Happy New Year!

Glad to be back after the holiday break. I had to shut down and deal with all the stuff that the season called for. Our home was the family gathering place for Christmas and that meant my time to paint was limited. I found myself distracted and finally made the decision to just shut down until after everyone was gone. Now that I'm back to the canvas full time, the painting is going well and I'm feeling the groove again. When last I wrote, I was trying to have the four main figures completed before Christmas. Yeah, right. That's okay. I finished Joseph McNeill today with the exception of the hair which will have to wait until the background goes in.

Tomorrow I move on to David Richmond and hopefully will have him completed before the day is over. I can't tell you how much of a momentum boost it is to finally be able to look upon a face. After all the planning, research, gallery renovations, paperwork, canvas preparations, sketching and tedious prep work - the fun is starting. Seeing him standing there is like having a friend to talk to while I'm working. I'll have to hurry and complete his friends. As this process develops and I add more images as I complete them, I fell as though it is necessary to give you some background on these extraordinary people. Since Mr. Joseph McNeil is up first, here's a little about him:

Joseph McNeil was one of the original four NC A&T students taking part in the historic Woolworth lunch counter sit-ins in Greensboro, NC. (the Greensboro Four). On February 1, 1960, they sat at a segregated lunch counter in the Greensboro, NC, Woolworth's store. This lunch counter only had chairs/stools for whites, while blacks had to stand and eat. Although they were refused service, they were allowed to stay at the counter. The four students were aware that Woolworth’s would not serve blacks at their lunch counter but they sat down anyway, engaging themselves in a plan they had been discussing for a month prior to the sit-in. A Wilmington, NC native, he graduated from Williston Senior High School. Soon after high school, his parents moved the family to New York, where he was able to experience a much more open society. Joe came to North Carolina A & T State University on full scholarship, and found it hard to live in the segregated South. His roommate at Scott Hall on the A & T campus was another sit-in participant, Ezell Blair, Jr. Joe's breaking point came after Christmas vacation, when he returned by bus from New York, and was not served a hot dog at the Greensboro Greyhound terminal.

McNeil earned a degree in engineering physics from NC A & T in 1963. Thirty minutes after graduating, Joe McNeil was commissioned by the U. S. Air Force, and he spent six years as an officer and attained the rank of captain. He recently retired from Air Force Reserves, having achieved the rank of Major General. During his tenure in the Air Force, he started a series of diversity programs, which profoundly changed the culture of that institution. He worked in computer sales for IBM, as a commercial banker for Bankers Trust in New York City, and as a stockbroker for E.F. Hutton in Fayetteville. He now resides in Hempstead, NY. He is married to the former Ina Brown and they have five children.

Small world after all

It's starting to come together. What once was a large intimidating white wall with scant pencil marks is slowly, yet surely, beginning to reveal itself and grow smaller. The underpainting is going well and if I apply myself I may very well have the four main figures completed by Christmas (I seriously doubt it, but we dare to dream and believe in Santa). All in all, I'm satisfied...that is until tomorrow when the critical eye has been rested and once again opens and points out flaws that need to be addressed over a few cups of coffee. You never see it until the next day when you look at the previous days work and wonder why you were painting with your head up your ass. It's as if little art trolls are hiding in the studio and undermining your efforts on a nightly basis.

Franklin McCain

Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair, Jr.)

David Richmond

For those wondering where the heads and hands are, they're coming. I'm concentrating on maintaining consistency in the garb first before dealing with a variety of flesh colors. I'm doing this, not you!

There's a certain degree of elation that eventually turns to melancholy on the slow walk home with the completion of each phase. I can only describe the source as a feeling that one day this is going to end and like Alexander, I will weep when there is no more to conquer. In art, the joy lies in the battle, not the victory.  

