The history of credit in America

I was cleaning out some flat file drawers and found this image. I had seen a street hawker with a card swiper. To be fair he was selling other stuff, tie die, rolling papers. You know essentials of the day. As cute and maybe funny as it may be it also illustrates a sea change in society. The beginning of the 'Credit Society'. Gas cards came first, then credit cards then massive student loans. The lenders were no longer satisfied with business loans and mortgages they had found a way to finally get their hands on our money.

The Real Paper was an alternative paper published in Cambridge Mass. from the Mid 70's to the early 80's. It was a tremendous opportunity for young illustrators like me to be part of the changing of the world. 

Justin. First new model in 2 years!

First week finding the pose with sketching . Week 2 a couple of hours of painting. 

Justin is a first time model. He's a natural. His body is long and limber. He can hold the psi for a long time.  

One more painting session in 2 weeks. Maybe a little fussing in between. 

This years first tomato

This is a little color study of my 2017 garden's first tomato. It's not ripe yet, or at least when I shot the reference photo, but now eaten. Very tasty. I'm trying to finalize a simple palette based on Denham Ross's efforts to sort it all out. There is a book called The Painters Pallete, A Theory of Tone Relations, an Instrument of Expression. Published by Forgotten Books available on Amazon for about $10.

I've been 'studying' this for a while using a google pdf. My friend Judith Reeve uses variation of Ross's palettes to paint some very extraordinary work. My interest is the tonal harmony. 

Finish 10/23/17

9 x 12 oil on panel 2017

It's not a complete spectral color wheel, missing an orange, the red orange will do. The colors are all derived from standard tube colors, Lukas 1862, A key ingredient is Indian Red for making my red and the three 'purples'. Great for correct compliment neutrality. I hope the have the painting done by the end of the week or at least before we go to Maine.

Apple with blue Border

The return of 'food art'. With the garden providing so many subjects this summer I've returned to paint food object. I thought I'd tune up with this apple. More to come. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, zucchini bread. 

Apple with Blue Border  
oil on panel 6 x 6   2017

Slack Tide

A modern day tender on a morning slack tide.  Years ago when I started paying attention to and painting these casual little work boats they were made of wood. Mostly plywood things. Some were more elaborate but most were simple. The served one purpose. Get the lobsterman to his boat then hang about until it master needs to get back to dry land. This is a modern plastic tender. Inexpensive purely functional. Even still in the right light a charming object.  

View fullsize

Slack Tide. Oil on linen 9 x 12. 2017

A once productive farm survives another winter

In the counties of the Upper Delaware Rive and Catstkill region of Pennsylvania and New York there are thousands os once productive farms lying idle. Some are abandoned. Some are still occupied yet unproductive. It's an evolving economic and demographic condition. In this painting I've tried to create an end of the day and season image the may also represent the end of an era. Where I grew up in Northeast Massachusetts there were a many  farms that had survived from colonial times. Over the past 40 years they have been developed leaving little evidence of rural life. Sadly that phenomenon is accelerating in the region where I now live. But there still is great beauty in the land. And in the spector of those who loved and worked the lands.

The cookie jar

This is a painting of the Cookie Jar. The cookie jar that sat on the kitchen counter while I was growing up. We didn't have a lot but we did have cookies. My mother was a fabulous baker. The cookie jar was always full. Oatmeal, molasses , wheaties, chocolate chip, sugar, all kinds of wonderful made from scratch cookies.I can see that little knotty pine kitchen with the latch cabinets and covered cake dish. Where there was always a freshly made cake.

Recently I was cleaning out a shed and found it full of a clan of mice living in the at cookie jar. Eggh! I 'washed it out good', popped insome freshly cut Peonies and painted it on a 12 x 9 rough canvas.

A finished sketch really. Just enough to write the story of Ma's cookie jar.

Ma's Cookie Jar with Peonies 12 x 9 oil on canvas 2017

Weaving a winter tale.

Skinners Falls is a river landmark along the Upper Delaware. A quiet pool transitions to a fast run and drop. Slush ice doesn't build up here. Is grows here and collects downstream. This interpretation of Skinners, named after the early log rafting pioneer, is a favorite summer haunt. In winter is is the home of Eagles.

Skinners in Winter  20 x 20 oil on linen

Riverfest 2017 Narrowsburg, NY

We DVAA's Riverfest against this year. Lots of fun and lots of sun. 

Judith's intriguing website is Attentive Equations at;   Http://attentiveequations.com

Thank you Judy

My friend Judy Bodman has been urging me to make some Lino cuts. She is a print maker after all. So finally I took her advice. I bought a cheap introductory kit. After a few stumbled starts. I made this small print of my dog Patch.  This is the first proof. 

Patch

Need to clean it up.. Very happy with the result. 

The best laid plans

This painting was intended to be a one session Alla Prima. That was 5 months ago. It turned out to be about 10 sessions. Is it even done now? It's a scene of the of Delaware River where Calkin's Creek spills into it in Milanville, PA. 

Last Burst oil on linen 20 x 26

It's been a while

This piece is from a photograph I took several years ago. I waited for the sun to fall on the church community for an hour in sub sub freezing temps. It's far from perfect. Far from a tight render. Somehow It  didn't want to be rendered. So many things just don't need to be rendered like others things need to be. Feeling, sense of place, time ?

I did this a one of Peter Fiore's workshops in May. I found nothing but encouragement to go down this path. Thank you Peter, Barbara, Judy and all the other participants in the workshop.

River Church Study oil on canvas 8 x 10 2017

The study has it's own charm. I really like this. Could this be a new direction.

Sometimes you need a hand

It's been a while since i posted here. It's not because I haven't been painting. I haven't been painting in my studio. The last four paintings I've done in the studio I really haven't liked. At all. 2 have been sanded down to the gesso. I have been painting most every week with Johan and Judith. Making some progress there. This is the latest. Not thinning my paint at all. Tomorrow we should be finishing this but I may want one more week.

View fullsize

Catherine Week 2 March 2017

I have found myself being very cheap with my paint. Even washing my oils like watercolors. The frugal New Englander in me or the watercolor artist clawing for recognition. Either way is hasn't been rewarding. Over the past few session of life painting I've made a conscious effort to use mor paint and slow down. I't's working.

Last weekend I  attended Peter Fiore's workshop in Milford, PA. I brought one of the paintings that i was hating, "North of Skinners', for a critical look. Peter is a masterful painter and a great teacher. In about 1 minute he got me on track. I even got another a study done for another piece. I'm pleased with it. It only goes to show that sometimes you need a hand. Check out his site here.

North of Skinner's Milanville PA 20 x 26 oil on linen

Skinners Falls Sketch 15 x 20 oil on gessoed illustration bord

Painting effort on the previous non-pose

This is three weeks of painting effort on the last pose. The pose lasts 1 more week but I 'll be in the city. I'll work on this in the studio over the next week. It is intentionally not a polished realism. It is an exercise in neutrality even exaggeratedly so. When I painted with watercolors I thought of neutrality as earth tone thing. Making grays from colors mixed with various earth toned pigments. These neutrals are created with compliments. The effect is a lot like my acrylics from the 70s, transparent layers that created neutrals achieved unconsciously.