Something Wicked This Way Comes

     Even those of us who aren’t “plugged in” 24/7 can feel that there’s a change in the wind.  Our spider senses tingle and our gut tells us that the world is changing. 

     Corrupt politicians, a Federal Reserve Bank out of control, and a slipping dollar all have us teetering on the precipice.  It’s an easy time to forget who we are, and we tend to want to pull in to our shells and isolate ourselves. It’s easy to let those little cracks of doubt seep in and take over our thinking.

     Let’s face it, the Art Market is a scary place to tread without a flailing economy, and it’s very easy to let fear and doubt drive our decision-making.

     Sometimes, I even come dangerously close to convincing myself that it’s all for naught.   Here are the thought patterns that threaten to undo all I’ve worked for:

“Art is the greatest of luxuries; only 1/100 of 1% appreciate art enough to actually purchase a painting.  If the economy were to tank, art would be the first to go.”  

     I can go on and on for two more pages of fear and doubt, but to what end?  I can only lean on what gifts God has heaped on Pam and me.  He made me to be an artist, and set me on this path.  And that is comforting and builds confidence, at least for us.

      So what’s my advice, among all this doom and gloom?  No matter what you wish to accomplish in your life, STAND UP STRAIGHT AND GET INTO THE GAME!  You were made to be an artist, or a cowboy, or a mom, or whatever your passion is.

     There is no doubt that we are in scary times.  But as a group, Americans aren’t good at lying down and giving up.  I wake up every day and paint to the best of my abilities.  So my recommendation to you?  Press on my friend, THIS TOO WILL PASS.  

The Power of "Runt"

     About this time last year, I was on a search for the perfect pit bull puppy (a statement you won’t read on many art blogs).  I waded through the many possibilities, but my requirements weren’t easily met:

 --- Female

 --- No undershot jaw and a good disposition

 --- A nice paint job, preferably brindle, blue paul, or mouse colored

 --- Smallest dog in the litter, i.e. “the runt”

 --- Not overpriced

     The first three categories were easy to meet and I knew if Category 4 could be obtained, then Category 5 would fall into place.  After several months, Pam and I stopped in Lockhart, Texas where a very nice older woman was selling a litter of pups.  Both parents were present and were well-socialized, well-mannered dogs.

     I immediately saw my pup in the whelping box, but negotiated from the top.  Two blue male picks of the litter at $1500 each.  Double WOW!  There were three black and white paints with blue muzzles at $850 each.  WOW!  Then there is a smaller female with a white snip at $250.  Better! One little chocolate brown runt acting very well mannered in the corner, all by herself.  PRICELESS! 

     The lady quotes me $150.  I say “I’ve never paid more than $50 for a bulldog pup.”  She agrees to meet at $100 – done!  I put the pup in Pam’s lap and off we go.

     Fast forward one year to today, one empty blog post, and here we are.  I worked on a painting for an upcoming show most of this week.  I struggled with paint application (second layer lifting), paper sizing issues, compositional problems, and an early drawing mistake that had to be repaired.  All of these problems were hardly leading me to a winner or “pick of the litter.”

     I initially thought about ditching this effort, but I had seen a Gordon Snidow painting with a similar dark background and felt I could still make this a special painting.  I pressed on, tackling each problem systematically, and hoping for a winner in the end.

     The reasons I’m fond of runt pups are diverse and wide-ranging.  They are tough by necessity, and survivors in nature.  They are appreciative of a good home, and fiercely loyal.  But you must see past the “runtness” to the possibilities.

     I needed to view my painting exactly the same… it was a runt.  My left-brain logic was screaming to call it dead, but my gut kept fighting back, saying, “Yes, this is a runt, but it will pay off in the end.”  My gut was right. 

"Yerba Mate"

     When your work in progress feels like the pick of the litter, it is easy to go forward.  But sticking with the runt is an uphill struggle.  Take it from me, “Master of the Runt Painting”---it will come back and gift you a thousand fold. 

Parallel Planes

     Did you ever meet someone with whom you have a special connection that you can’t explain?  The connection moves beyond just a friendship.  It’s almost like you knew them on a whole other plane or in a different time.  My friend BJ Wacob and I share this gift.

     Before you accuse me of some “Bromance”, I’m speaking from a cosmic parallel plane/ big picture view.  I spoke with BJ last night, listening to him rail on the ups and downs of the Elko County (Nevada) weather.  (It was 39 degrees and spitting snow). 

