| I've postponed my scheduled solo show this year indefinitely. I've taken a few steps back and looked around carefully at my work, and have tried to lend a fresh set of eyes to the proceedings around me in
my studio to gauge my successes and failures in my work. Released from the constraints of having to produce a new, large body of work in a short time period, I feel free to experiment more, push boundaries, follow winding roads and dead ends, and re-ignite a lot of the passion that has been washed away by the urgency to sell art and pay bills. I've started working large again, on two canvases and two boards, with some specific ideas in mind in terms of theme and subject matter. I'm trying to capture humor and a general
sense of satire in the larger paintings I'm working on. I've taken a step back from them to recharge my skills by working on a series of small paintings of scenes from my studio. Brushes hanging on the wall, jars of turpentine, and crinkled paint tubes all have become the focus of my attentions. By almost entirely stripping subject matter and themes from these works, I've been able to concentrate on color, composition and paint application in these formal exercises. I've pushed through four small works so far, and already I can
see the progress and feel the confidence in paint burgeoning once again.
This month I spent a week painting a large mural with my friends Marty and Charles. It was a learning experience itself - its always a great thing to be able to work side by side with painters I respect - learning their tricks, talking shop, and painting with a purpose beyond producing a work on canvas. Our styles meshed well, and under Marty's careful watch, we were able to bring his designs and style to life on a large scale. Working so large helped me when I
finally arrived back into my studio. I felt charged up again, with a freer brush and willingness to make bold changes fast.
I also spent an evening sketching at Dr. Sketchy's. It's a monthly figure drawing session with local burlesque dancers striking naughty, flirty poses. The three hour session resulted in a couple of nice drawings that were based right off the subject matter closest to my heart. Between the small still lifes I'm painting and the figure drawings, I'm feeling good about retracing my roots and being able to spend some time working out some issues with these academic
exercises.
And so it goes. Freed from the constraints of time and having to produce work under the gun, I'm feeling a lot better about letting my work progress organically for once. |
