Saudade No2

She is looking at something that has sparked a memory; a passing cloud, a stranger's face; or was it dreamed?

Saudade No2 takes a non-traditional point-of-view: face looking upwards  from the bird's eye with a background that suggests sunny and warm but nondescript. Her expression is touched with regret ( a handmaiden of yearning and desire); what has she seen? Was it another passer-by, a cloud, or light reflecting from a storefront window that sparked a remembrance of choices made that led to missed opportunity.

Palette is the same as Saudade No1, but the application of color is broader. In this painting I limited the sculpting to her dress, but my usual textural is evident in the figure and background.

Going to take the next week over Christmas to ponder Saudade No3 the last in my tribute to my late teacher. Feel free to comment or better still follow my blog!

Title: Suadade No2
Media: Acrylic, Interference, Oil, Textile on Canvas
Size: 30 x 20

Saudade No 1

Having spent more than three months on the Rift mural and  Emergence maquettes which are symbolic-abstractions, I felt a need to return to figurative imagery. The Portuguese word Suadade  [which in English roughly means an unrequited yearning for the unattainable] is my starting point for three paintings which I am dedicating to my late teacher and mentor George Harris.

George Harris was a member of the Royal Water Colour Society and an apprentice of Diego Rivera. As a young man, he worked with Rivera to paint the murals in Coit Tower in San Francisco. I learned the craft of figure painting from George; sure he would appreciate them!

Saudade No 1 is a classic "studio" pose with a lighting twist. While the palette predominantly sepia  and Van Dyke brown, the spot turquoise, rose madder and Venetian yellow carefully punctuate the mood. She is reflective: memories of things foregone, things that might have been, choices not made and made, modeled in her hair. A crown of heavy thought accented with interference pigments.



Title: Suadade No 1
Media: Acrylic, Interference, Oil, Textile on Canvas
Size: 30 x 24

Emergence No 2 (Maquette)

Continuing with this new process to  give further elevation to the textile layers in the artwork with Emergence No 2 maquette.  Red is the dominant color with the sahara yellow and gold injecting themselves (as with maquette No 1). Don't work with red hues very often; not my favorite color, but I managed to get cozy with Madder Lake.

I would like to interest someone I'm commissioning a larger version of this work, someone with a pressing need to fill a void on a partially protected (from direct sunlight) atrium wall, or better still an interior  at least 14 feet high that needs an 8 foot width decorated.  The final panel Emergence  No 3 would have predominantly greens, with the appearance of the yellows and golds yet  again. the three would then stack in order red, blue, green from top to bottom.

To the right, closeups give a greater view of the textiles offset from the canvas substrate.



Emergence No 2 (maquette)
12" x 24"
acrylic, oil, interference and textile on canvas

Emergence No 1 (Maquette)

Painting Rift gave me more ideas about my textile treatments, and I am exploring them now as maquette for a sequel called Emergence. Enhancing the dimensional impact is a new preoccupation in combination with the extrusion appearance. My objective is to exemplify an organic characteristic in the art. Emergence No. 1 is still a work in progress; the palette needs adjusting, and some color applications need a selective, spot diminish. Overall I am pleased with the effect, but it does need some refinement.

Details to the right, closeups detailing the "floating" quality which is central to this new direction. Bottom, the canvas entirely. Will update this post with the finished work later this week.

Size 12 x 24
Acrylic, oil, interference, phosphorescence and textile on canvas

Orvis | Last Day

Finished painting Rift at 2:50 pm this afternoon. Thanks again to everyone that assisted with the creation, and a heartfelt thanks to the Honolulu Museum and Spalding House for a fabulous opportunity.

This experience made me realize I enjoy art on this scale: I want to do a follow up mural and have already begun sketching "Tree of Life." But finding a patron, or an organization to support this objective will be daunting even though there is no immediate shortage of unadorned (or poorly decorated) wall space here in Honolulu.

I was told by one of the docents today that there is nothing really after Orvis, in terms of a comparable event here in Hawaii.  I heard, in speaking with local "important" figures in visual art here in Hawaii, that to become successful, your accomplishments will need to be recognized elsewhere. How tragic!

But (putting pessimism aside) I am going to use Rift as a calling card, and drop them wherever I find a commercial space with a barren 24' high wall, preferably on a frequented pedestrian route. I believe I have a "winning" formula corporations will find irresistible: serious enquiries only to learn more.

