2/1/23
The beginning of January I was compelled to paint a lonely hibiscus on our back deck. This flower was absolutely astounding to be blooming in a winter setting as well as fighting climate change to start the new year.
Somewhat surprisingly the painting (titled “Hibiscus”) literally sold before the paint dried and spawned a series that was quickly sketched out on a piece of cardboard as pictured above. Judy Costello, (J/Costello Gallery, Hilton Head, SC) was visiting that day and decided spur of the moment for an April solo show based on the cardboard scribbles picture above.
The issue at hand is that most of my paintings take 4 to 6 weeks to produce because of the 60 plus paint layers combined with drying time etc. This schedule was a much more abbreviated time period of three plus months for five paintings. Clearly, I was excited to have the show based on new unexplored subject matter, but anxious about the time table. The first three weeks I was up at 4:30 am seven days a week. Heavy duty dual drying lamps were going all day long and sometimes dangerously into the night. This was ongoing until things seemed under control after the first five or six weeks. Once the first couple of paintings were semi-complete, I took a deep breath and relaxed back to a normalized schedule.
The subject matter for the paintings were iphone photos I had taken of the original hibiscus on our deck. I rotated some of the photos, cropped them and collaged some in photoshop. A couple images were made up from memory from several imaginary sketches as well. All in all, a very holistic and intuitive day by day approach.
We are now beginning August and approaching my birthday. Always a marking point.
I have been working diligently on larger work started at JOYA: AiR (Spain) in June as small studies and now evolving into much larger paintings. I’m now framing the smaller studies to exhibit at L/Ross Gallery in Memphis and tie into a larger show later in upcoming months. The small watercolors have a life of their own that gives them a unique identity full of spontaneity and energy. They really look nothing like the larger paintings that later evolve. I try to find solutions constantly about larger paintings as decision making changes, but not so with the watercolors. They just are…and very, very intuitive. No thinking or hand-wringing involved.
After being home from JOYA, I discovered a couple more possible residencies and am now applying to them for 2023. They are both in the United States and a bit more accessible. Each locale is on a different coast and each offers completely different experiences and with a varied demographics. I am always looking for new experiences in interesting circumstances. It’s always refreshing to have a future adventure to look forward to and meet people with different backgrounds and points of view. I especially enjoy bridging the generational gap.
My goal after my mid-August birthday is to produce a body of work that is not necessarily gallery ready. I have pre-made stretchers and panels standing by waiting for the beginnings.
Vague ideas are floating around, but nothing solid yet. This work is selfishly intended just for me and not necessarily for the galleries. My challenges are simple things like developing unique tools to apply the paint and make marks. I’m thinking more in terms of larger curves and supporting marks with layered primary colors. But really…who knows at this point? Maybe some smaller beginning paper studies will guide the way. I know I want them to be tribal, personal, and humanistic.
May 10, 2022
The last few weeks have been consumed with prep for our upcoming trip mid-May to Sicily (in the works since pre-Covid) and a June residency after at JOYA: arte + ecologica off the grid in rural Spain. There have been many, many more odds and ends to deal with than anticipated. Crazy multiple flights, flight redos, car rentals, Air BnBs, overseas wire transfers, meds, international phone service, art supplies, shipping, etc. All good things to fuss over, but time consuming. I have divided my planned time into pre-trip and post-trip.
I began a TO DO list of Sicily 12 months ago and it has been everchanging. Now I think it covers all the high points. Daily changes will naturally occur for us. Personally I am looking for dwellings that are rustic, rural and elevate my art and vocabulary. Baroque churches are fine, but simplicity is better. I’m trying to go into this with an open mind, but still have ideas of what to expect and see.
I am particularly excited about the Riso Museum of Contemporary Art that showcases Sicilian and International artists from the 1950’s to the present. It seems that the curators have housed ultra-contemporary exhibits in a historical multi-cultural context and have layered the art on the top surface of ancient archeological elements. It is a really rich idea. Also on my hit list are the frenetic open-air markets like Ballaro and Mercato del Vucceria. Full of color, smells, excitement and great street food. I could easily spend hours (or days) in places like this. Wandering the historic villages of Cefalu, Sambuca, Ragusa, Marzememi, Castiglione, Savoca, Erice, and Castellamare will provide inspiration for work coming up later in the summer and the remainder of the year.
