Saying goodbye to The Red Barn.

Another of my little creations has found a new home. soon he will be in a dark box rumbling done route 81 in the back of a brown UPS truck on the way to the collector. I'll miss you Red Barn.

This was the first oil I did in my new studio a couple of years ago. We had just finished building the house and the studio was piled with stuff. I slowly carved a space and a path, set up my old easel and painted the scene of my little red tractor barn. The barn still stands though it racking seriously and the roof took a big beating last winter. This fall I'll shore up the roof and support the racking. But I'm afford it's about time to build a new tractor barn. It would cost more to repair than to build a new bigger one. I used the interior of the barn for my recent painting The Barn Clock.

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Barn Clock added to available paintings

I've made a few changes on the Barn Clock Painting. Its dried and it has a coat of GamVar varnish.

http://jimkingston.com/wetpaint/2015/2/12/barn-clock-is-finally-done-almost

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What a great painting

What can I say. I thought I had seen most of his stuff but wow this is great.

Edward Hopper (American, American Realism, 1882-1967): Untitled (Rocks and Sea), 1916-1919. Oil on wood. Whitney Museum...

Posted by I Require Art on Tuesday, June 23, 2015

An experiment in Pear futures

I have just put this little painting on action at DailyPaintWorks     http://www.dailypaintworks.com/buy/auction/400561 

I am lowering the prices of many of my paintings!

Many of the prices on my recent oil and acrylic paintings are being lowered by 1/2  or more. It's time to make room for more and different pieces. Many of the changes are done and by Friday all will be online listed under Available paintings. Four new paintings will be added into the pile. I hope this moves you to consider purchasing one. If the price still seems too high make an reasonable offer. 

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Lighthouse at the End of the World   24 x 18 oil on canvas 2015

This and several others will be listed soon. They are being varnished and will be ready to ship next week.

A cheesy little painting

Here's a new little kitchen art painting of a Blue Stilton wedge. I like this cheese so much I painted it. The paint I used is the new Geneva Artists' Oil Colors by Mark Carder. It's a thinner consistency oil. Sort of like you might under-paint with but the pigment is so dense that the coverage is excellent. Just perfect for these little food paintings I'm doing. I has a long dry time so you can keep you painting and palette 'open' for a week or more!

This is an iPhone photo so the quality is negh. I haven't painted in a month being busy with a new oversized puppy and endless spring chores that will last til winter. I felt good pushing some paint around..

Spring madness? Or just madness?

I haven't posted for a few weeks. The winter snow and ice laid so heavy on me that when it finally melted my brain exploded. I am just now putting  it back together. There was the impending fishing season and all the gear and whatnots to be cleaned and organized. then the new dog. Yes another dog. If you're keeping count that's 3 yes 3 Devorerly Kennels English Setters. The new guy's name is Duncan. A year and a half old Blue Belton. He's somewhere around 75 ibs maybe less. Still a puppy and very sweet but also strong. Having three boys is also a bit of an issue. We are working everything out though. I can't wait to paint his picture. 

Of course there is the standard mind numbing events going on. Sick cars. Studio Tour failure. Spring cleaning and putting in a small garden. Every tire on every thing that has tires being flat and the inflator being dead.

There is fun on the horizon. Mark Carder has finally released his Geneva oil paints. My set of his special limited palette colors are on the way. I drifting the Delaware with guide Jerry Hadden on May 11th, I got elected to the board of the Wayne County Artis Alliance I don't know if thats good or bad). And we got a couple of seed catalogs in the mail.

Next up on the easel.

I have to reworks three paintings. and re-stretch one of them. Big nuisance stuff but the painting wouldn't be right otherwise.

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The maker movement... Who is a 'maker'?

Lets start this rant with Wikipedia's definition of the Maker movement.