     Just so you understand, BJ is as cowboy as they come.  His left hand is as rope wicked as you will see, and he is the type you want with you if things go bad.  If cooler heads really do prevail, BJ will be the last man standing.

     Our cynical humor finds common ground in almost every aspect of today’s world.  And our sarcastic banter can rapidly get out of hand.

     BJ has an unexplainable longing for the sage country of Nevada, most probably rooted in the freedom this lovely, hard country provides.  In his early years, he buckaroo’d for the YP and IL Ranches, and has now settled on the famous Maggie Creek Ranch, just outside the lights of Elko.  When he was in his early 20’s, a runaway horse nearly took his life, dragging him by the foot towards a black brush thicket.  The fast action of fellow buckaroos saved him at the last minute, although he suffered a severely shattered leg that nags him to this day.  (When the hard work’s done, BJ leaves the romance of tall top boots and large roweled spurs for the comfort of his Nikes.)

     On my trip to Nevada last year, I knew I wanted to photograph BJ for my central painting at the upcoming Buffalo Bill Museum Art Show.  This painting will be something different and quiet; no thundering horses or dusty pens.  It will be a painting that shows the depth and honor of my friend. 

     When I saw the tack room door at the Maggie Creek Ranch, I knew I had my image.  I know this will be a tough painting for me, in a new direction.  But I look forward to showing BJ in a real light.  His light.  

Spring 2011 Newsletter

I wanted to share my online Spring newsletter with you. Just click the link below and see what's going on in my life and in the Studio. Enjoy!

Check out my @constantcontact newsletter

How To Cheat

     I wouldn’t say I was a “master” cheater in my school days.  First of all, there is no reason to cheat if you’re not in class.  My truancy problem was much more significant than my cheating problem.  This was due to my unique ability to pen my father’s signature better than he does!  So now we have forgery combined with truancy. 

It was a perfect little storm for a 7^th-grader who was absolutely terrified of anything having to do with Math.  Thank you, Mrs. Bernal, for your exemplary teaching methods.  If that’s the truth sounding like a grudge … I’m just sayin’.

     So here’s the one cheating episode I can remember.  The class?  World Geography.  The assignment?  Name every freaking country in the world!!!  The Solution? Carry a flair pen with the answers written with a #000 rapidograph pen and rolled up and stored in the back of the pen.  By cutting the ink-filled fiber insert in half, and then cramming a piece of #2 pencil eraser between that and your piece of paper with the answers, you can create a workable space for every country you’re never going to visit, care about, or see on a test again.  Boom! Winning!

     So, is it possible to cheat in watercolor?  Well, for those wacky European Traditionalists, all you have to do is use Ivory Black or White paint.  That alone will send them skyward.  I really get tired of these elitist snobs. 

     Hell, if you want to paint your watercolors with flower pollen and water, be my guest.  But don’t keep setting up your rules for me to live by.  Here’s the deal.  I will use any reasonable means necessary to create the image of my painting that is in my head. 

     I don’t want to go all Zen on you, here, but I visualize my finished painting in my head.  The tough part is getting there.  Making the jump from the painting in my head to the painting on my paper is where I sometimes use other methods and materials to reach my goal.

     So what are some of these “Cheater” tactics?  Nothing terribly exciting, and I have advised you on some of them in previous posts.  I think you should have them all loaded as part of your ammunition, and be adept at incorporating these materials and techniques into your work:

1.   Gouache – I keep a set of transparent watercolor and a complete set of gouache on my palette most of the time.  I am not too proud to bump my color intensity or darks with gouache, if I feel it is needed.  If you try it, you will be a fan.

2.   Masking Fluid - I am not a fan of masking and I try to avoid it, if at all possible.  But there are times when I must use it to get to the picture in my head.

3.   Ox Gall - This solution makes your paint flow with less surface tension.  If you need atmospheric effects, it can be deadly.

4.   Gum Arabic – This reduces blooming on wet-into-wet washes.  Have you ever had to do one of those 22 x 30 washes that you want to look uniform?  Don’t go crazy with this solution, but it has its place.

5.   Table salt - Need mottling and texture on leather?  This is a good place to start.  Experiment before you move to your good work.

6.   Watercolor pencils and Prismacolors – Sometimes I need to bump a highlight or just add a bit of reflected light.  These work beautifully.

     So, now you know my stable of “Cheater’s Tools”.  Here are some others you may wish to consider:  oil-painting palette knives; razor blade scratches in my paper; squirt bottles and spritzer bottles; crow quill pens loaded with watercolor or gouache.  Also check into Nita Engle’s stamping method.  She is a master at “cheating”.  And she does kick-ass paintings!

