Category: oil painting

Paradise Completed

When I last posted on this painting, link HERE I received many warm responses for which I am grateful. Last evening I finished the painting and I can  now, at last look at it clearly.

GRECO_GNOSIS_AND_OLD_GODS_PLEASEDGnosis…and the Old Gods Were Pleased

2014

oil on canvas

48 by 24 inches

When I last posted my progress the painting was about 70 percent complete, I’ve since made a few changes.

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Most of the changes have been made to the female character, who is not Eve ; she is in fact Zoe, daughter of Sophia, bearer of  light and wisdom (Gnosis), as Adam lacked the spiritual spark (the source of information  and inspiration for this painting was a BBC podcast  In Our Time, the topic of discussion being  the Gnostics , link HERE ).

I’m happy were her now, my inspiration was in many respects the Grey Eyed Athena and I captured what I wanted…pretty much.

Another, initial inspiration was the sculpture of “Eve in Temptation” by my favorite Giselbertus (1150); I strayed a bit but I know the spark.

19363-musee-rolin-autun-temptation-eve-gislebertus

My impetus to finish this painting was entry in a juried show at a local museum-an artist alliance exhibition. The following paintings have also been entered:

GRECO_RESURRECTION_OF_THE_FATHER

Resurrection of the Father

2013

oil on canvas

50 by 40 inches

GRECO_TEMPTATION_OF_ST_ANTHONY_OF_DESERT

Temptation of St.Anthony of the Desert

2013

oil on canvas

48 by 36 inches.

Wish me luck! I will post the results, good or bad news,

until that time,

be well, Lg

Mirth…or just keeping your head above water.

 I submitted a few pieces to a juried exhibition devoted to work on paper, my Jumping Tlaloc from the last posting and this oil painting which I have titled Mirth.

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Mirth…or just keeping your head above water

oil on cardboard;reclaimed frame with painted decoration

35 by 22 inches

2014

The theme of the exhibition ( I hate themes frankly) is Celebration. Although I have a lot to be happy about my work doesn’t always reflect that fact; it is often dark and moody, certainly bizarre at times. I scrambled to come up with something suitably celebratory. My Tlaloc I find amusing, he jumps to attention and makes me laugh-that seems a reason to celebrate.

But Mirth is more personal, in fact I dedicate it as a psychological portrait of my first partner Douglas who couldn’t keep his own head above water. I see Douglas in this clown’s eyes and I’m saddened.

As someone who has wrestled with depression and self-doubt my entire life, my attraction to Douglas and his dark ways makes a great deal of sense. But when Douglas finally succumbed by his own hand, I became more determined not to give in. As anyone who works through these issues  knows,it is difficult. Douglas’s choice has a romantic appeal at times, but then its final. Really final.

There are days I am just stunned Douglas is no longer here, although the romantic love for one another faded, there are days I would love to share a passage from a book I might be reading or a particularly delightful treasure I find in the trash . One such treasure is the rickety frame “his” portrait is framed in. I was delighted to find it on the street soon after moving back to LA-I took it as a good sign. To further enhance its  awful teal ridiculousness I painted a little smiling clown-demon.

Douglas would have loved it.

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detail

My life now, even with dark days is amazing. David , my spouse (I cannot yet say husband-too much baggage I suppose) is incredible. We have our rows and differences, but his tender empathy and good cheer stuns the hell out of me consistently. So often I feel engulfed and he  floats by graceful as a buoy and reminds me of another brighter perspective.

For that I celebrate.

Take care, be well,

Lg

Time and Gratitude

As the year comes to a close I have been fretting about Time; the familiar angst of many, of not  having enough and  of too much that has slipped through my fingers.  My own face has betrayed this passage of time and although I am mortified by my own vanity I find the evidence of  my mortality excruciating . I chuckled at myself while at the gym this morning, these pretty rosy-faced boys milling about and I gaze at the endless mirrors at my own visage-I have in attempt to distract from the effects of gravity , half heartedly started growing a beard, sadly I do not look ruggedly handsome but more like a destitute reprobate.

