work work work

I love my work, today I finished twenty-three canvases. This morning they all looked like this.

Well, mostly, because I shot this a couple days ago and last night I stamped an insect on a few of them, but today I put on layers of acrylic glazing. Then this evening I added some writing, the description for quercus lobata nee, the Valley Oak, which is the kind of tree they are. So an individual that looked like this

Now looks like this

And I have changed my working title from "Forest" to "Quercus Woodland" which is both descriptive and more poetic.

A couple more panels, I might scan them all, but we'll see - then I guess I'll need to start the process all over on a new batch.

blur

So the days fly by - but I take little snapshots of time so you can see what I've been doing -



As you can see, it's all a blur for me, at least that's what I looked like Saturday night attending Sacramento's Second Saturday art receptions, where all the galleries in town open their new shows.



Often I can be found in the company of my longtime friend & fellow artist, Joe Finkleman.

But today I was more focused, I've collected myself some real acrylic paints and glazing medium and set out to practice on an old canvas that I had collaged some Polaroid transfers onto some time ago. I had never really liked it, had stopped half-done, and had propped it on a hanger on the studio wall, waiting for something else to do with it. Playing with the paints and stamping on it was fun & I figured out how I want to finish up my forest canvases...



it even looks pretty cool close up



Tomorrow will be even more fun.

out with the crown

Feb 7, 08
morning
American River, Arden Access (near William Pond)
sunny & clear, slight breeze, not too cool

My first outing with the Crown, using two bags until my new one comes.

Water gurgles over shallows, mallards chase at each other, forage, make soft noises.



The cumbersome process and gear certainly slows me down & makes me much less prone to just start shooting anything. I almost left this particular spot without making an exposure at all, but I was enchanted and wated to capture a sense of the serenity here.

An egret sits nearby, nearly center in my image, but looking much like flotsam on a piece of debris in the shallows -

A pair of Canadian geese decide to check me out, I catch them on slide film, maybe a transfer later. Not offering food to them, they move on.



I'm wandering with Theresa, lost in her own creative world, we get a little farther down the footpath, see tiny finches in trees, another view of the river catches my eye -



Down again to the river's edge I'm drawn. The shore is largish river rocks, six inches to a foot across, with water between many - a good storm would put them all under water - the constant rush of the water in the shallows here puts a distance between this place and the bustle of humanity just beyond. Here the bustle is all geese honking at each other.



We start over the bike bridge - the view is wonderful, if hampered by protective bars - here humanity buzzes by on bicycles, skate, jogs, walks by with four legged companions. The birds sing out regardless and the sun warms my back: all is right with the world.



South side of the river is Goethe Park - bare cottonwoods stand like sentinels, keeping watch until warmer weather brings more people to this spot.

planting a forest

Well, I've been a pretty busy bee but just not blogging it - actually I got so caught up in the creative process that I didn't want to do much else -

I'm working on the Forest, part of a tree show I'm participating in this coming April. I made a bunch of Polaroid transfers for it last week, then the canvases came a couple days ago, smelling like fresh primer as I unwrapped them all. At this point there are 24 canvases and 23 Polaroid transfers, which isn't quite how it's supposed to add up, but I'll get more of both later. I wanted to get it rolling before I dove into all the supplies. Besides, it somehow seems better not to spend it all at once - faulty logic, I know, but I'm an artist, not a CPA, okay?

So I did manage to take a couple photos the other day when I first started laying out the transfers on the canvases -





You can see I'm adding leaves to the mix, too - all different kinds of oak leaves, since the images are different oak trees - I've been handcoloring each of the transfers with pencils, then laying each one on a canvas with the leaves, in a semi-random pattern. The idea is that there will be repeated images, but none exactly the same, each on different paper or whatever, and Polaroid transfers never come out the same anyway. And of course, there are all different combinations of images and leaves.



