I painted my last view of BAG’s current studio - later this week the studio will move across the hall and be much bigger - looking forward to the larger space.

I had the studio all to myself this afternoon and evening.  Kinda lazy about doing something ambitious - and maybe in a little big of a dry spell - worked though it today.

I also had an idea for a still life but I was not able to make it work.  I was busy listening to Beethoven’s Symphony #7 and a couple of other classical works while working on this still life - which was inspired by the fabric interplay between the three scarfs - but then I stuck a wine bottle in the middle - and it did not belong there.

I knew the still life was lame as it was (even when I started it) - maybe it was the size of the bottle - I needed to get closer up.  Anyway - as I tossed and turned tonight as I could not sleep - I saw what I needed to do with this still life (see below)

It is more honest and truthful to say - this wine bottle does not belong …. in the picture (itself), so I read the picture into Paint and put a nice big “X” over the bottle and put some writing on my picture.   And now the picture is sorta a “hybrid” of what I saw and felt and what I reflected on afterwards.

It got cold this afternoon - and the studio was chilly - but I enjoyed my time alone.

I got to take my son Adam with me to paint this afternoon; getting into Brooklyn Artists Gym was not so easy today - both entrances were locked - but I managed to get the landlord to buzz us in.

I can’t say my work today worked out as well as I’d liked, but we had fun and I even got my soon to be 14 year old to paint something.

Here’s what I ended up with - a portrait of my son Adam.

Here’s the sketch I did before starting -

 

Now it’s time to rest and take in Christmas.

Been busy - lots of stuff to do - but not that many art openings going on this week and next in New York City due to the Christmas and New Years holidays.

I was not planning on going to the Life Drawing session at the Brooklyn Artists Gym last night - I only came by to see the new studio space that’s going to be available starting next month (January 07).  The new space, 10,000 square feet is a significant improvement over our current space, and most of it will be studio space in form or another including: huge wet area in the studio, large room for 3D and crafts, a wood shop, a metal shop, art storage, a gallery that has more wall space and an alliance with Brooklyn Writer’s Space to have a writer’s studio.  BAG is poised to become a vital Art Center in New York City.

Since I was already at my studio and a life drawing session was going on - I drew and here’s what I came up with the same model, Aveida, who I painted last time (see the first picture below - the oil pastel was done about 10 days ago).

 

Here’s my conte crayon and oil pastel on newspaper sketches of the model from last night - most were 5 or 10 minute sketches.

 

I may cover a opening or two tonight and some more museum shows over the weekend - hopefully I’ll spend the bulk of the next 10 days painting.