“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer” Albert Camus

Goals. Artists have goals. Our goals are not that different than most. We want to feel fulfilled. We want to feel that we are contributing. Perhaps the difference is that what we create, and that is the difference, we have to create and in that process it is giving of ourselves.

It is not always easy. It is at times emotionally draining and at other times flows as if there really is a harmony to the universe. It is a fragile balance being an artist. We feel useful and five minutes later can feel useless. It is the artists’ process. It is winter, the studio is cold and perhaps this lends itself to moody painting?

We are in hard times and yet we are in great times. We have to evaluate what is important. We need to look back and learn; we need to look forward and grow.

I have spent the last two years trying to be disciplined about how I paint with a goal or perhaps a personal reward to move into what I love, color. Just color. The bringing in of a new year, and in this case a new decade can be a bit philosophical and perhaps aside from the introspective it always has to be a move forward. Art cannot stay stagnant. It is about life and life is not stagnant.

Looking back at the paintings I did in 2010 I think that Pacific Atlas was a real crossroads for me.

The painting moved me back to oils and into more minimal abstract statements. The painting, in oils, Billboard, made that statement for me. The process has been about taking the reality to a minimal statement.

I then was able to free myself and move into the three paintings, which are posted on my web page as; Untilled #1, #2 and #3. These paintings are not really untitled. They are portraits of three very important women in my creative life. Two are of artists Vesna Breznakar

and Candice Gawne

and the third, my partner in life, Anne Zeller.

These paintings are color. The colors are so intense that my photographer said; “…these colors are outside the gamut of a laptop screen.”

FUN! My goal in painting is for color that cannot be photographed. Color. More color. I doubt that this series is complete.

Below is a painting that Candice Gawne gave to me in 1975 titled View Esplande. This painting is still amazing and one of my favorites. Candice or Candi as I call her, has always had an amazing command of color. She naturally gets it and has never been afraid to be bold. If you look at her web page you will see a bit of her journey... from color to light in painting to finally just light. She is a painter who has moved her paintings to light, she has worked for sometime in neon. Did I already use the word amazing?

In my home are also many treasures that Vesna has created over the years, but as of this writing I do not have a photo of some of her, O.K., again with that word, amazing, painted furniture. I am posting a photo below of a small bronze she gave to me... a chair with a rabbit. I love this small sculpture.

My first show of 2011, A collection of city inspired paintings, will be up during January at Jumpn' Java Cafe'.

While Anne was helping me hang the show she took this (extremely flattering) photo. The new standing joke is that the ATM is SO in focus... I think it might be a hint?

I became so sidtracked with the non-objective (or perhaps a new art form, non-objectionable, well, I hope anyway) paintings that I still have three started paintings stacked up in the studio and a new one that I am really excited to start.

The 4'x4' canvas is ready and waiting. I have had a hard time deciding if this should be a drawing, oil or acrylic painting. I have decided on acrylic. The pre drawing layouts are ready, now to tackle the actual canvas!

And looking forward to the near future, I hope to be more involved with with Mission United Artists. Thanks to artists Trish Tunney and dk haas (and others I am sure) as they are working to bring together artists in the Mission area of San Francisco. This is a great idea and I look forward to meeting and sharing with those artists who create in the same hood as I do.

I was hoping to write in this blog about some new artist friends in Italy, but that will have to wait until my next entry. In the meantime check out some of Gionata Ozmo Gesi's (known as Ozmo) work on Flickr... some amazing urban art and a cool guy too!

Random sightings? Of course there were random sightings! And probably one of the best yet. I was walking near the studio and on the street was a parked trailer with the, not just the, but THE Doggie Diner Dogs! I know I am easily amused, but it really was one of the highlights of 2010 for me!

My favorite cool car sighting this time was of a very sweet MG Midget. My heart is always with the MG.

Photo below of my Dad's MG in 1953 when I was a baby riding in the back. And in college I had my own 1959 MGA right hand drive. Yup, I come from a MG family.