On Summit

My wife and I enjoyed a week in London at the beginning of December. While the Holiday hoopla hadn't quite reached its crescendo during our visit, there was still plenty of seasonal cheer to go around. A few pics capture the spirit the of the Holiday in England's capital: Our first dinner in London was at a lovely family run Italian restaurant called The Ripe Tomato.That evening the owner and staff were hanging Christmas lights and garland in preparation for the season. Watching them fuss, fret, and make repeated trips outside to see what the decorations looked like from the street was just charming! Trafalgar Square gets the Holiday treatment courtesy of a giant modernist menorah (left) and a Norwegian Spruce (right). The tree is an annual gift from Norway and something of a London tradition. As the City of London's web site explains it, "Each year since 1947, a Christmas tree has been given to the people of London from the people of Norway in gratitu...

I mentioned in a recent blog post that I was trying to finish three ornament paintings for this year's Ohio Art League Thumb Box Exhibition . I'm happy to report that I've got all three done and will be dropping them off at the gallery on Tuesday. Here's a sneak peak if you want to see how one of them turned out. Still Life (Ornament) #9 The opening reception is on Thursday 12/2 from 6-9 PM. I'd encourage everyone to stop by. It's always a fun show, plus if you have an art lover on your Christmas list, you're sure to find something they'll like. Happy Holidays!

In a recent blog post, " The Way Forward , I proposed to crowdsource wardrobe decisions involving clothes that my age may have rendered less than appropriate. To accomplish this I've set up a tumblr blog called (not surprisingly) "Does This Shirt Make Me Look Ridiculous?" Here you'll have the opportunity to view, comment on, and decide whether or not a man of my particular age (47) has any business wearing the pictured garment. The first installment is up so take a look and decide. Does this shirt make me look ridiculous?

Each December The Ohio Art League stages their "Thumb Box Exhibition" ; an event that offers a selection of small works by member artists. As an Art League member, I've gotten in the habit of submitting a small painting of a Christmas ornament each year. They're fun to do, and they provide a nice break from the parade of muted landscapes I paint the rest of the year. They usually look something like this: Still Life (Ornament) #3 This year, members again have been given the opportunity to submit up to three works for the show. I'm going to try and honor that opportunity by painting not one, but three ornaments! Anticipating success, I've already ordered the frames (from Hackman Frames , of course,) and begun the paintings. Truth be told, it will be close. I'm a notoriously slow worker and that's only been compounded by the fact that I've been really busy this fall. Right now I've got some basic compositions, values, and colors coming together....

This week on Twitter I shared a picture of a sweater that drew some nice compliments when I wore it to work. I think the fact that it's a really nice sweater (It is!) combined with getting it out early in the sweater season (when, presumably, we're more likely to dole out such compliments) probably contributed to the accolades. Whatever the reason(s), I'll certainly take the kind words. Now I bring up the sweater because it launched a larger dialogue (mostly in my head; though my wife and certain colleagues were also privy to the deliberations) regarding how one transitions from the clothes of one's youth to the clothes of middle-age. On the face of it, this concern seems trivial, or maybe vain (likely both). I suspect there might be something larger at work though. Our appearance is, in many cases, the first impression we make. How we tend to that impression then influences how people respond to us. That much is obvious. Our appearance though is also a reflection of ho...

Thanks to the generosity of my friends Laela and Rob I was able to attend Game Three of the National Legaue Division Series last night at Great American Ballpark (GABP) in Cincinnati. Sadly, the home team lost the game, effectively ending both the series and the season for our beloved Reds. It was still an enjoyable evening, featuring great travel companions and friends old and new. It was also my first trip to GABP. While I've thought every year since the park opened in 2003 that I should, "get down to a game", it never seemed to happen. As it turned out, my first game at GABP was also the first post-season game ever at GABP. The club also set an attendance record for the park, marking what we can assume is the first time they pushed 44,599 paid attendees through the turnstiles. I snapped a few pics to give a sense of the place. It was crowded, loud, and fun. We cheered for the Reds, called Chase Utley a cheater, and threw peanut shells on the ground! Thanks again to Rob...

