Art is in very large measure an exercise in creativity. One continues to explore. It can be crazy from a marketing perspective as your public never knows what you’re going to do next. But so be that, ever pushing out into new territory is one of the reasons to be an artist. And so it should be all the life long.

Rose’s Sister, 32×26

This month’s explorations in paint involve the combination of abstract combined with realistic images. That all in this series happen to be images of women is coincidental (besides their being the more interesting subjects.) In each case the abstract background is put up first, in water-based acrylic, complete with drips and patterns, half planned and half random.

Rose in Blue, 32×26

It’s always a bit of a hesitation whether to carry on when the first layer is already appealing. But the idea is to include a figure, so I plow ahead. The figure is  put up in oil paint, drawn straight on with a big calligraphy brush in red or some warm color. It’s real scratchy to begin with, but whatever isn’t working I wipe out with a rag. That’s the beauty of oil paint over acrylic, the slow-drying oil wipes off and the background isn’t affected.

White Wisps with Sweater, 33×27

You’ll notice (if you do) that these have all been made in series, sometimes in twos, sometimes threes. The colors and general patterns are more-or-less the same, as is the selection of figures. So is the size and shape. As such they can be displayed together or separately, either way.

White Wisps, 33×27

Another thing you’ll notice (if you do) is the hint of “printed” pattern included subtly in the background. These are from linoleum blocks Anne has designed and cut for use in her own craft. By now she has baskets of these and sometimes I wander over to her side of the studio to see what I might use. She would be rolling them with ink, but acrylic works too; I brush the paint onto the block and then press it right onto the canvas. Viola, another flourish of originality.

Anne’s unfinished print, several layers on textured paper (click to see larger)

Okay, so the first originality was Anne’s. Sometimes, musing on her side of the studio, I pick through the stacks of her work yet to be completed and marvel. I can rarely see what’s unfinished about them; but Anne will have some other idea in mind, or be waiting for such an idea to hit. Meantime, I’m thinking I could use these as inspiration for backgrounds for figure studies. That’s exactly what’s happened with this and all the rest to follow here. Note first (and you will) Anne’s print-in-progress above. Then note many of the same elements, applied in different ways, in the three paintings below.

Jade in Shoulders, 20×20

The figures then come from pictures I’ve taken or found, with whatever changes are suggested by the background shapes already painted in and dry.

Jade and Black, 20×20

Design considerations are a big part of it, with changes being made throughout the process . . . painting in, taking out.

Jade and Daydreams, 20×20

Sometimes letting the drawing show is part of the charm. It’s like life, more about process than perfection. More interesting, more approachable.

Two of Anne’s studies, unfinished (click for larger view)

Above are two of Anne’s prints-in-process. It was the color combination that intrigued, that and the patterns, the textures, and the miscellaneous whimsy of found objects comprising the “plate.”

Study in Black and Orange 1, 20×20

When I do these I call them “collaborations.” That’s whether Anne knows I’m doing it or not. Actually she enjoys seeing the new thing created. If I sell it I’ll split it with her.

Study in Black and Orange 2, 20×20

Not that we’ve not always split everything anyway. And that’s just one of the secrets to these brief 44 years together.

Study in Black and Orange 3, 20×20

As I said, the choice and placement of the figure has a lot to do with the design already there. Of course, anything can be painted out, but sometimes interesting things appear that never would have in plotting a painting. Like, is that a necklace, or just a repetition of design element?

Anne’s study in blue and red (click for larger view)

Some of the pieces on Anne’s pile aren’t even necessarily intended for finished use. Such was the case with the above, which was a very random exercise  in clean-up. But when you’re a working artist, sometimes art just “happens,” and I was particularly drawn to this one as pattern for background.

Study in Blue and Red 1, 20×20

In the process, a blond became a redhead, her movement her mood, her closed eyes, her ecstatic moment. Is that a dove-like spirit hovering about? These are stories still in the writing. Art is as much about the “suggested” as the expressed, maybe more.

Study in Blue and Red 2, 20×20

That’s why I call these abstractive realism.  The lines matter, but they drift off, figures move in and out of background. The stage as important as the play.

Study in Blue and Red 3, 20×20

All these are exercises in “less” being “more.” It’s not a lesson easily learned. (And I’ve already said more than I need to about that.)

Anne’s Wondering (preliminary title for unfinished piece)

Here’s another of Anne’s yet-to-be-completed works, already layered with multiple images, each partially covering the last. It was the colors and shapes that intrigued for my uses.

Wondering 1, 30.5×30.5

The figure that suggested itself here seemed pretty complete at the drawing stage. There’s a lightness, an ethereal quality, with limbs floating as if still in movement. It’s a moment in time; and that’s what a paintings captures, a moment to ponder.

Wondering 2, 30.5×30.5

This one is doing its own pondering. Again, half drawing, half painting. Half realism, half abstraction. Unfinished, yet complete. That is, after all, life.