Working out the kinks

I'm starting to get back in the groove. There's a tactile feel to painting that needs to be reconnected with each and every time you approach the canvas. You start pensive, then after an hour the frustration leads to boredom with the confinement generated by a paralyzing fear that comes from thinking about an outcome too far to even fathom. You get tired. The brush feels like a mop handle spreading tar. You step away and get angry at the sight of confused effort. Dammit, quit thinking and paint. The strength of purpose overcompensates and now you move too aggressively and that's when it occurs...you fuck up. Nothing major, after all you've just begun, but there it is; the wayward stroke or the wrong color. No one can see it but you. Happens every time, it's part of the dance. You curse your predicament, question your judgement, wonder if you should start over but realize that's not a viable option worth pursuing so you stall; use the bathroom, get something to drink, change the music, pace the floor, stare at the canvas and in the end, do what you should have done hours ago - let go and quit caring. You negotiate terms with failure and after awhile you begin to relax and muscle memory takes over. Like a marathoner, you hit your stride, settle into a pace and eventually achieve a level of comfort that allows you to quit questioning the process. Even though you can't see it, you can feel the trust emerging, telling you that everything is fine. That's what I've been waiting for. Trust in the process. After two days of painting, it's finally here and I know I'm going to be okay. The image below is from day one. 

I finished the clothing and moved onto the next character's clothing. The angle of attack is to complete the four main characters in the painting and set a visually consistent tone amongst them before moving on. The goal is to have them completed before Christmas. Ambitious, but I want to get as far out front on this painting as possible.

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Sketchy start

The whole painting has been loosely sketched out. The morning started out on a high note but soon crescendoed into a frustrating comedy of errors trying to locate my computer cable for the borrowed projector. After turning my house upside down, I turned to the media lab at the College of Charleston only to find that the cable they provided wouldn't work (my dumb ass didn't think to actually bring both projector and computer with me). After a couple trips to various offices and departments, I finally thanked them for their help and walked a block over to the Apple store and purchased the right cable for $20 (which is what I should have done in the first place). Trying to save money cost me 4 hours in time. Nonetheless, the sketching was finished late last night. This morning I'm going to pick up some reference shots and fine tune. I should have some paint on the canvas late this afternoon. The settling in has begun.

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You too can learn to paint

Question of the day:
What's the difference between an artist and a painter?

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Guess'o it's time to gesso

Sorry about the bad pun title. Had to do it. I'm getting ready to head over to the studio and gesso the canvas. I'll stop by there later on this afternoon and hit it with a second coat. The comp is finally finished. I thought I had it completed earlier but after my little research trip, a few people dropped out and a couple others were added so the whole composition had to be reworked. Having to travel during Thanksgiving didn't help, but hey, had to see mom and spend some time with her. Some things are more important than painting. I didn't expect that this would take so long but you just can't swap out people like engine parts and expect the composition to work. In this case, I had to swap out a total of eight people which threw the proverbial monkey wrench in the gears. I also needed to place faces on bodies which was a pain but now that it's done, I'm a tad relieved. I finished it last night and took a look at it again this morning and made a few more changes. I'm very happy with it and can proceed to the next phase now. Here's a part of it:

I'm going to reach out to the College of Charleston tomorrow and see if I can borrow one of their computer projectors so I can start sketching. My goal is to have the whole thing sketched out in detail by the end of the week. 

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Thank you, Santa!

Santa's freight services delivered my studio easel while I was in Daytona. I assembled it this morning with the joy and care of a father assembling his kid's first bicycle. Why is an artist so excited about an easel? Much like my studio, it's my first. I've been painting for nearly 20 years and have never had either to call my own. The first studio I ever worked in was during my residency at McColl Center for Visual Art in Charlotte, NC. The space was nearly 1,000 square feet, lit by skylights and came with two studio easels. My head was spinning like a Van Gogh sky for nearly two weeks. For someone who is used to painting in his kitchen and using the countertop for an easel, I was nearly paralyzed by my surroundings. 

I hadn't planned on buying the easel. I was in Atlanta at Utrecht buying art supplies for the commission and noticed that it was 72% off the list price which made it $209! I had an online coupon that gave me $60 off on any order over $200. The on-line price was even lower...$199.99! I bought a pack of X-acto blades to put the total over the $200 limit and now the easel is only $140! Hell, if that wasn't a sign that it needed to be mine, nothing else was. Now that it's here, I can't stop looking at it, nor can I can't wait to paint something on it. That's going to be awhile considering my schedule. Nonetheless, it's here and it's mine and yes, I am going to put a big red bow on it, stand it next to the Christmas tree and act like Santa hand carried it from the North Pole. I might even give it a ride around the neighborhood in my wagon.

 

This is the final week of planning for me before I start painting. The images from the state archives were waiting on me and I'll be incorporating them into my layout the rest of the week. I'll gesso the canvas tomorrow, then again on Wednesday in anticipation of starting to sketch on Saturday. Can't wait. The butterflies are circling below and I'm anxious to get to the point where the paint is flowing and I settle in.

