Colonial Figure, Ghana, (Seamstress)
carved wood, paint
23" x 12" x 12"
Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago

This is a wonderfully enchanting piece, probably done by a completely obscure, and, no doubt, poorly paid artist. For me this is art at its' best - a simple, straightforward depiction, presented without sentimentality, but not without feeling.

Thanks to Femme, Femme, Femme for bringing this work to notice. It's available for sale at the Ann Nathan Gallery in Chicago.

Illinois Bank
oil
16.5 x 19.8 cm (6.5" x 7.75")

This is a view of a bank bordering Carlyle Lake in Illinois. The lake is a reservoir lake, which was created by damming the Kaskaskia River, a tributary of the Mississippi.

I was preoccupied with the colour in this painting to the detriment of the drawing. As a result of that lack of attention to the drawing, the bank is ill-defined.

Repacking a Bag
ink
(4.5" x 3.5")

A quick drawing of a lady repacking her bag.

Grey, Black and White
gouache
30.5 x 45.7 cm (12" x 18")

This was done Monday evening. It was drawn directly using a brush without a preliminary drawing. The drawing took about twenty-five minutes.

Shaved Palm Trees
graphite and ink
11.4 x 3.5 cm (4.5" x 3.5")

Definitely a small drawing, this sketch was done in perhaps five minutes while waiting at a campground in Charleston, South Carolina. For some reason the leaves of the palms had been cut back.

I only recently discovered this half hour video of Ron Mueck and his working methods produced by the National Gallery in London. If you're interested in sculpture, whether hyperrealistic or not, it's worth looking at. The photograph is from a 2006-07 exhibition of Mueck's work at the Brooklyn Museum.

Click on the image to play the video.

Ron Mueck (Australian, b. 1958). Mask II, 2001–2002. Mixed media, 30 3/8 x 46 1/2 x 33 1/2 in. (77.2 x 118.1 x 85.1 cm). Collection of the Art Supporting Foundation to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Somerset Maugham 1949
oil on canvas

Graham Sutherland (1903-1980). Tate Gallery, London.

The title quote from Maugham reminded me of Graham Sutherland's portrait of Maugham. Unlike his portraits most of Sutherland's work was semi-abstract, slightly surreal, and almost mystical.

The reproduction here doesn't really do justice to the painting. It's a terrific piece of work.

I've posted another example of Sutherland's portraiture below, his 1973-1974 portrait of Lord Goodman.

Lord Goodman 1973-1974
oil on canvas

Graham Sutherland (1903-1980). Tate Gallery, London.

Mist
gouache
16.5 x 19.8 cm (6.5" x 7.75")

It was a wet day last Tuesday, coming back through Minnesota. This scene was just off of I-94, somewhere between St. Cloud and Fergus Falls.

The paper was toned with an acrylic raw sienna wash before the painting was started. The colour shows through in the foreground. For such a dull painting, a duller ground would have been a better choice.

The streakiness in the sky probably could have been avoided by using a thicker wash.

Trees at Night
charcoal, pastel, and conté
17.8 x 14.0 cm (7" x 5.5")

This was one of the few drawings I managed while travelling in the American southeast.

It was difficult at night making sense out of the the tangled mass of trees, shrubs, and vines. As a result, the drawing has an abstract quality, which, if pushed a little further, might have led to a Jackson Pollack like confusion of blacks, reds, whites, and browns.

The drawing was done outside of Charleston, South Carolina.