The day of the opening

Thanks to my wife and all of the Ocean County Artists' Guild gallery support staff.

And thanks to the many visitors to the opening.  Your comments were most kind 

and encouraging. 

Just in Time

Mr. James Hartung was a fine artist and supporter of the Ocean County Artist's Guild for many years.  For me, he was the face of the Guild who welcomed me and made me feel like it was a special place.  I saw him at least twice a week - Thursdays for 'Do Your Own Thing' painting and Saturdays for life drawing.  He was always supportive of my artistic attempts.  This is a multi-media work - watercolor and pastel on paper.  One day I saw him working with pastels on what looked like a painting -- it was a watercolor and he said - "this is a good way to touch up a watercolor and save it from the trash."  Jim, thanks for the advice.

Show piece Number Three

Once again, here is a piece that I began in portrait class over a year ago and reworked recently.  I wanted to tell some story with this one and decided that the woman looked as if she was wishing for something to happen. I call this one "Wallflower".  I made up the setting with the mirror reflecting a ballroom with dance in progress.  Quite by accident the woman's face looked a little sad and pensive to me.  Most of this work was repainted over the class work. 

Show piece Number Two

This piece was completed in February 2009 and begun in February 2008.  The beginning was done while participating in a class at the Ocean County Artist's Guild; the model posed for 1 session each week over a three week period, posing for 20 minutes and taking a short break.  I never heard her play the cello.

The unfinished painting sat in my attic studio for nearly a year.  In January 2009 I decided to complete this painting and submit it to the Ocean County Senior Citizen art show, held at Ocean County College.  I decided that I would try to give the setting as if it were at a performance.  Her face seems full of concentration, perhaps on the conductor, and somewhat concerned.  The painting was almost completely reworked and completed in April.  I plan to show the work in progress digitals I took to demonstrate the reworking process that I went through. 

Show piece Number One

 This is the largest piece for the show (30x40").  There came a time about 5 years ago when Mr. Glaisek told me it was time to paint a larger work.  This self-portrait is the result.  It hangs in the stairwell going up to my attic office/studio.  I worked out several versions of this, including selected sections on preliminary canvases, mostly out of fear for ruining the larger work in progress and may show some of these, space permitting, in the show.  The setting is Mr. Glaisek's studio in Nyack, NY.  The works on the table and floor are from other students; we were allowed to leave in progress works in his large workspace.  I like the relaxed pose and the fact that I do not look so fat!

1999 Jesse - I learn to love beards!

This is one of my first portraits painted at The Art School at Old Church, Demarest, NJ.

Jesse was a gentle and tall man.  Maybe I got his arm too long, but it does remind me how impressive his body was.  Oh the beard - here is where I learned that an accurate sketch can be more readily drawn if one has reference points and angles to work with.  Here the beard helped me to get the head shape and position of the nose, chin, ear and eyes.  Without the beard and mustache one must rely on the rounded features of the chin and cheeks where there are few reference edges to aid.  I also got a lesson on negative space while painting this.  Look at the grey triangle under his left arm - by getting the shape right I had help in setting the arm and left leg.  A lot of time was spend on the hand - I know why some artists like to hide the hand under or behind some object!

2004 Portraits in Watercolor

An instructor once told me that drawing in charcoal is the best media for a beginner who would like to learn to paint.  One needs to learn to draw and how to use light and dark values in a composition before adding the color.  Monochrome painting, whether in acrylic, oil, pen and ink, or watercolor adds the complication of the paintbrush and media as a challenge.  This is an early monochrome watercolor.  Really by accident I believe that the beauty and charm of this model was captured in this work.  I saved it because it reminds me of an early victory along the way and because it helps me to remember how powerful it is to see shapes and value.  At the time I did not concentrate on painting a likeness of this model; I just was looking at and painting the light and dark shapes and the transition between them.