As the (self appointed) leader of portrait painting in Boston, I am always out and about, running my mouth about how under appreciated and under utilized portraiture is as an expressive art form. The fact that we all spend such a huge part of our time looking at, and interpreting, faces gives images that include them such a tangible power, even for viewers that would might otherwise have little interest or ability in decoding a piece of art. In spite of this (or maybe because of this) people seem very quick to dismiss the potential of portrait painting to reach beyond the simple record of an individual. I think most people that know me have been forced to sit through at least one rant about this.
Maybe I spend a little too much time ranting because, people are often surprised to learn that I also paint commissioned portraits. Despite my ambitions to use portraiture as a medium for artistic exploration, I still enjoy the act of simply creating a painting as a beautiful map of a life. It is not news to anyone reading this that, my own inclination is to dig deeply into a subjects features, finding the treasure of colors and textures within the skin. People sitting for portraits, on the other hand, want to have their best self presented and, the whole situation creates a wonderful tension within the strokes that make their way onto the canvas.
I guess that is just a long winded way to say, here is a commissioned portrait that I finished a little while back.
South Boston Open Studios is happening on Sunday June 1st and, despite the fact that I am in the middle of moving my studio to Dorchester, I will be set up and open for visitors. This will, most likely, be the last time that I participate in one of these events for a while so, if you are interested in seeing the paintings and talking with me about art, be sure to come out!
Postcard image by Dana Woulfe
This spring, the whole neighborhood is joining in the fun, with artists opening up in The Distillery, and King Terminal building, along with a few of the neighborhood galleries (including Thomas Young Gallery and the newly opened 555 Gallery).
For more information, and a full list of participating artists and galleries, visit southbostonopenstudios.com.
There will also be a neighborhood art stroll hosted by New Art Love. They will lead a group of visitors through the galleries and artist studios of Southie and talk with artists, curators, gallerists and more. Afterwords there will be a reception at LaMontagne Gallery. It sounds like a great way to experience South Boston Open Studios so, if you are interested, be sure to check out the Facebook event page, or go to www.southbostonartcrawl.eventbrite.com for more information.
When I wrote the previous post about painting using photo references, I intended to follow it up with a post about painting from life. That story is not quite ready yet so, we are going to take the scenic route there. Part 1 of 3, making better paintings.
I think a lot of people struggle with the idea of being an artist. There are just too many people running around playing artist, too many that like the idea of being an artist, but don’t have any interest in, or ability to actually do the work. The situation is dire that, it is hard to even answer the question that everyone is bound to face on an incredibly regular basis; “what do you do?” Because you know that, when you answer “artist”, they are going to picture that annoying guy in IT that claims to be a musician, and pesters everyone in the office to see his depressing cover band for their annual gig at the VFW. They are going to picture their great aunt making watercolor paintings to pass the time. Whatever it is, they are not going to see someone who wakes up early in the morning to put in a serious day of work in the studio and they are going to ask you, no I mean, what do you do… like for money.
Not too long ago, I was beginning to work towards making art a job and, while I liked the idea of being an artist, I struggled with admitting it out loud. There are probably a lot of good ways to deal with this problem but, my solution was to make better art. If I was not excited to show people what I was working on, I had to consider the possibility that it was just not good enough. So I sat down, worked harder, came up with better paintings, and was pretty much instantly rewarded with increased attention and, most importantly, sales.
Unfortunately, things have started to plateau. I am still happy with the work I am producing, but I used to look at the paintings I was working on, and just be amazed at what I had done. I used to finish each piece and feel like it was the best one I had ever made and, lately I have not felt that way. I am investing more and more time, money, and energy into each painting and, while they are still improving, I just don’t feel like I am getting as much out as I am putting in.
So I decided to look back. The last time I lost my way, I decided to make bigger, better paintings and I came up with this piece:
It has always been one of my personal favorites. The painting is not overworked but parts that need detail have it. It is realistic but there are little distortions that really play with the feeling of the piece. Everything just feels like it is working together. As I look back through my work, I see a lot of similarities in my favorite pieces. I also see a lot of pieces where I painted myself into a corner. I see a lot of pieces where an idea was not entirely worked out before I had already committed weeks of effort into a large piece and I realize where I have lost my way.