Vanity, there is a reason it is one of the Seven Deadlies.

I can chuckle at myself so that is a good sign, particularly as I had the thoroughly un-original epiphany that the only effective solution to aging is Death-I’ll pass for now. 

IMG_4581Death and the Maiden

oil on canvas

2011

This silly fretting about time is absurd particularly given how many loved ones I have known, including my first partner Douglas, that have died far, far too young. It seems trite ( and frankly untrue) to say I appreciate the wrinkles of Time but I will give gratitude a shot this year.

Wish me luck and wishing all a rich and fulfilling 2014.

With gratitude and sincerityLg

Feliz Navidad

As the year winds down I am trying to complete a few last paintings.

This painting The Virgin Birth of Huitzilopochtli I finished last evening. A few little tweaks here and there, but it is complete…for now. This has been an aesthetic experiment and it has been a difficult birth (cheap pun, forgive me).

After departing Tenochtitlan I have been inspired by the geometric forms of Aztec visual expression. How in spite of their often fearsome appearance,I sense the humanity, the complexities of this culture. Even this narrative, the virgin birth of their most revered god, the fire/war god Huitzilopochtli (Tlaloc, the rain god a close second), which has obvious similarities to the Christian salvation narrative is imbued with both violence and tenderness.

The great goddess Coatlicue , She of the Skirt of Serpents,  is miraculously with child, this new violent god who will bring the people wealth through tribute . His siblings the moon goddess Coyolxauhqui and her fellow siblings the Centzonhuitznahuah are full of rage at the dishonor such a claim makes.  A virgin birth, through a stray feather is as absurd as a teenage Hebrew girl chatting it up with the Angel of Yahwah. They set upon their wayward mother ready to tear her to pieces;  miraculously Huitzilopochtli is born fully armed and prepared to smite the usurpers. The famous (and spectacular) Coatlicue Stone a striking  indigenous illustration of the carnage.

The following is my own interpretation , imbuing the narrative with traditional nativity tenderness, let the blood-letting hold for the moment.

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The Virgin Birth of Huitzilopochtli

2013

oil on canvas

24 by 36 inches

I have placed the lunar goddess Coyolxauhqui in the upper right corner, her siblings the vengeful Centzonhuitznahuah sitting in judgement on the left; as a hint of hope the Plumed Serpent Quetzalcoatl splashes about awaiting his own return. For perspective , I have enclosed some traditional examples of this great pantheon:

P1000331 copyCoatlicue-National Museum of Anthropology

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Coyolxuahqui-Templo Major

516px-Huitzilopochtli_telleriano

Huitzilopochtli-not sure of source other than wikipedia.

I have more work ahead , but I was eager to finish this painting before my own celebration of that OTHER virgin birth.

Viva la Virgens!

Take care, Lg

Progress in Paradise

It has been awhile since I have posted progress on my painting  And the Old Gods Were Pleased.   Frankly it is difficult for me to expose a painting that is less then complete.  But in the spirit of loosening my chains of restraint, here goes:

IMG_4514Detail   And the Old Gods Were Pleased

(essentially just the naughty bits)

And in the beginning, there was Sepia:

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So I’m coming along.

I have two other paintings, about the same size that I am working on simultaneously . They are definitely experimental for me and I haven’t worked the nerve to show them yet.

I’m not at all sure if they are any good or just loopy.

Will have to wait and see I suppose.

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Pardon the terrible glare, it is 7 pm here, sun long set and my studio lighting is quite harsh. I need to work on that but  I really haven’t a clue as to what is best.

Suggestions for lighting welcome.

Well  I  must walk the monsters, they have been patient for much of the day; it is a lovely drizzly evening here, quite the treat in LA.

Be well,

Lg

day II

I won’t bore folks with  literally watching paint dry, but the bright sunshine and happy temperament of our new place has provided inspiration to work. Yesterday was such a productive day , for that I am grateful.

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“And the Old Gods Were Pleased” in progress

I won’t indulge in a studio play by play, but I’m  happy, at last, to experience some degree of contentment .

(Now I must secure a printmaking facility.)

