Leslie Peterson

A minor artistic interuption.

2012-01-24T21:32:00.000-08:00

My partner Jim and I sold our house - hooray! We are building a new house in Lake Oswego, OR. So we have moved into a rental for the next 6 or 7 months until it is built. I just set up my studio in our rental a few days ago, and began art making again after a couple months hiatus. Here are some pictures of our move #1.

My studio in a box.

There are a lot of flat things in an art studio.

My treasured easel. My mother bought it for me at a garage sale in 1993. This is a time when I had decided not to be a painter anymore' She said "Well, I think I will buy it for you anyway, just in case." Bless you, Mom!

Jim and I love lots of big books with pictures in them.

The huge room that has served as my art studio for the past 5 or 6 years.

My new itty bitty one at the rental! But I am happy happy happy. Its little, but it has great light.

My beloved easel...

The spare bedrooms in our rental are serving as storage units.

An embarrassment of riches. They are packed!

Day four of the Leedy Grange mural... completion!

2011-09-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

Ah! After four days of my mural marathon, I have completed the image. I will go back to touch up, and take care of loose ends, but for the most part I think I am done! Working with house paint is very different than working with artist paint. It has a totally different consistency, at once thinner, and yet more gooey.

It was also a very different experience to do art in a public space, with a public purpose. Sometimes people would actually honk and yell encouragement from their cars!

It was also really great to have locals come by and talk about the neighborhood and how much it has changed over the years. One woman came by and said she was born in a house right across the street where the Walgreen's is now. Al from Al's Barbershop came over to say hello. I used to play outside his shop when I was a little girl, and my friend Melissa's dad used to get his haircut. My mom and dad were founding members of Cedar Mill Community Library, which was also originally housed on that block in about 1973. So it felt good to contribute to that community I grew up in and spent so much time right there in that area, and to feel a part of it again.

Day Three of the Leedy Grange mural

2011-09-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

It was a great day to paint a mural! I got a good sleep last night, and got a lot done today. As the painting gets closer and closer to completion, the changes will be less and less noticeable.

Day two of the Leedy Grage mural...

2011-09-13T19:39:00.000-07:00

It was misting this morning, so I was a bit nervous that it would start to rain. But it eventually passed. I started on the color today.

First day of the Leedy Grange mural.

2011-09-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

Well it was the first day at the Leedy Grange mural... I arrived at 8am to start drawing, and draw I did! I completed the drawing at 4:30 pm and I am looking forward to busting out some paint tomorrow! Here are some pictures, plus a little video I took at the start of the day.

My First Outdoor Mural

2011-09-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

During the week of September 12th, I will be painting an 8 ft. by 16 ft. mural on the Leedy Grange Hall in the neighborhood of Cedar Mill 835 NW Saltzman Rd., Portland OR. It will be based on this photograph, which is of the founding members of Leedy Grange in 1908.

I was born and raised in Cedar Mill, so my heart is truly in this project. I will be outside painting the mural, so if you are in the neighborhood, come by and say hello. If you can't do that, keep your eyes open for photos documenting my progress on this blog and my facebook page. Here is a small sketch I have done for the project.

Stay tuned!

Friday I went to pick up my paint. Miller Paint has generously agreed to donate the paint for the mural. I made up a tiny color swatches for them out of my acrylic paint at home, and they have done a beautiful job matching them exactly! Once I picked up the paint and saw how beautiful it is, I started to get excited.

Today I went to the grange hall to set up and draw a grid on the wall. The grid squares on the wall are one foot in size, and corresponds to the photograph I am working from. The grid on the photograph is just under one inch in size.

Tomorrow I am going to get up far too early and drive out to Cornelius to obtain my scaffolding from Grand Rental Station. (cute name, huh?) Then the magic will start. I have bought large, fat sticks of charcoal, and I will start the drawing process (which is my favorite part!)

"ReCreation" show at Gallery 114

2011-08-06T11:08:00.000-07:00

Last June I had my first one person show at my cooperative gallery, Gallery 114. It is a huge and beautiful space, so I had to work hard to fill it with new paintings! I was very happy with how it all looked, the turnout, and even made a few sales! Here is a sampling of what was showing there, and some background information about the images, how and why I painted them.

"Crater" 40"x48" Acrylic on panel.

