Saguaro Series 7
monotype on three joined sheets of paper, 10" x 30"
Click image to enlarge




Saguaro Series 5
monotype on three joined sheets of paper, 10" x 30"
Click image to enlarge


Some sort of bug that really means business waylaid me over the weekend, so I haven't been painting since. I was searching my files for something to post and came across these monotypes from my "Saguaro Series," done in 1994 or 95, shortly after our move from Oregon to Arizona. I've never shown them anywhere. Monotypes are one of a kind prints made by painting on a sheet of plexiglass, then laying a sheet of paper over the painting and applying pressure to transfer the image.

There are some relationships between this series and my recent "Nine Stones" piece (April 21st post,) though it may not be obvious. It has to do with my ongoing interest in serial imagery, repetition of forms that takes on an almost musical kind of rhythm, and paintings on separate panels or sheets that are placed side by side.

Though difficult to see, sprinkled across these images are faint or shadowy figures from my old family photos and early drawings. Though I didn't consciously think of it when making these, I realize now that this series was a way of reconciling my early background with the completely new environment I found myself in.

Email don@dailyartwest.com if you're interested in either of these pieces.

Sunspots

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
SOLD


I'm still going door to door.

There are tall arched windows on three walls of the studio. They are shuttered, which allows me to control the light, but the top of the arch is not covered. When the late afternoon sun comes through the west arches it makes beautiful soft-edged patterns on the opposite wall.

Red Pepper and Lime

Oil on board, 7" x 5"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Email don@dailyartwest.com for purchase

Mango on Blue Cloth

Oil on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Email don@dailyartwest.com for purchase

I fiddled for quite awhile with still life arrangements, not happy with anything. When I put the mango on this blue cloth I immediately loved the saturated color and could visualize the strength of a simple design.

Peppers and Lime

Oil on board, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Email don@dailyartwest.com for purchase


I got a bunch of fruits and veggies to use as still life material for my workshop last weekend. The workshop is over. I still have the produce.

So there you go.

Nine Stones, progression 1



Nine Stones, progression 2


Nine Stones, progression 3



Panel #1



Panel #4



Panel #5



Panel #6



Panel #7
Nine Stones
Oil on board, 9 panels, each panel 23" x 23"
Not for sale at this time
Click images to enlarge


So far on the blog I've only been posting my realist paintings, so this may not look like my work. But I have pursued other directions for many years, and this piece is just the latest incarnation. Though it is made up of separate panels, it should be thought of as a single work.

Nine Stones had a pretty prosaic beginning. It grew out of my becoming aware of boulders that had been placed around the edge of a small gravel parking lot out at Ladd Marsh. I've done a lot of work in the past that utilized multiple panels and multiple images, which were used in part to represent the passage of time and states of change.

I got to thinking about these common rocks, and how uncommon they really are. Native American and other indigenous peoples around the world think of the entire earth as a living organism, while the history of our modern culture has been one of separating humans from nature. It occurred to me that the only reason we think of a rock as inanimate is because its lifespan is unimaginably longer than our own. Suddenly I could sense the "life" in these stones, as a vital part of the living earth.

In the paintings, it seemed important to stay true to their individual shapes--after all, these are "portraits." It may seem silly, but it's even important to me that they are displayed in the order I've placed them, which is their actual relationship at the Marsh. But I've tried to paint them in a way that is less literal, in hopes of expressing the living energy I sense in them. My hope was to somehow ground them in observed reality, while at the same time implying a larger reality beyond our comprehension.

Here's some shots from the watercolor workshop I gave over the weekend. It was a great group of talented and--as you can see--hard-working folks. We had fun and I hope they thought it was worthwhile.










It will take me a little while to get back up to speed on painting. Meanwhile, here's a recent drawing:



Tree Trunk Study

Pencil on archival paper, 11" x 8.5"
$50 plus $5 shipping in U.S.
Email don@dailyartwest.com for purchase

I'm teaching a workshop that goes through this weekend, so it will probably be early next week when the next post comes along. Have a terrific spring weekend.

Backlit Trees

Pencil on archival paper, 8.5" x 8.5"
$50 plus $5 shipping in U.S.
SOLD


This is the first drawing I've posted on the blog--a study for a painting I hope to do.