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Upcoming Events

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Lecture: How to Start a Painting

Friday, June 18, 6:00-7:30
San Clemente Art Supply
1531 N. El Camino Real
To make an early reservation, call (949) 369-6603
$10.00

Lecture/Demo: Lots of Things about Painting

June 24, 7:15 pm
Orange County Fine Arts Society (open to all)
South Coast Plaza Village
3851 S. Bear Street
Santa Ana

Outdoor Exhibit & Sale: A festival with many other artists

Saturday and Sunday, June 26-27, 10:00-4:00
San Clemente Community Center on Del Mar Street

Loosen Up Workshop: 2 days of inspiration, instruction and application

“A great workshop, a must for painters to experience.”
July 10-11 in San Clemente, California
To make an early reservation, call (949) 369-6603
For more info click Loosen Up 5 web

Semi-Private Coaching for Painters

In Hyatt Moore studio
Mondays in Dana Point
Call for your two-hour slot, 949-290-8643

One week intensive: A first

As a unique opportunity, an intensive one-on-one workshop tailored to the individual
in the studio the week of July 5-9.
Limited to very few participants.
Hours are flexible: all or part of the day or the week.
Call for more information: 949-290-8643

Printmaking Classes

In Anne Moore studio
Call for info, 949-240-4642
or email: anne@hyattmoore.com

22 Comments

It’s this weekend we’re hosting our semi-annual show at the house. And once again we’re showcasing a lot of new art. Anne has some great new pieces, in preparation for the Laguna Festival of Art this summer, but available early here. And I’m doing my bit for the economy by making available some very small pieces at very, very low prices.

Twenty-three small paintings (click to enlarge)

Above is a montage of 23 small paintings. Each is 8″x 6,” mounted attractively on white board (not shown), and going for prices too low to mention. (But where are you going to find a piece of original art for under $50?) They’re great for Mother’s Day, or a gift for anybody, including yourself. In fact, a number would look great as a set.

Fourteen small paintings

Some of these little gems are in oil, some are in acrylic, all are on canvas board. It’s something of a departure for me, painting so small, but there’s something special about them, and very accessible. (Since these photos were taken some of them have already sold.)

Planetary Presence, Collagraph Plate, 16×19.5 (Click for larger view.)

These are new. Recently Anne has been creating collagraph prints. What’s unusual is that she’s making available the actual plate, the original from which the prints are made. They’re really quite striking in their handsome frames.

Intercultural Currency, Collagraph Plate, 19×13

The term “collagraph” comes from collage. She basically builds each plate with heavy acrylic gel, found objects and her own whimsy, seals it all and rolls ink on it for relief printing. But then, because of the residual inks still on the plate, the plate itself is a wonderful piece of art. A number of them will be on display at the show at the house.

Driving Force 1/10, Collagraph, 20×10

Here’s the result of a print from a collagraph plate. Each one is completely unique, even if part of a series. In this case it’s one of ten, but even the other nine are different in colors. With all the texture and nuances, they really must be seen in person to appreciate.

Motley Crew, Oil on Canvas, 57×125

After some years of long-term loan (the local playhouse, etc.) Motley Crew will be on display at the house this weekend. It’s a ten and a half-foot wide mural from a collage of photos I took at the muster for the Swallow’s Day Parade in San Juan Capistrano. That’s the day local personalities dress in historical garb and the town erupts in celebration of its history, real or imagined. Who knows where it will go next, but for now it’s back at its place of creation. For a larger view, click on the picture, and again on the picture that comes up. Or, better yet, come see it for yourself.

Upcoming Events

Spring Studio Show and Sale

April 24-25
Saturday, 4:00-9:00, Sunday, 1:00-5:00
33752 Big Sur
Dana Point, California 92629
949-240-4642
For a virtual tour of the house click on “Home, Studio, Gallery” under Recent Posts, above right.

Crystal Cathedral Visitors Center (only until April 27)

The display of 55 pieces, many very large, and including The Last Supper with Twelve Tribes in up for only a few more days.
For a review click on “Grand Faces” under Recent Posts, above right.
12141 Lewis Street, Garden Grove, California
Open daily, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

Loosen Up Workshop

“A great workshop, a must for painters to experience.”
The next is scheduled for July 10–11 in San Clemente, California
To make an early reservation, call (949) 369-6603

Semi-Private Coaching for Painters

In Hyatt Moore studio
Mondays in Dana Point
Call for your two-hour slot, 949-290-8643

Printmaking Classes

In Anne Moore studio
Call for info, 949-240-4642
or email: anne@hyattmoore.com

6 Comments

Faces. A story in every one of them. A personality looking out. A visage to be looked upon, possibly understood, maybe even loved. And I do love to paint faces. For some time I’ve thought of doing a series in grand scale, monumental, Gulliver-esque. But where to show them? Then the famous Crystal Cathedral offered space for a show in company with an invitation to be interviewed on air and an evening’s speaking at the church. That put me to work and I produced five for the show, and hung 50 others.