This week we embarked on a complete (and long overdue) bathroom renovation project. The contractors were scheduled to start Tuesday morning. I liked the idea of a little head start, so Monday I began the demolition portion of the work. I pulled down all the plaster and removed some of the lath before running out of steam. Tuesday AM the pros showed up and started their day by removing the rest. While they were at it I jokingly asked if they'd found a coffee can with $10,000.00 in it yet (Because everyone knows the real promise of any one-hundred year old house is the possibility that some batty Silas Marner type stuffed $10,000.00 into a coffee can and hid it in a wall). Obviously they hadn't, but we all had a good chuckle and then went back to work. Fifteen minutes later though, Ray, the project leader, called me over. He presented an old chisel - about eight inches long and one inch wide - and said "Look what we just found in the wall". Well, it's not $10,000.0...

I announced previously that the long dormant Patsys will be dusting off their gear and trekking north to Clintonville Academy for a special event on Saturday September 18th. It's a benefit of sorts, being organized by members of the school community to lend a hand to Rob Behler and his lovely family . I'll admit I don't have a lot of details to share, but here's what I do know: 1. It will be outside; the parking lot of Clintonville Academy to be exact (3916 Indianola Avenue). 2. The Patsys go on at 3:30 PM. 3. There will be children, possibly belly-dancers. 4. It's for a good cause. 5. You should come. I know it's a busy weekend, and I'm not normally one to beg, but if you only go to one Patsys show this year, make it this one. It would mean the world to us.

Chris Milk's just released experimental film "The Wilderness Downtown" combines Google mapping software with the Arcade Fire's "We Used to Wait" to create a kind of multi-media (and customizable) music video. Viewers are invited to plug in the address where they grew up and watch as their childhood neighborhood is brought to life via Google's street view. The project seems to be something of a promotional effort for Google Chrome, though it functioned well enough in Firefox for me to get the gist. Michelle Castillo at Techland provides a few more details and hints a bit at the creep factor, but doesn't go quite far enough with it. I'm less concerned that the program can find/harvest where I grew up (I expect that's been done thousands of times already in much less explicit ways). I'm slightly more distressed at having my childhood memories reinterpreted through an Arcade Fire song. I get that Win, Regine, and the rest of the crew have a...

If you're even a casual art enthusiast you've probably been exposed to thousands and thousands masterpieces. History of art classes routinely focus on the most seminal and well-realized works. Art history books feature only the best of the best. Museums prominently display their most prized works and use their web sites to tout the same. While studying the masterworks certainly has value, the focus on great paintings can lead to the mistaken impression that all the old masters ever did was sit around churning out one masterpiece after another. As a painter, this artistic hit parade can be a fairly disheartening. I'm certainly not churning out one masterpiece after another. (...for that matter, I'm not sure I've even churned out one masterpiece). That's why I get a special thrill whenever I come face to face with a less than successful work by one of the old masters. The Art Institute of Chicago owns a couple paintings that perfectly capture the not always succ...

The Patsys have been on something of an extended hiatus the last year and a half. We haven't really been playing out, and truth be told that probably would have continued were it not for an invitation to do something really nice this summer. On Saturday September 18th The Patsys will be playing an event at Clintonville Academy to help out Rob Behler and his family. We hope you'll be able to join us.

As I look forward to Weezer's performance at the Ohio State Fair on Saturday, I find myself contemplating the nearly pathological ambivalence I've afforded them over the course of their 15 year career. Since their inception I've swung wildly between periods of crazed fan-boy OMG I CANT STOP LISTENING infatuation (Weezer (the blue album), Weezer (the green album), Maladroit) to stretches where I flat-out ignored whatever it was they did (Pinkerton, Weezer (the red album), Make Believe). It's a band/fan relationship that I'm not really accustomed to, but one I suppose I've learned to accept. I've noticed too (given their role as a fairly straight forward pop-rock combo) that I have an unusual propensity for over-analyzing their work. "What's the significance of three albums all called Weezer?". "Why do all the solos on Weezer (the green album) simply mimic the melody line?" "Does River's really want to live in Beverly Hills?...

On May 15 I posted about my submissions to this year's Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition . I'm happy to report that I've had two painting accepted into the show. I previewed one already ( A Pennsylvania Landscape (after Keiley) ). The other accepted work was this one: Moonlight (A Moonlight Poem) (after Becher) Right now, both pieces are being lovingly framed by my friends at Hackman Frames . Hackman is a one of a kind custom framing and gilding operation right here in Columbus and they really do terrific work. We're lucky to have them in town. Also, while I'm offering acknowledgments, Laura Alexander (who also got work accepted into the Fair!) has been kind enough to help deliver my work on drop-off day! I had some scheduling conflicts, but Laura has come through to help out. ...and just when I thought the Fair couldn't get any better, we got Weezer and DEVO tickets!

