EARTH STICKER

I picked up this sticker at the Visionary Art Museum yesterday.  It was designed by Philip Krohn whose work is pretty amazing:  http://www.philipkrohn.com/
and you can get one to stick on your car as well by going here:  http://www.earthsticker.com/
Net proceeds go to non-profit organizations protecting biodiversity, wild nature and art museums.

still life class #4

8x10

flowers continue to confound me

American Visionary Art Museum

Visited this museum yesterday with Amanda.  http://www.avam.org/   I've always wanted to see it but when I read Greg Bottoms' book, The Colorful Apocalypse,

I made it a priority.  Greg's book is fascinating if you know nothing about "outsider art" and a great read even if you do.   http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/066851in.html
The museum is located in Baltimore, Maryland and is a tribute to Visionary Art which they define as: " art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself."


At the entrance is a bus reminiscent of Ken Kesey's famous "Further," but decorated with mirrors, glass, toys, and various found objects.

And directly behind it is a Giant WhirliGig by Vollis Simpson

 There's also an 8 ft galaxy egg by Andrew Logan:

The museum is like a fun house but the art is arresting and often eerie.  I found it inspirational and motivating.  Two favorites were John Root Hopkins who apparently lives within spitting distance of me (Cambridge, MD) 

 and my other favorite was Brian Dowdall  http://www.briandowdallart.com/  -vivid colors painted on cardboard.

Fish Restaurant

6x8 oil

If you are ever in Charleston, I can recommend this excellent restaurant for sustainable, local food.

http://www.fishrestaurantcharleston.com/

Virginia's on King

10x10 oil

When we arrived in Charleston, we were starving so we stopped in here for one of my favorites:

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES

King Street, Charleston SC

6x6 oil

Traveled to Charleston, SC recently.   This is King Street  at night.  Happy Easter and a big thank you to all of you who check out my blog.

TI Workshop #5

16x24 oil

last one-yes, the model was asleep.  

TI Workshop # 4

16x24 oil

I'm posting this because I learned a ton of things while doing it...about design, about following the light, about planes, about why I shouldn't spend half a day working on a painting cause I work it to death.  But, no worries, it's been wiped and the canvas will be used again.

Grouper

16x20 oil

sold

I painted this awhile ago but thought it would be fun to enter in the DPW Color Challenge:  http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenges.  The challenge was to chose from one of 3 color schemes: complementary, split complimentary or triadic.  This is complementary.

TII Figure Workshop cont.

Here's one of my painted portraits from the workshop.
Also saw this today and thought it was awesome:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2010/oct/11/aiwewei-sunflower-seeds-tate-modern#/?picture=367519759&index=0

Tilghman Island Workshop #2

And so begins Figure Workshop #2 with Walt Bartman  http://gallery-322.com/Pages/bartman.html  at his studio on Tilghman Island.  We begin each day with warmups-lots of quick sketches.  There was a lot of talk about strong lines, where's the weight distributed, what's closer to you, what's further away

flip the page on your sketchbook and draw again, again, and again

lots of puffing, groaning and laughing at this point-not sure what I was doing here

I believe I'm trying to see a silhouette

And here, I'm trying to see laterally so I can paint laterally later...

And we're done.   Lunchtime-hooray.

Nach Hause

6x8 oil

$75

Here is my entry for the current DPW Painting Challenge:  http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Challenges

Thanks Bon Ami!

Look at this nice set of gifts I got from Bon Ami.  In case any of you missed my post, here's the painting I did:

Sarah saw my painting on Facebook and sent me the gift package.  So thanks Sarah, thanks Bon Ami-you're a GOOD FRIEND.   I already use the powder to clean up the oil paint I get all over everything and now I'll give the all purpose cleaner a try on my dirty paintbrushes.  Will it work as well as Murphy's Oil?  Stay tuned.     Check out the website; the slideshow is really cute.  http://www.bonami.com/ 
Wouldn't it be nice if they came out with a dog shampoo?

Mr. Gauguin

8x8 oil

nfs

Thought I would experiment with copying one of Paul Gauguin's  self-portraits.   I went to the "Maker of Myth" show at the National Gallery of Art in DC last week.  My first thought was that Gauguin really loved viridian.  I was once told to be careful of putting much viridian in my paintings because it makes them cool and creepy.  Creepy is a good description of this exhibit.   Although it was a large collection full of many familiar paintings, it was also full of many self-portraits.  I began to feel he was watching me more than I was viewing his work.  Here's an entertaining short film of Gauguin narrated by William Defoe:  http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/gauguininfo.shtm  

Painting the portrait was fun- all those orange and reds against  the viridian...  Note the primitive art in the background.  He put a lot of that in his paintings and carvings adding to the spiritual spooky personal myths he created.  My favorite piece of the exhibit was Words of the Devil:  http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/gg82/gg82-53130.html

The sketches and pastel which led up to that final painting were all there.  The pastel was the one that knocked me out.   It shimmered.   Also got a kick out of how he signed his paintings anywhere he liked.  Right across the top in red or orange, or down the side in large letters-there would be no doubt who did that painting.