alamosa today / yesterday's creek walk /  by Philip Tarlow

5:53 pm:  just back from our alamosa meetings, and from introducing actionlab to 3 classes of middle school kids. went better than expected. even though we don't yet have the product ready for them to click in, we did a little presentation using some of the pages form the site to talk about how they can find their idea, develop their project and put it in their portfolio, and they totally got it. they understood the value of having a portfolio in the first place, and asked some excellent questions, one of which may well find it's way into actionlab. and that was one of our intentions; that student feedback would allow us to improve the product before it reaches a wider audience. they also expressed how honored they feel to be the first school testing it out. so they're geared up & ready to go. we gave them some things to do and think about before we come back in a few weeks and they can load actionlab to their laptops.

8:48 am: headed to alamosa for actionlab meetings. more later. these are frmo our creek walk yesterday.

ceramic piece / critical day for parade 52 /  by Philip Tarlow

2:33 pm: end of painting day; it may be complete & i'll know tomorrow am.

12:38 pm: here's where it's at right now:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and, when you have time, check out the Q&A 32 minutes into this video of Bernie: copy & paste this link, BELOW, into your browser: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/09/14/1421219/-A-worthwhile-use-of-six-minutes-of-your-time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12:20 pm: current state of parade 52, as i continue working on this high wind day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10:21 am: upon entering the studio, here's what i saw. HEY, let's get to work early today and have a PRODUCTIVE day!!!

forgot to mention that we were watching mr. robot last night, and i saw something that caught my attention. has to do with the illusion of it all, but delivered so spectacularly that i was riveted. i'll try to find the clip and if i do, post it later. right now i'm just going to complete our order for more south river sweet white miso, and get to work. if you love miso & have never tried this brand, you must try it. it's the best.

 

 

 

 

8:28 am: today will be a critical day in the development of parade 52. i'll post pics as soon as they become available.

this is a ceramic piece made by susan watt, of houston. we collaborated in 2010; she made the pieces, i painted them.

a great dinner / parade 52 continued /  by Philip Tarlow

3:30 pm: the skies have darkened, but we're still planning on walking up north crestone trail as soon as i clean up. here's where i stopped for the day, with one of my palettes on the right. tomorrow should be an interesting day, as an unexpected bit of pinkish-reddish-greyisg enters the picture on the lower left. this was one of my favorite passages in parade 48. this painting is based upon the same image, but it's a blown up detail. 

i love that it contains elements of my favorite nabi painter, vuillard, as well as a tip of the hat to welliver. but mostly, to tell the truth, it's prime tarlow!

2:14 pm: we were rummaging around in my loft space & i ran across this b&w photo of a 1977 painting of a character who was mentally disturbed but right on the money when it came to dress. he would come to andros, the island where my x, my son, mother-in-law & i used to spend summers, and parade around or, more accurately, march around the capitol dressed like this. i got him to pose in my studio there, and this is one of the paintings i did. his medals and ribbons show up much better in color, but until i go through my slides, this is all i have. it's a small painting in oil, in a private collection in athens.

8:01 am: last night we had a beautiful birthday dinner with great company at the home of friends in the town of crestone. everyone contributed something. the main course was fresh wild caught alaskan salmon cooked on the outdoor grill. the entire meal was absolutely delicious.

the main topic of conversation? yep, BERNIE! he continues to gain ground on hillary, is BIG on social media, and even though national media has created a blackout, he's what's being talked about all around the country at dinner tables just like ours last night. at the end of the evening, our hosts decided to donate to his campaign. 

 

 

9:30 am: i'll head to the studio in an hour to continue work on parade 52, followed this afternoon by another walk up north crestone creek and more editing work on the actionlab curriculum. here's how i left the painting yesterday:

 

to view the entire parade series to date, go to the parade series link, BELOW:

the green snake and other tales / parade 52 day 3 / b&w of '77 painting /  by Philip Tarlow

4:48 pm: i'mback at the house. i stopped early to watch djokovic play federer at the US Open, but it's been delayed because of rain. and just when they'll be able to start playing, we're invited to a friend's house for a birthday dinner. so we'll record it.  

here's where i stopped today; not a huge amount of work, but good work. working on this painting feels increasingly like a musical fugue. the image is based on photos i shot in 2010 of the interior of then then just-opened acropolis museum in athens. the floors ore transparent, and reveal the ancient ruins uncovered during the excavation. combined with the reflections and shadows of the museum goers, a subtle tonal play of shapes is created. perfect for my painterly approach on this super fine french portrait linen.

yesterday afternoon we walked up north crestone creek trail. blissful as always, albeit a tad too hot. so we stopped at "the rock," a large landmark rock about a mile and a quarter up the trail, and decided to call it a day. on the way down, this vibrant green snake slithered across the trail directly in front of me. 

as we got closer to where we left the car, we passed what i call "the kiss." the tree has melded into the rock and the rock the tree, permanently engaged in a prolonged deep kiss.

once home, we were treated to yet another extraordinary sky.

