Adding Trainers

We've been watching so many British detective shows lately that I've come to think of sneakers as trainers. 

                                                I Dreamed That I Could Fly, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

I Get Some Color

 Went a little further on this today.

                                                I Dreamed That I Could Fly, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

French Flats

 In the 1880s, Manhattan apartment buildings were constructed for the middle class and well-to-do, as opposed to the tenements that housed many families. These "French Flats," as they were called, typically had two families per floor. This is one of those buildings, the Jeanne d’Arc Apartments on West 14th Street, and Joan herself stands guard with her sword and shield. She is in stark contrast with the red brick.

                                                                Joan (New York Short Stories), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

Lately It's All Night Work

There's still a lot to catch up on here, including visits to see friends (one of whom I haven't seen since before the pandemic). Today included a birthday celebration and then Early Voting. I am happy to have the latter out of the way.

Earlier this evening, I spent an enjoyable hour working on Mist's beautiful blue dress.

                                                                Misti (America Series), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

And then I moved on to this one:

                                                                Exit (New York Short Stories), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

Little Strokes

Two last night: they look streaky at this point in the game, but soon things will even out.

                                                                Word (New York Short Stories), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

 

                                                                Vroom (New York Short Stories), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 
 

 

Joan

 I'm going with single-word names for this new series. 

                                                                Joan (New York Short Stories), work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

Number 3 In The Series

Clearly, the series needs a name. But here's the most recent piece:

                                                                Exit, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

 

On The Wind

I added another layer of color— well, I guess a few layers, since they're in different colors and shades— on most of the walls. And darkened the floor. I need to place a pair of shoes somewhere in the foreground, and make some decisions about what clothes the figure is wearing. There's a distinct wood grain on this particular panel, but luckily it runs vertically and matches the direction of the brushstrokes.

                                                I Dreamed That I Could Fly, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

Special Delivery

 I brought the America series to Calloway Fine Art today, along with the big painting of Eric, Dolcezza, and The Happy Hour. Now that all the September deadlines have been met, I can dream about doing new work. And this is what I did tonight.

                                                                Word, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

More Night Work

 I'm not sure if my plans to work on this new series at night are going to be realistic; though I'm painting under a daylight lamp, the colors are truer in real daylight. Plus, the lamp is on my right side, which casts the shadow of my arm over the little panels. But here's last night's work:

                                                                Vroom, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

Onward

 I finished Dolcezza on the 14th, and have been tidying up all sorts of loose ends and wrapping the Atlantic Ocean Series and varnishing and delivering work. I'm pretty much exhausted, but tonight I had a chance to paint one of the little 6x6s.

                                                                Word, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

A Long Day

I started working on Dolcezza this morning, as it turns out it needs to be delivered to Calloway Fine Art on Tuesday, and I've only just put the brushes down a few minutes ago. It's hard for me to concentrate on one painting for an entire day; I get bored and want to move on to something else. But despite the problems of working around large wet areas, I've made some decent progress. It should be ready in time.

                                            Dolcezza, work in progress (click on image for larger view)

Nicer

Worked on the faces; added some window reflections. 

                                            'S Nice, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

Little Bits Here And There

Sometimes after I've finished a piece, I notice tiny areas that need adjustment . And so it went with Over Mojitos; straightening out a line, adding a glaze, refining a shape. It looks better to me now.

                                            Over Mojitos (click on image for larger view)
 

Dolcezza Continues To Confound Me

 All that detail in the background! The tiny letters on the blackboards for things like "Coffee" and "Coppettas." The places that still need glazes, or gradation. Argh. Well, I got to some of it today, but mostly added a glaze layer to the bricks, the table tops, and the shorts on the customer.

                                            Dolcezza, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)
 

I'm Going To Take Out That Extra Pedestrian

 Sometimes I get so caught up in the idea of sticking to the reality presented in the reference photo that I don't do the little bit of editing that would help the composition. But here I'm going to paint over that guy on the right; it'll simplify the space and allow the viewer to concentrate on the action.

I like the name "Vroom." It refers to the signage in the window and also hints at what might happen if the doggos see a squirrel.

                                            Vroom, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)

A Sneak Peek

 It's been a hectic 5 days, but things are rapidly going back to normal after a quick weekend show. 

Puzzled by the fact that so many people have been referring to me as a hyperrealist, I thought I'd better look into it. I've read about the differences between photorealism and hyperrealism, and though I don't think my technique is as developed as it should be to really qualify for that definition, I'll take it!

I've got a book on order that may help, and I'm starting a new 6" square series that I might call New York City Short Stories, or maybe Hometown Snapshots. Here's the first one— and remember, it's got a long way to go.

 No working title yet. And I'm going to put a red fire hydrant in the lower right hand corner. I think.

Out The Door

I'm dismissing my insecurity about doing a Surrealist piece and am moving ahead on this one.

                                                I Dreamed That I Could Fly, work in progress, (click on image for larger view)