This was the largest painting in the show, and occupied a central position in it. This arresting image is based on a photograph taken by an army photographer on a Pacific Island during WWII. These soldiers are bathing, relaxing and washing their clothes in a bomb crater. Just behind the crater, a crashed Japanese fighter plane rests, its wings ripped from its body, tilting up at an extreme angle. The presence of destruction and restoration is presented in the same image. There is also a clever reference to classical nude paintings, such as Manet's "Luncheon on the Grass" Cezanne's "Large Bathers" and of course, "The Swimming Hole" by Thomas Eakins.

This painting has also been chosen to be a part of the All Oregon Art Annual, a statewide competition featured at the Oregon State Fair.

"Blur" 30"x40" Acrylic on panel.

This is a painting I worked very hard on for quite a long time. When I was finally “done” with it, I thought to myself, “Well, I’ve just made an albatross. No one will ever want this painting. It’s no good.” So I put it away and moved on. Several months later, I took it out again and thought, “Well, that’s not so bad, after all”. When I hung it up for this show, it turned out to be one of the most popular paintings there! Doing art is never predictable, always surprising, and I as the artist myself, am not always the best judge of my own work.

“Blur” is based on a snapshot from my stepfather's estate. I believe it is from the neighborhood he grew up in, Parkrose, Portland. A small boy scampers across a sunlit yard at near sunset. The photograph is taken peeping over a picket fence. The angle of the shot is so low it leads me to believe it was taken either by another child, or an adult who is stooped down, concealed behind the fence. The child is moving so fast his arms are blurred into oblivion. In fact, the child's shadow is sharper and crisper than the child himself, lending the shadow a stronger sense of reality and form; the boy is ghostly, his shadow is corporal.

"Firecracker" 30"x40" Acrylic on panel.

Based on a snapshot from the early 20th century, four young boys dash and leap away from a single spot on the pavement, where they have just lit a firecracker. The active movement the boys' bodies create is counter-acted by a very limited palette, only about 4 colors, plus white and black.

"Touch" 24"x36" Acrylic on panel.

This is a snapshot of boys playing touch football at night. A flash lights up the scene like a lightning strike at the moment one boy touches the one carrying the football. If you’ll notice, the size of the “pigskin” is pretty huge compared to what is used today. This painting is done in a looser style than I usually use, to depict the movement and the lack of detail caused by the darkness.

"Please, Please, Sorry, Thank you" 30"x40" Acrylic on panel.

A very young girl with a yellow balloon laughs while riding a horse on a merry-go-round. The horse is brick red, and the sunlight is low and golden. I am captivated by the contrast of the girls happy face and the horrific expression of the horse, carved as if it were galloping and neighing furiously. A friend of mine pointed out that the horse seems more real than the girl. I love to create art that holds contradicting elements in a single, holistic image.

"Precipice" 30"x40" Acrylic on panel.

Based on a snapshot from the 1950's, a gaggle of happy teenage girls wearing scarves cavort on a beautiful two-toned convertible. In the background the severe drop of a wooden rollercoaster can be seen. I really am excited by the juxtaposition of the light-hearted fun of the girls and the perilous angle of the carnival ride. I am also captivated by the way the angle of the ride is echoed the angle provided by the girls' heads.

"The Heart Is Just a Muscle" 22"x28" Acrylic on panel.

This is another image that I am compelled to paint again and again. The most beguiling thing for me about this is the arrangement and movement of the objects and elements that make up the image; the women are standing in a circle, echoing the rotating movement of the ride. The gestures of the live children and inanimate horses creating diagonals that reinforce the rotation almost like a spiraling movement.

This image is based on a snapshot from my late stepfather's family. His mother is the woman hidden behind the woman in yellow. The women are presumably waiting for their children while they ride a merry-go-round, a very motherly duty. The women have curiously stern expressions, which, to me, is in distinct contrast to what we usually think of as motherly.

“The Early Universe” 30”x40”. Acrylic on panel.

It is amazing to me that this composition was created by a simple, accidental snapshot. Three boys consult with an adult in a uniform and peaked hat about their special bicycle, all decked out with wooly handlebar tassels, headlight and heavy, pinstriped fenders. The arrangement of the figures, the hose uncoiling across the grass, and the fact that the photo was taken close to the ground, makes for an arresting image. The subject matter demonstrates a combination of sweet nostalgia and the unsentimental world of children at play.

I attempt to accentuate the abstract shapes in the image by altering the colors of the grass slightly from space to space, and to create lay lines across the images, a la Charles Sheeler.

