Daily Studies: Two for the Road.

shallots, 4×6″ acrylic, available

Two for today; I’m off on vacation until April 5th.

A few days after I get back, I’ll have 20ish charcoal drawings on display as part of a group show with Jim Bush and Ron Rosenstock at the Providence Art Club – I’ll have more details next week, but I’ve also posted it on the sidebar to the right.

‘Bout the studies: back again to my old nemesis, red.

Couldn’t pass the shallots up in the grocery store – they were bigger than I’d ever seen, and I use them in the kitchen A LOT. They’ll be back for another painting.

strawberry, 4×6″ acrylic, sold

The monster strawberry was a royal pain. Red – rich, luscious, but not screaming bright. Wanted to try and capture that but…right now, to me, it feels like something the Wicked Witch might offer up. So much for Spring.

Last tidbit – fellow artist Sadie Valeri is taking an atelier workshop and has a post about it on her blog. If you’re curious about that particular type of classroom experience, her first-day account is worth a read.

Daily Study – Doughboys.

doughboys, 4×6″ acrylic, available

Dough..what?

Doughboys are a warmer weather staple in RI – 6 or 12 to a bag, fried dough (fritters) coated with granulated sugar.

The studies have been going well lately…& while the temptation is high to stay within my comfort zone, I thought I’d ratchet it up a bit. This one presented me with the challenge of a lotta textures & a few elements to juggle…even some patterning on the bag.

Daily Study: Coffee to go

coffee to go, 4×6″ acrylic, available

Painting packaged food – the coffee cups, takeout cartons, wrappers & bags – is a way for me to tackle white and neutral colors with the hope of getting something to feel luminous, not chalky. (I now have a link on the sidebar to the upper right for the ‘daily food studies’ if you’re interested in seeing my other attempts at white.)

There are a few contemporary painters that pull this off consistently; I saw a dynamite Jacob Collins show last fall in NYC – even seeing his work online (and in print) prior didn’t prepare me for the shock of how the paint practically glowed. Daniel Adel and Kate Lehman come to mind, too.

Daily Study: Wine Key

wine key, 4×6″ acrylic, available

Been asked about the recent change in vantage points – the fork, chef’s knife, and now the wine key.

They’ve been on my ‘to do’ shelf for a while…but the existing shadow box setup (photo here) just wasn’t working. So I rigged up the cutting board at a slight angle, attached a dimmer to the light source…and tried to adjust accordingly with the hopes that they don’t all appear to be sliding off the table.

The board becomes a sorta blank canvas – and while not quite the luminous Caravaggio/Rembrandt look I love, it’s growing on me.

Pint of Guinness

Pint of Guinness, 4×6″ acrylic, available

My brother Kerry and I share the middle name of Patrick, in honor of our great-grandfather, born in the County Roscommon in 1875.

Tonight, while he will no doubt be raising a glass of Jameson, I’ll be toasting with, in the words of Frank McCourt, “…the black stuff that is called the pint.”

Music for Irish smiling eyes-
Van Morrison & The Chieftains Irish Heartbeat
Sinéad O’Connor Sean-Nos Nua

Or, if you’ve got a bit of the brooding Irish in you-
Iarla Ó Lionáird Invisible Fields

Daily Study: Favorite Knife, Biscuit.

coppertail knife, 4×6″ acrylic, available

‘Bout year or 2 ago I unexpectedly fell for this knife while shopping in Boston. I’ve got a pretty good cutlery arsenal for a serious/geeky/amateur home cook but to date it’s still my favorite – not saying it’s perfect, or for everyone, but it’s a perfect fit for me.

biscuit, 4×6″ acrylic, available

While I had fun trying to make this rustic biscuit appear monolithic, the real thing (cheesy-chive, if you’re curious) was light and savory and well worth a trip to the source. And for breakfast after I’d finished the study.
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If you’ve spent any amount of time online wading thru the crowded ‘daily painters’ pool, you’ve no doubt come across the great little works of Jeff Hayes. We first connected last fall during Boston’s South End Open Studios; yesterday had came down to Providence for lunch at the Art Club & a quick tour of the city. He shares my love of food & wine and spoke of a great new project in the works – not sure when he’ll unveil it but check back in.

I’ll have more news & updates on the other site in a day or 2 but things are wild and wooly right now…before I sign off, a big thank you to Linda Beaulieu. Her ‘Garlic Press’ column in the March issue of Providence Monthly leads off with the Will Paint for Food project and has 3 pics of the studies.

Painting can be incredibly rewarding yet it’s also a very solitary practice – many thanks to visitors old & new alike to the blog for your e-mails, comments & support.

Daily Studies: Espresso Pot, Fork

espresso pot, 4×6″ acrylic, sold

fork, 4×6″ acrylic, available

Daily Studies – Blood Orange, Lemons

blood orange, 4×6″ acrylic, available

lemons, 4×6″ acrylic, available