May 4, 2023 by Philip Tarlow

2:38 PM:i know it’s confusing, but now, since the name of the series has changed from good doc to jazz, the two paintings i’ve been working on today are jazz 1 (formerly good doc V) and jazz 2 (formerly good doc IV).

i had thought they were resolved, but no, they weren’t. both got flipped 360°. right now jazz 1 is further along.

BELOW: yesterdays version of jazz 1is on the left

BELOW: yesterdays version of jazz 2 is on the left

10:14 AM: i’ve been up since 4:30 am, so it feels like mid afternoon to me. it’s a clear day, but we had some rain this morning and are expecting a bit more in a few hours.

this is a detail of the painting i worked on yesterday, and which may be resolved.

and this is a shot of a grouping of photos and paintings on my north wall, adjacent to my studio kitchen. some of you may be familiar with this, but i think it’s worth re-posting.

and now, lets get to work! on what? we’ll see shortly….

good doc V becomes "JAZZ 1" / May 3, 2023 by Philip Tarlow

*jazz 1* following the changes i made just now, at 3pm

3pm: i made a few adjustments to the major changes i made this morning, which allow it to “POP.” so now it reads more clearly from a distance, while maintaining the mystery. new are the blue area on the lower left as well as somewhat stronger whites surrounding the figures.

BELOW: before (left) and after the chnages i just made

*jazz 1,* 35x37”/89x94 cm. oil & collage on linen, as it looked moments ago

11:38 AM: this morning i had to run into town to go to the p.o & do some food shopping. when i got to the studio, i had only 2 hours to have my breakfast & do some more work on good doc V, which has become jazz 1. as i mentioned in an earlier post, good doc was becoming too specific as a title, and jazz is far more fitting for this series.

so i lay it down on my painting table and, while the energy was still fresh, began working. right now it’s tacked to my painting wall, still wet from all the brush marks and bubble wrap impressions. so it’s dripping. and dripping quite well, i’d say!

the naked female body seen from above is now a pinkish organic shape embedded in a purplish heart shape and surrounded by a white outline.

the two striding doctor figures seen from above could now be srtiding to the left,as they were, or to the right. the blue band of color on the right is broken up by white circular marks, which continue over the pinkish color of the tile floor and echo the shapes of the plates on the table to the right.

the architecture remains; the details are blurred, and the minds and eyes viewing jazz 1 can make it their own, without being grabbed by the neck and led somewhere.

BELOW: good doc V yesterday, and jazz 1 this morning and this afternoon

good doc V continued! / May 2, 2023 by Philip Tarlow

*good doc V,* 35x37”/89x94 cm. oil & collage on linen as it looked at the end of my painting day today

3:58 PM: after stretching a few recent canvases & hanging them over at the house, i got back to work on good doc V. the entire right half was painted over yesterday, and in place of all that was going on was a simple tiled floor. that looked pretty barren & pathetic when i entered my studio today, so i began reworking it, restoring some of what had been there and adding a few new elements to the composition; most importantly the good doctor’s wife. since there are two images of the good doctor (it’s a tv serial, look it up) and only one of her, there’s an enigma. will the real good doctor stand up? of course it’s the exact same guy, who has simply advanced a few feet.

composiitonally, the table & chairs on the right, as well as the vertical blue stripe, seem to work. the tiled floor has been painted over with a brighter color, enlivening the entire painting, compared with yesterdays version.

revision of "good doc V" / May 1, 2023 by Philip Tarlow

*good doc V,* 38x35”/89x97cm. oil & collage on linen

2:03 PM: today is actually an excellent example to the creative process, or at least my creative process. i could not have reached this point without having done everything you observe in the before image i posted below.

i painted over the entire right portion of the composition and replaced it with the faded pink of the brick floor. it’s now way easier for the eye to roam about unimpeded. and the focus, naturally, is now on the duplicate figures of the good doctor with his blue plaid shirt, as seen from above. the yellow bit i left untouched, to the left of the figures, it now far more critical to the composition, as are the adjacent reds.

there’s a third figure below, which i haven’t much talked about. he was inspired by an 18th c. japanese print, and stands next to a large vase, almost half his height. right now, as i gaze at the painting from my usual 20 feet, it seems resolved. this one in particular really needs to be mounted on stretcher bars to eliminate the surrounding white canvas, which i’ll do as soon as it dries in a few days.