A couple weeks ago I was contacted by Carrie Ghose at Business First to share my thoughts on architecture in central Ohio. The recent controversy surrounding the new Student Union at Ohio State had apparently sparked a number of conversations regarding what constitutes "good" building design. Carrie was following that story , and developing a second piece to get feedback on other notable Columbus buildings. At the time I offered a staunch a defense of what I believe might be the most maligned and misunderstood building in central Ohio, the Ohio Historical Center. Business First wasn't able to run the whole piece, so I've decided to turn it into a blog post. photo courtesy of OHS/ www.ohiomemory.org The refrain is a as old as the building itself, "It's ugly. It's just a giant brown box. It doesn't even look like a museum". Sadly, it's that exact line of thinking that poses the greatest threat to the building Architectural Record referre...

It appears that Spyker (the high-end Dutch sports car company) is making plans to develop a car based on the original Saab 92 (1949-1956). If you've been following the tales and travails of the Saab brand you'll recall that Spyker saved t he car maker from almost certain liquidation after GM cut the Swedish niche-brand loose last year. Having been a Saab loyalist for nearly 20 years, I'm thrilled by the idea of a resurgent Saab entering the market with a new direction and focus (most Saab fans look on the GM years as time lost in the wilderness). And while I've always understood the 92 to be a lovely little post-World War II car (and quite innovative for its time), it raises an interesting question about what constitutes great design. Namely, can retro design be great design? It's a question worth asking since we're clearly living in a time when re-manufacturing the past has become a common practice. Whether it's cars (like the MINI Cooper , VW Beetle , a...

Entries into this year's Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition are due on May 22nd. The State Fair's exhibition is highly competitive and draws some of the top artists from around the state. I'll be submitting three paintings this year and crossing my fingers that something gets accepted. Here's a sneak peak at one of the entries. "A Pennsylvania Landscape (after Keiley)" This painting is part of a new series that's moving away from the tornado paintings I've done in the past. I'll admit I'm a little nervous about the change. The tornadoes were a known quantity and usually well received. I'm not sure I can expect an identical response with these new works. While they don't invite the same immediate or visceral response the tornadoes did, they've got a conceptual underpinning that I'm really excited about. Also, if you've been paying attention to my blog, you'll recognize "A Pennsylvania Landscape (after Kei...

I've been knocking this question around ever since I attended the panel discussion "Do Museums Still Need Objects?" at the Wexner Center in March. The program featured author and historian Steven Conn (discussing his book of the same name) , as well a panel of Central Ohio museum administrators (David E. Chesebrough of COSI Columbus, Burt Logan of the Ohio Historical Society, Nannette V. Maciejunes of the Columbus Museum of Art, and Sherri Geldin of the Wexner Center). The presentation offered an interesting look at the history of museums in the United States, and also provided some unique insights from the panelists regarding their respective institutions. I'd recommend that anyone affiliated with museums watch the video. From my perspective, I was a little surprised that no one paid more attention to the effect that Web 2.0 might have on how we respond to museums, objects, and collections. See, I've always been of the mind that the conversations created by ar...

Roger Ebert, film-critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, recently published a blog post that's ignited a firestorm of debate across the internet. In "Video Games Can Never Be Art" , Ebert sets out to refute a TED talk by game designer Kellee Santiago. In point by point fashion he lays out his reasons why video games don't (can't) carry the same artistic weight as music, painting, and yes, film. Not surprisingly, hordes of tech savvy gamers and enthusiasts have offered rebuttals, refutations, and counter-arguments to Ebert's essay. As of this writing, there were over 2700 comments to his post alone. Add to that the news stories, blog posts, and opinion pieces devoted to the topic and you've got something close to a full-on backlash. As far as debates go, it's been a pretty lopsided affair. Ebert stands resolutely behind his post while the chants of "you don't get it" grow louder around him. Personally I find myself less perturbed by Ebert's...