The idea is to do a myriad of small thumbnail sketches and take hundreds of research photos and then start the process of deconstructing and rearranging the shapes, memories, and colors. A couple history books have been downloaded on Kindle that will help me delve into the past and influence the Sicilian imagery. I don’t want this to seem like a travel expose’ or “postcards from Sicily” as much as a cultural influence at this particular time in our critical world history. The work will end up being spontaneous watercolors and gouaches 16 x 20 inches done at JOYA. These will serve as studies when I get home later in the summer for larger work.
After a couple weeks in Sicily, my wife will drop me off at the airport in Rome and fly home as I head for Spain and the off the grid residency at JOYA. Of course, JOYA and it’s hilly, arid geography are equally stunning with a 180 degree departure from where I live in flat, humid Georgia. There's a pretty good possibility that I will be doing “hot” paintings with warm, luminous colors. I’m looking forward to exploring the immediate surroundings looking for interesting “fincas” and simple vernacular architecture embodied with a rich history of the area. The resident mix at JOYA promises to be an interesting international group with shared meals and conversations. Simon and Donna Beckmann, the U.K. founders of JOYA, have focused on sustainability and environmental innovations as well as their individual Artmaking. JOYA serves as a global working lab for their practices and philosophies, while providing a unique and unusual refuge for international artists in an extraordinary setting.
March 14, 2022
Since the New Year, I have been much more aware of time, especially as a commodity.
The amount of time it takes to complete a painting has been (by design) simply the amount of time it takes. For example, I paint in layers with the art positioned on sawhorses or a horizontal table situation. Each paint layer takes 2 to 6 hours to dry before the next layer can be applied. I usually try to do only one piece at a time which leaves a lot of downtime for the business side. There is relatively little blending as the combined layers do a transparent blending. That one-piece-at-a time scenario allows me to totally focus on the work at hand and solve the unique problem inherent in only that piece. I study it, do small sketches and even take notes. Crazy-time consuming and perhaps just a smidgen OCD.
I am trying now to have two to three other pieces going simultaneously. These are usually smaller and feed off the composition and colors of the primary piece. I have lost the laser focus that I had before, but developed more spontaneity and risk-taking. Pretty good tradeoff so far. I am not sure how this is going to play out long-term, but right now it involves new materials, paint applications, and process.
As this idea of multiples progresses, it seems that new work is evolving from the starter piece and makes a complete thought, and maybe even a series. New compositions, concepts, and edits are discovered within the “primary” composition to be used or altered for the companion pieces. Shared colors are certainly a time-saving benefit., but so are the edits and refined concepts.
I should mention that there is no hesitation about altering a “finished piece” months down the road and many times it takes that long for the work to ferment or be destroyed. Some pieces are two years in the making with several trial versions under the final.
If all this sounds like ART goobledeegook, I encourage you to try this method even if it is on a small scale. I’m still working on dealing with the “frenzy” and potential mental “chaos” of multiples, but see potential on the horizon.
Jan. 1, 2022
It started simple enough. In September, while I was attending the Cill Rialaig Residency in Ireland, I decided to have the popcorn ceilings removed in my studio (read commandeered two-car garage) at home by a contractor, revealing bare drywall in need of repair. Messy, messy job and the contractor earned every penny he was paid doing this job. I had wanted to install a new lighting system (eliminating the old dim fluorescent lights) that provided color correct daylight, but needed the ceilings to be in decent shape. After acclimating to being back home again, I decided to take on the task of retaping all the ceiling seams and patching rough spots. It gave me new appreciation for the guys that do this professionally daily. A lousy, dusty, strenuous, painstaking job. While I was waiting for the joint compound to dry daily, I thought why not fix one of the worst walls in the studio while I was at it. No big deal, right? Well, I think you realize where this is going. Every surface I touched caused me to redo another surface for what is now a complete remodel and two and a half months later.
