looking back two years / back in my studio after denver trip / the figure in the history of art revising 2021 watercolor/collage 16 /  by Philip Tarlow

2021 watercolor 16 after end of day revision

2021 watercolor/collage 16 before this afternoon’s revision

4:22 PM: at the very end of the day i decided to revise 2021 watercolor/collage 16 as well, simplifying it quite a bit and thereby creating a lot more open space for the eye.

it bears little resemblance to the previous version, which you see here. all the scrawls and scribbles are gone, the image has been flipped upside down, and there are numerous creek references, absent in the previous version. that’s one of the blessings of using collage, which allows immediate gratification of the need to make radical changes to a piece.

the houston gallery representing my work for over 20 years asked me to elaborate a bit on something i had said to him when they were asked about my use of figures by a client interested in a couple of my ano kato series paintings. i put together a very brief 2 pager:

2021 watercolor/collage 15 at 3 pm

3 pm: i worked more on 2021 watercolor/collage 15. earlier, i collaged a fair amount of white paper because it seemed too crowded. now i went back in and added a passage on the upper right, which makes more sense compositionally.

2021 watercolor/collage 15 11 x 14 3/4” following this morning’s revisions

12:43 PM: i had thought earlier today that i was going to start work on the tall skinny painting in oil on linen that mikela commissioned me to make for our west facing living room wall. but when i took another look at 2021 watercolor/collage 15, which i had worked on a few days ago, i found there was too much going on. so i flipped it 180°, collaged over about 3/4 of it with white paper, and then worked into that, playing off what remained of the original piece. the cactus blossom has become the dominant theme, and as i glance over at it now, what i did seems to have given this painting greater coherence.

BELOW: a comparative before & after

7:55 AM: we returned from denver/boulder yesterday evening following our dental cleanings, my knee shots, an acura service & food shopping. it’s a long day, with a 4 hour drive each way, which we’ll be repeating on friday.

in looking back over some 2017 photos of my gaze series, i came across this grouping, showing the evolution of one of the pieces in the series.

more when i get back to work in the studio…

continued work on 2021 watercolor 15 / starting 2021 watercolor/collage 16 /  by Philip Tarlow

2/21/21 2021 watercolor/collage 16 after my final intervention of the day

5:43 PM: and, true to form, i made yet another change to 2021 watercolor/collage 16 moments before leaving the studio for the house. i added some grey oil pastel in the upper portion. but it was too much, so i collaged over it with light white paper, cut roughly to the outline of the area covered by the grey. since the surface i’m using for this one is an off white grey-ish, the collaged white paper makes a subtle new shape, adding a new richness to the composition. i think it made a huge difference. these things regularly come to me the minute i’m ready to walk out the door at the end of my painting day.

what’s going on in this rather unusual piece is new…ish. creek inspired marks are married to calligraphic play, and sexual innuendoes abound. that yellow clipping form a london map at the bottom lifts the entire composition to new levels, compositionally as well as on an emotional note. in the future, we hope, art historials writing about my current work will point out the clear evoution of my marks, my colors, my compositions.

2:46 PM: i added one more collaged bit on the left

2021 watercolor/collage 16 at 2:45 pm

2021 watercolor/collage 16 at 2:15 pm

2021 watercolor/collage 16 flipped 180°

2:22 PM: it started by me just fooling around with a few of my fountain pens, testing out the flexibility of the nibs by making swirling, calligraphic strokes. i cut one of those sheets of notebook paper up, rearranged them on a piece of board, then began collaging until i reached this point in the process.. it’s smaller than the others: just

7 1/4x 15 1/2”, and i haven’t yet decided which side is up. right now i’m thinking i prefer the one you see on the right.

11:15 AM: today i did quite a bit of work on the new 2021 watercolor 15, employing collage more extensively than yesterday. BELOW on the left: yesterdays version, and on the right, todays. the boys head was bugging me so i collaged over it with a piece of paper oil palette from 2018, which i’ve saved, knowing i’d use it in the future. the cactus thorns on the left now repeart on the right and the hand i drew in on the bottom is not from the boy but from a photo i shot at a space gallery opening in denver a few years back. imay continue work on this one or perhaps start a new one & go back & forth between the two, as i love doing, so as not to get stuck on one or the other, if you know what i mean.

tweaks to 2021 watercolor 14 /  by Philip Tarlow

2021 watercolor/collage 15 11 3/4x15”

2:12 PM: i made a new one: 2021 watercolor/collage 15. i used a figure i’ve used before of a high school kid at a friend’s house, shot from above pouring juice into a glass. the flowering cactus plant you see in the previous watercolor is also present, as well as a few creek references: rocks & branches.

there’s a piece of map collaged on, which adds some touches of yellow echoed in the boy’s arm.

i had some interruptions while working and thought i might not pull it off, but i think it works. we’ll see tonight when i bring it back to the house.