Some are easy, some are hard.

2011-04-24T13:35:00.000-07:00

Here is a large (30"x40") painting that I have done THREE versions of and I am still struggling with it.

I love the original image, but it is complicated, especially in the areas of color, light and space. (What else is there in a painting, you may ask?) I decided to "make it easier" and used a small, child's overhead projector to create a loose outline, instead of doing it all by hand like I usually do. Unfortunately, I have found that crime (in this case the crime is the use of a aid, such as a projector) does not always pay. The painting immediately became bogged down with the immense amount of detail. A painting that is merely a collection of details is not usually a great painting.
This is the finished image of the "Glimmer Rhythm I"

This looks pretty good, but not great, in my view. But the problems presented by this image has got its hooks into me by this time, and so I started a second version. This time I used a white background ( I usually paint on bare wood) thinking that perhaps the bright color of the horses' bridals would be more luminous. Once again, I tried to "make it easier" this time by using a transfer from the original painting. And once again, my artistic sin came back to haunt me.

The color is definitely brighter, but the confusing space and detail still plagues me.

Here is a finished, or nearly finished version on white, "Glimmer Rhythm II"

I became frustrated and so I went back to the basics and tried to start again with a small, black and white thumbnail sketch. This is something I ought to do with every painting, its something my professors back in college taught me to do. The fact that I rarely do sketches may be attributed to my natural perverse, self-defeating nature, or "I'm only good when I have to be".

So here I go, starting with version #3, and as is the case with many of my paintings, the beginning drawing is always the funnest part. This time I do it all completely freehand. Through the drawing process, I am able to chose which details are included or dropped, and how they are expressed. And its not even all that hard.

I laid down the color as soon as I could, trying to create large areas of value and color.

I slowly build up the image organically.

Here is the latest version of this painting, and I am wondering how much more energy to exert on it.

With every painting, there is a point to it, almost like a plot in a story. This image has a plot that is conflicting and doesn't seem to be gelling for me. Its about bright color and black. Its about a gathering of elements on a shallow plane, sort of like a tapestry. Its about a web of vertical and horizontal elements. Its about childhood innocence, but also childhood fears, like the scary horse face and the sulking child in white.
They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I hope that if this painting doesn't kill me, it will at least make me a better artist!

POST UPDATE!!!

A few of my fabulous fans commented on my struggles.My friend and fellow artist Bridget Benton suggested this:
"What if this was happening at night? Somehow the black horse might look more . . . suited if that band of blue sky were black . . ."

So I tried it and it seems to be coming together more...

2010-12-26T13:21:00.001-08:00

A cool group show I was in at Gallery 114 - Happy New Year!

Gallery 114 Pozzi Room Exhibit

2010-12-07T17:59:00.000-08:00

I am proud to say that I was accepted as a part of an art gallery cooperative last August. It is called Gallery 114, which has been in exhistance for almost 20 years. This month, December 2010, I have a show in the Pozzi Room, which is a little ante-chamber in the back of the gallery. When preparing for the show, I became inspired with a new idea, (like ususal!) I decided to make all of the paintings out of a single 11.25 inch wide pine wood plank, cut into pieces. This means that all of the paintings are the same hieght, but different widths. The wood grain in a pine wood plank is much more distinctive than birch wood paneling, which is what I usually use, and I took advantage of that and exposed the wood as much as I could.
Then I became inspired about the subject matter. In playing around with my collection of photographs, I decided to depict paintings of 6 men and 6 women. The men are all depicted with a vehicle; a motorcycle, car, or jeep. All of images of the women had one thing in common; they were alone. I felt that there was something about the combination of the vintage images and the juxtaposition of the genders engaging in separate activities that created an atmosphere of disengagement and longing.

Based on a vintage photograph from the 1960's, a beautiful woman of a certain age gazes with dignity out at the viewer. It is minimally painted, with lots of the wood grain and original drawing still showing.

I love the way the wood grain resembles clouds during a sunset, and the way the huge Coca-Cola sign resembles a setting sun. I also am intrigued by the round rear-view mirror silhouetted against his chest where his heart is, and how that circle echoes the circle of the sign.

"Look Into My Heart" 9"x11". Acrylic on pinewood panel.
I adore this crazy dress, and her quintessential eagar teenage expression. The huge polka dots on the dress form a perfect hexagon. The design registers as being perfectly flat instead of an organic, three dimentional dress on the body of a living girl.

