Number 9

And finally . . . number 9, the final painting of the Elements and Principles series.  (The July/August issue of The Artist's Magazine is available here.)

Number 8

This painting does feature yellow paint straight from the tube, but alas, no, chroma, is not the principle illustrated.

The Seventh Painting

There are officially four principles being shown by "Art" in this painting.

The Sixth Painting

Here's a close-up of this background . . .  (Another very difficult painting to photograph.)

Painting Number 5

Here's the fifth painting of the series.  And here are some "making of" shots.

Painting Number 4

A little behind the scenes note on this painting, it is a REALLY hard painting to photograph.  I used pure white for the background - (click here if you'd like to see a close-up of the white impasto on my facebook page) and when the image is exposed for pure white the color fades away.  This isn't the best reproduction of it, but there will be a better reproduction of it on my website in early June.  Just a note - this painting was painted using only three colors, plus black and white.   Can anyone guess which colors - here's a hint, they're made by Lukas. . .

Painting Number 3

Here is the 3rd painting - and yes, there is a purpose to the order.  (Title Hint: the painting may illustrate more than one element or principle. . .)

Painting Number 2

There will be an online link to the steps used to create this painting in the Artist's Magazine article next month.

A New Series of Paintings

In a couple of weeks the next edition of The Artist's Magazine will include a series of paintings I did.  The theme of the paintings is "The Fundamental Elements and Principles of Design."  Elements of design are the building blocks of any visual imagery.  The successful use, and combination, of these elements will display certain principles of design.  In these paintings there is a central figure who represents "art".  She illustrates each element and principle of design in each painting.

I'll post these images until the release of the magazine. . . without titles.  See if you can guess what element or principle the painting is describing.  The first one is pretty easy. . .

Faith, Hope and Charity Video

A little 'making of' video of "Faith, Hope and Charity".



Direct Link

Also on Vimeo.

The soundtrack is by Steven Sharp Nelson - I knew him back in High School.  Here's his website, and here's a pretty cool YouTube cover video with Steve and Jon Schmidt.

Faith, Hope and Charity

I recently completed a new painting that I've been working on since December.  Titled "Faith, Hope and Charity," it is a representation of these principles of action.

The figure of Faith planted the seed and is seen watering and caring for the plant.  Hope waits patiently for the fruit the tree will bring while Charity, the greatest of all, provides the light.

As I see it, faith is a belief in something so strong that it causes you to act.  For example, you believe that flipping your light switch will provide light, so you actually walk over to the wall and flip the switch.  Your hope is that the light in the room will turn on - therefore, hope is the focus on the result.  Charity is more than alms, it is another word for love.  I believe love undergirds all good.  In this example, charity would probably be akin to the live electrical grid.

I'm currently reading former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan's wonderful (but unfortunately premature) book, "The Age of Turbulence".  One of his points is that a free market economy functions on the basis of trust.  Without it, commerce would dwindle and the free market would die.  Just think what would happen if every contract were litigated (assuming you could trust the lawyers and the law enforcement).

Just as trust is necessary for transactual obligations to be assumed and fulfilled, love (or charity) undergirds a civilized society - as civility is simply charity at a really low intensity.  As charity increases, so does the power, richness, and productivity of our relationships.  As Christ teaches in the Bible - the law, and the teachings of the prophets, hang on love.  Matthew 22: 36-40.  Without this love, there would be bareness.

"Faith, Hope and Charity" currently hangs in a show at the Springville Museum of Art.

Prints and Posters of "Faith, Hope and Charity" are available on the WebShop.

Current Background Image

The current textural background on Theory and Practice belongs to an equally textural painting called "Nurturing Through the Word", which measures 29" x 37".

Since the linen is mounted on a panel I was able to take an active palette knife approach to this piece. The outermost layer is made using Gamblin's Galkyd Gel, so it is physically thicker than the other surfaces.

 The frame is a coated custom-welded steel floater frame from A Street Frames in Cambridge, MA.  I highly recommend them for unique contemporary wood and steel frames.

Tuesday Morning

This is a video from a demo I did last Summer.  It is a figurative sketch of a great model, Beth, painted alla prima en plein air on a Tuesday Morning.  Thanks to Holly, Jeanette, and Lynn for making it happen, as well as Zeynep Baki, owner of the Hillsborough Winery, for hosting the event.


The song in the video is "Olinda Road", written by Barry Flanagan of the group HAPA. Their music is definitely worth checking out.  Several years ago I heard a snippet of one of their songs on NPR.  I emailed the program, found out the song was by HAPA, and have been enjoying their music ever since.  They were very kind to give their permission to use the music on this video.  I hope you like it.