Eyes on the Cross, Cameroon (detail).  Click on these for finished version, and then again on it for larger view.

The girl from Cameroon is the first I attempted. That was before I got the idea for a series. I’d painted her before, small, but I always thought those lips needed further exploration, a revealing of their true glory. What landscape can compare with lips close up? She wears no lipstick but every color in the catalog is hers naturally. And the eyes, glistening wet, reflecting what she is looking upon. In my photo reference the eyes were so clear you could see the photographer. But I thought a cross more fitting for her gaze. Good for the Easter season. Or any time.

The painting in progress, stapled to the studio wall, Size: 78×95 inches.

These pieces are just short of eight feet wide and six feet tall. The “in process” photos are to give a sense of perspective. A lot of paint is required, a lot of canvas, and a lot of space. And it can be messy, my clothes even taking on the look of a painting.

Eyes on the Cross, Tibet, 73×95, Oil over Acrylic.

All of these are from photos I’ve had for some time, waiting for the right occasion. Putting a reflected cross in each eye, sometimes very subtly, further established a theme. Each is painted with a slightly different style. Note the different colors on each side of the brush, handy for slapping in different areas at virtually the same time.

Eyes on the Cross, Native American, 73×95, Oil over Acrylic, in process.

Click on the picture and you’ll see that this one ended up a different than it was at this stage. I decided a darker background was needed. Then I wasn’t sure but it was late to go back. So I hit it again with some palette-like texture and called it done. Another thing you can’t really see here is the thick paint. I finished this one up with a lot of palette knife work.

Eyes on the Cross, Pakistan, 73×95, Acrylic.

I completed this one in a different location, thus the newspaper masking the wall, and done completely in acrylic…because I needed to move it immediately after completion. Capturing that restrained smile was this one’s challenge, some five or six times larger than mine.

Eyes on the Cross, Japan, 73×95, Acrylic.

Okay, so here’s another done in acrylic only, but for other reasons. I was experimenting with a new style altogether. I’ve often thought that, as I live and work with a printmaker (Anne) I should let some of her techniques influence me.  So for the hair I used one of Anne’s hand-carved linoleum plates, slathering it with paint and pressing it on the canvas. For the face I did the same but used scraps of bubble wrap. Worked great, don’t you think?

A detail of the same little girl all rendered in dots from the bubble wrap. As I always say, “A painter isn’t a painter because he uses a brush; he is a painter because he uses paint.” You can get the paint on in any way that works.

Another thing I always say is that the lips are more challenging than even the eyes. And getting them right is all the more rewarding. In this case, it was as much happy accident as anything, what with the hard-to-control bubble wrap as painting tool.

One of the walls in the Crystal Cathedral show, in their architecturally stunning visitor’s center. It’s a museum-like space and perfect for a show of big pieces. Click on this photo and the following for better views.

Just a couple more photos of the space with the art hanging. I’d rather moved on from doing so many ethnic types, market forces being what they are. Still, for this show, such is the theme. Fifty-five pieces are up, plus the popular “Last Supper with Twelve Tribes” for a rare extended showing.

Included is an array of some 20 standing portraits.

31 Comments

Here’s a look a the Dana Point abode where two artists-in-residence reside. The place itself has become an original. Like a canvas, it’s full of potential, welcoming expression, then re-expression, never necessarily finished.

The tract house, now customized. Click on pictures for a larger view.

Just about everything has been changed since we moved in back in 1978 35. In that time we’ve moved overseas twice, renting it out, then renovating again after. There was an arch, but in time that had to go. The wood trim has long since been scraped and roughened, attacked with my machete to give it a real “hand” look. The white is a recent return to classic California mission style stucco. The long ascending roof belies the second story addition.

The entry

Too bad the Pennsylvania Blue flagstones don’t show up much here, nor the large “speak easy” hole in the door, not open in this photo. It’s a nice feature for the afternoon breeze in the summer. Being just a bluff away from the ocean (though out of sight) it’s naturally cooled. But I’m beginning to sound like I’m trying to sell. Not so.

The living room

Stepping in, it’s a collection of memorabilia from travels over the years and the various countries we’ve lived in.  The paintings and prints rotate around or are replaced with new fairly frequently. A number have been sold since this photo shoot, and replaced by others.

Partial collections hinted at: churches, knives, bits of fabric

In my thinking, a house serves as many things: it’s a museum, a gallery, a studio, a resort, a library, a theater, a love nest, a monastery. Someday it’ll be an old folks’ home. For us!

From the living room off toward other parts

Every piece has a story, including the furniture, like the heavy chair from India (actually very comfortable), or the narrow Indonesian table with stool under, or the Swat Valley cabinet in the rear, traded for a painting. (We both got art on that one.)