An original acrylic painting on pine wood panel, 9"x11". Based on a vintage photograph from the 1940's, a pensive woman sits in a park, holding a pine cone in her hand. It is minimally painted, with lots of the wood grain and original drawing still showing. I found this lovely photograph in Reminisce Magazine. In the original, the woman is wearing an emerald green blouse. Something about it made me want to change it to red. I love the angle of her arm- it is so dynamic in contrast to the pensive tranquility of her pose. It implies an undercurrent of drama amidst the tranquil scene. Perhaps she and her companion (the one taking the photograph) are having an emotional discussion?

More Blueprints and collage

2010-12-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

While exploring the River Mill Dam with the other artists during the Art Jam, I spied a group of tall cabinets with their doors where partially ajar, because each cabinet was stuffed to overflowing with rolls of paper which turned out to be blueprints. Some these were very special because they were actual cyanotypes from 1911, when the powerhouse was built. With permission I came home with a few of these treasures to make art on them. Then, while perusing the internet, I came across an early picture of a group of men from Estacada, who may have been Dam crew workers. I have drawn some of these men on top of the blueprints, in attempts to bring to life the extraordinary accomplishment of this dam and the brave workers who helped build and run it.

Doing artwork over such an extraordinary back ground with its brilliant, cyan blue and delicate white lines was a joyous challange. I had to keep the images very pared down and simple. In fact, I drew only with dry media, meaning pastel, conte' chalk and charcoal. No paint.

Integration of collage!

2010-06-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

If you recall my adventure at the Bull Run Art Jam last spring, I came across some old blueprints in the control room of the Bull Run powerhouse and became very inspired. With the help of historians at PGE I was able to procure a few blueprints of the powerhouse and painted a picture on top of it. This has set off a new direction in my art. I am starting to integrate collage elements in my work.

This painting is "Celilo Canal and Mt. Hood" based on a 1940 photograph from the Oregon State Archives.
Here is the same image, only over a blueprint. This piece was purchased by a professional land surveyor, with an enthusiasm for blueprints.

This is a piece named "Develop". The blueprint is from the archives of my father's engineering practice, Peterson Structural Engineers . It is from a long time ago, and he has no recollection of the specific job. The photograph I found at an antique store.

"Squares Make a Building" is on a floor plan I found in the trash. The photograph I found in an antique store. I like the way the squares emerge faintly from the scene.

This is a special painting that I suspect will be the first in a series of sorts. The newspaper (The Oregon Journal) was saved by my paternal grandfather. The boy in the photograph is my own father. The date of the newspaper is also the title of the painting: "September 27th, 1939" I suspect that is also about the time the photograph was taken. Dad says he thinks this was taken on a ferry to Port Orchard (near Bremerton and the Puget Sound Navy Shipyards are located) where his father was from.

The matching up of collage piece to photograph is an intuitive process that leads to meanings that are more rich, obscure and personal.

Unusual subject matter

2010-06-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

The great and chock-fulla-heart gallery and studio The 100th Monkey Studio put out a call to artists with the subject of maps. I became very inspired and created three small works just for the show. I am happy to say they were accepted, and there is an opening Friday July 9th (Which unfortunately I will not be able to attend!) and will be up through the month of July.

The subject of the three paintings quickly evolved as I started to play with images and maps. I did not intend at first to have a distinct narrative to them. Below is the statement I submitted to the gallery, explaining the meaning of the art and how it relates to the show theme:

"With these three images, I use maps as a way to depict history changing events in U.S. history. They span a hundred years and the breadth of the continental states. The first, “Promise of the Future”, depicts a victim of the dustbowl in the early 1930’s, traveling with her baby to California in hopes of finding work. “After the Shot” is based on a photograph taken minutes after Martin Luther King was shot in Memphis Tennessee, April 4th, 1968. “Before the Crash” is based on a video still of an airplane, just before it hit a World Trade Center building in New York City, in 2001. I am telling a story of the United States, using maps as the medium."

"Promise of the Future"
"After the Shot"
"Before the Crash"

Attempting to develop

2010-06-26T15:12:00.001-07:00

My desire is to free myself up as an artist and become more creative in my interpretations of photographs and other source material. Sometimes I get a bit frustrated with myself because I tend to stick so close to the literal appearance of the photograph. So in November I took a very inspiring workshop from the super duper Portland artist William Park called "The Spirit of Drawing". I have to say that the change in my art has been visible, though not dramatic. I move very slowly, but I am persistant!

