Transmissions from the Satellite Heart

Here is an example of why an artist shouldn't commit to the painting-a-day craze. Like reality TV, this project can backfire when the artist feels obligated to show his warts: this painting stinks! But I figured I'd post it, because I may complete a larger work based on this study - plus, nobody reads this anyway.

I went up to the studio this morning with nothing in mind, so I picked a photo off the floor and started to paint. Maybe a second go will produce better results.

I'LL BLAME IT ON THE MUSIC...
Transmissions from the Satellite Heart by the Flaming Lips.
This is the record that produced their only hit (so far): "She Don't Use Jelly." The liner notes recommend that the listener "...play all tracks at maximum volume," so that's how I listen to it.

To purchase this painting (should you ignore my review) see my web site and/or email me.

Surfer Rosa

[Back again, after another week.] I was driving through the kuntry this morning and was taken by the vibrant greens of the fields where wheat is planted. Clover at the edges provide the perfect accent to the green fields out here. This is another painting done from memory - just wanted to get that "impression" across.

I WAS LISTENING TO...
Surfer Rosa by the Pixies.
Ah, to be back in college (without having to go to class). I first heard the Pixies when their album Doolittle came out, and it thrilled me to learn that good music was still being made. (Prior to that, the only music I listened to, aside from R.E.M., could be found on Freedom Rock.) In the Pixies songs I found allusions to alot of stuff I was studying in my classes, so I figured, why go to school? Just stay in the apartment and listen to records, etc.

SOLD

Yours, Mine & Ours

Another marsh scene, painted from a photo I took around Thanksgiving. This is Bellevue Creek, near Ware's Wharf - a subject I turn to again and again. I've exagerrated the reds a bit here, perhaps too much; but every time you look at the marsh, particularly in autumn, you see a different color.

I WAS LISTENING TO...
Yours, Mine & Ours by Pernice Brothers.
This is another great album of songs about lost love, broken hearts, etc., by this not-so-well-known band. Joe Pernice was in a great band with a great name - the Scud Mountain Boys - before starting this. The songs, though depressing lyrically, are beautifully arranged and performed. Perfect little pop songs.

To purchase the painting, go to my web site and/or email me.

Bryter Layter

Perhaps this will turn out to be a painting a week or so blog. Gimme a break--I been workin on some bigger things. Today back to the studies. This one is from a photo I took late last summer on Farnham Creek, off the Rappahannock in the Northern Neck. Very hazy morning, deer flies and mosquitoes buzzing around. I like trying to recreate that thick, steamy air.

I WAS LISTENING TO...
Bryter Layter by Nick Drake

SOLD

Exile on Main St.

A couple of cedar trees in a field not far from home. I love the shapes of cedars, but even more, I love the depth of color. The older trees have this orange that shows through the green. It is difficult to define just where that orange is - on the tips of the needles? or does it glow from within the branches? Regardless, cedars are a subject I turn to again and again.

I WAS LISTENING TO...
Exile on Main St. (sides 3 and 4) by the Rolling Stones.
To me, there is no better recording than this, my choice for the one record to have on a desert island. The Stones at their peak, recorded at Keith Richards' home in France, while they were doing things they shouldn't have been doing. Alas, it was all downhill after this one.

To purchase this painting, visit my web site and/or email me.

Violin Concerto in D

I did this from my studio window. What once was a millpond behind our house is now a creek surrounded by grass and sand. The pond would make it more fun from a recreational point of view, but the creek and grasses are more interesting to an artist's eye. This morning as the rain moved on and the sky began to clear, the light was pretty dramatic. Don't know whether I've done it justice here.

I WAS LISTENING TO...
Beethoven's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D; Itzhak Perlman, Carlo Maria Giulini, Philharmonia Orchestra.
"Well la-di-da, aren't you sophisticated."

To purchase the painting, go to my web site and/or email me.