The end of the year, and another beginning

As the days grow tragically short and dark, my mind wanders back to the little things, those small pleasures, fleeting moments, passing fancies and very small paintings. In between some of my larger ventures I shall start working on a new series of very small paintings. Last year I found some exciting new directions through the small study series, and this year's exploration should prove to be just as entertaining.

Two through Six of Six

A Red Onion , 6" by 6", oil on stretched canvas, May 2009

A Tasty Kabocha Squash, 6" by 6", oil on stretched canvas, May 2009, Private collection, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

A Yellow Onion , 6" by 6", oil on stretched canvas, May 2009

Private collection, location unknown

A Banana , 6" by 6", oil on stretched canvas, May 2009

Private collection, location unknown

An Espresso Cup, 6" by 6", oil on stretched canvas, May 2009

Private collection, Downingtown, Pennsylania

These are the rest of the pieces finished for the upcoming 6 by 6 show at the Art Trust Gallery. The preview party will be Wednesday the third of June, and the rest of the world can see the show on Friday, the fifth of June.

One of Six

One Green Apple, 6" by 6", oil on stretched canvas, May 2009

Private collection, location unknown

This is the first of a series of six paintings measuring six by six images for an upcoming show at the Art Trust Gallery here in West Chester, PA. I'll be working on the rest of this series during the upcoming week, in preparation for an opening reception on June 3rd.

Life after an open studio

Strangely, things went easily last weekend, aside from endlessly running up and down the hill to the house and never really catching up on a week of lost sleep. For everyone that managed to be here for the event, thank you for your support and dedication. It's likely to happen again next year, although the dates are still being discussed. And once again I'm not painting very small paintings, but instead I just carved out a large study of an espresso cup. I'm learning all kinds of fun things about colored reflections, and tomorrow I start on the first of four consecutive weekends of outdoor exhibits, in Richmond, Virginia.

Chester County Studio Tour

Of course I haven't been painting any very small paintings lately. Three days ago I finished a 60 by 84 inch painting of eleven apples, and right now I'm almost finished with another 60 by 84 inch painting, and there's no way I can call either of these even somewhat small-ish. In other news, I've been busy at work setting up for this upcoming weekend's Chester County Studio Tour, here at my studio, in connection with the studio of Jeff Schaller just over the hill in Downingtown. Visit the website to get more information on participating artists and maps to both locations. Everyone should stop by, see where I work, have a bite to eat, and enjoy a refreshing beverage.

A Slice of Cantaloupe

A Slice of Cantaloupe, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Williamsburg, Virginia

I worked until late last night on this study of a slice of cantaloupe. The luminosity of the slice created stronger colors than the material itself, and everything seemed to glow with light and color. The details of the edges and corners provided a good contrast to the big fields of shine and color.

One Black Plum

One Black Plum, 30" by 30", oil on stretched linen, February 2009

I started a large study of a single black plum yesterday, and at about 2:30 this morning I managed to finish it. It's not a very small painting, but it sure is an exciting piece.

A Kabocha Squash

A Kabocha Squash, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

o bid on this paintingNow that I'm on a new campaign to stay out of my comfort zone, I decided to carve out a very small study of a green pumpkin, now listed with its correct name of a kabocha squash, or Japanese pumpkin. Just when I thought about avoiding the details of the texture of a pineapple, I found myself caught up in the details of the stripes on a squash. Like I said, nowhere near my comfort zone here. It's all so very strange.

A Pineapple

A Pineapple, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Annandale, Virginia

Without having any idea of what I'm doing, I did a small study of a pineapple. I've managed to avoid ever attempting this before, mostly because of my aversion to patterns. The perfect grid of texture across the fruit itself and the pattern within the crown have always been the identifying characteristics of a pineapple. As I wonder more and more what I should be doing lately, it seemed that putting the pineapple in a believable interior space would suffice for detail for this study. It has some nice colors, but overall it's just a rough little exercise.

Two Shallots

Two Shallots, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Little Rock, Arkansas

Rather than be defeated by another rose, I decided to carve out a very small study of two shallots. This was an interesting challenge, with one piece encased in a golden papery skin, and the second one peeled enough to expose a layer of bluish violet. This almost feels like the kind of painting I'd like to be able to do, if I could actually paint.

A Single Red Rose

A Single Red Rose, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Great Falls, Virginia

In the spirit of Saint Valentine's Day, I finished a very small study of a single red rose. Ah...love...of course these colors defy what can be accomplished with my normal palette, and even an odd extra tube of magenta only managed to get me somewhere in the ballpark of the vibrant red. I've never been happy with the studies of roses I had done in the past, and this one had me similarly dissatisfied. I do have another single rose in a cup on standby for another attempt, so I might try again tomorrow.

A Black Plum

A Black Plum, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, San Pedro, California

In addition to so many other things, I did carve out a very small study of a single black plum.

Dog, Skunk, Stink

Last night Frank was blessed by the attentions of a skunk. All night and all day today was spent giving him no less than five baths of every combination of baking soda, white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, dog shampoo, human shampoo and even some supposed "miracle" solutions. Needless to say, he still stinks. I picked up enough supplies to continue this routine for a few more days. In the meantime I'll be back to work painting on Monday, and Frank is sleeping in the basement.

