An artist whose work I admire (and a friend from grad school), Derrick Quevedo, has a great interview up on Two Coats of Paint. The interview (with Joe Bun Keo) talks about things I often think about. How color can imply a sensation that is understood but non-verbal, how forms take shape through color, and how it is most important to paint intimate paintings than heroic masterpieces.
Nightcrawler, 2012, watercolor and gouache on paper, 8.5" x 12
Here is Derrick's response to why he works on a small scale, and where the title of the interview, Houseparty, comes from:
You know whether you'd rather be at a nightclub or a house party. House parties are more about intimacy; a room to dance closely, a room to talk closely, a room to have sex, and you're with all your favorite people. I'm very much a "house party" painter--I prefer intimate or private relationships.
And his paintings are just that -- intimate and beautiful. The color relationships and his ability to work freely in a quest to create just the right paintings are things I have always learned from. I actually hesitated to disclose that he is a friend because I know I would admire his work regardless of that, as I did the first day I saw his work pinned outside his 8th floor studio door.
I love this work of James O'Shea. He is clearly very serious in his pursuit of color and composition (essentially the pursuit of a successful painting) but the work has a definite sense of humor or joy for the world that strikes me. They seem to be friends with so many of my favorite artists: Elisabeth Cummings, Diebenkorn, Amy Sillman, Kimura and yet they are their own breed. Just beautiful to look at on this dreary Philadelphia morning.
I am so happy to have recently come across the paintings of Olivier Rouault. Of course I am partial to the still life and figure work, but all of his work makes a bold statement through the most essential means, regardless of subject. The color and gesture are so pleasing to me. I can look at these works for a long time.
Here is a link to the skirt I designed for Anthropologie. Yay! I'm not sure why it says 'a student' because I haven't been for nearly two years but oh well. Now if only I could afford these shoes to recreate the models look...
I'm teaching a unit on Inuit art to my elementary students where I work part time. I came across this video and think its just perfect. I get the feeling from comments that it is an old production but it feels very timeless to me, as is the story of the Owl and Raven, probably hundreds if not thousands of years old.
I have made a bunch of new work and finally got around to photographing some of it to share. Above is one piece but check in on my website by the end of the weekend and I'll have a few more posted as well. Happy Friday!
A beautiful night painting that seems appropriate on this night -- daylight savings -- when the sun has set before 5pm and warm lights and warm clothes should be put on in abundance.
I am a painter born and living in Philadelphia. I started this page in 2010 as a way to organize and collect my own sources of inspiration, and reflect on my experiences looking at and making paintings. I felt like carving out this little space for a particular type of seeing and making, and drawing connections between them. In 2020 I decided to end the project but keep it here as an archive.
