VIEW FROM THE STUDIO: OCTOBER
RISING IN FALL
October 2, 2004 - The past three weeks have been the most concentrated and productive time spent working in the studio in ages.  After a relentlessly frustrating summer filled with dire thoughts, drained energies, and a liver full of alcohol, I'm back in the game, putting the finishing touches on some coherent work that should make for an interesting show in a matter of days.

I'm working on finishing up five paintings, which just have fidgety gestures and some loose ends to tie up, but three fresh large ones are hanging over my head.  I'm not worried about finishing them, as they are almost painting themselves.  What concerns me is my inability to keep my own promises. 

It wasn't a full six months ago that  I promised myself I would never do back-to-back months of shows again.  April's 'While We're Young' show was followed up in short order with May's 'American Paintings' show.  Of course, the icing on the cake was June's 'Cool Struttin' show, which took place shortly after moving into a new studio and home. 

So I find myself working twice as hard, staying up well past dawn most days, preparing twice the work I normally would be producing, as November's group show at the Daugherty Arts Center is fast approaching.  As stressful as it is, my mind is pretty free and clear, and it feels great to have no distractions besides an occasional meal or bike ride around the neighborhood. 

The work itself is more concentrated too, images almost carved out of paint, I've gotten the confidence back to change up the compositions wildly in mid-painting, and it feels like progress is being made.  I've been going back and forth between paint and charcoal, working on drawings between paintings and vice versa, and I think it's helped too.

With over 40 feet of space to fill in the Daugherty in November, I've been working on some larger works that will follow a decidedly political nature, too bad the show goes up on November 3rd, it'll either be a fond look back at the warmongering and morally corrupt administration that is on its way out of office, or else an emphatic reminder of just what the next four years hold for us. 

The rest of the show will be fleshed out with a working mix of some older paintings (older meaning done in the past year) with some fresh work as well.  The opening reception will be on Veteran's Day, and I'm casually putting together a slide talk that I may deliver the week before Thanksgiving. 

Pictures of the progress
 of a small study of
Gericault's Raft of the Medusa
(for more on the background of the original, click here)