2024
Re:Fall (2024) | November 22, 2024
While strictly speaking Fall has not ended, it snowed yesterday for hours, so it’s safe to bring this chapter to a close in my mind.
This Fall I was able to take a week of time to reflect — a week which I’m very grateful for.
My trip took me back to the Red Rock Inn in Red Rock Ontario Canada, a place which lived up to every bit of the mythical status it gained in my mind after my first trip two years ago. I spent hours walking in nature, breathing deeply, reading, cooking up ideas. Don, the (now widowed, but still every bit as eccentric) inn-keeper, was interested in my art and asked to keep a few paintings (we settled for one), which I was really touched by. A new experience for me was seeing the Northern lights, something that will stick with me for a very long time.
I will surely write more about my time in another format, as I remember it vividly and it has an interesting spell over me.
Painting-wise, I’m full to the brim with ideas, sketches, photos — birch and pine trees, untouched land, sunrises, trains, windows…
As the days grow progressively shorter, I have no doubt that these warm memories will play a strong role in keeping me steady.
Category: Re:Art
Re:Summer (2024) | ~October 4, 2024
While there were happy moments, I can’t help but admit that when I look back, I struggle to remember the sunshine from this summer.
I think this feeling most clearly came through in how few paintings I was able to attempt during this season. Though my painting output is consistently sporadic (ha), I often found myself preoccupied. The main themes I was able to focus on were distant lights, boats, and forest clearings.
9-5 work was particularly tedious during this season – extra work for teammates on leave, studying for license testing, etc.
Regardless, there will be brighter times, and I know better than to dwell for too long. I look forward to embarking on some sort of short adventure before this month is over, and hope to take a longer form break next year.
Category: Re:Art
Re:Spring (2024) | May 26, 2024
This spring I tried to sketch more. I have no idea if it really improves my painting skill. After all, if Caravaggio allegedly didn’t keep sketchbooks, or so much as draw under his paint, it certainly didn’t hamper his ability to create The Calling of Saint Matthew. Regardless, whether a good idea or a bad one, I tried to sketch more.
I’ve created a new page on this website (also under the Appendix) which contains some sketches. Many of them aren’t from this Spring, but they are a nice collection of things I’ve made not in watercolor paint.
The volume of painting ideas always ebbs and flows, and sketching is a way to try and glean even one little useful tidbit from the world around us.
My favorite sketch lately was this very small (maybe 2×3”) drawing of Edward Hopper’s Lighthouse Hill (1927). It’s a painting that caught me totally by surprise at the Dallas Art Museum on March 1, and I was fortunate to spend the afternoon outside at a public park trying to reflect on it.
It’s a stunning, but eerie painting — a comment one could write about (perhaps) most of Hopper’s works. The bright white on the house contrasts with the dark, long shadows. For me, it wonderfully teeters the line between a pleasant scene and a strangely uneasy one.
The keen eye will find a lighthouse inspired by Hopper’s in my recent painting, “Clearing Composition B”.
Category: Re:Art
2023
Re:2023 | January 7, 2024
This year marked my third since starting to paint. There were no coffee shop gallery shows, no sales of paintings. I painted far fewer paintings than last year — I think around half as many. But that’s alright, completed paintings don’t tell the full story.
I painted significantly more in just black than previous years, though this was not the first time I ventured into monochrome paintings. There are times when these sorts of paintings come from a sort of “tragic” reclusive environment, especially in winter. In any season I tend to struggle with art that comes off as overtly happy – frolicking deer drinking from a bubbling brook with fall leaves around… However, I also need to be reminded sometimes that the opposite extreme should be similarly avoided. ‘Good art’ doesn’t have to be a product of a sad environment, nor do monochrome paintings. On the positive, I was able to close out many of the reclusive tendencies I had in 2022, and I’m so very thankful for that person who’s ‘bore the brunt’ of that with a smile. While I often like attempting to put a sense of loneliness or longing in my paintings, it wasn’t something I had as a theme of my own life in 2023. However, that is not to say that the year was not without significant challenges. To name only one, this year I dealt increasingly with chronic pain stemming from my spine’s predisposition, which has been difficult and somewhat limiting creatively and physically.