Wood everywhere

That chair was my gift to Anne at our first anniversary. I’ve re-upholstered it once in its 44 years. There are other such gifts all around the house, mine to her, hers to me, ours to us. That’s another definition of a house: a collection of gifts reminiscent of a shared history.

The “under-loft”

Matching chairs are few in house, the dining table equipped with used office furniture (like the chair on the left here) or the hand-hewn hardwood piece from India (right).

More under the loft

The dolls are from Peru, of ancient cloth, the figurines from Mexico and Africa (and one of Anne’s making in high school), the wood conquistador stirrups from trips to South America, the rocking horse from Mexico, the old clock from France. Drawers full of fabric from our living in Guatemala. And on it goes, everything with a story. Most of our artifacts are small, suitcase size.

Enter the dining room kitchen

It’s Anne’s green cabinets that get the comments here, that and the Mexican floor pavers, our first customization, many years ago. Since then the ceiling’s been lifted (not shown) and lodge-pole beams installed. The trunk from India, the table from Mexico, the bowl from when we lived in Papua New Guinea, the painting from a photo taken in Japan, and on it goes.

The work station (one of them)

Here’s the corner of the house where I could say the best work gets done. Anne does as well in the kitchen as at her press, an artist in many mediums.  That faux painted horse over the stove is representative of one of her past pursuits, as well as are some of the baskets, some of the pottery, etc., etc.

Beams and bells and beauties

Here’s the other wall of the kitchen. Again, the art changes: sometimes lined up with Anne’s prints, and even here there’s one on the right. The bells are from various travels, wood yak bells, camel bells, cow bells, a big jingle bell. (Strangely, no dinner bell.)

Doors closed. They’re also great open, and from the other side–a guest room.

Here’s an addition since the bulk of this photo shoot. They’re doors from Bali, eyed by me for several years on trips to Ojai. Finally I just made the purchase and found a place for them in the house–in the same wall as the previous picture. We can no longer show a big piece of art in that spot, but then, this is a piece of art. We love it. So do the grandchildren.

Hospitality at its finest.

Here’s Anne putting finishing touches on a breakfast table with guests as seen through the Bali doors from the guest room.

The main floor guest room.

The house has five bedrooms, or did when we were raising as many children. Now they’re living around the country and the world and rooms are converted for other uses (though doubling as guestrooms again when necessary). The place has even served as a bed and breakfast. The bedspreads are Anne’s creation, of fabric from India, imported by one of Anne’s favorite stores near where we lived in Vancouver, Canada. The dolls in this room I picked up in Cape Verde, off the west coast of Africa. My painting and Anne’s print on the wall are representative of the work that moves around and sometimes sold during our shows.

Downstairs Guest Bathroom

A very tiny room, as the architect would have it, but everything fits. That’s including a place to change a baby (or a grand-baby). As we have eleven, going on twelve, that’s a very real possibility. (Though none of them live anywhere near us.)

Downstairs Guest Bathroom

Another view. We love those wonderful wabi-sabi textures in these old wood surfaces. We select the cabinetry by what will fit and customize it to work. The sink and plumbing was our addition.

New walls, new doors, opening up an otherwise tiny room.

Tired of the stock white tiles that lined the shower, one day I decided to just paint them. Acrylic paint! Of course it would wash right off, right? But not when I applied three coats of marine varnish. Has worked fine ever since. Much cheaper than re-tiling, and a more custom look.

Second Floor Guestroom and Studio Overflow

For this floor Anne used printmaking technique. She rolled brown paint on a 12″-square plastic “plate” and placed it face down on an already-painted black floor. It was a marvelous exercise in originality, and a lot of work.

The studio

Here’s where the work happens, each of us using half the room. That’s my clutter at left and Anne’s at the far wall, with her hand press on the table.

Another view of the studio

Anne’s prints drying on the rack near the balcony doors, a few a my paintings in partially finished stage or ready for delivery. It’s hard to show the volume of work that fairly overflows the house but this gives an idea.

A typical day in the studio. (Click photo for larger view.)

This is a wall that’s constantly changing, depending on current projects. The three pieces taped to the wall are canvases yet to be stretched, an approach I sometimes take. A lot of paintings have been painted against that wall, and some very large.

Living room wall.

I designed those stairs years ago when the first addition was just the loft. They’re steep but there was no choice. I did want them visually “airy,” not to overwhelm a not-large room. As with all the other walls, the selection of paintings changes.

A rearrangement

Here’s the living room again, with the some of the furniture moved around. Did I say every piece has a story? If only it could talk. (Then again, it does.)

View from the loft

It’s not large, though at times has held pretty large groups of people, even with this “balcony seating.”

The back patio and garden

A rest for the eyes and the soul. A reading place, a jacuzzi dip, and a place for every summer evening’s meal. We’re grateful.

Every slide show (and every day) ends in sunset.

One more shot. This, though not the best angle for it, displays the “new” garage doors. They are new, and technologically up to date, but the wood is reclaimed from a 150 barn in Michigan, compete with wonderful wearing and unevenness . . . lovingly applied, like so much else that happens in this home.

