snow / starting a new painting /  by Philip Tarlow

mikela at work this morning. snow can be seen through the windows.

8:01 AM: snow fell last night. not much at our 8,000 ft. altitude, but they got a good amount above 12,000 ft. more is predicted for today, which will boost our snowpack to above normal for this date.

 today i'm going to prepare a new surface for the next in my grey series. at the same time i'd like to prepare for a new series of abstract paintings, devoid of any recognizable imagery but filled with suggestive biomorphic shapes. those will be destined for space gallery in denver.

more work on "the lacemaker" / some thoughts on vermeer /  by Philip Tarlow

2:09 PM: i worked on the lacemaker until about half hour ago, when it became far too dark. i took it slow and kept evaluating and making sure i wasn't destroying the delicate balance. i think it worked. this is the first time i feel it may be resolved. there is no longer a split between the top and bottom portions.

the characteristic dots of light, which appear in most of vermeer's paintings, are important elements here. vermeer's original painting is about 10x8." on this larger scale: 48x24" his tiny dots of light are more prominent, creating a kind of syncopated rhythm akin to a jazz riff. they can be seen more clearly in the details, below.

as the image dissolves into abstraction in the lower portion, one is reminded that this painting, indeed the entire series, is a riff. the scumbled, painterly gestures; the time worn look of something old that might remind us of graffiti....

i think vermeer's greatness lies in part in the capacity of his paintings to transcend time. a 17th c. lacemaker hurtles through time and space. specific cultural references fly apart and all that remains is pure painting. which is really all there was in the first place!

12:15 PM: the blues and reds in the bottom portion of this painting, which i revised yesterday, needed to be "pushed back," which i just did. i may work back into that area in a moment, but very selectively.it's close, but not yet there.

tweaks to "the lacemaker" /  by Philip Tarlow

3:17 PM: the lower and upper portions are more fully integrated, but i won't know till i take it back to the house. it's so much brighter and clearer than the previous version, i'm going to need some time to adjust my perception of this painting.

LATER: i think the blue and red need to be "pushed back" or made to recede and be less prominent; grab the eye less; allow the more sensitive areas to breathe. so that's what i'll do first thing tomorrow, before preparing another canvas. 

i do think it might be exciting to paint a severly cropped, larger, square version.

 

 

 

 

12:59 PM: following yesterday's revision of grey 9, i embarked this morning on a revision of the lacemaker. for some reason i can't figure out which number this is in the grey series. the numbering needs updating & i don't have time right now. so here's where it's at; clearly the lower portion, with it's intense blue, needs work. but i think there's an improvement to the upper half of the painting. part of the reason i decided to go back into this one was that the composition seemed cut in two. boldness is required to correct that. so i'll have a bite to eat and launch back in.

BELOW: the before and after:

"grey" 9 tweaks /  by Philip Tarlow

3:30 PM: a few more tweaks, and this is the final version for today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1:15 PM: i decided to leave grey 21 hanging in the house for a few days so we can both gaze at it under different lighting conditions and in the company of the others in the series. 

so today i decided to make a few tweaks to one of the earlier paintings in the grey series: grey 9. i'm taking it very slow and easy, since i love this one, but it's always felt a bit too scrumbled. every part of the painting had an equal value, and nothing popped. right now it seems resolved, but i'll keep it hanging here on my studio wall and see how i feel as the afternoon progresses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BELOW: the history of today's work on grey 9. on the bottom row: the final version, at 3:30 PM with a detail

grey 21: final transformation?? /  by Philip Tarlow

1:03 PM: another characteristically windy spring day, with scudding clouds and gusts up to 35mph. our local forecaster says 23mph, but we live in a microclimate, and at our house in the baca grande it's more like 35mph.

i had a good feeling when i entered the studio, and got straight to work, transforming the image from one based upon a bearded fayum portrait to an extreme detail of vermeer's the love letter. i knew from the get go this might well be the final transformation of grey 21. whenever i have ventured outside of vermeer's oeuvre in this series, with one exception, i have not been able to stay with that image, always returning to vermeer. the why is a long conversation, so for now lets just say the deeper my experience of him, the more i'm convinced that he stands apart, both in the entire history of western art and specifically in the history of 17th c. dutch art of the so called golden age. it might be the topic of a future blog post devoted entirely to vermeer, comparing his paintings with his peers and with a broader range of art. 

by the way, today's transformation was accomplished using one one brush; one of my favorite fan brushes, which you see in the image on the right

i may do a few tweaks now, before stopping early to try and solve a thorny imovie problem, which i must deal with before loading the latest footage i shot last week in edwards.

