squeezing out my colors onto the palette this morning.
3:43 pm update: i was correct in saying earlier today that this would be a pivotal day for parade 28. if you take a look at earlier versions, you may notice that the space has now snapped into place. the mood; the tone has been set. each painting in this entire series has an air of mystery and silence. when figures are gathered for an express purpose in a space devoted to great art of the centuries, there is about the space an almost religious quality of silence and awe. the feeling would be quite different if this were the lobby of some corporate headquarters, for example. my predilection for figures that pose as many questions as they answer, noted years ago by the late n.y. times reviewer john russell continues unabated.
"there is about him something of the storyteller, even if we never quite figure out what the story is. he makes us wonder what his people get up to when they aren't in the picture-and that is after all one of the perennial aims of painting."
john russell in a new york times review of my solo show at fischbach gallery, 9/25/1981
1:40pm update: below, the current state of parade 29. updated pics later this afternoon, along with commentary.
a spring snowstorm arrived from the southeast yesterday afternoon, making our drive back from alamosa a bit tricky. there was heavy blowing snow for about the first half of the drive, but the temperatures were still hovering around the freezing mark, so although we had freezing ice on the windshield, the roads weren't yet slippery. visibility was poor, so i had to reduce speed, and it was a relief to get back to crestone. overnight we had 4-5 inches of fresh snow and more is predicted today and tonight, which will give us a much needed addition to our snowpack. spring snow events are not uncommon in the san luis valley, and we count on them to help replenish our aquifer.
our water, by the way, comes from a deep well and has been tested to be of the highest purity, so we're fortunate. we live in the unincorporated "grants" area of crestone/baca, which is not in the system of city water for the town of crestone. we actually bring a few gallons with us when we travel to denver or vail, because we're unused to the taste of chemicals in our water. it makes a significant difference in the taste of the coffee i sometimes brew on these short trips, as well.
our actionlab meeting in alamosa went really well, laying the groundwork for setting up our first of 4 or 5 fall pilots of the product in middle and high schools in alamosa, edwards, roaring fork and denver. we're now preparing for the second of these upcoming meetings early next week.
once i'm back in my studio, i'll continue work on parade 28, and this could be a pivotal day. i'll post pics, as usual, as they become available.