New painting

I started a large new painting this morning, 75" wide by 60" high.

I haven't painted this large since about 1990. It's a picture of my family at a picnic.

Art money

Almost forgot to mention it - I got my first paycheck from making art this week! Yep, a whopping $15 from the Orange County Fair, for winning third place in the acrylics division with my portrait of Adrienne. I should have scanned the check before I deposited it to record this momentous event!

Figure drawings

I attended a Meetup figure drawing workshop last night in Newport Beach, at Mark Cummings' studio. The model was excellent (despite the tattoos and piercings), so I stayed until the end. Here is a charcoal drawing that I did (1 hour pose) and a small monochromatic acrylic painting (90 minute pose).

Easel dolly

My son Alex and I built this little 4-wheel dolly for my easel. It isn't attached, the easel just sits atop it. We just used some 2x4 wood scraps and old casters that I had around the garage.

New studio, painting cart

As part of my new studio (i.e., part of the garage) I created a "painting cart" from a set of Metro shelves on wheels. It's 48" wide and 18" deep, and around 40" tall.
Everything I need is right there, except for the stereo, which is on the other side of the garage. Paints, brushes, turpentine, rags, etc.

I also made this "palette box" with stuff from Home Depot: a piece of 18" x 36" glass, some masonite, plywood, and wood strips. I put a piece of gray photo backdrop paper under the glass. I'm hopeful that by covering this "box" with a piece of plywood at the end of the day, it will keep the paints from drying out so quickly, or getting dusty, or making the place smell too oily.


When I used to paint in the past, everything was completely disorganized. All my paints would be in disarray, I wouldn't care for the brushes, everything was topsy-turvy. A mess. Now, after many years working as an advertising art director, I've clearly become very obsessive/compulsive when it comes to my workspace. I have everything arranged neatly, even down to writing the names of the paint colors around the edge of the palette. I know it probably seems strange, but being organized helps me to focus.

Frank Gregory's been painting again...

And as usual, he never disappoints. He did this little beauty today, it's oil on 8-ply ragboard, 10" x 12", of his woodshop in his painting studio in Western Massachusetts. I really like the contrast between the outdoor light streaming in and the interior light. Very nice.

Frank and I attended MassArt way back in the '80's and I'm thrilled that he still paints with such passion. His work is awesome! Here is his website: http://frankidadio.googlepages.com/

Fresno Art Show

I spent the weekend in Fresno helping my friend Laura prep an art gallery for a show she is curating. The show is called “A Studio of Their Own: The Legacy of the Fresno Feminist Experiment,” and will be on display at the Conley Art Gallery at Fresno State from August 26th until October 9th. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and 2-5 p.m. Sunday. There also will be an artists’ reception and a symposium on Sept. 17 and 18. All events are free and open to the public.

If you are in Fresno during this time, I encourage you to check out the show. It is a very fascinating snapshot of an important moment in the history of art.

Go here for more info: http://www.astudiooftheirown.org/

Last day of the 2009 OC Fair

Today, Monday August 10, is the last day of the OC Fair. My painting of Adrienne comes down tomorrow. Here's a picture of Adri in front of the painting with my Third Place (Acrylics) ribbon.

Art Opening

Alex and I attended the opening of the "2009 Orange Open" last night. This was a juried show at the Guggenheim Gallery at Chapman University in Orange. My small portrait of Alex was on display, I took a picture of him standing in front of it (above). Unfortunately, they hung it pretty high up on the wall, and since it's a very small picture (6"x6") that made it harder to see. Later in the evening, someone recognized him, which was pretty funny. We didn't stay very long - there were a lot of people there and we didn't know anyone else - but we stayed long enough to see the whole show, which had some really good work. My favorite painting was called "Chet's" by Mark Freeman - pictured below. There are also a couple of photos that I liked by Michael McLane .