Today I colored the last of this first batch of transfers & started the collaging, using gel medium. This is all a total experiment for me, so while I wait for the first two to dry so I can see if anything unexpected happens, I'm writing this, sort of working off the excess excited energy. I've got ideas for the rest of it, but I'll wait to tell you and just let the plot unfold...

studio work

So I did manage to get more done the other day but didn't get it into the blog. I managed to do some more coloring, and got my daughter to take photos of me doing so.



Seems I've been needing photos of myself working in the studio, so I figure it's good to have current ones and Deidre likes using my new digital camera that I got for Christmas.



You'll notice that I seem to hold my hands oddly while I'm intently working...



And the fruits of my labor that evening, "Tree Lovers," edition two of ten. I also finished the Garcia Bend piece, maybe I'll get it posted here later.

(If you're curious about what I was doing in my studio last night, you can pop over to my Visions of Heaven blog to see that.)

And then today I've been busy in the studio working on a couple Polaroid transfer projects.



The first project I was working on is a series of florals that I'm calling the Flower Garden. I've got six initial images for that series, that I'll publish as pigment prints. I'll post them here when they're dry and colored.



The second project I began is called the Forest, which will be maybe as many as fifty 6x6" canvases each collaged with one of my tree images and whatever mixed media my inspiration leads me to - it's still percolating but I got about twenty tree images in Polaroid transfers today, which is the start. More on that project later...

so what have I done today, you ask?

Well I started out with a little workout on Excercise TV, ordered a new photo backpack for my Crown Graphic gear, got out some art festival applications, sent out my email newsletter (which you can subscribe to on my Contact page) and started the second edition of both "Garcia Bend" and "Tree Lovers:"



I'll see what else I can do with the rest of the day...

large format shooter

January 25, 08
afternoon at home
cold & rainy, windy outside
testing the Crown Graphic with Polaroid back - type 55 film (4"x5")

I am now a large format shooter - technically I was shooting medium format film before - and my shooting process has become more cumbersome but I am determined to keep my wandering habits.


Test #1 - out the studio window - zone focus, same old light meter in my head, seems to work fine.


Test #2 - front porch - old light meter has it's flaws, but zone focus looking good.


Test #3 - I'm not used to the film process & forgot to pull out the envelope, so I didn't actually expose the film - need a new mental checklist.


Test #4 - I've figured out a a decent exposure, zone focus is good for a wide open lens - I'm doing my best to stay light on equipment, not use ground glass but see if I can get the hang of the Crown's rangefinder - the focus link doesn't seem right but zone focus is fine, especially for my wide landscape shots - still the gear is bigger & heavier and now I need a new pack, too... Even so, I'll probably take the ground glass & a tripod with me at first, just in case -


new dragonfly stamp

tree lovers

So I worked on the other piece last night & gave it a last polish today -



I call it "Tree Lovers," and besides reflecting my own love of trees, it would make a perfect Valentine for that special tree hugger in your life - this is number one of ten, so there won't be too many. On my screen it's actually larger than life, really it's about 5x6" and would be matted or framed to 11x14". ($200-$250) If you're interested, just email me...

it's been two weeks

since my last confession - uh, post - and I haven't been as productive as I should -

I did get into the darkroom last week, though and today I finally did some coloring, so maybe I'm getting back into a creative routine.

Earlier today I started with watercolors on both pieces that I printed last week - one on the left from Garcia Bend with an overlay of a map of that bend in the river that creates what is known as the Pocket area of Sacramento - and on the right, a little something romantic for Valentine's...



After the paint dried, I put pencil and pastels on the Garcia Bend piece - this one is already sold, but there will be another I'll work on soon - Peggy, this is for you. ;)

sunny new year

Jan 7, 08
1:30 p.m.
Antelope Community Park
sunny w/clouds, light wind, not too cool

A break in the recent storms has given me a great desire to get out. I've come to this park, next to where they're building the new high school, and the high school grounds are taking more park than I expected. It's a small blow to my heart. The "tree along (the) fence" is gone, as is the old fence - it makes me a little sad but glad that I caught it on film while I could.

Many of my favorite trees are still here though - I'm also looking to see how they all weathered the recent 65mph winds, so I'm enjoying my old friends for as long as I can -


An old heritage oak, previously photographed as "oak near Palmerson Drive."

