The Big Picture and Emily

So here's this new thing (a quickie photo from Emily's studio wall - the whites are blown out, but you get the idea):

It's tentatively titled "Sublimation". Oil on canvas, 60" x 48". Yep, that's pretty large for me. It was a bear to deal with, but I managed it. It did take a while to get used to paint application on this scale. I had intended to do more at this size, but it's just not realistic this semester. I need to experiment on a number of different levels to achieve my original design for the studio component. This takes care of the scale experiment, obviously. More will be forthcoming regarding the content here, but that will have to wait until the Group 3 residency in January.

I showed this to Emily yesterday during an excellent studio visit. We discussed this picture at length -- the pros and cons of it all (formal and conceptual). For all intents and purposes, this is done save a few minor adjustments. We then discussed my direction for the next works and we achieved a greater clarity in that regard; I'm excited about it. My concepts are solid, but the direction of the formal application is more experimental. Should be interesting, but at least I know it's do-able. The big scale thing is so daunting. I can do it, but large blocks of time are needed. With my teaching schedule as it is now, that's just impossible.

I got a few shots of Emily's studio. Below is her first donut drawing. This is seminal, as it spurred her alkyd/graphite work.

Here's the "lesser" wall space on the west side of Emily's studio. The panel painting is complete, while the oblong canvas is undergoing a bit of cropping adjustment. Two charcoal underdrawings are there on the floor, one of which she will probably efface and start over.

And here's a table full of donut setups. Some of these guys are months old. They don't get moldy, but they do compress and start to look strange. She likes that.

In all, a really edifying visit. It was enhanced by lunch afterwards over in Natick with her husband, the abstract painter Penn Young. They shared some great gallery-talk anecdotes and I fielded wine questions. I'm grateful for these fantastic experiences with these amazing people.