11.19.13

Our life is frittered away by detail...Simplify, simplify.
~Thoreau

I have been trying to look at life in this way for a while now. A simple life is a happy life. I am going on week two of no alcohol and it's going really well. I am drinking seltzer instead of beer, love the stuff.

New work

I am pretty excited about the new panels I started today. I have a pretty clear idea of how these paintings will develop. It's always nice when your vision for a new painting is pretty easily translated right into the medium.

I also captured the furry creatures enjoying each others warmth and company this morning.

11.12.13

Well, we woke up to snow on the ground this morning and it's beautiful. The first windshield scraping is always a little bit annoying, but it's just the beginning. I will still get out on the bike during the winter as long the gear is in place. On the days I can't get out to ride I can always jump on the rollers and get a decent pedal in and sweat it out a little.
This will be my Dad's last day of work and I am very happy for him. He has worked very hard over the years and now he can devote his time to doing the things he loves to do, not that he hasn't been making time for these passions along the way. I look forward to seeing some new woodworking projects including some furniture pieces.
I am learning about the TAP teaching program today in Burlington. Teaching has been something I have considered doing for a while, but I haven't made the steps to get there. This is my time in life where I am growing and learning about the best version of myself.

The River of Light 2013

I am bringing the old blog page back to life. It's been a while since I have posted, 4 years or so. Lately, I have been riding the touring bike on the rolling dirt roads nearby and looking for new employment.

Kim and I recently attended a very cool lantern building workshop. These lanterns will join hundreds of other lanterns in a parade on December 7th in Waterbury, VT. The parade is called The River of Light. This image is a view of my lantern from the inside looking at the pieces of willow that make up the skeleton structure.

http://ariveroflightinwaterbury.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/the-river-of-light-2013/

Inside the lantern looking up

Sunrises sunsets

I have really been enjoying watching the sun rise up over the horizon and watching all the light flood our apartment. The bike commuting has slowed down a bit due to some icy build up followed by little snow storms. I try to at least get some running in on the days I don't ride. It's been an interesting challenge riding the 5.5 mile route through the elements and sharing the road with varied motorists.
The paintings are coming along. I am trying to play more with the white space to emphasize the colors and textures of the scape or objects which occupy the expansive ground. Even though the scale of the images may be small the space still eludes to a vast world.
Walking at night has been really inspiring when things are quiet. It gives me time to clear my head or just organize the thoughts that are present. The visual inspiration is always helpful too, the way the moon lights up certain objects or structures.
The wedding plans are all coming into place and the save the dates turned out wonderfully (see above image).
It will be real nice to be able to open the windows and let the fresh spring air in.

Bike commuting and a winter series

I started in on some new panels recently and the color palette seems to coordinate with the colors of the season. I have also been trying to finish up other pieces so that I have a solid body of work to be able to present to local galleries.

I am trying to keep up with bike commuting also but some recent weather has delayed me a bit but I feel like I will back on the road any day now. The new cross tires work really well to get me through soft snow and slush but unless I get some studs I am not doing any icy rides but I can deal with the cold. Riding a fixed gear bicycle does provide a little more control in slippery conditions so that's been fun.

fall 2008 new work

It sure has been a while since I last posted, I have been busy riding my bike and enjoying the outdoors for the summer months. I have been having fun working on these pieces, the drawn imagery is taken from doodles, it seems that doodles that are not intended to be finished pieces end up being great additions to painted surfaces. I like to bring the doodles to life by giving them a space to live in and other characters to interact with. The first image is of my brooks saddle that has been so good to me on all of my commutes to work and the longer rides as well, definitely better on the bum for longer rides, get a brooks you won't regret it.

summer biking, art and life

It has been a spell since my last post but I have been recording my thoughts and ideas in sketchbooks and wherever I can write something down or doodle. My good friend Dean helped me with shooting pictures of some updated paintings and also a couple paintings that are going to be submitted to the 2009 Biennial, exciting stuff. Thanks Dean!
It has been really fun riding the steamroller around town and to work and back, it can be a workout sometimes but for the most part it is a very efficient machine.
Happy Summer...

fixed steamrolling, painting progress, warm weather

paintings

tangle

the steamroller

willard beach

Higgins Beach Ride

two panels

The transfers came out pretty decent on these two panels, we shall see where they go from here.

Oh, I took my bike out for a spin after work since the streets were more dry and it was pretty warm. Kim and I are off to VA for four days to visit some friends and do yoga and ride bikes and visit museums and drink new beer and just be young.