starting, albeit slowly, watercolor 94 /candidate for carbondale exhibition /  by Philip Tarlow

6:57 PM: i may decide to put several of my gaze series paintings in the august carbondale arts exhibition. on the LEFT is one i’m strongly considering, inspired by a 1st century fayum portrait.

i used mixed media and collage for this one. if you click on it so that it fills your screen, you will notice a portion of a map on the upper right and lefdt of the head. on the lower right is a piece of collaged newspaper.

watercolor 94 stage 1-at 3pm

watercolor 94 stage 1-at 3pm

3:10: this morning i had some issues with dizziness related to a molar implant; a not unknown side effect. i did the epley maneuver with some success, and i’ll probably do it a few more times today & tomorrow. amazing tool to have in your bag of tricks.

so i got a late start and made the drawing & a few first strokes for watercolor 94, inspired by a very recent trail walk.

BELOW: this is not the photo i’m using, but it’s one i love, shot the afternoon of november 25, 2017. gives a flavor of the magical light.

watercolor 93-stage 2 /  by Philip Tarlow

3:13 PM: after making brownies and going back and forth on viber with my son dimitri, strategizing about how to begin locating ‘70’s greek paintings in preparation for an athens retrospective, i returned to work on watercolor 93.

it’s not one of those spare ones like watercolor 92. rather, it has the complexity of some of the earlier ones in this series. the image it is based upon is rather complex as a result of the multiple layers of reflections in the little pool of creek water where i took the photo during a trail walk. so it’s more challenging to forget or let go of what i’m painting and remember that i’m just painting.

complex patterning can be elegantly simple. so once again, as with 92, i’m taking it slow, with frequent breaks where i do other stuff or suddenly turn my gaze towards what i’ve just done. a valuable hit can take place when there’s a space of time punctuated by rapid, darting glances. they instantly confirm or reject the desired overall simplicity and coherence. in the best of all worlds, a transformation occurs, where water, branches and sky transform into gorky-esque symbols and signs in space. at that juncture, they remind you of something earthly but beyond earthly; something familiar but nameless. something you once saw whilst cruising past venus, or in a forgotten dream. “am i really cruising past venus?” you ask yourself. “can this be happening?”

completing watercolor 92, stage 1 of watercolor 93 / 1978 painting of construction workers /  by Philip Tarlow

in 1978, at the very end of my 15 year sojourn in greece, i made a painting which encapsulates years of paintings of construction workers from a site just a stones throw from my studio overlooking the roman era tower of the winds. it was shown in a solo exhibition at ora gallery in athens, where it was purchased by a collector who ran in and literally threw the money, drachmes at the time, onto the desk of the director.

this is the only photo i have of the painting, which was shot before it was completed. if you look carefully, you will see that the face nand hands of the figure on the right have not yet been painted in

years later, i attempted to locate that painting. i knew the buyer had died. at a party on the island of andros about a decade ago, i was introduced to her daughter asked her if she knew it’s whereabouts. she did not, and said she had never heard of it or seen it. that makes me very sad; it’s such an important painting in the trajectory of my career as an artist. i haven’t given up, and so i’m about to share this post with all my greek fb friends in the hope that one of them will respond.

watercolor 92

2:46 PM: watercolor 92 didn’t need much more work, and i needed to be cautious about not overdoing it on this one, which has such a delicate balance. starting the drawing for watercolor 93 gave me the space to leave 92 alone while it was still fresh and singing.

watercolor 93 stage 1

staying with my current mood, which dictates that i proceed slowly and be vigilant about only making marks or using colors when i’m in my groove, watercolor 93 is very sketchy and spare in this first stage. it’s inspired by an image i’ve attempted before, at a point when i was in a looser, freer mood. it’s based upon a photo i shot on one of our walks, of a reflection in a quiet area of the creek, where the water had formed a small pool reflecting the trees above. there’s a magic to it that is, i think, better transmitted by staying more closely true to the actual image, which requires a more detailed drawing.

so this is a switch from how i had been working until last week, sometimes completing one or even two in a day. switching it up like this, although not consciously planned, is a way of keeping it fresh. so i’m really looking forward to the next stage tomorrow morning, and that’s a new feeling.

