kodo II, continued /  by Philip Tarlow

kodo II, 24x28”, oil & collage on linen, as she looked at the end of my painting day today

2:46 PM: kodo II got blued today. rather striking, but i’m not yet sure how i feel about it. this may be a stage in the process, or the completion. the walking plaid shirted figure certainly pops! he’s inspired by the lead character in the tv series the good doctor, which ended it’s 7 year run yesterday. i have a photo shot from above of dr. shaun murphey, played by freddie highmore, which has been included in numerous paintings, but never all by itself. we watched the deeply moving final episode last night.

vyd zverkhou 1 and kodo ii, continued /  by Philip Tarlow

vyd zverkhou II as she looked at the end of my painting day today

kodo II as she looked at the end of my painting day today

3:04 PM: radical changes today on both paintings. vyd zverkhou I has taken on elements of previous compositions inspired by museum views from above, while retaining some of the composition as it looked yesterday. but not a whole helluva lot!

kodo II has been collaged, using pieces of paper i drew on with quil & ink earlier today.

i don’t think either one has been resolved, but i do feel both are more compelling paintings as a result of what i did today. see what you think…

BELOW: kodo II (left) and vyd zverkhou I as the looked yesterday

vyd zverkhou 1 and kodo II, continued /  by Philip Tarlow

vyd zverkhou I on 5-26-24 2pm

kodo II as it looked at the end of my painting day today

1:17 PM: i continued work on vyd zverkhou 1 and kodo II today, going back and forth. i’m now able to get to work immediately, since i discovered that the breakfast i’d been having was eating up precious morning energy. so now i just nibble whenever the mood strikes. the key word in that last sentence is whenever., which is a cousin of WHATEVER. this is our new phrase, which i suppose could be short for not being attached to results and going with the process, whatever that looks like in the moment. thus far, it’s been very helpful here in the studio. there are other areas where we’re going to try it out at home.

so anyway, it’s useful to be doing a series of paintings all the same size: 24x28”. they’re small enough that i can tack the canvases to the wall next to one another and they sing together. so if one loses the harmony, i can go back to it and …..whatever.

kodo II, stages 1& 2 /  by Philip Tarlow

kodo II, stage 2, as she looked at the end of my painitng day

3:21 PM: i flipped kodo II upside down and began introducing figures, who have appeared in previous compositions, inspired by the celebrations following the 2020 olympics. the japanese inspired patterning is now interacting with these figures, and we’ll see where she wants to go tomorrow.

2:11 PM: this morning what started out to be a 10 mnute exercise walk turned into a 1hour+ hike up the stupa trail, where we met a wonderful couple from denver and had long conversations, getting to know each other and planning fututre connections.

so when i finally got back to the studio, with my first glance, i felt that vyd zverkhou I, which i worked on yesterday, is resolved. now i’m moving on to a new one, titled kodo II. it has the same 24x28” dimensions as the previous paintings in this new series. stage 1 consists of a colored pencil drawing on linen.

vyd zverkhou I continued /  by Philip Tarlow

3:14 PM: i worked into the area on the left, adding another guitar player and extending the blue

vyd zverkhou I 24x28” as she looked following this morning’s session

11:34 AM: mikela had to be at the school by 8:30 this morning, which means i was able to get an earlier start than usual, and was in the studio before 9. i decided to skip breakfast & just have some coffee, so i’ve been painting since about 9am. i wasn’t satisfied with vyd zverkhou I, and i felt like it needed blue. while i was at it, i made other changes, and here’s the current state.

kodo 1 continued /  by Philip Tarlow

kodo I as it looked at the end of my painting day today

2:37 PM: after wiping kodo I yesterday, i worked back into it today, using figures of museum visitors viewed from above. although these figures have appeared numerous times in the past, something fresh and vibrant happens when i’m using these figures and the accompanying perspective views of the museum architecture.

i’m stopping here for the day and will pick up where i left off tomorrow, unless i declare it resolved and move on to a new canvas.

KODO I wiped / morning creek drawings /  by Philip Tarlow

creek drawing 1, 5/22/24 colored pencil and ink on arches paper

creek drawing 2, 5/22/24 colored pencil and ink on arches paper

2:46 PM: this morning i went to the creek and made 2 drawings. it felt so good to be back at my beloved creek after about 6-7 months of inappropriate weather, so now, except for the approaching 6 week mosquito season, i’ll be going frequently. these are the two drawings i made, using colored pencil and, in #1, a quill pen.

upon entering the studio, with one glance i knew kodo 1 had to be wiped, which i proceeded to do. we’ll see where i take her next.

kodo 1 continued / tweaks to “celebration Xii” /  by Philip Tarlow

KODO I 24x28” as it looked moments ago, at the end of my painting day

3:27 PM: i took kodo 1 to the next level. as you might expect if you follow my work, it no longer has any visible connection to the taiko drummers, which is what that word, kodo means. the female figure with the sponge is inspired by a photo of a group of archeologists cleaning a new found mosaic beneath their feet. and to her right are a few elements derived from the designs on a japanese 16th c. no robe.

celebration XII 16x20” as it looked following today’s tweaks

starting the “kodo” series with “KODO 1” / "word & worlds" stretched this morning /  by Philip Tarlow

day 1 of KODO 1, 24x28” oil on linen

4:09 PM: this afternoon, following our deeply moving experience of KODO this past weekend at shumei here in crestone, i began a new series inspired by photos & video i shot of the taiko drummers at the event. i started late afternoon, so what you see is just the very beginning and, as is true with all my new projects, there’s no predicting where she will go. i’m calling the series KODO.

words & worlds, 42x40” oil & collage on linen

1:36 PM: i last worked on this painting on april 20, when i introduced the blue ground. today i finally stretched it, and here she is, wrinkle free at last! it was tricky, because the collaging i had done created lots of ripples and wrinkles, but now they’re almost 100% gone, and she looks pretty great!

vyd zverkhou i and ii /  by Philip Tarlow

vyd zverkhou I as it looked following today’s tweaks

vyd zverkhou II as it looks following the tweaks imade today

11:03 AM: i didn’t have much time today because we’re attending a luncheon event, nonetheless, i was able to make a few tweaks to these two paintings.