Nature Morph

working and reworking

I've just had two of the most productive studio days in recent memory.  Knock on wood, the art gods are smiling on me right now.

I decided to resume work on a she-wolf watercolor from earlier in the year that I was never really happy with.  I added more trees and a really meaty snake, and I think I'm finally satisfied.  (It also has me thinking about doing a self-portrait-as-Medusa sort of project...)  Here is the new painting, along with its previous incarnation.

I also have a little painting of birch trees with claws that I'm thinking about again:

I'm more than a little obsessed with birch trees.

I also have a new magnolia painting to post, but my jpegs are lousy, so I'll try to shoot it again tomorrow and post it this weekend. 

New York stories

I just got back from a whirlwind trip down to NYC.  It was a 36-hour series of indulgences.  I stayed in a fabulous apartment I borrowed from a friend, I ate delicious food, and I got to see several of my most favorite people in the world.  And, I want to introduce my dog Parker to this blog, for reasons which will shortly become obvious.  I named her after Parker Posey, Dorothy Parker, and maybe even Sarah Jessica Parker.  Parker likes to hang out with my backyard Buddha.

On my first night in the city, I was having dinner at an outdoor Italian cafe with my NY gallerist and pal extraordinaire, Jen Bekman, and who should be seated a few tables away, with her little white dog in tow?  None other than Parker Posey herself.  Needless to say, it was all I could do not to go up to Ms. Posey and tell her that I named my dog after her.  But I displayed incredible restraint and kept my rabid fandom completely in check. 

I saw the prints from 20x200 over at the gallery, and my Manshroom collage at 16x20 inches is, simply put, divine.  The print quality is to die for.  It is amazing to see the small collages at such a large scale, and it got the old creative wheels turning and churning, which is just the sort of inspiration I was looking for.  I'm very excited to be part of this project which has gotten a ton of good press lately and deserves every good word written about it.  I know I'm biased, but I have seen the goods, and they are good.

I had brunch at Balthazar with said dealer as well as Ms. Lux Lotus, who herself recounted our meal on her blog in far more eloquent and evocative prose than I could ever pen.  And then I had the most divine sushi, sake, and shu mai with my cousin.

In retrospect, I think I ate my way through Manhattan.

two more

Thanks to everyone visiting from 20x200!

more new collages

Is it becoming redundant, all these collages?  I love making them.  I've found a good rhythm for my work these days: painting and collaging and back again.  I am trying not to get burned out.  It is going to be quite a ride these next few months, with the Miami art fairs looming large right after my Atlanta show goes up.  Tomorrow I'll get back to the studio to paint.

 

somebody else's opening night

(brief rant: the Red Sox are killing me.)

So, I lied: I am not posting new work today.  Or maybe just this one little unfinished goldfinch magnolia.

I painted like crazy today, which is a good thing, but I ran out of hours in the day to take pictures of my work.  I took a break this evening and drove up to the North Shore to see my friend Chris Nau's opening at Montserrat College of Art.    

   

Chris makes gorgeous abstract paintings, and he also chops up walls and then puts them back together again.  I like the idea of having the act of cutting/sawing/destroying be a method of mark making. Here's the wall he attacked,probably at least 30 feet long:

And then some paintings, which also have pieces cut out and then reassembled:

I bought one of his paintings recently, and my daughter thinks it looks like a cross between Totoro and a flying pig.  Hopefully Chris knows that's a compliment. 

I wish I could sound more erudite this evening.  It is hard to be in production mode in the studio for hours on end and then try to say something clever at the end of the day.  More tomorrow...

open studios wrap-up, and merci

I survived another round of open studios in the South End, and now I can devote myself 100% to getting ready for my show in Atlanta.  There was a photographer named Dustin Gray who came by to take a bunch of pictures in my studio for the website Going.com.  Here is a shot of some people looking at my framed drawings:

I love the expression on this woman's face when she discovers the goat in the painting:

And here's a shot of some VERY old paintings of mine:

Finally, here I am at my work table, trying to put some collages together while pretending that my pictures isn't being taken:

Photos appear courtesy of Dustin Gray.

I also want to say merci to Kahlan in France for the blog post!

New work will be posted in the morning, after the long, late night ahead of me.

feeling the crunch

I am working on new drawings frantically and, in the word of my friend David, mono-maniacally.  I am juggling a ton of deadlines, work commitments, and so forth.  Here is part of a new drawing:

It is made from this tree and this goat, combined:

I love cranking out paintings, even though I am also completely tortured by the process.

Now I need to finish getting ready for open studios tomorrow in the South End.  If you're local to Boston, please stop by!

next stop: Portland

Ever the last-minute worker (and I'd like to think my best work comes at the 11th hour...), I boxed up some newly-framed collages (and boy am I excited about them!) and shipped them off to Portland, Oregon, to arrive in time for The Affair at the Jupiter Hotel, where my beloved Boston dealer, Allston Skirt, will be holding court in room 133.

It looks like there is a really strong roster of galleries participating in the Affair this year.  I wish I were on the other coast so I could go. 

Have I mentioned that I am in overdrive getting ready for my show in Atlanta?  I need to finish up a lot of work in the next two weeks, but I will try to post when I can.  I also have Open Studios this weekend to contend with.  AND: I fear this blog is becoming highly narcissistic, so I want to break free of my own drama and write about other artists.  But now: back to work.

let there be prints!

Jen Bekman's 20x200 print project is up and running, which means that you are now able to buy this guy, titled Manshroom:

If you follow this link, an 8x10 inch print of Manshroom can be yours for a mere $20.  Affordable art for everyone!

catching up

I have been over my head, and in over drive, since I got back from Richmond.  I think I left the crucial cable that downloads photos from my camera to my computer in Richmond, so I have a camera full of pictures I can't download, and this post will not have any new images.  AND I'm working on some new watercolors that I really want to post in-progress.  So in lieu of that, here is a short list of randomness.

1. I am totally obsessed with Regina Spektor's album, Begin to Hope.  Love it.  Sort of like Tori Amos, with all the accompanying quirkiness, but maybe less depressive.  You should listen to it.

2. I have been dealing with bad service from a car dealership that shall not be named, and all I can say, emphatically, is: buy a car from the closest possible dealership, even if you are categorically opposed to a local monopoly franchise.  Your moral high ground will come back to bite you.  Trust me.

3. My friend Chris Nau has a new website that rocks.  I love his work.

4. There is an interesting new gallery in Boston showing primarily New Yorkers, along with some locals.  I think it will bring some good new energy to the scene here.

5. I will have work at the Year_07 art fair in London in October with Allston Skirt Gallery.