uffizi, 30x30, oil on linen

Wow! I just realized this painting has been 2 years in the making. How is that possible? A real challenge for me. It seems to be finally at a place where I like it. After many false "finishes"...

The block in

I love the block in process and felt this really got off to a good start.

Continuing to build

Mid point.

Anticipation

Anticipation, 16x12, oil on linen

In the heat of the summer we have been experiencing here, it seemed apropos to dive into something to cool me off! I saw this young boy while walking the beach in western Italy. We were on a tour, and the first day of the tour was a 'free' day or you could add on a day trip to St. Lucia with the guide. We opted to go to the beach by train instead. I had hoped we could go to Cinque Terra, but that was going to make for too long a day, so this was next best. There were not many people in the water as the orange flags were out. I watched his intensity of finding "the" wave to catch. Someone recently made the comment that of course this is not a beach in the USA because he is wearing a speedo! For some reason that never crossed my mind that boys here don't wear speedo type swim suits.

Below is the block in for this painting. As is my want, I picked an unfinished start of a portrait to paint over. I thought you might like to see the big shapes and patterns I use to build upon.

Block in over unfinished painting

Post Pop-up Art Invitational

Admirers looking at my wall, 4-26-19

My wall after I was done hanging it, 4-26-19

I wanted to show those of you who were unable to come to the one night art invitational what it looked like. We had to be there to hang between 9-11 the morning of, and the art had to be taken down either after the show or the next morning starting at 8 a.m. I had a plan for hanging my wall and though I didn't follow it, because I had a pretty good idea, it went pretty fast. I wish I had thought to take photos of how the different artists did theirs, as just like when there are a group of artists painting the same subject and each one is so different, how to hang a wall of art follows pretty much the same pattern.

My friend, Jeannie Paty, hanging her wall

It was my first experience with this kind of a venue. It may well be the wave of the future as yet another well established art gallery closes this month in Denver. I thought it was very successful overall. There was a continual stream of people in attendance with the busiest time starting around 7:30. I believe I had the first sale of the evening, the little hollyhock study on my wall above. For an artist, our loyal supporters are always very close to our hearts, and without them where would we be? When a total stranger likes your work enough to buy it, that is a different kind of validation. It is an entry into a new relationship. The man who bought the little piece below the hollyhocks, "Along the Arno," wrote on the subject line of his check "Keep up the great work!" This is particularly poignant for me as I have been struggling with whether I should stop painting altogether. My shoulder has been reconstructed twice and it has been causing me enough trouble that giving up painting was definitely on my radar as a possibility. I received so much validation to keep on keeping on during this show. I will share one more experience: I was standing in the vicinity of my wall during a quiet time where I was not engaged with anyone else. A man and his wife approached and stopped next to me looking at my wall. He said to his wife "Now these paintings tell a story." He proceeded to go through each painting telling the story he saw. I cannot tell you how gratifying that was to hear. I want my work to draw people in to tell a story or open up a dialogue.

I know I was happy with how many people stopped at my wall and really looked and enjoyed. A great big thank you to Cherry Creek Art Gallery for organizing this event.

Laundry Day, Florence Italy

24x24, oil on linen, available

Looking for assistance for a title for this painting. I am thinking a play on "Zest" but not necessarily. Any help would be much appreciated!

Walking around Florence on my own I spent a lot of time just taking photos. I particularly like how the Italians still hang their clothes out to dry and I keep thinking I will make a series out of these images. This is number 2 I believe. I did a larger painting a few years back of laundry hanging over a Venetian canal. I am sure hanging their washing out is of necessity, unlike myself, who still dries laundry outside year round because I prefer it to using a dryer.

The planes of these joined buildings was a challenge. I knew how to do it intellectually, but it took a few tries to get it to 'read' correctly on canvas. I think this is why I enjoy painting Europe so much. The jingle jangle of the architecture makes it so much more interesting to me. And the colors, too. I think, but cannot remember for sure, that 'Zest' was a grocery store. Interestingly enough, across the street from here was a wonderful farmers market.

