"pulse," 6x9" coninued today /  by Philip Tarlow

PULSE, 6x9” mixed media and collage on paper mounted on board

2:36 PM: i had other plans for today, but this little piece, titled pulse, which is just 6x9”, took over. the inspiration came from my morning reading, over breakfast, of paul klee; life and work, by hatje kantz. specifically, i was studying a very early work which he made in kairouan, in north africa.

at first glance, the composition might appear rather crowded. but after looking at her for a while, she draws you in . the surface is broken into cubes and dominated by the arch of a church dome. that’s all i’ll say for now. see what you think and, more importantly, how she makes you feel.

a new little painting/collage: "FALL" 7x5.5" /  by Philip Tarlow

fall, 7x5.5” watercolor & collage on arches paper, as she looked moments ago

3:07 PM: making the studies on paper for hoo over the past few days put me in the mood to make more small works on paper. i spent the entire day on this little guy, but i feel it was well worth my time.

she has a clear, melodic voice filled with optimism and hope. kamala, you might wonder? the more obvious passages were collaged over. we watched a new tv series last night, which reminded me how deadly the obvious can be. it actually gave me nightmares!

studies for a companion painting /  by Philip Tarlow

one full size (48x18” oil) and two small studies in gouache/oil pastel/collage on paper for the denver collector

6 PM: over the last few days, i’ve been working on creating a companion piece for a denver collector who purchased one of my 2014 paintings last week. this collector would like one more painting the same size as the one she purchased: 48x18”

i kind of did this backwards (not unusual for me) and first made a full size painting, which i felt good about. then i began deeling i could do something a bit closer in composition and color to the one she purchased.

2014 museum interior gouache / study for “HOO” /  by Philip Tarlow

3:13 PM: i wasn’t satisfied with HOO, the 48x18” oil i made yesterday. so i’m reversing the usual process of making a study or series of studies followed by the painting. i made a small study in gouache & collage on paper, and will likely make a few more before making a new version of the larger painting on linen.

study for hoo, 17.5x6.5” gouache & collage on paper

7:46 AM: this museum interior gouache was painted in 2014 and is one of our favorites. it’s magical in person.

"hoo" on day 2 /  by Philip Tarlow

3:01 PM: i made a few chnges, which i think makes the painting easier to read. here’s how she looks at the end of my painting day today.

hoo, 48x18” oil & collage on linen, as she looked at the end of my painitng day

1:49 PM:this is day 2 of this new painting, now titled hoo, painted for a client of the denver gallery where i’m represented. i may simplify a bit.

blacking over "celebration 26" then removing the black! /  by Philip Tarlow

celebration 26, 36x36" after removing the black i added earlier today. better, eh?

6:37 PM: mikela walked over to the studio late this afternoon to have a look at the newly blacked over celebration 26. she pointed out, accurately, that the sensitivity of the painting had been lost. she’s got such a good eye!

i spent about an hour scrubbing off the fresh black oil paint with some old washclothes soaked in a solvent. and here she is.

celebration 26, 36x36” as she looked after blacking over 2/3 of the composition

1:40 PM: there was too much white in the composition. the dramatic figures were getting lost. so i mixed up some black oil paint, attached it to my trusty long stick and began painting black around the figures. when i got about 3/4 of the way down, i stopped. and then i took one of my spatulas and scraped 3 vertical tree trunk-like marks vertically down into the black.

i had 2 fans on high to avoid breathing in the toxic fumes, and i think it worked.

i can’t hang it till it dries a bit to avoid drips, but on first glance, i think the black works, and as a result it’s a far more powerful painting.