Seriously. I think everyone who blogs is allowed at least one "I've been too busy to keep up with my blog" entry. This is mine. For whatever reason, every deadline has converged on that sliver of time at the end of March and the beginning of April. I'm not sure how things line up like this, they just do. This past week I've prepared for and given a professional presentation in Kent, Ohio, participated in a 3 day professional development workshop, written employee progress reviews, helped engineer a puppet show, secured a commencement speaker, and baked cookies! Next week I'll be running a committee meeting for the Ohio Library Council, helping script the aforementioned puppet show, preparing for our library's Electronic Resources Team meeting, and helping facilitate a library program on Wednesday evening. It looks like things will be clearing out a bit by mid-April, which is good. I freely admit I'm the kind of person who likes to stay busy, but enough...

Various tornado paintings by Jeff Regensburger If you've been following my blog posts, you know that I currently have a selection of paintings on display at the Dayton Visual Arts Center . These are on view along with the work of Michael Bashaw as part of "Something This Way Comes" , a tornado themed exhibit held in conjunction with the Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center . In support of this exhibition, I was invited to give a gallery talk last night. This is something I enjoy as it provides a chance to address many of the underlying ideas behind the work. While it's obvious what the paintings are (tornadoes), the way they're arrived at isn't. Tornado Installation (detail) by Michael Bashaw As I've developed this body of work, I've worked through questions about photography (and it's role in painting), art history, American landscape painting, and the role of painting as a form of documentation. In my mind at least, the works...

I live on Summit in the neighborhood south of Hudson (SoHu). If you're not familiar, it's an older neighborhood with its share of petty crime and vandalism. When I got home yesterday evening I parked behind our house in what was already about 5 inches of snow. Like many of our neighbors, I'm left with a shabby concrete pad where the garage used to be (It turns out it's cheaper to simply demolish old garages than build new ones). This morning, I went out back to clean off my car and clear out a path to the alley. Since it's likely to get much colder I figured I'd better do it early before all the slush and wet snow turned to ice. As I was shoveling noticed a young man walking up the alley in my direction. He looked to be about 13 or 14. When he got within conversational distance, he offered to help me finish the job for $4.00. I told him, "Thanks, but I'm just about done." As bad weather often brings out a sense of camaraderie that might not other...

I’ve always taken a very unsympathetic view of Salinger's relentless stranglehold on his published works. The control he exercised strikes me as both selfish and counter to how humans learn, grow, and express themselves. Yes, I know they’re his. Yes I know copyright law protects them. Yes, I know he's been under no obligation to permit audio versions, commemorative editions, stage adaptations, 50th Anniversary reprints, screenplays, illustrated editions, alternate cover art, or any of the other things that are a regular part of the popular fiction life cycle. It’s all perfectly legal and all well within his rights. That said, Salinger’s pathological control over his presumably precious and apparently unalterable writings will make their appearance in the public domain all the sweeter. Frankly, I can’t wait. You see, I work in a library. I value information. I like it to be easily accessible. I like to see it change hands and be transferred without a lot of fuss and without a l...

I've always been fascinated by the paintings of both Albert Pinkham Ryder and Marsden Hartley. That I've found enjoyment in both shouldn't come as too much of a surprise to anyone familiar with either. They are linked in their way. A young Hartley held Ryder in high regard, going so far as to embark on a series of tonally dark works after viewing Ryder's "Moonlight Marine" in 1909. Moonlight Marine by Albert Pinkham Ryder Ryder (as is often noted), serves as a kind of bridge between the romanticism of the late 19th Century and the modernism of the 20th Century. Hartley, coming later, worked through a series of different styles and approaches over the course of his career. While he didn't always stick close to Ryder's style, drama and emotional content were always part of the formula. Storm Clouds, Maine by Marsden Hartley Recently, I did a few small painting based on what Ryder and Hartley were working towards in the paintings above. It's a little ...

I've got an exhibition of my tornado paintings going up at the Dayton Visual Arts Center this winter. I'll be sharing the front gallery space with sculptor/installation artist Michael Bashaw , who's putting together a large scale tornado shaped piece for the show. All of this is being done in partnership with the Victoria Theatre Association , who are rightly excited about the opening of the musical "Wicked" on February 17th (are you sensing a theme here?) . Well, yesterday was art moving day, and in keeping with the "behind the scenes" theme I started in my previous post, I thought I'd share some snapshots of how things went. Below is what 38 paintings look like when they're boxed up and ready to load into a car. Framed, my largest paintings are probably only 12" x 18" inches. That makes transport fairly easy. I can't imagine what a hassle it must be to have to move and store large works. The gallery itself is a lovely storefront ...