A View from the Uffizi Gallery

A View From The Uffizi Gallery, 30x30, oil on linen

I started this painting before I went to Greece last Spring. After the initial block in which always gets me excited I somehow lost my way. Here is the blockin:

It was not becoming what I had envisioned. Not many of my paintings do, come to think of it. I had this conversation with my sister recently. About how hard it is for me to paint a scene the way I see it in my mind. That doesn't mean I don't like the end product...And that might be what keeps me coming back. The insatiable quest to get it to come out the way my mind's eye sees it. Or does the vision in my head change along the way? I don't know. I did have someone come into the studio a few weeks ago and exclaimed what a great painting it was, so that made me realize maybe it was done after all, at least for now. So I am posting it, finally. It does make me want to go back to Italy I will say that for it.

The lines to get into the Uffizi had discouraged me from going in when I was in Florence for a few days on my own. Then one afternoon I happened by on the way back to where I was staying and there was no line! The Museum was only open for another hour or so, but I decided to go in just the same. I think I spent as much time looking out the windows at the views of Florence than at the art...And this view towards the Duomo is just not one you see highlighted so I thought I should give it a go. I just love the jumble of tile rooftops and the construction added visual interest and a complimentary color.

New painting found new home

Urban Garden, 30x30, oil on linen in its new home

One of my recently finished paintings found a home this month. A thoughtful, generous and loving husband bought it for his wife's birthday. He told me he found her looking at it so many times online (and it hasn't been on my website all that long) that he wanted to surprise her. So I delivered it in person on her birthday and she was surprised! Both in seeing me and the painting. She was delighted and is very happy to have it where everyone who walks in their home will see it. His wife is a friend as well as a former co-worker of mine from back in the day when we worked at Emily Griffith Opportunity School (since updated to Emily Griffith Technical College). I am, of course, grateful to them both for their support of my work. Thank you Ron and Linda! I think it looks great in your front room.

For more information on this painting see the post from December 2018.

Along the Arno

Along the Arno, 6x6, oil on panel

This is not my normal style but for some reason this little scene called for something different. And it is hard for me to paint this small anymore where once it was very comfortable.
The texture comes from two things. I gessoed the panel with a paint roller which gives it a kind of knobby texture to begin with. And second I had painted this scene already. Then decided I didn't like it so painted over it again. I do like the painted over effect so I am happier with the newer version. I also decided to use colored pencil instead of trying to paint the lines I wanted.

The story here is about the buildings. I do love the way the buildings in Italy are orderly yet jumbled. Florence has a lot of hills so it almost appears as if buildings are built upon buildings. The flower boxes are ubiquitous as well. It is one way to add color and get your hands in the dirt in a place with very little garden space.

Urban Garden

Urban Garden, 30x30, oil on linen, available

This painting has taken most of this year to get it where I like it and the camera likes it as well. Sometimes the camera "sees" things I miss. Or it will pick out a paint color that just jumps out of the image and becomes a bulls eye. Finally, it seems we both can agree, at least for the time being.

This scene is in Urbino, Italy, a medieval walled hill town in the Marche area of Italy. Which is adjacent to Tuscany. I had read that Marche was so much like Tuscany except less tourism and less money. So of course I had to go and check it out! We were staying in a resort town off season. But this resort town was for Italians. So not much English spoken here. While at the train station trying to figure out buses or even a taxi, for pity's sake, I heard English! This is after trying French, German and English with the ticket agent in the train station. There was  a young woman taking to two others in English. She was a student in Urbino and her brother and his girlfriend had come for the weekend to spend it with her. They were all from England. She said they would walk us into town and help us get oriented as my internet was not working and the map I had found online for this seaside town was so not accurate on any level. While walking us into town (lots of pedestrian streets) she said we should take the bus on Saturday to Urbino for the market. Flea market, antiques, and normal food market was something to go and experience. I had no plans as I often depend on serendipity when traveling, so market day seemed the perfect thing to do. Urbino was all up or all down, with barely any just flat areas except the small main square. I was quite taken with it. This is not my first painting from that day going to market.