BELOW: the top row left is a shot of grey 21 following a scrumble early this morning. and on the right, an early stage of the current version of grey 21. on the bottom row, the detail of her mouth reveals one of the areas i feel needs tweaking. it kind of looks like one of deKooning's angry women right now.

1:47 PM: on the lower right you will see the tweaked version of her lips, which no longer look like deKooning's buck-toothed angry woman series.

back in the studio at work on "grey 21" /  by Philip Tarlow

back again. back to our magic skies and our trail walks. the snowmelt has picked up with warmer temps, and the creek has increased in volume and speed. and sound. we discovered interval training. check it out: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/interval-training/art-20044588

tomorrow i'm going to change grey 21's lights, a greek expression meaning i'm going to add another layer, with a totally different image. (θα του αλλαξω τα φωτα!)

3:53 PM: a bit more work before going out to walk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2:34 PM: since re-entering my studio for the first time in a week, i've been re-working grey 21, which is now drawing from a 1st century fayum portrait. the surface is now heavily layered, with scratches, scrapes and with some of the underlying collaged maps peeking through. i think the green bit of map on the upper right adds a critical balance to the overall current composition, as does the bit of blue ocean in the map on the lower right. 

the swirls of black hair in the beard and head are always a painters dream. painters throughout the ages have delighted in them, from the fayum painters to vermeer and titian. the white tunic is also a device painters have loved introducing, whatever form they might take. i have to sit with this one for a while to determine my next step, if there is one. below, a few earlier stages of this painting, starting with may 15 on the left, through this morning on the right.

boulder/westminster image candidates for future paintings /  by Philip Tarlow

8:07 AM: heading home after a couple of meetings this morning followed by our costco/whole foods shopping. yesterday i shot some images that may be material for future paintings. tomorrow, i'll resume work on grey 21 and prepare for grey 22. as always, after being away for a week i feel a renewed energy and excitement about getting back to work in the studio. as well, we've got a lot of follow up and outreach to do this week for actionlab360. this is a critical period in laying the groundwork for the 2016-17 fall/winter school experience.

the project showcase in edwards & gypsum /  by Philip Tarlow

today was a big day for the middle school kids. one they've been working towards for months. their presentations were interactive, designed to engage the visitors, of which there were about 200. it was a big success, with rave reviews from all the visitors, mostly parents and their friends. as the designated videographer for actionlab360, i was very busy shooting video which i'll edit once we're home. i'm going to turn selected clips into a short documentary, tracking the history of the kid's projects, starting in the fall of 2015. 

their enthusiasm, teamwork and perseverance through many obstacles was amazing to behold. we'll be  working with them again in the fall, with a greatly improved version of our educational product, now in beta: actionlab360. 

below are a selection of stills. when you clip on them, you'll see my commentary when you mouse over each one.

the middle school kids prepare for tomorrow's showcase /  by Philip Tarlow

8:37 PM: this afternoon our friend kat and mikela were talking politics in kat's big, beautiful living room. her mirror always inspires me to make a painting. perhaps when we get home.

8:31 PM: the skies in edwards were threatening all day, but there was no rain or snow. the cloud formations and colors were rich.

today the middle school kids here in edwards are making final preparations for the showcase tomorrow. they've come a long way since the conception of their projects, most of which are being developed by teams of 2-5 kids. 

check out the cool notebook cover art on row 2; gives me ideas!

more work on grey 21 / bonnard / the showcase /  by Philip Tarlow

6:26 PM: i posted these pics on FB this morning. i've been spending my lunch 1/2hour in the studio perusing this book on bonnard. i was really sad to miss the once in a lifetime bonnard show in S.F., which just closed. it was a unique opportunity, with a rich selection of his paintings and drawings form all over the world. unfortunately, S.F. was the only venue. photo of bonnard by alfred natanson. bell's opening paragraph is, i believe, a masterpiece poetically giving the reader the essence of bonnard with sensitivty & flair.

upon entering the studio this morning, it was clear grey 21 needs more work. it hasn't yet found itself. so when we're back from edwards, i'll do more, while at the same time preparing a canvas for the next in the series.