All that ‘hot air’ aside, I am very pleased with the paintings I was able to complete.
I enjoyed continuing to process the themes from Red Rock Ontario Canada early in the year, focusing on monochrome snow scenes, distant lights on sparse land, and expansive water. That place is very special in my memory – vast uninhabited land juxtaposed with the cozy 1930’s inn.
Mid-year I mainly made quick sketches of scenes, trying to creatively use unexpected colors to distract the eye
And late-year, after a quiet summer I was able to travel again – this time to West Virginia. While on paper it could have been similar to Red Rock, my experience was vastly different but also very inspiring. I feel thoroughly reinvigorated and full of ideas to paint about, draw, write about, the works. I’ve begun to paint more double-sized paintings (fitting in a 16×20” frame rather than an 11×14”), which I’ve enjoyed trying to figure out.
I would be remiss to mention also that I continued to display occasional paintings at our local church art gallery and it’s been a blessing to be able to share with other artists there.
My goals for 2024 are relatively straightforward. I’d like to continue this art “blog” for myself to look back on, though I’m not sure if my posts will be monthly or quarterly. I would also like another opportunity in the coming year to have a solo art gallery and believe I should have one if nothing falls through. I want to finish painting from WV and try to travel at least twice. Above all, I would like to continue using art as an outlet and work to continue developing these skills to ultimately point toward our creator.
Category: Re:Art
Re:November | November 30, 2023
Thankfully my WV vacation has inspired a lot of painting ideas. That wasn’t a sure thing — sometimes places can be pretty or interesting, even make great memories, but not inspiring in an artistic way. I’ve begun to work through some of the ideas from the trip, and have shown a couple of examples below.
The first is a sketch I did while still in WV in one color of the “Concho Rim Overlook” of the New River Gorge. I think I will be painting many variations of these New River overlooks — they were really special. The painting speaks to me because of how loose it turned out and how much I enjoyed the moment of making it.
The second is a fall scene I painted recently based on a quiet hilly gravel path I walked which led to an old cemetery. The bright falling leaves and chirping birds balanced out the otherwise somber and lonely scene, which is what I was hoping to capture.
I’m also thinking about what general WV themes I want to communicate in these paintings. There were certain things I got to see which were interesting but not necessarily the kind of thing I’d jump to paint as-seen (like an old gristmill or the Endless Wall Trail). Needless to say, I have a lot of photos and memories from down South to work with these next few weeks as the Winter begins to set in.
Category: Re:Art
Re:October | October 31, 2023
I’m working on a new series of paintings. Well, I’ve planned a new series of paintings.
This month I took my first significant vacation in a year. Somehow, despite having ‘unlimited’ vacation, I find it very difficult to take time away. It was at this time last year I was returning from Red Rock, Ontario Canada, my only vacation of that year. I now return from Southeastern, West Virginia.
Photos have been combed through twice now, but there’s still some way to go before determining what could be shared to really capture the essence of the place and what can serve as painting inspiration. Even though I was skeptical going into it, I quickly realized how much I needed that break. The area was incredibly beautiful and I also had several opportunities to speak with locals to understand what life is like in these old railroad/coal towns.
As a person with what some might deem an ‘overactive mind’, I will remember with intense fondness each moment during this trip where I was able to fully disconnect. No cell signal, no wifi…no bloomberg news pushing to my watch…just embracing the moment presented to me.
Until next month, when I’ll have some paintings to show.
Category: Re:Art
Re:Summer | September 30, 2023
This post represents a comprehensive wrap-up of the summer’s creative pursuits. Much of the text was originally written in June, with some edits and additions from July – September notably at the end.
This season of life has left my brain rather preoccupied when it comes to creative pursuits. The main theme I’ve been focusing on has been capturing contrast while using few details or few colors.