BTW! If you are intersted in seeing William's work or taking what may be his last workshop for a while, visit www.williampark.net

This is a piece I like very much called "We Came for Work". It is from a very early photo, probably 1900-1920.

This piece is also from an early photo, probably from 1910-1920, called "Love and Adventure". I enjoy doing snow scenes quite a bit. I usually I use acrylic medium when I want to thin my paint and make it translucent. In this one I use water as a thinner, which has a different quality in its results, more matte and soft.

This one is called "I Knew You'd Come" It was featured in a previous post "An Artistic Conundrum" This is the results of struggling with that conundrum. I may never be sure how successful it was.

This piece is called "Humbug Mountain State Park; The Park Ranger's Family" It is of my mother's family. If you look very closely, you can see a small white bundle being held by the man on the far right; that bundle is my newborn mother. This painting also uses water a lot as a thinner, and I let the energenic charcoal drawing of the bushes remain exposed.

Tune in next post to follow the exciting saga of Leslie's art.

Moving to smaller paintings.

2010-06-26T14:08:00.000-07:00

Where did the time go?? What the heck have I been up to? Honestly, I find it difficult to believe it was September that I posted last. It has been a heck of a 9 months, and a lot has happened in my life personally and artistically. I will give you a quick over view so you can see what I am doing now and hopefully, a bit about how I got there.

First I concentrated a bit on doing work that is smaller than I usually do. These three pieces are all 6"x6" on simple white birch panels.

"Plateau"
"Niche"
"I Needed to Believe in Something"
These are all 5"x7". This first one is "Site". I love the clothing. Painting fur is more difficult than I thought. The little boy is wearing a cap and coat similar to the one John Kennedy Jr. wore at his father's funeral.

This one, "Marbles" is on 1/4" panel stained with tea.

This one is named "Blackbirds"

"Art Contemplates Industry"

2009-09-28T15:24:00.000-07:00

Last May, I and 40 other artists and photographers were allowed to tour the recently decommissioned Bull Run Powerhouse outside Sandy, OR. We took photographs, painted and sketched. We have each produced one special piece of art inspired from this experience. The art will be on display in a traveling exhibition, and the first showing is coming on Oct 3rd!

My painting is inspired by American modernism, which was an art movement inspired by the technological and industrial advances that occurred during the early 20th century. So when I had an opportunity to create art about The Bull Run Powerhouse, which was built during that time, naturally I was intrigued. The architecture reflects the beauty and craftmanship that were regularly put into public buildings at that time.

(Here is a little pic of me finding an elk horn on the premises. We were all pretty excited about the find!)

As we passed through the Control Room (which looked like it was retrofitted into the Powerhouse in the early 60's, and then became frozen in time,) I spied a ream of blueprints on a desk. Now, my father and older brother Erik are civil engineers ("Peterson Structural Engineers") I grew up drawing on the back of my father's blueprints. So something about those blueprints really caught my eye! I contacted
PGE, which is the current owner of the property, and I was able to choose several blueprints. I have mounted a blueprint onto wood panel, and I am creating the painting right on top of it.

Here is a picture of the painting-- almost done. I tried to leave the blueprint visible through the painting, sort of like the painting and the blueprint where a duet. One thing that makes this particular blueprint so special is that there are corrections drawn onto the blueprint. If you look closely, you can see the words “Battery Room” and “Control Room”, along with scribble-marks and penciled in walls and doors.

The first venue and reception will be in Government Camp, at the Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum. Reception Oct. 3, 2-5 p.m.

Mt. Hood Cultural Center and Museum 88900 E Hwy 26, Business Loop, Government Camp, Oregon 97028
503.272.3301 ~ www.mthoodmuseum.org

For more information, visit:
www.willamettefalls.org/bullrun

BTW- Peterson Structural Engineers have designed the bases for multiple large-scale public sculptures. Its pretty cool and you can see some pictures at: www.psengineers.com/Projects/arts-culture.html

Sponsored by:
Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation & Portland General Electric

My Paintings Showing at The Pines Tasting Room and Gallery in Hood River!

2009-07-01T15:35:00.000-07:00

The Pines 1852 Vineyard has a beautiful and spacious tasting room in downtown Hood River. They show and sell art along with their fabulous, old vine wine. I got on board there recently and have quite a few paintings for sale.

