Promises

Study of A.H., graphite on paper, 22 x 30 inches

My latest order of panels from New Traditions Art Panels is set to arrive early next week. I can't wait to get started on a few new projects. At the head of the line is a portrait project; but once that's underway I'll be turning my attention to a painting based on this drawing.

Helium

"Leap Day", oil on linen 30 x 49 inches

Well, Leap Day is a few years away (or a year ago...) but of course celebrating such a day seems a perfect excuse to buy helium filled balloons. And, yes, the boys and I did inhale the helium after I was done with the painting--science and silliness, what's not to like?  Add all that to a masochistic desire to paint snow fencing and ta-da!!

This painting is off to Dowling Walsh later today. I'll be driving it down myself. I'm looking forward to the drive as today the weather is simply amazing AND there are a few places along Route 1 that I've noticed lately with the thought of setting a painting. So, I've got some music (a fantastic new album by Phosphorescent) and some podcasts ready to go along for the afternoon (Slate's Culture Gabfest...btw, last week's episode about the work habits of creative people was fascinating).

The last few weeks have been full of inspiration with ideas for new paintings fast accumulating. I'm working through sketches and scribbles trying to get them all down lest I forget them. Any readers of this blog well know I'm not the best at posting, but I'll make an effort to post some of the drawings as I finish them. Promise.

Maple

As some of you know I get easily sidetracked, and though there is plenty of painting happening, currently my major distraction is tapping the maple trees on our property to collect sap. I've tapped some of the trees in the past, but this year I've gone all in: tapped about 20 trees and tracked down a used evaporator pan. The weather has been great for sap flow which also means that Spring is really starting to make itself seem like a possibility. That said, I'm sure Maine's infamous mud-season will insert itself in the next month. The last few days have yielded nearly 40 gallons of sap--a critical number as the ratio of sap to syrup is about 40:1. The boys and I are looking forward to boiling the sap this weekend.  There's nothing like a raging fire to attract the attention of Finn and Corin (or any boy for that matter). [or girl!!! --Sarah edit]

"Castle", 2013, oil on linen mounted on panel, 24 x 26 inches

So, back to painting... I just sent a piece down to Gallery Henoch in New York. It's been a while since I've sent them anything, so if you're in NYC and are missing DGB, you should pop in and see this new piece. The painting evolved from a single figure on the bed to the two figures cozied up. There are lots of little details including a bed sheet with a frog pattern that puts a little bit of humor in the painting. In my typical tangled way, I've drawn on themes of loneliness, longing, and love (the three L' s of all good painting and country songs) added some real life detail (exposed box spring and photos taped to the wall), not to mention a dash of princesses; costumes; and, for good measure, a mini-vanitas still life set-up on the bookshelf.

I've also started a few other projects and am looking forward to sharing the images, but for now I'm going to wait. Upcoming are a couple of large canvases, a new triptych, and a portrait.

....and two thank yous:

Britta Konau featured Scott Kelley, Devon Dobrowolski, and me in "The Canvas" in Maine Home + Design.

Rick Beerhorst did an on-line interview with me on Monday March 4th for his fantastic (daily!!) blog.

Evidence of Industry -- Happy New Year

Though to some it may seem that I  have fallen into a distant rabbit hole, there are (trust me) others who know that I have been hard at work. I did just enjoy a fairly e-mail free Christmas week in which I painted not a lick, but otherwise I have been working quite hard.  I'm told that from time too time restorative weeks such as last week are in order.  I am inclined to believe them, especially as more and more of the creative work of image making happens away from the easel. Well, I am back at it today. I'm finishing up a painting of Sarah that is similar to the painting form last year entitled "Sparrow".  In this one she is seen from behind, so the scant details in the painting are of her neck, earlobe, and hair elastics. I'll post a picture soon.
     In the spirit of cleaning off my desk, I thought I'd post a few my final paintings of last year. I'll go in reverse chronological order, starting with a portrait triptych that I finished just before Christmas. Troy Stafford did a lovely job on the frame:

Mallory triptych, oil on three panels, 17" x 65" (total length)

And before the portrait (which, by the way, was an enormously fun project in which I was given free rein) I painted this largish figurative piece and the accompanying study.

Sidereal Day, oil on linen, 36" x 60"

"Study for Sidereal Day", oil on panel, 9" x 12" 

And one final image: this was painted in September just after my exhibition in Rockland.

"Causeway", oil on linen, 24" x 40"

Installation Pictures

Thank you to all who managed to make it to Rockland for my exhibition.  Special thank you to Jake, Mary, Gus and Kirsten at Dowling Walsh who (again) did an amazing job presenting my work. If you didn't make it to the show, here are some installation shots to give you a sense of it.

The absolute success of the show was more than I could have hoped for.  As a result, my studio is empty of work and so I've been busy with much needed tidying and retooling. New subjects are  percolating at the periphery of my consciousness--with some already starting to make their way into sketches. I have a busy winter of painting ahead, so I'll try and post images as they come.

Oh, and there was a review of my show that you can read here.

Exhibition This Week

"Sparrow", oil on linen mounted on panel, 14" x 19"

I am just dotting i's and crossing t's at this point. I've finishing touches on two paintings to take care of and a bit of frame finishing to go. All this is in preparation for my exhibition at Dowling Walsh that opens on Friday the 31st.  Most of the work has been delivered to the gallery, so if you're in Rockland you can stop by and have a preview. If you do not happen to be lucky enough to be enjoying a perfect summer day in Maine, you can just check out their website. They've recently updated my page  with the new images.

Speaking of websites, my very own site just underwent a facelift--complete with rollovers and slideshows!  My friend Dani Meier was the creative and tech force behind it. I chose to simplify and cut out many of the older paintings. Dropping the portrait section has caused the most comments. The reason for this is that though I still do take commissions, I've had the luxury of being able to be more fussy about which projects to take on so I'm not advertising that part of my painting life quite as much.

The above painting (with the awesome frame--thank you Troy!) is already at the gallery. It has a really magical presence that gives me great pleasure whenever I see it. And I'll have to add that as lovely as I think it is in this digital presentation, it seriously glows when seen in person.

So, I'll get back to my easel for final details. I hope to see some of you this Friday in Rockland.

Frames and Details

Well, the rain finally stopped here in Hancock so that means.... frame delivery!  This morning  I am anxiously awaiting the delivery of 4 frames from Williams Cabinetry. The large frame for the painting of the figure in the dinghy I am especially looking forward to seeing. The painting is just about finished and I plan to do some tweaking and glazing once  I have the frame here. Here's a detail:

Detail of Untitled, 2012, oil on linen, 86 x 60 inches

I did take a break from the big painting (still untitled) to work on another piece--that does have a title that I particularly like. It's called Hunters and Rabbits.... Here's a peek:

Detail of Hunters and Rabbits, 2012, oil on linen 36 x 36 inches

And for a bit of a historical reference/influence, when I look at his detail of my painting, I can't help but think about Mr. Eakins' lovely painting of his wife and their Setter.....