rework of the original 80x20" acropolis musem /  by Philip Tarlow

acropolis 20x80” as it looked moments ago

1:52 PM: this painting has gone through many stages, and this was the most recent, done on october 27. today, as i gazed at it on my south studio wall, it wasn’t working at all. such a tall, narrow format: 80x20” is challenging, whether verical or horizontal. so today i’m giving it another go, this time as a horizontal.

while the most recent version you see here has some admirable passages, it simply doesn’t hold up. the viewer’s eye wanders up and down with no place to rest. i had condidered removing the walking plaid shirted figure towars the bottom, whose scale doesn’t match the other figures. but we’d still be faced with the same issue.

more work on “acropolis museum V” / Philip's Menorah /  by Philip Tarlow

acropolis museum V 35x37” oil on linen, as it looked at 1:30, following the work i did earlier

acropolis museum V as it looked before and after the work o did today

1:03 PM: after stretching by the creek this morning, i went back into acropolis museum V, which i had considered complete until today. i felt, for starters, that, while i loved that spare quality the painting had, the female figure of the jumping skateboarder needed more definition to liven up the compsition. for now i’ve left parts of her body unpainted, in keeping with the suggested but not fully defined other figures.

one thing i’ve learned from the masters is that going back to figures you’ve painted a number of times gives you more and more freedom in painting them. like, oh yeah, i remember that arm; that thigh; that hair. and this gives you the ability to create a shorthand for the figures, the architecture,…whatever. and, although they’ve never met off the canvas, they love interacting with one another.

i keep pondering how to title my upcoming solo houston exhibition in april, and have a list of possibilities. the latest if figurative-ISH.

7:31 AM: i drew this yesterday on my iPhone. We don’t celebrate Hannukah, but a friend published photos of a variety of Menorah designs from around the world, and i thought i’d do my part.

stretching "Acropolis Museum III" /  by Philip Tarlow

3:10 PM: today is a dark, cloudy cold day, with periods of light snow.

since i wasn’t in a painting mood anyway, i devoted the day to assembling the stratcher bars i had ordered. so far, i’ve streched one of the new acropolis museum paintings: acropolis museum III, which you see here on the left, hanging on my west wall.

"acropolis museum V", day 2 /  by Philip Tarlow

6:01 PM: late this afternoon, on our way to take our afternoon walk, mikela rightly pointed out that the gren rectangle on the lower left was screwing up he composition. so i rubbed it out as much as possible, and i’ll do a better job in the morning.

12:54 PM: this morning i continued work on the new acropolis museum V. i had the intention of leaving more white space than in the previous one. what’s happening is that over a period of months, the figures i was most interested in using in these paintings became a group of a dozen or more. some were included in the photos i had shot back in march at the acropolis museum; others were from earlies photos, shot here in colorado. and still others, like the walking guy with the plaid shirt, where shot from our tv screen.

one thing that’s different here so far is that there are no layers, no white-overs, no scraping, as was the case with acropolis museum III. so will it remain this way? i’ve learned from decades of experience to stop working when i have no more juice, so that’s it for today. less is more…

"by the creek," continued /  by Philip Tarlow

by the creek, 89x94 cm./35x37” as it looks at the end of my painting day today

2:07 PM: i made more changes to by the creek today, reducing the harshness of colors and transitions of yesterdays version. the right section has elements from my most recent acropolis museum painting, next to which is the creek water and four figures who were there that day, with little boats. it reads as rather dark overall, which may change tomorrow morning. i loved adding those stripes of blue and yellow on the left.

the two themes: by the creek and the acropolis museum interior conjure a new reality, giving the viewer the opportunity to write their own story.

acropolis museum IV becomes "by the creek" /  by Philip Tarlow

3:23 PM: i did extensive work on by the creek, adding a new figure and making the background a warm grey. a little of the underlying drawing is still visible, but has mostly been greyed over. i’ll resume work in the morning, after my half hour mentoring session with a ukranian student who wants to improve his spoken english. we’ll be having these sessions on zoom twice a week, and this will be our first.

1:57 PM: i wasn’t happy with where acropolis museum IV was headed, so i’m painting over what i did yesterday and so far here’s where by the creek is at. i’m continuing work on it right now; more when i’m at the next stage…

acropolis museum iV /  by Philip Tarlow

acropolis museum IV stage 1, 35x37”, oil on linen

2:50 PM: after a zoom meeting we has with friends in n.y., i started acropolis museum IV. it’s really just a rough drawing in oil right now, but i should have my day clear tomorrow, and be able to do a lot more. as you can see, it’s like an enlargemnt of a section of acropolis museum III: namely, the figures.

acropolis museum III, day 2 /  by Philip Tarlow

the acropolis museum III, 35x37”/ 89x94cm. oil on portrait linen, as it looked this afternoon at the end of my painting day

2:14 PM: there was a certain simple beauty in yesterday’s version of this painting. after gazing at it for a few hours this morning, i knew i could take it further without disturbing; indeed enhansing that simple beauty.

the more i work on this painting, the more i am in awe of the brilliant architecture. it makes me want to go back and take more photos from above for future paintings.. i can omagine an entire exhibition simply titled the acropolis museum; views from above.

the fluidity of the bodies of the museum visitors is such a perfect foil for the geometry of the architecture and the almost trompe l’oeil effect of the transparent floor. my love of architecture and my passion for views from above have found their perfect meeting point.

starting "acropolis museum III" /  by Philip Tarlow

acropolis museum III, 35x37” oil on portrait linen, day 1

2:59 PM: today i started a new acropolis museum: acropolis museum III, inspired by photos i shot on our trip to athens last march. the placement of the figures of the museum visitors in the architectural magic, as seen through the transparent glass floor is a dream come true for me. as well, i’m now switching to my absolute favorite canvas: artfix quadruple primed extra fine portrait linen. nothing like it!

more tomorrow.