2:40 PM: we started our trail walk late this morning, so it was a bit too warm. as always, it was magical though.
when i finally got to the studio, the pest control guy showed up to do more spraying for the ants, which haven’t shown up in the past 5-6 days. when i finally was able to get to work, i was too tired to do anything meaningful. i added some flowers on the left in my new dwell painting, and more collaged elements to watercolor/collage 1, BELOW
DETAIL of dwell 17x80”
dwell stage 1, 17x80” on primed linen with a grey ground
2:58 PM: i introduced some collaged elements to yesterday’s watercolor interior 1 while working on a new painting: dwell, which is on the last piece of that canvas with the grey ground that i used for the previous 2 paintings of the drummer and the acrobat doing a handstand. this one is based upon a cover of the magazine dwell.
mikela has been looking at this dwell magazine cover for weeks now. she’s aware of this very long narrow piece of primed linen i have, with the same grey ground as in my last 2 oils.
suddenly, yesterday, she realized how perfect the long narrow table pictured on the cover could be as an inspiration for a painting. so i started work this morning, treating it as a commission. i love commissions; it feels to me like somebody is pointing me in a direction and sayingh “now GO tarlow!”
watercolor interior 1 as it looked at the end of my painting day today.
2:14 PM: i took out the vertical green stripes on either side and lightened the onein the middle. they were coming from my head rather than my gut. as a result, they were interfering with the delicasy and playfulness of the composition.
i covered them with strips of white paper i glued on, but in the version i’m posting, i cropped the one on the right altogether.
i started this watercolor not knowing where i was going with it. i integrated two older photocollages of interiors; so old i can’t remember where they were.
for the moment at least, it feel like a relief to move from il on canvas to watercolor on paper. i’m feeling in the mood to do more.
watercolor interior 1 as it looked moments ago
1:21 PM: i did more work on watercolor interior 1 following my 12:20 post. the most noticible addition are the vertical blue/green stripes, which provide an architectural framework counterbalancing the fluid marks deliniating patterning on rugs, drapes, pieces of furniture…
12:20 PM: i arrived very early at the studio, since mikela had to leave for school today at 7am.
i was in a watercolor mood. i found a 14x17” block of archival watercolor paper, took some photocollages of interiors i found in my files and got to work. i’m still painting, so i’ll just post what i’ve done so far and keep going. at the same time, i’m listening to the unexpected hearing, which is riveting.
watercolor interior 1 14x17” this painting is in process right now
12:19 PM: i completely removed all those mauves surrounding the juggler, removed the b&w patterning on th eupper right and added a faint but important pink line on the right edge of the composition as well as on top and the upper left.
now this painting is resolved and i’ll be moving on to a new one.
6/23/22 handstand following todays modifications
6:15 PM: i didn’t wait till tomorrow morning to take out that mauve surrounding the juggler. i rubbed it out before leaving the studio for the house and then on to our trail walk. tomorrow morning i’ll lighten that area, probably with a light, warm grey.
6/23/22 handstand after rubbing out the mauve
6/23/22 handstand as it looked at the end of my painting day
2:50 PM: i continued working on the newly introduced figure of the juggler and created a mauve background behind him. i’m not yet sure about that color; it may have to go grey, but i’m going to leave if for now, go back to the house and take a trail walk with mikela. it was raining earlier, but i think we’ll be ok….more rain not expected till this evening. it’s the lightning we want to avoid.
12:08 PM: rain today, but so far not enough to make a difference.
i began introducing the figure of a juggler to the composition this morning. he’ll become clearer ina while, and i’ll re-post the image then.
introducing the juggler to the composition this morning
DETAIL: 6/23/22 handstand
2:55 PM: i took out just about everything i did earlier today, leaving only the tree branch on the lower right, then worked into the figure of the girl doing a handstand.
everything i did today, including the large area i painstakingly wiped out, has contributed to the richness of the composition. now, from a distance of about 20 ft., the image resonates, as if to music.
i’ve said this many times, as have other painters, but there’s no telling what might happen during the process. so, for example, that area of white patterning on the upper right of the composition was going to become a standing figure, much like the one in my previous painting, tokyo drummer. when i added all those pinks and then scrubbed them out, a bit of pink remained, so that the black and white diamond shaped patterns connect more with the rest of the composition. you can see that in the earlier stage, BELOW on the left.
