two views of compression

The gesture of the figure is fundamental, it is my lifeline. I think about it – it’s always at the back of my mind. For me it’s even more basic than light, I would sense the gesture of each successive moment even if I were blind. A gesture need occupy only a brief moment or less in time and space – with variation and repetition – it is our first language – the language of ordinairy life, the language of dance, and I think also the language of sculpture and drawing.

Ed, charcoal, 18 x 24 cartridge paper

Ed valiantly holding a ridiculously difficult pose 

for an endless 30 min

charcoal white chalk on cartridge 18x24

Nostalgia

I ate some pumpkin pie today. It was astonishingly good and I realized that I could be a vegetarian if I could exist on pumpkin pie and rice custard pudding which I used to buy at Murrays – a chain of restaurants that no longer exists. Surely civilization took a tumble when they shut down their operations. I sometimes wonder whatever happened to those pea green and white institutional casserole dishes in which the individual puddings were baked and served. 

In my careless 20’s I’d hop out of bed at a disgraceful hour and head for the Plaza Hotel at Bloor and Avenue Rd where the dependable Murrays occupied a sizeable spot. As one of their regulars,  I’d take my place amongst their older, respectable clientele and order one or two servings of baked rice custard. On Fridays they also served excellent chowder, both kinds – Manhattan and New England.

Today I'm serving a drawing from a stack of mostly unfinished drawings that go back a few years.

carbon pencil on gray canson mi teintes

16"x20"

two still lifes, wet and dry

acrylic on masonite 14"x16"

charcoal and chalk on gray canson 14"x18"

warming up

I’ve decided to take a breather from my graffiti post since its format became thoroughly painful, ludicrous, bizarre. unmannerly and counter intuitive. My luddite  gene vibrated.

So I decided to muck around on an old painting which has gone through countless mutations and will continue to do so. But it  serves a higher purpose – to soothe my agitated hackles, to warm me up and get me moving while  I recharge my batteries.

                                                     16"x 20" mixed media on canvas board

                                                           same version on photo shop

                                                     earlier stage of mixed media 'warm up'

preserved in amber

assorted objects of love and neglect

One can seen on my basement kitchen counter if I permit it,  brushes soaking in a jar of vegetable oil – they’ve been there almost a year. One of those inexplicable interruptions which, when I attempt to think about it, fills me with dismay. I’ve been on the verge of cleaning them off and on. Well, this may be the day. Stranger things have happened. O to the god of craftsmanship and now, rescue these blameless brushes.

Below are two fresh air studies. 

pastel 8"x11" hastily banged off  at Andy's farm before rain last April

5"x6" sky study Andy's farm pastel 2010 April