2:01 PM: it's only 2pm, but in my body it feels like 5. we got up at about 4 to prepare for our trail walk, which explains some of it.
so i did do some work on the painting and brought it to the place you see here. i'm on a steep learning curve, and i can occasionally catch the scent of something resembling mastery, but it's still on a distant horizon. when you think about it, studying the great vermeer by making the gaze series paintings is not a bad idea. by taking a detail of the 51x43" the art of painting and riffing, i'm starting to get a feel for vermeer's technique, and what set him apart from all his contemporaries. thus far, i can't find another historical painter whose work lends itself to this level of exploration of timeless painterly qualities. it's a bit like riffing on bach. transcending the narrow window of his era, it's as if he's saying "here you are; now play."
that's about it guys. i'm going to clean up & go join mikela at the house.
12:30 PM: sometimes i find squeezing my colors onto the palette, or scooping them out with my palette knife extremely tiresome.
8:49AM: today i need to stop work a little before 3 to get to an appointment. my plan is to continue work on gaze 28. after looking at gaze 23 for a few weeks, it just doesn't cut it, so i'm bringing it back to the studio, where i'll re-stretch over masonite & go back into it. the idea of multiple faces was interesting, but is a good example of something more mental than tactile. i don't want my paintings to make you think before feeling. the initial glance tells the story. i want the viewer to be smitten at first glance, like when you see someone across the room & their gaze instantly attracts you. the why comes later. this is gaze 23 as it looks now.
BELOW: gaze 12; an example of one of the gaze series paintings that passes the first glance test.
