Nautilus

Some problems exist with the reflection of the center nautilus. Today's pictures shows how inconsistent the color can be if the photograph is not taken in exact circumstances each day.

Nautilus

There was a lot of tedious work today painting the segments of the center nautilus.

Nautilus

I quickly altered the background to submit this to the Judith Klein Gallery for a February Show. The Gallery wanted "bright" colors for a February Love theme show. This is about as bright as I could take it and maintain the integrity of the piece.

Nautilus

This painting is oil on board and 6"x15". At first I planned to paint in an illustrative manner mimicing scientific drawings and leaving the red background. Now I've decided to place the shells on a dark ground with reflections. I will also change the blue-gray shade of the left shell to a pink-ochre color. The nautilus has survived millions of years virtually unchanged. It is from the same family as the octopus; its shell is its skeleton. As Oliver Wnedell Holmes wrote,

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll! Leave thy low-vaulted past! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea

!

Daturas

I worked the far ground more extensively, adding some subtle plants and leaves. Also worked the center datura.

Daturas

I decided I didn't like the far ground area at all. It was amateurish and trite. The straight lines of the boards were also incongruous with the curvilinear aspects of the plant. In place of the house, I will just have a deep space that indicates plants.

Daturas

I feel I'm not a very good blogger. After painting I never feel like putting in the time to write about it. I guess the work must speak for itself. And, if there is some soul that looks at the work beyond me and has questions, fire away.

Daturas

Worked about 4 hours today. Finished up the whelk painting and then went at the lower front datura blossom. Maybe tomorrow it will begin to work as I want.

Daturas

Looking at these images side by side clearly illustrates the problems associated with digital photography and screen images. Color shifts, fuzziness and lost details are some of those problems. I've been occupied with other things this week and only been in the studio for a few minutes at a time. Yesterday we went to see the new Isabella Stewart Gardner wing in Boston. I have some thoughts on the new wing. Don't know if they hold water or not. They are just initial reactions. First, I don't like the strong green copper sheathing and warehouse-like exterior. I would prefer something more victorian era Bostonian. Why not complement the palace rather than contradict it. But, I also understand that this is not Gardner's palace. It is a place for artists, new work, conservation, etc. However, if I was a neighbor I would be very displeased looking at a box. As for the interior, I loved it. In addition to opening the walls with glass to the skyline, the gardens and the palace, it is physically comfortable. The stairs were a perfect pitch and incline for me. The flooring seemed soft although it was slate (?). The colors were so much fun in the cafe, living room and bathrooms. The Calderwood Hall with its small footprint and 3 levels of one row deep balconies is a perfect mirror for the Gardner's atrium. Finally, I wanted to buy everything in the store.

Whelk

It's nice to be working with oranges after all the green of the Daturas. And to have the shell in front of me brings to light the advantage of direct observation rather than photographs that lack the details of forms and true local color.

Whelk

I've worked 3 different sessions on this shell. I actually started it back in November and set it aside while I worked on the Daturas. But I need some work to put in the Klein Gallery for February. I also intend to paint 3 shells together in a long horizontal format. Thinking I may approach them in a biological way, ie, examining the forms more than thinking of them as a still life. This shell I picked up in Provincetown (in a store, not on the beach). I've rarely found a whelk on our beaches, although I know it's native.

Daturas

I feel the viewer may be tired of the very subtle changes that are posted each day. I seem to be working and reworking areas and the progress is slow. The whites are so transparent that I have to wait a day for them to dry before applying other values. But I can see now the very ending applications that will be needed. Today when reading the novel Loving Frank, I came across this passage, "He had come to mistake his gift for the whole of his character." Two things came to mind. One, gift? I always think of artistic accomplishments as the result of hard, hard work. But, I can see the argument that there must be an innate beginning. Second, I keep my practice private, never going on and on about the process or time at the easel. None of my friends or acquaintances would guess at my routine.

Daturas

I began working on the datura blossoms today.

Daturas

Back in my beautiful new studio today. White walls, new white ceiling with recessed lights and rearranged furniture are so nice. There is work to be redone on the painting now that I can SEE again.

Daturas

Almost finished with this stage on the leaves. I'm anxious to work on the flowers and then start to analyze the unity.

Daturas

I apologize for the terrible picture. I cropped a piece out for some detailed clarity. I painted until it was too dark to photograph and took this the next day in direct sunlight. Bad idea. But I wanted a record before starting again.

Daturas

The results here are a few days of work, but not more than a total of 7 hours. Look to the left to see some progress among the leaves.