As to Rift it will be removed and placed on long term loan to Pali Momi Medical Center for display in their atrium unless a buyer intervenes. Many have remarked the artwork has a soothing quality: what could be a better place than a hospital.

But for the next couple of weeks, I am going to return to finishing off "Pull Inside," the second of the three surfer paintings of which "Cut Back" is the first. Updates to follow.

Orvis Residency: Day 20 (20-29 July)

I have been remiss in my postings lately: Instagram has been getting the best of me! Rift is now roughly 75% complete; very confident the art will be completed with a week to spare. It has always been my goal to have the art finished so the final week of my residency can be spent answering questions from museum visitors. I will also need that last week to plan dismantling and removal for storage until the art's new home has been resolved.

The artwork is important: it encapsulates humanity's march to oblivion (if unchecked) in a poignant,  symbolically understandable depiction. Interested parties have been identified as caretakers/exhibitors, but until details can be ironed out, the work will need to be stored in a secure, environmentally benign space. To that end, I am crowd funding for storage costs on Indiegogo and would appreciate anyone reading this blog to follow and or forward my plea to people that support art preservation. 

Orvis Residency: Days Nine and Ten (18-19 July)

This weekend saw tremendous progress. A big thanks to Sonny and all the volunteers that that helped on Family Day (Sunday), especially Rochelle and Christian from Farrington HS in Honolulu, and a bevy of kids

Saturday we finished the installation framework and hung the ten panels; by the end of the day, the first coat of green and blue interference pigments had been applied.

Today, all panels were touched up in preparation for the eyelet fabric textures layering that makes up the "rift" in the composition.

Next weekend, yet again another extravaganza. Saturday boasts a scissor and staple gun spectacular followed by Sunday's oil paint barn-burner!

Hope to see some of you make good on your threats to help again this coming weekend.

Pip Pip!

Orvis Residency: Day Seven (17 July)

East Wall 11:00

Took today off from my "day job" so I could complete the framework that will support the panels. This weekend is an important day for the museum: Sunday is the Bank of Hawaii sponsored Family Day. Free admission; I want the substrate to be in place so that visitors brave enough to venture into "my studio" can be given something constructive to do!

North Wall 13:30

I guess there is some amount of confusion about the Orvis Residency. Some of my friends and family seem to think it is "a show" going on for 6 weeks. It is that, but not in the usual sense. The Orvis Residency provides me with a a studio space which is also my gallery for six weeks. During that period, I have to complete a work utilizing the rather immense space (former tennis courts) and display the finished art. To top it off, the production itself needs to involve visitors.

My goal is to complete the piece with two weeks to spare so I can observe the observers interaction with what is arguably controversial and poignant.

In short, there is a whole lot of engaging going on on  a number of levels. Tomorrow's objective though is to have the luan substrate mounted to the framework so that the really fun techniques can begin.

Pip Pip!

Finished 15:50

Orvis Residency: Day Two (12 July)

Weather was cooperative today: finished the base texture and applied the background pigment to all ten panels. So happy when the weather forecasts stick to the trend, in other words wrong.

A heartfelt thanks to my wife Sonny for all her help: I couldn't have accomplished this key phase of the project without her assistance. She understands how I build my art and braved two of the stickiest days of the year with highs in the low 90's and no trade winds to give me a crucial hand in moving to the next phase - installation.

Installing the panels on the Surface Gallery walls  will occupy most of the next weekend. So if there is anyone out there reading this and feel comfortable with a hammer drill and a screw-gun "come on down!"

All ten pieces have to be anchored to as a "continuous strip"  that takes a corner from the north to east wall. I know that at close range, the panels will be discernible, but my intent is that the base substrate appears a seamless strip when viewed from between 4-6" and absolutely uniform from 10-12'. This means some very careful abutting and hanging; loads of fun.  Can't wait to figure this one out!

Orvis Residency: Day One (11 July)

Started at eight-thirty this morning. Completed the background textures on five of the ten panels this afternoon despite the weather.

Still coming to grips with the overall scale: 4' by 80'.  Using 4" masonry trowels and a small bamboo garden rake in place of my usual palette knives!

