My solo show “Paintings and Paraphernalia” at UMass Science and Engineering Library, starts September 3 and goes until December 13, 2019. The opening reception is Wednesday October 23, 4-6 PM.

The exhibit includes new and recent oils, watercolors, and drawings, including landscapes, figures, sketches, and works from imagination. Also on display will be custom equipment and measuring devices invented by the artist, with descriptions of construction and use.

The Science and Engineering Library is located in the Lederle Graduate Research Center Lowrise, Floor 2, Room A273, 740 North Pleasant St., Amherst, MA.

Preparing panels

Making panels to paint on. I’m following the procedure recommended by Stapleton Kearns. The panels are hardboard, cut to size on a table saw, and given two coats of oil based primer (Zinsser also makes a shellac based primer, but you need the oil based one). Stape throws his on the grass to dry, but when I tried it, they picked up a bunch of random plant matter and insects, so for the second coat I moved to an improvised platform in the driveway. After a light sanding I painted the backs to prevent warping and moisture getting in. Looking forward to actually painting on them.

Portrait sketches from life drawing group. Cretacolor Nero pencil and white gouache on toned paper, 45 minute pose.

Early Snow was accepted for the Academic Artists Association 69th Annual National Exhibition of Traditional Realism.
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I got it a nice new frame in honor of the occasion.

Artists Magazine Over 60 Contest winner!

My painting Three Women is featured in the April issue of the Artists Magazine.

The caption (based on my more verbose submission) reads “Three Women depicts three generations of women, suspended in a moment of existence: the daughter is bursting to take flight, the grandmother is soon to leave this world, and the mother is fully occupied trying to hold their world together. Each has her gaze fixed on her own future, and an approaching storm has different implications for each of them.”

Hadley Dike, Spring

Oil on linen panel, 9" x 12".
I started this last spring, recently revisited it and pulled it together to enter in the Friends of the Chicopee Public Library show.

Eggs Tempera

I did a couple of eggs tempera (that seems more mellifluous than "egg temperas" for some reason - like "surgeons general" or perhaps "eggs benedict") for a "Small Works" show at local frame shop/gallery Hope and Feathers. These are not 100% egg tempera - I haven't gone the whole hog of grinding my own dry pigments. I started with regular tube watercolors and added the egg yolk as a medium. The show stipulated dimensions of 5" x 7" or 6" X 6" so these are both 5" x 7."

I did a bunch of thumbnails in preparation, first to decide what images I wanted to make - here are some that didn't make it:

For the first one, I did the preliminary pencil sketch right on the panel, then went over it in India ink for the grisaille underpainting:

Doing the first one brought home to me that for egg tempera, you really want to nail down the layout and values pretty well before painting - the medium isn't conducive to major surgery later on. So I did more thumbnails and a full size sketch for the second one.

plein air kit for large paintings

Modeling my plein air kit for large paintings.

Takeiteasel and Bestbrella in improved carrier slung from shoulder:

Paintbox strapped to back:

Peg O’ My Art wet canvas carrier under right arm.

The whole kit and caboodle weighs about 45 lbs.

Peg ‘O My Art wet canvas carrier.

“Peg ‘O My Art” wet canvas carrier. Holds stretched canvas or panel with painted surface protected by pegboard.
Clamps are attached with thumbscrews and wing nuts through slots for adjustability.

Closeup of clamps holding canvas

Closeup of clamps holding panel

construction of clamp out of wood and luan plywood.