The pets are as thrilled as their companion, difficult to make out but there is a wee little cat and chihuahua on the couch and the ever present studio pugs at its foot. All pleased as punch.

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Until next time,

Lg

El Demonio Azul y el Toro

Just finished a new painting and I had the audacity to give it  a name in Spanish; if I screwed up blame it on Rosetta Stone.

So here it is : The Blue Devil and the Bull.

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El Demonio Azul y el Toro

oil on canvas

16 by 20 inches

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detail of blue devil

This is a small painting, I was  playing about with visual language, notably how to treat a body of water. Still playing with barren environments and themes of loneliness and isolation. Living in the desert is a rich resource for that sort of mood. I have a few more small paintings nearing completion which I hope to post shortly. Also noodling within my head  with what may be another very large painting. Perhaps one more large canvas before I leave this desert for good…

Have a happy Labor Day,

take care, namaste,

Lg

This just popped up on my Facebook feed, couldn’t help but to post it; yet another subliminal influence.

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Open To Criticism

In my desire to more fully engage as an artist I have joined an artists  alliance that is affiliated with a local museum here in Southern California. Apparently, once a quarter, its members gather with one piece of their work and a group critique ensues.

Strikes terror in my heart frankly.

Nonetheless I have decided to attend. I have a fair number of paintings to choose from but most tend to be rather large.  Fortunately I have been working on three smaller paintings, one of which is 95% complete, it is called Peregrino de la Rosa- Pilgrim of the Rose.

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Peregrino de la Rosa

oil on canvas

24 by 30 inches

The painting started out, as I posted on the following link, as a small sketch cobbled together after being inspired by my dear friend Rosa’ s nocturnal wanderings-spiritual development and a trinity of owls being major themes, the link provides more detail. But as I painted and explored I better understood the personal significance , hence my pilgrim is no longer a woman but instead one of my idealized
Poussin inspired heroes.

I have come to see this image as a moment of  decision at a crossroads, one in which I find myself. Our pilgrim has encountered a shaman like figure and is offered two paths, the more obvious one and  the more furtive one, which will he take? I find myself still struggling with this persistent question : steeling my nerves and going forward with formal training or staying on the familiar and frankly often frustrating path of self discovery. This group critique is an opportunity for me to poke my head out of the hermitage and perhaps explore options.

IMG_4079 2Detail of my peregrino

On an aesthetic level I’m happy with the tone and coloring of this painting. The underpainting was done in a very warm monochrome, essentially Indian Yellow. I’m pleased the painting retained the warmth.

IMG_3971Initial underpainting.

As I mentioned the painting is very close to completion, some noodling about with finicky details and further shadows and light but essentially finished. The critique is early this evening and I want the painting to be at least tacky dry  for transport so I will hold off fussing until tomorrow.

Wish me well and until next time, take care,

LG

Out of the Hermitage :the completion of the Temptation of St.Anthony of the Desert

At long last I have finished my painting of The Temptation of St. Anthony of the Desert. I have some shading to tend to, a few details that need enhancing, but for now, I’m out of the Hermitage.

2The Temptation of St.Anthony of the Desert

oil on canvas

36 by 52 inches

2013

It is satisfying to have chronicled the painting from the first roughing out until completion. I haven’t posted play-by-play images, as that would be dull as dishwater given the progress I made, but I have stashed them in my library.

3scrubbling in, first day

Given that I may very well be the worst photographer ever, I am going to post individual images of details.

4Randy Blue Fauns

1

5

Fury/Siren

6

Bearded Siren

4

Albino Boy

7

The abbot, an attempt at self portraiture, not sure if it is successful or not.

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A detail of my trusted mechanical pencil; the bane of every art instructor I have had. There is a serious resistance to mechanical pencils amongst the art establishment. I developed a fondness for precision instruments when  I worked in interior design. Habits fall off slowly.

The “L” is not a signature but a reference to 50, my age right now.  A memento mori.

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Bearded Prickly Man

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Iguana Boy

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A wee little red devil who unfortunately doesn’t photograph well.