One intrepid visitor from New Zealand and her family braved the 23 steps down to the Surface Gallery and helped slop some mud onto the eyelet material; need more Spalding House visitors with the same spirit!

Towards the end of the day, when the first five panels had been completed, I couldn't resist leaning them against the north wall of the gallery, which is where they will be installed after the the ground has been applied.  One of my big concerns has been to utilize in a balanced sense, the entirety of the gallery walls; so far, I would say, my "paper design,"is meeting my "as-built" expectations.

Originally, I was planning on anchoring the panels directly to the concrete wall, but I  plan on using furring strips now, so that I will be able to control the  abutment and give the appearance of a uniform, contiguous substrate; "it's the way I want it to look." :)

Always Have A Plan B

"Stage Entrance" to the Gallery

Delivered mahogony plywood substrate for Rift this morning to Spalding House's Surface Gallery which will be my studio for the next six weeks.

Initially, I was going to uses lower grade 3/8" structural plywood that Home "DeePot" had on sale, but when I arrived at the local store that (according to the website) had 229 sheets available, no one (from customer service right through cashiers and lumber specialists) could find a single piece. So much for plan A.

Surface Gallery North and East Walls

 Luckily there is a local building supplier here in the islands, City Mill. Although Smaller, slightly  and more expensive than the "big boxes,"  the staff is  immanently knowledgeable, helpful and knew a better substitute material. And for a nominal fee, delivered right to the gallery (Plan A had called for me renting a truck and schlepping my purchase solo).  Go Plan B!

No doubt the next six weeks will see more Plan Bs: I learned from Aaron Padilla, Spalding Houses's Director,  that every  Orvis Resident Artist can expect rain the first week of their session: I've already figured how to use rain as a texturing agent and will be disappointed if this weekend's forecast is wrong!

Cut Back

I am going to produce four paintings about surfing before and or after the Orvis Residency  which starts in July; this is the first: Cut Back.  It's really a painting about the wave, not so much the surfer, about wind and sea, where the two meet. I am planning the final canvas to be largely figurative; a post-session "herbing under the trees" with the boys following an epic session. I am going to call the collection  Road to the Sea after the spot my pals and I used to surf in South Kona many years ago. Still need to sign the work,but here are the updated pics including the close-ups of the work.  Selling the piece for $650.00 USD price includes free shipping and frame anywhere in the world except places that are in conflict that FedEx fears to go.

Title: Cut Back

Acrylic, Oil, Interference and textile on canvas

24" x 30"

Wishful Thinking No 3

Been saving wishbones for  a year or so now to build out a small version of something I would like to do on a grander scale. Wishful Thinking uses artifacts - actual objects - in the composition. This will be tricky in future iterations on a larger scale: haven't cooked any 200 pound chickens, and even if I found one,  my kitchen couldn't accommodate the activity. So 3D printing will play a part constructing the larger wishbones.

To the right, the completed work, with a detailed shot to the left.  Don't think I will be working on this concept until well after the Orvis Residency, but I had to take a swing at the concept because it had been gnawing at me for a while...

Rift | Fragment One

Rift Fragment | overall composition

My Orvis Artist in Residence doesn't start until July, but I have been working on the color palette and over all composition since last week.  At first I was over-working the symbolism: thinking too much about the haves and have-nots. Seon-Doh reminded me that the artist's conception depicted in the proposal conveyed the theme; basically she reminded to paint and not think, which is what a painter should do after all.

Rift Fragment Closeup

This week I also submitted three paintings of which two were chosen for the 45th Annual Aloha Show, sponsored by the Association of Hawaii Artists. This year the show was at Honolulu Hale (City Hall) and buyers from the State Foundation for the Arts were looking for pieces to purchase. Pretty sure neither of my two works will be purchased because they don't depict "Kodak Hawaii," or anything especially Hawaiiana. Still I hope that some who go to the show will remember my work. In any case it was good to get the paintings out of the house.
The reception for the show is next week, I plan on attending mostly so I can see those pieces chosen as "best in show." My hunch is the show is parochial; a suspicion I need to confirm. Lately I have thought that art shows are like applying for a job, where one tailors their resume to meet the recruiter's buzz-words. If that is the case, I am afraid I will never be best in show: I could never paint to a meet anyone's expectations save my own!