Journal Des Muses
An ongoing visual and conversational diary about my work and life as an artist.
I notice as I begin my first blog post of 2016 that I am remembering the pressure to produce a daily painting. Then, I relax and say to myself "this isn't the daily painting. I don't have to finish anything before the dawn of the next day. All I have to do is to write and to share a little of what is going on in my world."
So, here it goes!
Read MoreNaches Heights in the distance seen from Selah ridge. Below the Heights flows the Yakima River.
The land.
I traveled to Eastern Washington February 13 and 14 to scout locations for a new series of landscape paintings (details below). My subject is the Naches Heights, about ten miles outside of Yakima. This project is especially meaningful to me because it is the home of my family on my mom's side.
Read MoreSecond Avenue and University Street, downtown Seattle.
March 24, 2015. 5 pm Pacific. Day 17 of 30, Quarter 1, "The Four Seasons" 2015.
4"x4", Oil on Canvas.
I am on foot scouting the scene for today's daily painting. My treks take me through the Pike Place Market and First Avenue. I settle on this scene. There is one particular reason why. The clue is in this painting. Look around the center of this painting. What do you see?
Read MoreIn the open air.
In the 19th century, an artistic movement actively took painting outdoors--from within the walls of the academic studios outside into the elements. "En plein air" , in the open air, is the French term that is used to describe this manner of painting. This method of painting was used primarily by a group of 19th century Paris-based painters that fostered the style of artwork known as "Impressionism."
Read MoreTools of my trade.
On September 1, 2014, I embarked on a journey of 100 days of painting. The goal was to make one oil painting a day for 100 days. I considered this task to be an easy one. My canvases were 4”x4”. How difficult could it be to paint a canvas of these dimensions in one sitting? I was soon to find out, it was a little more challenging than I had imagined.
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