linocut in progress

Linocut (in Progress)

I have been wiped out, sick the last few days, and when I have gotten out of bed, I have been attempting a small linoleum cut. This is another idea encouraged by number one son, Hugh.  I used one of my favorite subject matter (vineyards) combined with one of my favorite countries (Italy) and to create this image. With lino cuts you loose a lot of aspects you get with painting - space, color value, wiggle room with mistakes.  After completing paintings in one sitting for over a year now, I found this to be an interesting challenge and plan on printing it and then watercoloring on top.  I am not quite finished with the cutting, but will post a picture once I print and paint it.

Philosophical Questions

Philosophical Questions, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

Today is my birthday and this little painting, which I recently discovered had never been posted, looks like something I would like to be doing today... having a discussion of philosophical stuff, on a blanket with friends and turning 25 again!! Instead, I get a birthday concert played by the Louisville Youth Orchestra, with my youngest daughter on stage. 

Here is the original post that I wrote back in September when I painted this:

Three people sitting on a blanket, engaged in the art of conversation.  This was a fun, quick painting that turned out gestural and sketchy. These small paintings are difficult to  create the detail of a scene, AND abstract it to the extent that it conveys what you, the artist, sees.  I like being both detailed, and abstract and often the hard part is deciding which would be best for your own portrayal. Either way, I need to keep painting :-)

Lowland vineyard

Lowland Vineyard, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches

I have said before how much I enjoy painting vineyards as much as I enjoy being in them. I wish I could combine the two....paint in the vineyards while I drink a glass of wine (or two). :-)

Cypress

Cypress, oil on gessobord, 5x7 inches

I began painting again one year ago this month, and I started with similar subject matter as this. Conical trees sitting amongst a vast landscape. You see them everywhere, but do you truly notice them? These trees are lucky to live in California, in the Napa Valley, surrounded by hilly vineyards. The property they rest on contains a 13th century Italian castle that was built after it was brought from its homeland and pieced together.  Wrought iron hardware made by artisans centuries ago hold it all together. I don't know how long the project took from start to finish, nor can I imagine the cost of such a project, but it is fascinating nonetheless.

The driveway to the castle winds up the Napa hillside (where else would a castle rest), and is lined mesmerizingly with these cypress, catching the light and casting their shadows.

New River Highway

New River Highway, oil on gessobord, 5x7"

On the drive back from DC to Louisville, we decided to take a detour in West Virginia to cross the New River bridge. The New river, ironically, is one of the oldest river systems on the continent. It passes through an incredibly deep and beautiful gorge that, since the 70's, has become an outdoor playground with some of the best whitewater rafting, rock climbing faces, and camping areas in the eastern US. The state road leading to it has a steep trajectory with curving, converging lines. I took a rather bland photo from the drive and turned into this little interesting painting. Upon finishing it, I felt as if I had captured all the natural forces that one feels in this vast, ancient area.

Grandfathered In

Grandfathered In, oil on gessobord, 6x6 inches

I have been extremely busy making frames and varnishing paintings for the up-n-coming art fair. And, in the middle of that came Spring Break. I was able to go to Washington DC for 4 days, during which I visited the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Nation Gallery of Art, both of which were extremely enriching and inspiring. I regained my love and appreciation for Dutch Masters, especially Frans Hals, who's paintings and subject matter always seemed to have a twinkle in their eye.

"Grandfathered In" was painted just before my trip, during which we were having constant flooding rains in Louisville. I needed a bit of sunshine and sprawling landscape. The setting is from Louisville's newest park, which was the result of land donations along a long, wide and meandering creek. The barns were there prior to the establishment of the park and are on one of the few private properties that still exist.  They're like big blocks of color on an otherwise flat and treeless part of the landscape. 

Winter Park Road

Winter Park Road, oil on gessobord, 6x6"

Here is another painting I took while being navigated through my local Olmstead Park during the last snow we had in Louisville. I actually painted this exact spot during the fall, because at the right time of the day the sun blasts the trees and all their color.View the Fall version here . It's hard to drive because you are too busy looking at the leaves changing!  I thought the snow was equally as beautiful so I painted it too.

Winter Valley

Winter Valley, oil on gessobord, 5x7"

I took a leap of faith this week and committed to an Art Festival, date and more info to come later.  I have been wanting to do a festival but parameters of all kinds (life!) weren't right, but this one .... is! So with it comes the need to produce many, many frames to display the work as well as how to hang/display the art itself, without spending an arm and a leg.  This fair supplies the tent and table so that part is taken care of, so it will be a good intro into the whole world of Art Fairs and Festivals. With that said, I may not be posting as much, maybe one to two times a week until after the 3rd week in May. 

This painting doesn't necessarily resemble a normal winter scene but it was produced from a photo taken on a colorful  winter day.  Painting this pine forest was similar to the methods I was using for the cattails, just less lively foreground. As always, all my paintings are for sale. Contact me here or through FB for details. Thanks for visiting my page.