Surrounded but feeling alone

The De Young Museum

Stefani, I looked at this painting and immediately thought of you. It has similar qualities of your work. This and the following pieces were painted by Chiura Obata. These pieces were large, they are paint and ink on silk. This artist passed away in 1975, I believe this painting was painted around 1930.



This painting is also large and it blew me away. (The label by this painting could have said, Stefani Job Spears, and I would have believed it.) To paint in black and white has to take a lot discipline. I am trying to learn this kind of restraint. One day soon I should try painting in black and white - I would probably learn a lot.



This is a detail of a painting that Obata painted of his wife walking through a forest. My images of the entire painting needed photo shop because they are too dark. This detail turned out lovely. I need to see more of his work.

Just wanted to see

This painting is is getting close to being complete. I have gotten to this point pretty quickly and am pleased with its level of completedness without it being overly fussy. I must move cautiously. This painting is approximately 4ft. x 6ft., it was made in two pieces for stability. I am posting it because I just wanted to see it and make a record of it before I proceed. Off to the studio.

Time to stop

I have been working on several paintings at once, but this is the one that I have posted several times previously. This is not the greatest photo, it was taken at night with a flash and then manipulated on photoshop to take out the glare. It still has some of the paint qualities that I like but, it is just a little too clean. I am going to remove it from the studio for the week and see if a different view will tell me what it needs.

San Francisco

I don't want reality checks. I like living the fantasy of a perpetual vacation. Living the carefree life of what can we do next, no hurries, just fun. I have come home filled. I want to continue this feeling each and every day and hope it lasts until our next vacation.
Mom thanks for taking care our loves. They are already asking when you are coming back. Randi is, right now, sleeping on your pillow - aren't you glad she waiting until you left. Love you.

30 years and still going

On Monday Jim and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary. What a better place to go than San Francisco. There are too many resturants and places to see to fit into three days, but there will be time for a little planning on the plane. We are both needing this break from reality and the kids. Some time to spend together - heaven.

I can't paint fast enough.

For a Monday after a two week holiday, things went very smoothly. The 5:45 alarm wasn't very painful and students were remarkable with good behavior. It was great to see their smiling faces.

During lunch I made an ambitious to do list, but once home the early morning alarm corrupted my schedule in favor of the couch and a blanket. No cleaning, no studio, no cooking, just a couple of Project Runway reruns. There's always tomorrow.

Mis cuts

Only two more days before I go back to work. It has been a great two weeks, I wish it was longer. My hands can use a break from handling power tools and wood. Of course, I did not accomplish what I had expected. My main goals were to build six boxes for paintings, I built four. I blame Christmas week. It was wonderful. I moved at a restorative pace, and it worked.

The box has been built for the above piece. The rough cuts made on the plywood at Lowes's were not square. I did not catch this, so the plywood sections on the finished translated, not square. I figured this out at the very end of building when I was applying the plywood to the frame. I decided to let it be. Looking at the drawing above, it could work.

Progress

There is something liberating and embarrassing about showing work in progress. Some areas have lost there charm and need to be stepped back. Others need a start. I am with you Dawn in that I like my work, sometimes best, in its earliest stages of black and white. I was going to keep one section in black and white. I have never done it before, an experiment.

I also like the juxtaposition of something cleanly painted and another area left raw.

Mrs. blue face is a little too clean. The flowers are still somewhat unresolved. I am happy with its progress. I am enjoying the new color palette. Today I am going to build two new boxes and continue painting.

Cold Feet

I have built and primed the box and then I had cold feet on this one. The purpose of my painting right now is to explore and to have fresh work to present to potential galleries. Do they really want to see patterned nudes?
Yesterday I took Rachel to the Martin Lawrence Gallerie to see the Picasso show. There was a lot of in your face goodness. Most were wonderful. Hey, I am no Picasso, but I can represent nudes tastefully. I'll try.
The figures in the wallpaper, top and bottom, are to be in the negative. I do not know a way to achieve that look electronically, any suggestions?

Painting - finally

About a month ago, looking forward to two weeks of studio time, I resolved to make a drawing everyday. Well that has become 4+ drawings everyday and most of them have promise of moving to the next level. After several days of building my painting surfaces I have finally pulled out the tubes. These beginnning stages of a work are my favorites. They are fun no pressure. I loved this sketch it has taken the essence of my ideas and taken a step.

This is the beginning of the sketch as a painting. I know, it has a way to go, but I love its freshness. I hope not to loose it.

Today I will continue on this painting, start a another, and go to the lumber yard to get more stock for more paintings. Later.

Some of our progress

This year we have spent a lot of time working on the house and here is a little of what has been accomplished. This is our dining room. Our table is ordered and due to arrive next week. The Murano glass chandelier is a Zgallerie find, ($300) our original inspiration was a DWR chandelier ($2900). This discount verision works very well. The flooring is woven bamboo in a natural finish. This flooring is in the entry, dining and connects these areas in halls to bedrooms and my studio. To the right of this image is our living room.

This is our IKEA floor to ceiling bookcase. It was scarry assembling it in place, but the miracle was that it fit. This bookcase cost us around $400, money well spent. We are already purchasing more books to fill it up.

This is new stained concrete surround to our fireplace. It is our favorite of all the pieces we had poured. In the forground you can see the tile we had laid in our living room and bedroom. It is a porcelian tile called Coretin (Jim would know maker etc.), it actually has metal in its glaze. I will have more pics later.