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.

I have my hands full

I'm doing two shows this summer. An art fair in June (details later) and the open studio tour. I sold 7 pieces during the tour last year and 3 or 4 since. I haven't been doing a lot of 'finish' stuff mostly studies and life work. I think I have to get my butt in gear. I need to do up to 30 pieces before June 1 just to get 15 or so good one for the first show. I don't expect sales to be brisk. The fair market is pretty much a thing of the past. But I need to show my stuff.

Here's number one. sorry quick photo.

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no titile yet Oil on 12 x 9 linen

Heres a 'Work in Progress' called Barn Clock 18 x 24

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Barn Clock  18 x 24 Oil on Linen

I'm so glad I had a flu shot...

Eghh

Patch-a-doodle

Im working on a really tedious painting right now. During a break the other day my studio buddy started his 'I wanna go out' dance. Here it is.

Patch is a 5 year old Decoverly English Setter. As pretty as he is goofy.

Coming back to life

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2 five minute charcoal sketches

The reindeer are all put away and the beard is trimmed. It's time to get back to work, The pieces are fro the first life session of the new year at Yanni's studio. Rachel was our model for the evening. I'm working on a painting of a hanging pheasant and one of some boats. Its tough to get back to a 'normal' schedule . 

Yanni's work

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One thing I did over the last couple of weeks was put together a page of some of my friend and mentor's work.

Please check it out.

http://jimkingston.com/yanni

Turnip

I did this little 10 x 8 color sketch this weekend. I saw this thing at the grocery store. I looks a bit like a puppy belly or a small planet. Anyway it's weird but cool to look at. The holiday season, weather and car repairs have sort of hacked up my painting time. So I'm painting turnips. It's Graham oil paint using the Walnut Oil/Alcyd medium. Nice paint. 

Exclusively for now at ART•FINDER;
https://www.artfinder.com/product/lonely-turnip/

I love art supply stores

There ws a time when I lived in Boston that there was almost nothing I couldn't get at one of the local art supply stores. My everyday store was Newbury Paint on Newbury Street. I was above the paint store. They had really good stuff and I got a nice discount. There was EJ Arden over by Mass Art School.. That's where I got the big stuff. An easel a drafting table and my big Artograph Lucy. There were other stores, Charrette in Harvard Square. The school store at The Art Institute where Mike Driscoll worked. 

After I moved to New York. I lived at 31st and Madison where  within 5 blocks I had 4 top notch art supply stores. Charette, Plaza, Iving Berlin and Sam Flax. I wanted for nothing in the way of art supplies. From the high end architect's tools to a kneaded rubber eraser. There was everything. I could tube down to Canal Street and visit Pearl Paint and climb the rickety stairs to find anything and all things art supply. I could go to NYCentral where they had every part for my Thayer Chandler airbrushes. 

Alas today real art supply stores are as rare as good government. What there is now are well manicured and understocked big box craft outlets where the smell of potpourri is enough to kill a rat and the house brand product just plain suck. Today to get quality supplies we are left with  online mega art supply web sites, Jerry's, Joe's, and a endless list of hard to use online catalogues. A few are rising to the top as far as ease of use but still.. I miss the smells and the creaky floors of Newbury Paint. I miss Louis at Plaza Art Material. I miss fondling the paint brushes. It was such a part of life.

Fear Not! For all you art supply geeks out there here is a great resource for when you need a hot wax or rubber cement fix. The Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies. A great trip down to the Canal Street of the internet.

http://www.forgottenartsupplies.com

I have many of the items in the museum and still use some today. In fact I think I'll go use the Proportion Scaler right now. 

The site was created by the mad illustrator Lou Brooks, the lost son of Our Miss Brooks.

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Update Saturday 12.13.14

The impetus for my writing this entry was having had to shop for basic materials on the internet. The art suppled online guys for the most part art pretty clunky in the ordering process. It's sort of like going to the dentist online. Anyway I placed an order which I was supposed to receive Friday via FedEX free shipping on the several hundred dollar order. Now let me explain that I live in the country. Not just the country but the country that high speed internet passed by. Asphalt passed by. We barely have a zip code. I don't expect an art store within even 20 blocks. There aren't any blocks. Here it is, late night Saturday, and no package. The tracking button from the online biggest art supply biz in the land says that the package could not be delivered because of weather conditions. Yes the sun was not shinning. I guess the driver was pissed because he/she had to work while all the pre-christmas bargains were awaiting them at the mall. Anyway I canceled the order. I'll drive to Hobby Lobby on Monday, about an hour away, to get the Gamsol I need. I won't let the political views of the owners of Hobby Lobby get in the way but I will be pissed that they only have third rate products for the most part. Just enough front line stuff to warrant the trip for a quart of thinner. I'll have to wait until I get into NYC after christmas to buy the dozen plus brushes that only this big store sells. After the Hugh Jackman matinee before the sushi dinner. Did I mention there's no sushi where I live either. If I had a time machine I could go back to Plaza art materials on Madison and Louis would have all my stuff for me at a nice professional discount. Then I'd have sushi.