Self -ishness

The one and only self portrait of me in existence. Oil on linen, 14"x16"

This was done six years ago during a residency on Westport Island, Maine. It was a great experience, and it was the first time I really threw myself into painting en plein air. And whenever the weather was really lousy, I would work in the gorgeous studios in front of a mirror. This was the result. Not too bad, but I daresay I've come a long way as a painter since then.

Should I do a new one? I'm interested, but perhaps more interested in portraits of others, not to mention the figure and the landscape. The phenomenal Jacob Collins does them quite often, for reasons known only to him. They seem like a cross between academic exercise and memento mori to me. I know that the wonderful Maine artist Martha Miller (see also blog link to the right) does them not only because she adores the portrait, but also as a narrative to reflect, and not just record. Perhaps I feel that my self-reflection is already present in part in all my work - I don't know, really. It's not an imperative for me. There are visions I'm really longing to fulfill, and an SP is not on the list at the moment.

Should I consider it more strongly? If I get any feedback at all, I may.

This Seat's Been Taken

All 20 minute poses from Kelly. We drew her last night, too, and she is consistently excellent.

I was a tad late last night (5 minutes), and all the easels were taken. Alex set me up on a chair configured like a drawing horse, which was wonderful of her, but I truly prefer to stand. I can't get far enough away from the drawing while sitting down. I need to sight-size as a whole in order to lay in the initial structure. It is far easier to adjust one's drawing in the early stages.

This is why I used to make all my students stand when working from life. Some of them complained quite a bit, but when I did a demonstration, they observed my pacing back and forth from the easel, observing far more than mark-making in the initial lay-in of forms. Noting the successful results of a 5 minute drawing, with all the proper marks in place, I informed them that I would not have been able to execute as quickly if I couldn't see all the forms at once. I could not play one against the other in the context of the whole. This refers not just to the model, and not just to the drawing, but to both at once. This kind of objective seeing is the foundation of sight-size.

Regular Thursday Night @ drawing room

So, here's Alexis in charcoal, done at drawing room. From the top, the poses are 5, 10, 10, 15, 15, 20, and 20 minute poses. The two 15's are actually 10's with some touch-ups while the model was on break. Yeah, you're not really supposed to do that, but I just felt I had enough info to make some improvements.

I usually try for at least one portrait each session. It's a challenge to really capture a likeness with some quality. I am always happy when I can do that. I think I really got it in the last one - and I wouldn't say that if it didn't really capture Alexis. She's an artist herself, and I think this really helps, as she is very aware of what we, the artists, are getting from her. It's great, and I believe it leads to much higher-quality poses, better energy from the group, and a more natural flow in the drawing process.

Quick Portrait

Molly in 20 minutes in charcoal. Done at drawing room.

Just wanted to put this up, because I like it, and Molly was a great model. I hope to work with her on some future project.

I have to catalog more drawing room stuff this weekend. That way, someone other than me can see it!

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

pictured: The Ballycrovane Ogham Stone, Beara Peninsula
(thank you, Susanne, from The Ring of Beara blog)

Here's up the rebels! Yes, I can't let St. Patrick's Day go by without a mention. Even though I will celebrate with Murphy's and Knappogue Castle Whiskey, not to mention a corned beef dinner, my thoughts are not necessarily about the party-time atmosphere with which this country has imbued the holiday. No, I know where I come from.

We Irish may be doing fine, not just in this country, as is apparent, but also back in the old country, which, due to the Celtic Tiger, doesn't resemble the old country so much anymore (Perhaps this is a good thing, from an economic perspective, but to mimic the capitalism of this place... hmm, dubious.). But we must remember, even if it takes this green feast day to remind you, that our forbears were a frightfully oppressed people in their own country. And the great emigration to the West wasn't a cure-all, either. It took years of strife and loss to overcome. Nonetheless, we went from the lowest of the low to positions of authority in less than a century. If you look at that, there is hope for others who are oppressed. I am here because of them, and I am thankful.

Raise your glass, lads and lasses! To the Great Ones of history! Sláinte is táinte to you all on this great Irish day.

No Present Like the Time

A little life drawing for you. This is Ida in an Eames Chair, 14"x17" charcoal on paper. This was done in Joe Begnaud's studio a while back.

Been a while since the last blog entry. I had the chance to browse a few blogs, and I realize that the most successful ones are the ones that are updated more regularly. Well, I never set out to win any awards with this thing.

So, a lot happened in the interim: I had to go to New York, as my father had to have open heart surgery, and at the same time, my brother-in-law became a first-time dad. So, the visit was kind of an emotional rollercoaster. I also got sick with an ailment that seems to have visited most of the people I know including my family, my co-workers, and basically anybody I run into on the street in Portland. I had a birthday, and I also played two league matches to start the men's 4.0 season. All those things combined served to kind of run me down so that I fell ill again, or perhaps, I relapsed from the first illness. It was only yesterday that I really started feeling like myself again.

I missed a week at Berehaven, but I'm making good progress, still. Gnomon is nearly complete, and it looks like I had envisioned it. There was a small issue of the earth tones in the shadows sinking in, but I hit the completed sections with retouch varnish, and I was able to match the adjacent areas. I actually (geek) made a little diagram to remind me what I varnished, so I can apply retouch to the rest of the piece when it is done, so that the varnish surfaces and gloss are even. I kind of forgot that this happens when you work big. It's been a while, and I'm glad I'm doing this, regardless of the time factor. I won't be working this size for a while, as most of the ideas I have are for smaller pieces.

drawing room was excellent this week, with a model I had not met yet. She was graceful like a dancer (I suspect she was a dancer), and had a lovely poise. I hit the mark a few times that night, so I was pleased. I haven't taken pictures of the drawings from that session, but I have some from other sessions. I may post them here, but I think I might hold out until I get this website thing underway. Yes, I will have a site again, finally. It's a long time coming, but the priority wasn't that high when I first started the full time job. Now that I'm back painting my own work on the side, it's time to market it a bit.

I have a big trip planned for the Spring. Details soon.