A little background. I have an artist friend of mine in Memphis, Matthew Hastings, that is also a lighting guru. I was particularly impressed how he lit L/Ross gallery where we are both represented. I had never seen my own work look so good. A couple pieces I hardly recognized… the colors were so vibrant. I badgered him on how he did it and he gave me the specs for the bulbs he used. When it was time to install new studio lights, I scoured the internet for info and came across a company that provided the lighting heads that were preferable to me. They were easy to clean (important in a dusty environment) and could handle large 150 watt, 3000 lumen LED daylight bulbs. I called a known lighting company in NY for specs and prices. They sent me all the specs and installation info, but prices were high. I then took the specs and searched Home Depot online. They carry many items online that do not exist in their stores. Happily, Home Depot had the same desired manufacturer (W.A.C.) and all the necessary components for the tracks, heads, bulbs, and connections and for the right price. I laid out two 8’ lighting tracks and carefully installed them on the freshly painted ceilings. The lights were spectacular and made the space immediately look like a gallery. I was elated. Money and energy well spent.
My wife, Tricia, came out and looked at the space and innocently commented that she could organize this to get twice as much space with far less clutter. She’s pretty good at this kind of stuff. I listened to her ideas and opinions and after a couple days ruminating, decided to redo everything, including cabinets, layouts, tables, counters, shelving etc. based on her ideas. Of course, now I was also in the midst of completely finishing new drywall on all the walls with new crisp white paint. Everything White! The main focus was to have one 20’ bare wall. This wall would be dedicated to hang work for studio visits or to paint work vertically on the walls…something I rarely do for lack of space. Tricia found an article for me on Food52.com (https://food52.com/blog/25737-best- paintforcabinets?) that gives great info on painting kitchen cabinets. Most of the studio cabinets were recycled from our original kitchen. The article went into great detail about the process and amounts of paint coats necessary. It was a long process and still ongoing. Lots of sanding, primer, and many, many top coats with a sponge roller. I would not recommend it as being durable enough for a kitchen, but certainly fine for a studio. The place looks entirely like a different space and is now organized at least for the time being. This process has forced me to throw away stuff I have not used. I developed a two-year rule doing this. If something had not been used in the last two years, it was gone. Space is simply too valuable. Artists have a tendency to collect and store interesting found objects, but I am brutal about making the studio more spartan and minimalistic. Still, I accumulated a lot over the years and still need to pare down. Right now the space almost seems too pretty and fussy to work in, but it is definitely more functional.
After much deliberation, I decided to buy a couple (Huskey 52 in. Adjustable Height Work Table with 2-Drawers in White) adjustable workbenches from Home Depot with shallow drawers and casters. They were on sale for about $225 each and the idea is to group them together for large paintings and they have shallow drawers to hold small mixed paint containers. I tossed out the old sawhorses and 2x4s I used to paint on. When I picked up and unpacked the workbenches, they were extremely solid steel construction and I wondered how they could sell them so cheap. As I began to put them together, it was obvious why. The directions were really obtuse and many of the machined screws and threads did not line up. Each workbench took about three hours to put together. However, once done and my frustrations eased, I was still happy with the result and the table surfaces really trick out the new improved studio and give lots of options.
I’m on the downside of all this and finishing my punch list over the next couple days. Should be in and using the new space this week. About time.
Day 1, Cill Rialaig Artist Residency.
I arrived at Cill Rialaig through a series of interconnected skinny, 6 foot wide deeply rutted back-roads in the middle of nowhere, Co. Kerry, Ireland. Coming around a hairpin corner a vision of an 18th century stone village appeared, set at the base of a mountain overlooking the craggy cliffs of the Atlantic. After catching my breath and noticing the absolute silence (I mean nothing), I started to unpack and set up shop in my very rustic accommodations. As I looked up through the skylights in my small studio there was a black and white cow at the top of the cliff peering down at me nonchalantly. She was about 300 feet up looking straight down at me while munching her food. She stayed there for approximately three hours in this precarious position.
