re-visiting skoufa II /  by Philip Tarlow

skoufa II, 37x35”/89x97cm. oil on linen, as it looked at the end of my painting day today

1:48 PM: my process of switching back & forth between 2 paintings i’m working on seems to be productive. so today i returned to skoufa II, which has the same 37x35” dimensions as the one i was working on yesterday: skoufa. as usual, it started out as something very different, as you’ll see when i post the images of it’s progression over time.

it kind of jumped into focus today with the addition of the figure in white shorts, on the right side of the composition, and the addition of some details to the balcony on the left, especially the bluish tint of the glass railing. so now, gazing at it from 20 feet here in my studio, i’d say it POPS. everything is making more sense visually, like the distribution of reds & blacks. the subtle introduction of a darker grey triangular area on the right deliniates the transition from sidewalk to pavement, and the….for now…faint markings on the sidewalk, identifying a set of squares that make up the sienna & grey surface give the whole scene, as viewed from above, more perspective.

BELOW are a few of the stages this painting has gone through thus far

BELOW are two 2014 paintings from my ano kato series. click on series in the menu above & scroll down to ano kato to view more. you can see the manifestation of my ongoing love affair with views from above with figures in severely cropped architectural settings; in this case the interior of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.

as well, you can observe the progression in my use of color; from earth tones to brighter, more primary colors. and from painterly, sketch-like brush work to more layered, even tortured surfaces, which change & evolve over time, and take weeks or even months, rather than being completed in one sitting. at times, i miss that immediacy, but you’ve got to know where you’re at in a particular moment in time, on all levels; psychologically, emotionally, physically, and surrender to that reality.

continued work on "skoufa" /  by Philip Tarlow

skoufa, 37x35 inches, oil & collage on linen, as it looked at the end of my painting day today

2:40 PM: today i did quite a bit of work on skoufa,” 37x35” as i gaze at it from afar, it does seem a tad busy; on the other hand, it also seems a lot more interesting, with new elements enering the picture that remove it one more step from being descriptive and closer to being a vibrant composition; an event, composed of human and architectural elements.

it started with the photos i shot about a decade ago from the balcony of skoufa gallery, in athens, where i was having a solo show. i ventured up to the 2nd floor balcony one day to view & photograph a parade passing through. in the process, i caught various onlookers standing about. while i did make a series of paintings of the parade itself, ever since i’ve been drawn to those onllokers, who unwittingly took poses that, for me, were very indicative of the fact that they were athenians.

the ceramic tiles on the ground provided awarm background color, and the geometric division of those tiles gives this painting it’s bones.

the collaged bit on the lower right ahs been taped to the canvas, and i haven’t yet decided whether or not to glue it down.

work on "skoufa," 35x37" /  by Philip Tarlow

2:56 PM: i felt skoufa II was at an impasse & was wishing i had left some white canvas to allow it to breathe, so i went back to skoufa. i painted over the green leaves i had painted in with the orangy color of the tiles, leaving some leaf shapes. i extended the grey floor tiles and introduced a green on the blouse of one of the standing female figures. it’s improved but needs more work.

right now, i’ve got chills, which is one of the predicted side effects of the Synvisc knee injections i got yesterday in Salida. so i think i’ll go lie down. mikela got the same shot, but only in 1 knee, but she’s feeling chills too.

BELOW LEFT: the previous state

skoufa 35x37, oil & collage on linen

a birds eye view of my process /  by Philip Tarlow

1:04 PM: this morning i completely painted over periscope, so that the femaile figure with the flowers beneath her are gone.

it’s now an abstract image, which will change once the oil paint dries a little tonight.

I also did some more work on skoufa II, which i did with the canvas lying on the floor, as you see in this image. i took out what i had added on the right, except for the figure of the woman in the patterned dress, and

6:59 AM: visit this link on my site for a birds eye view of my processs as a painter: https://www.philiptarlow.com/forcarbondalevisitors

12:46 PM: today i completely painted over periscope, so that the image of the woman and the flowers are completely gone. right now it’s an abstract painting.

skoufa II-a new figure appears /  by Philip Tarlow

12:28 PM: a little while ago, i added a new figure on the right, along with a blossoming tree and a signpost.

the ne wfigure is a woman in a print dress, partially obscured by the tree in blossom. i have to be somewhere soon, so i’ll stop for now and if i get back early enough, continue work on this one.

skoufa II following my addition of a figure, a tree & a signpost

morning drawing / skoufa 1 & 2 /  by Philip Tarlow

4:18 PM: so what was good doc III has become skoufa II. BELOW: yesterday’s good doc III version on the LEFT

11:16 AM: here’s this morning’s 4/17/23 morning drawing. i used a map of seattle and an old oil palette fro the collaged bits.

and now, lets get on with painting!

