The Art Blog

I have been painting night and day these last few weeks as I finish up the work for my upcoming show, Trespassing,  that opens in only 9 more days.The painting featured above is titled Witnesses and is based on the surveyor's term: Witness Tree. This refers to the trees close to a section corner. The surveyor blazed them and noted their position relative to the corner in his notebook. Witness trees are used as evidence for the corner location. I think it sounds like poetry. This show is inspired by the idea of crossing defined boundaries in an attempt to discover new territory so some of the work is titled after survey and land use terms. Work is starting to pile up in the studio. Several very large-scale encaustic works will be featured in this show and I hope you’ll join me at the Pacini Lubel Gallery for the opening event on February 3rd from 6 to 8. Once I wrap up all the art and finish my pre-show details I will share some additional work images and post my...

The bizarre and the beautiful sit side by side in The Tame & The Wild   - The March exhibition at the Pacini Lubel Gallery . On display are works from several gallery artists that feature animals and insects. The show is an eclectic mix of paintings and sculpture that provide a great way to usher in spring. Images featured from top to bottom: Russell Wrankle - Red Hare ,  Jan Hopkins - Fish Out of Water and Lindsay Ketterer Gates - Metamorphosis Also on display this month…. A show titled Dress Envy at the Winston Wachter Gallery featuring the charming dress sculptures of Tori Ellison and Mielle Riggie among others. This show runs through April 23rd, 2010. Image on the left is the work of Ellison and on the right is a piece by Riggie. These inspired me to share this dress sculpture I created several years ago made of cotton, wax and wire. The title of this piece is Sitting Pretty . In The Studio : Finishing up some new paintings for the...

Robert E. Marx. The Red Bishop, 2009. Oil on linen. 20 x 16 inches. O n display now at the Davidson Gallery As the month comes to a close it means a new rotation of gallery artists will open for the First Thursday Art Walk next week. Before it comes down I highly recommend the November show at the Davidson Gallery featuring the work of Robert Marx . His work is fantastic and has a compelling naive quality to it. My Second Nature show also closes this Saturday so if you planned on seeing the exhibition you only have a few days remaining to see the entire show. Some of my favorite pieces sold so when the show comes down the paintings will be gone to their new homes. For updates on the gallery check out the new Pacini Lubel Gallery Blog. Robert E. Marx. Shaman, 1986. Oil on linen. 34 x 26 inches. Living in a state of gratitude is not always easy but this time of year when we are reminded to give thanks I am counting my blessings. These are some of the things that I am celebr...

Jadite - encaustic w/mixed media 2009 I was looking through my photos of the gems and discovered a few that I had not yet posted. The image above is one of the lost gems titled Jadeite. What I like is how quiet this painting is but when you examine it closely it has very complex layers. Some areas even appear to be floating and resemble fused glass. Below are a few more gallery images of the gems in groupings. It's been a great week in the studio and several more paintings from the show have sold. This means I'll have new work to share soon. Gem Grid I - Gallery Installation Gem Grid II - Gallery Installation

Labradorite - encaustic w/mixed media 2009   Corundum - encaustic/w mixed media 2009 I am featuring two gems today: Corundum & Labradorite. Both stones reflect multiple colors. I think these two are good companion pieces as well. I am feeling the desire to paint today but it's not likely going to happen. I have too much going on with the opening on Thursday and guests arriving from out of town. I really feel it when I am away from the studio. Time spent creating helps keep me centered and I look forward to firing things up again after this crazy busy week. Tomorrow’s gem: Opal

Serpentine - encausticx w/ mixed media 2009 This gem is titled Serpentine. The colors in this piece are reminiscent of the stone but I thought the plant form also suited this title. Yesterday I delivered the rest of the artwork to the gallery and the show will be installed on Tuesday. I am eager to see how it will all come together in the space. I will post lots of photos of the final installation in the coming weeks. Tomorrows gem: Andalusite

Sapphire - encaustic w/ mixed media 2009 Today’s gem is Sapphire and the colors in this piece are very intense. The blue veining that runs through it has the appearance of colored glass. I find the vibrancy of this color pallet very energizing. Tomorrow’s gem: Jasper

Fire Opal – encaustic w/mixed media 2009 Fire opal is the featured painting today and the warm colors are speaking to me on this blustery Monday. This piece has a simple composition and much less going on in it than most of the other gems in the series. The simplicity creates a nice visual balance when paired with the other paintings. This week I deliver the remaining works to the gallery and the show will be hung early next week. Tomorrow’s gem: Black Coral

I am in the studio every day now working towards my next show in Sun Valley, Idaho. I’ ve been creating large encaustic panels that are really luscious with tons of wax - I will post a few highlights from this body of work when it’s complete. The show runs August 28 to Sept.30 at the Gilman Contemporary . In the mean time, I have a new painting up at the Pacini Lubel Gallery in Seattle along with several older works. The Piece is called Boundaries (see image at left) and now that it's out of my studio I miss it. Pacini Lubel Gallery is having a group show opening August 7 th and I should have some additional new work included in that. For a bit of playful distraction I have been taking an experimental painting class once a week in an old Boeing warehouse in Seattle– It’s been really fun, chaotic and messy and has allowed me to stretch as an artist. I will post a few images and more details from the class next week.