     I know I’m missing some of my techniques, but I just want to tell you not to be limited by your materials.  The fabulous painter Oleg Stavrowsky once said one of his favorite paint application tools was the heel of an old shoe.  If it’s good enough for him…. The only limitations on painting are the ones you put on yourself.  Good luck…..cheater!  

What's Up With All The Bitch-Biting?

     I’m going to make a statement that you might find surprising, and here it is:  

As a group, artists can be amazing.  People will stand for hours watching us do painting magic.  On the opposite hand, as a group, artists can be among the nastiest, intolerant, opinionated bunch of whiners you’ve ever seen.

     I’ve been to several shows this year where the congregation of art minds was truly inspiring and uplifting.  The Coors Show in Denver this last January is a good case in point.  Fellow artists Gil Dellinger, G. Russell Case, Joel Ostlind and David Griffin are the epitome of class and positive input.  These artists help each problem-solve, and stand as examples of artists I choose to surround myself with.

     However, other negative opinions can rule the day.  Here are a few of the criticisms I often hear about my work and that drive me crazy:

1.    Paints too loose or paints too tight

2.    Paints too realistic or too impressionistic

3.    Watercolor has less value

4.    Works of art on paper or behind glass are less desirable

5.    This work of art is too western or too contemporary

6.    These paintings don’t say anything

7.    This work is too “Wyeth” or too (insert any Master painter)

8.    He has a limited subject --- all he paints is cowboys

9.    He paints too thin ..... he paints too thick

10.  He glazes everything or it's too palette-knife impasto

     I could do two more pages of art gripes that you can hear at any given minute at any given art show.  Don’t get caught in this negative wave of opinion.  Politely move on, and find safety among other artists of like mind.

     You won’t find this spiteful commentary among collectors.  They are more succinct.  They either like it or don’t, based on subject and quality.  Only artists get specific and nasty. 

     It is time we stop all this “throwing of hate darts” and start working to help and support each other’s efforts.  I know our past indicates this won’t be the case.  I don’t know if our fragile egos are the root of this problem or if it’s just that we’ve invested so much of ourselves in our work and process that we must skewer all other attempts at paint on canvas. 

     I just plan to paint what I enjoy----paint it at the highest quality I can and speak as positive as I can about my fellow artists and acquaintances.  Sometimes part of being a professional is keeping your mouth shut and opinion to yourself.

     I won’t be steam-rolled by anyone, and make no mistake…..I will stand up for myself.  But we can keep it professional, even if we disagree.  I enjoy throwing artistic curveballs as much as the next artist/guy, and I refused to be boxed in artistically.  So for those critics who say “all he paints is western art or cowboys”, check out my painting foray from yesterday.

The Fallen

     I can hear it now…..”I can’t believe he painted a dead bird” ….. “It’s too much like Chardin” ….. “That teacup is so feminine”……

It Happens In The Fire!

     

I would venture that most of you don’t know that I made a short foray into the craft of knife making.  To this day, I still yearn to bloody my hands with this grueling but satisfying craft.  After making a serviceable and sellable knife, I realized it was going to be a long and cutthroat climb to any kind of meager subsistence.

     However, some of my best life lessons were learned during this time period.  The most impressionable knowledge I gained would, ironically, parallel the task of tempering.  Let me explain:  once a blade is fashioned and the edge ground, it is placed in a forge or heat-treating oven and hardened so that it can best perform its task.  Steel, in its earliest stage is annealed (or at its most malleable, soft stage).  This is the point at which it can be formed into a tool for cutting.

     But until it is baptized by fire and tempered, it remains useless as a cutting tool.  This holds true for us as artists, as well.  The tempering or fire stage is the most difficult to surmount, but until we walk through the artistic fire, I submit that we will remain at an elementary level.

The Good Life

     So how do we progress?  One word --- PERSISTENCE!  I remember my first real jump into the fire.  I had captured an astounding photo I knew was the basis for a spectacular painting.  The problem was that my skill level wasn’t up to the task.  I painted the image and failed; redrew it again; and again, I failed.  I redrew and attempted the painting 13 times!  No wonder 13 is my lucky number.  

     For two weeks I put the full court press on this painting.  I never really got frustrated with my effort because with every attempt I was making headway; solving problems and creating a painting better than the last effort.  When it was all done I realized my tenacious persistence was a great ally.  My advice?  When it isn’t working, press on into the fire!