starting to work on "landscape series 2" and musings on jacob van ruisdale / December 10, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

2:04 pm: stopping a bit early so we can walk up the trail. here's how it looks; i'll continue tomorrow.

12:53 PM: this morning i began work on landscape series 2, which i made the drawing for yesterday. using oil, crayon & graphite stick, i moved slowly, not wanting to overdo it.

as i continue work, here's the current state of the painting.

BELOW: 2 paintings by 17th c. dutch painter jacob van ruisdale. the details of each of these landscapes reveal small figures easy to miss at first glance, when looking at the entire painting. i love this understated inclusion of figures in the vast dutch landscape. for me they hold far more interest and mystery than similar landscapes of the period by other artists, who have made the figures more prominent. without these little human presences, ruisdale's landscapes would be less compelling, i believe.

stretching the canvas for the next painting in this landscape series / December 9, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

drawing for landscape series 2, 36x38" colored pencil on portrait linen.

2 PM: the completed drawing.i think i'll wait until tomorrow morning, when i'm fresh, to start applying color.

1:17 PM: stage 1 of the drawing

12:05 pm: i'm just now stretching the 38x36" portrait linen & hoping to begin the new painting shortly. pics as they become available. always exciting to start a new painting, and possible directions are swirling in my body.

the source of the imagery will likely be a photograph i shot recently of the icy creek, on our walk up to the stupa one afternoon.

preparing a new creek painting in oil on portrait linen, 38x36" / December 8, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

today i made preparations for a new creek inspired painting, which will likely commence tomorrow morning. i haven't yet settled on an image to draw from, but i'm considering one of the photos below, all recently shot at north crestone creek.

on the other hand, it may not be any of these 6 shots, or some combination.

more work today on "woman in landscape" / December 5, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

3:10 PM: after looking at woman in landscape in the house yesterday, i saw where more work was needed. i almost entirely re-painted the figure, which needed to pop more, as well as integrate more with the rock formations behind her. then i did more work on the water reflections. in both cases, i see marked improvement when i walk back 10-12 feet. the entire painting jells more . and the greater clarity of the figure adds an emotional kick. as well, i think the raison d'être for the grey gris showing through and, in the upper left, moving into abstraction, has become clear.

BELOW left: yesterday, right: today

tweaks to woman in landscape / December 4, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

1:22 PM: the modifications to woman in landscape are, thus far, subtle. you should be able to discern them in the comparative images BELOW. the most obvious change is to the beige mountain side just above the figure, which has been softened, as have the reflections in the water.

11:32 am: yesterday was devoted to meetings, so now that i'm back in the studio, i can see some minor tweaks that need to happen on woman in landscape. i'm a little tired since we got to bed unusually late, so i'll take my time with the tweaks.

day 3: woman in landscape, 38x36" oil on portrait linen / December 2, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

*woman in landscape 1* 38x36" oil, graphite & crayon on linen

2:14 PM: i'm stopping for the day. i'll know better in the morning where i need to go with it, or rather it with me! this is an experiment of sorts. it couldn't happen in this way without the exquisite surface provided by this quadruple primed french portrait linen; as responsive as a lover to every touch.

12:30 PM: continuing work on woman on landscape, i drew a grid, then began breaking up what i did yesterday, introducing graphite, crayon and oil pastel into the mix.

i'll continue working as long as i have juice. everything i learned during the most recent round of plein air gouaches as well as the recent series of collages is coming into play. i'm searching/not searching for a new form, simultaneously letting the viewer know this is not your traditional landscape while using my skills at realist depiction of the landscape.

back to work, and i'll post updates as they occur. in the mean time, BELOW is a comparative view of the painting yesterday and today.

day 2, woman in landscape / December 1, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

*woman in landscape,* 38x36" as it looked at 2pm today

2:09 PM: today i started painting woman in landscape, 38x36" in oil on portrait linen. it was indescribably electric to begin painting in oil again, after a very long hiatus. oil on portrait linen is a very special experience, as the linen takes the colors in a unique way., responding with extreme sensitivity to your every stroke, taking even the most diluted wash of color in a way that inspires and promotes the painterly.

right now i've got to clean my brushes so we can go for a creek walk on this balmy (52F) first day of december. i'll resume work tomorrow.

woman in landscape / a matisse we saw at the barnes collection / November 30, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

Henri Matisse. Three Sisters with an African Sculpture (Les Trois sœurs à la sculpture africaine), between May and mid-July 1917. Oil on canvas, Overall: 77 1/8 x 38 1/4 in. (195.9 x 97.2 cm). BF363. In Copyright. ©2017 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

4:55 PM: this is one of the magnificent matisse paintings we saw recently at the barnes collection in philadelphia.

2:46 PM: i began the drawing for a new 36x38" painting titled woman in landscape. this will be a much longer process than the collages i've been working on the past few weeks. i have always been enamored of the figure in the landscape and have looked again and again, over the decades, at how the great masters approached it. from courbet to manet, corot and matisse. a small figure in a large landscape can create mystery.

here you see a drawing of the figure i'll be including. it originates in a 2005 painitng i made in gouache on paper on thecycladic island of andros, where i've spent much time.

she is dwarfed by the large rocks, which are actually from a photo i shot at north crestone creek recently.

3 new plein air gouaches this afternoon / November 27, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

6:37 PM: today was the last of our recird breaking warm days. the temperature reached 62F and there was little wind. based upon past experiences on this late date, i overdressed and had to peel off layers when i sat down at the site to paint.

the site is magical, as you can see form the photos below. fortunately, i was not interrupted by unwanted visitors, as happened the last time i went out, 2 days ago.

BELOW: the 3 gouaches and some shots of the site.

more work on 11-25-17 collage / November 26, 2017 by Philip Tarlow

*11-26-17 collage* mixed media on paper, 15x20"

1:32 PM: upon entering my studio, a quick glance at 11/25/17 collage made it clear that changes had to be made. i had intended to go out again this afternoon to paint plein air, but tomorrow, which will be our last unseasonably warm day, is when i'll go out, possibly for the last time this season, until spring arrives. in the past, i've ventured out as early as march, which is only 3 months away!

the composition was too jammed, so i introduced more while space, allowing the composition to breathe. 2 1/2 printed letters were added, taken form a page in art forum advertising a show at the whitney, which is where the EY came from. i added a bit with black crayon, turning it into hey. only one eye remains from the collaged drawing of a team member that marked the starting point. a festive, circus atmosphere reigns, whith pinks & blues and what appears to be a prancing horse. a few green splashes in the lower right pay hommage to the creek. and the wavy cutout blue streamers i've been employing help define the space.

BELOW: stage 1 (left) yesterdays version (middle) & todays (right)