Make a day of it! They have wine, art, and music. Special events include First Friday on July 3rd with live music by Kerry Williams and the Social Club from 5-8pm. Also July 4th come see Matthew and the Crooked Disciples from 5-8 pm.

The Pines Tasting Room and Gallery
202 State St.
Hood River, OR 97031

Phone: (541) 993-8301

Hours: Thurs-Sat, 12-9pm; Sun, Mon, and Weds 12-6pm; closed Tues.

www.the pinesvineyard.com

An artistic conundrum.

2009-06-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

This is two different versions of the same painting I am currently calling "The Neighbor" (see why I call it that below). The reason why I have two versions of this (and why I am posting it now) is this: sometimes when I go along, the initial drawing or the early stages of the painting captures me so entirely I don't want to continue. I want to keep the unfinished drawing or painting exactly how it is. And yet, it does not look DONE to me. It looks like a formal suit paired with house slippers. It feels like going to a pot-luck empty handed. So it looks wonderful, but I don't get that satisfied feeling I get when I feel something is "done".

So this time I tried something new. When I got to that place, I just set it aside and started another version. That is the second one. This one is close to being finished. So, my question is: What does the first "unfinished" one need in order for me to feel like it is "finished"? What does it look like to you?

Why is it called "The Neighbor"? This is from a small snapshot from my late stepfather's collection. As I was drawing it I realized that the house in the background is the same house in another shapshot I painted, called "Prone". The young lad in "Prone" I believe is Meryl's brother, Mark. So I concluded the young man in this snapshot must have been their neighbor across the street.
I only wish I could express in the painting what a wonderfully warm and good looking young man he appears to be.

This is the finished piece "Prone" 22"X28" Acrylic on panel. October 2008.

A Special Commision

2009-05-27T15:31:00.001-07:00

My newest commission is from Jory and Gerry. It is based on a wonderful snapshot of Jory's parents, Hank and Kathleen Rose who obviously had a wonderful time camping, fishing, and rambling around in their convertible (with a rumble seat!) This painting was created using two photographs. One had Hank, the other had Kathleen and her brother in law. I simply place Hank in his proper place, next to Kathleen.

I spent quite a bit of time framing the photo in a way that I thought created the best composition. I then started the preliminary underdrawing.

Normally, any time there is a prominent vertical off to one side of a piece (in the form of the four-by-four pole, leaning slightly to the right), I go for it. But then, after laying it all out, I realized that the way I had framed it just wasn't good enough!!! I realized the true interest was the shapes of the boats off to the left. And So in order to show more of the boats, I shifted everything to the right two inches. By doing that, I also found that the became composition less cluttered. Here in this detail you can see the work of erasing and redrawing the image.
Since I am drawing directly on birch panel, I use a single-edged razor blade to scratch it off the surface.

This is a complicated image, so I spend a lot of time simply establishing where everything is. But I also have to be careful to stay open and not focus too much on the details. So I keep moving around the composition, and try no to get "stuck" in one spot or on one object. I start laying down color as soon as I can, so that I will always take the color into account when I am making drawing decisions.

Darks and lights...

Establishing the color scheme.

My Process with "Seal Rocks"

2009-05-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

This is the original photograph I based the painting on. It is from an on-line exhibit of photographs taken in 1940 by the WPA for the purpose of promoting tourism in Oregon. The exhibit on the Oregon State Archives website on the "Web Exhibits" page. This is a wonderful resource of publicly owned images that are free for us all to use (though they do ask that we annotate them so that others may know where to access them) "Seal Rocks, #2413.
To access this resource: http://arcweb.sos.or.us
This is a shot of the initial drawing for the painting. It is 22"X28", on birch panel. I am trying to emphasize the strong "frame within a frame" composition of the image by assertively drawing the trees in the foreground from the start.

Here you can see I am trying to figure out how the person in the photo is sitting. I have drawn an inverted triangle where I believe her tailbone is. The positioning of the tailbone, shoulders and spine is integral to making her "believable" in the finished piece.
Then I draw the rocks by using geometric shapes. This makes it visually interesting, and it also helps make the rocks "exist in space" which gives the piece a feeling of solidarity and reality.

I start to lay on some color, going slowly to assess the effect they have, and in attempt to keep the wood showing through as much as possible.

