Early March

I am currently enrolled in Studio Figure Painting, so I am distracted a bit with that. This is pose number two. I am not focusing on features yet, still establishing relationships and tonality. I am trying to work on my own stuff after class and over the weekends.

Middle December

This is Melancholy Charm..

Early December

I have another painting in progress. I am exploring blue over green. I will continue to work the colours and edges, hopefully it will manifest and a narrative may develop, even though academically it is not allowed. Right now it is only about blue over green.

Middle November

I am continuing to work the Hello Stranger series after pausing to document it at midpoint. In this lapse of time I did create a new painting. I was pleased to learn that a few of my classmates liked the blue Hello Stranger painting, so I was very motivated to create another blue painting. I wanted this to be a tonal study where ghostly whispers of optical colour meet with fuzzy edges that seemed to move. I titled it Requiem. During the process it manifested itself. I did think often upon what Sean Scully described as "studied casualness". I also wanted the left and right margin edges to increase in activity and saturation like a Jackson Pollock abstract painting. I like it. I hope you do too. John

Early November

Documenting the Hello Stranger series. Professor Clayton was helpful as always with setting up lighting for photography. Our studio is full of beautiful natural light, but whenever I photograph my work with the expensive lights I seem to struggle to capture the colour and eliminate the glare. I will persevere and perhaps bring my Nikon SLR up to shoot slides just in case it's a digital issue. John

Later October

I am gradually taking the background down to a strict black using alternating layers of violets, blues, and crimsons. I am at the same time increasing the saturation and varying the tone of my foreground.

Early October 2009

I am pleased to say that things seem to be coming together. I find that after some initial doubt that I am finally committing to this series. I think that the yellows will be very challenging. We will see.