State Of The Art

Two Ikura Sushi

2008-08-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

"Two Ikura Sushi"
Oil on linen on masonite, 10 x 8 Inches
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Although not as difficult as the foil in the previous painting, the marble these objects rest on was still plenty challenging. At least with this particular slab, the veins alternated between being distinct and blurred very quickly. Also, there was a tremendous variety of subtle colorations, a lot of which I simplified for clarity. Taken together, it was really tough to paint the stone in a convincing and realistic manner, and still have it appear to be a flat surface.

First time I've painted marble in a very long while. It definitely goes on my list of things to paint when I feel like a real stretch.

Thanks,

Chocolate and Foil

2008-08-25T00:18:00.000-07:00

"Chocolate and Foil"
Oil on linen on masonite, 10 x 10 Inches

This painting was just plain fun. It was a pleasure to take a subject that's somewhat unusual for me, and to set the composition in a way that's also a little out of the ordinary... for me.

The foil was one of the bigger challenges I've had so far as a painter. Foil curves and creases in complex ways, setting up a bewildering array of edges to deal with. But again, it was fun.

Tasty, too...

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Thanks,

Copper Creamer and Blue Plate

2008-08-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

"Copper Creamer and Blue Plate"
Oil on linen on masonite, 5 x 6 Inches

This copper creamer turned out to be an odd little object to work with. I tried it in a number of different settings and arrangements, but nothing quite satisfied.

I decided to go bold by placing it on a very similarly-colored background cloth. The objects were also very nearly centered, with a strong vertical line exactly down the center (that's really stretching a fairly important compositional rule).

Sometimes risks pay off. I think in this case the plate provides a good enough contrast for the creamer, and the strong diagonals of the shadows work against the centering of the objects. That was my goal, anyway.

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Also - for any reader who might be completely new to this blog - I have another blog which is an almost daily discussion of my process and in-progress paintings. You can read it at Watching Paint Dry.

Thanks,

Teacup and Teapot

2008-08-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

"Teacup and Teapot"
Oil on masonite, 5 x 6 Inches

I seem to be indulging my Orientalist streak lately; this painting, the previous one, and a number of upcoming efforts all include Asian objects.

The teapot came from an unusual yard sale. The gentleman holding it turned out to be a professor and author who had written numerous books on Asian history. He was selling off part of the collection from his travels in the area. Some of the items were exquisite; far too good for a yard sale. I think this teapot was only a few dollars, but I did pay quite a lot more for a beautiful lacquered box. I've been trying to work that box into a still life, but haven't found the right way to do it yet.

From a compositional perspective, one thing that's been interesting me lately is arranging objects so they essentially evolve out of shadow. I only somewhat did it with this painting - the right side of the teapot - but I think I will explore this motif as well in upcoming pieces.

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Japanese Brush and Wineglass

2008-08-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

"Japanese Brush and Wineglass"
Oil on masonite, 5 x 6 Inches

Years ago I decided to try my hand at watercolors. After a couple of sad and frustrating efforts, I realized my place, and went back to painting with oils.

The experience left me with endless respect for good watercolorists, and a drawer full of watercolor supplies, including several Japanese Hake brushes. As with most of the things I choose to paint, there's just something about them that trips my trigger.

This motif of one item balancing on another is one I've been thinking a lot about lately. It's likely to show up in a number of upcoming paintings.

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BrushSpace

2008-08-18T16:13:00.000-07:00

First of all, I know there are at least one or two long-suffering friends of mine out there who are wondering where the new paintings are. They are coming. Tomorrow. I promise.

OK - that's out of the way.

I recently joined a website called BrushSpace, and I wanted to call people's attention to it. It's basically an open gallery/artists' community, without a particular structure, or even much of a stated goal (it claims to be invitation-only, but it looks as if anybody can register).

Artists upload their paintings and say a few things about themselves (which I still have to do... does anybody even read artists' statements?). People can then choose to follow those artists they're interested in by entering their email address. Presumably, when those artists upload new works, their followers receive an email (I haven't yet tested this).

The catch is that the gallery only displays the top 100 artists, in terms of number of followers. I have some mixed feelings about this, as it becomes more difficult for those artists who are just joining or have fewer followers to be seen (as of this writing, there are 312 member artists). No, I'm not arguing against The Way The World Works or crying sour grapes (I actually have a respectable ranking at the moment)... just have mixed feelings in this particular case, that's all.

