The Dayton Art Institute is handsomely situated on a hill above the Great Miami River. The museum’s beautiful Italianate main wing provides a remarkable view of the Dayton skyline. Travelers along I-75 passing beneath the museum’s imposing facade can’t help but be intrigued by the marvelous piece of architecture. The museum’s collection, while not as large…
Art Museums, Artists, Bio, Uncategorized
Robert Smith
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Robert Smith was an American artist who died in 1985. When I knew him, he already was an elderly man. He lived with his teenage son in Kettering, Ohio in a French chateau-type building that seemed the height of romance to a high school kid, which was what I was when we met. Smith was…
Art Museums, Artists, Reviews, Thumbs-Up-Down, Uncategorized
Thumbs-up: van Ruisdael; Thumbs-down: Renoir
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I’ve loved art as far back as I can remember. During the summer before First Grade we moved to a farm, and while exploring the barn loft (true story), I was thrilled to discover a bunch of painting gear—half-empty paint cans, rags, and stiff brushes. I loved it! I loved the smell of turpentine! That…
Uncategorized, Vermilion, OH
Hurricane Sandy
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Hurricane Sandy came our way and mixed with the Nor’easter that was already pounding our shores. This video was shot as I walked across our backyard. Towards the end of the video, you can see the siding torn off a neighbor’s house. Hurricane Sandy Pounding my Backyard
Paintings, Studio Corner, Uncategorized, Vermilion, OH
In the Studio—10/28/12
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The winds from a furious Nor’easter pound against the studio windows. Whitecaps crash against the shore one after the other with ceaseless regularity, their white froth nearlty reaching the studio door. They say this storm will join with hurricane Sandy in the next day or so. Inside it’s comfy-cozy. The only thing to complain of…
Shop Talk, Tips and Studies
Smooth Move—Smooth Painting Surfaces
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All artists are self-taught today. It doesn’t matter if you have a masters degree or never set foot in an art school–everyone is on their own. The most important piece of painting gear my last professor had was a pair of fishing boots. His technique was to cover the studio floor with huge canvases, and pour…
Art Museums, Reviews
Cleveland Museum of Art Staff Exhibition
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Ever since a significant part of the museum’s renovations was opened (as discussed in this post), it’s a hop, skip, and jump to the main galleries from the parking garage. Before the atrium was opened, visitors had to meander past a small snack counter (primarily a break area for museum staff) then navigate a bewildering maze of…
Artists, Galleries, Reviews
Stephen Pentak at Bonfoey
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The Bonfoey Gallery (1700 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH) is the kind of establishment I adore: it’s an art gallery in the business of showing real, contemporary artists. Places like it are rare outside New York City, and I tip my hat to them. I make a point of visiting every new show as well as…
Studio Corner, Uncategorized, Vermilion, OH
In the Studio Oct. 14 2012
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Another lifelong habit I have is working on several–sometimes very many–painting simultaneously. I will put a painting aside to be taken up later any number of times. I might work on a painting a dozen times or more. The net effect, alas, is that it sometimes takes a long time to finish a painting. This…
Art Museums, Paintings
Cleveland Museum of Art Opens Renovations
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If you’re like me, art is food–it’s one of life’s essentials. I’ve a lifelong habit of haunting art museums. My excitement is always high at the prospect of a visit, and no matter how often I visit a particular museum my enthusiasm never flags, nor is my sense of adventure and discovery ever satiated. I am in one of…