Urbino Alley, 30x20, oil on linen, available

Here are paintings I did from the seaside resort area where we stayed in one of the only hotels still open. As is usual in seaside towns, you can tell the foreigners because they are not bundled up and they are in the water, if only wading...In October it was in the mid 70's and yet you can see this bicyclist has on a down jacket and scarf...

Racked, 20x30, oil on linen, available

Adriatic Evening, 24x24, oil on panel, available

I hope you enjoyed your little tour of the Marche area of Italy. It is just south of Venice as the crow flies. But by train you need to go West to go south! Be prepared for little or not English if you decide to venture here. I liked that aspect of our 3 days there, but I know for some it is not comfortable. It sure makes it an adventure.

Cortona Italy

oil on linen panel, 15x30

Here is a scene from a trip to Italy I was on a few years back. It is in the Tuscan town of Cortona. One of the many walled used to be city states.  I was taken by the colors and the building block effect I saw as I came down a hill towards the main square. We were only there for a few hours, but in that time we went to a private wine tasting, the sprawling street market and explored many of the side streets away from the main tourist sections. Yes, there are still places in a small town to escape the disgorging of tourist buses. Even if that area seems to be shrinking daily. 

I have no name for this painting yet so if something comes to you, please let me know.

Attachments

I figured out why I was so stuck on one of the paintings I started in January this year. It seems to always be the area one is attached to that is holding up progress and/or one's unwillingness to let go of said area. So even though I haven't finished this piece yet, I wanted to post it to show how attachments you need to let go of, hold you up.

Last Saturday I had dinner with a writer friend of mine. She was talking about a new essay she had written for her online newsletter. She was lamenting that she had to cut the best line out of her latest work to make the rest of the article pull together. How her attachment to that one line was keeping it from being a cohesive whole. But that maybe she could work that cut line in some not yet unwritten piece in the future. I then proceeded to tell her I had the exact same thing happen to me! Except in paint. Her first response was oh how sad! I could not ever reuse it. Which isn't exactly true. I feel that every time this happens there is always a takeaway from it.

This first image is where I had finally roughed in the sky really liking the energy of it. Unfortunately, I put it in after I had already begun painting atop the block-in of the rest of the painting. I remember being intimidated by the sky in the reference, so I was in avoidance mode. Leave it until I am ready or can't ignore it anymore.

When not done in proper order, confusion results

If I had added the sky when the rest of the painting was in the same state (below), who knows where it might have gone, right? My aim is always to keep some of that block-in brushwork but it is so rare, not sure why I keep thinking that will happen.

block in as I figure out shapes and proportions

Here is the painting with the new sky that better fits the rest of the piece. The new sky actually helps the piece overall so much it almost seems like a new painting and yet I feel I was able to keep some of the brushwork I had become so attached to. I can finally go back to the rest of it now that it doesn't feel like two separate paintings. I don't think it will take much to finish. To be continued.

Starting to pull together finally

Racked Sea Kayaks

Racked, 20x30, oil on linen

Here is a painting recently uncovered in my basement as I continue to cull through my life's work. It is not that old in the scope of things and for some reason I did not give much credence to it when I painted it. But now, looking at it, I am trying to figure out what it was that made me dismiss it out of hand. I showed it to a few people yesterday to see what they thought and it met with very positive responses. Who knew? Just goes to show we can be our own worst enemies. I have not shown this painting since I painted it and now it is up and on display at Gallery 1505 on South Pearl Street. It is very different subject matter for me. But here is why I was attracted to consider painting kayaks.

