Time in: 10am + It Wouldn't Surprise Me

I'm just putting on the finishing touches of my latest piece: "It Wouldn't Surprise Me." I'll be varnishing it and fixing a few things today, but it's basically done. It's nice to finish this one up; it's been a challenging piece. 

To do:

clean up white on "surprise"

varnish

touch up on Eric's nose, and both lip highlights

Rebecca- 

keep going on face, refine skin tone

palette- too pink

eyes- develop

lips too high contrast, soften

Frame "No Words"

go to Home Depot and get rat traps

pick references for next piece

small portrait?

Playlist:

NPR

Murder Room by PD James (audio book)

Camera Obscura- "Let's Get Out Of This Country"

Kings of Leon- "Because of the Times"

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter- "Oh, My Girl"

Time in 3:00pm + I like your work: art and etiquette

I've been reading a new publication just put out by Paper Monument titled "I like your work: art and etiquette" which I highly recommend. 38 contributors (artists, curators, critics and dealers) offer their thoughts on art world etiquette. It's only $8 and is worth it for the laughs and (unfortunately accurate) insight. 

Some highlights: 

Guidelines for Openings by Andrew Berardini

How Artists Must Dress by Roger White

Anchors Aweigh, Some Advice For Those About to Enter.... Show Business by Bob Nickas

and many other etiquette suggestions as well as favorite awkward moments and faux pas. (It seems the awkwardness of the "cheek kiss" greeting at art openings and other functions is fairly standard in the US.)

Getting back to the studio:

To do: 

Get some fiberglass stuff

Rebecca's face- underpainting

finish up David and Eric (title?)

adhere frame to "No Words" and "Two Ways To Think"

Playlist:

Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

The Shins

Feist

Aimee Mann- The Forgotten Arm

Today's Special

When I was a kid, there was this show on TV called "Today's Special" which took place in a department store after hours. As soon as the store was closed and all the customers gone, the mannequins would come to life and the puppet rats would come out and they'd have lots of educational fun. I loved this show! 

Sometimes I wonder what happens in my studio (which is in the basement) after I clean-up, hit off the lights, and head upstairs after a day's work. I wonder this because when I come back in the next day, there are sometimes things that seem strange, like drips on my papers from an unknown source or missing tools. 

What's today's special? Peanut shells littering the floor. 

I'd like to think that there is a mannequin hidden in the dark part of the basement that is used for storage that comes to life and eats peanuts while contemplating my latest masterpiece when I'm not there. However, I am afraid that it is more likely that it is the rats that come to life and eat peanuts while scurrying around my art.  

Starting Over

When you've put a lot of work and hours into something, a painting for example, you would do anything to salvage it when things go wrong. You can't imagine all those hours wasted if you were to give up- you have to make it work! You keep forcing it, working at it, waiting for that moment for it to gel thinking "One of these days I'll get it right!" Sometimes it works out. 

Sometimes you just have to start over. 

Time in: 1:30pm

To do:

Work on Rebecca's face

draw out features

complete underpainting

more shading on shirt

Finish up David and Eric

varnish

Research Fiberglass

Playslist:

Bad At Sports podcast- Larry Rinder part deux

The Raconteurs

Jack Johnson

Shivaree

The Band- Music from Big Pink

Time in: 10:00am + thoughts on Sylvia Plath

I've been reading Sylvia Plath's journals recently and there's something really captivating about following her along her artistic development and thoughts on her work, not to mention

 there's something really intimate about reading someone's journals. 

I'm still in the journals from her college years when she was young and passionate and determined to find what would make her most satisfied in life. Her determination at being a successful writer along with/in competition with enjoying life's pleasures  (a good summer tan, a Friday night date... ) and her pendulum swing between the two pursuits seems such a fundamental human plight: the balance of work and pleasure. 

She frequently considers the idea of experiencing life's offerings as a requirement of being a successful writer. I know for myself, I believe I will be a better artist if I am out experiencing life and the world around me but there is also a guilt that I experience when I am not being productive. Maybe it's the tug of the two desires that is important and keeps you going: the pull into the studio, and the pull into the world. 

To do:

Finish David & Eric

Eric:

• furrow brow more  
  
• lips too shiny, bottom lip -underlip-chin needs less contrast

• varnish
  
• Title? 
  