All of my favorite pieces have one thing in common. They all started out as smaller scale experiments. Once the idea was fully worked out, I stepped up the size and detail to create the final piece. Then there are the paintings that are not quite as successful. Paintings where I got excited about an idea and just dove in without a clear goal. When you have been working on a piece for weeks (or months) it is hard to admit that it has gone off the rails so, I keep pushing until they (mostly) work. Clearly, this is why people refine their ideas with small scale studies. With relatively little time and money invested, you can really let lose and see what happens. If it works, great, if not toss it and try again. No problem.
So, I am going to get back into the habit of sketching and creating smaller study pieces. As evidence, here is a study I have been working on for, what will be my second attempt at a large piece with this pose.
Also, no offense intended to any IT guys in cover bands playing the VFW or great aunts making watercolor paintings. Keep doing your thing.
I have a habit of over reaching in my life as an artist. Attempting paintings that are just a little bit beyond what I can possibly pull off, getting involved in projects with tight deadlines and, showing up to ask for the impossible has become common place at this point. While I have grown used to hearing the word no, most of the time these gambles find a way to miraculously pay off.
Preparing for this show was not one of those times.
A while back Didi Menendez did a nice profile of my work in her magazine, Poets & Artists. Not only did this profile lead to one of my first big sales, it has also lead to my work being included in a few of her other projects, including what has become and annual show at the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago. These shows (along with her magazine) do an amazing job of combining promising newer artists alongside bigger established names and, I am trying to work with her on a portrait show here in Boston. In other words, when she calls, I want to send her something good.
Unfortunately, something good just did not want to happen without a fight. I scaled back my original plan, then scrapped the backup plan, only to end up finishing a piece that I had nearly abandoned. In the end, all the frustration was worth it. I am happy with the finished piece and the show will, without a doubt, be great.
I think everyone has seen enough of my new piece for this show so, scroll down for the official information and a few of the early arrivals for the show from some other cool artists.
Fixation is an exhibition and a publication of art and poetry focused on the physical or psychological preoccupation or obsession over an object or subject. Also as a focus of something that will capture our attention.
Fixation takes place in a gallery setting, print and digital formats. The exhibition is curated by Sergio Gomez of Chicago’s Zhou B Art Center and Didi Menendez of PoetsArtists Magazine.
For those of you that think I stink, but like Margaux. This video featuring a poem by Nin Andrews will be playing at the gallery. See if you can spot her.
Working on this painting has been a struggle. In fact, working on pieces with this particular model, has been a struggle. I don’t want to cast the blame on her, though, this struggle is mine, she just stumbled into it. To be fair, she may be the most experienced, easiest to work with model I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. She showed up when she said she would, she was beautiful, charming, and had an incredible ability to position herself in just the right way for each image. By all measures, she nailed it. Unfortunately, this sort of thing just doesn’t help me make good paintings.
Now, let me elaborate on that. This sort of thing would help immensely if I had the opportunity to have her in the studio for an extended time, so that I could work from life. The reality is that I just don’t have the budget to do that yet. The reality of being an artist, working in a style that is not exactly in fashion, is that I have to stretch a dollar. The reality is, I have to work primarily from photographs. Nobody wants to hang around my studio for weeks on end, staying as still as possible, without a really good reason (if anyone wants to volunteer, I would certainly prefer to work from life). This is not a complaint though, I accept this reality and, to be honest, for someone who is often accused of being a photo realist painter (an accusation which I would adamantly deny), I just don’t spend too much time worrying about what things actually look like.
Here I am, struggling away in the studio, hardly caring what things actually look like, barely even looking at a bunch of shitty photographs (did I mention that I am a shitty photographer?) to make sure that all the body parts fall roughly in the right place, trying to create representational art. Not exactly the best case scenario but, sometimes it works. The times that it works, are the times that I am painting people who I know. People that I know well enough to paint a convincing likeness within these less than ideal parameters.
Back to my struggle. In this case, like the other paintings I have attempted with this model, I am breaking that pattern. I am staring hard at the reference images, trying to figure out if my painting actually looks anything like her. I am trying so hard to figure out if I am on the right track but, in the end, I just don’t know all that well what she really looks like. I am spending a lot of time worrying about this, when it really shouldn’t matter. After all, what I am trying to paint is not what someone actually looks like, but the feeling of looking at someone (or something like that), and since I don’t really know what looking at Jessica feels like, I struggle.
In any case, while I am not sure that this painting looks anything like her, I think I am finally happy with the result.
