rework of "sound of a flute over the river" /  by Philip Tarlow

3:37 PM: i’ve been gazing at it for several days, waiting for the right moment to re-work sound of a flute over the river. today was the day. i’m tempted to say there’s too much going on now. although i just said it, i’m taking it back. it would be like saying there’s too much going on in a theofilus painting. not that i’m comparing myself to that great greek painter, but if you look at one of his paintings, you can see what i mean. he was a self taught, naive painter who had a profound influence on, amongst many others, my mentor & friend, the late yannis tsarouchis.

BELOW left, you see the painting as it looked before todays intervention. and on the right, how it looks now. you prefer the previous version? simpler; a more compelling composition; more along the lines of the other 4 in this series? maybe. tomorrow morning will tell the tale.

3 gouache studies in preparation for the next kyoto series painting /  by Philip Tarlow

3:27 PM: in preparation for the next kyoto series painting, i made 3 studies in gouache on paper , 2 are 15 1/2 x 5 1/4” and the third is 11 x 13 1/2”. they could be considered warmup exercises. i have more freedom to play on a small scale and on paper. the one in the center is probably the least successful as a work in it’s own right, but all contain one or more discoveries in terms of color combinations and mark making. i may move ahead with the next 78x26” oil on canvas tommorow, which hasn’t yet been stretched, and i’m considering painting on the primed white surface rather than painting a beige ground, as i’ve done for the previous 5 in this series.

4:51 PM: so before leaving the studio i did more work on the one you see on the lower right, including the addition of some collaged elements. i think it has turned out to be the most interesting of the three.

an important addition to dp creek III /  by Philip Tarlow

12:22 PM: following feedback from 2 people whose artistic judgement i trust, i made an important addition to dp creek III. the upper left corner seemed empty, so here’s the before & after:

made a world of difference, wouldn’t you say?

returning to "sound of a flute over the river" /  by Philip Tarlow

3:35 PM: yesterday i painted over this one. today, rather than mess with a good thing (refreshing early morning, which i started yesterday & has a lovely spareness) i returned to sound of a flute. i continued working on it until just a few minutes ago, subtracting rather than adding. it’s a definite improvement over it’s former state, which you can see BELOW left.

refreshing early morning /  by Philip Tarlow

3:34 PM: today i painted over sound of a flute over the river with that tan-ish color i so love, and started refreshing early morning, also 78x26” i may let this one sit for a day or so and return to sound of a flute… tomorrow, not sure. it’s good to be able to switch off so as not to get too attached to a particular direction. the trick is to remain in the energy of that particular painting whilst fearlessly riding the energy of unsuspected volcanic activity. a bold lot, we artists.

day 3: "sound of a flute over the river" /  by Philip Tarlow

7:51 PM: today was a very very short day. we walked up the trail at 6:30 am, then, once we were back & i made coffee, i had just over an hour to do some work on sound of a flute over the river before we had to leave for a doctors appointment in salida, a one hour drive over poncha pass. the very first thing i did was to remove the rock at the bottom of the composition, which simply didn’t belong there. don’t ask me what i did after that. i couldn’t tell you. i know tha, while having my morning matcha tea, i read some very timely and inspiring passages from one of my 2 books on taiga. i’ll share those with you tomorrow. right now, i can’t wait to get to sleep. i had something removed form my calf for biopsy and, even though it was small, it does take something out of you. long day.

BELOW: the painting as it looked yesterday and, on the right, today.

day 2: "sound of a flute over the river"/remembering a vermeer inspired painting from 2016 /  by Philip Tarlow

DETAIL of grey 8, which was one of a vermeer inspired series. this one was painted in january, 2016 and then painted oevr.

2:57 PM: i think we’re unused to this humidity, and it has us both feeling sluggish & tired. i probably shouln’t have done any work at all on this painting today, but i did. so here’s the current state. we’ll both take a break tomorrow so i cqan go to a doctors appointment in salida, where we’ll treat ourselves to a really good pizza & beer at moonlight pizza. if you ask them to make the crust really crispy, it’s the best you can get in this area.

tomorrow morning before we leave, i’ll take out that rock at the bottom, which doesn’t belong in this painting at all.

sound of a flute over the river 78 x 26” / stage 2 of our joint painting: showa, 22x48" /  by Philip Tarlow

3:28 PM: today, after stretching 2 new kyoto series canvases, i began work on the fourth in the series: sound of a flute over the river.

my level of engagement & excitement over this series is still very high and climbing. i don’t think i’ve ever worked on a series that is so me. it integrates all the elements that have shown up, at one time or another, in my work. the japanese aesthetic, even more so than the chinese, fits like a glove.

 
 

DETAIL of k’s rendering of a bird on a snow covered branch

12:19 PM: yesterday i continued work, with 13 year old k., who i’ve been mentoring, on our joint painting, shôwa, which is 22 x 44” in acrylic & oil on linen. we made good progress, and may be able to complete the painting on his next visit to my studio next weekend. it’s inspired by a 1920’s japanese coat. i find the bird he painted yesterday exquisite.

more work on dp creek III leads to a re-work of dp creek II /  by Philip Tarlow

dp creek III, 42 x 66”, following todays tweaks

dp creek II, 42x66” following todays re-work

2 PM: i started my day not knowing. which is a good thing. feeling like “oh, i know what i need to do now with this painting” is a recipe for uninspired painting. don’t mess with a good thing and don’t do too much or something unnecessary were running through my thinking, plotting brain.

so the first place i went was an area that seemed too white, on the bottom third of the painting. once i worked on that area, using the side of a small rectangular oil stick, i felt the painting was improving & was emboldened to do more.. as i worked, i cast glances at dp creek II & at some point i got it that i needed to simplify a lot. interestingly, the work k. & i did together yesterday had a positive effect on what i did today.

BELOW: before (left) & after images of dp creek III (top) & dp creek II

stage 4 of dp creek III/ JOINT PAINTING WITH K. /  by Philip Tarlow

5:31: at 3:30 k. showed up & we started work on the canvas we stretched last time he was at the studio, 22x48”, inspired by a 1920’2 japanese kimono. we once again worked together, creating a dark blue ground with white stars using acrylic paints, which dried within minutes. there will be 4-5 birds , one of which, at his request, i started using oil paints. on his next viisit, we’ll continue work.

DETAIL of dp creek III

1:44 PM: today, tired from our 6:30 am creek walk, i went straight to work on dp creek III & didn’t make any gouache studies, as i had on the previous 2 days. i knew i only had a couploe of good hours in me, and then i’d likely need to go back to the house & lie down for an hour before my mentee k. arrives at 3:30.

so i continued work, careful not to overdo it, taking it slow. the area of shade on the upper right was the most dramatic change that happened, allowing the rocks & water in the foreground to consolidate & take their place in the composition, giving a sense of foreground & background without slipping into description. it’s a delicate balance, perhaps less raucous than the previous version but with just as much movement.

BELOW: 3 stages of dp creek III, with todays version on the right