How do people keep up with this stuff?

(please check out the Eli Phant and Rabelais sites - both places are very much worth a visit)

I don't know about you, but as you can see from the above invitations, I've been busy. Busy enough not to be able to post any of this stuff to the blog. I suppose this is very bad of me and not at all business savvy, but, man, there just wasn't any TIME. I had a hard enough go of it just finding time to add this stuff to the robsullivanart.com website, which, to me is a little more important, as it showcases my work, and not my written diatribes.

So, yeah, I was right out straight with these shows. I am happy to say that they were both successful in terms of my expectations. A lot of good people got a lot of good artwork for not a lot of money, and that's totally cool. Plus the food, the drink, and the excellent conversations with new people was worth doing this alone.

Just prior to the Rabelais opening, I was really spreading it thin. My post as adjunct faculty at Maine College of Art was solidified, and a syllabus had to be written, plus my MFA application had to be made, and, of course, the paintings had to be done for the show a week before, since a family vacation was planned for that last week in August. Somehow, I managed to do all those things. I will be the first to admit that I have poor skills when it comes to this level of multitasking, but when the pressure is on, it gets done somehow.

So, right after a wonderfully relaxing vacation, totally unplugged from the world out on an island in the middle of Casco Bay, it was suddenly not summer anymore. The kids went back to school and I went back into the front of the classroom at MECA. I am teaching the juniors (and a few seniors) in the illustration department, and the course is all about the narrative in illustration. Lots of stories, lots of preliminary work, lots of good stuff is already happening. But, man, was THAT sudden!

And tomorrow, I start my Continuing Ed @ MECA class of outdoor painting - which we will take indoors in a few weeks, taking a study from the outdoor session and making it into a "studio work." I've taught the same class at Sanctuary a few years ago, and got good results.

Maybe I will blog this stuff, maybe I won't have enough energy. I don't know right now. I'll give it a shot. But I think the world would rather see some new paintings from me than read stuff. Nevertheless, Studio Berehaven has served me well this spring and summer- it was more like a second home to me, I was there so often - and any new and excellent stuff that comes out of there will make it onto this blog at some point in time.

PS - Both these shows are still up if you want to see them in person! But, the Eli Phant show may come down soon, and work was taken that was sold. Nevertheless, the store is worth a visit, like I said. And there are PRINTS there! Yes! Also, the work at Rabelais is going fast! Two works were sold to a buyer from San Jose, sight unseen!

Long Island Maine

From the top:

• My daughter swimming at Sandy Beach. Seriously, she would swim for 6 hours a day, I kid you not. (Note: I took a lot of family pictures, but I'm not posting them here. If anyone asks, I will, but I try not to make a habit of publicizing too much personal stuff online.)

• Fowler's Beach with sun breaking through. Love the specular highlights on the dark water!

• Friday began with some super-dense fog. It made these rocks at Shark Cove look otherworldly. But, when it finally broke I painted...

• Vaill Island - oil on linen panel, 8" x 10". Vaill is the barrier island on the south side of Long Island. It allows Sandy Beach to stay sandy and not erode away to granite slabs.

Like now, the weather was wet at times, but we managed to get on the beach all 7 days, regardless. The house, "Captain's Quarters" was just off the Harbor of Grace, so water was a 3 minute walk. Most of the time we puttered around in our golf cart, which is the standard mode of transit on the island. It is customary to wave to everyone you see. They will wave back if they are Islanders or regular Island-goers.

What a relaxing time. My wife, the kids and I all recharged our batteries, and could have easily stayed another week. Next year, we will block 2 weeks out, if possible. As I'd said, the weather made painting a bit spotty, but I ended up coming away with something that I feel really captures the place. I also have a slew of photos, and some have the potential to be paintings themselves. It is not difficult to get back there on a weekend, as it's only a $10, 50-minute ferry ride. In fact, I'm sure the future holds some more Long Island Maine paintings from yours truly.

Summer Skies

Castles and Blueberries - oil on panel, 18" x 31" (and a detail shot)

The above is a typical summer's day on Cameron Mountain which is on the back side of the Camden Hills State Park. Fittingly, this piece resides in a home on Mountain Street in Camden, just a few blocks from one of the park's trails. You'll notice the similarity to the painting in my heading, "Sheeta's Tree." That's because it's the same place, just a different angle. I did two separate studies for this blueberry field, and "Castles" was the one to get the larger treatment. I wish I had a picture of the study for this one, but I don't. It was sold way before I finished this large version. "Sheeta's Tree" was sold, as well, but I didn't end up enlarging it. Both studies were small, maybe 6" x 11" or something like that.