“But, How did I get to.. Now?”
48″x48″ oil on canvas
Those of you that hate the text paintings will be happy to see that I restrained myself here.
A friend of mine recently asked me to hang some pieces in the lobby gallery at the FP3 building in Fort Point. The room is beautiful and, in the back opens up into a large space with 20 foot ceilings, which makes it the perfect place to hang some of my larger paintings. I am always surprised at how nice the paintings look when they get out of the studio and into a proper environment and this is no exception. The space really gives the paintings some room to breath and, its great to see the new 5’x7′ large piece in a space that makes its scale work.
In any case, they are holding a little opening reception this Thursday from 6-8 (I hear there may be tasty snacks). So, if you are around Boston, come on out, say hello and check it out.
Next weekend is the annual Fall Open Studios in South Boston. Come by The Distillery building On Saturday, November 2nd and Sunday, November 3rd from noon-6pm and visit my studio.
The Distillery has a lot of new residents this year and around 50 of them will be open so, Open Studios should be especially good. I will have a few new paintings around the studio that are some of my biggest and best pieces yet. In the main gallery there will be a satellite show curated by Greg of Thomas Young Studios, along with the regular open studios group show. What I am saying is, there is a lot of new stuff to see around here so, it will be worth the trip. Check out http://southbostonopenstudios.org/ for more info and join/share the Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/243423379142713/
South Boston Open Studios
Saturday November 2nd – Sunday, November 3rd
noon to 6pm at The Distillery
516 E 2nd Street in South Boston
Every Fall, on the first weekend of November, the artists and craftspeople of South Boston open their doors to share their work and their studios with the community. This year, nearly 50 artists in The Distillery building, along with Thomas Young Studios and Medicine Wheel Productions, invite you to experience their work. Visitors can mingle with creative types, tour the unique environments in which art is produced, and make purchases directly from the artists. In addition to art studios, visitors can get a peek into live/work lofts, creative small businesses, and corridors which often serve as gallery space. With everything from oil painters to wood workers, alongside sculptors, jewelers and poets, there is something for everyone.
Come meet the artists and check out what’s new in the local arts scene during South Boston Open Studios on Saturday November 2nd and Sunday, November 3rd from noon to 6pm.
It has been an exciting summer at my studio, which has taken its toll on my artwork. I got married, did some traveling, enjoyed the small window of warm weather that Boston offers and now, I am refreshed, ready to hit the ground running in the lead up to Fall. With that in mind, its time for a summertime wrap-up post.
First things first, crucial thanks to a few people that helped make the wedding great. Nathan Fried-Lipski took amazing photographs of the event. Not only did he risk life and limb by laying down in the middle of Atlantic Ave (a very busy three lane road for those of you not familiar with Boston) to get the shot he wanted, he also went above and beyond the call of duty by helping keep Margaux sane and happy during the days stressful moments. I can not recommend him enough, everyone should head straight to his blog to take a look at a few photos from the day, and then go ahead and like his page on Facebook. Seriously, he is a great guy and a talented photographer.
Next up, Eli at Alabaster and Chess. He does custom tailored suits for a good price and had me looking better than I probably ever will again. Beyond that, he was also just a really great guy and super easy to do business with, which counts for a lot in my book.
If you want to live vicariously, you can check out some photos from my travels by following me on Instagram.
Okay. On to some art related news. I know I have been talking a lot about the Street Diamonds show but, that’s because it is good. Silva Naci pulled together a nice mix of artists and it really is worth seeing. You’ve already missed the closing party but there is still time to see the show. It will be up through September 7th so, head out to Fourth Wall Project and have a look.
Speaking of the Just Platinum Rings and Street Diamonds closing party, I am told ALLDAYEVERYDAY was there shooting video for an upcoming Cheryl Dunn documentary. It should come as no surprise that I happily ride the coattails of those above me so, I am interested to see what they do with the video they took Saturday night. Keep your eyes open for that and, maybe I will be in the background of some shots, lurking awkwardly behind people, trying to gauge their interest in my paintings.