BELOW: before & after today’s modifications

"good doc V" continues / April 30, 2023 by Philip Tarlow

2:34 PM: i’ve been away from the studio more than usual, and am just getting back into my flow. i did more work on good doc V today, and currently there’s more going on than i feel comfortable with, but i may feel different in the morning.

elements inspired by 18th c. japanese landscape paintings co-mingle with views from above and tree trunks scattered about our land.

the walking figure of the good doctor seen from above has duplicated in the upper left, and some landscape elements have appeared. the more i gaze at it from the usual 20 feet here in my studio, the more i’m liking it. i think introducing a duplicate of the walking doctor adds a syncopoation to the composition not unlike what happens in good jazz. thelonoius monk is always hovering someplace in my consciousness. in fact, i’m considering re-naming this series jazz. it will take some time & effort to re-name it everywhere on my site. but listening to thelonious is what kick started it all, and jazz reflects the mood of these pieces a lot more than good doc, which is far too literal.

the second walking doctor image i introduced today

some changes to "good doc V" / April 29, 2023 by Philip Tarlow

3:30 PM: i had very little time to work on this new painting this morning, before leaving for Salida for a doctors appointment. I think it's much improved. the before and after are BELOW, and you can judge for yourselves.

post-deer, starting "good doc V" / April 28, 2023 by Philip Tarlow

*good doc V,* 35x37”/89x94cm. oil on linen, as it looked today at the end of my painting day

3:53 PM: on our way home from the dentist 2 days ago we hit a deer, causing damage to the front of our car & making it impossible to drive without repairs. so we rented a car, provided by our insurance, and today the tow truck picked up our cat & drove it to the repair facility in denver, specializing in acura. it won’t be ready for at least 6 weeks!

so i’ve missed a couple of days in the studio, and when i walked in this morning, most recent painting i was working on seemed complete to me, so i started a new one: good doc V. it has a similar feel, and is pretty far along, but does need more work. we have to drive to salida tomorrow morning, so i likely won’t be able to get back to this new on till sunday morning.

continuing work on good doc IV / April 25, 2023 by Philip Tarlow

1:41 PM: after a crazy thunder/hail storm about an hour ago, the sun is out, but not for long. up to 18” of fresh snow is predicted for late tonight. we’ll see.

i continued work on the new good doc IV today, and have to stop a bit earlier than usual so we can drive an hour to my dentist appointment.

i did quite a bit of work on thjis ne wone. it’s building on what came before in unexpected and refreshing ways, with the central figure, inspired by a view from above of the main character in the tv series the good doctor, strides forth amidst japanese patterning and local fallen tree trunks. there’s even the beginnings of a sky on the upper right.

i’ve got a firewise meeting tomorrow morning at 10, so we’ll see if i can work around it. our committee is suggesting ways of fire mitigation that are more sensitive to the environment, and don’t cut any trees or branches that don’t really need it. more tomorrow…

starting two new paintings / April 24, 2023 by Philip Tarlow

DETAIL of *good doc IV*, which i started working on today

3:51 PM: i cut 2 new pieces of canvas, the exact size of the previous 2 paintings :35x37” and got to work on the first one, whichis just asketch right now, albeit a fun & interesting one! the good doc figure seen from above, has inserted himself already, but could well be bumped out tomorrow.

my approach could be termed a meaningful melange. drawing from a variety of sources, i envision a kind of hurly burly intimism, as writer mario naves titled his essay accompanying the janice biala exhibition in 2009, at tobor de nagy gallery, nyc. by that phrase, naves indicates the tension between the everyday and abstraction, which characterizes biala’s work.

i feel lately that i’m on a steep learning curve, hovering above all that i’ve done, all that i’ve learned, allowing it to manifest in new ways that do, indeed, meld the everyday with abstraction. not by any means to compare myself with biala, who i met in provincetown in the early ‘60’s, i feel compellingly drawn to ther work.

re-visiting skoufa II / April 23, 2023 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.