Incredible Edible

Yesterday my students brought in amazing stuff to eat and drink for our Holiday celebration class. Crab quiche, cookies galore, exotic cheeses and dips, champagne, wine, etc. While I was shopping for some treats to bring in too, I saw this lone delectable pastry sitting all by itself on a deli shelf. In typical form, my natural inclination is to paint it rather than eat it. I did a demo on paper, having forgotten to bring a better support to work on. Its almost impossible to do a really bad painting when your subject is so spectacular. Hmmm, maybe more pastry paintings are in my near future...

Incredible Edible

8x8" Acrylic on Paper

Shirley's Bulb

This little bulb in the middle is the real deal, not some recreation of a retro design. It's about 80 years old and belonged to my mother when she was a little girl. It still has the original metal hanging hook on it, which is made of a really sturdy metal - it barely bends - in contrast to the flimsy hooks of today.

When working with Acrylics, there is a sort of built in alarm clock ticking away. They only let you work so long before they gently say, "OK, time to wrap it up now. " That happens after about an hour or so, the paint starts moving different. There are ways around this, such as using products like OPEN paints and mediums, to keep them wet longer. But I actually like this alarm clock function, it pushes me to be more decisive and efficient. If the painting doesn't work by the time my acrylics want to stop, thats OK. I'll opt for a mediocre painting with fresh brushwork and leave it at that. I can always give it to a distant relative as a christmas gift.

Shirley's Bulb

6x6 Acrylic on Board, Price on request

Sports Page

I'm not sure why I automatically named this 'Sports Page', except that growing up in a sports-fanatic family I have this assumption that whenever a guy is riveted to the paper like the one here, he must be checking on the results of a game. One of the great things about the NYC subway is that you catch everyone just being who they are, sequestered in one tiny area, a total cross section of all types. Everyone needs to get somewhere, and the subway one way to do it. It also happens to be great theatre for the lurking artist.

Sports Page

24x36" Oil Price on request

Two More Demos

Here are two demos I did yesterday for two back to back classes I taught. The challenge on the apple demo was getting the correct color of the bright red cloth reflecting up into the green apple, without creating a dull grey, since red and green do neutralize each other out (creating grey). The challenge of the angel statue was doing it fast, without a preliminary sketch first -there was no time, it was the end of class ...just jumping in with paint and big brushes and hoping for the best. TGIF!

Winding Road

I loved the dramatic pattern of the winding road and the cypress trees in this countryside setting in Italy, with the late afternoon shadows casting cool stripes over the warm fields.

Winding Road

8x8" Oil on Gessoboard

Price on request

Two Demos

Back from Art Basel, and had to hit the ground running. It was quite a trip. HUGE art fair, and impossible to see the whole thing. I hit the main largest fairs, Art Basel and Art Miami, as well as some of the smaller shows held in hotels. The overall aesthetic was contemporary art, which took me aback for a minute, till I stopped looking for more representational paintings. Once I let go of my personal agenda and opened myself up to what was being presented, I thoroughly loved it, to the point of not being able to sleep at night because my brain kept playing a slideshow of all the amazing work I saw during the day. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to see a LOT of art in one really cool city (South Beach, Miami) . The people watching and nightlife is just as entertaining as the show. Bring your fancy cocktail dresses and heels, gals - anything goes there.

No sooner did I get home than I had to teach two classes back to back. Having been deprived of doing any painting (my own, at least) since I left, I did a quickie demo for each class. When I say quickie, I mean 20 minutes and 45. I don't like to take up student time painting when they are paying for teaching, so I squeeze these in at the very tail end of the class. It felt great to have the paint flowing through my brush again. Ahhh, thats my home sweet home.

Tangerine

8x8" Acrylic on Gessoboard

Tuscan Vineyard and Grove at Dusk

8x8" Acrylic on Gessoboard