Portrait ... 1st pass

 I have to paint a portrait now and then just to relax. Some do gardening and others binge on their favorite highball. Me ... I like to wander the forest in a portrait of someone meaningful and important to me.

 John Downs is becoming a good friend since our paths crossed at the Gallery. We were talking the other day about the Recession... that will bum you out ...  and as a contractor things have really slowed down for him. He had this pensive mood and I told him to stop and stay still as I wanted to capture the moment. John is not someone I have adorned in a cowboy costume. This is his look that he wears 24/7!

 The other day I asked him about God and his thoughts on the matter. He said he and God had an understanding. He said he would allow God to do his thing as long as he was allowed to do his thing. Well ... the other day John was in Church. He said it was only the second time he had ever been in Church. He said he was also starting to read the Bible. He figured he should at least get educated on the subject and see what it was all about before he passed final judgement. Amazing Grace.

 This is my first go round as the oil paint has already begun to dry. I'll put some more time into this small painting when it drys to the touch.

Dr. Fox Portrait

 Dr. Fox is famous around Auburn for sculpting these massive statues of Indians that tower about 20 feet right beside his dental office. He is by trade a dentist and at 85 still practices 2 days a week. I plan to paint several more of the good Dr. This is a small  11 x 16 oil on linen panel.

 I need to rephotograph this as I painted pretty thickly in the dark values and they are picking up some light kicks.

On Telling stories

I love hearing stories . I sometimes tune in to hear this crazy guy on the radio Michael Savage. I don't always agree with him but his stories always have me laughing. He reminds me of the character in that old movie " Network" ... I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more ".But his stories are engaging and I listen. Why? Because at the end of the day we like stories... my mom ended my day tucking me in and telling me a story. Its in our DNA!

 I now walk across the street after a day at the Gallery and talk to the guys at the Barber shop. John and Steve. They make me laugh. Think about it. They are talking to people every day while they cut their hair. They are in the business of hearing and telling stories.

 Our local hero is Bud Anderson. He is a WW2 triple ace and was partners with Chuck Yeager who lives in the next town up the road. Anyway, the Military Channel was in town 3 weeks ago as they filmed Bud geting a hair cut across the street. His pictures line the wall of the shop. He's walked into my Gallery and told me some good stories.

 I just love this town. And I love the people. They have supported me and encouraged me to keep on keeping on.

 So just the other day. This guy called Francois ( franswaah ) walks in . He eventually tells me that he is a retired chef. He tells me he was real famous. Okay I sez to myself... How famous Francois? Well... he sez... I was the crew chef for several James Bond Movies. He sez he has a stack of articles about himself and that he was the master chef on some super cruise ship . Okay . He says he will cook for me someday. ... So what do you do now Francois? ... I'm retired he sez and I do what I want. And what I want to do is Artwork... Great! Hmmmmm.  To make a long conversation short... he is into Venetian Plaster and wants to plaster one of my walls at no cost. He sez he likes me and wants to do it for me.

 I love this town. So this weekend. Francois and I will do some Venetian Plaster on our accent wall. They will go nice with the Persian rugs that Michel Kent Murphy traded me.

 I am humbled by all the people that want me to succeed!

 I now have enough good stories to be entertaining at a boring social function!

 Like what Frank ?.... the guy who came in who worked on Micheal Jacksons Dance Studio .... the Gal who came in who was the star of Beach Blanket Babylon in S.F. .... the guy who does cartoon voice overs and the geologist who came in today who was a walking wikipedia..... okay... that might put you to sleep!

On Doing what You do

I have to get this off my chest because this topic comes up all the time around our house these days with our 18 year old. What should I do now? I don't know what my major is and I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing? I hear artists say the same things and even uttered the same words. What should I paint? I recently had breakfast with a highly successful artist. He makes over 7 figures as an income. He wants to retire and do his " own " Art. I asked him... what would that be ? and he replied " I don't know".

 When I was in the Art Dept  at U.S.C. the spirit of the age ( zeitgeist ) for an artist was abstract expressionism. It had full potency in terms of legitimacy and relevance in current art circles. Try as I might at that time to fit in , I knew it was not me. There were many artists whose works I admired like Diebencorn ( I spelled it wrong but art types will know who I mean ) and Stella but I could not see myself doing that sort of work. It was not me. To thine own self be true said a character to his son in Hamlet. Somehow I knew my path was not down that road. So after a year I transfered to Art Center College of Design where there was a more traditional friendly mindset.

 We are often slammed on our career ship by the crashing waves of public opinion and current trends. We see others surf that wave and become successful and gain lots of attention. If we are comfortable in that mindset then there is no mental anguish or second guessing but if we sense that we have put on a mask and are driven to act out by some invisible puppet master in order to be accepted ala Zelig then we are in danger of losing ourselves and our vital core as an artist and as a communicator. One's voice is to be gaurded for it is a gift from the Almighty. You can thank your lucky stars if you have avoided Art School.

