Cinco de Mayo!

This image is from Cinco de Mayo festivities at the Toledo Zoo a few years ago. Love that zoo.

Stuff

Yesterday I spent the day moving things around in my studio. I haven't unrolled my 6 foot paintings in at least a year so I decided it was time. I was also looking for canvas to cut up. I'm working on a large scale piece right now. It was great to see some of my older work. I even found a few paintings I didn't know I still had. I rerolled most of them. But a few got the boot. They are in line to be made into my latest body of work.

Monday I decided it was just too miserable, or maybe I was just too miserable, to do anything useful. I did have a lot of fun looking at Philip Taaffe's website, especially the studio slide shows.

What does all this have to do with the seahorse photo??

Water Lilies

I have a thing for water lilies. I don't really know what the source of this thing is or even what to do with it. But I can't wait until they put the water lilies out at Longwood Gardens. These lilies are from Schedel Gardens in Ohio. Very cool place that I don't think a lot of people know about. The Toledo Zoo also has a great water lily garden between the aquarium and the gorillas. They tend to include some really amazing African varieties. I'm hoping to find one in particular this year. I don't know the name and I can't find my photo this morning but it's very large and appears to be puckered. The puckers are repeated across the surface of the pad. I think I might sew a giant one sometime soon. I would love to know what they are called- in case anyone recognizes my impressive description-ha.

Love this Field

This time last year we were already well into our hiking season. But THIS year Matt seriously injured his hamstring (see bruising over nearly the whole middle section of his leg) and Olivia keeps getting sick (pretty sure we've had EVERY VIRUS THERE IS!!) Plus I'm teaching on Sat and then Sundays and wait back to Sat again. And Olivia has soccer on Sat and now Sunday. It's put a bit of a dent in my favorite outdoor activity. Oh yeah, and mother nature isn't helping much either. Do I plant my garden now??? Or is it going to freeze any minute. And will it stop raining long enough to let me get out there and work? Not to mention the hail. Twice this month I might add. Of course we've also had rainbows, goals scored, paintings made and all the usual fun. But this field (in the photo)...I love this field.

Tape Drawing

Another favorite figure drawing exercise. I especially love the way the students look at me like I'm insane when I tell them to draw with tape. But the results are always fun.

Random Photo from the Past: Student Work

I don't remember which student drew this (if you do please let me know) but I had to share it. This was one of my favorite assignments in figure drawing. They were supposed to draw each other from life. I think most of them cheated and used photos but it was still fun to see the results.

Random Photo from the Past: Black Squirrel

One of my favorite things about Bowling Green, OH was the black squirrel. At a certain point I decided to photograph a black squirrel. They must be shy around cameras because this is the best I could do. Also for the first couple years there weren't any hanging out in my yard. So here's this guy hurrying off to do some squirrelly thing. Those are my flowers, pretty rocking awesome if I do say so myself. Man, I miss having a yard.

Random Photo from the Past: Canyon de Chelly

Looking back through my images I found this one of Canyon de Chelly. I didn't realize what a profound impact this canyon had already made on my work. I do know I want to go back for a longer visit.

When Painters take Pictures

I love to take pictures. Sometimes this love draws me to covet photo equipment. This is just as sinful a desire as coveting… What was it? Your neighbor’s wife. Right. You can tell it’s sinful, if you’ve had this desire, because of the senseless intensity, and by the cost of the photo equipment itself, oh AND by the way it leads you to temp others into a similar folly. I have a great digital camera. I have this great digital camera because my father upgraded to an even greater one. Whenever the opportunity presents itself I shamelessly encourage him to upgrade again.

But I don’t really need to upgrade. I have endless fun working with the camera I have. Limitations are key to creativity. As it is I eschew the basic photo equipment at my disposal like flashes and tripods for more entertaining ventures. For example, I am perfecting my ability to stand still and breathless in a dark church for the length of time it takes to capture my image. In aquariums I try to move my camera at the same speed as the fish to achieve something close to focus. This maneuver is really more fun than I can describe. Outside I apply the ‘just keep clicking’ technique that almost always results in something interesting. Back in the days of film my father-in-law asked me to take a photo of a goose visiting his pond. I shot 23 pictures. He, um, only wanted one.

But I don’t think painters take pictures for the same reasons as everyone else. We are always looking for a visual stimulus, but not necessarily photographic perfection.

Random Photo from the Past: Ohio Studio

Since I've been sharing old studio shots, here's one of mine.

Random Photo from the Past: Thanksgiving in Ohio

This is one of my all time favorite Ohio Thanksgivings. I only wish I had a photo of my three year old nephew with mash potatoes all over his snow mittens. But here the kids are huddled around the lone heater in the barn. It was enough to keep us above freezing, but um, that's about it. Considering it was well below freezing outside that's not bad.

Random Photo from the Past: Toledo Zoo, Polar Bear

Another trip to the Toledo Zoo. This time it's 2007 and the three polar bears cubs are just on view. Or we're on view for the cubs. You decide.

Random Photo from the Past: Rachel Bomze & Arden Bendler Browning

I initially intended to go through my cds of photos and choose one image from each cd. When I encountered the studio photos I couldn’t help but post them all. It’s been inspiring for me to look back to 2005 and remember what everyone was making. Perhaps I’ll have to travel the country to update the studio views.

I’m almost finished with my double spiral piece…I think. It’s been a long difficult road and I forgot to bring my camera to the studio this morning so you’ll have to wait for a visual update. In the mean time, here’s the last of my studio photos from 2005. Back then Arden Bendler Browning and Rachel Bomze were sharing a space at the Crane Arts Building in Philadelphia.


Rachel in red with a glimpse of her painting behind her. Below two of Arden's pieces in progress.

Random Photo from the Past: Olivia's Angel Mural

Random Photo from the Past: Amanda Hoss's Studio

Random Photo from the Past: Misty Hawkins's Studio

Random Photo(s) from the Past: Sally Thompson's Studio

Random Photo from the Past: Walden Pond

One winter day over Christmas vacation we stumbled upon Walden Pond in Massachusetts. I would have loved to walk around the whole pond but as you see we arrived too late. The sunset was beautiful and lent an appropriate sense of wonder to Henry David Thoreau's stomping grounds.

Random Photo from the Past: Fun