Chicago Visit - Journal Entry

I am in Chicago for my nephew's wedding.  I was not really thrilled about spending my Christmas break in Chicago but it is turning out to be a good thing.

Today we visited the famed Art Institute.  I was able to immerse myself in amazing art, visit with family and get lost in the process. The AIC is huge.  Their collection is at least equal to if not better than the MET in my opinion.    I could have spent at least another day there but the family was done.

My focus today was on the structure and composition of the great painters starting from around the mid-19th century.  I was not particularly interested in the Impressionists today although I thoroughly enjoyed Monet's London scenes and Irises.  I wanted to focus primarily on the structures and composition of post-impressionist painters.  I have decided that I want my thesis to more fully explore the lesser known painting movements such as Symbolism along with some of the  American and Canadian painters that I feel were neglected from the annals of Art History.

I was struck, literally boiled over by the huge canvasses of Vuilliard.  While researching them I learned that they were created to be "painted tapestries".  I am the painting nerd who takes photos of the details to see how they handled foliage.  Vuilliard did lots of foliage.

I am also interested in the symbolists, the Klimts, the Munchs, the art Nouveau of Mucha and the similarity of these artists to the Group of Seven.  There is a stylized method which these artists employ that I think is beautiful.

I will always have a sweet spot for Van Gogh.  I was astonished to find two paintings of his that I had never seen...the Drinkers and the Poet's Garden.

I studied Cezanne's compositions and gradations as well as Inness, under the recommendation of Bob.  I think I get it now.

I am also quite intrigued by the art that is hanging in our little Airbnb.  The textures are great.  Mostly non-representational but they are giving me ideas.  I thought they might be encaustics at first but alas I believe they are acrylic with the help of some texture gels and such.  Something I want to explore when I begin my practice at the studio.

I took photos.  I want to revisit some old paintings with a squeegee or some other such tool.  The oils I will have to top with more oils but I have that great set that Annelise gave me.

I have ordered some acrylics but I was disappointed in the size.  I  am ordering some student grade acrylics in at least quart sizes for quick studies.  I don't think they will be a problem with the integrity of the surface as long as they are the base layers.

Orange and Blue

This is Orange and Blue.  I painted this large 28x28 close-up of marigolds that were growing in my garden.  I am intrigued by marigolds because they are overlooked and considered "common".  I don't think the average person pays much attention to them.  

I planted them because they are a natural type of pest control.  At the time I didn't think they were particularly beautiful until I tried to paint one.  This painting was a labor of love and observation. I started with direct observation in the garden.  I picked them before the first heavy frost.  I photographed them before they wilted.   It took months.  The yellow-orange color was elusive.  I couldn't quite get-it right.  I finished it with a Thio violet glaze. 

I am intrigued by the symbolism and spirituality associated with the humble marigold.  It was named for "Mary's gold", implying most likely the blessed mother.  The Mexican people use them for El dia de los Muertos.  They decorate shrines and graves with marigolds which are in peak season in late October and early November.   They are celebrated in India.  

The exploration of certain flowers and plants has lead to more exploration.  I find myself researching symbolism in flowers and trees.  I think I'm going to continue on this path awhile. 

Jersey Salt

Here's a painting I'm working on for Shazza's Sister Show. I am using her wonderful photography for inspiration. The sky is a little trippy but I like it.

This is definitely the landscape of my childhood as we were surrounded by the salt marsh. We used to call it the meadows. I used to play in it, sinking into the oozy mud while I hunted for terrapins and salamanders. When I was a pre-teen, I used to ride a painted Chincoteague pony down the sandy road to the Seaview docks. During the summer I set my crab traps over the Patcong Creek bridge and waited for my prey. As I got a bit older the sandy marsh roads led to "smoking" spots. When the marsh froze you could walk on the footpaths away from civilization. Small fires were built. Beer cans dropped by underage drinkers littered the ground.