HOWEVER, the thing that is absolutely brilliant about the site, is that by choosing artists to follow - essentially voting - the site becomes whatever type of gallery people want it to be. I like that. It's democratic. It's also given me the opportunity to discover a good number of artists I find very interesting, who I may not have otherwise found. I was happy to see a number of artists I'm very familiar with as well.

So, I strongly encourage everyone to visit BrushSpace. It's a neat idea, lots of fun, and you'll discover LOTS of great art. Of course, I wouldn't object if anybody wished to follow me as well :) You can find my profile page here.

UPDATE: The gallery at BrushSpace has been modified so that artists can be viewed by ranking, alphabetically, or by most recently added. In my opinion, the gallery view was the major deficiency of the site; this enhancement fully addresses the issue.

Redefining Tradition

2008-08-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last week I was contacted by Katelin Kloberg, who is a grad student at RISD, asking permission to use some of my images and videos for a project about redefining the traditional still life. Naturally I was flattered, and of course said yes.

The above poster is a part of that project, and I think it looks amazing. It's even more impressive in the original dimensions, but the file was enormous (it is a poster, after all), and I had to reduce it to a web-friendly size. Take my word for it, though, it really looks even better at 7200 x 10800 pixels.

Actually, I was intrigued by the "authentic" old still life which was paired on the poster with my sushi paintings. At first glance, I assumed it was a Chardin I wasn't familiar with, but that's not the case. It's actually by Alexander Adriaenssen, Flemish, 17th century. After making a quick image search, I certainly had the feeling this is an artist I should be familiar with, but no, he's new to me. I'll be looking for more of his work.

So, thanks Katelin! I'm honored, the project looks great, and I made a very welcome discovery. Good luck!

There is a winner!

2008-08-10T23:07:00.000-07:00

There is a winner of the small painting, selected at random: Takeyce Walter. Thanks Takeyce, and thanks so much to everybody who participated!

-Jeff

30 Second Update

2008-08-07T14:30:00.001-07:00

In Progress: Blue Plate and Copper Creamer

Just a quick check-in here to let you all know I'm still around... no, I'm not even on vacation (though that seems like a really good idea today).

First, A couple of new paintings are ready to go; the image above is one of them while it was in progress. I'll probably post these here and on eBay next week. It would be nice to have them coincide with my August newsletter. Yes, I have been bad about getting my newsletters out lately. But this month I am trying!

Second, thanks to everyone who is participating in my painting give-away. A couple of people have let me know about postings, and some of these are not showing up on my Technorati listing. Several other bloggers have observed that Techorati has not been reliable lately. So... when I select the winner on Sunday (August 10), I'll augment the Technorati information with a Google search for this blog's URL. I'm sincerely hoping between the two it will accurately reflect everybody who participates. Of course, if anybody notices that their entry does not show up on the listing, and would like to send me an email as confirmation, that would be great. Send to:

OK, so that was a 45 second update...

Win this painting

2008-07-30T19:41:00.000-07:00

Marble Trio
Oil, 2 x 2.5 inches

OK, so here's the deal. I'm always interested in spreading the word about this blog and expanding the readership, so I'm giving away the above painting in hopes of doing exactly that.

Entering the drawing is easy. If I'm not already on your blogroll, just add me. If I already am on your blogroll, mention me in a posting including a link to this blog. Although I will count posts that say something like "I'm only writing this to win Jeff's painting", my preference would be to see a brief review of some kind. It doesn't have to be lengthy, flattering, or even complimentary, though naturally I'd hope most people would find something nice to say.

On August 10, I'll check my Technorati listing, and randomly choose from the links and postings added between now and then. The winner will receive the above miniature absolutely free, shipping and all (of course, the winning blog must have a clear way for me to make contact via email).

Granted, this drawing is only open to other bloggers. However, I'll be giving away another one of these miniatures in my August newsletter, which I'll also be sending around the 10th. To be eligible for that, you only need to be on my newsletter list. If you currently are not, look for the word "subscribe" in red on the right, and enter your email address in the box below.

Thanks!

Miniature: Teacup, With Tag

2008-07-28T21:26:00.001-07:00

Teacup, With Tag
Oil, 2 x 2.5 inches

And this is the last of the miniatures for the time being. Wednesday, I'll announce the drawing to give away one of these small paintings.

