I’m a purist when it comes to preparatory sketches. I’ve relied on charcoal and drawing paper to work out the details (usually, to eliminate the details) of a composition before starting a painting. But charcoal is messy–a trait I love about it. But that trait doesn’t make it the easiest medium to work with when sketching spontaneously from my car, or in a hotel room on my son’s baseball away games (this post is being written in Hamden, CT, in a hotel room, between tournament games).
Lately I’ve found the iPad–amazing as it is in all respects–to be an amazing drawing tool. It’s about the size of a 6 x 8 sketch book, and can be drawn on vertically or horizontally. I use Bamboo Papers, a drawing and notes app that’s pretty basic, but very true to the art of drawing. The tools are few, but the sketch quality is near that of pencil-on-paper. Given the option, I’ll always choose charcoal and paper over the iPad, but having found it to be a great alternative, has allowed me to draw when I otherwise wouldn’t have. You can check out Bamboo Papers here.
Wow, no new posts since April! Been a busy spring/early summer with variety of projects underway. In addition to new work shipped to Bainbridge Island (Roby King Gallery), an upcoming show with Cama Inc at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale, and a November show in Richmond, VA at the Red Dood Gallery, it’s always great when something more local is newsworthy.
I’ve been pleased to have work on display at the Copper Door restaurant in Bedford, NH. Recently, a couple from a nearby town spotted “Reclamation” while enjoying lunch at the Copper Door, and contacted me about its availability. After finding a suitable piece to swap out, Reclamation went home, and the buyers kindly shared a photo of the piece hung in their beautiful home.
Symmetry :: 48 x 48 :: oil on canvas :: 2012
Larry Powers at the Powers Gallery, Acton, MA, recently sold this large 56 x 56 piece “Summer Light” to a Concord, MA couple who needed the right piece for a large two-story atrium wall. Artists don’t always know where there work ends up, so it’s always gratifying to see a piece in its new owner’s homes. The Powers Gallery’s blog post can be found here: http://on.fb.me/H9qhTA
