What a year 2023 was! I can't believe that I spent 1/4 of it in France, painting in Monet's garden and traveling around France. Those 3 months were magical and it gave me the confidence to travel internationally. To just realize that there's a whole world out there and so many things to see and people to meet.
Speaking of travel, I'm planning some workshops for 2024-2025. I'm excited to be a part of a German-based company called ARTISTRAVEL (See picture below) - We're even talking about possibly doing a Japan workshop at some point. I've been fascinated with Japan since I was a kid so I'd love to go there to experience it. I never thought I'd have the ability to travel around the world so I'm very grateful for all these opportunities Closer to home, there's a Sargent exhibit up in Boston that I'd like to go see. Last year my long-time friend, Asem Ahmed and I saw the Sargent and Spain exhibit in D.C., which was great. So I may see if he wants to go check out the Boston show. Last week, I finished up my semester at the Ridgewood Community School. Now, I'm looking at the spring semester which begins in March 2024. I'm planning to teach the same watercolor course and I may also teach a drawing course. During the summer 2024, I'll be spending 5 weeks in Florence to finish up my graduate degree. The MA program at the Florence Academy of Art has been a perfect fit with my career. My own skills have improved greatly and I highly recommend this program to other artist/educators. One of my main goals for 2024 is to network to find new opportunities for commissioned work. I've built up a large portfolio of commissions and I'm at a point where I'm really happy with my artistic abilities. I've always loved portraits and now I'm looking to take my professional career to the next level. Anyone interested in my commission information can check out my COMMISSIONS PAGE. Looking back on 2023, I'm feeling very proud of all that I accomplished. It's been a lot of work to improve as an artist and to find opportunities, but I love what I do and I wouldn't trade it for the world. As always, there were good times and bad times, good people and not-so-good people. There was also a lot of trial and error, but I learned a lot about myself through the process. Thank you for following a long and I wish you all a Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year!
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I recently watched an interesting video by Mr. Paul Ingbretson about Painting Reproductions and it made me think about reproductions of my own art. I constantly struggle with photographing my art and I wonder how much I should share images of my work. A certain amount is necessary for the galleries that I show in or for posting things on my website. But I've really cut back on what I send and share. But why wouldn't I want to share images of my paintings? I've written about similar ideas many times and I'm very passionate about this topic. Mainly because I'm very aware of the ever-growing trend to only view paintings online and to not make a pilgrimage to see these works in person. This total domination of photographic reproductions worries me. There's a litany of reasons as to why all paintings showed be seen in person. The size/scale of the painting is ignored by viewing it on a screen, the color quality, surface texture (gloss/matte) is lost, the edges and contrasts are usually false, I could go on and on. I think one of the main issues is that a painting is not 2D; a painting has layers of paint built up and it actually creates a 3D image. This is more true of painters like Vermeer or Rembrandt who really take full advantage of the opportunities which oil paint has to offer through glazes to thicker areas. For me, I share my art in my site's portfolio section and I enjoy writing on my blog. But I think of my website as more of an information catalogue instead of an honest viewing experience. But isn't it absurd to think that everyone can see my paintings in person? Maybe, but I care very deeply about my paintings and I believe they deserve to be seen in the best possible manner. And you may also say: Isn't it great to be able to see so many paintings that we don't have access to? (private collections, far away museums, etc.) I understand, but I don't think it's an advantage. Have you ever met someone and been totally bowled over by their charm, beauty, intelligence, charisma, and general air? To me, that's what it's like to see a painting in person. Take that same person and take a single photo of him/her and try to extract that same depth from it. It's impossible. Many of my teaching lessons revolve around these ideas of genuine study and real individual experiences. Yesterday, I had a student tell me that he sees paintings now in a new way as a result; this touched me deeply and I was honored that he said that. I think these ideas of nature and art are timeless and my goal is to share that message through my teaching. Reproductions may reach a higher and higher level of exactitude, but I will always be an artist who wants the real deal. This video inspired me to write this post and I hope you will enjoy it as well. I'm a little late to this, but as of October of 2023, I crossed over the 10 year mark for my blog. I started this blog in college and looking back, I'm very happy that I did. This blog covers my art, inspiration, techniques, art history, travel and some other interesting topics thrown in.
I really enjoy sharing stuff on this blog and many people have also tried to get me onto other sharing platforms. I've been back and forth with some, but the truth is that I see all these things as pointless, ephemeral and often harmful. When I was in college, I had a Facebook and it was great because all my friends had one and it was simply a way to communicate with one another. It changed at some point and I see these sites now completely dominating people's lives. I also don't like the fact that if I post something it is often hidden from my own followers. And when it is discoverable, my art is sandwiched between vapid ads for make-up or fast food. My own site here is entirely under my control and I write whenever I want to write and people can come and go as they please. No addictive or manipulative tactics here. One of my goals with this blog is to not only share my journey, but to encourage others to go out into the world and paint. I hope you can look at art in person and support artists whom you enjoy. Make real connections and stay in touch with people. It's a tough road as an artist of any kind, but it's extremely rewarding and I wouldn't trade my life for anything. So what's coming in the future? I am planning some really big things in my life. Since returning from France, I've been connecting with some absolutely amazing people, organizations, galleries, schools, etc. I'm heading to Florence during the summer of 2024 as I finish my MA program at the Florence Academy of Art; so 2024 will be a busy year for me! I'm really excited and proud of all that I've accomplished. To those reading: thank you. Thank you for following along and I hope my blog provides information, introspection and inspiration. We've had some cloudy and rainy conditions the past few days, which has impacted my painting efforts. Regardless, over the weekend, I started laying in paint on a large painting showing a specific perspective of the Japanese bridge. I did an elaborate underdrawing on the canvas which allowed me to start painting without having to figure out the perspective lines. I'm still in the early stages of the painting but I wanted to share some photos since seeing the process can be interesting and educational for others.
One of my goals for this residency is to do larger paintings en plein air; I've had this in mind since arriving in Giverny. My only limitation involved the logistics of carrying the canvas and setting up in the garden in a way that wouldn't inhibit the gardeners. I'm definitely at the maximum size canvas that I can handle within these parameters. If you're thinking about doing some larger paintings then I have some strategies to share. The first thing that I'll say is that I applaud anyone who paints on a large scale. It's one of the greatest challenges as a painter. I know size can be subject, but to me anything over 3 feet qualifies as large. A main thing to remember is that a large painting requires more paint and more time. More paint is obvious, but remember that the time factor also includes preparation and preliminary work on the painting. Cutting corners or starting something willy nilly won't turn out well. It's good to start a larger painting with a clear plan of attack. Think about it like writing: writing a short story is very different than writing a 800 page novel (or so I'd imagine). With that being said, I feel that it's important to do something ambitious in order to expand my comfort zone. Even if it doesn't work out, at least I've tested my limits and I can gain the confidence and reference experience. For me, I've started to become more accustomed to larger canvases as I figure out what works for me. However, I needed to laugh at myself when I went to the Louvre and Versailles and saw these paintings which are like 20 feet by 30 feet. But those paintings were usually group efforts which would take months or years.. so it's not fair to compare myself that way. Anyway, I encourage you to push yourself and explore new ways of working. If you start something, then follow it through and don't give up halfway. I guess this applies to things other than painting, but if you want to try something ambitious in your life then try and see what happens! |
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