In the U.S.A., Memorial Day is the day we set aside to honor those who died in the service of their country. In my family, my maternal grandmother King’s grandfather was wounded and left for dead at the Battle of Shiloh. He survived to tell the story to his granddaughter. My paternal grandfather, John Hudson,…
As I’ve done several times, I intend to document the birth of a painting. The last time, I shared just the early stages of a painting. That’s my plan this time too. 2-3 posts that detail the painting’s early progress. All budding artists are interested in how artists start paintings. Here is Liberty Avenue after…
When I finish the design for a new painting, I’m often tempted to leave it as a large drawing. At 44″ x 56,” the new painting, Liberty Avenue, would be a large drawing. If I actually turned this painting into a drawing, I would most likely finish it with chalk instead of just pencil. Art…
For those paying attention, it’s clear that Russia is winning the Ukrainian War. The counter-narrative, claiming that Ukraine is winning, was maintained until the U.S. Congress passed the $40b aid package. As soon as the bill passed, the famed Azov brigade surrendered. Despite Russian aggression, I found it difficult to support Ukraine. Ukraine is a…
Why is a visit to the art museum blog-worthy? After all, my near-weekly museum visits are a longstanding habit. The headline is that this is my first visit to the Cleveland Art museum since the COVID mess started. I haven’t visited a museum or cut my hair since March 2020. (Yes, I now look like…
I am a fan of RGH’s cremnitz white and regularly use it in my paintings, Like their cremnitz white, RGH’s Flemish white is lead-based. Regular readers know that I only use lead-based whites in my oil paintings. Flemish white is made with lead sulfate. There are many ways to make lead paint which is not…
Yep, snow on April 18 here in NE Ohio. My backyard after lunch. I can’t remember snow this late in the year.
I recently finished the science-fiction trilogy The Remembrance of Earth’s Past, by Chinese author Cixin Liu. The first and most well know book in the series is The Three-Body Problem. The team that produced The Game of Thrones is making a Netflix series about the trilogy so you’ll probably learn about the series soon if…
As a Christian, I hope all people of goodwill will join me in praying for peace in Ukraine. The longer the conflict continues, the more chance there is for an accident that triggers an inferno. I urge all parties to move to end the conflict as quickly as possible. As a US citizen who remembers…
A reader, responding to a recent post, asked if my recurring problem with ‘seeing’ is physical. I do wear glasses these days but no. The seeing I’m describing is seeing with judgment. This is aesthetic judgment that engages beauty. Unfortunately, when most people hear the word “beauty,” they think of Playboy models. While this example…
I have been struggling with a painting for the past week. It was not going as I wanted and it was difficult to “see” it. This “blindness” happens to me periodically. The first few times it happened when I was young, it troubled me a lot. I thought I’d lost my talent. Sudden changes like…
Two Fridays back, I became tired and took a nap. I never take naps so everyone instantly knew I was sick. My body ached and I couldn’t get warm. I remained in bed from Friday afternoon until Monday lunchtime. I treated myself with ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. By Monday afternoon, I was feeling better. If it…
Part of a recent paint buy included a tube of Cranfield’s King’s blue deep, which I’d bought in order to review. The Cranfield brand is new to me and King’s blue is not a palette regular but I like to try new paint brands and colors. Cranfield is a British firm that originally produced printing…
As scholarship has become politicized, one would be foolish to continue trusting the translators or their translations. Why not read the original and cut out the middleman? Besides, learning Latin is fun!
Lately, my paintings are in the 40″ x 60″ range. For example, the painting in this photo, The Fair, is 44″ x 60.” My next big painting ups the scale. The grided canvas in the photo is 60″ x 72″ (5 x 6 feet). As usual, I’m working on the design and when it’s done…