painting started

got tired of doing nothing
oil on canvas, 14 x 11 inches
click on pic for larger image

finished business?

This small horizontal painting is what I was working on yesterday. It is either finished or still a work in progress. My natural impulse is to be sloppy and haphazard. For a change of pace, I thought, what if I just did vertical and horizontal lines and shapes, and tried to be as neat as possible?

I actually began this piece vertically. If you tilt your head to the right or left you'll see how it would be with the thick white line on the right being the top or the dark blue on the left as the top part. I was turning the thing upside down vertically every so often, adding more paint each time but could not make up my mind which was the better top. Two-thirds through the painting process I turned it sideways horizontally as you see it here and it seemed to jell, or it sat well. That's how I painted it last. Now if I turn it upside down or vertically I'm likely to make new adjustments. I'd rather start a new painting or work on unfinished business.
Oil on Baltic birch wood, with frame 7 x 11.75 inches. Click on picture for larger image.

work in progress #2... 9/26/09

This is the second piece I started yesterday. Today I placed the painting in the frame intending to paint part of the frame like with the previous painting. However, it seems to work fine the way it is. I know that if I begin touching up here and there, before you know it, it would get a labored feeling, lose some of the freshness or spontaneity. Will set this aside too and instead begin a new painting. If I look at this painting in a week or so I will probably figure out what else to do with it. Untitled, oil on Baltic birch wood, 13.5 x 11.5 inches. Click on picture for larger image.

work in progress #1 ...9/26/09

Today I'll start posting paintings in progress. Dimensions with the frame here is 13.5 by 11.5 inches. Oil on Baltic birch wood. I do not have a working title for this one at the moment. I started this painting yesterday and worked some more on it today. At this time I do not know what else to do with it. I'll set it aside and tackle another painting, same size similar frame that was initiated along with this one. Click on picture for larger image.

small paintings for new york

Reworked 5 small framed paintings started last week and added a 6th... for October group show 'Never think small' at Climate Gallery in Queens, NY. Oil on Baltic birch wood. Mailing these on Monday.

small framed paintings

Plan C for Climate Gallery. Made 5 small framed paintings yesterday. Oil on Baltic wood. Fitted the wood in the frames first before painting. The frames are deep enough so the wet oil paint hopefully will not smear during mailing.

small paintings (slideshow)

Plan B on what to send to New York is a few small paintings done years ago. The paint is dry... which ones to mail? Took pictures to see what's around. Have not done anything figurative for a while.

paintings on escutcheons

Oil on steel escutcheons painted a couple of days ago. These are approximately 7 to 8.5 inches tall and 2 to 2.5 inches wide. Herman James, a friend from Boston, asked me to send a few small paintings for the October grand opening of Climate Gallery which he co-founded, located in Queens, New York. The show is called NEVER THINK small!