12:43 PM: we’re expeccting thunderstorms, some possibly with heavy rain, starting about 5:30 pm and continuing into tomorrow. the rain accompanying these storms could very well lift us out of extreme drought into normal territory.
this morning i went back and forth between 6/23/22 handstand and preparing a pot of ginger-tumeric tea. i photographed the steps, and will post them a bit later, once i’m done painting for the day.
BELOW: yesterdays version on the LEFT
making ginger/turmeric tea this morning
i shot some photos of the process, thinking you might be interested in trying it out. here’s a summary of the benefts:
“Ginger and turmeric both have anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that daily consumption of ginger can reduce inflammation in osteoarthritis patients. Turmeric, on the other hand, has been found to be as effective as common anti-inflammatory medicines like aspirin or ibuprofen.”
BELOW: left to right: peeling the fresh turmeric root; cutting the peeled ginger into slices; putting the cut up tumeric into the pot of water on a low boil; adding a small amount of olive oil; adding fresh lemon slices; adding a tiny amount of red pepper, as well as a little black pepper.
i’m wearing gloves because the turmeric stains and is difficult to get off your hands. once you have all the ingredients in the pot of water, let it simmer for about 15 minutes. then turn off the heat and let it sit for another 15 minues. i use maple syrup as a sweetener. the purpose of the olive oil & black pepper is to allow the body to more easily and fully absorb the tumeric.
2:57 PM: today i did quite a bit more on 6/23/22 handstand. the body of the female acrobat is now pretty clearly defined, and the composition as a whole is coming together.
you may notice that a patterned elent of clothing from the previous painting is visible on the upper right. no telling right now where that’s going to go.
we’ll see what happens in the morning.
3:21 PM: the thunderstorms just started and will continue through abot 5:30. the temperature dropped from 72 to 57 in a short period of time & the wind is gusting to 35mph.
i started a new 75x32” painting on the grey canvas, which is still in it’s early stages &, for now at least, is titled 6/23/22 handstand. this one, as well as the first, is inspired by the celebration following the 2020 tokyo olympics. the imagery will become clearer tomorrow.
6/23/22 handstand 78x32” as it looked at the end of my painting day
3:53 PM: i asked mikela to walk over & give me some feedback. she found that the upper portion of the painting was too busy. too many japanes letters, which strated to take away rather than add to the harmony of the composition. since they were all freshly painted, it was easy to take many of them out, and she was right; it helped a lot, as you will observe in the comparative images BELOW. before the changes is on the LEFT.
in addition, she suggested continuing the yellow ochre marks on the bottom out to the right; another excellent observation!
1:47 PM: i continued painting 6/19/22 tokyo drummer, adding more japanese letters, more lights to the garb of the drummer and shading to his bald head. as a result, the image pops more than before and, at the same time, is more integrated into the composition as a whole.
the japanese letters now covering parts of his upper body as well as the shading on his head play an important role.
11:34 AM: this morning i continued work on the upper quadrant of 6/19/22 tokyo drummer.
i’m going to have to sit with it for a bit and have mikela take a look to decide if it’s resolved or needs more work. it reads pretty well from a distance, but i just realized i took the composition to the edges in spots, which won’t allow space to stretch it. that required about 2” on all sides. so either i’ll have to show oit as is, tacked to the wall or mount it on plywood…we’ll see.
2:05 PM: japanese letters have found their way into the composition, as well as a taiga inspired abstracted landscape, which is only partially complete; to be continued tomorrow, when i’ll likely address the top 1/4 of the composition.
10:59 AM: this morning i continued painting 6/19/22 tokyo drummer, adding highlights to the body of the drummer and his garb, as well as the drum itself, which now has shadows of his hands and the drum sticks.
BELOW: LEFT-where i left it yesterday afternoon and RIGHT-moments ago after the work i did this morning;ma distinct improvement, i’d say.
and now for the spaces above and below the drummer! my brief foray yesterday, painting a fragment of a creek-scape was a complete bust and had to be rubbed out at the end of the afternoon session. i don’t want to jump into any half-assed solutions today, so let me sit with it until something clicks….maybe.
it’s too early to say, but this could end up being one of the centerpieces of my september show, along with the as yet unpainted, same sized grey canvas currently tacked right next to this one, to my east wall.
12:17 PM: and here’s my painting of the day: 3/8/14 watercolor/collage, 12x20” on arches watercolor paper.
3/8/14 watercolor/collage, 12x20” on arches paper.