Miniature: Marble Trio

2008-07-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

Marble Trio
Oil, 2 x 2.5 inches

The 4th of the 5 miniatures I plan to do this week. This could be one of the paintings that I'll be giving away in next week's drawing.

Miniature: Olive Oil in Glass

2008-07-23T19:20:00.001-07:00

Olive Oil in Glass
Oil, 2 x 2 inches

This jar of olive oil has become a favorite subject; I've painted it several times already this year, and will almost certainly do so again in the near future. Also, there's a very quick post about the magnification I used to paint this and other paintings at my other blog.

One of these miniatures will be given away in a drawing next week. Be sure to check back for details.

Miniature: Red Coffee Mug

2008-07-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Red Coffee Mug
Oil, 2 x 2 Inches

The next in this week's series of miniatures. I have not decided what to do with all of these little paintings, but I do know there will be at least one given away.

Right here.

Next week.

Stay tuned.

Slew of Miniatures, and a Word of Thanks

2008-07-21T20:13:00.001-07:00

Red Tea Kettle
Oil, 2 x 2.5 inches

Lots of miniatures:
I'm changing pace a little this week. Rather than painting just 2 of my regular-sized pieces, I'm working on a collection of real miniatures - business card sized and smaller. I haven't decided yet what to do with the lot of them, but there might just be a give-away coming real soon. (HINT: watch this blog next week)

And a big appreciation:
I've been really pleased with the response my paintings have been getting at auction lately, and want to thank everyone who placed bids. Of course I paint because I love to, and there are bills to pay as well, but I truly do want these paintings to be enjoyed by others. That people definitely want to have the artwork in their own homes tells me I'm on the right track. So, to all who are bidding, many thanks - it's really great feedback!

Olive Oil and Red Apple

2008-07-15T07:32:00.000-07:00

"Olive Oil and Red Apple"
Oil on linen on masonite, 6 x 5 Inches

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I'll take another opportunity to plug my new discussion blog: Watching Paint Dry, for a daily look inside my studio and posts about how my paintings are made. Sort of like going to an Open Studio, without actually having to go anywhere.

Marmalade Jar in Sunlight

2008-07-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

"Marmalade Jar in Sunlight"
Oil on masonite, 10 x 4 Inches

I really enjoy working on paintings that have somewhat unusual dimensions, like this one. It somehow makes me feel refreshed and challenged. One of my least favorite dimensions is also one of the more common ones - 5 x 7 - I think there about a dozen empty panels of that size in my supply closet that have been sitting there for years. I'm not exactly sure what it is that bothers me, but it just feels wrong. 5 x 6 is more harmonious to my eye, and I use that dimension a lot.

So this is just one of those things I follow my gut on. There do seem to be a lot of artists who take proportions seriously and formally. Dennis Cheaney, who I studied with for a while, was a math major in college, so naturally took a scholarly approach to it. He sometimes talked about the Golden Mean, specifically as it applies to paintings. It also crops up in discussions about many other fields; for instance a composer I went to school with talked about its influence on his musical structures - both large scale and small. There is a book floating around here that goes into some depth about the ratio as it's found in nature. I'd love to sit down and read it sometime, but haven't gotten to it yet.

Meanwhile, I'll keeping thinking about unusual painting formats. I wonder what 2x12 would look like...

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I'll take another opportunity to plug my new discussion blog: Watching Paint Dry, for a daily look inside my studio and posts about how my paintings are made. A couple more reminders on this blog and then I'll be quiet about it!

Note: After I finished writing this post, I followed a few more links about the Golden Mean. Debussy's La Mer is one of my very favorite orchestral pieces, and apparently it's formal divisions correspond exactly to the ratio. It's unknown if he intended this or not, but it wouldn't surprise me. Either way, he was a genius.

Knife, Wineglass, and Peeled Lemon

2008-07-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

"Knife, Wineglass, and Peeled Lemon"
Oil on masonite, 6 x 5 Inches

I probably should hesitate to think of certain paintings as turning points, where everything before was bad, and everything after was good. Most artists probably turn out a few dogs in the middle of a good run, and likewise an occassional great painting in the middle of a losing streak.

Nevertheless, I feel like this one is a step up for me. For one thing, it was almost entirely painted under magnification, which gives it a level of detail I haven't been able to hit before. Painting highly detailed miniatures, it might seem like a no-brainer to use magnification, and yet I only started experimenting with it a few months ago. This is the first painting where I used it throughout the entire process. Better late than never. I also feel like the lighting, composition, and textures all came together here in a successful way.