16 Comments

Sorry, I couldn’t resist that title. The women here are not loose at all, at least not necessarily; but the paintings are done in a loose style, and they are of women predominantly. I’ve recently done a number of floral still lifes with the same loose approach. But for this time, it’ll be the women.

Flamenco Fiesta, Oil and Acrylic, 16×20. (Click for larger view and pricing.)

For Flamenco Fiesta (above) I used a photographic image I took a couple of years ago and have painted from a number of times. Each has it’s own style and is very much an original. This one is perhaps the most original of all. Figures are “suggested” at best, they’re all there, the two dancers, the guitarist and even the frame of the painting on the wall. The approach is to draw no hard lines, go after the rhythm, and stop early.

Folclorico Duo, Acrylic on Paper, 18.5 x 26.5

We featured Folclorico Duo in an earlier e-gallery but I like it so I’m showing it again. And it’s a perfect example of the vitality that is inherent in the loose approach.  My resource was an out-of-focus photograph, something I once would have discarded as useless, but not so much anymore. In this one the man is as loose as the woman, making them indeed a good pair.

Flamenco Statement, Oil over Acrylic, 20 x 16

Here’s one I did some time back, again from the same photo session as the top one. Here I took an approach I sometimes do when I look over at the pile of wonderful art Anne has half finished on her side of the studio. The patterns on her prints are so inviting, both as they are and to do something else with. In this case I basically copied her design, in acrylic, even using the same piece of plastic packing material as a “plate” (see upper right), then I brushed in a couple of dancers. It’s the kind of approach I keep thinking I should do more of . . . having this wonderful resource as partner. She thinks it’s a good idea too. But there are so many good ideas, so I move on.

Flamenco with Guitarist, Oil over Acrylic, 20 x 40

Here we are verging on the abstract, with the extremities even disappearing in the intense movement. The guitarist is part of the title so the viewer will know to look for him, being barely recognizable, but still important as a design element. Once again I included print-making technique, “inking” plates with acyclic paint and laying them on in strategic places. This and the two following are considerably larger than those above and make a statement partly just by their size.

Listening Lavender, Oil over Acrylic,
43 x 25

This one started out as a demo in one of my “Loosen Up” workshops.  You can see how it fits the criteria, thin acrylic applied with abandon, not really knowing what will happen in the underpainting. Then, the oil paint goes on, as tight or loose as one wants. I worked on it again back in the studio, but I rather liked as it was so stopped pretty early. Finally I signed it, meaning (usually) I’m done.

Blue Figure, Oil over Acrylic,
22 x 38

Blue Figure is the last of the loose women, at least for this edition. I just liked the design of the photo and thought it would make a nice painting. As much as anything it’s about the application of paint, the drips, the daubs and the stokes. But then, a painting should, in part, be record of the process. At least that’s how I like them. I hope you like them too.

Upcoming Events

Southwest Arts Festival, Indio, California

We’ll  be there occupying two adjacent booths, along with a whole lot of other artists and craftspeople. If you know anybody in the area, let them know. And come with them.
January 29, 30, and 31, 2010
Empire Polo Club, Indio

Loosen Up Workshop

Two days of hands-on stimulation for painters led by Hyatt Moore
February 13-14, 2010
San Clemente Center for the Arts
1531 N. El Camino Real
San Clemente, California 92672
To sign up, call (949) 369-6603

Semi-Private Coaching for Painters

in Hyatt Moore studio
Mondays in Dana Point
Call for your two-hour slot, 949-290-8643

Printmaking Classes

in Anne Moore studio
Call for info, 949-240-4642

18 Comments

Actually I had another e-gallery half prepared to send you, but due to a computer glitch, that one will have to wait. It featured the house, in which we will be having a show this weekend. The weekend will pass, but the house will stay, so we’ll hold that for another day.

Fingerless Gloves, oil, 12×16

Casting about for what I might share, here are a couple of little pieces done during an evening with a few other painters and a model. Such sessions are for the exercise of it, because practice is everything, and painting from life is more challenging that painting from pictures. What I’m after is a certain likeness, yes, but more, a feel, a movement, a sense of life in it all. And though it’s a three-hour session, about half way through I don’t know what to do any more (without making it a different kind of painting) so I stop and move on.

Fingerless Gloves Akimbo, oil, 16×12

And what to move onto but another place in the studio for a different perspective, this time more of a close-up and slightly below. Once again it came together pretty quickly. It wasn’t long before the painter behind me, a very accomplished artist and the leader of this group I’d joined that evening said, “Stop, that’s a Manet.” I do remember Manet painted one something like that. Basically he, Bruce, was reminding me that, “It takes two people to paint a painting: one to hold the brush and the other to take it away from him before he ruins it.”  As it was I went a little farther, just because I thought I’d somehow be cheating if I didn’t, but it started to look over-painted so I quit. Thanks, Bruce.

