kodo II, stages 1& 2 /  by Philip Tarlow

kodo II, stage 2, as she looked at the end of my painitng day

3:21 PM: i flipped kodo II upside down and began introducing figures, who have appeared in previous compositions, inspired by the celebrations following the 2020 olympics. the japanese inspired patterning is now interacting with these figures, and we’ll see where she wants to go tomorrow.

2:11 PM: this morning what started out to be a 10 mnute exercise walk turned into a 1hour+ hike up the stupa trail, where we met a wonderful couple from denver and had long conversations, getting to know each other and planning fututre connections.

so when i finally got back to the studio, with my first glance, i felt that vyd zverkhou I, which i worked on yesterday, is resolved. now i’m moving on to a new one, titled kodo II. it has the same 24x28” dimensions as the previous paintings in this new series. stage 1 consists of a colored pencil drawing on linen.

vyd zverkhou I continued /  by Philip Tarlow

3:14 PM: i worked into the area on the left, adding another guitar player and extending the blue

vyd zverkhou I 24x28” as she looked following this morning’s session

11:34 AM: mikela had to be at the school by 8:30 this morning, which means i was able to get an earlier start than usual, and was in the studio before 9. i decided to skip breakfast & just have some coffee, so i’ve been painting since about 9am. i wasn’t satisfied with vyd zverkhou I, and i felt like it needed blue. while i was at it, i made other changes, and here’s the current state.

kodo 1 continued /  by Philip Tarlow

kodo I as it looked at the end of my painting day today

2:37 PM: after wiping kodo I yesterday, i worked back into it today, using figures of museum visitors viewed from above. although these figures have appeared numerous times in the past, something fresh and vibrant happens when i’m using these figures and the accompanying perspective views of the museum architecture.

i’m stopping here for the day and will pick up where i left off tomorrow, unless i declare it resolved and move on to a new canvas.

KODO I wiped / morning creek drawings /  by Philip Tarlow

creek drawing 1, 5/22/24 colored pencil and ink on arches paper

creek drawing 2, 5/22/24 colored pencil and ink on arches paper

2:46 PM: this morning i went to the creek and made 2 drawings. it felt so good to be back at my beloved creek after about 6-7 months of inappropriate weather, so now, except for the approaching 6 week mosquito season, i’ll be going frequently. these are the two drawings i made, using colored pencil and, in #1, a quill pen.

upon entering the studio, with one glance i knew kodo 1 had to be wiped, which i proceeded to do. we’ll see where i take her next.

kodo 1 continued / tweaks to “celebration Xii” /  by Philip Tarlow

KODO I 24x28” as it looked moments ago, at the end of my painting day

3:27 PM: i took kodo 1 to the next level. as you might expect if you follow my work, it no longer has any visible connection to the taiko drummers, which is what that word, kodo means. the female figure with the sponge is inspired by a photo of a group of archeologists cleaning a new found mosaic beneath their feet. and to her right are a few elements derived from the designs on a japanese 16th c. no robe.

celebration XII 16x20” as it looked following today’s tweaks

starting the “kodo” series with “KODO 1” / "word & worlds" stretched this morning /  by Philip Tarlow

day 1 of KODO 1, 24x28” oil on linen

4:09 PM: this afternoon, following our deeply moving experience of KODO this past weekend at shumei here in crestone, i began a new series inspired by photos & video i shot of the taiko drummers at the event. i started late afternoon, so what you see is just the very beginning and, as is true with all my new projects, there’s no predicting where she will go. i’m calling the series KODO.

words & worlds, 42x40” oil & collage on linen

1:36 PM: i last worked on this painting on april 20, when i introduced the blue ground. today i finally stretched it, and here she is, wrinkle free at last! it was tricky, because the collaging i had done created lots of ripples and wrinkles, but now they’re almost 100% gone, and she looks pretty great!

vyd zverkhou i and ii /  by Philip Tarlow

vyd zverkhou I as it looked following today’s tweaks

vyd zverkhou II as it looks following the tweaks imade today

11:03 AM: i didn’t have much time today because we’re attending a luncheon event, nonetheless, i was able to make a few tweaks to these two paintings.

vyd zverkhou i and ii /  by Philip Tarlow

vyd zverkhou I as it looks following the work i did today

vyd zverkhou II as it looks following the work i did today

2:02 PM: stopping early today because of an event we’re attending this afternoon. i did quite a bit of work on both vyd zverkhou i and ii this morning; both are still in process.

vyd zverkhou I and II /  by Philip Tarlow

vyd zverkhou I as it looked at the end of my painting day today

vyd zverkhou II as it looked at the end of my painting day today

3:56 PM: today i worked on both vyd zverkhou paintings; l & II. I recreated II yesterday, and took it further today, whreas i hadn’t touched I since i first created it.

vyd zverkhou II reborn /  by Philip Tarlow

vyd zverkhou II reborn 24x28”, oil on linen as it looked moments ago, at the end of my painting day

3:59 PM: the original vyd zverkhou II was painted over. i didn’t like what happened and tried to scrub it out, but what remained was to messed up, so i decided this morning to start fresh, using photos of the original as a guide.

i think that was a smart move, because as i’m painting the new one i remember my moves from the original, and am inspired to improve on what i did. thus far, it’s looking more developed as a composition as well as coloristically. it’s interesting that i went much later than usual because i had the juice. it’s complex without being overloaded or busy. this experience makes me want to do something like this with a few other recent paintings.

i’ll pick up where i left off in the morning.