I keep thinking about a swatch of red against a scumbled green below a mass of tumultuous gray, warm and cool. It's the a cargo ship on the Willamette river, the clouds torn and low. It isn't the painting I first think to paint, but that red and gray begs for it. Perhaps tomorrow, but not yet.

In the mean time, I continue my digging. A turnip - rosey, upended and cut from the dirt.
Turnip, 5" x 6", available


The small works, for all that they do for me, aren't the answer. I still want to explore the narrative possibilities of the figure. I have to wrestle these into being. The clear idea that seemed so perfect in a sketch and when first drawn on the canvas stalls with the first paint. The choices aren't dictated in the way they are when painting a wrench or pear. But with some work, some harder work, and some choices, something begins to happen. Below is a small taste. It's the head of a girl, one of a pair of figures. I hope to have something more complete within the week.



I'm not yet certain how the lessons of the small pieces will influence the other work, but I'm excited to find out. The lessons, however, must continue.

Vice Grips, 5" x 6", available


For more information about and an inventory of the Small Works, click here.

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