notBIG

"Sage: Variation 2"

"Bridge Beneath The Moon"

I'm pleased to have two pieces in this show at the M S Rezny Studio/Gallery, 903 Manchester Street, Lexington, KY. Dates are January 9th - February 3rd, 2012. The exhibit is definitely worth seeing.

Photos of the Gallery and pieces can be seen here 

Quoting the the exhibit statement:

"The juried exhibit, notBIG a small art competition, features works in any media that is no than larger than 12 inches in any direction. Jack Girard, a professor of Art at Transylvania University, served as juror. notBIG generated 381 submissions from 112 artists, spanning 32 states and 8 countries. Girard selected 62 works for the exhibit.
Girard believes that, 'the works here represent current trends in some arenas of picture/object-making... I think we have here a dense, exciting, and intense exhibition of real gems-first-rate works that insist on a rather intimate relationship between artist and viewer.... These are small works and there are a lot of them, but they are nonetheless monumental in conceptual and emotive power.'"

Owensboro Museum of Fine Art

 "Water Garden 1"
Acrylic, Tyvek, and pastel on panel
39.5" x 36"

I am fortunate to have this painting included in the exhibit “River Country 2011”, at the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art in Owensboro, Kentucky. The dates are Dec. 2 - 31.

This is a national juried competition sponsored by Owensboro Medical Health System to acquire works of art for the hospital’s new regional medical facility.

From over 700 entries, 60 works were selected for exhibition by juror, Peter Morrin, Director Emeritus, JB Speed Art Museum, Louisville.

Recent Work

I've been doing a lot of birds lately. I'm moving toward including more representational elements in larger mostly abstract work, but I'm enjoying these small studies on their own. They bring together several techniques I've been trying to combine for awhile. All are 12 x 12 in. wood panels.

 

 

Looking and Drawing

I've been drawing more (and posting less) lately. I'm still looking for a way to combine some of the techniques I've used in the past into a new synthesis. Creativity, in my opinion, is not really about making anything new - all the elements and principles and potentials are already in place. But as we explore new ways of relating and perceiving we create an inner experience of both cause and effect. We just happen to leave bits of physical evidence here and there.

But that is getting beyond the subject of this post. All this searching I've been doing has put a serious crimp in my painting productivity. So I'm looking to drawing to get back in the flow. Drawing is a great way to focus your attention outside of yourself.

This drawing was done with sumi ink using crude split-reed brushes and pens that I make from dried grasses and bamboo. Broader washes are done with a traditional Chinese calligraphy brush. It's one of my favorite techniques. I love the unpredictability. And I think crows are pretty cool too. The second version is digitally colored and composited with part of an old painting for the background.

Some of my ink drawing tools

Changes

Winter Water #1
This is not an entirely new piece but I have made changes in the upper right corner and feel it is much stronger now. You can see the previous version a couple of posts back.
I am searching for a direction to create a new body of work. This is very close to where I want to go next. I would still like to incorporate more representational elements though. The challenge is to successfully integrate the grid structure and abstract patterns and gestures with recognizable figures and objects. My intention is to create dreamlike experiences that can be summoned at will for personal reflection or the simple enjoyment of exploration.

Art and Horses

Living in the "Horse Capital of the World" a lot of things get connected to horses, and art is no exception. Even though I am not an equine artist, I am fortunate to have recently been be a part of two local fundraisers that have horses as their theme. Horsetails was initiated to raise money for the Lexington Philharmonic Foundation's Partners in Education initiative and took place during the recent World Equestrian Games. It was an intriguing concept with an exciting range of top notch artists contributing. I recommend you go to the www.Horsetails2010.com website to read about it and see the art.

Horse Mania 2010 has been going on for months and is about to reach its climax with the live auction this Friday at the Keeneland Sales Pavilion. This is the same facility that hosts the sales of some of the racing worlds top thoroughbreds. The event is organized by LexArts, and proceeds go to many local charities. Again, I encourage you to visit their website www.HorseMania2010.com for a look at an amazing menagerie.

An added bonus with both events was the publication of an excellent book. I feel privileged to have been included.

Horsetails book cover and my two-page spread

Water Series

"Winter Water"
acrylic, Tyvek and pastel on panel
29.625" x 32.675 "

I've been busy with several projects lately, including local fund raisers Horsemania and Horsetails . More about those later. For now I'm uploading the latest in my "Water" series. I'm still finding lots of room to explore with this theme. Current works are tending more toward the abstract.