Early December

I am reworking painting number two. Painting one is warming up with the help of burnt sienna. I must now construct two new panels for paintings three and four. After many technical problems and compositional deviations I believe that at long last I am beginning to paint with confidence in this new and important work. I am confident that this new series is original and not derivative.

Middle November

I have just completely rubbed out painting number two.

Early November

Refining paintings 1 and 2. Painting 3 is on hold until I can resolve these first two works. It is fair to say that the mental work for painting 3 is done and I have already bought the paints.

Later October

I am very pleased with painting number two. My tones are rich and luminous, my edge is sublime, the central portion is developing while the edges are established. A captivating female form appeared in the center and many of us enjoyed it before I had to rub it out as I am fighting the figurative, strange how form always tries to work its way into the abstract.

Late October

I am on painting number two. A bit behind the optimal schedule but then again I'm doing something new and what you want to do has something to do with how you do it. There is a learning curve.

New Direction

I have made the decision to move ahead, rather than backwards. I will be working now in the pure abstract. I will be thinking of course on Mark Rothko, J M W Turner, Brice Marden, Barnett Newman. With a new direction...moving into the deep end of the pool a real artist statement is required so be patient as it will come. I can say this, the work is intended to be the polar opposite of my previous series. Willem de Kooning had this observation: " one must change to say the same". This new work is about the non-corporeal or spiritual. Can I as an artist succeed in causing a transformation in my viewer without the figurative or representational form? Can I still create a painting that captivates and intrigues my viewer and is sublime rather than vulgar. Can I play with value and tone to create depth and dimension? Can I create art that my viewer responds to in a emotional state and yet cannot explain why? This is the work I have set upon.

Well maybe....

Okay, so I might do some Rothko stuff.

New Semester New Objectives

A new semester has begun. I will be painting realism from still life this semester. No modern art problems this semester.

The Daily Rant

I am back in the studio for a bit, beginning a new work. Here is the abstract painting that I created for Lindsey.

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Thursday and I'm back in the studio for a bit. I'm scanning the Lindsey Holman painting. She is in Greece right now.

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Well it's early June and not a whole lot of work being done. Lynn Robey is having her gallery show this friday at Gallery 125 on Main Street. I believe the reception begins around 5:30 pm.

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Well the semester is over and I think that I did some fairly decent work.

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Today I had my current paintings photographed by professor Clayton. I brought them home where we can enjoy them. It was a very, very sad occasion to say goodbye to Xing and Gang my friends from China. Tomorrow I must also say goodbye to my other Chinese friend Bi Xuan. Bi and I traded paintings, and he made a gift of his set of wood carved prints that he exhibited in the Senior Show.

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We had our final critique today. This has been some kind of semester.

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Tuesday and things are hectic.

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Sunday, and the same band of three are at work in the university studio. Bi and I are painting and Lynn is in the back constructing supports.

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It's Saturday and three of us are in the studio, Bi, Lynn, and myself. We are getting some good work done today. Bi has been working on two commissioned paintings ... Lynn and I are working on school paintings.

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Last week before finals and I'm In the studio working. I'm the only one here.

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Monday in studio and more work on paintings two and four.

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Sunday evening and back in the studio. I am continuing to bring some realism into painting number two.

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Well it is a very nice Saturday and I am spending an hour or so in the studio to bring painting number two back from strict minimalism into a casual sort of realism.

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Well the class was dismissed early today. Some of us stayed to work. I was working late last night and my current paintings are still wet so there is only so much I can do today...still I will utilize the time working in colour into the backgrounds.

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Okay, this has nothing to do with painting, but you should know that I was just initiated by the biology department chairman Dr. Eddleman into Beta Beta Beta the National Biology Honor Society.

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Back in the studio today taking pictures of two recent minimalist paintings and some work on paintings three and four.

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Monday and back in the studio on a fine Spring day. I am really pleased with the minimalist work I am putting out this semester. In a class full of figure painters my work stands alone.

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Monday and I have brought all supplies back to the Serena studio.

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It is the first day of Spring Break and I have decided to stop by the studio to pick up supplies so that I can work at home over the vacation.

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Wednesday. I am alone working in the studio and it is nice.

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Tuesday and back in the studio. Professor Clayton likes my work so far and gave me the names of two artists to look at: Ellsworth Kelly and Richard Diebenkorn.

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Well we are in the middle of yet another ice and snow storm. Somehow I was able to get down our steep driveway and make to the studio to bring home paintings and materials to do some work over the weekend because we lost two days to the snow and ice this week and we have a crit next week.

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John now has a Nikon camera to photograph his paintings with. Can't wait to use it. Okay, back to business... painting number one with Zurbaran's lemons is in it's final stages... refining and adjusting relationships and still maximizing saturation. I have prepped the panel for the abstract that I am painting for Lindsey. I am somewhat undecided on the composition for painting for number two. I will continue exploring a minimalist theme striving for maximum saturation and continuing to paint in a single plane.

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John Robertson is now represented by Cape Art Gallery.

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Sunday and back in the studio. Today I brought materials to construct two 120 x 120 cm birch panels as well as one smaller 60 x 60 cm birch panel which should be sufficient for my work this semester. I am to paint an abstract for Lindsey Holman which will be a pleasure as she is working on a painting for me.

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Saturday and John is finally in the studio to make up for missed time during the "Great Ice Storm of 2008". The National Guard is here in Cape and many people have been without electricity for six days and counting and it is very cold. I had a nice chat over the telephone today with Professor Clayton WHO HAS MET BRICE MARDEN today for advice on a Nikon camera I plan to acquire to photograph my paintings. He knows quite a bit about cameras.

The Daily Rant

I have survived the ice storm of 2008. I am under alot of pressure and trying to maintain a healthy outlook on my challenges. I am looking forward to painting again now that the University has resumed classes. It's time to begin painting number 2 of the semester.

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I have a good start to the first painting of the semester. Professor Clayton has approved my composition for the second painting. He gave me a very nice autographed colour gallery brochure featuring his work and the meaning behind it. No painting today...only chemistry and physics.

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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy and Kinematics in Two Dimensions...I would rather be painting. No wonder I want to break some rules.

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Tuesday and I am painting. My composition for the first painting of the semester will be breaking several rules. It will be interesting to see if it will work. I have been told to look at Matisse.

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I have begun painting number one.

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Painting class was good Thursday. Will not be taking figure painting.

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I now have my workspace in the university studio (Serena 211) set up and have begun painting putting the finishing touches on frucht. I have enrolled in figure painting this semester, but I will mainly be working in the style established in my previous semesters. I have a nice composition for painting number one and hopefully a good palette selected. It will consist three lemons arranged in Zuburan's manner in a green bowl set against a white tablecloth in a strong left to right descending diagonal from margin to margin receding into a heavily glazed french ultramarine alizarin crimson background.