Two examples are shown below. Left first: a quick colorful landscape sketch. While admittedly not the most impressive end product, painting sketches like these has been a good outlet to focus on getting paint to paper quickly — trying to capture a feeling without overworking or worrying about details. Right second: a monochrome landscape, the first of a series of two (so far). It is an interesting challenge to work in only one color, having to focus more on specific technique, planning out where the light lives.
I also had the opportunity to visit with a classically trained career-artist from my family’s home country. While his focus is sculpture, it was extremely interesting and valuable to speak with him and hear how he thinks about art. I was pleased to hear him discuss why he enjoyed some of my paintings. Ultimately I paint not for the approval of any individual, but it admitted does provide a bit of validation for my two plus years of effort.
He left me with several words of advice: three very brief points to remember. First, a reflective point about simplicity.
Simplitatea este o complexitate rezolvată
Constantin Brâncuși
(Simplicity is a resolved complexity)
Second, loosely quoted from Picasso, he stressed that inspiration does not strike idle hands, rather it should find you while you are busy at work.
And lastly, as a devout Christian, he highlighted the importance not only of purpose and meaning behind work, but also enjoyment — prayerfully considering how I can grow in these skills and use them in a joyful way for the creator.
He left us with a small signed laser cut print of one of his sculptures called The Second Adam, which depicts an outline of the figure of Christ being consumed by small human-like figures — an interpretation of the crimson worm analogy present in the Bible.
While finished paintings have been somewhat sparse in this busy season of life, I am still managing to explore some different ideas a couple of times per month. I’ve recently had the opportunity to schedule another individual coffee shop/gallery showing to take place early 2024, which is good motivation to try and work some of these ideas into finalized paintings.
With the changing of the season, regular updates will again follow.
Category: Re:Art
Re:April | April 30, 2023
April. I’m another year older, though that’s not much fun to realize these days.
I experienced a significant creative block this month, probably the most significant since I started painting just a little over two years ago. My go-to tactics didn’t work this time: buying a new tube of paint, reading a few pages out of a watercolor book, going through old photos, etc. I completed many paintings, but few ended up being particularly well developed scenes.
The painting highlighted below was one which shined (shone?) through. It was painted primarily with a big brush, revisiting a subject which I’ve painted several times now, Cheile Turzii in Romania. I like how I kept certain areas of paper wet to achieve soft tree-like forms, while also balancing a healthy dose of dry brush both in the rock and distant trees. I also am pleased with the introduction of the sky color in the lower pond, as well as the stark contrast of the nearly paper-white mountain vs the dark cloud.
I’ve ordered a new set of hake brushes to try and promote loose-ness in my paintings. Will keep expectations low and try to come up with some new sketches. Sitting outside for a few evenings for that one nice week in mid-April was a welcome change. I’m hoping for weather in many senses. Cautiously optimistic.
Category: Re:Art
Re:March | March 31, 2023
March saw me primarily revisit some older concepts from previous paintings and locations.
My idea here was to take the ‘distant lights’ concept that I’ve painted several times, but add a dual focus in the sky. The sky has a huge wave cloud sandwiched in between layers of darker sky, and a loose reflection in the water. I also did not allow these distant lights to reflect in the water, imagining them to be too far away. They additionally are not all the same level of height or brightness, which I think adds an interesting atmosphere.
Left: Birch trees are some of my favorite things to paint, though I am cautious to do so too often. This painting was a different take on one which I painted on January 15th, imagined in a spring-y color scheme, relying heavily on bright yellows and greens. I like how the texture matches between the trees and rocks, and how there is a distinct illusion of detail in the canopy without painting real details.
And finally (right), a brief nod to this painting of a hillside, inspired by a photo I took some years ago in northern Italy. It’s not 100% the way I wanted even after a couple of tries, but I was trying to incorporate some different wet and dry brush techniques to again give the illusion of detail without providing a lot of specifics.
In other news… To my shock and dismay, my local coffee shop closed down with only a day’s notice. I will write a separate post about this one. Baseball has begun — I’m not the greatest baseball admirer but we’ll see if the White Sox can end better than 0.500. The weather is slowly getting better, and I am looking forward to getting outside more.
