Ste Genevieve

This is a 16" x 20" oil on canvas board painted in April 2009 from a photo shot by the artist in 2008. This is the quintessential Ste Genevieve scene viewing west on Merchant Street with the Felix Valle Historic Site and the Mammy Shaw house and the Church steeple. SOLD. This painting now hangs in the new Inn Ste Gemme Beauvais B & B.

Hotel Ste Genevieve

This is a 16" X 20" oil on canvas board painted in April 2009 from a photo by artist from 2008. SOLD

Previews of works in progress

These are all 16" x 20" oils, the largest pieces of the new work, as they stand today. The exhibit is a week from this Friday, and I still have these to finish, plus 9 more new ones and 6 older ones that are being updated and reworked.

Fourth Friday Art Walk in April in Ste Genevieve

Mark your calendars for April 24 from 6 - 9 PM when the Ste Genevieve art community will host it's tenth monthly art walk! Three local artists will be featured in three different spaces. Ali Cavanaugh and her "Milly paintings" will be featured at Merchant Street Gallery (see http://alicavanaugh.com ). Juanita Wyman will be featured at Galleria Ste Genevieve. Mike Devaney will be featured at Studio de Michel (see previous post) with over 12 new paintings and 6 older paintings updated. Also, for the first time the Welcome / Visitor's Center will be open with the Art Colony paintings and the Misselhorn Collection. There are eleven art venues on the Art Walk this month. For more information go to http://stegenartwalk.blogspot.com

Paintings in progress

04/09/09

6" x 12" Zell Scene - Oils 04/09/09
10" x 10" Concrete Pots - Oils

04/09/09

6" x 12" Street Scene - Oils

16" x 20" Street Scene - Oils

12" x 16" Reagan - Oils

16" x 20" Hotel - Oils

6" x 12" Citizen's Electric - Oils

04/09/09

10" x 10" Whitecliff - Oils
04/09/09

16" x 20" Ste Genevieve - Oils
04/09/09

16" x 20" Ironton 1864 - Oils

This week I began to pull together the photo ideas that I have been saving for future paintings. Then, I picked out the canvases on which I wanted to make those paintings, made some preliminary outline sketches on the canvas and threw some paint on. Below are some of the works in progress. Next Sunday, or sooner, I plan to update with these as they have progressed.

LaPorte House

This is a painting I have had in the Studio for a long time. The first time I showed the piece was at the Ste Genevieve Christmas Art Show in 2007. This is a 24" x 20" oil painting. The top picture shows the piece unfinished just before the 2007 show in the palette I had originally used. I have gotten a lot of positive comments on the finished painting over the months, however, I have never been quite happy with it, nor has it sold. In the first place, the painting was started as a plein air painting with the summer sun directly overhead. I have never liked that kind of lighting for a painting, and most painters agree. So, I snapped some pictures of the same house in the late afternoon sun. As I rework the painting, I am considering that lighting.

Taking Stock

In order to complete my paintings for this new show, opening in a month, I needed to see what materials I had on hand. Being unemployed, I must make do with what I have on hand. As far as blank canvas, I have two 2-1/2" deep gallery mounted canvases, a 22" x 28" and a 30" x 40". I have three 16" x 20", and twenty smaller sizes. I have a bucket of acrylic gesso. I also have ten older paintingsI can finish or rework to correct problems I see in them. I also have watercolor paper with which I can make some work. I have a large stock of photos I have taken. So, potentially, using all of the canvases on hand, I could create 40 new pieces or 6200 square inches of paint to push. I am potentially, at a low $1 a square inch, creating @ $6,000 of inventory.

My next step is to inventory my photos and ideas and mate those to the canvases and create the sketches for the new paintings. That's today's work. It's raining, so I won't be disturbed by too many people walking in from Main Street.

Opening a Show on April 24th

Well, it's been a long time since I have posted. But, I want to announce that I will be starting to paint again tomorrow...and all month...until I have enough work to fill my Studio on April 24th.

My scheduled artist for May's exhibit (opening on the Fourth Friday in April) suddenly backed out last night. So, I am taking that spot! What the heck. I haven't worked since December, and it's about time I got the paint out. I will post at the end of every day, so that you can get a feel for what it would be like for me to try to produce a lot of good work in a short time frame.

By the way, April's Art Walk, here in Ste Genevieve, will be something you won't want to miss. Why?

Stay tuned.