the lobby, 24x28” oil on portrait linen, at the end of day 1
3:36 PM: i declared kodo II resolved and started a new one, also 24x28”, titled the lobby. so far there are two figures viewed from above in a large open spave with plants. the imagery is based on three or four photos i shot about a decade ago. my intention is for this painting to retain it’s freshness and simplicity, so i’m ging to take it slow. you’ve heard all this before, right?
kodo II, 24x28” as it looked following this morning’s tweaks
11:23 AM: this morning i made some tweaks to kodo II. it needed to POP more and there were a few things that needed work on her hand, in the middle figure. it looks like she has only 3 fingers plus her thumb. in the photo, her pinky finger is folded under and thus not visible. after the work i just did, that hand looks more natural. as well, i painted over her face reflected in the mirror, since it was takking your attention away from the movement of the composition as a whole. i removed the protruding breast of that same middle figure. too many breasts!
BELOW: yesterday’s version is on the left
kodo II, 24x28” oil & collage on linen, as she looked at the end of my painting day today
2:43 PM: this painting is certainly taking a long journey! from yesterday’s plaid shirted walking figure to today’s mikela with mirror…
i do like what happened today a lot more than where she was yesterday, but, that said, the journey is not over yet. we’ll see tomorrow how she evolves, and if mikela remains or serves as the ground for yet another trip. i do love the photo collage this version is inspired by, which i made at least a decade ago and probably more.
as i gaze at today’s version, there are some stellar moments, and i love how the plaid shirted good doctor figure come through. the green on the top right definitely helps the composition as a whole. but it definitely hasn’t yet POPPED!
kodo II, 24x28”, oil & collage on linen, as she looked at the end of my painting day today
2:46 PM: kodo II got blued today. rather striking, but i’m not yet sure how i feel about it. this may be a stage in the process, or the completion. the walking plaid shirted figure certainly pops! he’s inspired by the lead character in the tv series the good doctor, which ended it’s 7 year run yesterday. i have a photo shot from above of dr. shaun murphey, played by freddie highmore, which has been included in numerous paintings, but never all by itself. we watched the deeply moving final episode last night.
vyd zverkhou II as she looked at the end of my painting day today
kodo II as she looked at the end of my painting day today
3:04 PM: radical changes today on both paintings. vyd zverkhou I has taken on elements of previous compositions inspired by museum views from above, while retaining some of the composition as it looked yesterday. but not a whole helluva lot!
kodo II has been collaged, using pieces of paper i drew on with quil & ink earlier today.
i don’t think either one has been resolved, but i do feel both are more compelling paintings as a result of what i did today. see what you think…
BELOW: kodo II (left) and vyd zverkhou I as the looked yesterday
vyd zverkhou I on 5-26-24 2pm
kodo II as it looked at the end of my painting day today
1:17 PM: i continued work on vyd zverkhou 1 and kodo II today, going back and forth. i’m now able to get to work immediately, since i discovered that the breakfast i’d been having was eating up precious morning energy. so now i just nibble whenever the mood strikes. the key word in that last sentence is whenever., which is a cousin of WHATEVER. this is our new phrase, which i suppose could be short for not being attached to results and going with the process, whatever that looks like in the moment. thus far, it’s been very helpful here in the studio. there are other areas where we’re going to try it out at home.
so anyway, it’s useful to be doing a series of paintings all the same size: 24x28”. they’re small enough that i can tack the canvases to the wall next to one another and they sing together. so if one loses the harmony, i can go back to it and …..whatever.
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.
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 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.
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.