It wasn't until I moved away that I realized the beauty of the salt marsh. I am glad that it is now protected. The osprey have returned. The place holds all sorts of memories for me. Some pleasant, some terrifying. I remember the smell of low tide.

As I look at it on my monitor it looks different than the painting. I added some new purple to the sky and now I realize that I should not have. I was trying to go for complementary color drama. I have to clean up a few stray marks here and there.

Little Hip Hop

Here is a fun little painting that I created in response to the Degas Project back in April.

I actually created two paintings. The first I posted was of three little ballet dancers. This second painting was intended as a quickie fun painting. I was trying to capture the dancer's long blond hair that appeared as alive as she was! It was quite refreshing as most of the paintings exhibited were "oh so serious" and photo-realistically representational.

I photographed it with an intentional blur and then wondered if I could paint it!

Well I had some fun with the hip hop theme and tried to throw in a little sgraffito and grafitti action! The painting was photographed as in progress. I did touch up a few things, but I can't show you as the painting is SOLD!

I was inspired by Dive's wonderful boy band photos and think she'd be quite the match for his blond boy rocker! I couldn't find the photo with my other dancer images and just found that I loaded it on hubby's computer!

Non-objective Water Media Fun

When I feel I'm in a painting slump, the best thing for me to do is play with paint. So I took out all manner of water media, and started pouring . Dr. Martin's inks and pourable acrylics and watercolor pencils. This is just a fun exercise when I feel my oil painting is getting too tight, or I'm overworking things to death. Lately I've had that feeling....

I am at the brink. I feel pure, creative genius coming on, then paint, paint, paint....Some ridiculous music has spurred me on. I walk out the door. I come back one hour later and the canvas looks like cat vomit.


Well the sure cure is to pour. Then I can come back with some more opaque stuff and see if I can find anything interesting. These might be painting starts or nothing at all, but sometimes I am happier with these than the planned stuff.

Oh and excuse the non-existent cropping and crappy picture quality. My laptop does not have Photoshop and the photo editing software is crap.

"If you build it they will come."

One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies. Perhaps it is because of the perpetual soundbite with the voice of James Earl Jones. The Field of Dreams was such a ridiculously satisfying fantasy.

The wonderful inspirational moral about that leap of faith. Build a baseball diamond in a cornfield and the undead, unsung heroes will come back and play for your personal enjoyment. You will save your farm because people will line up and pay a fortune to share this fantasy.

The leap of faith into the unknown. I look at my sister, Shazza. She started her business on a leap of faith and she is now enjoying this wonderful journey. Her store, idiosyncrazies is the coolest store ever!

As for me, I decided to invest a little in my art stuff. I purchased some displays, invested in some giclee printing and all of a sudden things are happening. I did not plan, I did not solicit, but I've been invited to an invitational show, asked to teach adult classes and I've been getting checks! I sold an original at the Degas show and a print at the school benefit.

Oh and I need them because I have agreed to a pay freeze (because we teachers are supposedly overpaid welfare queens), I have a kid in college and another kid who is a talented, traveling musician. She is going to Hawaii and was invited to play in Europe and oh (I have to pay for it)

A wise man, Robert Andriulli, once told me "Do not go out and look for showing opportunities. Wait until they come looking for you."

I never expect to live from the proceeds of my art making habit, but it's nice to get a few bucks and a little recognition.

Brown Marmorated Stinkbug Plague!

I tried to paint today but I was assaulted by swarms of Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs. These horrible creatures are nasty. They sound like a wasp when they buzz you! Their armour-like exterior actually hurts on impact. They fly into your body, fly into your hair, fly into your home. If you kill them they emit a foul odor.

These ugly fuckers came from Asia. They've attacked our tomatoes. They are attacking our sunflowers. They have swarmed our siding and are looking for cracks to invade our home. The weather outside is perfect and I have to turn on the air conditioning.

These foul creatures have ruined my favorite time of year and I am not happy.

Finally, the humidity is gone. The trees are showing some color other than green. It is my time to paint plein air.