 So... my son has been an object lesson that has taught me something these days. He is an on fire christian young man. He gets up at 5:30 on Tuesdays to attend a bible study with his youth leader. He has organized a praise and worship meeting at his public school. He travels to another school to help out in a praise service. And he wants to go to Costa Rica to be involved in a missionary outreach. It seems obvious to me where his heart is and what he should be up to. I've even had a lunch with his youth pastor who tells me that he sees Isaac as a prime candidate to enter the ministry. It is just a matter of time where the " Voice" of his public school counselor and the " Voice" that he hears in his heart come to terms.

 As artists , we are happiest when we accept our bent. Are you an Oak or a DogWood? Glen Miller took off as a musician when he quit competing with Benny Goodman in his mind.

 Whose voice are you listening too?

On A New Year

 Happy Near Yew! .... I mean ... Happy New Year! That first sentence was a casual malapropism when I started to type. I kept it because it shows me that I am human all too human. We make mistakes and our chRACTER ( did it again ) ... I mean "character " is tested in how we will react. Let me start by starting this way.....

 A gal came into the Gallery wanting me to paint a black and white oil painting of her wife's father. He was in the Navy and this picture with time had really faded and had been soiled with neglect. It was never my intention when I started the Gallery that I would be doing these sort of paintings. She really wanted to know if I could make sense out of this bad photo and paint something that would be a lasting momento. Of course I agreed. I felt there was enough there that I could paint something reasonably close to what he looked like. As you can see from the image above it came out pretty good. It took about 5 hours. As a portrait painter , it helps to know a bit about anatomy to pull these sorts of paintings off.

 But as I was painting this picture it seemed metaphorical on how we want to preserve the past and how important family,  and the memories we make with our families , especially with our parents means to us. Things keep changing on us and its hard to go back ... but we still try to get those "good times" back and perserve them just the way we want them. I used to be a 30 x 30 pant waist. Then 32 x 30 . Now I've ballooned to a 33 x 30 and I can't squeeze into some of my good pants now. So can I go back to 30 x 30 ? Probably not but 32 x 30 is within striking distance and darn if I'm going to go out and buy a new ward robe.

 But as this New Year 2011 starts I will look back at 2010 and probably say  onward and outward to better things but in actuallity if living 50 plus years has taught me anything, new surprises will come along with challenges and disappointments. But sprinkled in the whole soup will be triumphs and breakthroughs. Sorrow and Happiness is all part of the mix. Along with a change of a new digit comes the desire to get it right this time around. We say to ourselves ... " I resolve to do this and then do that ! "

 So for some of my young readers ( that means 20's and 30's ) I will post what I have learned as an artist working in a studio/gallery in uptown Auburn as well as making a living as an artist since I graduated Art Center College of Design in 1980. Here it goes....

1. If someone asks you to be somewhere at such and such a time you be there at said time. They are counting on you and you being late speaks volumes about how you manage your time and shows a lack of respect . Hey , they will think to themselves , I got here on time. Why can't they?
2. If you cannot be there on time CALL. As humans we can all understand when some unforeseen circumstance comes up ( a flat tire ) . By calling , you are communicating that you respect and value their time and you want to inform that the appointment is important to you.
3. As an artist working on commission, most people will want to know how much a painting will  cost and when will they be able to have it. ALWAYS be clear on the cost up front right away. The advantage that an ol' painting hand like me has over a younger artist is that all the necessary items for production are owned and time tested and estimating time etc. has become second nature after years of painting images. A good rule of thumb is to add a week and if you finish sooner you come out like Johnnny on the spot.
4. Always get some money up front. That proves that the buyer is serious and holds your feet to the fire in getting it done. Keep good books and a record in print of what was agreed for the paint. Such as ...  30 x 40 oil on linen , 3 daughters , 2 dogs and a mariachi band in the back ground. If you get multiple commissions it will be hard to keep it all straight unless you write it down.
5.  Again, if you see that you will be late , notify them at least a week in advance. Nobody wants to hear bad news at the last minute. This shows that you are considerate and that you are aware that they have an emotional and financial stake in getting the finished product. Again, people will understand that you are creating something by hand and that it takes time and that you want to deliver an excellent result. Who wants crap on time?
6. You are judged by your last work. I've learned that the hard way. A paying customer expects consistancy. But sometimes we paint stinkers , anybody looking at this Blog knows I've had several bow wows in here. Offer the client a break in price for the next one or give them a small painting or a bottle of wine or something that communicates... I want your business and this won't happen again ( although as a human it will! ).
7. Understand that we are in the emotion business. Some people cannot tell the difference between a Kincaid and a Michelangelo. To them, one is no better than the other. Also, if they like it , whether its good or bad they will still pay for it. A good book to read is by one of my heroes Desiderius Erasmus. I believe his little treatise is called On Praise of Folly. As far as being excellent in any field of endeavor he says, only a few people will truly know how brilliant you are!
8. At the end of the day, you will be satisfied being you and not a mere trace of some other artist. We all have influences. But the trick is to be original. And by being you and truly you ... you can be original...... but more on that at some other time..... that's a whole can of beans.
9. Use the best materials, within reason, for any endeavor. A dull blade makes for more work.
10. A truly blessed artist can find contentment if he is on the right path meant for them. Sometimes it can take a lifetime to figure that out . That does not mean that you will always be satisfied with your end result ( who truly is? ) but the process in itself can be an exhilarating thing in itself.

well thats all for now .... back to painting!