Thumbs Down: Sargent; Thumbs Up: Bouguereau

John Singer Sargent and William-Adolphe Bouguereau are not normally considered together, yet their careers overlapped for several decades. In the ‘Undergrad’s Giant Book of Art History’ Sargent is counted among the progressives, while Bouguereau is thrown in with the anti-progressives–history’s losers (according to the Giant Book). Indeed, in many fables in the ‘Undergrad’s Giant Book of…

Non Reviews

I was going to title this post ‘negative reviews’ referring to non-reviews—shows I’ve visited that did not speak to me, and so no reviews were forthcoming. Silence as a review, so to speak. But, of course, readers have no way of knowing what exhibitions I attend and pass by without comment. Visiting an exhibition without…

In the Studio 4/7/2013

Here is a batch of some recent work. The large painting–‘The Conversation’–is 66″ high. It’s not far from being finished (knock wood). The smaller paintings are Betty Jane paintings, that is, paintings of people aboard my boat–The Betty Jane. They are also examples of paintings on canvas board. Treated properly, canvas board can be as…

The 42nd Student Show at The Galleries at CSU

I enjoy student shows and attend them whenever I’ve a chance. While most student shows are filled with, well, student-grade work, I almost always find a gem or two. So I wasn’t disappointed when the bill of fare for this exhibition at the Galleries at Cleveland State U. proved to be bog-standard stuff, which is to say most pieces…

Update to Oil Paint Brands

I’ve updated the Oil Paint Brands material to reflect the recent quality decline of several brands: LeFranc, Rembrandt, and Daniel Smith. All three have fallen from the ‘mid-range, good value’ category to student grade. Avoid except for sketches or grounds. One consequence is that Windsor-Newton has tightened its grip on the all-important mid-range category. The others…

Lake Erie Comes Alive

Lake Erie came alive this week; Spring is finally here. The first private boats were spotted–what a cheery sight! One brave soul was night fishing, his running lights moving slowly through the night. Soon boat lights will be as numerous as stars. I also saw the first commercial boat of the season.

Poem: For Penny

With the broken-hearted language of the abandoned,
the orphan spoke into the rising smoke
above the campfire.

Her voice carried through the smoke and sparks
into the night beyond
where everything is sky.

The spirits conjured there
were kind and full of yearning,
like her.

Every word was clear.
Across these many years I remember them still.
“We all find love, right, Tommy?”

The hard laughter of the others
choked the answer in my throat.

In the silence
the night grew chill
and stole her away.

“Yes, Penny.”

Jason Milburn at William Busta Gallery

Jason Milburn, who has maintained a studio in NE Ohio since graduating from the Cleveland Art Institute 10 years ago, is showing a passel of large drawings at the William Busta Gallery. The cartoon-inspired ink drawings are populated by vaguely familiar figures in suburban scenarios that are awash with anxiety and menace–‘High School Art Teacher in Hell,’ so to speak. The drawings…

My Prison Studio

As a member of a Federal works program, I taught art in community centers around Dayton, Ohio. My fellow teachers were performers, musicians, and artists. The director was a dancer and leader of a troupe when not directing us. Artists rotated weekly to the centers, usually in pairs. Some centers were plum assignments filled with…

In the Studio 3/17/13

Poor light yesterday, Saturday, but good light today. The lake came alive this week and although it’s cold–mid-30’s–the waves and whitecaps already  remind me of summer. Here’s a shot of some of the things I worked on today. I finished the drawing of the larger one and decided to plunge ahead and start the under-painting.…