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We're golden!

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Stretching my patience

I had no idea what a pain in the ass tacking up 20 yards of canvas could be. Its a frustrating evolution to say the least. I don't even want to think about how much of a headache stretching it will prove to be when its completed. I'm taking off to Florida for Thanksgiving tomorrow afternoon and wanted to have this thing up and gessoed before I go, but I may have to wait until I get back to do that. I ordered a bunch of art supplies while in Atlanta and hope they will be here before I take off.  I was planning on buying them at the Utrecht store, but found out that the on-line discount coupons saved me more than $250. For all of you traveling this holiday season, have a safe trip and try not to spend or eat too much.

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Jeffrey Day Blog

I received an email from an old acquaintance, Jeffrey Day, today. I'm somewhat reticent to call him a friend; after all, he is an art critic. As far as they go, I have found him very competent, even handed and dare I say it, likable. Though he has shown me much love over the years, he maintains the right to take a chunk out of my ass when he sees fit and being an artist, I respect that. He was a columnist with the State newspaper in Columbia, SC, but since the precipitous decline of subscribers (in all print media these days), those on the periphery are being marginalized. If you're not covering a story that left a blood trail, you're on the periphery. He was the only reason I used to buy the State newspaper. Like him or not, he covered many art openings, mainly in the Columbia area, but on occasion his scope widened to encompass the entire state. It was nice reading an in depth article or opinionated review rather than the press releases Charleston's Post and Courier tries to pass off as art reviews.  It's such a shame. In the past couple years, proliferation of and appreciation for the contemporary art scene in Charleston has grown exponentially. Between the Halsey, REDUX, Walk Gallery, Pecha Kucha, Kulture Klash, etc., (sorry if I overlooked anyone), awareness and interest in contemporary art is at an all time high. Thank God for the smaller niche publications like the City Paper that cover the arts and give commentary.


Since leaving the State, Jeffrey has been keeping those interested through his art blog, Carolina Culture. His latest entry was about the state's art collection and what's missing. It seems about every three years, there is a discussion about what's to be done with the collection (from permanent housing to exhibition to prospective additions and so on). This is usually done in conjunction with an exhibit of selected works by a particular gallery (the collection is often loaned out for agency display and outside exhibitions). In an effort to drum up attendance and support, the common sense addendum to the exhibit is a panel discussion about the collection which leads to what's in, what's not in and who deserves to be in or out. I absolutely refuse to attend such discussions. I'm too old. It's like sitting at a bar listening to college freshman talk about relationships in between bubble gum shooters then asking your opinion. It ain't gonna happen. Once upon a time in the latter part of the last millennia I was a member of the commission that decided what was purchased for inclusion in the collection. The state set aside .01% (don't quote me on this) of the state budget for purchases, which was managed by the arts commission. I was amazed by the submission process and thought it ass backwards, if not stupid. Artists, and/or their representatives submitted works for inclusion. Huh? I always thought that the convened panel should have been given the responsibility of identifying works of art and/or artists that were on the rise in the state (kinda like some secret hush-hush Nobel Prize or MacArthur fellows award) and then tasked with either purchasing existing work or better yet, commissioning them to create something specific for inclusion. Since the choices consisted of what was submitted, the process led to purchase of art by artists that were knowledgeable enough to be plugged into the process, but not necessarily deserving of the honor...in my opinion. This has opened the door to an ongoing debate about the overall strength of the collection. The last I heard (more than a decade ago) was that the selection process was put on hold until the arts commission could figure this thing out. In the meantime the budget was cut and that's a whole different story.


Jeffrey's latest blog entry probes these concerns. I write about it because he graciously included my name as one of the artists deserving to be represented in the collection. Thank you, Jeffrey. It would be an honor to be included, but to be honest with you I really could care less. All I know is that when and if the time comes that they should seek to purchase a piece of my art, trust me, I'm going to tax the bastards. 


Prior to Jeffrey's posting, he contacted me via email and asked for an image to post as an example of my work. He pulled an image of a series I am working on (my Jim Crow racist clothing line series) seen here, but never exhibited:

I already have the entire line of works planned out (including actual wearable pieces), but haven't accomplished them yet. I'm still making a few mental tweaks. Who knows, you may see this on the wall of some state agency one day...heh-heh-heh!

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