Category: Re:Art
Re:February | February 28, 2023
February has been a strange month – not all bad, but not great either. I was able to attempt about 11-12 paintings, which feels a little low. This was driven partly by fewer ideas (did paint an awful lot in January), partly by an appreciable number of doctors visits related to ongoing back pain. Being limited in physical activity has thrown my weekly routine well off course… I look forward to pursuing the treatment and eventually returning to normal.
As of writing, there are two paintings which stand out notably as favorites.
The left is a black & white rendition of a scene I paint with some frequency, Cheile Turzii in Romania. The colors are the same as January’s single color paintings. I like the variety of textures in this one, with the wet-in-wet trees drawing the eye from one side of the gorge to the other.
The right painting I consider to be a representation of what I’ve learned about watercolor so far, from the colors to the methods. The result is calm and serene, contrasting dramatically with the chaotic painting process with a running hair dryer in one hand and paintbrushes in the other to get nice dark and light blooms.
I additionally attempted a black & white film project but realized that I had loaded the film incorrectly…those images would forever live only in my head. Anger quickly gave way to a lingering disappointment. I will re-open that project eventually but need some time to get past the annoyance.
Many ideas and to-dos have been noted for March, we’ll see how far I get…
Category: Re:Art
Re:January | January 31, 2023
It has been a very productive month – I attempted ~21 different paintings in January. Spurred on by a multi-week sickness, 21 very well may be a record for me. Two groups particularly stand out to me:
This series of 3 abstract paintings was inspired by a foggy morning in Red Rock Ontario last November. They use 3 W&N colors – Indigo, Neutral Tint, Lemon Yellow. The yellow streaks are jarring to the eye, what could they be…
From late January, I primarily focused on making portrait-oriented single color winter scenes. My idea here was to save the darkest shade for the tree line and cabin, leaving the sky to be a mid-dark. It took me a while to land on this mix of DS McCracken Black and W&N Neutral Tint. I tend to fall back on Payne’s Grey with Neutral Tint for my blacks/greys but found that mix to be too cold and harsh for how I envisioned these scenes. Rather than a traditional watercolor shape, the trees are quick, almost human forms. Lanky dark figures watching over.
A quote that stands out to me lately goes “one cannot create art because they need art”, a little platitude stated by Norm Macdonald in one of his more serious interviews before his death.
There can be something strangely fulfilling about sitting down with the intention of painting but despite time passing, no paint ends up on the brush. I don’t need to stress myself to produce paintings. They will happen or they won’t, and that’s fine. I have a lot to learn regardless.
Unrelated to painting, I’m feeling a lot better these last couple of weeks. I don’t quite know why that is, but I’m thankful and I’m running with it.
Category: Re:Art
On Photography | January 17, 2023
I was recently asked to participate in an upcoming art display at my local church where I’d contribute 8 photographs from around the world.
I’ve been fortunate to document significant travels in my first 25 years of life. Unlike painting, where I consider every attempt to be some low level ‘art’ regardless of the quality of the outcome, I consider only some of my photography to be art, or artistic. Mostly I use it as a tool to try and remember a place, an experience. My memory doesn’t serve me well, but scrolling through a few photos brings the experiences right back.
The subjects I enjoy as ‘art’ are those less seen. The bullet-ridden abandoned house in the middle of Croatia, the blue collar mining town, a unique angle of some brutal architecture, etc.
Barring an occasional minor exposure change, I don’t like editing my photos — it tends to take the ‘game’ out of it. I either knew how to adjust my camera’s settings and position myself to capture something, or I missed it.
I decided that I would indeed participate in the photography display. There will be 8 count, 11×14” prints. I may try and sell a couple of those photos to recoup costs after they’ve been enjoyed.
I’ve also featured photography on two small pages of this website. I don’t intend to include more soon, but who knows. Peruse if you want
1. An Ode to the Red Rock Inn – a photo essay of my stay at a unique place in a rural Canadian town in late 2022
2. Romania: Concrete & Countryside – a tiny subset of photos collected from 2016-2019 trips following a theme I enjoy
Category: Update, Rambling