recent studies

There is a young-ish artist in south London who paints copiously and continually.  One of his mantras is "paint quick, think slow".  Another is "just keep painting".  I am trying to follow his mandate by making quick studies without worrying too much about "finish".  Here are two - one started in London and worked on back home in New York, the other, all New York - a bouquet of lovely roses from the corner bodega.

day 2 - morning painting

I was going to paint this same subject abstractly this afternoon, but realized I really don't want to paint in an abstract way, much as I admire the work of a number of painters who do.  So I think I am going to do an hour long self portrait this afternoon using the little dabs of paint left on my palette from this morning. I got that idea from the artist Ben Hope who paints in an almost pyrotechnic way with the Dulwich Art Group. He said his motto is "paint quick, think slow" which I have to rephrase to myself as "paint quickly, think slowly".

start of a daily practice

This is a quick, two hour still life, painted while I listened to The New Yorker Radio Hour and Wait, Wait. It has its flaws, but what pleases me is that it is looser than the small daily still lifes I used to paint and sell on Etsy.  That era - the painting a day thing - was very useful to me in that it supplemented the on and off classes I was taking and in some ways was the best teaching tool of all. But I don't want to paint so "tightly" any more.  And I feel this is a start.  It is 8 x 10 on a linen covered wooden panel - I may just leave this set-up in place and try to loosen up even more tomorrow!

the London edit

I made these paintings at the Dulwich Art group studio in Denmark Hill London. The lighting there is interesting - sometimes a little harsh  - but bright and illuminating of the model's skin tones to the point of brilliance.  Among London artists, the buzz and the work happening is decidedly more "modern", more inventive than the sometimes dreary classical realism which seems prevalent in NYC 

at the moment and I feel like I profited somewhat from the influences around me in the studio. Whether I want to continue in this particular vein, I am not sure, but I have come back to Brooklyn with lots of ideas and a determination to be less precious about my work and more brave in trying new things.

recent studies

I made the top painting yesterday morning - I had some flowers and I also had this sweet little vase given to me as a Christmas present - so a still life seemed in order.  My intention is to give this little study to the person who gave me the vase.  What goes around comes around - or meta - or something.  I painted the portrait in November at the Dulwich art group in London and I have been looking at it since, wondering whether to paint in the entire background or leave it as is.  I think I am leaving it as is.  She was a cool model - with attitude - and somehow the loose, slightly scraggy marks surrounding her reflect what seemed to be her elusive personality.