 Tom  and Scott-

Tom

• left lip/cheek highlight too bright
  
• left upper lip shadow placement off a little
  

Scott- 

• skin tone
  
• jawline, cheek lines
• eyes? 
  

Rebecca-

Start over on face. White it out and start over!

Playlist: 

Wait, wait, don't tell me (NPR)

This American Life (NPR)

Aimee Mann- Bachelor No. 2

Ry Cooder- Mambo Sinuendo

Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man- Out of Season

Tegan & Sara - The Con

Time in: 2pm

I feel like I made some progress on the David/Eric piece yesterday. Still needs some more work, but it's getting close. I need to start thinking about the title. I also did a quick piece on paper of Perry. Just a touch up or two and I think it'll be done. 

To Do:

David and Eric:

 

David: 

• Lips? Chin
  
• Hair on left side- finalize
  

Eric:

• finish shirt
  
• shading on cheeks- balance cheeks
  
• Right eye- too much contract on upper lid? 
• Right eyebrow- good shape but too dark

Perry (Mint One):

• Eyes- do they need more work? Review in mirror.

Pick out references for next double.

Gesso board- prep for next piece. 

Playlist:

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals- Nothing But the Water

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS  by Sara Gruen (Audio book)

The Books- The Lemon of Pink

Ray LaMontagne- Till the Sun Turns Black

Time in: 3:00pm

I've been working on the same 3 pieces for the past couple of months with minimal steps forward, it seems. In that time I've started and completed one double portrait, one large single portrait and one study on paper and those came along very fast. I don't know what the magic formula is- why some seem to come together in no time and others struggle into existence. Maybe it's my playlist. 

Here's what I'll be working on today:

David and Eric:

To do:

• Work on David's chin and lips
  
• Eric's eyes? need to pop a little more
  
• Eric's chin and lips need some touch up
  
• Eric's nose: something is off about the right nostril
  
• Eric's shirt- decide on the color and finish it up
• Mint sketch of Perry

Playlist:

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS by Sara Gruen- audio book

Air- Walkie Talkie (or is it Talkie Walkie?)

Tom Waits

Beth Orton- Comfort of Strangers

The Great Poor Farm Experiment

This weekend I attended the inaugural weekend of the Great Poor Farm Experiment-  The Suburban's new project way up in Wisconsin.  The Bad at Sports blog has a posting describing the project as well so I won't go into too much detail here. I camped out, attended the saddle fitting demo, checked out the art being installed in the building's many rooms and braved the first night's downpour and the second night's electrical storm in my little tent. 

I'm eager to get in my studio and get some work done. I've only been gone this weekend, but already spiders have made their homes suspended across my walkway. I know because I'm still picking web off my legs. 

 Here are some pictures that I snapped this weekend:

Time in: 2:30pm

Currently I have work on display at Wicker Park Grace which is located at 1741 N. Western Ave, Chicago, IL 60647. The pieces that are exhibited are all portraits, mostly from my series titled "I live in a duplex."

The series, when completed, will be made up of 12 double portraits. This series is developed around a simple idea: housing two portraits on one surface to tell a story. The idea of a duplex references two-in-one, parallel lives and a location for stories and interactions.

The information in these paintings is intentionally limited, allowing the viewers to create their own narrative. The series is about interactions- both real and fiction, ambiguous and evocative.

The series is still in progress, and being documented here on this blog but you can see the pieces that are finished (so far) here.

To do:

Update website

work on Tom and Scott piece:

Scott-

• develop skin tone
• neck
• eyes?

Tom-

• refine skin ton
• finalize eyes

Playlist:

The Books

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter

The More Shallows

Time in: 12:00pm

I'm hoping to make some good progress on some of these pieces that are moving slowly today. I've taken a break from them so I can come back with a fresh eye. Sometimes the paintings come together really quickly, and sometimes they really struggle to not look like people with unfortunate plastic surgery results. 

To do:

Keep going on Rebecca

pick a reference for Yellow study. 

emails

photo reference for sleeping painting

photograph installation at WPG

Playlist:

This American Life

Marieanne Faithful-Broken English and Strange Weather

The Shins

Lizzie West- Holy Road

2:15pm-competed yellow sketch