watercolor 92, stage 2 / looking back 6 months /  by Philip Tarlow

5:15 pm: what was i up to 6 months ago, in december, 2019? that was before my tendonitis restricted me to making small works on paper, and i was engaged in my sound of a flute series, all 78 x 26” on linen. this is a detail of one of those paintings, all of which were inspired by 18th century painter/calligrapher/poet ike taiga. i continue to read about his life and work, which continues to excite me.

watercolor 92, stage 2

2:25 PM: i’m taking this one very slow, and with long breaks between new marks. i received 10 new half pans of winsor newton watercolors yesterday, which had been back ordered at blick. amongst them was the blue you see center-left, which so far is critical to the composition as a whole. i’m amazed i got anything done today. i didn’t get much sleep due to an unexpected, uninvited guest: a little mouse who made so much noise it sounded like a much larger animal.

i’ll resume work on this tomorrow.

crown / a new watercolor 92 /  by Philip Tarlow

watercolor 92 stage 1

4PM: once again i made the mistake of messing with the watercolor i made yesterday. i don’t like what happened, so, while i din’t destroy it, i put it together with others i feel are questionable and am naming this one i started today watercolor 92. i don’t thing there will be a problem resuming work on it tomorrow, since i don’t consider it resolved, and i think i should be able to continue in the same spirit.

this is a view of the creek i’ve painted four or five times before; i consider it such a beautifully balanced composition and distribution of colors that i don’t seem to tire of it.

5pm sky over the sangre de christo mountains

8am: yesterday we drove to salida, where i had my crown installed in the upper right implant. it took 40 minutes, and i’ve waited over a year due to various delays. still very unusual to not have a big gaping space in that area, and i’m shy about chewing over there. on the way back, we saw a beautiful 5pm sky over the sangres as we proceeded down the “t” road on our way home.

this morning we saw former secretary of defense gates discussing his new book: "Exercise Of Power: American Failures, Successes, And A New Path Forward In The New Post-Cold War World." his emphasis on our lack of strategy over the past 3 1/2 years was striking, and made me reflect on my own strategy, or lack thereof.

watercolor 92 /  by Philip Tarlow

watercolor 92 10 x 13”

7:39 PM: this morning had a very short period of time to work on a new watercolor. we took our walk at 6:45am, and i was able to get to the studio at about 10:30. we had to leave at 1:45pm to get to my dentist appointment in salida. so, if you factor in my breakfast, i had a couple of hours to get some work done, interrupted midway by a long phone call.

sometimes this is a recepe for success, leaving me no time to futz around. so this watercolor began it’s life in a good way, with play.

watercolor 91 destroyed and reborn / my paintings with dan's ceramics in aspen /  by Philip Tarlow

3:46 PM: a few of my motion paintings are currently hanging in the aspen home of our friend dan, surrounded by his beautiful ceramic pieces. they will be included in my august carbondale exhibition, and i’ll be speaking with the director of carbondale arts about including some of dan’s ceramics in the show, hanging them around the paintings as they are in aspen.

watercolor 91 13x20” 6/15/20

6-15-20: this morning i attempted unsuccessfully to make a few additions to watercolor 91. never a good idea to mess with a completed watercolor. it became worse and worse, new marks on top of old, until the whole thing slid into oblivion. it happens. especially with the delicate watercolor medium. so i tore it up, turned the pieces over and am now using them to test colors on future works.

we had a facetime regarding our educational platform at noon. i started a new one, also called watercolor 91, just before leaving for the house, and completed it just after getting back, a few minutes ago. i love how spare it is, and the blues and greens, how they work together. one way of determinig the sucess of a small, 13x20” painting such as this is to ask the question: could it scale 2, 3, maybe 4 times larger?

tomorrow i’m having a new crown seated on an implant abutment in salida. i’ve been waiting for over a year for this crown, which will finally enable me to chew on the right side. so i’m excited!

watercolor 91 /  by Philip Tarlow

6:56 PM: another great jour fixe, and we’re back home. andhere’s a look back form our april 22nd trail walk. not even two months ago, but it feels more like 2 years.

it reveals, more than any words, what it is that excites and inspires me about our walks. this radical beauty, these endlessly varied patterns, the light and shadows, the subtlety of greys, sienas…if you look critically at any of the 91 watercolors in this series, you will find them.

watercolor 91 at 3:04 pm

3:04 PM: watercolor 91 just now, following some additions on the lower right.

watercolor 91 at 2:30pm

2:31 PM: watercolor 91 is evolving slowly, and currently looks like this. i have about an hour before we need to prepare for our jour fixe meeting, so i may do a few more things right now.

