Sunday, December 18, 2011

Palm Springs Series

Despite the hectic season, I was able to complete a new work this past week. Last Sunday I held a studio session with a young middle school student who is completing a mentorship project with me. While she worked on a still-life in acrylics, I painted in oils nearby. At first I was going to simply "scribble" something from my memory, but I decided to paint over an older canvas and use an image from my recent trip to Palm Springs, California as a basis. I expected it to be a simple study, but as I worked the canvas came together well and so I decided to take it more seriously and completed what might be the first painting in a new "Palm Springs Series." What I like about it is the looseness of paint strokes and the vibrant, bright colors - very different from the more somber, dark paintings I've been working on for the last two years. We'll see where this goes.

"Swiss Miss." Oil on stretched canvas, 18 x 24 inches. Completed December 2011.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Gearing up for the Holiday

It's a busy time of year...too busy to devote much time to the studio, I'm afraid. Last month I completed a commissioned piece that I will post an image of soon. I am also mentoring a young middle school student who is completing a class project that requires her to shadow a professional. I was honored to be selected as her mentor for the project. We will be working together tomorrow in my studio. Other than these activities, it will likely be quiet until the first of the new year. A quiet workload doesn't mean that the thought process is on break, and I have lots of ideas ruminating at the moment. I'm looking forward to a relaxed schedule so that I can pursue some of them.