morning creek walk/drawings /  by Philip Tarlow

6/10/2021 creek oil 26x78” following a slight modification, extending the log all the way to the edge of the canvas on the mid-left.

2:31 PM: I made one modification, carrying the log in the center left all the way to the edge of the canvas, for compositional reasons. works better. if you compare with the previous state, below, you’ll see what a difference this makes.

6/10/2021 creek oil 26 x 78”, after extensive work, at noon today

12:29 PM: as I mentioned in my earlier post, I was a bit late getting to my studio due to our morning walk. I entered the space of my studio and glanced at 6/10/2021 creek oil to make a quick evaluation of where it was at. yesterday, I thought maybe it was resolved and I could move on to something new. when mikela looked at it she just pointed out one area that she thought might need some work.

so I started with that one area, which was a collaged piece of newspaper with a dark rectangle that drew the eye away from the rest of the composition. and before you know it, I was adding to other areas. and, although there’s now a lot more going on, it seems more, not less coherent. and all the while, a short video of my grandson playing piano was running through my head. although he was playing beethoven, I heard strains of thelonious monk. there was a syncopation to his playing that, for me, shouted jazz! and somehow this became incorporated into my strokes, into the marks I was making, into my sense of the composition as a whole. sometimes, in moments like this, you wonder…”what would monk have said if he could see this painting in it’s current state?”

on top is the area of newspaper I collaged over, mostly hiding the dark rectangular form that kept drawing the eye

the second, more spare drawing

8:52 AM: we went up the trail this morning. i just went a little way so as not to put any strain on my groin, which is healng nicely from my insane dance moves last week at the bluegrass festival. so i let mikela continue on up, while i went back down and made a few drawings at a familiar spot at the head of the stupa trail. we had our mosquito jackets, but they weren’t to bad, so i was able to remove the part that covers my head & face, making drawing a lot easier.

the second drawing, which is more spare has elements that might enter into my studio process today. i haven’t yet meditated, so i maight be a tad late getting started.

the first drawing i made

making drawings for collaging to the new 6/10/2021 creek oil / taking the painting further /  by Philip Tarlow

6/10/2021 creek oil at 3pm

3:13 PM: a few tweaks & i’m done for the day.

12:58 PM: I did quite a bit of work on 6/10/2021 creek oil this morning. BELOW are images of the before and after. for a while, I was working on it as a vertical composition. i’m finding that when I flip the canvas occasionally, ti benefits the whole by tricking my mind and infusing the entire image with the unpredictable passages I so love, but of course can never plan ahead.

that said, it hasn’t begun singing yet. you can tell when something is really singing; if you watched the Kennedy Center awards the other night, remember the look on garth brooks’ face when james taylor sings the river. he tears up, then stands up, in recognition that Taylor is SINGING his song!

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/james-taylor-sings-garth-brooks-kennedy-center-honors/

that’s what we’re lookin’ for. nothing less will do.

so i’m kinds pooped, and will continue tomorrow morning.

9:50 am: i’m trying to get as much done as possible before it gets too hot. staring by making more quill & ink drawings on large sheets of paper.

next step: cut it into curvilinear pieces and add to the pile from the last one I cut up, giving me a good amount to choose pieces from. then i’ll collage a few to the current composition, which seems destined to become a vertical composition.

more once I get going. our roofer is here working on the roof over at the house, so I need to be on call in case mikela needs me to come over.

6/10/2021 creek oil stage 1 / 5/19 & 5/20/2019 creek oils rediscovered / an aborted trip to the creek /  by Philip Tarlow

6/10/2021 creek oil, stage 1 26x78”

2:47 PM: I started work today on 6/10/2021 creek oil, 26x78”

it’s based, for the moment, on a series of photos I shot this morning at n. crestone creek, where I had gone to paint a watercolor. the mosquitoes were swarming, and I had to leave after making only 10-12 brush strokes. it’s that time of year. but we have netted mosquito jackets, which i’ll wear next time I go. the light was spectacular, and made me want to return soon, despite the mosquitoes.

last time we were in denver, I dropped off two new creek oils and took one back, which consisted of 4 attached canvases, each 16x20” when I got it back to the studio, I unscrewed the metal plates holding them together, and found them much stronger as individual paintings. here’s one on the right.

i’m cooked for the day, so i’ll go back to the house, have dinner with mikela & watch a few matches of the french open tennis semi-finals.