Here I have most of the color worked out. But something is bothering me. So after a while of experimenting , sitting and staring, (a very important thing to remember to do -- stop, sit back and let your intuition talk to you!) I realize that part of it is the hard horizon that chops the composition in half.
Whenever a figure appears in an image, we as viewers are naturally drawn to it. I wanted to emphasis the landscape over the figure, so I softened the horizon, and made the colors in the figure similar to those surrounding her, so that she would blend in.
The result is a softness that counterbalances the strong, graphic lines of the trees and the "frame within a frame".

Rediscovering the work of Diebenkorn.

2009-05-03T14:05:00.000-07:00

In working a bit with landscapes, I re-remembered the
paintings of Richard Diebenkorn. Though his career was long, and his painting evolved a great deal, there is a moment in his development that sings to me and hopefully will inform my own work. It is called the "late figurative works".

He rides an edge between representational and pure abstraction that I wish I could feel more comfortable with.

"Carshow"

2009-03-29T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is a new piece called "Carshow" It comes from a snapshot I found in an antique store. A whole pack of snapshots that were taken, over many years, by someone who's hobby was, apparently, restoring and showing Model T's. Out of all the snapshots in this bundle I chose only two. This one, judging by the boufants, seems to have been taken during the 1960's. I have enjoyed this image so much that months later I went back to the same antique store, hoping to look again at the bundle of snapshots and possibly choose more. But alas, they were gone! I chose the name "Carshow" because obviously, that is what it is, but also there is a sense of irony in the name for me, because it is also a "Woman-show". A beauty pageant along with the car show. What an action packed day!

Here is a few photographs documenting the process of painting this piece. The original photograph is tiny, about 2.5 inches by 3.5inches. The painting is on birch 1/4 plywood, 30 inches by 40 inches. I start out priming the panel with an acrylic ground that has grains of garnet mixed in, to create a rough surface to draw on. Then I start the initial drawing, which is mostly the most exciting part.

Then I start with thin, large color washes, trying to keep the drawing visible.

I start to hit some light colors to counterbalance the heavy darks. I had to go slowly with this peice to make sure I did not go on autopilot and simply "fill in" all the minutia and details in the photograph. If I were to do this, the abstract interest in the painting would be lost, and nothing would be left up to the viewer to imagine.

Here you can see I take out the pale square object in the lower left corner. (I think it is a cooler with a bottle sitting on top of it!) It was simply too distracting to keep in. I also finally put the divider rope into the image. I love the way it cuts dramatically across the picture plane. My partner Jim is opposed to the rope. He thinks it distracts. I often find his opinion is astute and often follow his advise. Not this time. The rope controversy rages on.

In the finished peice I did make the rope more subtle and thin. In this picture, in case you didn't notice, I have removed a square white object in the lower left corner. I thought it was too distracting and drew the eye to it too much. In the final version (up top) I decided to put it back! A lot of scraping, scratching, sanding and re-painting. I also realized it was probably a Millier High-Life bottle.

"Wise Beyond Your Years"

2008-11-02T16:21:00.000-08:00

"Wise Beyond Your Years" 30"X40" Acrylic on panel. September 2008.
This is from a black and white snapshot of my late stepfather, Meryl. He is the small child in front. I love the composition and the dappled light and the exciting movement of the figures. The title refers to the totally insane apparatus in the background. I believe it is a slide outfitted to accommodate snow sleds, though I could be wrong about that. What is apparent is that they slide down from the trees, over a cliff, probably into a swimming hole in a river or lake. In today's climate of safety and liability, it is hard to imagine anyone could get away with having a slide like this for long!

"Tapioca"

2008-11-02T16:17:00.000-08:00

"Tapioca" 18"X24" Charcoal and acrylic on panel. July 2008.
This is from a black and white snapshot. My late stepfather, Meryl, was in the Navy in the 1950's. This was taken while they where on leave. The wood panel is exposed in almost the entire image.

"Reservoir"

2008-11-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

"Reservoir" 8"X10" Acylic on panel. August 2008. This is based on a colorized black and white photograph. I love, love, love those outfits!!! My partner Jim has an aunt Francis who is now 94 years old. She is the young lady on the left. The man is her husband, George. He was Jim's father's best friend, and he died in WWII. (It is unknown who the young lady in the center is.)

"Sparingly" and "Polka Dot"

2008-11-02T16:05:00.000-08:00

"Sparingly" 8"X10" Acrylic on panel. August 2008. This little sketch is from a black and white snapshot of some relatives of my late stepfather's family-- I don't know who. I love the polka-dots and the lines of the car.

