ECU School of Art Alumni Exhibition

Bittersweet

 Oil on Canvas

34" x 34"

This is the painting that was in bondage and shipped across the country. It will be part of the East Carolina University School of Art Alumni Art Exhibition. The opening reception will be Friday, September 4th, 2015.

There are four venues for the exhibition The Wellington B. Gray Gallery, The Greenville Museum of Art, Pitt County Arts Council at Emerge, and the Janice Hardison Faulkner Gallery at the Joyner Library. My painting will be on display at the Greenville Museum of Art.

Unfortunately I will only be there in spirit.

Bondage

This is am image of a painting in bondage. I carefully wrapped it in glassine and then taped it up. After which I sandwiched it between rigid styrofoam, light weight and strong and I use it multiple times, and then tape it up!

Finally I encase it in cardboard, use plenty of tape and it's ready for the shipper.

This package is making it's way to North Carolina to be part of the East Carolina University Alumni show.      

Lying in Ruins

After weeks (over 2 years for two of the culprits) of struggling with about 8 canvases I am ready to toss them in the bin.

While two have questionable composition, that is not the case with the others, it's the paint! I have either been to heavy handed, choose the wrong colour, the wrong hue. The brush work is awkward, there is to much medium in this area or that. It's a wreck! They all are wrecks!! I am a wreck!!!

So now here I am. I have been trying to figure out how and where I went wrong. Was there a sign I didn't heed? A point at which if I had slowed down or sped up I could have pulled these paintings back from the brink? Were they over thought, under thought? I simply don't know.

I do know I will start again. A bit more humble and unsure of myself, but this is not a bad thing it just is. I don't know where I am headed, but I know where I will start. As always the start will be a clean unmarred surface that I will have prepared for my first mark.

The Month of August

Wednesday morning I loaded up my car with paintings and drove into town to deliver artwork to Criollo.

Once there I unloaded the paintings, several large paintings. At this point the panic starts to settle in. Do I have enough paintings, do I have to many?

How are we going to arrange these?

The self doubt seems to be a constant companion. A much smaller voice to be certain, but still that little nag. There was no need for it. Kassidy was up and down on the ladder securing and adjusting the paintings and as if my magic it was all hung and looks fantastic.

You will have to stop in Criollo, 16 North San Francisco Street in Historic Downtown Flagstaff to see  the show. It is up through the month of August.

Big thanks to Diane Rechel for taking these lovely photographs.