Study in Blue watercolor 17 x 13"

I have been thinking of the artists whose paintings I like the most and that I feel are a large influence on my own work. I am most attracted to the work of landscape painters, and those that convey a subjective, emotional response to nature – as well as work that includes symbolism. In their work nature is given a grand scale and for the most part the human element is diminished or left out altogether.

I’ve compiled this list (which I have edited drastically, because the long list would go on for many, many pages) including contemporary as well as historical artists.

1. J.M.W. Turner for his prolific virtuosity, for painting nature’s moods, and for making light the subject.

2. Caspar David Friedrich for his use of symbols, his symmetry, and emotional content – his romanticism.

3. Albert Pinkham Ryder for painting nature’s moods.

4. Charles Burchfield for the playfulness of his nature paintings and for visualizing sounds.

5. Agnes Pelton for her vision, for her symbolic representation of an alternate reality.

6. Georgia O’Keefe for her clean lines, rhythms and color harmonies.

7. Gerhard Richter - if I can just pick out a few from his vast repertoire: the clouds and the seascapes: moody – dramatic- luminous.

8. Wolf Kahn for his color and abstraction.

9. April Gornik: for the beauty and the drama and the scale.

10. Sharon Ellis for the sense of ecstasy boldly expressed, for the symbolism.

11. Tula Telfair for a grand vision of nature convincingly portrayed.

A former mentor, Linda Jacobson, introduced this term to me. Linda facilitates monthly meeting of artists in her studio to look at and offer feedback on each other’s work. I was a member of Linda’s monthly Art Forum meetings for many years.

A vacation painting is a painting that is different from your usual work in any of a number of ways: they might be a different medium, size, subject or palette. The idea is that it is a break from the usual and serves as a way to loosen up, explore, and have fun.

Maybe because I just got back from a vacation, this past week I’ve been working on small scale watercolors; under 8 x 10”. They still have a landscape theme, but with a different focus then the other series I’ve been working on.

It has been awhile since I’ve worked in watercolor and I appreciating the spontaneity and fluidity as well as the fast drying time. I seem to work in short, tense bursts and I like the elegance of watercolor brushes and getting to make long continuous strokes, as well as allowing the color to flow into pre wet areas.

These haven’t reached their potential, but I like where they’re headed.

Works For Everyone is the next exhibit I'll have a piece of work in at TAG Gallery. It's a group show that opens January 7th and runs through the 31st. The reception is on Saturday, January 10th from 5 - 8 pm. Until then the gallery is closed for renovation.

Evening's Light Not Yet Gone   18 x 24" oil on linen

It is finally feeling like winter in Los Angeles. It rained all night and this morning I built a fire to warm up the house. I connected the last two rain barrels on my rain water collection "system" this weekend and they are now all full to capacity! I'm waiting for the first jar of olives to finish curing. I try an olive every week. To my taste they still have a little bit of bitterness to dissipate.

TAG Gallery is starting 2009 with a group exhibit in January so I'll be painting the edges and wiring for hanging the painting above. The exhibit starts January 7th and runs through the 31st.