Alla prima.

I'm sticking with my experiment. I hope everyone likes red.

The Ones that -Almost- Got Away

Overall, I think I'm happy with them. In the end, there's some disillusionment when a painting's potential is not perfectly realized, as it never can be. The process, though, is illuminating. It is that light which gives me such high hopes in the first place.




So that's my painting experience in a nutshell...

Just Another Painting.

A Couple of Other Squares.

Other works from the studio.

Here are the second and third attempts at doing a painting in one sesssion. The advantage of doing these single-session paintings is that it speeds up my decision making so I can see what my tendencies are and assess my strengths and weaknesses. I'm always a little hesitant to stop working on something and declare it "finished," so imposing this kind of deadline on a painting forces me to address those qualms.

I undertook this experiment specifically to create three paintings for the ArtBox Show at Bering & James Gallery (http://www.beringandjames.com/), but now I'm thinking of continuing the series as a way to keep experimenting. I'm undecided about whether I want to keep working on 12"x12" wooden panels or if I want to switch size and material. I guess that will be the topic of another post.

Happy Monday,

Sam

1 of 4

One and done

As I mentioned earlier, I have been eager to try doing a smaller painting in one session. Well, this is the fruit of my first go at it. This is a 12"x12" panel destined for the Bering and James Holiday Art Box Sale (Opens Dec 4th see http://www.beringandjames.com/ for details about show and how to enter).

Postcard Show

This is one of the postcards I sent to an open postcard show at the Elder St. Gallery in Houston. I look forward to seeing the show. Opening reception will be held Saturday, October 16, 5:00 to 10:00. The Elder Street Gallery is located at 1101 Elder Street, Suite 109.

For more info:

http://www.elderstreetartist.com/

Hurry up and Wait.

The paintings that I described in my previous post are not ready yet. I'll get pictures of those up as soon as I get a chance. I don't think anyone has been holding their breath waiting for them, but I do want to go ahead and post some pictures, just so there is something new to look at. These are some sketches that are providing the basis for the paintings I am working on right now.

Experimentations.

I've been doing some smaller works on paper such as the one pictured. It helps me to bring some freshness to the larger paintings. I like that there is less need for planning at a small scale. I don't worry about how things will turn out, and it allows the opportunity for surprise.

As always, I have been working on some of my paintings for too long trying to get them right. I'm trying to improve by trying to extend each work session so that I can be in a serious, finishing this painting, now or never mode. On that note, I have four 12"x12" paintings I hope to have finished and posted by next Monday. My goal with paitnings of this size in the future is to do them in one session (maybe two if I need to let it dry for another layer). I'll let you know how that goes.

New Studio

In the shadow of Minute Maid park. I'm pretty excited about this new space. I will also have an opportunity to show work here. First show is Sept. 19th! More details to come.

new photos of old paintings