The surreal next few days were full of energy and experimentation and lack of sleep. The natural pigments I had made the week before were used specifically on Arches and Fabriano heavy Watercolor paper. The colors seemed to devour the surface and strange chemical reactions occurred as one color overlapped the other. Totally unpredictable! Additives like alum salts, citric salts, gum arabic, vinegar and table salt all had varying chemical effects on the colors. Trial and Error! I started with quasi-representational rural architectural imagery that eventually evolved into abstraction. Some paintings were worked on for days and others more immediate and spontaneous. Usually, because of the lengthy drying process, there were five to six pieces in the works at one time. The journey seemed pre-ordained and chronological with a direction of its' own. I worked day and night and took naps as needed. Almost a monastic experience and consuming. I even shipped some of the raw materials that seemed unique to that region back home. This included fuschia, soft ochre rock, a reddish seaweed, and dock.
I am now in my third day back home and trying to decipher what's next. Three of the smaller pieces are already slated for an upcoming show in Florida, another two will be going to Memphis and most are just the beginning studies for larger work to come. I'm not sure how all this will play into my future processes and outlook. I am not a purist (like my workshop mentor, Kari Cahill), but will use the natural foraged pigments freely where needed. I imagine it will be a healthy mix of acrylics, mixed media, and the natural pigments. To early to tell yet and now i need to find and make my own pigments from my home location. I am really excited about using and making pigments from specific sites chosen for paintings that will then make a complete statement. I should add that i do NOT know how all this will play out on large gessoed surfaces yet. TBD.
I am writing this in spurts in Ireland. So much happens in so many variations. As mentioned in my last blog, I was fortunate to take a workshop in Sligo with Kari Cahill, an artist that uses foraged materials to make natural pigments. The learning curve on what Kari explained was severe. I only had a glimpse into her world and know that she is a purist on this subject. The colors she arrives at are layered and strategic. She understands the complexity and chemistry of her colors. Her approach is scientific as she keeps copious notes, samples, and sequencing processes.
I took the information Kari provided, and for one week prior to my Cill Rialaig residency, rented a small cottage near Ballingskelligs Beach, Co. Kerry, Ireland to produce the pigments. The cottage had a good functioning kitchen (my improvised lab), access to natural materials (my sources and future art supplies), and a space that could be turned into a small studio (dining table). I learned very quickly about how to boil plant material and how long, also how to add extenders to make the colors bond to the surface. A lot of give and take over an intense week of work. When the time was over, I had approximately 14 glass bottles of pigments. Some were highly chromatic and some were subtle and watery. This time period was only about making color. It also raised many questions to be asked later. As I packed up the materials (lots of zip-locked bags of plant material) and the sundry basic equipment, I felt confident that I had something to work with for the real creative time period coming up at Cill Rialaig.
In a couple days I will be taking off for Ireland to spend the rest of the month. As mentioned in the previous blog, the origin for this trip was my Arts residency at the Cill Rialaig Project; originally applied for in 2019 and then selected and finally scheduled for 2020. All delayed because of Covid until now. I am now going helter skelter and simply hoping for the best. Ireland officially re-opened on July 19th to U.S. citizens. I have even scrounged a third Covid booster shot (kinda under the radar and with a bit of truth stretching) and had a negative Covid test yesterday just to get me into the country and hopefully back.
I also discovered that ex-Cill Rialaig resident artist, Kari Cahill, was giving a workshop (foraging and making pigments from natural materials) a few days before the residency was to begin. I rearranged travel, booked her workshop and this is where we’re at. Kari is generously helping me arrange to pick up various “extenders” and enhancing potions for the pigments since my residency will be based on the information I glean from her. The workshop takes place in Sligo about 6 hours north of the Cill Rialaig residency. Kari suggested that as long as I was in that part of the world I should take a day out and go for a “wee” 5 hour drive along the northern coast through Mayo to Galway and see some spectacular scenery complete with small one-lane roads and apparently pretty dicey hairpin curves.
