In The Hands

Detail from Balthus' "The Bernese Hat", that is, with the photographer superimposed.

Studio Shot

Self portrait in my studio.  Yeah, I am in there somewhere.

New Directions

I am working on two or three new paintings that represent new directions for me, including the above work.  This is always exciting.  Often this process involves a series of forks in the road.  In keeping with the famed Yogi Berra comment, when there is a fork in the road, I am going to take it.  

What lies on the other side of the door?  Who is to say, but that is part of the adventure.

Mir(r)o(r)

Can you see yourself in another artist's work of art?  Yes.  Especially when the work is covered with UV protective archive grade framing glass.  Such is the case above, while appreciating a work by Miro at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.

Painting In Progress

Above is a work in progress.  It is an experiment.  I decided to use one of my pastels, as a point of departure, and see how it translates into oil on canvas.  All this is covering another painting that just didn't satisfy.  I will see where, if anywhere, it goes in the days ahead.  Today, I glanced at it from time to time and tried to imagine next steps. 

Painting Du Jour

The painting of the day, "Harbin Jew."

Little Wild One

It's not often that you can have a little wild one like this get close and just hang out (without the temptation of food), but that is what he/she wanted to do.  I enjoyed playing with the image to get that "1970's" color balance, at least, as I imagine it.  The image seems to have that slightly faded Kodak print look, yes, on the warm side.  I find it pleasing.  

Roots of Syncretism

See the color, hear the waves, smell the sea breeze, touch the sand, taste the salt, feel the water, be there in the moment, there and then.  Bermuda.

Aphrodite Redux

Aphrodite, a Greek torso in marble from the 2nd century BCE, photographed, digitized and modified for viewing pleasure.  This is a work of art for the ages, ever so lovely, on view at the Seattle Art Museum.

If You Go

If you go to a Mark Rothko exhibition, the above image shows what you will often see, that is, a lone viewer transfixed by a painting. 

Vote For Your Choice!

The IDSA 2012 International Conference will be held mid August in Boston, Massachusetts.  A poster contest is underway to select a poster to be displayed at the conference.  The designer of the winning poster will receive a host of awards including one complimentary registration, four nights paid accommodations, and a free iPad.  Posted above is my entry to the competition.  If you would, kindly click on the following link, and vote for your choice.  I hope you will choose, entry number 12!

http://idsa.org/idsa-poster-contest-gallery

Thank you, friends!

Digital Recast

An old painting, turned on its ear, recast in new colors.  It means nothing, beyond what the viewer may see in it, if anything. 

Sound

The most recent painting by Dr. Ju and me, working title "Sound".  Not signed, not dated.

Creative Spectrum

My friend and art collaborator, Dr. Yanan Ju, at work on one of our paintings, in the studio.

Pathways

I am waiting for paint to dry, but I am patient.  It is enough satisfaction to see a painting evolve.  Often when I paint, I have no idea where it all is heading.  For the piece above, I have a pretty clear idea.  I may take a fork in the road, but in this case, on account of  first creating a sketch that I am excited about, I can see in my mind's eye, what I am after.  Step by step, in the words of a friend, I will get there.

Stalwart Design Ready For Action

Here is a rugged, industrial product, like a soldier ready for service.  Behold the military grade hydrant, this one located on site near the Ballard Locks in Seattle, Washington.  Quietly holding back enough water pressure to put out a fire in a warehouse or on a ship, the hydrant has its own aesthetic charm.

Winged Beauty

If I can get a halfway decent photo of wildlife, I am happy.  Such is the case in this image of a Steller's Jay, a magnificent bird of the American west, this one native to Bainbridge Island, Washington.  I spotted the bird while driving by.  I quickly pulled over, and captured the image through an open window of the car.  I am glad that I had my Nikon P7100 handy. 

It appears that this bird has been bird banded, that is, caught, tagged, and released.  That is part of the wonder of photography.  It allows you to look closer.

Edge Of The World

Well, the edge of the continent anyway, this being the view over the Pacific Ocean from the coast of Oregon.  

It feels like the edge of the world there.

Twilight Of The Analog Age

My old desk at Pacific Northwest Bell, circa early/mid 1980's, some three stories down below street level, at rock bottom where a television studio should be.  Here I worked in the audio video engineering department, tracking cabling and connections, and continually updating the drawings.  On occasion, I also did graphic art production.  You can see my handiwork laying on its side under the drawing board, a map-tack map of Seattle.  I see the traces of tools and supplies from a bygone era, such as lead holders, lead pointers, non-photo blue pencils, Mylar, straight edges, and T squares.  I labored here on and off for three years, all the while listening to endless iterations of audio video editing in the background.  I had a strong tolerance for that.  

I was fortunate to get this work.

What Is All In There?

The famed "pink" sands of Bermuda, as seen up close, made possible through the miracle of modern digital photography.  I found the unusual flaky texture of the sand of almost more note than the color.

Lesson In Seeing

These drawings I did some twenty years ago remind me of the value of working with just a pencil from time to time, in this case a green prismacolor pencil.  It is good to be just drawing and seeing and thinking and feeling.  Human hands are enormously complex, of very subtle construction and form, and this becomes quite evident when you attempt to render them.

What You Might See

What you might see, if you look closely in China.

Just Like I Remember It

Pike's Market.  It was good to be back, and now I have an image to remember it all by, recast in one of my favorite color combinations, orange and charcoal gray.

Real to Abstract Image in Grayscale

Does the previous image, cast as a grayscale, have the notan effect, that is, is there an interplay of positive and negative space?  I think so, though this would not be a shining example of notan.  There is present however, variety, repetition, and rhythm.  I think the interplay of positive and negative space probably works better in this composition with color involved.  

Well, I was just having fun, and isn't that the best?! 

Real To Abstract

Not readily apparent, this image started with readable lines on a page and gradually transformed into the abstract.  I find the interplay of positive and negative space, what the Japanese refer to as "notan", quite pleasing.  Also, in my work, I consider it a plus when the eye wanders the image.  Are the four corners different from one another?  Yes, another positive. 

Inscrutable Mask of Time

Ten thousand years of history written across the face of Mount Desert Island granite. 

Roofscape

The image caught my eye as I rounded a corner, a memory preserved.

Paint To Suit

The beloved landmark, Seattle's Rainier Tower, aka, The Pencil Building. recast in new colors. 

Cool Transportation

What a rare treat to spot this 1957 VW Microbus on the streets of Seattle.  The driver remarked, "it gets me around." 

Skyway Revisited

The old Pacific Northwest Bell Building, Seattle, Washington, revisited.  Here I worked from high in the tower to three stories down, in the audio/video studio, at rock bottom.  I tried my hand at graphic design, engineering, and all things mundane.  Yes, this was good experience.

New Work, Not Signed, Not Dry

Above is a record shot of a new work by Professor Ju and me, a collaborative piece. Working title "The Path of Zen Way."

Pastel Of The Day, "Deep Sun"

This image reminds me that it may be time to get the pastels out again. It's been a while. The above image has been digitally refreshed, yes, just for fun. Let's give it a new name, say, "Deep Sun."

Fresh Air

It is a good day to go outside, and get some "Fresh Air."

Image Of The Day

A detail from "Lovers 03."

Fun 03

Fun, with photography, architecture, point of view, and color.

Free Form

Shown above, a detail from my painting "Chambers 03." At times, I find free use of color, and figure elongation, quite satisfying.