I later did a very large version I named "Polka Dot" Though they look similar here on line, the size difference is extreme. This one is 30"X40", which is around 2 1/2 by 3 1/2 feet. It is acrylic on illustration board. November 2008.

"My Careful Shapes"

2008-11-02T15:58:00.000-08:00

"My Careful Shapes" 20"X28" Acrylic on panel. August 2008.
My partner, Jim had an uncle, John Reese, who was a skilled amateur photographer. This is based on a black and white photograph taken by him. It depicts his wife Tillie and their son Jack.

"Let Me Take You"

2008-11-02T15:52:00.000-08:00

"Let Me Take You" 16"X20" Acrylic on panel. August 2008.
This is based on a snapshot of my late stepfather's father. This picture is perennially intriguing to me, with the arches and triangles repeated over the image. The bare wood panel is exposed, and makes up the majority of the color in the grass.

"Won't You Let Me Take You"

2008-11-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

"Won't You Let Me Take You" 16"X20" Charcoal and acrylic on panel. September 2008.
This is another version of a snapshot of my late stepfather's father. I felt that cropping the picture so the figure is off to one side accentuated the repeating triangle shapes.

Idaho

2008-11-02T15:38:00.001-08:00

"Idaho" 8"X10" Charcoal and acrylic on panel. August 2008. This image comes from a photo in Reminisce Magazine in a section devoted to centurions. This woman's family bought a farm in Idaho in the early 1920's. I love the classic stability of the composition.

Cars on Cannon Beach

2008-11-02T15:35:00.000-08:00

24"X30" Acrylic on panel. July 2008.
This is a painting based on another photograph by Ray Atkeson.

"South Silver Creek Falls"

2008-07-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

"South Silver Creek Falls" 28"X36" Acrylic on panel. Febrary 2008.
This image is based on a black&white photograph by Ray Atkeson, 1937. NFS.

"Flecks"

2008-07-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

"Flecks" 30"X40" Acrylic on illustration board, mounted on panel. January 2008.
This image is based on a snapshot found in a magazine.

"St Johns Bridge"

2008-07-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

"St Johns Bridge" 32"X38" Acrylic on illustration board, mounted on panel. May 2008.
This image is based on a black&white photograph by Ray Atkeson, undated. NFS.

"St John's Bridge"

2008-07-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

"St John's Bridge" 32"X38" Acrylic on illustration board, mounted on panel. April 2008.
This image is based on the same black&white photograph by Ray Atkeson. The first version was done on illustration board, and this version was done directly on birch panel. Sometimes I need to paint an image several times to fully investigate everything I want to learn from it. NFS.

"Priority"

2008-07-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

"Priority" 30"X40" Acrylic on illustration board, mounted on panel. February 2008.
This image is based on a snapshot from my stepfather's family. This is him as a small boy. Their car is parked on a foggy beach, back in the day when you could drive on Oregon beaches.

"Distant"

2008-07-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

"Distant" 8"X10", acrylic on illustration board, mounted on panel. Created 04/08.
This image is based on a snapshot , taken in the 1950's, when my stepfather was in the Navy. I assume this is a shipmate of his.

"Merry-Going-Round"

2008-07-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

"Merry-Going-Round" 30"X40", acrylic on illustration board, mounted on panel. Created 01/08.
This image is based on a snapshot from my late stepfather's family. His mother is the woman hidden behind the woman in yellow.

"Secret People"

2008-07-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

"Secret People" 8"X10", Acrylic on illustration board, mounted on panel. Created 04/08. This image is based on a snapshot found in a magazine.

"Divide"

2008-07-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

"Divide" 22"X28", acrylic on illustration board, mounted on panel. created 01/08. This image is based on a found snapshot.

"Crooked River Bridge"

2008-05-29T16:21:00.000-07:00

"Crooked River Bridge" 28"X36" acrylic on panel. Created 05/08.
This image is based on a 1937 photograph by Ray Atkeson

"Fond"

2008-05-29T16:06:00.000-07:00

"Fond" 8"X10", acrylic on illustration board, mounted on panel. Created 04/08
This image is based on a photograph taken by Charles Fenno Jacobs, 1944 aboard the USS New Jersey

"True"

2008-05-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

"True" 8"X10", acrylic and charcoal on illustration board, mounted on panel. Created 04/08
This image is based on a found photograph.