7 pm sky looking east from our deck

7 pm sky looking west from our deck

9:49 am:i'll continue painting parade 52 in an hour.

painting as sex / roof repairs / studio portrait /  by Philip Tarlow

2:57 pm: stopping here for the day so we can walk up north crestone creek

12:10 pm: it occurred to me, as i was painting this passage just now, that painting is sex. wet, slippery and juicy; out of control; extremely pleasurable and sensual; arousing; orgasmic............

and now, back to my easel

8:54 am: yesterday afternoon a crestone roof repair guy, who came highly recommended from a trusted friend, came to evaluate the roof leaks we've noticed in our upstairs living/kitchen space. another local guy had looked at it last month and gave us a dire report, with a very high repair estimate. we immediately took a liking to howarth, who, after examining the metal roof, gave us a far more accurate evaluation of the problem, along with photos to illustrate his points, taken with his smart phone. i made him coffee (he appreciated my passion for excellent raw beans) and he made most of the repairs in a few hours. he'll be back today to finish up.

howarth has done many things in his life, but he loves the sheer physicality of making repairs, and is working right now on a very big project at one of the many spiritual centers in crestone/baca. his tall lean body appears totally comfortable standing high up on our metal roof. his hands carry an intelligence and even, i would say, the sensitivity of an artist. 

i had to run back to my studio while he was here to complete the defrosting, way overdue, of my ancient little fridge in the studio. as i was leaving, i saw myself in the glass on my red door, and decided to take a couple of studio portrait shots in the warm, sweet afternoon light. notice the bottle opener on my key chain? always ready for a good beer.

in about an hour, i'll head over to the studio to continue work on parade 52 and, if i can find the time, fnally put one of my watches up for sale on eBay. the painting, which is 48"x48", is in an early phase, full of potential and giving clues as to where it wants me to go next. it seems very musical to me.

after learning of keith's death yesterday (scroll down to see the post) we're appreciating each other and our lives together even more. fragile, it is. 

wily odysseus  

made his sailors

mast tie him knowing

the sirens' seduction

keith / jumping into parade 52 /  by Philip Tarlow

NOTE: if you are a regular on this blog, you know that i always put the most recent post on top. today, in honor of keith, i reversed the order. so scroll down for the most recent pics of parade 52.

11:39 am: this morning while shaving & showering, i thought of keith bellows. we had worked together 7 years ago on the first iteration of what has now become actionlab. we were in DC often to meet with the team, of which he was a part, working on the project. and when the project was passed back to us to own and develop by the then CFO, we continued to visit with keith whenever we were in DC, and he always graceously made time in the midst of his crazy schedule.

he was then editor of national geographic's traveller magazine, a post he held until he left last year. no need for me to expound on keith's larger than life presence; his generosity; his creative brillaince; his down to earth warmth. just google him and read the many tributes from friends and co-workers. lately i've been active on facebook, so i decided to look him up & friend him. a photograph of keith came up with the word remembering beneath it. a shiver passed through my body. no. it can't be. keith was just 63 years old. when i entered his name and did a google search, there it was. he died the saturday before last. he had cancer, but was very private about it.

so, still in shock and mourning for a great man we knew, i start my day in my studio, deeply saddened but also energized and inspired by him. it was an honor, keith.

1:19 pm: JUMPING INTO PARADE 52

i have finally, after days of postponing, jumped in to parade 52, and here are the first pics

2:35 pm: current state of parade 52

parade 52  48x48"  oil on portrait linen  this is the current (2:35pm) state of the painting in progress. 

3:29 pm: here's where i' stopping for the day. i'll clean up & go back to the house to continue editing. getting close to completing all the chapters in the curriculum, on schedule for our IT team to start loading it onto the site.

lastnight's meeting / today's blend / starting parade 52?....nope! /  by Philip Tarlow

12:50 pm: i've never shared any of the images i work from for the parade series. i'm sharing this, which is a detail of the image i'll be working from for parade 52, because i want you to get just why i'm having such a hard time getting started.

as you can see from this detail of the image on the right, which represents about 1/4 of the full image, this one is far more of an abstract composition of forms & colors than any of the others. it doesn't have a grouping of figures seen from above, a focal point that tends to create a story. one you make up, but a story nonetheless. the story here has to do with reflections, reflections of reflections, transparencies and an arrangement of organic and geometric shapes and colors reflecting my sensibility. for 3 days now i've found convenient, solid reasons to put off starting work on this painting. today is no exception. so now i'm putting it off till tomorrow, ostensibly to go back to the house and get a bit ahead of the game in my actionlab corrections, so that i can have a full painting day tomorrow. either this is going to be one hell of a painting or a huge disappointment!

