Ful Moon in Fort Point

Back Bay Sunset

Progress Tonite

I've Been Painting

Fort Point Reflecting

South Station Tonite

Boston Warf Sign Tonite in Fort Point

Lobby Ceiling in Midway

Sunflowers at Copley Market Today

In the Lab

Boylston St. Tonite

Progress

An Alex Katz at the MFA Today

Cathedral of the Holy Cross Tonite

A Good One By Rothko

Picked up "The Artist's Reality: Philosophies of Art," which is collected writings on art by Mark Rothko, the other day at the Boston Public Library and have been flipping through it.

I actually saw his son, Christopher Rothko, at the MFA years ago during the book tour for this volume (the son, Christopher edited the book and also provides an intro), but this is the first time I have spent any real time with it. I have read pieces that have appeared elsewhere, and am pretty familiar, but it is still a fun one.

How about this, right from the get go:

"What is the popular conception of the artist? Gather a thousand descriptions, and the resulting composite is the portrait of a moron: he is held to be childish, irresponsible, and ignorant or stupid in everyday affairs."

Pic above is from ovationtv.com

And...

My haul today from Commonwealth Books.

Photo of O'Hara at Commonwealth Books

I keep thinking of how great Mad Men would be if O'Hara had played the role of Don Draper, rather than Donnie D. Just reading the head of the New York School.

Back By Popular Demand...

OK. so we never really left.

Tantric has asked Jonathan Stark and me to extend the exhibition STOP TRAFFIC for at least another month, and you can now stop by and see the show at least through August.

There have been a few good write-ups out there on the 'net, including one on ArtSake and one on Big, Red and Shiny.

If you have yet to catch STOP TRAFFIC, head over to Tantric and take it in. Response has been great.

Great Picasso Quote

Here is a great Picasso quote I came across yesterday:

"I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it."

Pic above is from rankopedia.org

View of the Pru

With these new paintings it seems like my eye is continually imagining images in smaller squares. You can see why this shot of the Pru caught my eye tonite.

FPTC Makes it Official

Looks like the Fort Point Theatre Channel has yet to come to their senses, and they have made me a full-fledged member of the theatre company. They posted my mugshot on the site today, so it must be official. You can check out Nick Thorkelson's great design work, and the start of my modeling portfolio here:

http://www.fortpointtheatrechannel.org/fortpointtheatrechannel_who.htm

In other news, I have just stumbled upon The Starting Line's version of the Best of Me a la acoustic on YouTube. Sweet.

Don't Blow Up

I guess it is a good thing P-Diddy didn't heed this sign prior to signing Christopher Wallace to Bad Boy.

Ouch

A Painting of Van Gogh in Fajitas & Ritas

What would Van Gizzle think if he knew he was holding it down in Fajitas and Ritas in Downtown Crossing? Or is that Cezanne?

A Note To Myself On Writing

That's what happens when you have too many Sharpies and use the New Yorker as scrap paper.

Mojitos in an Emergency

Above, see a picture of this painting in progress. This painting almost done? This painting done? I don’t know. I am not sure of the name, or the state of affairs, but I am sure that it is a painting. Cuba Libre? I am letting it simmer.

I made a painting mistake last night that I haven’t recovered from. Was working on one of the other pieces and didn’t have some brushes wet enough and the acrylic black was clumping… and, well, there will definitely be some recovery happening.

Much of my time lately has been in looking. In using so much color and playing with tones, the shape of shadows and the range of the color spectrum has my eyes all over it lately. Caught myself looking at a coffee cup from Au Bon Pain and seeing the bright yellow give was to a dull orange-yellow where the lid created shadow. The curve of the cup and the text. I haven’t spent so much time with colors and shadow, and playing this against the stark contrast—high black shadows and lines—of comic books spawned from fashion magazines is an interesting game. As is the heavy line against subtle color tone as in the brand of mojito I am mixing on canvas pictured above.

Question: How much of painting is looking?

Oh, and if no one has told you lately: Xo, xxx, xo x x ooox oxoo x!

And blame the reflective, swooping, disjointed and intellectual writing style on John D. MacDonald and Travis McGee. I have been reading “Darker Than Amber.”

Self-Portrait Studies

Have been experimenting with some ideas of a self-portrait along the same lines of the style I have been working with: the intersection of glam and comic books, soap opera drama and clothing catalogs.

Here is a question: What does it say if in our advertising of clothes and image, people are almost always shown alone? Alone in a neat square.

Anyhow, above see some sketches playing with composition and layout. I like the postures and the idea of these two playing against one another; the text and the focus. A shot, and then a shot of reflection, action. An image of something closer, a realization. An evaluation and an action.

We will see. I have some oil paint aspirations cooking for this one. And no, I realize these aren't so flattering.

Midway Moon Tonite

Hancock Today

Painting Tonite

The House of Flying Daggers

I feel obligated to post this new advance single from the ever-present impending OBFCL2 album that has been brewing in Raekwon the Chef's kitchen since 96. This may be one of the most anticipated rap albums of all time, and if this track is any sense, the Wu may be poised to in fact resurrect hip hop for the second time. They should call their next album Lazarus, the Sequel.

Thanks to Brendan for the find.

70 Bucks of Brushes

Boylston & E. Berkeley Yesterday