I painted for about an hour. I could have cried. I almost killed a beautiful butterfly that landed on my knee. I thought it was a stinkbug.

These fuckers have no know natural predators. Birds do not eat them because they smell and leave a foul taste. They are pesticide resistant. Help me.

Here is some biological information brought to you by the University of Maryland.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) is a new pest in North America. Adult bugs are 14-17 mm and dark mottled brown. The last 2 antennal segments have alternating light and dark bands. The exposed edges of the abdomen also have light and dark banding. Eggs are light green, barrel-shaped, and laid from June to August. The young bugs (nymphs) are yellowish and mottled with black and red. Older nymphs more closely resemble the adults. The host list is long and includes many shade trees and woody ornamentals such as Paulownia tomentosa (empress tree), Buddleia spp.(butterfly bush), Catalpa spp., Rosa rugosa, Lonicera spp. (honeysuckle), and Acer platanoides (Norway maple). Feeding damage appears as small necrotic spots on leaves and fruit. These stink bugs can also be a nuisance in homes and buildings as they seek shelter in the fall much like Asian lady bird beetles and boxelder bugs.

Management: Prevent them from coming in the home by sealing up cracks with caulk, use weather stripping around doors and windows, remove window air conditioners, close all possible entry points. Inside shop- vacuum up the bugs and place in an outdoor trash receptacle. It should be noted that if many of them are squashed or pulled into a vacuum cleaner, their odor can be quite strong.

There are no chemical recommendations currently available for home use. For heavy infestations outdoors, contact a pest control professional.

Deadlines, Due Dates and Drama

Yikes! Yuck and Yahoo.

It seems like February was all about the above. Daughter's portfolio submission deadlines and prep for my upcoming solo exhibit. This is my first solo by the way. I've been a featured artist at the Red Raven, but it wasn't solo. I shared my exhibition with one or two or three other artists.
This is my first totally solo exhibit.

So I've been holeing up in my shed, painting away. Okay I promised to post, but I lied. I mean, painting is just one of those things. I could never be a daily painter. I admire those people. But painting to me is one of those spiritual things. I go. I paint. Sometimes things work. Sometimes they don't. I've made some major breakthroughs. I've been struggling with certain aspects. I haven't been ready to post.

The show is the entire month of March. I have to get my paintings in by March 1st. Annelise had her portfolio review to UArts February 5th. MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) required everything by February 13th.

I had to help her as her Art teacher could not. So I've been editing and posting her art, not mine.

By the way, she got accepted into UArts with a $56,000 scholarship ($14,000 a year for four years). UArts is her first choice. A university in Philadelphia with three schools - Art & Design, Performing Arts and Communication Arts.

Oh, that, uh snow thing. We had 44 inches in a week. I feel I lost a week or so.

I've been doing Bernatio, reveling in my daughter's acceptance, trying to get my show together. I keep fooling around with the paint. I'm sitting on that tiny precipice between revelation and ruination. Sorry. I'm a bit overwhelmed. I cleaned up my language a bit. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone. I've been listening to Modest Mouse and they swear a lot. (They are excellent to paint to, however!)

Oh the drama thing. My kids are both involved in the spring musical. The show is the first weekend of March.

All "Starts" No Finish.

I'll be back soon. I just overloaded myself as usual. I'm taking that abstraction class (Wednesdays) and that graduate brain-based learning class (Saturdays). I have a ton of homework. My abstract paintings are just "starts" at this point. I am doing weird things like altered "grids", collage and acrylic "starts", ink with waxed paper "starts". All starts, no finishes.

The class is interesting. I'm totally "out of my element", out of my comfort zone. Okay, I really "suck" at this. I'm used to being one of the "better" students in the studio. I am taking this class at the local art association and I feel like a total newb.

Ah well. Tis good to "stretch" our boundaries they say. We grow through stretching, trying new things, taking creative risks. Maybe this will prevent Altzheimers?

In the meantime, Fiona and Freja say "hello".