Sunday, November 29, 2009

Chicken on Sunday

I guess most people are still having turkey leftovers today, but I don't have a drawing of a turkey. I do, not surprisingly, have a Sharpie and watercolor drawing of a rooster, though.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Monday, November 23, 2009

Favorite paintings

One of my favorite contemporary painters is Wolf Kahn. Through his landscapes he walks, or I guess paints, the line between abstraction and representation. His color is a major inspiration to me.



Monday, November 16, 2009

Art Events

It was a busy weekend for art happenings around here, some in which I was involved.

The reception for the "Holiday Show" at Norwood Flynn gallery was Saturday night, featuring work by Andrew DeCaen, Sunny Jacquet and Brent Kollock, with "small works" from gallery artists.
A landscape and two rooster paintings were my pieces in the "small works" portion of the exhibit.

Sculpter Stuart Kraft, gallery owner Sue Flynn and collector David Kahn.

Artist Sunny Jacquet and gallery director Mabel Peck.

Work by Andrew DeCaen.

"Materials and Methods" exhibited work by artists in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas. Turner House is a historic building that serves as a home to the Oak Cliff Society of Fine Arts. The one night exhibit and reception was Thursday night.
My pictures and me. Contrary to appearances no canaries were swallowed when this photo was taken.

Chaitra Lineham and Brian Scott were also participating artists.

Some of the people at the show, from left, Jacques Groth, Steve Cruz, Brian Jones and Elizabeth Mellott. Steve and Elizabeth also had pieces exhibited.



Curator Kenda North, photographer and photography professor.

My friends (and collectors) Paula Mele-Weatherbie, David Weatherbie and participating artist Bryan Gooding.

These photos are from a Friday night fund raiser for a glass artist enclave in Grapevine, Texas. The idea of the fund raiser was that pieces of art glass were put up for auction with a "minimum reserve". If the auction didn't reach this reserve the piece was put on a surface and a large weight was dropped on it, breaking it into little bits.
Most pieces were sold, only about three were smashed. I thought the whole thing was a little silly, but I enjoyed the company of my companions.
Showing the piece.

Counting down the auction time (sixty seconds).

Laying the piece to rest and burning the cord holding the weight.

The piece is smashed.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Materials and Methods

"Duck Shallows", acrylic on canvas, 10 by 10 inches.

"Goose Shallows", acrylic on canvas, 10 by 10 inches.

I have work (specifically these two paintings), with over twenty-five other artists, in this exhibition, curated by Kenda North, photographer and professor of photography and art history at the University of Texas at Arlington. It will be a one night event, Thursday, November 12, at the Turner House in the Dallas neighborhood of Oak Cliff. The exhibit is described as "including pieces utilizing electronic media, book forms, mixed media, woven media, quilting, painting and photography. The artists in the exhibit are part of the unique community of Oak Cliff."

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Illustration Friday - "Blur"


This week's word is "Blur". So I'm showing this sketchbook page as an example of "Drunk Drawing". It's the fireplace in the bar of Santa Fe's Inn at Loretto, and the occasion of the drawing is definitely a blur.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Favorite paintings


I've always loved Paul Klee's "Twittering Machine". The line quality and the apparently random grunge that stumbles across the surface are elements I've, er, appropriated for my "Neo-Retro" pieces, although I won't make a claim to being as successful as Klee in how they're used. But it's the absurdity of the image, with its crank waiting to set off the completely pointless function of this rickety device, that makes it a favorite.

All of Klee's work appeals to me, but a sentimental favorite is "Sinbad the Sailor". It's the first Paul Klee image I ever encountered, when I was still in high school. I immediately was, and still am, drawn to the checkered pattern against the segmented sailor and his incredible fish adversaries.


And speaking of fish, for me the ultimate Klee painting is "Fish Magic". Again the line quality is amazing; the colors appear to be buried by the dark background, with the figures etched out of it, set free from the gloom to glow like creatures at the bottom of the ocean.