sneak peak

It came to me the other day that it's been a full two years since I did a proper figure painting.  I found this tragic for two reasons: one, I thoroughly enjoy figure paintings, and two, they're rather invaluable exercises.  I immediately set about to remedy the matter, and have now started not one, but two proper figure paintings.  I am, expectably, a bit rusty, and they're rather still in the "well... if you squint and cross your eyes a bit it looks about right" stage, but in an effort to not completely neglect the blog and to prove that I am, in fact, working, I here post a detail in progress of one of them (don't forget to squint).

(detail, in progress)

In progress

Just a brief post to show some work I've started, but, obviously, not yet finished. 

(please, pardon the photographs of dubious quality)

Someone brought me flowers...

And so I painted them.

A hundred things at once

I seem to have finally broken in my studio. Where once there were empty spaces, now there are stacks of canvases in various stages of progress and finish. Portraits, landscapes, still lives, street scenes peering out from various corners; it's starting to feel as though I'm a painter again. Part of me is frustrated that it's taken me this long; I'm eight days shy of being in Boston for a full year. But, to be fair to myself, there has been so very much contained in that year: I started a new life in an unfamiliar city, I moved three times, started three new jobs, climbed mountains, swam in the ocean, lost loved ones, found loved ones, travelled, spent time catching up with old friends, made new ones. It's somewhat amazing I've gotten any work done at all.  In the year I spent without a studio, I found endless ways to fake it. I came across some photographs of my various "studios"--but I think, perhaps, that should be a separate post. So, to the meat of it: a sampling of various works now inhabiting my work space.   

Pennsylvania Sunset, 30x22", oil on linen

(they always look more impressive framed)

Flower stall, Toulouse... oil on panel is growing on me

Street performer, Albi--one of many studies of the subject, hopefully leading somewhere (oil on panel)

Still life with violin?  Okay, the working title is a bit dull.  (more panel painting)

(my favorite bit, though I'm told that's terribly obvious from looking at the whole)

And what's a post without a Sebbie? 

And just to prove I haven't given up on my quest to paint children's portraits well... I continue with my studies.

studies and drawings

Here is a sampling of bits from the studio these days.  I've been so busy with life and everything, I haven't had as much time as I'd like to work.  But I have been getting what I can done.  Here's one Sebbie drawing:

I hadn't finished a drawing in a long time, possibly since I was in school, and it was really interesting to do so.  I found myself remembering all my bad habits, and seeing my work as much as an instructor as a student--which makes me think I should do this more often.  Speaking of schooling, I've been doing some studies of Sargent's children's portraits, in an effort to become as comfortable with painting children as I'd like to be.  Here is one:  

I haven't been finishing these studies to a point where they are very exciting to show other people, but rather have been doing the quickly, trying to get as much for myself out of the exercise as possible.  So, that's the news from the studio.

December show

I just spent a lovely week in the DC area.  I was lucky enough to get to visit Principle Gallery in Alexandria, VA.  Should you be in the area, look for the upcoming Holiday Small Works Show opening December 3rd, the following will be there:

To Sea, 9x9"

Sebbie and the Frog, 9x11"

Spouts, 12x8"

Scrolls, 11x9"

Workings

I've been busy, although not as much in the studio as I'd like.  Lately I have been working on several paintings simultaneously, and I thought I should break out of my hermit-like tendency long enough to post a few--although, in the end, it turns out there are only two I am actually willing to post in their unfinished state.  So, without further ado, as they say:

still life with instruments (working title), oil on panel, in progress

and:

Street scene with two little kids, and a preparatory drawing study.  Oil on panel, and pencil, respectively.

The little girl's face is killing me in the painting of it, I have now wiped it out and started over more times than I can count.  I'm sure I'll get it eventually.  The other paintings I'm not posting are also street scenes, and they're all quite small in scale.  I'm finding people, especially faces, on a tiny scale particularly challenging.  But many of the paintings I see as preliminaries to larger works, and as a roll of canvas arrived yesterday, they soon may be.