7:48 am: last night's makers space meeting at the steamshop location in alamosa was a kind of a s--t or get off the pot moment. collectively, the group concluded we can't just keep meeting indefinitely without actually opening for business, even though we're still lacking in funds and equipment, and don't have the ideal space. so next wednesday afternoon, steamshop will open it's doors. as a fist step, founding members will show up to work on projects they've already got in the works. mikela and i have a commitment that afternoon, so we'll show up the following wednesday, and i'll work on a video editing project i've got going. gradually, students and adults from the community will become aware of steamshop & start showing up. and in the mean time, we'll start pitching to various entites, mostly local, to generate the funding we need for more equipment and, ultimately, a bigger and better space.

What is it?

A makerspace is a physical location where people gather to share resources and knowledge, work on projects, network, and build. Makerspaces provide tools and space in a community environment

today's blend of beans i roasted in the past few days. when mikela sipped the first cup, she declared today Official Standout Coffee Day!

so now i'll be doing some more editing of actionlab curriculum before heading to my studio to start parade 52.

wallace stevens / drive to alamosa / makers spaces /  by Philip Tarlow

3 pm: on my way back from the post office i thought "hey, we could take our n. crestone trail walk now, before we go to alamosa...it's such a gorgeous day!" when i got back to the house, mikela came out to greet me with a big smile. "i've got an idea! let's go......" just now back, it was fantriffic! here are some pics. now we're lying down watching colbert (taped) before taking off for alamosa.

8:03 am: POEM FOR THE DAY, by the great american poet, wallace stevens (1879-1955)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9:45 am: the fact that ii didn't sleep very well combined with having to leave around 3 for alamosa is making me feel like it's not the right day to commence work on parade 52. instead, i'll continue with my proofing of the actionlab curriculum and take care of some stuff i've been putting off. 

we won't be able to take our creek walk this afternoon, so we'll resume tomorrow around 3:45. this afternoon we'll leave for alamosa, a 50 mile drive south, where we're  having dinner with a stellar teacher from one of the schools there. we're collaborating with him on introducing our actionlab platform to the students at his school starting at the end of this month. he's a very cool guy, lots of fun to work with and full of great ideas. then we'll attend a meeting of the group who launched steamshop, the new makers space in alamosa. our goal is to get the community engaged, while researching grants and looking for a new, bigger and more suitable space to house steamshop. if you've never heard of makers spaces, just google it and you'll see that this concept is rapidly growing, and they can be found in most American cities.

concerns about parade 52 / last evening's sky / /  by Philip Tarlow

5:06 pm: so here's the stretched 48x48" canvas for parade 52, on the easel and waiting for me to get started tomorrow morning. i feel better about the image now that the canvas id stretched, and i think i have a better idea of where i'll begin. once i start, the painting pretty much lets me know where to go, as long as i have an uniterrupted stretch of time in front of me. tomorrow we  have to leave about 4:00 pm for a meeting in alamosa, so i'll have to get to work promptly to give myself enough time to clean up & change.

12:11 pm: back in the studio, i've decided to go with the image i selected as is. you can kind of make out the completed 48x48" drawing here on the right. the canvas is not yet stretched, which is why it looks wrinkled. i'm about to stretch it. i'll decide once that's done whether to start painting today or wait till tomorrow. it's kind of an experiment. so whether it's successful or not, i always learn from my experiments. if you click on works in the menu bar, then parade series, you can peruse the rest of the series to date, and you'll see there's nothing quite like this, although of course they have in common that they are all based on images viewed from above.

looking east at the sangre de christo's from our deck yesterday, 7:15 pm

9:16 am: these early evening skies lately are all paintable. the exquisite color lasts only moments, just like all the exquisite things in life.

on the LEFT: same time, looking west

 

 

 

 

 

i'm doing proofing in the house now, and after i meditate & make mikela her second thermos, 1/4 of which i drink, i'll head to the studio & make a decision regarding the nature of the image for parade 52, 48x48." i'm concerned it might be lacking in punch and too reliant on the abstract shapes in the floor i so loved painting in parade 48, which you see here. i've magnified that area of the image and zeroed in on just that lower portion of the painting, and am concerned it might be too fuzzy, with no distinct shapes to anchor it. now is the time to make this decision!

starting my day proofing / preparing the drawing for parade 52:48x48" /  by Philip Tarlow

8:32 pm:  i almost completed the drawing, so i'll complete it tomorrow morning. i did stay on schedule with my proofing, completing 2.5 chapters today. we moved our morning walk on brooktrout road, across the srreet, to an afternoon walk up north creston creek. we haven't walked there since spring. then the mosquitoes kicked in and we had to abandon those amazing walks up the creek. until today. i may resume my plein air paintings soon. can't wait to see how my parade series will affect them. more tomorrow.

12:34 pm: making the drawing for parade 52. the canvas will then be stretched, and i should be ready to start painting tomorrow morning.

9:34 am: i'm proofing a chapter in the actionlab curriculum, and am still on track to complete proofing in time for our IT team to load everything onto the site & have it ready by the time we introduce it to the schools at the end of the month. here's what i see from the couch in our west living room:

9:38 am: in about a hour, i'll be in my studio cutting the canvas for parade 52 and preparing the drawing.