"reep wat-U-sow" /  by Philip Tarlow

reep wat-U-sow, 12x14” colored pencil & collage on bristol paper, at 3:35 pm

1:16 PM: reepwatUsow has gone through many stages and become simpler and simpler, until it reached that state, moments ago, where she sings. that’s what i’m always after, but, as with every precious process, she had to go through stages and could not have arrived where she is now without that journey. once she was resolved and there was no doubt in my mind, i signed and dated her.

so never give up, never settle for an “OK” result, in whatever you’re up to. hang in there…

11:40 AM: reepwatUsow has been simplified, with lots of collaging, including the red costco logo and gestural marks made with my favorite Asvine fountain pen.

10:34 AM: it’s a sunny day, currently 75F, and the coming days are predicted to get hot…like 90F starting tomorrow. so we plan on taking our morning trail walk at about 7am, when, it’s still in the ‘60’s.

i started the drawing for reepwatUsow, 12x14” on bristol paper, yesterday, which was inspired by one of my jacobs pillow dance festival photos. this morning i added collaged bits and colored pencil. it’s way too busy in it’s current state, so once i post this, i’ll go back in and simplify.

“WALKING/DANCING” / “7/8/26 collage/watercolor”…LESS is MORE../ drawing this afternoon for a new painting /  by Philip Tarlow

12:24 PM: as i was gearing up to start something new, i came across this 12x14” oil on portrait linen. although it was painted this year, in 2026, i have only a faint memory of it. it’s part of a series i was making at the time, inspired by photos i had taken from above of a walking male figure.

when i put it up on my painting wall, it stood out amongst the recent works it’s surrounded by, and as i type this, i just can’t stop gazing at it!

walking/dancing, 2026 12×14” oil on portrait linen

7/8/26 collage watercolor 11x17” collage & watercolor on bristol paper following todays modifications

11:04 am it took me a few hours to dare to go back into yesterdays collage/watercolor, it had such a delicate balance. finally, a few minutes ago, i found a way back in by collaging a scrap of paper lying on my work table. it has just enough marks to create the perfect balance, with a touch of green on the right and pink below it to make the composition sing. the faint grey mark on the lower right gives the illusion of a stick in the ground with it’s shadow trailing off into pink. the black marks above it create just enough of an event to perfectly balance the dark greys in yesterdays state, on the left.

so does this seem like a lot to say about this piece? it took me all morning to dare revisit it, and i think you who are reading this deserve a guided tour only i could give. so there!!

BELOW: before and after todays additions to the composition.

7/8/26 collage/watercolor /  by Philip Tarlow

7/8/26 collage/watercolor, 11x17” collage & watercolor on bristol paper

2:07 PM: i started a new 11x17” collage/watercolor this morning. i love how spare it is right now, so i’m stopping and we’ll see where she goes tomorrow. we took a morning walk, which allowed me to make unexpected moves. this bristol paper is, as i keep noting, superb! so i’m giong back to the house to join mikela watching wimbleton. sometimes we jump ahead rather than watching every game.

yet more modifications to "7/4/26 drawing/collage" /  by Philip Tarlow

"7/4/26 drawing/collage"on 7/7/26 2pm

9:13 AM: this morning was the earliest i’ve arrived at the studio: 5:40 am. mikela followed at 5:50. in spite of the relatively great amount of work i’ve done on this little guy, i was still moved to do more. it wants to be a game changer, so i’m going along with that.

as i gaze at her from my work table here in the studio, she’s starting to sing. however that black on the upper right is a bit too strong, so back in i go!

simplification of "7/4/26 drawing/collage" /  by Philip Tarlow

7/4/26 drawing/collage 10.75x13.75” colored pencil, watercolor & collage on bristol paper as she looked 11:36am today

9:45 AM: i have to drive to salida later to have my eye pressure checked. this morning icontinued work on further work on "7/4/26 drawing/collage," greatly simplifying it and collaging a pen drawn female reclining figure over much of it. thus far i like how it reads from a distance and i think i did the right thing. this is one of those times when it takes days…and many layers of collage

further work on "7/4/26 drawing/collage" /  by Philip Tarlow

6/4/26 drawing/collage, 10.75x13.74” colored pencil, oil pastel, gouache & collage on bristol

1:43 PM: “6/24/26 drawing/collage” needed more work, so i went back in, extending the right leg of the dancing female figure, & making her pop more as well as adding some pieces of map, giving more definition to the leaves on the right and adding a blue partial border.

1:54 PM: after working on 6/24/26 drawing/collage, i began work on 7/5/26 drawing/collage. although this is a very early stage, i do love how spare it is; it’s very tempting to leave it as is!

7/5/26 drawing/collage,11x17” colored pencil, watercolor & collage on bristol paper, on day one

"7/4/26 drawing/collage” /  by Philip Tarlow

7/4/26 drawing/collage on bristol, 10.75x13.74”

3:24 PM: 7/4/26 colored pencil drawing, 10.75x13.75 on bristol with a couple of collaged pieces, went through many stages today before ending up as you see it. rather than jumping out at you, the viewer must search for the female dancing figure, which i feel is an indication of just how well she integrates into the composition as a whole. the pinks, yellows and greens are nicely balanced. studying it roght now, in the company of earlier collage/drawings, she is clearly a step forward in this series.

"9/19/24 creek drawing" i found this today in an old drawing book / & a recent drawing/collage i came across /  by Philip Tarlow

2026 drawing/collage #8, 10 3/4 x 17” mixed media & collage on paper

1:38 PM: today i’m organizing stuff in the studio, so i haven’t done any painting or drawing, which is highly unusual, but my studio really needs some organizing. this one, titled 2026 drawing/collage#8, is a beauty, if i do say so myself!

i’m leaning more and more in the direction of an exhibition consisting uniquely of small works on paper. the idea came to me a few days ago that the short poems i’ve been composing most evenings could be a part of this exhibition. this idea is still in the formative state, so i’ll say more when it gets to the next stage, and perhaps post a few of the poems.

9/19/24 creek drawing, 6.5x9.5” colored pencil on paper

11:13 AM: 9/19/24 creek drawing is a colored pencil creek drawing i made on site back in september, 2024. maybe it’s time to go back to the creek? better to wait till after bug season, although we don’t have many this year…

"6/28/26 drawing/collage" latest modifications /  by Philip Tarlow

9:19 AM: earlier this morning, i used my fresh energy to make further modifications to 6/28x26 drawing/collage. i collaged several pieces of paper upon which i had made some marks with 2 of my fountain pens, resulting in a more simplified composition which reads very well from a distance. it now seems resolved ; the two of us will look at it during the day and determine if it feels resolved or more is required.

2 PM: added the figure of a paddler