rogblog

August 26, 2008

Sometimes I'm not patient enough for acrylics. And there's a tug-of-war with my wanting to be spontaneous and raw, and my hankering for detail and precision.. Nonetheless I inch toward satisfaction. And greater understanding.

(detail 3)

 

 

August 17, 2008

Gettin' along thar. Patience and persistance. Hell nO! I persist in nothing and await nothing. Not really much at all. I paint pretty flowers. :-)

(detail 2)

 

 

July 31, 2008

I'm using different brushes and application techniques on this one, since the bricks have such a unique texture. Otherwise, I've done most of my painting lately with one little brush(!)

(detail)

 

 

 

July 16, 2008

FINALLY starting another painting. Bright yellow tulips along a cement-brick wall - from down the alley from us. I stalled for a while, hesitant and lazy, not sure (again) what I'm doing and why. SOmetimes the private universe is more cluttered than other times. This will help I hope. Besides, there are SO many floral/flaural opportunities here in the loveliest city fer days. I can get stalled just trying to decide which one I want to paint.

NEXt year I'll have a proper camera to catch all the spring things.

Anyways, I'm starting this time, with a burnt umber-cloured drawing of it - getting all the dark spots. Then I'll start with the light colours and onward. Gonna try and keep the paint a little thinner than before, and to be more precise, thus avoiding some pitfalls I encountered as I strove to finish the previous one.

 

 

 

May 23, 2008

And so it is done. I'm actually putting a pretty neat frame on it at work this week. I'm still uncertain about how bright the background ended up being. I sometimes paint at night. Get colours/intensities wrong. Oops, not wrong but different! I glazed it, as I did the other sunflowers (see below), giving it a sheen and a brightness and almost an antique feeling.

 

"East Van Beauties"
2008
16 x 20
acrylic on canvas
$1000.00 (framed)

 

 

 

May 16, 2008

Hi-ee. I was flubbing my way through the 'conversation' last night.... Regarding the California gay marriage victory: there was a representative of a Christian "family" organization saying that allowing gay marriage would destroy the institution of marriage. (Anderson Cooper kept having to ask "How? How?")

The liberal pundit (a bright buy who unfortunately makes his living writing a very crude national column) stated how legislation which in part appeases conservatives - civil unions etc - had opened up an "marriage-light" option for everyone. He argued convicingly that allowing everyone equal access to Marriage (raise the bar for everyone) can only strenghen the institution. As for children and gay parents - clearly what a child needs is love and security, period.

Just musing while the paint dries. The second sunflowers might just get its final glaze this weekend! (it's been nearly done for EVER!)

xo
Roger

 

 

 

May 9, 2008

I swear I'm gonna finish it this week.
Some areas are so thickly layered with paint, from re-doing and re-doing, and some areas came together beautifully WEEKs ago!

Partner Dave's second batch of bread didn't rise. GOsh I like it anyways.

 

 

April 29, 2008

elders meditation for the day:

"Praying to seek a vision, to seek truth is always right. Truth builds upon itself - as the true mark of a warrior who conducts himself/herself accordingly - so that its beauty may shine in the faces of our children."
--Barney Bush, SHAWNEE

..Got me thinkin of my life, natch. I've always identified somehow with the "warrior" image - though I'll feel more like a "traveller". It's a constant curiosity for creativity and spirituality, I've travelled through the Baha'i writings (many years ago) and later, Carlos Castaneda, Paddy Chayefsky and such, Julia Cameron's Artist's Way, First Nations spiritual outlooks and medicine, and recently, zen and yoga. The 'creative' tension lies in the force-of-habit, addiction, failure, floundering, wariness of the world and its crazy humans...

..So I'm a 'reluctant' warrior, let's say. Railling against a puny self.

The new sunflower painting sits in front of me, nearly nearly finished...day after day.

 

April 21, 2008

I'm almost finished (wrestling with) my second sunflowers "portrait". A new style of painting for me, a new process, less than one year, but very encouraging.

Next piece, I'll aim to photograph it throughout its creation. Just for fun and curiosity.

My recent paintings take many hours of laying and layering, often going over and over until there's a satisfaction. I wrestle with that satisfaction. It might be related to a restlessness within my inner peace(!) ...my "classical" roots and my "rock n' roll" attitude!

I'm learning, I'm travelling. INside.

 

Here's the first sunflower "portrait" from last year.

"Henderson's Backyard Beauties I"
2007
16 x 20
acrylic on canvas
$1200.00 (framed)

 

Contact:
rogr@rogrlee.com

 

 

Peace and Harmony