The opening went as well as one would expect when 50,000 people (did the Press Herald get that figure right?) were on the other end of town watching fireworks. I sold a print, had about a half dozen visitors, and polished off a bottle of wine with my friend Chris. It's fine - there will be a lot more First Fridays. And I really should have some kind of official "opening party," but perhaps that's unnecessarily grandiose.

I've been blogging less of late because, well - it's summer, and I'm outside a lot. I'm playing a lot of tennis (the team got a wild card to Districts in August, so I have to practice). I'm trying to get some painting done en plein air, though I got rained out three times! And I must mention, I'm spending time outdoors with the kids, who just thrive this time of year. Here in Maine, we must take advantage of these short but excellent summer months.

I will be taking another vacation soon (thank God - work is more teeth-grindingly tedious as of late), and part of any vacation of mine includes painting. The family and I will ferry out into Casco Bay to Long Island for a week. We're renting a lovely little house on the Harbor of Grace. I plan on gleaning three to four paintings from this trip. We'll be totally unplugged: no car, no computer, no shopping - just a beach on a quiet, vehicle-free island. This is certainly not as extreme or dramatic as the Utah trip, but I'm totally into this kind of getting away, too.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Covered in Titanium White

...At least, with all the snow we've been getting, it's a rather monochromatic palette outside. A snowblower would have been a good investment this year. Instead, I have an aching back and two broken shovels to show for winter's crystalline precipitation.

Progress on "Gnomon" is good. I knocked in the sky this Saturday, which I'm happy about, as studio time began late because I took the family to DeLorme. I'm a bit of a geek about maps, and the kids have a bit of a penchant for it, too. Plus Eartha, the 42-foot working globe is cool for just about any kid. Anyway, I need to spend more time in the studio other than Saturdays, if I'm to get anything done in a timely fashion. This Thursday may be a good time, as drawing room is booked for the next 2 Thursday nights. *edit* Okay, since I haven't actually posted this yet (it's now Friday the 15th) I can say that I did work at Berehaven this Thursday. In fact, I was there ALL DAY! It snowed yet again (apropos!). This time it was so bad during morning commuting hours, that I took the day off work. An excellent decision all around. I painted quite a bit, and ran into some pictorial problems in the water. I pushed one kind of resolution, but I'll have to go back and see if it worked. There are other solutions, so I'm not too worried.

So I was talking about life drawing before... I had intended to post something regarding drawing room specifically. It has really been a great find for me in a number of ways. The most obvious thing is the practical exercise of drawing the figure from life. It is truly the most demanding of artistic disciplines for the representational artist. To wit: if you make a mistake, even the non-artist will see it. It's not like a landscape where you can move a rock or opt to not paint a tree or some such. If you don't draw the model's nose, it will be missed. There have been not a few Thursday evenings when I've been quite mentally whipped from dealing with the artistic compromises I must make on the job. Honestly, all I want to do at those times is have a drink and watch a movie; a mental vacation, if you will. But, instead I go to life drawing and tighten my focus on my drawing: really observing and delineating shapes; moving from general to specific; and being as objective as possible. It's exhausting, but it's more like exercise in that there's a kind of creative endorphin rush, and I end up feeling 100% better about the state of things when it's over. Which is why I need it every week. I was able to sublimate this week with an impromptu visit to the studio, so I'm good for now. And tomorrow, I go back, which is excellent.

I've been quite stretched out over the past few weeks. Tennis on the weekends - especially mixed doubles - is too much. It's money and time, and not nearly enough exercise to show for it. I was actually undefeated this winter, but I can't say that it means anything to me. I obliged some friends and played on their team and I did my job. The team didn't make Districts, so I think we're done. And just when I thought things were going to free up, the Men's Leagues are starting in March. I have a certain obligation, so I guess if I get the call (and I will), I'll have to play. I don't know how to fit all this in so it doesn't create conflicts. Bleah.

Oh, I nearly forgot - I've met some great people at drawing room, especially Alex Rheault, the artist who is the lifeblood of the thing. She is awesome and full of great creative energy. I am very thankful for all her efforts. Also, I was re-acquainted with a young artist who is also a lovely singer, and sang for my good friend Phil when he was Choir/Music director at the Cathedral. She's diligently exercising her hands along with the rest of us on Thursday evenings. The models that Alex hires are very good, and there is one with whom I'd love to work in the future. She reminds me of Nelson Shanks' model, Sophia, with her very fair skin tones, full features and dark red hair. She's a painter as well, so that's a big plus. Another model was someone with whom I'd worked quite a bit at the Institute. She's very experienced, which makes it so much easier to draw, as you don't have to worry about the model's obvious lack of comfort, or the pose "sinking," and what have you. They're all very good, overall, and the variety of body types and level of quality poses is high - and again, I have Alex to thank for that!

This post meandered a bit, so I'm going to move on. I'll see if I can't post some life drawings on here. They're piling up - which isn't a bad thing.