starting work on kwazu no shosa /  by Philip Tarlow

1:30 PM: kwazu no shosa translates as the reach of the frog, and is a verse form a poem by shiteki (d.1779). he was a priest who was a famous writer of “crazy” or “mad” poems. this particular verse refers to taiga’s depiction of a frog jumping toward a willow branch. this refers to a famous anecdote about ono no tōfu (michikazi, 864-966), one of the greatest calligraphers of the 10th c.. the story tells how ono no tōfu realized the importance of effort when he saw a small frog jumping again and again to reach a willow branch moving in the breeze. it was then that he began to concentrate on calligraphy.*

this is day one of the new painting which, like the others, ison a stretched 78x26”piece of quadruple primed linen.

*quote from Ike Taiga and Tokuyama Gyokuran by Felice Fischer with Kyoko Kinoshita

a gaze painting in poreia theatre, Athens /  by Philip Tarlow

2:59 PM: this is one of my gaze series paintings: gaze 36, which hangs in the lobby of my son dimitri’s poreia theatre in athens, greece.

the series was painted in 2014 and consists of 26 works, all of which are in mixed media on linen with collage.

you can view the series by clicking on the works dropdown menu, then choosing gaze. or, copy & paste the link below

https://www.philiptarlow.com/gaze

sound of a flute over water ii, continued /minoo revisited /  by Philip Tarlow

4:09 pm: I shifted gears at around 2, and began doing what I said I might do yesterday: working on 2 paintings, switching back & forth between the two 7 allowing discoveries I made in one spill over to the other, back & forth until both reached what I think is resolution. BELOW: sound of a flute over water II at noon, left & & at the end of my painting day, right.

4:23 PM: and BELOW: minoo, before & after the changes. most of what I focused on is in the upper third of the composition, painting out the passage on the left & re-working the sky & mountains on top.

1:32 PM: Mikela had to leave early to attend a seminar in salad. so I got to work early and made some changes to sound of a flute over water II. the rocks on the bottom are bolder; there are more areas of green; and a cave with 4 little faces has been added on the right. I had said I would simplify today, so thus far there is more complexity. however because of the bolder marks defining the tree trunk in the center & the rocks below, the eye is given more of a sense where to travel. and now, back to work!

sound of a flute over water II, continued /  by Philip Tarlow

4:22 PM:we walked up the creek this morning & got back late. so I didn’t start painting till after noon, and just now stopped. I did a fair amount to this painting…maybe too much there are definitely some passages that have improved. as I look at it from about 25 feet, it does seem a bit congested. may need more breathing space. see what you think.

I think it will be helpful tomorrow to do what I suggested yesterday in my post: to start working on a different painting, either a revision of an already completed one or a new one, all the while glancing at this one until that moment when I am guided what to do. then I stop work on the new one, steal over to this one & make a gut intervention, which I swhat now needs to happen.

continued work on "sound of a flute over water II" /  by Philip Tarlow

3:32 PM: I was able to get an earlier start today & continued work on sound of a flute over water II. while it has the spirit of sound of a flute over water I, it definitely has an identity of its own. for starters, it has a pinkish overall hue, whereas the earlier version slants towards yellow tones. and the rock formations at the bottom are different, but no less spontaneous & engaging. BELOW left & right: I & II.

i’ll determine tomorrow whether further work is needed. in the mean time, while casting glances at minoo as I worked today, I saw a few things I would simplify, possibly tomorrow. I always love working on more than one painting at a time, which allows me to more easily let go of any attachments i’ve formed to passages that may not serve the whole composition.

back to work on "sound of a flute over water II" /  by Philip Tarlow

at work this morning on sound of a flute II

sound of a flute over water II at the end of my painting day today

4:01 PM: today, after messing around for a few hours & working up to being able to squeeze some colors & get back to work, I continued the commission i’m working on. it’s a variation on sound of a flute over water, which you can see if you go to the sound of a flute dropdown menu.

I can’t yet say i’m fully into my groove. close.

bold, unexpected moves happen when i’m in that space, which it’s easy to take for granted. it’s also new & unusual for me to be making a painting that’s a variation on one i’ve already completed. you could see that as a constraint. i’m experiencing it as a kind of refreshing challenge.

I didn’t get much sleep last night, and we walked up the trail this morning. as a result I was late arriving at the studio. i’m expecting to get a much earlier start tomorrow, and that makes a big difference.

k. complete's his latest landscape /  by Philip Tarlow

4:22 PM: today is my first day back in the studio following our week long trip to edwards to work with 3 schools there & introduce them to actionlab360.

we were both exhausted last night following a very long day. mikela attended a conference and I completed packing up our study, including lots of costco food shopping & loaded it into the car. on the trip back we witnessed some especially beautiful skies as we entered the san luis valley & headed home.

k., the student i’ve been mentoring for over a year, arrived at 2 to complete work on his latest landscape. each one is getting progressively better, and this is, I believe, his best to dat. bear in mind, he had never worked in oil previous to his mentorship with me.

I think you will agree, this is exceptional work. he’ll be here again next weekend, & we’ll see what’s next.

in the mean time, I hope to be able to resume work on my sound of a flute series tomorrow. the studio still needs lots of work, but I think it’s organized enough for me to resume painting, if I can get my groove. a new water heater arrived yesterday & will be installed sometime in the next few week, in Tim for the colder weather.

more drawings done at h&h in edwards /  by Philip Tarlow

4 drawings made over the past few days in edwards

7:39 am: we’ve been in edwards since monday, and during that time we’ve been to our favorite hangout, h&h, where i love to make drawings. BELOW: photos of h&h.

2:21 pm: and this morning we were introducing actionlab360 to a class at an edwards high school, where i made another drawing of one of the students. tomorrow before driving home, mikela will be in a seminar while i pack up & then spend more time drawing in h&h. back in my studio saturday, where i’ll resume work on sound of a flute over water II.

getting to work on "sound of a flute over water II" /  by Philip Tarlow

BELOW: 2 drawings made at h&h in edwards

2:55 PM: I thought i’d be getting back to work yesterday, 2 1/2 weeks after the flooding in my studio. as it turns out, today was the day.

at work this morning on sound of a flute II

sound of a flute over water II is a commissioned version of the painting with the same title, minus the II, which is now in a private collection in Santa Fe, nm.

of course it’s not possible to recreate an exact replica of the earlier version, nor would I want to. as a result, this feels like just as much an adventure into the unknown as the others in this series did when I was painting them.

i’m stopping here for the day, and likely won’t continue work till we return from edwards, where we’ll be engaged with the teachers & students at the middle school we’ve been working with for 3-4 years, piloting our educational product, actionlab360.

stay tuned, however, as i’ll likely be posting from our favorite edwards restaurant/coffee shop, where I love making drawings of the clients sipping coffe, having conversations &, sometimes, just gazing, deep in thought.

ABOVE: a couple of recent drawings made at h&h in edwards

finally! stretching a canvas for "sound of a flute over the water II" /  by Philip Tarlow

4:07 pm: we finally got my studio to the point, following the flooding last Wednesday, of being able to actually get back to work. I didn’t do any painting today, but I did stretch a 78 x 26” canvas for a commissioned version of sound of a flute over the water II.

I should be able to start work on this one tomorrow, and will, as usual post comments & pics of my process. this is my first post using my new iMac, which replaces one that was 10 years old. the difference is simply stunning! So much faster, and the screen is so bright, the colors so accurate!