2021 watercolor 14 after some tweaks

8:41 PM: i made a few tweaks to 2021 watercolor 14 and, after watching the live stream of the national theatre of greece live stream of the play dimitri directed, which starts at 10:30 MST, i’ll likely get to work on a new watercolor.

back in my studio / drawing of nona's mom /  by Philip Tarlow

6:40 PM: once i got watercolor 14 back to the house, i felt like it needed something more. collage maybe? stay tuned tomorrow…

3:09 PM: made some additions just before leaving for the house.

stage 1 of 2021 watercolor 14

2:52 PM:after many days of not walking up the stupa trail, we’re going to give it a try today. our 2nd covid shot after effects and weather have been the main reasons we haven’t been able to talk our afternoon trail walks.

so i started 2021 watercolor 14, which as yet has no collaged elements. but that could happen tomorrow. my inspirations here derive from the photo i posted below of flowering cactus plants plus a photo i shot from above of our friend lea and one of my many creek photos.

cacti in bloom in front of our house, june, 2020

1:09 PM: so yes, i’m starting watercolor/collage 14 today. this is one of the photos i’ll be using as inspiration. it was shot back in june, of a cactus in bloom near the house. these blossoms last only about a week, and then you’ve got to wait a year to see them again. i’ll post pics of the new watercolor in a bit.

7:36 am: we returned from denver yesterday afternoon and i’ll be back in my studio in a few hours to post what i’ll be working on today; possibly a new watercolor.

this morning i came across this 1972 drawing made in chora, andros of nona’s mother. he was the owner of a small restaurant in the plakouras neighborhood of chora, andros. the food was amazing, and this woman, his mother, was responsible to a large degree. during summer months, you would sit at the outdoor tables, which were located overlooking the bay, with the waves lapping just a few meters beneath you.

nonas had the reputation of being rather gruff, and we witnessed him more than once ordering clients to leave, even if they happened to be wealthy & powerful shipowners.

during the war, he would personally carry fresh fish packed in ice on his back up to mountain villages that were without electricity, so they could keep them fresh.

crestone-denver round trip /  by Philip Tarlow

view of the sangre de christo mountains as we return home from denver, driving through the san luis valley

drawing made today at the anschutz medical center, denver

6:50 PM: it’s 4 hours each way. the purpose: a follow-up appointment with my glaucoma surgeon. the appointment was at 9:15am, so we had to leave at 5 am. i was up at 3 to prepare morning coffee, etc.

the drive from crestone to denver was hairy. icy, snowy roads the whole way, with temperatures down to -15° F in fairplay. but boy, was it gorgeous!

very tired; going to bed, morte tomorrow when i’m back in my studio.

completed watercolor: cast of "the ruler of kastropyrgos" /  by Philip Tarlow

12:09 PM: i put the finishing touches on the watercolor now named the ruler of kastropyrgos, which is the english translation of the title of the play directed by my son dimitri, which will be live streamed on saturday 2/20. these are 4 of the lead actors in the play, in costume. this the link to the live streamed performance, which starts at 10:30 am mountain time:

https://www.ticketservices.gr/event/ethniko-theatro-o-kotzampasis-tou-kastropyrgou/?lang=en

i can’t wait to see these figures come alive, now that i know them so well!

the ruler of kastropyrgos 9x16”

Kotzambasis, stage 2 /  by Philip Tarlow

1:19 PM: i did more work on the watercolor i started a few days ago. it’s inspired by photos my son dimitri sent me of characters in the play he’s directing for the national theatre of greece, , which will be live streamed this coming saturday. for a nominal fee, you can watch it here:

https://www.ticketservices.gr/event/ethniko-theatro-o-kotzampasis-tou-kastropyrgou/?lang=en

i’m considering leaving the right portion more sketchy, as it is now, which works better for the composition as a whole. i’m using a watercolor paper with no texture at all, as opposed to the arches cold press i’ve been using for the 2020/21 creek watercolor series. i think this is better suited to the delicate details of these 4 figures.

stage 2 of the watercolor of actors in dimitri’s production of The ruler of Kastropyrgos

starting the first watercolor based upon dimitri's upcoming production /  by Philip Tarlow

kotzambasis watercolor 1, stage 1

1:57 PM: my symptoms following the 2nd moderna shot last tuesday are better but not completely gone. so after an hour of work on this new watercolor, i had to pack it up & return to the house at 1pm. normally i would have been able to work till about 3, but i suddenly felt like i had to lie down immediately. right now, i am lying down and it’s still hard for me to focus.

