day 4 of w-cup 1 /  by Philip Tarlow

2:27 PM: i painted over w-cup 1 again and returned to the world cup images, but this time i was painting them into the still wet grey oils. so there’s a unity that wasn’t there in the first version. the blue stripes, for example, appear less bold, and the players seem to be engaged as much in a dance as they are in a sport.

the player on the right, in yellow, is new to the composition. as of now, the main body of the composition, with the 5 visible players, is suspended between two areas of greyish, semi-transparent color, lightly masking the 2 underlying layers of the composition which, much as with the previous painting celebration, reveal a series of ambiguous, suggestive forms that help transport the entire composition to a higher plane.

w-cup 1 as it looked at the end of my painting day today

day 3 of w-cup 1 /  by Philip Tarlow

1:11 PM: gotta stop early today to get stuff done this afternoon. but it was a critical day in the evolution of this painting. i scraped it, then went over with foundation grey, scraped again and began working into the wet grey paint. it’s not there yet, but i think it’s pretty far along. and already has that layered, enigmatic look i’m loving so much lately. 2 new figures have shown up, both inspired by photos of the post-2020 tokyo olympics celebration.

day 2 of w-cup 1 /  by Philip Tarlow

3:31 PM: i continued work on w-cup 1 today, moving it away from the specificity of the world cup final towards a harmonious array of forms & colors. the blue stripes of the central figure’s shirt are echoed in the blue stripes above & below him. the head of a third figure has appeared in the lower left.

now of course the question is: what will happen tomorrow? it might move in the direction of celebration, the one i completed a few days ago after painting over it with a light grey & then working into it. or it could remain as is: a rather bold and eye catching piece as i gaze at it from afar. or…..

w-cup 1 as it looked at the end of my painting day today

STarTING W-CUP 1 /  by Philip Tarlow

2:23 PM: this afternoon i launched into a new painting, w-Cup 1, 42x18 1/2” in oil on linen, inspired by the recent world cup games. it’s likely that much of it will transform & be painted over. but something will likely remain, as it transforms from a specific event in space & time to chen ching, or literally the real scene.

taiga / in the garden becomes celebration 42x15" /  by Philip Tarlow

2:28 PM: i was not happy with in the garden,so i painted over it with a light grey and began working into it to take advantage of the still wet colors & paint into them, which is a very delicious thing.

celebration, as it is now titled, is exactly that, inspired by the celebration that took place following the 2020 tokyo olympics. previously, i made a whole series of paintings inspired by the same celebration. this one is more atmospheric and dream-like, at least for now. the painted over parts allow us to glimpse the colors and forms beneath just enough to create an atmosphere of mystery.

so now mikela and i are about to take our walk up to the stupa; about a half hour each way. it’s clouded over, but the temps are somewhat warmer than yesterday, hovering right around freezing.

see y’all tomorrow!

celebration 42x15" as it looked moments ago

11:28 am:

Taiga, View of Kojima Bay, 1749, hanging scroll, ink & colors on silk, 99.7x37.6 cm.

day 2 of "in the garden" /  by Philip Tarlow

2:03PM: i got an early start this morning, and worked until now on the next stage of in the garden,” which is an oil on linen, 42x15.”

i made quite a few changes and additions, attempting all the while to maintain as much of the white space as possible.

glancing at it from about 20 feet as i type this post, i think it works, although i kind of miss the reds in the previous painting: skateboarder dancing.

there is an increasingly evident influence of japanese 18th c. taoist erotic paintings, as well as some elements of 18th c. landscapes by ike no taiga. the more i study his work, the more i am in awe.

tomorrow i’ll probably start a new one. i’m feeling on a roll.

starting "in the garden" /  by Philip Tarlow

2:46 PM: upon entering the studio this morning, my first glance told me that , after removing the collaged elements at the very end of the day yeasterday, skateboarder dancing was resolved.

so i moved on to a new one, titled in the garden, 42x15”. it’s at the very beginning, so it’s impossible to tell where it’s headed, but that will undoubtedly become clear tomorrow, if i can get in a good days painting.

in the garden, 42x15” oil on portrait linen

"skateboarder dancing," day 2 /  by Philip Tarlow

4:15 PM: after lookiing at the painting while posting an hour ago, i decided that the collaged elements were taking away from the coherence of the composition. the adhesive material was still fresh enough tha i was able easily to remove them; so here’s the current state of the painting.

3:22 PM: today i took skateboarder dancing to another level, introducing a few collaged elements: a piece of map and a cut up ink drawing on paper, which i made last week expressly for this purpose.

it was getting kinda busy and confusing to the eyes. so the white paper with the spare ink marks addresses that and, i think, resolves it. there is no longer a “main figure” of the skateboarder. rather, there are a series of forms, colors and patterns which bring to mind something playful and somewhat enigmatic. i also scaled back the violet skateboard, painting over it with an off white akin to the tone of the skateboarder’s jacket. much of the patterning is drawn from a japanese woodblock print i’ve grown very fond of, and the skateboarder’s patterned cap plays nicely into this mix.

it will be interesting to see what the greek viewers make of it, when my show goes up in march. we reserved our tickets today, which makes the whole thing more solid & real.

skateboarder dancing as it looked moments ago

BELOW: yesterdays version is on the left

starting a new one: "skateboarder dancing" /  by Philip Tarlow

2:38 PM: this morning, inspired by a comment mikela made a few days ago, i decided to shift the size & shape of my canvas & make a vertical composition. this one is 42x19”

the central figure is that of a skateboarder; one of the many images i have from the 2020 tokyo olympics. it’s kind of a follow up on the one i did yesterday, which however didn’t include any figures. thus far, yellows, red & blues dominate, with the exception of the violet skateboard at the bottom of the composition.

a quick glance from afar gives one the impression one is looking at an 18th c. japanese print. no accident, as i’ve been perusing a lot of them over breakfast.

at the bottom of this composition are a group of 18th c. japanese poets, artists & musicians seated in a landscape, drinking wine.

skateboarder dancing, 42x19” oil on linen, stage 1

choros tou kolpiskou /  by Philip Tarlow

choros tou kolpiskou 38x35” as it looked at the end of my painting day today

1:35 PM: today i started choros tou kolpiskou, (dance of the creek) 38x35”. i just now stopped working when the juice ran out. i love the colors and forms & i’ll have to see tomoroow whether a figure wants to appear, which is likely.

but it’s so refreshing and playful, it’s very tempting, as usual, to leave it alone. and at 6pm, i’m feeling strongly to let it be.

when i gaze at the paintings i’ve made over the past month or so in preparation for mt athens exhibition. they have a lot in common. they sing variations of the same song.