jacobs pillow 2* 11x15”, watercolor & gouache on arches extra fine cold pressed watercolor paper
2:40 PM: today i made the second in my jacobs pillow series of gouache/watercolors. the interior of the jacobs pillow is the same as in yesterday’s jacobs pillow 1, but the dancing figure is different, and there’s a cello player to her right. there will likely be 4 more.
jacobs pilllow 1, 11x15” watercolor & gouache on arches extra fine cold pressed watercolor paper
1:42 PM: every summer in in my teen years i spent two magical months as a camper at birchwoods, near huntington, massachusetts. every summer, we’d take a trip to jacobs pillow, where we saw extraordinary performances while sitting on the huge lawn. in 1955, for example, when i was 15, this was what we saw:
Merce Cunningham's first appearance with his new company (performing "Banjo" & "Septet"), and the U.S. debut of the Royal Danish Ballet, alongside performances by ballet stars like Alicia Alonso & Erik Bruhn, all under the direction of founder Ted Shawn, solidifying its role as a major U.S. dance hub featuring both modern innovation and classic ballet.
today, i have started a new series of 11x15” watercolor/gouaches on arches extra fine watercolor paper, inspired by my memories of jacobs pillow . they are inspired by photos i found online, since the ones i took at the time are long gone.
musician & runner, day 3 as she looked after taking out the grays this afternoon
5:18 PM: we both agreed that the grays i introduced earlier today weren’t working. so this afternoon, while the paint was still wet, i scrubbed them out with paint thinner. it’s looking way better now.
musician & runner, 35x26” oil on portrait linen, as she looked moments ago at 1:30pm
1:30 PM: i made some major changes to musicians & runner today, and i have to sit with it to determine whether or not they work.
musicians & runner, 35x26” oil on portrait linen, as she looked this afternoon
3:43 pm: today i took musicians & runner to the next stage. did i do too much?
“musicians & runner,” 35x26” oil on portrait linen as she looked moments ago
11:15 AM: i began work in oil on the new musicians & runner this morning, aftyer making a delicious espresso. i’m ready to take a break, so i may drive to town & pick up a few packages at the p.o. and get a few things at the Cloud. (Elephant Cloud is our local grocer)
preliminary drawing for musicians & runner, 35x26” ˆpimento colored pencil on portrait linen
1:56 PM: once i tweaked musicians & goldfish, i started the drawing for musicians & runner, which thus far doesn’t have any goldfish!!
i’m kinda tired today, so i’m not starting to paint in oils till tomorrow morning. you will know, if you follow my blog posts, that the musician in the foreground, who appears in recent paintings, is inspired by a photo i shot years ago on the greek island of andros, where we spent our summers during my 15 years in greece.
what i noticed for the first time today when i looked at the photo carefully is that the only visible nail on the musician in the foreground with his legs crossed is his thumbnail, and it’s painted pink; something very unusual for that period of time in greece, and especially in andros. presumably, the rest of his fingernails are also painted pink; something i can’t remember ever seeing during the time i spent on andros. it simply wasn’t yet a thing in greece during the ‘70’s.
what i do recall vividly, in spite of how much time has passed, is that i stopped walking down the main drag to listen; he sang and played so beautifully.
the second musician, in the upper right corner, was inspired by a photo i shot about 10-15 years ago, when a local musician came to dinner and serenaded us.
the pink thumbnail
musician & goldfish, 35x26” oil on portrait linen, as she looked following this mornin’s tweaks
ABOVE: before & after this morning’s tweaks
11:25 AM:the black above the head of the guitarist was too dominant, so i painted over it and extended the circular pattern to the left of the guitarist. i’ll sit with it as i start a new one today and see how i feel at the end of the day. right now, i’m thinking that my tweak worked, and your eye can roam about the composition without getting stuck on that black above his head. if you click on the before & after images above, you’ll get a sense of what i’m talking about; what do you think?
jeff plays guitar, pencil on paper, march, 2005, 9x12”
10:20 AM: i was going through an old drawing book yesterday afternoon and came across this 2005 drawing of our old friend Jeff playing guitar in our house. it was indeed wonderful having the house resound with live music!
12/8/25 musician with goldfish, 35x26” oil onportrait linen, as she looked at the end of my painting day today
i did more work on "12/8/25 musician & goldfish" and i think it’s resolved
this is a drawing of my Dad, Roy Tarlow, 3 weeks before he passed in 2005.
12/8/25 musician & goldfish, 35x26” oil on portrait linen, as she looked at noon today, following this morning’s work
12:02 PM: this morning, as predicted, i began painting into yesterday’s drawing for this new painting: 12/8/25 musician & goldfish. although it’s still early in the day, i feel a bit tired, so i may stop here for the day, unless i get a new burst of energy after lying in my recliner for a while.
2:09 PM: this afternoon i made a drawing in blue colored pencil of mikela working on her project
12/9/25 mikela at work, 12.25×9.25”,colored pencil on paper
the prliminary drawing for 12/8/25 musician & goldfish
today i started the drawing for a new painting: “12/8/25 musician & goldfish” . i’ll start adding oil colors tomorrow maorning.
2 girls w/phones & muffins, 35x26” oil on portrait linen, following today’s tweak
10:35 AM: i added a few green leaves in the lower right, which works better compositionally.
