4G Picture

Above, the finished painting I started chronicling here and here. I thought this would be a good painting to demonstrate the development of a picture, but turns out I had it nailed from the beginning. Most time was spent on the landscape portion, it's a leisurely scene, leisurely painted, in contrast to the exploding tulip, I like it.


My daughter took her first visit to New York City this past week. She was there to sing with the award winning Grady High chorus, sightseeing and a Broadway play were also on the agenda, came back with an ever so subtle air of worldliness about her, New York will do that to you.

Top:Untitled, 28x25, oil on canvas 2010
Middle: Times Square and atop the Empire State building
Bottom: Madison, Battery Park, NYC
Also
Click here for TEW Galleries latest video, it features all the info you will need to join the fun April 1st, hope to see you there.

The Pink Pearl

I spent last Thursday drawing up a new canvas, which really means, I spent the day erasing. I only use Pink Pearl erasers (above). This eraser, first manufactured by Eberhard Faber, uses a unique formula of rubber and Italian volcanic ash to give its eraser a softer touch and excellent cleaning properties. The geniuses at Eberhard Faber were the first to put the eraser on the end of a pencil, which is only popular with pencils for the American market, hmm.

Speaking of pink, our Japanese magnolia or Saucer magnolia, as my Mom called it, is in full bloom this week. This tree, which dominates our front yard, is one of the largest I have seen in Atlanta. If the wind is just right these fragrant blooms are noticeable from a block away. Mid March is kinda late for this tree to flower, late January being the earliest. The heavy rains and consistently cold temperatures we experienced this winter should make this Spring a monster, I can't wait.

Timothy Tew's Top 25

Tew Galleries in Atlanta (my hometown representative) has a unique exhibition opening April 1st. "Timothy Tew's Top 25". The show will feature 25 of Mr. Tew's personal favorites from the gallery collection. I will have a painting in the show, don't know which one, he is being real hush hush about the selection. Why don't you let Tim tell you about the top 25, by watching his latest video on YouTube, it's very entertaining, I promise.

Above:Timothy Tew, rocking some fine jewelry.

I Blame...

..."This Old House". The PBS series (circa 1986) with host Bob Vila, was the rage when we were looking to buy our first home. It looked simple on TV, but those romantic notions that swirled through our heads as we signed the contract on a "fixer upper", soon slammed into the crumbling plaster wall of reality. Kids came and money flew. Now our 1920's era bungalow has a multiple personality disorder. Some rooms are finished to contemporary standards and others, not so much. Our bathroom had become the main eyesore, (I once saw a mushroom growing behind the toilet). The past 12 days have brought that to an end. Thanks to the experts, (these days I am just a go-fer and trash hauler) we now have a full functioning "green" bathroom.

Creativity and painting take a hit during a renovation, art posts will resume soon.

Painting:Stage Two

This painting is surprising me, I did not think the color scheme would hold up, not my usual palette. The pigments that make up the reds, blues and greens are derived from the phtalocyanine chemical compound, called Phthalo by the paint makers. These are modern pigments, very intense in color and tint. Beginning painters abuse these pigments, seduced by the bright color they provide. I rarely use them but this painting might change that. I have added raw sienna and yellow ochre to tone down the phthalos. What next?, I'm thinking the tulip might lose some of the pink, leaves on trees?, do I need that swan?, we'll see.

Snow Scene

I have never painted a snow scene, the frozen stuff is just not a part of my visual vocabulary. Atlanta gets a few days of snow each winter, yesterday was one of them, nice.

Above top:Outside my studio yesterday afternoon.
Bottom:The next morning, the melting has begun.

The Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is not a sporting event, it is a television event. If you boiled down the whole 4+ hour broadcast to just the action on the field, the running time would be about 12 minutes. A majority of those gathered around the big screen today will only be interested in the chicken wings and the other 228 minutes. I enjoy it all, now pass the cheese dip.
Above: 1969, Joe Namath, quarterback of the NY Jets, in Miami before Super Bowl III, the catalyst of everything we'll see today, thanks Joe.