Italy's Adriatic coast was on my agenda when I went to Italy 4 years ago after not having been there in decades. We were in Venice and I wanted to go to the beach to give myself a few days away from the crowds of tourists that we were a part of in Paris, Venice and next, Rome. I was interested in Ravenna, the mosaic capital of the world, which is a 3 hour train ride south of Venice. We stopped there for a night and then down to Pescara from there. Pescara is a very popular beach resort area in the summer, but we were there in October so the season was over. The weather was still warm enough to walk the surf, if not swim. I walked that beach each morning and evening. The locals are bundled up in coats and us foreigners in t-shirts. I consider mid-70's perfect! I saw these sea kayaks on one of long walks (the coast line extends 12 miles at this particular area) and saw great abstract patterns. There were a number of these racks lined up but I liked that this particular rack had the cabanas behind them adding to the pattern and throwing in that yellow.

A side note; in hind sight, this stop to decompress was pure genius. When we arrived in Rome, not only was it the day of the Rome Marathon, but it was also a day the Pope beatified 13 saints from around the world and there were pilgrims from every corner of the globe that day!! Took us over an hour from the train station to our lodgings by the Vatican because the roads were blocked for the marathon and then the papal dismissal came as we were trying to get to where we were staying. Just goes to show, check out what is happening in the big cities when planning your itinerary especially when going to Rome! Lesson learned.

Venice Crossroads -

Venice Crossroads, 30x30, oil on linen, available

Motivated by my recent visit to Tuscany, I pulled this painting out of the closest. It isn't that I didn't like this painting as it was; There was a lot I liked about it. It just felt a bit too dull for me. Even if it was overcast while I was in Venice 3 years ago, it was brighter in my memory than I had painted it.
Rereading the original blog post is always interesting! I don't disagree with any of it but I had been working on it then for almost a year. So there is no limit of time when I don't feel reworking a piece is called for.
In the painting below from two years ago I was going for a more local tone approach even though there was a sliver of light coming down. I am still going for the same thing but I added a bit of brightness to the colors and not as much atmosphere. I also reworked all the figures and gave them a bit more personality, yet not pulling anyone out. I defined the chairs and table a bit more showing more of the light hitting them. I think it aids the movement I want to create through the painting. A few areas got broken down a bit more. I ended up doing a bit more than I had expected as once you get started you see all kinds of things that need tweaking.

Venice Crossroads, original, 30x30, oil on linen

Cortona - one of the oldest towns in Tuscany

Cortona, 30x15, oil on panel. Available

This piece is my favorite so far from my recent trip to Italy. We had wandered around this medieval walled town built on a hill for hours and were coming back down to the main square when I saw these buildings making great patterns and colors right in front of me. For the first time in a long time, I had to use two photos to make one piece as neither the phone nor camera photos were just what I wanted.

What I liked about this scene was all the repeating shapes and lines. Rectangles, half circles, squares and triangles. Despite the tall verticals there is good eye movement in it. Though it painted realistically, it comes off as an abstract. Since the majority of the scene is in shadow, I could paint it rather flat (local tone) with just a bit of light hitting the roofs (it was about high noon) to give dimension.

I am not sure of the significance of all the flags, but it seemed that each town we were in the town flag was in evidence. Everywhere.

On a Wing and a Prayer

6x6, oil on panel, available

My first thought when I saw this scene was 'Drive By Religion.' but that seems to trivialize not only the church but religion which I don't want to do. So I am thinking 'On a Wing and a Prayer.'  We were on our way to Rome from Montepolciano and I was intrigued that the road would curve around the old church. I believe the name of the church is 'Madonna Regina della Pace.'  My translation of that is the Reigning Madonna of Peace. I am up for correction if anyone knows Italian, which I do not.

I decided to do this one in a small format to work out the shapes. I thought the shapes fun and worthy of playing around with. The whole church is local tone (in shadow) while the landscape around it is in full sun. As is usually the case, when I see the painting in a photograph I start to see things that I had not noticed before. In this case, some of the patterns are repeating that I did not consciously think about. I am happy with that!