Again, this is just a quick taste. These and a whole lot more will be all over the walls this weekend, both mine and Anne’s. This is the weekend that much of it is priced at 30 percent off, or more. I know a lot of you are at too great a distance, but if there’s anything you want to talk about from the websites, that’s good too.

Just go to www.mooreandmooreart.com.

Fall Show at the House, Nov. 21, 22

For the invitation, go here.

Or just note the following:

November 21, 22
Saturday, 4:00-9:00
Sunday, 1:00-5:00

33752 Big Sur
Dana Point, California 92629
(949) 240-4642

6 Comments

The last little while has produced two commissions that called for canvases that would fit in niches, and arched niches at that.  Here’s a little of the process and the result as they look in their unique settings.

The lively girl and (at rest) me.

The first was another in the flamenco dancer theme, this one painted with broad brush and long sweeps. The source material was a photo I shot a year or so ago and have referred to a number of times for paintings. This is how it looked the day it was delivered and hung in a new custom home in La Quinta, California. What doesn’t show is the immense length of the hall, with the painting providing a wonderful focal point at the far end. Another thing it doesn’t show, and something we didn’t think about, was the significant challenge to get it hung. With the tolerances so close, once you’ve hung it on the hook, how do you get your hand and arm back out?

A copy of the plans provided accurate measures for the arch…an actual circle (unlike the flamenco).

For the next one the tolerance weren’t quite so close. Not that I’d necessarily learned on the first one, but the width of available canvas determined the size this one would be. The painting was to fill a niche in a newly remodeled church lobby in San Clemente. Construction was still in process when I went by to check out the space. That’s my blue tape on the wall establishing parameters.

Wanting to modernize it a bit, I had Anne take pictures of me imitating the poses of the three figures. (Very strange.)

The pastor had a particular painting in mind that he wanted me to reproduce in my own style. It was to be a representation of Rublev’s Icon of the Trinity, a famous 15th century painting for the Orthodox Church, now housed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. I did a bit of research and learned it’s considered the most perfect icon painted. Besides the trinity, it depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre, a famous Old Testament story.

Once again, the size of the piece taxed my studio space.

In the end, I realized modernizing it wouldn’t do it justice. I suppose Andrei Rublev knew nobody could really hold a pose like that, that shoulders aren’t really that round, or hands that small. But his was a high point of a style long established, and who was I to try and improve on that? My style additions were limited to thrown and dripping paint, acrylic overlaid with oil, with passages of gold and variegated leaf patterned in.

The skeleton as it appeared at the framer.

Here’s a significant part of the painting that no one will ever see. This is the custom stretcher bar apparatus as it came from the carpenter and before the canvas was cut and stretched.

Rublev’s Icon of the Trinity, my version, 99×78 inches

And here’s the final piece in its new home, all eight by six feet of it. I must say the reception has been very positive. These photos don’t do it justice. Anyone wanting to see it in person can likely make arrangements with the San Clemente Presbyterian Church, or certainly on a Sunday morning. And you’ll hear a good sermon, too.

Fall Show at the House, Nov. 21, 22

Mark your calendar for the next show at the house. The season will be perfect for shopping, for yourself or for others, with a broad array of subject matter, approaches, and prices.

November 21, 22
Saturday, 4:00-9:00
Sunday, 1:00-5:00

33752 Big Sur
Dana Point, California 92629
(949) 240-4642

Laguna Art Walk, Thursday, Nov. 5, 6:00 pm

Studio 7 Gallery (Hyatt)
1590 South Coast Highway
Laguna Beach
11:00-5:00

Sandstone Gallery (Anne)
384-A North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, California 92651
12:00-5:00 (closed Tuesdays)

Correction

I’ll be in Gallery 7 starting this week every Saturday, not Thursdays as announced last time. Anne continues to be at the Sandstone Gallery on Thursdays. Come and see us.

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Here’s an e-gallery with just one painting to share. That’s in part because this morning we’re running out the door for England, and part because likely you’re busy too. But it’s also because this particular piece is so unusual . . . in size, the way it was painted, how it was installed, and where it now resides.

The sketch, about 6 inches square

The challenge was to make a painting to fill a wall in the pool table room in a new home. The client had a number of ideas but no favorite. I went to work on sketches, from the gleanings of his mind. Among them were tropical beaches, women on a beach, women in a bar(!), and various ship scenes . . . at rest or in motion. In the end he opted for the ship at sea, riding the wild waters.

In the studio, 10 ft. wide

One option was to paint it directly on the wall. But I opted rather to paint it in my studio. As shown above, it took up the whole width of the wall. The top portion is on one piece of canvas, the bottom a slice of another . . . the top being the maximum height of canvas I could get on short notice.  Yes, there was a due date . . . but I thrive on due dates. And what with a due date, I would normally paint in fast drying acrylic. But what with the tightest of tolerances I couldn’t affording any shrinkage of the canvas, which can happen with water based paint. So, oil it had to be . . . and maybe all the more beautiful because of it. Here the canvas is stapled to the wall. If you look close, on the right are two pictures I was going from, one for the given ship, the other for color match. The misty sky was for the sake of compositional harmony, and a softer spray of a moving ship.

