The Workshop Experience...

I am off to take a workshop with Stuart Shils, a painter whose work I have admired since I was living in New York about 12 years ago. I first saw his work at the Tibor de Nagy Gallery, and was blown away by his beautiful brush work and evocative scenes of the Irish countryside. I came across that show when I was studying at Cooper Union and trying to figure out what I could do with my own desire to paint. His paintings were luscious and sincere, and so different from most of what I was interacting with at school and other galleries. There are a lot of different types of painter who have all helped me shape what I want to do with my painting; Peter Poskas, Rembrandt, deKooning, Manet, the Wyeths, Bonnard, Diebenkorn, Matisse, Lucian Freud… and many others, but I am coming to realize that the common thread I find is a love and joy for painting. Also a sincerity of purpose. It’s been a long time since the last time I took a painting class and I’m really excited, curious and a little nervous. I look forward to sharing stories of the experience when I return.

This is also fun for me because I just taught a workshop last weekend, and will now be on the other side of things. So I decided to put up a new poll question about taking workshops. I have taken lots of painting classes before, but never a weekend workshop, so this will be a first for me. However I know many people who teach and take these classes. I’m wondering how common that is. If you have the time please weigh in on the new poll question.

Upstairs Windows...

Today my mail carrier brought me a booklet advertising an upcoming show of photography by Cig Harvey. I have been a fan of Cig’s work for a few years and I knew it was good, but seeing this group of images really impressed me. She takes lovely photos with stories that we can get lost in. These photos are moving and interesting and lovely images. I really recommend seeing her show or even just checking out her website.  And she will be doing a gallery talk at her upcoming opening: Saturday, May 28th from 4-7pm at the Dowling Walsh Gallery.

The poll questions lately have been really fun for me. The most recent one asked about where people got the art that is in their home. I was really surprised by how many of the answers were from a direct purchase from an artist. I am assuming that is partly because the readers of this blog lean towards artists and people with personal connections to artists. But either way, it was fun to see the responses.

The painting above is 30×34″ and is now at Dowling Walsh Gallery.

Portland at Night...

This past weekend I was teaching a workshop at the Farnsworth Museum of Art in Rockland. The students were great and all worked hard. I’m proud of the progress they made, and was happy they all brought such a positive attitude to the class, despite getting two days of clouds, cold and rain for a plein air class. It was fun spending the weekend with everyone, but today I am exhausted so I am having a nice slow day getting some small errands taken care of.

Recently I found out that a spot has opened up in my Rockland workshop in August. This is a five day class through Coastal Maine Art Workshops. If you want to find out more you can visit their website.

The painting above is the Portland waterfront at night. This is an 8×10″ painting that I did on site using a small book light.

Late Night...

About two weeks ago I was in Portland to pick Elizabeth up at the airport, and found myself with a lot of free time time to paint as her flight was delayed by about 3 and a half hours. Even though it was night already, I did find some subject matter to work from. First I went to a working pier and painted the fishing boats with their lights on (that painting is coming soon.) After playing around with that scene, I drove into town and saw this bar with neon lights. I stood here and painted from about 10:30pm till 12:30am, and got to meet some very interesting people. Monday night at this bar was karaoke night, and the bar was playing the songs out on the sidewalk so I could hear it all. The bouncer was really curious about my painting, and came over to watch me work. He was also going inside every couple songs to sing one himself. He even dedicated a song to “the guy standing on the sidewalk painting Portland at night.”

This weekend I am teaching a workshop in Rockland, through the Farnsworth Museum of Art. I have been preoccupied with preparing for this class and getting some painting done. I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed, but this week I was able to get quite a bit done so I’m starting to feel like I’m catching up. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that the life of a painter keeps me so busy. I thought artists were supposed to lounge around, have long decadent meals, take naps, relax and only bother to pick up a paint brush when the spirit moves them. Somehow I did not end up on that track.

Snail Mail...

I was out painting on Sunday afternoon, and on my walk to the store to get a snack I passed a long row of these mail trucks parked behind the post office. I don’t know why I never noticed it before, or why it jumped out at me so much this time, but I got really excited to paint this. This painting is a favorite right now because of the simplicity of the shapes and the unique look of the mail trucks.

Also I want to mention a workshop that my friend Frank Gardner will be teaching on Cape Cod this summer. Frank is one of my favorite people to paint with. He does wonderful work, and has a great attitude towards painting.  I really enjoy learning from him when we paint together, and we also always have a great time. If you are looking for a plein air workshop to take this coming spring/summer, and you are near the cape, I would definitely recommend Frank as a teacher. You can learn more about his class on his blog, www.frankgardenr.blogspot.com.

Also, I am putting up a new poll question today about how you have acquired the art that you own. Personally, I have bought a few paintings from galleries, bartered for a bunch of them, and bought directly from an artist. So for this poll I have allowed multiple votes. Usually I have the question set so that only one answer can be chosen, but this time you can choose all that apply.