The Chairwoman

Old Blue
Acrylic on Canvasboard

I've been participating in a couple of online painting-a-day challenges. Finished 30-in-30 Challenge for January 2017 with Leslie Saeta www.saetastudio.com --she's posted that she'll be hosting another such challenge in September 2017--and I'm now in the midst of another challenge of a painting each day for March--see public group page Today-Start Art on Facebook.

One would think I would simply paint something every day. Why the reliance upon a challenge to motivate me to show up in front of the easel?

I'm thankful that for whatever the reason I have, because I can see my painting taking on a recognizable style. This has been a revelation to me, as I've always been rather loose with my painterly approach. I know I wouldn't have gained this insight or self-realization if I hadn't daily been applying paint or sketching. My results are changing. I hope it's for the good.

In line with this most recent challenge, I'm finding I'm drawn to those objects that occupy home interiors, such as accessories, beds and most noticeably, chairs. Heretofore I've painted flowers, landscapes, seascapes. But with this most recent stint of painting chairs are making their way into my painting world.

Chairs. Is there a metaphor for chairs? I came across "empty chairing," which because of recent political connotation refers to leaving a chair empty during the course of a debate to indicate and embarrass the chair's occupant/candidate who chose not to participate. But I don't feel that's germane in my instance.

There's also the reference to ritual of leaving a chair empty during Jewish circumcision ceremonies, set aside for the prophet Elijah. Well, I'm not Jewish and I don't participate in such ceremony.

All references, though, seem to highlight the missing person. Am I acknowledging a person missing in my life? Am I the missing person that I need to find and take my chair?

Maybe there is NO rhyme or reason for the chairs. In any case, I think I'll continue painting chairs until something else shows up demanding to be painted.

Works for me!

Little White Chair in the Bath
Acrylic on Canvasboard 8"x 10"

Alfred's Red Chair
Acrylic on Gallery-wrap Canvas 3"x 3"

Preliminary Sketch
on 9"x 12" Gallery Wrap Canvas

What Next?

There's always something old and something new, kind of like marriage. Kind of like life.

Although Little Dog Art Gallery is only one year old, it is going to become the something old. Not sure what I'll keep doing with it. The brick and mortar will close, no lease, no cleaning the floor and toilet, no interacting with gallery visitors and gallery activities. But the website and the blog will remain active. The website is set up for online sales. I hope there will be an ongoing viable path to represent other artists and their art.

I don't know YET what that will look like and how it will function. To be continued ...

In the meantime, nothing remains in stasis, everything is dynamic, always changing.

Even though I'm probably better known for my photography, I've been at the easel trying some new painting approaches. I want to take my images in a different direction, so I'm experimenting.

Results are rough and unformed. I seem to want to simplify my imagery. More conceptual? More minimalist? I don't even know yet how to define it. It's too early to define.

Even my color scheme is changing, becoming more earthy.

Something feels good about the direction.

Show of Hands Acrylic

My Doggone Dog  Acrylic

Daybreak  Acrylic