Mounted in place

It took the skills of an expert wallpaper man to mount the piece. He did a treatment to the wall first, then glued it up and trimmed out the edges. Worked perfectly. Of course anyone who wants to buy the painting will need to buy the house. But happily the client loves it . . . both the painting and the house, and is not likely to be going anywhere soon. And if he wants to, he can in his mind in that wonderful romantic ship.

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Once again Anne is the featured artist at the Sandstone Gallery in Laguna Beach. This comes directly on the heels of the season’s end for the Laguna Art Festival. Thanks to that, a number of people are now happy owners of some of her art. But it’s not all gone; some wonderful pieces will move right over to the gallery now, along with some brand new ones, like the piece below.

Ascending Order, monotype, 17.5×22.5

It’s purely by coincidence that Ascending Order is the first piece we’re featuring this time.  The fact is, it’s the only new piece we’re showing. What with Anne putting in virtually full time hours at the festival all summer, it’s been pretty quiet in her studio. Not that there isn’t a supply of beauty by the stack in the corner, each piece almost complete, just waiting for some final idea. I generally call these “finished,” as they’re already so handsome. But Anne has a high bar when it comes to calling something done. With that, Ascending Order is this month’s only release. Who knows what will ascend after that?

But while we’re only showing one new piece, there’s an earlier one (already sold) that’s worth a mention. That’s what the publishers thought when they included one of Anne’s pieces, In Memoriam, in a high school textbook on printmaking. It’s a full-size, 240 page book, with lots of text and illustrations inside a colorful cover (left). But for Anne’s piece, all they could think to say was, “This monotype incorporates calligraphic symbols. What message or feeling does this monotype create?”  Comments anyone?

In Memoriam, monotype, 17×15.5

Fishing Boats of Japan

Harbor Afternoon, oil on canvas, 12×16

A year ago, on the last day of September, we were with our son on his birthday in Hachinohe, Japan. He wanted to spend the day surfing but the waves were flat so we spent the time with other diversions. One was, for me, a photo session of the the commercial harbor there. Since then I’ve made a number of paintings of the day and the place.

Harbor at Rest, oil on canvas, 12×16

Boats are not a subject I’ve tackled much, but they are so interesting to look at and be around. There’s so much detail that a challenge can be what to leave out and still catch the mood. As you’ll see, there’s nothing particularly Japanese about the boats. The backgrounds might have revealed the setting, what with tell-tale roofs and pagodas, but I downplayed that in order to make the pieces relevant anywhere. Perhaps even now I shouldn’t have revealed their origin. Pretend you didn’t read any of that.

Harbor Hill, oil on canvas, 20×24

Son Hyatt (the fourth) has been in Japan for some years, along with his beautiful Canadian wife Nicole and two wonderful daughters born there. A Naval Academy grad with two master’s degrees since, he served in cryptology and could never tell me what he was doing. He thought he’d stay in for a “career” but got to wanting a PhD, so will quit the Navy and move back to California this month to start school again, at Stanford.

Harbor in Sepia, oil on canvas, 16×20

Stanford is a very hard school, and electrical engineering is a very hard major. It’s all math. If you knew me and math you’d be wagging your head about now. My dad (also an engineer) helped me (tried to) with my school math every night and one of my fears growing up was not being able to help my children with it when they’d ask. Amazingly, none of them ever did. Daughter Cambria is another math smart, a CPA and the comptroller at a manufacturing company in Seattle. Why do I say all this? Because in this wide world, by grace, there’s still a place for the math inept who can try and paint boats.

Harbor Reflections, oil on canvas, 12×16

And sometimes when you paint boats you paint a second one, upside down. Shows there’s a role for the right brain thinker? All these paintings are more studies in looseness. This one, and Harbor Hill (above) are all about the strong light loving on the strong whites of the paint on the boats and then imitated by the paint on the canvas. Got that? A lot of addition. Sounds like more math. Yikes.