On to some paintings. I have done a little editing on this piece and plan on dropping it off at Sloane Merrill Gallery tomorrow (there is a good change that a couple new pieces will follow closely behind). I really loved the idea of consistent using four panels for this entire series of paintings but, I have just never thought it worked right for this particular piece. So I have dropped one. It is now a triptych and, since Sloane Merrill is interested in selling paintings, they have convinced me to allow them to split up the series. I still hope to keep all three together but, if you have had your heart set on a single panel from this painting (I know there are some of you out there), this is your chance. Head over to the gallery before I change my mind…
And finally, here is a quick update on my latest, large scale, piece. I lost my way a little bit with this one but, the solution has finally come to me. There will be some moderate editing done on this piece—don’t get used to her red hair—but, it is still turning out to be a pretty good looking painting. Stay tuned for the completed image and, enjoy the final days of summer.
A few days ago I dropped by Fourth Wall Project to take a sneak peak of the Street Diamonds show. The gallery was still awaiting the arrival of Faring Purth to install one of her large paintings in front but, the show was already looking great. I don’t want to give too much away but, there is one piece that I just can’t keep under my hat.
The piece is Silas Finch’s fifteen foot tall sculpture of a gown created from a discarded vintage parachute. The piece is so simple that I am having a hard time finding the right words to describe it but the visual effect is amazing. The piece as a sculpture alone is wonderful. Then he fits the dress to an actual living breathing (not 15′ tall) model and Heather McGrath uses it as the basis for a sensational series of photographs. Again, I don’t want to give away too much but, since Liz at Flux-Boston already posted this image, I will share it as well:
In any case, as much as it pains me to be the least famous artist in the room–showing pieces that are not even the biggest, brightest, or shiniest things there–this show is not to be missed.
I briefly mentioned in the last post that I am participating in the next show at Fourth Wall Project which is curated by my friend Silvi Naci. Fourth Wall is always putting on good shows and making waves in the calm pool that is the Boston art scene so, I am pretty excited to be a part of this. The show will be up from August 10th through September 7th with a closing reception on August 24th.
Fourth Wall & Silver Oris Present STREET DIAMONDS II
Curated by Silvi Naci, Street Diamonds II reflects on areas of street culture in relationship to personal triumphs and battles according to Diamond and Diamond. Utilizing various techniques from cut-out paper, murals, painting, photography and sculpture, each artists provides a different entry way into their progression to make an impact in the world as a whole.
Featuring Artists:
Faring Purth
Heather McGrath
Jacob Bannon
Silas Finch
Nick Ward
Nineta
Randal Thurston
Kenji Nakajama
Robert Maloney
Lego
Fourth Wall Project is located at 132 Brookline Ave in Boston (near Fenway). It is open from 1-6PM on Wednesday through Friday and 1-5PM on Sundays.
As usual, still refining this painting, but good enough for 1080 pixels. I feel like this composition is finally working with this attempt, third times the charm, I guess. Visually, it feels the most interesting and refined I have managed. Beyond that, the glitchieness is really starting to play an integral role in the piece, which feels important. Source image is just what it sounds like – I cut in some audio of the model saying the word “no” – as if it was another piece of video. That unexpected piece of information confuses the video player and gives us this moment of destructive chaos.
Anyways, let me know what you think, even if (especially if) you think this whole idea is garbage. It feels good to make one of these work, feels even better to finally make an interesting painting while devoting most of my mental energy to organizing a five-year old’s Zoom meeting schedule… More thoughts to come on this painting and the direction of this series as a whole.
In Progress
In Progress
In Progress
In Progress
In Progress
In Progress
Around Boston
In order for artists to thrive in any particular place, they need three elements. They need to be near institutions on higher learning and culture – museums, universities, theaters – places where they can develop a foundation of history, expand their knowledge, and enjoy the great work that already exists. They need people interested in supporting the arts – collectors, patrons and others that can support the work financially, but also an audience. Finally, they need space to live and do their work. This includes work spaces, but also space to support the sales, performances, and community engagement that is crucial to creation. Small galleries, Artist run collectives, project spaces, performance halls – places that can support and nurture entire networks of artists.
At this point, my city is clearly lacking one of these elements, and it was uplifting to see the Boston City Council stepping up and calling a hearing to discuss affordable housing and work spaces for artists.
You can watch the hearing on YouTube here:
Like a lot of people, I was unable to make it to the hearing but, for reasons that I will assume are obvious, I care about this stuff. Since I couldn’t stand up and speak in the room, I wanted to write my thoughts about these issues here, in hopes that it would encourage some more of you to do the same.