This isn't to suggest that everything from now on will be a masterpiece. Hardly. In fact I'm feeling a little disappointed with my current in-progress painting; have to wait and see how that turns out. But, I do think in general this one points the way forward.

Hope you all enjoy it as well.

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OH! and I don't want to miss this opportunity to plug my new discussion blog: Watching Paint Dry, for a daily look inside my studio and posts about how my paintings are made.

White Carnations Study

2008-07-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

"White Carnations Study"
Oil on linen on masonite, 4 x 4 Inches

The previous owner of our house was a real gardening fanatic; she must've spent half her waking hours planting and weeding. Let's just say that the flower beds don't get quite so much attention these days. I generally prefer the survival-of-the-fittest approach to lawn and garden care. Darwin knew a good thing when he saw it.

Nevertheless, even after 3 years of total neglect, we still get hundreds of flowers blooming around the yard in a nice, orderly sequence, although there's some pretty stiff competition with the weeds.

Definitely makes me think I should paint flowers more often. I really should.

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Ending Soon!

2008-07-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

The auction for this painting ends soon; click on the image for more information.

Brand Spankin' New Blog!

2008-07-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging for a while - almost 3 years now. Not exactly a new thing for me, and at some point I even slipped over the Long Time Blogger line. But... I still feel like I'm figuring things out as I go; it's a continuous learning curve.

Lately, it's become clear that more frequent posts and discussions about my working process would be a really good thing - not to mention avoiding the extended absences I've had to take from blogging over the last year (not my fault... really... but's that's irrelevant now).

Naturally, my first thought was simply posting here more often. Makes sense, except that I've also come to view this more or less as a showroom for new paintings. Displaying them next to extended rants about painting techniques felt like it would be muddying the waters a little too much. I'd also like to let my hair down a little (crew-cut notwithstanding) and be a little more informal; I doubt anyone wants to hear me talk about art like a black-clad gallery drone.

So, I've decided to split this into 2 separate blogs. State of the Art (what you're reading right now), will be my gallery blog going forward, showing each and every new painting, roughly twice a week. Watching Paint Dry will be my discussion blog, where I will try to post every working day, be it images of in-progress paintings, thoughts about techniques and materials, and maybe a few art-in-general discussions.

I've been writing there for a week now, and the doors are open: Have a look. If you think having two sites is a crazy idea, let me know. If you think it's an inspired approach to art blogging, I can probably handle hearing that too.

Give it a read and say hi; I'd love to hear from you all!

Silver Knife, Waterglass, and Green Bottle

2008-06-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

"Silver Knife, Waterglass, and Green Bottle"
Oil on linen on masonite, 6 x 8 Inches

I'm definitely pleased with the outcome of this painting. There's something inherently satisfying about a composition where one item is delicately balanced on another (and I know I really like this device - a lot of my previous paintings used it, and a couple of my in-progress pieces have similar compositions). That, plus the addition of the green bottle balanced with it's own backwards reflection in the waterglass, and the whole design really came together for me. Hopefully you all enjoy it as well!

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Peeled Orange and Knife

2008-06-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

"Peeled Orange and Knife on a Blue Plate"
Oil on masonite, 4 x 8 Inches

With this painting I'm getting back to a more obviously Dutch-inspired effort. For me there's something absolutely magical about what the Dutch still life masters could do with a few simple items from their kitchen and a little dramatic lighting.

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Espresso in Sunlight

2008-06-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

"Espresso in Sunlight"
Oil on masonite, 5 x 6 Inches

I'm somewhat at a loss what to say about this painting, so I'll take that as a sign. I love a good espresso, and this particular cup was a real delight and challenge to paint. 'Nuff said...

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Wineglass with Riverstones

2008-06-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

"Wineglass with Riverstones"
Oil on masonite, 5 x 5 Inches

Arranging the items for a still life is by no means a tidy affair. The table in my studio where I do this invariably gets strewn with dozens of objects while I search for just the right items, combinations, positions, lighting, etc.

Sometimes, though, the chance juxtaposition of these items off to the side leads to a painting I hadn't originally intended to do... like this one. See a wineglass... see a pile of stones... seems like an obvious combination... right?