"ART IS AUTOBIOGRAPHY MADE FLESH" Marlon Brando / next stage of "good doc III" / “good doc iv” becomes “skoufa” /  by Philip Tarlow

3:01 PM: at about noon i began work on the next stage of good doc IV, which has changed titles and is now skoufa. the trees are more developed as well as the figures, who were inspired by photos i shot about a decade ago from a balcony on skoufa street in athens, adjacent to kolonaki square. compositionally, it’s in alignment with paintings i’ve made fairly recently, especially my anschutz from above series, which you can locate if you click on the SERIES tab in the menu bar & scroll down.

skoufa, 35x37” at the end of my painting day today

11:21 AM: following my morning breakfast & morning drawing, i made some more marks on good doc III. do you think the producers of the good doctor TV serial have any clue that there’s a colorado based artist using images from their show as inspiration for painintgs? i think not!

so here’s what it looks like following this morning’s marks.

and here’s my morning drawing for today, which is a self portrait in this mirror, with collaged pieces of map.

morning drawing #4 / paintings from march, 2022 / at work on 2 canvases /  by Philip Tarlow

3:07 PM: so here are the 2 paintings i worked on today: good doc III & IV. yesterday’s version of III has been painted over with grey gestural marks, leaving the original layer partially visible but hidden enough to prevent identifying figures, architectural elements, etc. IV is still at a very early stage, and willl evolve tomorrow.

1:33 PM: i removed good doc II from the wall, where i had been working on it, and lay it on my painting table, next to a blank canvas with the same dimensions. i dove into both, painting over good doc II with large gestural marks in a medium grey, and strating work on the adjacent blank canvas, drawing inspiration from a photographic print i made a few years back from photos i had shot from a second floor balcony, of figures standing on skoufa street, near kolonaki square.

11:21 AM: just when you think you’ve done enough of these morning drawings, and you intend to just sit & enjoy your coffee/matcha & toast, you make your best one yet! which just goes to show you: it’s important to persist & move beyond perceived barriers!

it’s tricky to do that when it comes to larger paintings in oil on canvas, so let’s see what happens with good doc II today. it’s OK, but OK doesn’t cut it.





BELOW: the morning drawing series so far

morning drawing 4

“Without courage, you can’t love with abandon.” words spoken to the Irish Parliament by Joe Biden a few days ago.

7:40 AM: i was going through my files just now, and came across these paintings from my tokyo olympics series, which i thought you’d enjoy seeing. i was, a little over a year ago full on into my excitement and passion over the images we had seen of the 2020 tokyo olympics, and the celebrations that took plave afterwards. as a result, these and many other paintings emerged.

4/14/23 morning drawing / good doc LL, stage 3 /  by Philip Tarlow

1:59 PM: this is my third day working on good doc II. i wandered about my studio, listening to the annoying buzzing of a fly who never lands so i can get him, and doing a bit more to this painting when the energy shows up.

you can see what i did that’s new if you compare yesterday’s version, BELOW left, with today’s. i worked on everything but the two figures, with the exception of the face of the female figure dressed in red, and the black trousers of the male figure.

additional lines pf perspective give you more of a sense of looking down from above.

10:04 am: this is getting to be a habit! this is the third morning drawing in a row i’ve made while having my breakfast! as long as it’s fun and i’m in the mood, i’ll keep going, until perhaps i have enough of them to form a suite, which can be framed & hung next to one another.

4/14/23 morning drawing

4/13/23 morning drawing / continued work on “good doc LL” /  by Philip Tarlow

3:29 PM: i did more work on good doc II today, and it’s starting to take shape. tomorrow i have to stop ealy for a medical appointment, so let’s see what i can get done in the morning.

the second figure is making a big difference, especially the red of her blouse & blue of her dress.

i can’t work non stop; i take breaks when the energy wanes and jump back in when my gut says GO!

it’s critical to know when to paint and when not. it’s not a mechanical process; it’s a very organic one. whicvh color, which brush or oil stick…they’re all dependent on that fugitive 6th sense, so that all the variables and potential align, sometimes for minutes; sometimes longer, but you’ve got to be present.

good doc II as it looked at the end of my painting day

11:48 AM: i’m continuing work on the new good doc II today and will post updates as ti work. here, i’m picking up where i left off yesterday afternoon, while mikela is giving a presentation and the window crew are at work mudding the areas surrounding the insides of the newly installed windows.

1043 AM: i made another drawing this morning while having my breakfast. it’s in colored pencil on paper, dimensions: 21x15cm./8.25x5.75”

4/13/23 morning drawing 21x15cm.