In order for a city to thrive, everyone needs to have an affordable place to live, and the city leadership should really be doing everything they can to make that happen. That means building more houses, as well as developing programs that ensure current residents are able to remain in the places they call home. This city really needs to find ways to encourage both of those things to happen so that everyone that wants to call this city home – including artists – has a place to live. However, allowing private developers to chose to dedicate subsidized housing units to artists, while excluding other people who would otherwise be qualified, creates a system that is ripe for abuse. All that is to say, I am going to focus this on advocating for the other spaces that artists need. While it is not as fundamental as having a place to live, it is the area of this issue that is more intertwined with supporting the arts.
Based on the testimonies at the hearing, it would appear that this issue was brought to the attention of the city council by the artists that have recently received eviction notices from the Boston Center for the Arts. Before I go any further, I think its important to say that my initial reaction was to side with the BCA here. We know that there is a very limited number studio spaces available in this city. At the BCA there is apparently a group of established artists that have testified that they have the resources to pay market rate for work space, and they have instead stayed in highly subsidized spaces for decades. In my view, the BCA’s decision to restructure their studio program to force higher turnover in highly subsidized work spaces is fair in that situation. However, the real issue here is that we should not have to chose between supporting established artists in a way that helps sustain their work, or supporting less established artists in a way that helps them get their career started. There should be opportunities within this city for both to thrive.
There are more galleries in Boston now, than there have been at any other time in the last decade – but fewer project spaces, artist run galleries, spaces dedicated to experimental or difficult to sell work.
This is not a uniquely Boston problem, as cities have boomed, real estate prices have gone up, traditional galleries have struggled. They are able to take less risks, the work they support has become more conservative and easier to sell. We have seen most of the traditional galleries that attempted to support younger and more innovative artists – Samson Projects, Anthony Greaney Gallery, Carroll & Sons – dramatically downsize their efforts, or give up their spaces all together. At the same time, the artist run efforts that support those working even further out on the fringes have all but disappeared (for now, we know that artists always find a way).
I don’t have the solution to this problem, but I do know that without this support network, artists will leave.
I personally do not want to live in a city where there is no space for experimental and innovative art. I want to see new media installations that take on the internet. I want to stumble into performances that make me uncomfortable. I want to listen to local musicians without risking life and limb in some sketchy Allston basement. Obviously, I also want to have space to find some interesting paintings (and maybe even show my own). In short, I want this city to start supporting the sort of artistic conversations that lead to work that will one day find its way into museums, even if it is not quite ready yet. Right now, the kinds of spaces that support this kind of work, and give community to these artists, can not sustain themselves in this city.
Quite frankly, the current plan of giving some zoning relief to developers willing to maybe include some space dedicated for cultural use (that can also be rented by a tech startup) is just not going to cut it.
I am tempted to dig deeper into this but, ultimately I think the best approach is to encourage everyone to weigh in on this and speak up for the kind of art you make and the kinds of spaces you need. There was not a very wide demographic of artists represented at the hearing (and honestly nobody seemed to be pushing for the kind of work that I will miss seeing in this city) so, hopefully I can convince a few more people to join the conversation. Artists need space to work. We need space to come together and see what our peers are working on. We need places to get our work out for larger audiences to see. How to we make sure that Boston has a network of those spaces?
In Progress
In Progress
In Progress
In Progress
In Progress
In Progress
In Progress
Not the greatest picture but, full composition of a new one that is nearing completion.
In Progress
I intended this to be a quick portrait study but, I got a little carried away. Instead, I am just going to try as hard as I can on this one. Not that I don’t always try as hard as I can when I am painting. Even when a painting turns out looking like utter garbage, I am still working as hard as I can manage to make it right. I am just not always overly concerned with actually making the painting look super realistic. So, for this one I am going all in on the realism. Whenever this is done, it is going to be about as realistic as I can manage (without totally abandoning the way I like to paint). Not sure where this is going to take me but, it seems important to occasionally reset to some kind of baseline, if only to keep from getting too lost when you start off again in a new direction from there. In any case, don’t let me act like I know how to paint any better – in terms of realism – than this one. It actually feels pretty good to just make a nice portrait without worrying too much about some greater artistic mission. Maybe I will try to find some demand for these portraits. Potentially portraits priced on a sliding scale. I spend about 2 weeks making the best portrait I can, charge about what you make in 2 weeks. We will see. I am 4 days in, with a fair amount of painting left to do here. There is still time for this one to get weird.
