The Legend of Smoking Stack and Chimney Swift

Ha, today was a good day. I finally finished what was supposed to be the first piece in my Blue Bottle show. It came together much easier than it began. I really can't explain the block that I experienced earlier this year but I am happy to say that it is finally gone and far from me.

This piece was difficult to work with because the board that I found had some mysterious substance in it that made the paint seep into the wood. I ended up priming some of the board off with vinyl paints to seal off the seepage, and then my color started to take. The vinyl paint really works great in compliment to the acrylics. They mix together very well too.

This is more of a redo than anything else, I guess. I had put together a painting like this for my show at Gallery 070 on Vashon Island, but the composition was odd (it was a tall skinny board)
and there was a weird ceramic bit on the wood that didn't take paint well at all.

The piece sold, but I wasn't very pleased with it. This one I am a little more pleased with though. I really tried to work some compliments in here and pop some parts of the work, hopefully avoiding some of the flat that comes when I make too much color happen.

On another note, I drove to Rochester, NH yesterday, where I booked what will be my third major show for 2009 at Artstream Studios. So that will make one dual show at Blue Bottle in April, a show at Artstream most likely in May or June and a final show at the Hive sometime a little later in the year. We haven't worked out the details on that one yet.

No matter how you look at it though, next year is shaping up to be big, and busy. Keep checking back. I am actually in a position now where it is a moral imperative that I keep finishing paintings and sketches.

Peace.