i’m excited to continue tomorrow. these costumes, with their beautiful colors and patterns, really turn me on. in a way, it’s a good thing i had to stop early, because i really want to take it slow with this one. i’m begining to envision a larger oil version, which could include some elements of the actual stage set. lots of possibilities. i’m beginning to understand the seductive qualities the nabis: bonnard, vuillard, denis and the others discovered when they began experimenting with creating larger works for, or inspired by parisian theatrical performances of the period

when this one is complete, i may send it to greece, so that dimitri can hang it in the lobby of poreia theatre, where he is owner/director.

12:52 PM: today i started the first in a series of 2 watercolors of the lead actors in dimitri’s production at the greek national theatre, which will be streamed live on saturday. here’s the link in english to watch the play:

https://www.ticketservices.gr/event/ethniko-theatro-o-kotzampasis-tou-kastropyrgou/?lang=en

click on 2020-21 watercolors in the drop down menu to view a selection of the watercolors & watercolor/collages i’ve been making over the past year or so.

kotzambasis drawing / stretching 2021 creek oil 4 / tapioca pudding /  by Philip Tarlow

2:41 PM: we woke up to about 5+inches of new snow this morning, with temperatures not making it out of the teens. might get a bit more before tomorrow morning.

drawing for my watercolor of the actors

my son dimitri is directing a live performance at the national theatre of greece, broadcast online on february 20. the play, o kotzambasis of kastropirgou , is based upon the novel of the same name, by his grandfather, the late m. karagatsis. when he sent me a few beautiful photos of the lead actors, i felt moved to make a watercolor. so this morning i made the drawing for one of the two watercolors i plan on making. i may make the watercolor tomorrow, depending on my mood.

i think i mentioned in a recent blog post that mikela commissioned me to make a 78 x 16” vertical creek oil painting for a skinny wall in our living room. well, after finishing the drawing and making a batch of tapioca, i stretched the linen canvas for the painting. she’s still not fully recovered from the side effects after our second covid vaccination last tuesday (!!??) and hasn’t yet been able to eat, other than small pieces of toasted bread. we’re hoping she’ll be able to have some tapioca, and that maybe tomorrow some solid food. who knew these after effects could be so severe?

so i’m going back to the house to hang with mikela now. you know what’s for desert tonight!

resuming work on 2021 watercolor/collage 13 /  by Philip Tarlow

2021 watercolor/collage 13 at the end of my painting day

2:33 PM: i did more work on 2021 watercolor 13, and am calling it a day. we’re still not fully recovered from the side effects after our 2nd covid vaccination 4 days ago. mikela had a much rougher time than me, and neither of us are able to do a full days work. in addition, it’s getting progressively darker as the snow storm approaches, and i always prefer natural to artificial light.

the collaged area of pen-scribbles i refer to in my comments

as you may be able to discern, i played around with her hand quite a bit, collaging over it twice. the submersion of the figure into the creek-scape continues to interest me. despite what i’ve said on many occasions about the irrelevance of realism,” i can’t deny that the human presence offers something that simply can’t be equaled in a pure abstraction. as well, i have such a rich history of painting the figure in a variety of settings and mediums, that it would be foolish not to employ the skills i’ve accumulated over decades. so, once again, i consider this moment to be a coming together of all that i’ve done in my life as an artist. that bit of collage just under her head is an example of what i’m talking about. it’s a piece of paper i used last week to test out a new fountain pen. i wouldn’t have done that a year ago, let alone a decade. i feel it adds an important element to the composition, providing more of a dream-space for the viewer. just as the transitions from creek-scape to human figure and back expand and enrich our sense of the reality of reality, or unreality.

2021 watercolor/collage 13 at 1pm today

1:12 PM: started out as a sunny morning; as predicted, it’s now clouding over and, as the afternoon progresses, snow will begin falling in a few hours. it will continue on and off all night, with sunday morning temperatures dropping to 10°F.

i resumed work on 2021 watercolor/collage 13, adding a few collaged bits over the hand and neck of the female figure in the foreground and doing more work on her intricately patterned blouse.

BELOW: a comparative view of the watercolor on the first day of work, 2 days ago, and just now.

4:40 PM: upon returning to the house, i placed the new watercolor in the entryway and looked at it critically next to a couple of other new ones. it holds up, and may even shine more brightly than the other two. but my point here is that my comments in my 2:33pm post re: the importance of the human figure in an abstracted composition seem to hold true.

one of my motion series paintings hanging on our stairway