Italy - Walking the Tuscan Countryside

Hay Bale with Poppies, 12x24, oil on panel

Here is the next painting from my recent sojourn in Tuscany. The reference image was taken by Olin and posted in the groups Flickr album. I photographed a couple of versions of this scene myself. Had I not seen Olin's version, I would have been happy with mine. But my format was 3x4, so much more of a square, and his had the length that I liked better. I still cropped it to get the 1x2 format here. I punched up the poppies a bit but from the looks of it I may have to tone them back down a bit. The reds read okay in person, though.

I added the painting below from my last post because the field with the hay bale and poppies is off to the right of the road that we walked on. To put it in context. And one image was taken by the husband and the other, his wife. It was a lovely walk on a beautiful day.

Children of the Landscape, 6x6, oil on panel

The poppies were in their full glory and it brought to mind the field of Flanders and why poppies are handed out on November 11, Veteran's Day. Here is the poem from WWI In Flanders Field:

by John McCrae, May 1915, a Canadian Physician

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Italy, first round

Study, 9x12, oil on panel

A Walk Under the Tuscan Sun, 6x6, oil on panel

I have been busy doing some fun pieces from my trip to Italy last month. A 'walking' tour of Tuscany. Both of the references for these pieces were shot by one of my new friends from the tour, Nancy, from Tampa. Nancy was more than willing to share her photos with me to use. She and her husband are both avid photographers.  It is so much fun to see what catches other peoples eye.

We deemed the top painting's image 'Hopperesque' which was taken with Nancy's phone. I did this as a study to see whether I wanted to do it larger or not. I think I like it this size for now. 

Nancy took the bottom photo as well. It immediately made me think of Van Gogh and the south of France. I love the simplicity of the shot. I cropped it to be square, and I think these are the tiniest people I have ever painted! Group of 4 to fit in less than an inch squared. I had to get a sable watercolor brush out to to it as I do not own any tiny sable oil brushes.

I am always looking for help in titles, so if anything comes to mind, please let me know.

Squaring the Circle or Ordered Chaos?

24x24, oil on Canvas

Unusual for me...I have two good names for this painting. "Squaring the Circle" or "Ordered Chaos." I see value in both darn it. "Ordered Chaos" came out of the block in. "Squaring the Circle" came up upon completion.
This piece was painted with equalization in mind. Lots of repeated patterns and despite all the squares and rectangles it does circle through the square...I thought this painting would test my abilities but it was amazingly fun to paint and despite my best efforts to tone down the colors, I kept coming back to the rich bright colors you see here. Happy Happy Happy!

Venice Crossroads

Venice Crossroads, 30x30, oil on linen

This painting was in a somewhat completed state last February.  I have sat on it all this time wondering how to finish it. Sometimes one just has to put a painting away until you are ready for it or it is ready for you. This was not an easy painting for me but I was really attracted to the scene for all the repetitive shapes as well as the activity. So many ways to go in and out of the alleys in Venice.

I actually did more work on this than I had thought was needed as once I get going I see more areas that need attention. I started in the shadows leading the viewer in. I darkened it down a notch or two and added more details though still trying to keep it simplified. Just enough to have some interest as you go into the painting and to also lead the eye in to the visual motion I was going for. That made a huge difference. So I went into the interior and deepened some colors and lightened others. I was in a groove so it did not take me that long once I figured out what it was that needed doing. It is such a good feeling when that happens.

This is my second Venice painting from my two days spent there wandering the alleyways. I sure loved every minute of it and hope to go back and explore other areas of the city. We were staying in the area that is called Cannaregio. It is the old Jewish Quarter and is on the outer rim of the city to the northwest. Across the Lagoon from our vaporetta stop is Murano, where the glass factories are. So we stayed pretty much on that side of the Grand Canal.

Venice Laundry blog post. This painting has sold.