Coffee by Richard Diebenkorn

I don't usually write about work that I have see in museums or galleries. But I was so enthralled by this oil painting that I simply couldn't pass up the opportunity to say something. This painting, 67x58 is an oil on canvas hanging at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk. Richard Diebenkorn is an American artist 1922-1933. I googled him and read all kind of stuff by various experts on the stages of his work. Some wrote that his figures were not nearly as good as his later work, some wrote that his move away from abstract expressionism was ground breaking. I have always felt that artwork should speak for itself and not have endless dialogue to explain. A friend and I were talking today about an exhibit that he once attended and the artist had insisted that all work shown be devoid of title, price, commentary, medium or any other notes. Now that's work speaking for itself. The size of this work and the light on the shoulder from upper right is fascinatingly rendered. This work is distilled and ground down to some very basic elements. The colors are vivid and perfectly placed, yet still show such a spontaneity and fluidness that I find myself entranced. I know this place and this familiar man.

Autumn Hillside from Pastel to Oil

This is a very large canvas (30x40) and as promised, a "redo" of the pastel that I did a few years ago. I love these colors and the original is a bit brighter and less gold looking. The shadows are a deep plum and very dark green.

Feels Like New Orleans

It was terribly hot on Saturday and in spite of the heat, I went out to paint. A friend of mine knew someone who had a lovely garden that was in full bloom and was happy to have us there to paint for the day. Immediately upon seeing this fantastic garden full of flowers, lilies, fountains and paths, I felt like I was somewhere in New Orleans. The heat only made it feel that much more so. We have had so much rain lately that everything is bright green and full. Needless to say, after about 3 hours of this, I had had enough and felt just like the fading lilies. I had to finish this in my studio. I will probably wander past it in the next couple of days debating if it needs anything further. Usually paintings will tell you if they need to be fixed. They call to you and say,"Here...a little more blue..." or "What were you thinking????"Next time I take on such a big project, I will try to scale it down even further. Less is better.