Until next time…

Current Shows

Sandstone Gallery, this month’s featured artist: Anne Moore

Opening this Thursday evening, September 3, 6:00-9:00 pm.
384-A North Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, California 92651
September 3-28, 12:00-5:00 (closed Tuesdays)

Colony Theater, Burbank

Abstract and Figurative paintings by Hyatt Moore
Show is up during the run of the play, “Visiting Mr. Green”
555 N 3rd St
Burbank, California 91502
(818) 558-7000

Loosen Up Workshop

Two days of hands-on stimulation for painters led by Hyatt Moore
Sept. 12-13
San Clemente Center for the Arts
1531 N. El Camino Real
San Clemente, California 92672
To sign up, call (949) 369-6603 (may be already full)

Semi-Private Coaching for Painters

in Hyatt Moore studio
Mondays in Dana Point
Call for your two-hour slot, 949-290-8643

Printmaking Classes

in Anne Moore studio
Call for info, 949-240-4642

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For an oil painter, I’ve been doing a good deal in acrylic lately. It’s not entirely new. Acrylic paint and I have been friends for a long time. It’s partly to be able to create works on paper and make them available for less cost than works on canvas. Like about a third less! The fact is, it’s good paint. And, depending on many things, it’s often hard to tell the difference between an acrylic and an oil painting. It just goes down differently, requires a different technique, and allows some effects that can’t be achieved in oils. These and more will be featured at our show at the house coming up. Click here for info and invitation.

Sunset Flight 1 thru 8, acrylic on paper

Here’s a painting that no longer exists, at least not quite like this. It was painted on one big piece of heavy paper but afterward I wondered how it could be better. And, as destruction is often part of the creative process, the painting went under the knife. With a bit of careful measuring and cutting, the mother painting gave birth to eight children. Of course, the mother no longer exists. One could, however, purchase them all and put them back together.  Or any set of twins, or triplets. Then again, octuplets have been in vogue of late.

Sunset Flight 4, acrylic on paper, 11.25×10

I was in a yellow phase when I painted all these pieces. Picasso’s blue period lasted a number of years; my yellow period was more like weeks. Not that I won’t return; it’s a great color. When Vincent Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo to send more paint he added, “Especially yellow.”

Sunset Flight 5, acrylic on paper, 11.25×10

There’s a lot of abstraction in these pieces, a simplifying of form, an abbreviation to the most essential elements. That’s basically what abstraction is (consider the abstract of a scientific paper). Such can make for most pleasing designs. Take Marooned 3, below, one of four in the series, each slightly different, each luscious in texture and color and layers of paint.

Marooned 3, acrylic on paper, 26×20

You’ll have to overlook the areas of “glare” in these representations. It’s hard to avoid in the photographic process, what with the natural sheen in the paint medium. In person such glistening is a pleasing addition and changes as you move.

Yellow Sky, acrylic on paper, 22.5×30

In almost every case the paintings are named after they’re done. That can be most challenging when it comes to abstract pieces. I wasn’t necessarily thinking “yellow sky” when I was painting the one above. It could have just as well been something like “I wonder what a glob of this will do.” I’m hesitant to influence viewers away from their own interpretation when they might be happier with something else, like “Grand Canyon Close Up,” or “First Day of Creation,” or “Who Spilled the Yellow?”

Yellow Ground, oil on paper, 22.5×30

Though most pieces in this blog are acrylic on paper, this one was done in oil paint on paper. Oil just has a different flow, operates differently, dries slow and, of course, isn’t meant for paper. But there are things you can do to make the paper archival. And even if you don’t, as I’ve learned lately, such works do stand the test of time. Works of oil on paper have been discovered from Renaissance days.

Sunflower Field, acrylic on paper, 22.5×60

While I was at these abstractions of landscapes and sunsets and the like, I thought I might as well interject something recognizable. Thus, the Sunflower Field above.  The reproduction here doesn’t do the piece justice as the impression itself comes from it’s sheer size. At five feet wide it would be great over a couch. It’s big enough to transform whatever room it’s in. And take you right outside.

Sunflowers 1 and Sunflowers 2, acrylic on paper, 15×11 (each)

Since I’ve been painting more in series lately, one wide sunflower field begged for a pair of smaller pieces. These are two separate paintings, and each works well alone. But there’s something appealing about a set, no? Flowers do come in bunches.

Folclórico Duo, acrylic on paper, 18.5×26.5

Lest we leave the world of life’s true flowers, here’s one more, again done in acrylic on paper. Everything’s blurry for the movement, like a breeze blowing through the leaves of their souls. It’s the kind of painting I’ll probably do more of when I get older, when the vision grows dim and the hands tremble. Hopefully, that’s a long time from now. For now it’s intentional. Maybe by then no one will notice the difference.

Summer Show at the House

It’s a first, having a show at the house in the summer.
Come and enjoy the light and the air, as well as all the new works,
including all these works on paper, and a whole lot of oils.

August 15-16
Saturday, 4:00-9:00
Sunday, 1:00-5:00

33752 Big Sur
Dana Point, California 92629

Festival of the Arts

Booth A-14, Anne continues to show her work, along with many other good artists

Through August 31, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m

650 Laguna Canyon Road
Laguna Beach, California

Lecture: How to Start a Painting

By Hyatt Moore
Friday, August 21
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
at San Clemente Art Supply
Limited to 24. Call 949-369-6603 to reserve a place.

Workshop: Loosen Up

September 12-13
also at San Clemente Art Supply.
Call early for reservation.
Click here for details.

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