Oil Painting : I Loved You, It Was Hard

Here is my painting that will be in Groveland Gallery's summer show: Love Letters from Artists, curated by Peter Kramer. The show opens, with a reception, on June 12 and has a closing party on August 15. Below are the details from the gallery's website.

Love Letters from Artists

Invitational Group Show

Opening Reception: June 12, 5-8 p.m.
Closing Party: August 15, 2-5 p.m.
Calling himself the “Curator of Love Letters,” St. Paul architect and artist Peter Kramer invited over 75 local artists, writers, art enthusiasts, musicians, teachers and creative minds to send a love letter to the gallery. Invitees were encouraged to “paint, weave, paste, fold and print what’s in their hearts,” promising a unique exhibition that celebrates the tradition of writing and receiving letters.

The Book of Bartholomew and The Other Stories

I had the great pleasure the other morning of being interviewed by Ilana from The Other Stories. The Other Stories is a great website that shares an unpublished short story from a writer each week. Ilana interviews the writer and then the writer reads his story. At this point in time there are ten stories at the site.  Its great to hear the writer speaking about their inspirations, writing habits, and their particular story.  One of my short stories from The Book of Bartholomew will be podcasted on The Other Stories later in June or early in July. My short story is Claire.  It takes place in a chicken coop in Claire's parent's backyard. Claire is commiserating with Henrietta, a chicken - except Henrietta's concerns are a bit more drastic than Claire's.

I will post the date it will be podcasted and, who knows, I might throw a podcast party. Stay tuned.

Oil Painting: Arctic Apple

Arctic Apple

Oil Painting on Canvas

36" x 24"

This is my latest completed painting. It is of an Arctic Apple - Granny Smith. Arctic Apples are GMO apples that do not brown when exposed to air.  I pared the apple in half to expose the flesh to air. I guess many people find that browning apples are undesirable. In typical agribusiness fashion, someone decided to create an entire GMO apple instead of following some centuries-old simple steps to prevent the browning of apples.  Here are some simple things you can do to stop apple slices from browning: http://www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-Cut-Apple-from-Turning-Brown.

Learn Oil Painting Without the Mess and Cost: No Fuss Oil Painting Class at Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio

At Jack-in-the-Pulpit Studio, starting in late April, you can learn how to oil paint without all the fuss of material costs and mess.

No Fuss Beginning Oil Painting (6 Sessions)

Have you ever wanted to try oil painting? Have you hesitated because of the mess and cost of materials?  Learn the basics of oil painting in a relaxed and supportive environment without purchasing materials. Materials are provided and you can keep your wet messy canvases at the studio until they are dry. Class includes instructional demonstrations, discussion and plenty of time to paint. Class will cover choosing subjects, creating a composition, and mixing color while working your way through the different stages of creating a painting from start to finish. At the end of this class you will feel comfortable approaching a blank canvas and creating your own unique painting. And you will know if you want to invest more in oil painting.

Wednesdays, April 22 - May 27, 2015
6:30pm - 9:00pm
Cost: $175
Register for and see other classes here

Oil Painting: Eggplant

Eggplant

Oil paint in canvas

46" x 40"

Oil Painting: Carrot Tops

Carrot Tops

Oil Paint on Canvas

28" x 36"

Art Thought: Representation or Life?

As I paint the mold on an eggplant, I am thinking about that point in a painting when you choose between trying to accurately represent what is in front of you or putting your own energy into your subject.  Often, when I focus on being accurate I find my paintings become dull and lacking life. There is a fine balance between capturing tone and hue while pushing values and intensity to better represent form or volume.  I think it is similar to the dilemma of trying to locate a subatomic particle and measure its mass - you cannot do both at the same time.  It is hard to see what is in front of you accurately in the 3-dimensional world and recreating it in a 2-dimensional setting.  And how do you paint mold, anyway?