What Be Happenin'

I spent Thursday afternoon helping move paintings from the old Austin Figurative Gallery to the new location, an unfinished horse barn on 4th Street. Both Chris Chappelle and David Ohlerking were super excited and totally upbeat about the renovation ahead of them, so I would do well to emulate their attitude. Me, I like a brand new place so all I have to do is move in and hang pictures on the walls. Maybe buy a little furniture, do a little shelf paper. So, all I can see is a huge daunting task. What they see is the chance to do what they want with the space, since the owner is amenable to whatever they want to do to improve it. Well, I would be, too, if I was renting out four walls and a dirt floor. Whatever they do can only be an improvement!

While loading the ton of paintings from AFG into our cars, I came upon a couple of large canvases. Lin was going to throw them in the trash, 'unless you want them', so I brought them home. They're covered with texture, so I knew that I already had a good start on a painting. No smooth, detailed painting for these. Yay! Cuz after doing all the f-ing rocks on The Mining Ruin, I am done with detail for a while.

I found my inspiration picture while perusing a Realtor's site for a 4 million dollar home overlooking Lake Travis, the link of which came from John Mackey's blog. What I love about the painting is that Frank walked in the door last night and said, "Hey!" (which means he noticed it, which is a good thing) and when I told him that it was Lake Austin, he said, "Yeah, I could tell". So, another Yay! And y'all don't have to feel sorry for me that I live for the moments when Frank actually notices a painting I do. I use him as a good guage of the general public's taste. If I get a "Wow" from him, then it's possible that I'm getting close to a "Holy Shit!" that I'm working toward.

As I said, I am tired of being mingy with paints, so it was great to grab a huge paintbrush and paint large spots of color. By paying attention to tint, tone and shade, I think I've got the general feel for Lake Austin View heading in the right direction. I really only wanted to give an impression, but I'm sure that there is still more to do in helping it move in that direction without actually going into tiny detail. That's why I study at Noel Robbin's studio; he's a great guide.

I'll probably upload a different picture soon. This was the only one in focus when I took it upstairs in my "studio", formerly known as the game room. There are still vestiges of the game roomness that I am looking forward to letting go to a new home. Specifically, the daybed and the drum set. Interested?

I love having the space to move back and get a feel for my painting. Getting the drums moved out was a good step in the right direction. Now a floor covering so I don't have to be so super cautious with my paint. And better lighting because I'm going crazy with just windows and really poor overhead lighting. I'm thinking track lighting, which would be easier to install than going with the can skylights. Time to talk to my handyman.