Eros & Thanatos were Lovers, 2003

Here's a drawing from back in 2003 (that relates to the new Entropy series) that I had previously only had a mediocre digital photo of. Today, I took 6 drawings to be professionally scanned (though the results were not perfect, they are great for web resolution, at least), so it's nice to see the image without glare, shadows, etc.


Eros & Thanatos were Lovers, brush & India ink on paper, 24" x 19", 2003.

Swine -- new drawing

From the new series of large drawings, which might be called the "Entropy Series", I don't know...


Swine, brush & Indian ink on paper, 24" x 18", 2009.

At last -- the Limner Gallery window photo

The Emerging Artists show ended at the Limner Gallery in Hudson NY today. I went up to pick up my "Menowar" painting (see a couple of posts below regarding my problems taking a photo of it in the window). Today I had arranged to pick up the painting when hopefully lighting conditions would be a bit better. They were -- and yet, my camera decided not to work. Luckily artist/gallery owner Tim Slowinski had a camera handy & he took a few shots:






[note the small Slowinski painting on the side wall]

The partial wall facing the window is actually on casters, so we angled it a bit to get a better shot. All's well that ends well. Thanks again to Tim for his photographic skills.

Limner Gallery Review

Thanks to the Limner Gallery (see previous post down below) in Hudson, NY for sending this along, a review of the "Emerging Artists" show which runs until Saturday. The review is from "The Artful Mind", a local art paper. My "Menowar" painting is featured at the top & I get a nice mention. Click on the image for a more legible version.

Monument to the Final Human

New painting, a bit of an oddity:

Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18", 2009.

I guess this is what happens when I start to paint again after a hiatus. The break was caused by a) the winter months & b) working to get the Eliot Katz book ready. So, now that I'm back in my studio painting on a regular basis, I have a lot of images to get through & in some cases, discard, before things are flowing again. I'm not sure if this one is a keeper, though it is kind of interesting. It reminds me of a science fiction kind of image, though one from the 30s or 40s, maybe. My new career plan is to build a time machine & travel back to 1947 & become a pulp science fiction book illustrator. Not really.

Et in Arcadia Ego

"Even in Eden am I", is maybe a bad translation, but it makes the point...


Acrylic on canvas, 24" x 18", 2009.

Total Collapse

A new acrylic painting, reflecting contemporary concerns about the entire global banking system...also, it resembles a rose, which is more positive...


Total Collapse, acrylic on board, 16" x 12", 2009.

Limner Gallery, Hudson, NY

Today I drove north up to the Limner Gallery in Hudson, NY, to take some photos of my painting, "Menowar", which is in the "Emerging Artists" group show there this month, & happens to be prominently featured in the window. I thought I should capture this historic moment on (digital) film, so I threw my camera in the car, along with a tripod that didn't become necessary & off I went...


Figure 1. Menowar painting & a lot of reflections.

Of course, I hadn't figured that maybe lighting conditions wouldn't be optimal. It's a bright, cloudless, sunny day here in the Hudson Valley. A perfect day for taking some snapshots, you (I) might think. Well, it depends if you're photographing a shiny gallery window in bright sunlight.


Figure 2. Limner Gallery sign, not under glass.

Of course, I tried shooting the photos from all kinds of different angles & such, but to not much avail. Hudson is a pretty town with lots of very picturesque buildings, which can be seen quite clearly in the following photos:


Figure 3. Houses on Warren St. obscure my painting.


Figure 4. Self-portrait of the artist as a shadowy blur, with Hudson houses.

BTW, here is what the painting actually looks like:


Figure 5. Menowar, acrylic on board, 2007, 18" x 30", as it should be seen.

Still, it was nice to get out & visit Hudson, albeit briefly. I shall have to return, maybe over the weekend & shoot the painting perhaps at night, when it is illuminated by the lights in the gallery window. Until then, here are some shots of Warren St., the main street of Hudson.


Figure 6. Warren St., Hudson, looking sort of in the direction of the Hudson River, I guess.


Figure 7. Red van going up Warren St. in the other direction.

Hudson -- a very nice town to visit -- there are some excellent galleries, restaurants & stores to see, as well as other nearby attractions (such as Olana, the painter Frederic Church's house).

Future Human -- new drawing

Another new, dystopian image:



Brush & ink on paper, 2009, 24" x 18". This one was a bit of a workout for me...

Again, there is shadowing on the image, a common problem when photographing drawings (& artwork in general). I think I will have to get these professionally shot or scanned...[update -- the version above is a re-scanned image]

At the End of Western Civilization: The Gateway to Hell

A new brush & ink drawing with a very long title. Another dystopian image filled with portent & warning, as we live in such interesting times...brush & ink on paper, 2009, 18" x 24".

BTW, this is not a great photo, as there are slight shadows obscuring things a bit. I tried to remove them in Photoshop with limited success. I shall perhaps try to re-shoot this one.

Colossus Embedded in a Rocky Landscape

Brush & ink on paper, 2009, 18" x 24".

New large-ish drawing. I mentioned a while ago that I wanted to work on a more epic scale, after last year I spent mostly on quite small works, including the pieces for the book with Eliot Katz, which were mostly drawings of 9 inches by 6 inches. So, this is a step in that intended new direction. Also, I hadn't done an intricate drawing on this scale for a while. Expect more in this vein, hopefully going up soon...

Blindfolded

New, loosely-done painting of a head. This one occured whilst I was painting another piece that wasn't going very well, so I took a detour & this arrived. One of an unending series of heads/faces. "Blindfolded", 2009, acrylic on board, 14" x 11".

Eliot Katz reads Thinking About Emptiness from North America's Skull

And here is a video of Eliot Katz reading his poem, "Thinking About Emptiness from North America's Skull" (with Russell Branca playing bass) at the book launch party for "Love, War, Fire, Wind: Looking Out from North America's Skull" at the Bowery Poetry Club on March 11th, 2009. A good time was had by all. Enjoy...



For other videos from the event, please see the Narcissus Press YouTube channel.

Diana Ayton-Shenker reads "Scars"

Here is a video of Diana (wife, goddess, mother of children, poet, muse, etc., etc.) reading her new, as-yet-unpublished poem, "Scars" at the launch party for Eliot Katz's new poetry book (with my artwork), "Love, War, Fire, Wind: Looking Out from North America's Skull" at the Bowery Poetry Club on March 11th, 2009. For other videos from the event, please see the Narcissus Press YouTube channel.

Electricity of the Mind

New drawing (9" x 6.5" approx.) done for a possible journal cover. I thought it came out quite nicely...will post here if it's accepted...