Liberty Farms

Hi all, I want to start off this post with a big Happy Fathers Day to all the men (or women in some situations) who have been there through thick and thin. Thanks Tom!

I figured whats a better icon of Fathers Day than a sweet John Deere tractor/mower.... I cant think of one... This painting is a 20x24 (yes another one) and was painteda few weeks ago at Liberty Farms near the Edgecomb/Boothbay line. They have the best fresh eggs in Maine that I have tasted. The second painting is from the same day. It is of a painter named Pat and she was sitting pretty still and the light was right so i sketched this 8x10 with the quickness.

Anyway the photos were pretty rushed as there is much to do today (including some painting I hope) so don't give me @$%# about em. Later on today my wife and I are going to a small get together to watch Brasil win in the World Cup. Go Brasil! (and USA also! but lets be honest... not yet...)

Quote: "I surrendered to a world of my imagination, re-enacting all those wonderful tales my father would read aloud to me. I became a very active reader, especially history and Shakespeare." (Andrew Wyeth)

P Town and Uncle Smokey

So this past week (OK two) have been pretty busy. I had a friend/Artist (Kyle Martin) from Wisconsin come up to Maine for some painting. We had a blast. You can see more of his great work by clicking on his name on the right hand side of the screen.

Then I shot down to P Town to get in some painting with Paul Shulenburg, Marc Hansen, Peter Kalill, Frank Gardener, Jeff Bonasia, Logan Hagege and Jerome Greene. Jerome is the subject of this portrait. I painted "Uncle Smokey"(12x10) while we were all on the beach, in the heart of P Town. The other piece "Lost Cause" is a 20x24 I started this particular day with.

Quote: "An artist must recognize, when he is reasoning, that his picture is an artifice; but when he is painting, he should feel that he has copied nature. And even when he departs from nature, he must do it with the conviction that it is only to interpret her more fully." Matisse in his Notes of a Painter, 1908.

Reception

Busy busy busy lately framing and painting.... This is a painting that has been on my mind for a couple years... So I finally stopped a few weeks ago and got it done. If anyone can tell me where this is you will receive 10 pts. These points are good for absolutely nothing BUT...... they are yours to keep.....

Van Gogh on Learning to Paint: "As soon as I have more power over my brush, I shall work even harder than I do now ... it will not be long before you need not send me money any more." (Letter to Theo van Gogh, 21 January 1882)

Afton's Legacy

I painted this piece a couple weeks ago, its a 20x24 and is one of the only "overcast weather" pieces that I let live... Most see the round file.

Quote:"I know for sure that I have an instinct for color, and that it will come to me more and more, that painting is in the very marrow of my bones."(Letter to Theo van Gogh, 3 September 1882) Vincent van Gogh.

Leftovers.....uuggh

Quote: "The best part about being an Artist is still being able to enjoy books for the pictures" Me/ Daniel Corey

Beauport Easel Fix

Alot of people have been using or should I say "trying" to use the latest mass produced version of the original Goucester Easels, the Beauport. Working painters look for an outdoor easel that is sturdy while painting and they can actually leave for a second and not find fallen over, broken and your painting butter side down in the dirt when they return. This easel has that potential, the one thing holding it back is well, itself. The modern manufacturer ( I don't know the actual name) is sending these out for sale ignoring the best parts of the design that they have stolen (borrowed??)
With this post I'm hoping to help out those who bought one (or are about to) based on the photos and when they got it out of the bag and tried to use it said " WTF this thing is a POS!" Most of the measurements for the mods I'm gonna show you can be made by looking at the enlarged photo and guesstimating the location. Only a couple of things are very important to making this easel work correctly. Please ask questions if I am vague or over look anything.


First thing is the traveling, the "body bag" it comes with is ridiculous. You can probably use that to carry six of these easels...

Most all you need can be held in place with two small bungee cords.

1: First mod is taking one of the stock strap holder rings off and putting aside for later. Replace this with a decent frame hanger ring. The one you took off fits something else that we need to modify later. While doing this you can throw out the stock plastic clip that is attached to the strap. That thing is junk and you will do better to tie the long strap directly to the metal rings.

2: Place a small eyelet that has been bent open in the top inside of the back leg, as shown in Photo 3 and 4, this will be what holds the horizontal "A" cross braces in place when we are closing the easel and opening it. Notice the screws place into what will be the bottom front of the horizontal "A" frame. By the placement of the screws in the hinge area you should be able to get a ball park measurement to place these screws and leave them out approx 1/4 - 1/8 of an inch.

3: Here in Photo 5 we see where that strap ring clamp went, we placed it around one of the metal "C" rings that hold together the horizontal "A" cross braces. The other Metal "C" ring has been removed for the next step. Please click on photo as it should make what is going on here much clearer.

4: Notice in Photo 6 the location and orientation of the "metal C rings" one is in between the metal pins of the horizontal A cross brace and the other we must bend back on in front of the front set of pins. The opening of the "C" must be up on both metal "C" rings in order for the easel to close properly. Again click on the photo for clarification.

When you set up your easel now you will be able to use the supplied rod (the one that looks like there is a nail sticking out of one side) to pull the closest metal "C" ring towards you and this will tighten the easel. No more wobble. Genius right?
Anyway when these mods are complete your easel should fold up like an original and open like one too. If you ever get the chance to pick an original up, do it! They are about 3-4lbs lighter then the Beauport and the ones Ive seen open quicker then any other easel I know of.

No quotes today, a real post coming soon. Go paint!

Invasion of the 20x24s..

For the past few weeks I have been painting 20x24" inch canvases more then anything else, here are a few that I like enough to share with you.

If your someone that says "I could never paint big outdoors" then that should give you all the more reason to try it... If you step back and use big brushes its really a similar experience to an 8x10 or 11x14. Except when you have a drawing mistake, people can see it from 30 feet away. Happy Painting!

Quote: Van Gogh on Color: "I know for sure that I have an instinct for color, and that it will come to me more and more, that painting is in the very marrow of my bones."(Letter to Theo van Gogh, 3 September 1882)

Quote 2 (remember... Two Quote Tuesday!) : "I retain from nature a certain sequence and a certain correctness in placing the tones; I study nature, so as not to do foolish things, to remain reasonable. However, I don't mind so much whether my color corresponds exactly, as long as it looks beautiful on my canvas, as beautiful as it looks in nature."(Letter to Theo van Gogh, October 1885)