"Maker culture

The maker culture is a contemporary culture or subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture[citation needed]. Typical interests enjoyed by the maker culture include engineering-oriented pursuits such as electronics, robotics, 3-D printing, and the use of CNC tools, as well as more traditional activities such as metalworking, woodworking, and traditional arts and crafts. The subculture stresses a cut-and-paste approach to standardized hobbyist technologies, and encourages cookbook re-use of designs published on websites and maker-oriented publications.[1] There is a strong focus on using and learning practical skills and applying them to reference designs[citation needed]."...

For the complete wiki definition;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_culture

Why am I asking this? A couple of months ago a local artist called themselves a "maker". This artist is digitally illiterate. Not a bad thing just IIWII. Having made a living most of my life as a technology based commercial artist I let it pass. This week a group of artists I'm loosely connected to online stated labeling themselves as 'makers'. It started me thinking of how words and terms get co-opted for seemed marketing advantage. Digital creation techniques like 3-D printing which is the current high buzz thing is the prime example. 3-D printing which require some serious geeking skills, like 3-d modeling and the ability to trouble shoot digital and hardware issues. 

So how do watercolor artists now define themselves in the 'maker' space? Because their work is presented digitally online? Or that they make giclee prints? The nerd in me says no no no. The old ad guy in me says maybe its worth a try. The skeptic in me says 'Whoa you're going to get lost in a market space that is terrier than arts and craft!"

Positioning oneself in fine art and craft market space is hard enough. To cloud the already foggy niche space you occupy seems unwise marketing. 

Ok, so the reason this comes up now really is that I have just begun finishing a new 'original digital print' for my summer studio tour season. It is an extension of the 3-D modeling and Photoshop work I've been doing for the last 20 years. I includes to of my main interests and focuses. Computers, and trout fishing. Is this 'maker' work or is it art. A bit of both maybe but I think its art.

Some delicious kitchen art

Continuing with the fruits theme here is a Golden Delicious. sitting on top of an old fruit crate.

Grannie Smith 6 x 6 oil on panel

Blue egg 6 x 6 oil on panel

Next cheese... 

Little paintings that are almost good enough to eat

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Winter  Pear 6 x 6 oil on panel

Finally winter seems to be winding done. I changed gears a bit and started painting some small painting of things. These take a few hours to paint and and hour or so to do the prep work and set up the still life. I shoot them with the DSLR and make life size prints. I then paint sort of Alla Prima. Hope it will keep me busy until fishing starts. I like the effect of black backgrounds. In the past I've avoided them but as small paintings it seems to be nice. On the hunt for a nice looking winter peach and plumb.

Lighthouse at the end of the world... in the works

A work in progress of one of my favorite places. We spend a week there every August. One of my other favorite things is windows. I like these windows. I have a bit to do still. Waiting for some of the paint to 'tack-up' for glazing and detail.

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Pemaquid Light 24 x 18 oil on canvas

Another Roadside Quarry

This is a common scene where we live. The aftermath of local quarrymen chasing the bluestone. I did this with acrylic to make sure it would be ready for the Rittenhouse Square show in early June. All that white would still be tacky ( not really ) and it wouldn't have any varnish. This took 4 days. about 10 or so hours. It's done! Varnish next week and ready to hang.

Last of the Hydrangea

On Sunday it was so freggin' cold that I didn't even want to go out. I went to my studio and tackled this image in a direct manner. This is an image of the last of 20014's Hydrangeas. I had sketched a few of the blossoms before and felt good about winging it. My goal was one sitting. Well to was a little more than that. about 4 and half to five hours. It was kind of fun. Flowers are not one of my often painted subjects. But I needed a small to do between biggish canvases.

I like this and may  do some more flower paintings soon. The immediate direct painting approach is really what I like. 

Barn Clock is finally done... almost

I've been banging away at this for a long time off and on. It just needs to be oiled out in a week or so then varnished in about 6 months. I like it.

The idea came from reading how the Victorians would hang their game for a long time until the leg fell off. Then they'd cook and eat. ICK. I shot this bird and hung it in my old tractor barn made up of used lumber. The idea of hanging until the leg falls off is sort of a way of telling time. It was a coincidence that the old wreath frame was behind it. I had to name it Barn Clock.