On Summit

"So Jeff, how are those paintings for your November show at the Faculty Club coming along?" Funny you should ask. I was just working on them today. It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I'll be taking this deadline right down to the wire. I've got six more paintings I need to finish, and about a six weeks to complete them in. That should be just enough time provided I can stay on pace and finish one a week. Today's visit to the studio sees the following works in progress. I've been doing mostly sketching and underpainting right now, though we did see one painting completed and two stalled.    These are the undepaintings for Midst Steam and Smoke (after Adamson) (left) and Master Keim (after Eugene) (right). So far so good, though it's still early. Good underpaintings are nothing more than a promise. This is the finished underpainting for The Ring Toss (after Whit...

I thought I'd post up an update on the painting front. I'm still working toward my show at the Faculty Club in November, so I've got a few paintings going. I did two versions of this one (above) and both are done. I expect one of them will make it into November's show. Here's three more. The one taped to the wall (upper left) is done. The photo doesn't really do it justice (glare) but it's actually a pretty nice little painting. The two figure paintings below it are in process. If one of them ends up being good enough to show I'll be thrilled.  And finally, a couple more in process. These are paintings of a French Grandmother from the turn of last century (long story). As always, wish me luck.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that I'm into genealogy. It started with the desire to learn more about my grandfather, a man I'd never met but who I knew through stories had served in World War II. This new found curiosity was unexpected considering I'd spent my entire life (up to this point at least) blissfully unaware of exactly who "my people" were and where they came from. That's the beauty of America and the melting pot though, right? In a generation or two the idea of "my people" wanes and we're all simply Americans. That's the promise anyway. In any event, my wife has a knack for this kind of research and it wasn't long before she unearthed all manner of relevant information. It was fascintating stuff, and not at all what I expected. Suffice it to say the results didn't line-up particularly well with the ancestral narrative I'd constructed in my head. Passenger List, Ellis Island, March 22, 1909 Let's sta...

Have you been on pins and needles wondering how the paintings for my show in November are coming along? Well wonder no more. I'm making progress. Here's a few shots from the studio to prove it. The ones taped to the wall are coming along nicely. The larger on in the foreground is stalled. Here's a pair I was working on. I like the one on the right. The one the left needs some work. The left hand panels here are portraits. I'm literally teaching myself how to paint. The other two are of a late Nineteenth Century park scene. (Yeah, I'm stealing a page from Manet's playbook. That's how art works).

This year I'll celebrate a milestone birthday.  As I measure my life thus far, I've had a chance to reflect on the man I've become. To a certain degree we can define our lives by the possessions we keep (vintage scooters, original artwork, fine antiques, high-end electronics, etc). Looking back, I realize the converse is also true. In many respects we can tell as much about someone by the things they haven't owned, as by the things they have. In that spirit, I offer a short but telling list of items I've never owned.   Sandals (Flip-flops, yes. Sandals, no). A Bowling Ball A Fanny Pack A Chrysler Product (This actually surprised me. I've owned dozens of cars, but never a Chrysler) A Recliner A Sonic Youth Record (Again, surprising) Castanets Cargo Pants (including Cargo Shorts) (In the interest of full disclosure, I once owned something that my mom referred to as "camping pants". These were shorts with a variety of clasps, poc...

So it's come to this; a curmudgeonly blog post about the state of the profession (complete with finger wagging, tsk-tsking, and even a little SMH thrown in for good measure). "Shake your fist at 'em Pops. These kids don't know from librarianship". That's how you do it, right? Oh, the irony. I've spent 15 years in the profession deriding Will Manley and his hectoring ways. Now I've apparently become him. Point being, I'm acutely aware of all the contextual layers of this post. I know the implications and risks of saying, "Hey, that's not cool". I've been around long enough to know how easy it is to dismiss the contrarian stance; to push back against even the slightest hint of correction (Trust me, I've done it plenty of times myself). More to the point, I've been around long enough to know how easy it will be to dismiss what I'm about to write. Please don't. It's important. It's important to us individua...

I've got a show at The Ohio State University Faculty Club scheduled in November. I went and scoped out the space a few weeks ago and determined that (depending on placement) I'm going to need between 25 and 30 paintings. What's more, my friends at Hackman Frames are going to need time to get everything framed. That means it's time to pick up the pace!   So, I took a few days off work this week with the idea of having a stay at home vacation and getting some work knocked out; a paintcation if you will. One thing I'm trying that's new (at least to me), is working on multiple paintings at once. I'm actually enjoying this approach. I find that I'm a little less inhibited and a little more willing to take chances. These pics give an idea of what that looks like in practice. I'll post some updates as I finish work, but for now, wish me luck! I haven't left myself a lot of time but I think I can do it. I might ...

If you've been paying attention to our nation's art scribes you already know that the hacked paintings of George W. Bush have sparked a flurry of critical interpretation. That W. has taken up painting isn't surprising; that's been known for quite some time. What is surprising - at least in regards to the two most talked about paintings - is the reflective, personal and oddly contemplative nature of the Bush muse. These aren't the rustic landscapes of your typical retired head of state (see Winston Churchill and Dwight Eisenhower). No, these are something very different. Intimate is maybe the right word, though I think embarrassingly intimate gets us a closer the heart of the matter. In these paintings we are privy to a naked George W. Bush; the former President of the United States with both flesh and artistic talent laid bare. It's safe to assume most of us never expected to witness either, let alone both. p ain ting - George W. Bus h Interestingly many ...