A small flock or doves roosts in the top of the "woodpecker oak" and a few magpies at the top of another.

The ground is wet but not too soggy, covered in short green grass sprouts and fallen oak leaves. I wander around the park and find a well worn foot path that dead-ends at a chain link fence. New taller fences, looking appropriate for sports courts, are just beyond.


One of the "s curve oaks," brings memories of my kids playing here when they were little.

Lots of tiny little finches flit around branches, twittering and calling out to each other.


I frightened a larger flock of doves on the ground around the felled branch of this tree - the only real damage I find from the storm.


This is actually my last piece of known good Polaroid 665 film - I have some very old boxes I might experiment with - otherwise, I could be transitioning to the Graphic 4x5 camera I got last year, in anticipation of this moment - the end of another era -


Quick digital shot as I was leaving - saw this sign that shows what's being built. Not only the high school, but part of the park is being developed as a "joint use improvement project." Sports fields and a swim center for now - at least they plan on leaving the heritage oaks, too bad they can't stay in a more natural setting.

working

Even though I wasn't posting to this blog, I've been working on the series for the publisher, as well as getting some framing done, paying bills, getting groceries, etc...


Here's number seven and eight for the publishing project, wet with watercolors.


And finished with pencils and oil pastels. I'm not quite happy with how they fit with the rest, but we'll see what happens.


This is an extra one for this project that I think will fit better - wet with watercolors.


Here's how I've been working, adding each piece to the wall space around my drawing table nook, so that I can see the pallet of what I've completed & adjust what I'm working on to stay on target.


And the final piece for this project done - I think - I might offer another vertical to make up for both of the ones I don't think fit so well together. But that will depend on what the art director says; I'll have to make scans and send them off to her tomorrow, then get her feedback.

12-14-07

12-14-07
late morning
William Land Park
sunny, clear, cool, no wind

Gem of a park just south of downtown - kids playing nearby, the squeak of swings a constant in the background. Birds chirp and call out in the trees overhead -



Sycamores are nearly naked - their white bark glows in the sun -



As I'm driving out, I see this view - I make a quick U-turn and have to stand in the middle of the road to get it. Thankfully, it's a pretty quiet street right now.

pushed off

Coloring on the publishing project got pushed off the table briefly for a little embellishment of a pigment print for my inlaws -


I use the pencil sticks for this type of job, filling in color where I feel it needs it, especially for these bigger prints. It's done when I'm happy with it -


Then I got back to work on the set for possible publication, working in details with pencils, adding texture and light color with the oil pastels - again, until I'm happy. (That's what it's all about, right? ;)

getting back

Took a bit to get back to the publishing project, what with getting Visions of Heaven up and rolling, the reception over the weekend, recuperating and all... (you can see me at the reception by clicking on the link.)



So here's the pencils & pastels on the next two of the publishing project. I had tried working on them some over the past couple days but I finally had to really just make myself get back to coloring - sometimes I'm not really excited or inspired, but just have to do it anyway -



Usually though, when I just make myself do it, I get in the swing of it again and can move forward. Here's watercolors on the next pair, I should get the next layer on this evening or tomorrow morning.

wet watercolors

Managed to get the watercolors done on the next pair for the set I'm working on for possible publication:

new series

Working on a series for an interested publisher (I'll share later when it's a done deal.)


These were wet with watercolors in the morning...


And these get the same pale blue watercolor wash, since it was mixed already & my goal is to use the same palette for the whole series.


By evening, the first two have details penciled and another layer of color (in the sky especially) done with oil pastels...

Dec 1, 07

Dec 1, 07 - midday
Carson Ridge Evergreens
blue skies, scattered clouds, light breeze
cool - predicted high here 45

Our annual trip to cut a Christmas tree -



We wander around debating the merits of different trees, until at long last both Phil & Dee say, "This one!" in unison. We come away with an incredibly tall tree - we'll see how close it comes to the peak of our vaulted ceiling -



"Planted in 1977."