ANTIQUES1-articleLarge

source

In finishing this painting there is a personal symbolic value, I think i’m ready to start venturing out of my own hermitage. I have for the last year been squirreled up with my dogs, my paint, and my thoughts. Essentially a recluse. As I gear up towards moving to a vital city, attending a school that is both exciting and intimidating , I’m finding myself more and more venturing forth. A small step in tackling my anxieties is taking a yoga class with my sister-in-law this afternoon; silly how intimidating that feels, but I’m going forward. Wish me luck.

Until next time,

take care, be well,

LG

Post Script: On the themes of hermits,  the hermitage, and creation of art and one’s self ; this morning’s New York Times ran a piece about a Brooklyn artist having had spent his life practicing his craft in isolation was “discovered” at 64 by a major gallery, the show a whopping success.  A fairytale story of course, but heartening.  His work is rich and he has clearly dedicated his life to Breton’s ideals.  The paper quotes the artist, Rafeal Leonardo Black as saying “Everybody writes poems at 15 ; real poets write them at 50.”

Encouraging words.

iggy

Evolution of an Eruption (& two randy blue fauns)

IMG_3873 Eruption

2013

relief print on paper with pochoir color addition

One of my goals in printmaking has been to create companions to my paintings, I have tried this before and it was an unfortunate failure. My brushwork didn’t seem to translate to relief prints; intaglio might be a better technique for this purpose.

But this semester I am focusing upon relief printing.  A current obsession happens to be  two fauns from a nearly completed painting The Temptation of St. Anthony in the Desert. The fauns play a supporting role but they charm me for personal reasons, I can certainly relate to the older faun, confused but still obviously vital, he just needs a bit of guidance.

I was determined to translate these two fauns into a relief print, but the process has been complicated. I first tried conventional black ink, handsome enough but did not capture the tension I was after.

IMG_3869 Eruption

 artist’s proof, relief print

My instructor suggested what he calls a rainbow roll- a two/three color roll of ink. I was not at all happy with this, might very well have to do with my aversion of rainbow rolls in general.  Too Haight Ashbury in my snotty opinion.

IMG_3852 Eruption

artist’s proof, “rainbow roll” relief print

I was after spots of color, that attracted the eye to the characters and to the situation. I did not want a hand colored, water color feeling; I wanted opaque blocks of color.  Clive Hicks-Jenkins suggested the stenciling method pochoir.  Initially I hesitated, I explained to Clive how orthodox my instructor can be, stenciling would not suffice.

Clive assured me that pochoir was an established and well respected practice some of the  most revered artist have used the technique to great effect.  Risking my instructors disapproval I gave it a shot.

I am very happy I did, thank you Clive!

As I was working with two colors, I made two stencils, first orangish-yellow, applying opaque acrylic paint rather lavishly. I  like how I was able to manipulate the colors, something that isn’t very easy to do with a roller.  Not a “pure’ printmaking technique, but ultimately visually satisfying.

IMG_3870I tackled the second color with a second stencil cut from conventional stencil paper. I t handles so nicely and reminded me of my decorative painting days.  One never knows how old tricks can be applied in a new fashion.

IMG_3872The final step was to apply a black print over the treated paper; using a carefully aligned template made the process a breeze.

I am happy to say my instructor was delighted, he noted registration  had gone awry- something I sincerely enjoy in this print- but otherwise he was quite pleased. He can take comfort in the fact that our  class “Bible”, Fritz Eichenberg’s monumental The Art of the Print, Masterpieces, History, Techniques (Abrams), seems to fully embrace the technique, echoing Clive’s endorsement. So I now have another technique  quasi mastered, aside from multiple color blocks ( and the odious technique of reduction relief).

Happy Clive spoke up. The final print though visibly its own statement is indeed in dialogue with its source, the randy little blue fauns from my St. Anthony.

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 detail of blue fauns, The Temptation of St.Anthony in the Desert,unfinished

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Semester ends soon and I will at last be able to return to painting. but for now I have several unfinished printing projects which seem promising.  I will post my progress in class as I finish up the projects.

Until that time, take care and much gratitude to Clive, our modern master,

LG