Skouloudis' Shop /  by Philip Tarlow

this is a painting made in 1979 in Chora, Andros, Greece. as i walked down the main street in andros, i would always see skouloudis standing in the doorway of his general store. he was in mourning at the time; thus the black ribbon on his lapel. it was not unusual during the ‘70’s to see a shop owner dressed in a suit.

this is one of a seriesof paintings i made at the time of andros subject matter: shop,interiors & exteriors; landscapes; and figures. if someone interested me as a subject, i’d invite them to my studio, prepare a little something for them to eat & drink and get to work. depending on the individual, we’d converse, usually about local or personal issues.

Skouloudis’ Shop, 16x10” egg tempera on board, 1979, coll. of the artist

8/9/26 COLLAGE, 17x10.75" /  by Philip Tarlow

11:07 AM: this morning i got into my groove and made one of my best collages. there’s no explaining how they come about…i just follow the energy.

so now it’s 11:13 AM…what next?

this smooth bristol paper takes the colors like beautiful music. the black is rich. the reds are fiery. decades of making these drawing/collages has opened the door to my spirit, which has evolved over time into philip tarlow. the marks sing their song like the sangres: steep, unexpectedly rocky, lingering on the high notes and gliding into harmony.

gorky would love them and see his spirit infused.

"Chora" /  by Philip Tarlow

2:33 PM: i started a new 13.5x10.75” collage/gouache this morning and have been working on it ever since. it’s titled chora because it started out inspired by a photo i shot in the ‘80’s of chora, andros, greece. it’s come a very long way and right now is an abstraction inspired by my current favorite artist, the late archile gorky.

it may be resolved…we’ll look at it over at the house and see.

Chora, 13.5x10.75” collage & gouache on bristol paper

"head over heals," day 3 /  by Philip Tarlow

head over heals, 11x17” colored pencil, gouache & pastels on bristol paper

12:15 PM: as mikela accurately pointed out yesterday, the walking central figure needed to POP more. so this morning, after making coffee & smoothie, i went back in. i traced over the figure so that i could cut out a piece of bristol that would follow the contours of the right side of his body. then, before cutting it out i painted it a faded yellow and mounted it next to his body. then, using a black marker i divided it into cubes, indicating that he’s walking on a sidewalk. and finally, i lightened the black to the left side of his body.

much better, but it still needs something, so i think i’ll start something new and return to this one when the time is right.

"HEAD OVER HEALS" day 2 / 2003 drawing /  by Philip Tarlow

3 PM: i did more work on head over heals, 17x11” i may stop here for the day and see where, if anywhere, she chooses to go tomorrow.

head over heals, 11x17” colored pencil & pastels on bristol

2003 drawing of woman with hat, 5.5x7” ink on paper

12:43 PM: i’ve been going through old sketchbooks and came across this 2003 drawing, which stood out form the rest. i didn’t make not of where it was made; probably one of the coffee shops i used to sit in while mikela was leading a session.

day one of "head over heals" /  by Philip Tarlow

12:50 PM: we were both kinda tired when we went to the studio this morning following a long and intensive day of driving to colorado springs yesterday for medical appointments. but i did ramp up around 11 am and started head over heals.

it’s 4pm and i’ve decided to stop looking at facebook because it’s addictive and draws me in, so that i spend valuable time scrolling through. i’ve done this before in the past, so let’s see if this time i can maintain.

head over heals, 11x17” coloredd pencil on bristol paper

"mirror" continued today /  by Philip Tarlow

11:39 AM: the female figure in yesterday’s mirror needed to pop, so i did some more work on it this morning.

at first i used way to much black as well as creating a ridiculous red vagina. (image on left), then i worked into it for a few hours and now she looks like this. the female figure is more like a bust, the black is greatly reduced, and a table with 2 cups of coffee has appeared. i kinda like her now. cool!