Tony & his lovable 'Losers'

Until he starts posting to his own blog, I bring you Tony's little 'Loser' paintings. (his name, not mine!)
(as always, click to enlarge)

mold, beatiful mold

I've been enjoying watching this progress...

Three Small Things in progress.

I'm resuming work on this trio of small pieces started in...February?
Incorporating some collage, acrylic, etc.
Some of these include bits of the beautiful medieval illuminated Lindisfarne Gospels.

a rogue's gallery

(what exactly does that even mean?)
Here's what the "kids" were up to today...

signs that spring really *is* coming...

Okay, I was going to try to stay all art focused, but what the hell.
Today in the yard:

in-progress, again

This time, the straight-ahead view.
As always, click to enlarge.
(hmm, a little washed-out.)



And check out the latest;
artfarmmotel.blogspot.com (see link at right)
for info on how to get involved with an upcoming Burning Man project.

okay, remember this one?

new developments. For some reason, I'm favoring the 'oblique' shots. because of the unfinished nature I guess. Can you pick out the new elements?
I'll post a better (daytime) shot tomorrow.

plant show inspiration!

It always looks so much better in the 'real'... or at least in this case, it did!
A very fine day was spent at the SF Flower & Garden Show.Mmmmm...succulents...

3 days later...

(remember, you're reading this in reverse-chronology)
Okay, so I was there every day for the first week. Then, family came to town, rented a beach house, one thing and the other...
I actually did paint, yesterday. But not necessarily to a photo-worthy point.
I'm going to get back on the horse. Really. Stay tuned.
--the 'accidental' blogist. bloggist. blog-ist. blogger. Whatever.
From the land of rain and hail.

other people's paintings-in-progress

Today was my six hour painting class, so here's what some of my painting students are up to.
from top to bottom: Barbara's painting & set-up (she's trying to hide), James and Susan painting, and their still life.
Next week, it's on to the self-portraits. I know they can hardly wait...

the latest thing

(detail)

So, here's the painting I'm working on now.
Totally in-progress.
4 x 5 feet.
It has collaged-in elements, (as many do these days).
But I've been starting with the collage elements at an earlier stage, and their colors and shapes tend to strongly influence the direction the painting takes. Even if I end up 'burying' the original element. In many ways this seems like a continuation of an earlier/on-going series (all 4 x 5 foot verticals, hmmm...) but the color is a bit different for me.

Preview from 'Tony's Art Farm'

Here's what's going on in the other side of the studio... Tony will have his own blog up and bloggin' very soon, along with another chronicling the progress of this year's collaborative Burning Man Art Project. But until then, here's what his studio (and he) looked like this morning...

Drawing class still lives

Since I'm off to teach my beginning drawing class, I thought I'd share with you the still lives I set up for them. We're talking about composition, cropping etc, and I was using the digital camera to quickly demonstrate different possibilities. They're drawing these in black & white (on grey paper), but I like the subtle colors that the objects have in these pics...

painting-in-progress

This is something I started this past weekend, and it seems to be going fairly quickly. It was really set in motion by the fabric collaged into it, which I bought earlier that day at an antique store. Seeing it as a photo is making it easier to see certain things I need to change...

3 x 5', acrylic and collaged fabric
click on image to enlarge

chinese blessings (for Lana!)

Okay, here's my first try at uploading an image on my own. This is a painting I finished very recently to rush off to be shown at Arches Gallery in Healdsburg, for their 2nd anniversary show (see www.archesgallery.com). Collaged into it are "joss" papers, used in chinese ceremonies, which have a metallic foil on them. They catch the light differently, and so the painting looks slightly different from different angles and in different lights. As frequently happens for me, this started out as 2 separate paintings, which gradually became one...

40 x 60", acrylic & collage on 2 canvases
click on image to enlarge!

tree (detail)

oil on canvas (triptych) (full size, 10 x 3')

Today our friend (the fabulous painter) Claire B. Cotts came over, and in a matter of minutes showed us how to set up this blog, so now, suddenly a blog!!! The pictures that you see here are things she found hanging around in our iphoto files.
The tree painting is one that I began last summer and am currently trying to bring to completion. Soon I will post the whole painting, as it looks today...

Also soon, I'll know how to link you to her, but for now, do a search here on blogger by her name-- Claire B. Cotts.

tree (detail)

oil on canvas (triptych)
full size: 10 feet long, 3 feet tall. yikes!
This is the central part of the scene, which is on Coleman Valley Rd., one of the most beautiful roads in Sonoma County, running between the little town of Occidental and the sea...

"Blue Alhambra"

"Blue Alhambra"
acrylic on canvas
72 x 36"
Very recently finished, the blue-ness of this painting was largely a reaction to the yellow-ness of a lot of the other work in my studio at the time. Tony has referred to it as the night-time or moonlight version, and suggested the moths, where in the past there have sometimes been butterflies.