continued work on "museumscape" and "celebration IV" /  by Philip Tarlow

3:17 pm: ABOVE: museumscape, 40x16” as it looked following today’s work

i worked on musuemscape, which is now a vertical, then moved to celebration IV. i always find that going back and forth between 2 paintings in process is beneficial to both. when i arrive at a place on one where what i’m about to do feels predictable, i switch to the other one.

i introduced two figures to celebration IV. they were inspired by a b&w photo from above of two people crossing a street, their long shadows falling on the cross-walk. much of the drawing surrounding them derives from photos i’ve shot over time of cottonwood creek.

this painting, like museumscape, will continue to evolve over the next few days, when the natural light may not be as bright as it’s been, due to a rapidly approaching storm system from the west coast, which will dominate our weekend weather.

celebration IV as it looked at the end of my painting day

museumscape rework, 16x40" /  by Philip Tarlow

museumscape, 16x40” 2 joined canvases, as it looked following this morning’s modifications

12:54 PM: this painting on two joined 16x20” canvases has been drifting about for months, perhaps years. it started as an abstracted creekscape and thus has familiar creek elements: branches, leaves, indications of flowing water.

mikela was looking at it the other day and suggested i go back into it, which i did this morning. originally a vertical, i worked on it horizontally, adding architectural elements and two seated figures, which i had photographed from above in i can’t recall which museum, probably in denver.

i stopped here because it seemed to me i may have achieved what i set out to do. so now i’ll move on to a new 14x16” canvas; one of the 5 with those dimensions that i stretched last month.

momoyama rework /  by Philip Tarlow

momoyama at 5pm today after wiping out my rework

5PM: i wiped out everything i did on this painting today, and now i think it’s even better without that white area on the right

3:45 PM: momoyama, 24x28” was ready for a rework, following some tentative moves 2 days ago, when i pretty much kept the original composition and color distribution.

today, before and just after a conference call regarding my april exhibition at gremillion on sunset in houston, i dove back in on all cylinders, eliminating both of the original loosely painted figures viewed from above and introducing the white architetural marks dividing the canvas up and forming little windows. while a shade of yellow continues to dominate, greens, deep reds and pinks have appeared , along with the now familiar striding, plaid shirted figure seen form above.

it’s now hanging adjacent to the 3 14x18” paintings i’ve been working on over the past few weeks, and they work well together. now that the exhibition is fast approaching, how the recent pieces work together is more of a preoccupation. i’m feeling like it will proove to ve a pretty cool show!

"celebration I" returns to it's old self / adjustment to celebration LL” /  by Philip Tarlow

celebration II 14x16”, after rework of the figure in red on the right

1:40 PM: it was bugging us that the head of the figure on the right was cut off, so i repainted it and i think the painting is vastly improved! on the right you see the painting as it was on 1/24, before i repainted the figure on the right

celebration I restored to her former self this morning

10:54 AM: before even having breakfast, i wiped out yesterday’s changes to celebration I and returned it to where it was.

modifications to "momoyama" and "celebration L" /  by Philip Tarlow

celebration I 14x18” as it looked at the end of my painting day today

2:17 PM: momoyama, 24x26” was last worked about a month ago, on january 1. since then it’s been visible in my studio, either hanging on the wall or sitting on the floor face out.

it was calling for something to balance the two roughly sketched figures on the yellow ground. with bits of previous paintings peeking through.

so this morning i introduced my plaid shirted walking figure, along with a collaged piece of white paper with a series of marks, a piece of a houston map and a red border. it appears to be coming into it’s own, but it’s not there yet.

in addition, i did quite a bit more to celebration I, where i also collaged a piece of the houston map, white drawing paper with a gestural drawing in ink and added a red border.

momoyama 24x26” at the end of my painting day today

further work on celebration I & III /  by Philip Tarlow

BELOW: THE CELEBRATION SERIES THUS FAR.

12:53 PM: i made some reifnements to celebration I and took the next step withthe new celebration III.

continued work on celebration I & II /  by Philip Tarlow

ABOVE: celebration I & II, 14x18” following today’s work

2:12 PM: there was too much black in the last version, so i rubbed whatever i could out and then painted into it. i’m not done yet, but i think they’re already far more compelling than they were. they work so well together, i’m considering making them the front & back covers of the little book i’m planning on putting together for my april exhibition in houston.

starting “celebration LLL / continued work on “celebration L & LL / re-visiting "long narrow" 20x80" /  by Philip Tarlow

celebration III, 14x18” oil on linen as it looked moments ago

3:05 PM: so now that i finished today’s rework on celebration I & II, i started celebration III, which is 14x18” oil on portrait linen, like the other two. it strated out with drawings of the drummers, which got wiped, leaving the kinds of traces and remnants of marks & activity that turn me on!

one of the guys celebrating the end of the 2021 olympics is wearing his black & white checkered trousers, pink checkered shoes and holding a red rope, not yet completely visible at this early stage of development. to his left are sketches of visitors to the acropolis museum in athens, checking out the exhibits and talking amongst themselves.

these are all members, as i have shred before, of my growing menagerie of characters, mostly viewed from above (not the guy with the checkered trousers) and searching for their connection to one another, having been unexpectedly thrown onto a canvas, not knowing where they’re headed next.!

celebration I 14x18” at 2pm

celebration II 14x18” at 2pm

2:02 PM: i continued work on celebration I & II this afternoon. both are bathed in graphite grey, so that the figures pop.

10:52 AM: today i’m taking a closer look at this one, titled simply long narrow, because both mikela and i feel it’s one of the best in the series. so i’m examining what it is that makes it stand out.

BELOW: 3 details of the painting

celebration L & LL, renewed /  by Philip Tarlow

BELOW: CELEBRATION I & II (left & right repectively) at the end of my painting day today

2:39 PM: i did more work on celebration I & II this afternoon. i think i’ll go on to a new one so i don’t overwork them.

celebration II, 14x18” oil on linen, following this morning’s revisions

11:45 AM: this morning i brough fresh energy to celebration II (previously 14x18” canvas II). yesterday i had painted over it and regreted it, so i wiped out what i had done. along with what i had painted over it, i also wiped out some of the elements from the original. so this morning, i re-painted them and added a few new elements, such as the blue rectangular shapes on the lower left; the green garment beneath the pink jacket of the figure on the upper rightand the yellow garment on the fiugre doing a handstand.

it’s singing it’s song now, so i’m going to let it be.

14x18" canvas I & II /  by Philip Tarlow

i painted over both of these today, and then rubbed it all out. it sucked! so here’s how they look and i’ll do more tomorrow and get them back.