Groundhog Week

Winter Sunset, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Orlando, Florida

The snarling little weasel saw his brilliantly bold shadow this morning, so I guess winter will last as long as winter is supposed to last. This past week I've been busy studying the big world around me, and the small world here in the studio. On Monday evening the sky lit up in a blaze of glory again, so I scrambled to try to capture the quickly changing colors.

I carved out a few more quick studies of difference objects, including another green apple, and a pomegranate, and a single red rose in a vase.

One Green Apple, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009

Private collection, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

A Pomegranate, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, February 2009 Private collection, Austin, Texas

Another Winter Day

Winter Forest, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009

Private collection, Coconut Grove, Florida

Winter Sunset, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009

Private collection, Coconut Grove, Florida

I'm quickly gaining a new appreciation of winter. I never realized how normal light gets stepped up to such a high voltage in the snow. These are good exercises in observation. First I carved out another study of the odd grove of trees on the edge of my property in the muted light of the afternoon. The sun started coming out as the afternoon grew dark, and then the sky suddenly lit in a blaze of color. Normally I would run to grab my camera, but instead I started mixing and laying down paint with the linen board in my hand. The heart wrenching colors changed every few seconds, but I managed to capture some version of the technicolor sky.

Winter Sunset

Winter Sunset, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009
Private collection, Orlando, Florida

After finishing what might be one of the most exciting little paintings I've ever done, I started pondering the sky. Without a whole lot of planning I sketched out a little color study of the sunset reflecting off of the snow on the ice on the lake. A few trees were silhouetted in the foreground. This is all very exciting, and I'm already thinking about hacking out some larger versions of these little studies.

Winter Forest, Revisited

Winter Forest in Sunlight, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009
Private collection, Larchmont, New York

Suddenly the same dismal grey forest came to life when the sun came out. Shadows vibrated with color, and nothing could capture the sun glowing in the snow. Now I can see how landscape painters seem to always be having so much fun.

Winter Forest

Winter Forest, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009
Private collection, Fairfield, Connecticut

Just to really get out of my element, I tried to find some color in the otherwise grey and dismal forest. Rain fell on the ice-covered snow, and everything is just dark.

Groovy Boots

Brown Boots, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009

Private collection, Saskatchewan, Canada

Just to try something totally different, I decided to carve out a study of some old brown boots. The smooth lines and slick shine provided some interesting challenges, and there is plenty more to learn from this subject

A Baseball

A Baseball, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009

Private collection, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Today I carved out a very small study of a genuine baseball. I picked up two for this commission, one to keep bright and white and the other to give to Frank. I thought he might give it a nice patina of use and abuse, but he quickly lost interest. So I took it upon myself, and first rubbed coffee into the leather, then scrubbed it, then rubbed it with oil, then burnished it on a wooden table top. Apparently nothing replicates the look of use and time, of grass and wood and leather, endless hours of summer, of exertion and sweat, of wins, losses and team spirit. At some point I'd like to find a well used one, the dirty yellowed leather burnished to a bright shine. So instead, this study is of the bright white one, minus the blue printing which I found can be easily washed off.

A Banana

A Banana, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009
Private collection, Greenwich, Connecticut

For so long I said I never would, only for one reason or another, yet today, for the very first time in history, I actually tried a very small study of a single banana. It was a great day for historical events, as Barack Obama was sworn in as the new president of these United States. I watched him deliver his inaugural address, and I was moved by his sincerity and dedication toward helping us to rebuild our identity and purpose among ourselves, and with the rest of the world, starting today. In my own studio, the brave new world starts with a painting of a banana, but bigger wheels are already turning. As always, I can hardly wait till tomorrow, for myself, and for all of us.

A Yellow Apple

A Yellow Apple, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009

Private collection, Washington, DC

On the heels of finishing a big and bold and bright painting of pink tulips, I decided to carve out a quick small study of a single yellow apple. The day was fairly dim and grey in the fading light of an all day snowfall, but I did manage to find some bold and lively colors.

A Lemon

A Lemon, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009

Private collection, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania

On top of juggling endless paperwork, I managed to finish a very small study of a single lemon. In these dark cold days of winter, the lemon is still fresh and zesty with brilliant color. It's no surprise that lemon yellow seems to be fairly useful with this subject.

In other news, see the lovely little painting done by Brian Eppley, of his brand new David Oleski coffee cup. Last week he was a bit under the weather, but thanks to this cup, he's feeling much better. In some ways he may possibly have even become a better painter from the challenge of studying this new and exciting subject. There's no end to the good things you can experience while enjoying your favorite beverage from an offical David Oleski coffee cup. Buy one today, or get a whole set of four and share them with your friends and family.

A Peach

A Peach, 5" by 7", oil on linen board, January 2009

Private collection, South Boston, Massachusetts

After a month away from the very small painting studio, I decided to kick off the new year with one of the more challenging subjects I've encountered, the peach. Any tricks I may have learned with shine, sheen and reflected light are useless when observing the fuzz of a fuzzy peach. One of the keys to it all was in understanding that transition colors are made of the grey January light, and not the reflections of the surrounding space.