5/19/19 creek oil 20x16”

with 6/10/2021 creek oil, stage 1, and 5/19/19 creek oil they look like they want to be together, don’t they?

New canvas / yesterday's drawing cut into pieces for collaging /  by Philip Tarlow

after cutting up yesterday’s drawing into curvilinear pieces, I stretched a new, white 26 x 78" linen canvas over a piece of masonite to allow for future collaging.

i’ll get started on this new painting/collage tomorrow morning, after our trail walk.

before starting to paint, I just may make another large drawing in ink on white paper, then cut it up into pieces, which will give me more material to use in collaging.

continuing to look back at older paintings, I discovered this detail of a 1984 nyc cityscape.

it was done during the period when I was a member of fischbach gallery, which at the time was on 59th st. between 5th & madison avenues. my favorite subject at that time was, as you see in this detail, reflections of figures as seen in the large glass windows lining the streets of manhattan. sadly, I didn’t keep any of these pieces, which are all in private & museum collections.

DETAIL of a 1984 painting

the phil weiser for colorado ag fund raiser yesterday afternoon in alamosa / a 1984 painting of downtown houston /  by Philip Tarlow

5:34 PM:towards the end of the day today, i started messing around with pen & ink drawings on paper, edstined to be cut up & used in my next series of 2021 creek oils. then i got on the phone with apple again, to resolve my ongoing issues with my imac, following an unsuccessful session with a previous apple tech.

these little drawings are an opportunity to make my marks on a not do precious piece of paper and, once i cut them into curvy pieces, have them at hand as i’m making a new painting. i like starting my day making these free swinging drawings, and today i added a bit of colored pencil, accenting the otherwise black & white marks.

9:57 AM: RE-ELECT PHIL WEISER FOR COLORADO AG

https://philforcolorado.com

yesterday afternoon we atttended a fund raising event in alamosa for the re-election of phil weiser as colorado attorney general. we'd never heard him speak, and he was inspiring, compelling, honest and laser-focused on the major issues that are of most concern to coloradans. especially relevent for those of us living here in the san luis valley is the protection of our aquefer, which has been under threat for decades. visit his website for more information about phil. here are some photos, including one of a drawing i made of 2 attendees. on the right: a drawing i made of phil as he was being introduced.

8 x 6” drawing of phil weiser made yesterday

10:37 AM: this is a 54x66”painting i made in 1984 is of downtown houston. i’m currently un-stretching and rolling it up for storage in my studio.

switched to morning trail walk today /  by Philip Tarlow

10:32 AM: today we switched from afternoon to early morning trail walks. afternoons are getting up into the ‘80’s, which is too hot to walk the trails. we started out at 6:30 AM. after about 20 minutes I had to stop because my groin strain hasn’t completely healed & I was in pain. so mikela continued up and I stayed by the creek to make a few drawings till she came back down.

now I plan on continuing with my un-stretching re-stretching process till I have 3 or 4 new surfaces to paint on.

i’m going to try to complete this by 3, when we have a meeting, so I can get to work first thing tomorrow.

a look back before going to the studio & getting to work /  by Philip Tarlow

1962: in the dunes of provincetown, mass. , where i spent a couple of summers painting

1:40 PM: we’re getting our daily dose of afternoon thunderstorms. lots of drama, claps of thunder and wind but as yet no rain. love these events.

the eastern sky as seen from my studio, 1:25pm.

at work on 5/9/2021 creek oil on may 9th

12:35: as predicted, I arrived in the studio an hour ago, following our absolutely delightful zoom with our dear friends in germany. my big A-HA! moment came while we were telling them about our participation last week in the Salida bluegrass festival. as we were describing how much fun everyone was having in part because we were all feeling release and joy at being in a large group for the first time in over a year, we described how wildly we started dancing. for me, perhaps more wildly than i’d ever danced! and it suddenly dawned on me what the source of my groin pain was. i’m still icing and taking acetaminophen, but i’m so happy I can let go of my fears that it might be something more serious. WHEW!!!

so remember this period back on may 9th, when I was working on 5/9/2021 creek oil? of course it ended up as a vertical, and until moments ago was still stretched over a piece of 1/8” plywood. well, this morning I un-stretched it, then re-stretched it on stretcher bars without that heavy plywood, and this afternoon I plan on taking it over to the house and hanging it at the top of our stairs to see how it holds up with the rest.