Hall Door

Acrylic on board, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
SOLD

When the sun comes through the window in this passageway between the main studio and the other rooms, the space is luminous. Sitting in the stillness and watching the light move across the room is for me both joyous and poignant. I feel a heightened awareness of the passage of time and a sense of the preciousness of our moments.

Puddles

Oil on board, 5" x 7"

$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.

Email don@dailyartwest.com for purchase


Sometimes you don't even have to look up to find a subject for a painting.

The Fall Into Paradise
Video/sound installation
copyright 2005 Bill Viola. Photo: Kira Perov


All works of art, though visible, represent invisible things.

~ Bill Viola


Bill Viola is an American artist who has worked for many years with video, creating sound/image projections that often fill huge spaces. In an uncanny way, his work taps into very primal human emotions and themes. On London's Tate Modern website I recently came across a talk Viola gave at the Tate in June 2006. I don't think I have ever heard an artist better explain the connection between art and spirituality. If you can make the time to listen, I think you'll find it rewarding:

http://www.tate.org.uk/onlineevents/webcasts/bill_viola/default.jsp

In this first excerpt from the lecture he is speaking about holy texts like the Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, etc.:

They’re written in a form of language which is addressing something that is ultimately unknowable. And they’re describing experiences and situations which themselves are sort of ineffable. And so the way they’re written is this open-ended way; it’s no coincidence that King James, when he was translating the Bible, decided to hire poets to do the translating and the writing into English, because that comes closest to this way of touching something without disturbing it; without shining a bright light on it and blinding it or evaporating it.

Some further excerpts:

You get to a point where you’re staring at the blank page or the blank canvas long enough and you just have to get off your butt and do something, you have to start...just getting going is so important; once you take some steps you start on the path, even if it’s an unknown path—all of a sudden you’re not here, you’re there, and there has a different view—different angles of view—than here does. So you’re automatically in a more creative kind of space.


Artists must be able to fall...you must be able to step off the ledge and not worry if there’s rocks under the surface, where you’re going. And that’s the only way that you’ll actually go forward...you just go on faith, blind faith.


Here's a link to a segment of a Viola video called "The Passing:"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH0kJY0ag3w

I'll be back with another post in two or three days (at least that's the plan.)

Have a peaceful Easter weekend.

Bolt

Watercolor on archival rag paper, 5.5" x 7.5"
$135 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Email don@dailyartwest.com for purchase


My studio is in an old building that has gone through various changes, renovations and replacements over time. The wonderful result of this is that every door is unique in some way--there is nothing cookie cutter about them. I study them like you would study someone's face and take note of their personality. They are individuals, with a history and character all their own.

The Other Side

Acrylic on board, 8" x 6"
$150 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
SOLD

A slightly larger painting today. This one made me think of these lines from the Leonard Cohen song Anthem:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.

Porcelain

Acrylic on board, 7" x 5"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
SOLD


Lately it's about doors...

School's Out

Watercolor on archival rag paper, 7.5" x 10.5"
$350 plus $7 shipping in U.S.
SOLD

A larger painting today. Click the image for a larger view.

I did a double-take the other day as I drove past this building that used to sit alongside a railroad siding. The tracks are long gone, but on the freight dock sat this old school chair, minus the desk part. I loved the incongruous nature of the scene, and the suggestion of a story unknown to me.

I also loved that multi-colored tin roof, and the beautiful red/green complementary colors of wall and grass. Yes, that's right--that's green grass down there...and I didn't fake it!

Ajar

Watercolor on archival rag paper, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
SOLD

During the cold months I've been closing off rooms in the studio to cut down on heating costs. It has made me very aware of all the doors in this big old place. There are two doors at the top of the stairs; several hall and closet doors; one storage room has three entrances. Some shut easily and some stick in the jamb. Every door is unique in some way, and really quite beautiful.

I had fun doing a little video of the doors:

Fallen Log

Watercolor on archival rag paper, 5" x 7"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Email don@dailyartwest.com for purchase


Beavers gnawed this tree until it toppled, then chewed the limbs and bark off. They gotta have sore gums, don't you think?

Silt in the snowmelt runoff turns the water a beautiful milky blue-green.

Front Yard

Watercolor on archival paper, 6" x 6"
$125 plus $6 shipping in U.S.
Email don@dailyartwest.com for purchase


Late afternoon sun casts long shadows across our yard.