Month: August 2015

In the studio 8/30/15

My kids are used to seeing themselves in paintings. I use them as models a lot, although less these days than previously. Painting children is challenging and can easily lead to kitsch. There are always topics that are ‘forbidden’ in ‘high art’ (a single sentence with two sets of scare-quotes–a record for me).  Not long…

In the studio 8/29/15

I finished Taking Note this morning. This was my 15th session with the 42″ x 56″ oil. I don’t know the sitter. She is (I think) on the staff of the Cleveland Museum of Art. To me, this painting is pretty abstract, but all my paintings seem that way to me. Perhaps a better word…

In the studio 8/16/15

I put my mind to finishing Main Street II yesterday. You get in that groove where everything goes clickety-clack smooth and all problems become trivial and melt away.  You know that groove? 12 hours yesterday and back at it again today, all day. But–sigh–it’s not to be. I’m tired, that is, mentally exhausted, and the figure on…

In the studio 8/2/15

Three Women is coming along slowly. Previously, I titled it VW Bug and later Three Young Women. Now it’s just Three Women–original, I know. For the past week I’ve been absorbed by technical issues. Not mediums, but supports and grounds. I spend a lot of time getting paintings to the finishing stage. I’m looking for…