1:02 PM: we didn’t take our trail walk this morning, so i arrived early at the studio and was able to get to work on watercolor 91.

at work on watercolor 91 moments ago

this one is inspired by a photo i shot on our trail walk yesterday morning, when the light was especially sharp and clear.

continuing work; will post updates when available.

trail walk / oatmeal cookies / my new powerbook /  by Philip Tarlow

transferring from air to powerbook

1:50 PM: we have our jour fixe porch meeting this afternoon at the home of our dear friends, but i’m afraid it may get rained out. thunderstorms are predicted, starting around 3pm. we’ll see.

our morning trail walk was a delight. the early morning light transformed the landscape, with its freshly emerged greens.

i spent more time than anticipated loading the updated adobe photoshop & bridge onto my new powerbook, which arrived yesterday, and making oatmeal cookies for our afternoon get together, so i may not embark on the next watercolor and wait until the morning.

the powerbook, while it has a 13” screen just like the old macbook air, looks a lot smaller since they cut down on the unnecessary metal framing the screen itself. it’s a pound heavier than the air, has a larger track pad, a keyboard that’s more user friendly and, most importantly for me, extremely accurate and crisp colors.

mr. rabbit / watercolor 89 and 90, gestalt /  by Philip Tarlow

watercolor 90 13 x 20”

3:41 PM: this is watercolor 90, in the same mood as 89, but larger (13 x 20”) & a tad more crowded as a composition.

i’m seeing that it’s key, when i start one of these, to make a few bold moves, as you see in the upper quadrant of watercolor 89, BELOW. otherwise i end up fenagling around like a cook searching for his favorite knife. those early bold chi filled marks are the anchor around which the rest of the composition can build. so, in 89, one of the very last moves was that green shape on the lower right, which could not have come about without those bold, early orange and blue marks on top. but still, 90 does have it’s own identity, and will look great on it’s new owners wall. it’s gestalt is compelling enough to prevent getting stuck on details. here’s a definition of gestalt":

Gestalt refers to the form or shape of something and suggests that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

watercolor 89 10x13”

taiga tree, 18th c. japan

1:32 PM: watercolor 89, 10x13” popped out his morning. i still have juice, so i may start a larger one, 13x20” this reflects my mood right now: dangerously squiggly and in love with blues and oranges. the creek, while it remains my inspiration, is becoming a pretext for voluptuous marks, in part honoring the great taiga and his wife, gyokuran. they were totally into sexy marks long before they were fashionable and acceptable.

our bunny a few days ago

7:59 am: yesterday evening just before sunset, i saw our local rabbit under our suv. he/she was up on it’s hind legs purposefully doing something that looked a lot eating. but his head was blocked, so i couldn’t be sure. what was so appealing under there?

he/she is a survivor of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease, which is probably why we’re seeing so few of them this spring. here’s what the article said on april 20: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Confirmed in Southern Colorado, Broomfield, Colo. – A highly contagious and fatal disease of rabbits and hares has been detected for the first time in Colorado. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) and the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) report that Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus type 2 (RHDV-2) was confirmed late last week in three wild cottontail rabbits approximately 10 miles southeast of Alamosa in Costilla County, CO. RHDV-2 does NOT affect humans or domestic species other than rabbits, but is highly contagious and lethal among rabbits.

so i should get to my studio by 10 or so and get started on watercolor 89. i’m also planning on doing more work preparing for my august show in carbondale. i’d like if possible, to make a selection of the oils i might include, in addition to the watercolors, as well as making a final decision on how the watercolors will be framed. more later….