8:22 am: we have a zoom at 10, so i won’t be heading to the studio till about 11:30 today.

i’ll post once i get to work, but before then, here’s a look back: 1961, 1988 and 2012. the ceramic plate was made by a sculptor friend in palm beach and is one of many he brought me to paint on with glazes. the drawing was made on a trip to paris we made in 2012 and that’s photo of me in the dunes of provincetown, mass. in 1961. at the time, i was painting in a rented cottage. i was working as a dishwasher in a provincetown restaurant & hanging with my friend peter manso, who went on to become the biographer of mailer & brando. it was there that i met henry geldzahler, who went on to become curator of 20th c. art at the metropolitan museum and commissioner for cultural affairs for nyc. you can read about it if you scroll down on my story page by clicking on the drop down menu, above or copying & pasting this link: https://www.philiptarlow.com/chatty-bio

5/9/2021 creek oil 26x78”

5/30/21 creek oil now complete, I move on to un-stretching old paintings and stretching new canvases /  by Philip Tarlow

1:13 PM: when I walked in this morning, 5/30/2021 creek oil felt resolved. since it’s stretched over masonite to facilitate collaging, i’m un-stretching and re-stretching that one as well as the previous one, seen BELOW.

once I get everything un-stretched and re-streched with fresh primed artful quadruple primed linen, i’ll be able to launch into some new work.

generally in the break periods between painting days, I get new inspirations (I was about to say ideas but thought better of it.)

it’s also very valuable to go through this process because it allows me to compare new work with older work. I feel it’s getting better, brighter, more playful, more inventive while at the same time honing in on that fugitive who am I, anyway?

continuing work on 5/30/2021 creek oil following yesterdays paint-over /  by Philip Tarlow

3:55 PM: end of day additions, with a beautiful light blue in the center. for the past hour or two, i’ve been doing more work on 5/30/2021 creek oil. it needed more white space, which I provided by collaging some of my b&w ink drawings at strategic spots. and it needed more pop, which now comes from a red oil pastel mark left-center and a bit of radiant turquoise in the upper portion.some blue bubbly water at the bottom provides a balance, and some black strokes add punch. I enjoy looking at it more than I did when I came in this morning.

think I may take it further tomorrow, but right now I have to return to the house, lie down & ice my groin, which is very sore from something that got strained, likely on one of the trickier parts of our trail walks.

below: a few details

5/30/2021 creek oil 26x78”

1:23 PM: following the paint over with titanium buff yesterday afternoon, I took the painting outside on this beautiful day so that I could rub into it with an old sheet, clearing away some of the paint I applied but leaving a sketchy see-through image. I took it outside because this involves using a lot of solvent, & even though gamsol is odor free and relatively safe, it’s better for my nose & lungs when I can do it outside.

after bringing it back in, I did make more marks and apply a few small collaged pieces, but this painting has a ways to go. ihave a errand to run, then i’ll return & do a bit more.

a paint-over of 5/30/2021 creek oil / waffles with blueberries & walnuts / more afternoon thunderstorms /  by Philip Tarlow

this afternoon when we returned from salida, scattered thunderstorms continued to roll through crestone/baca. as we had an early dinner on the deck, they surrounded us, but allowed us to finish our dinner before closing in on us. i shot this from our deck looking across the valley towards saguache and to the northwest.

5:51 PM: i spent the morning in my studio and had to leave about 11 am so we could get to our salida appaointment this afternoon. during that space of time, i went over 5/30/2021 creek oil with titanium buff, which i’ll likely scrape and wipe over tomorrow morning, so that important passages remain and the overall busyness calms down/.

as i worked, i got hungry and made myself waffles with fresh, organic blueberries & walnuts while surveying the painting and those areas i’d like to remain intact.

BELOW are 4 stages; the earliest on the left, the most recent on the lower right

BELOW: a few details i may want to keep. these two passages, for example contain marks that perfectly reflect the kinds of calligraphic marks that flow from my brush, from my pen.