Robert Reeves: Oil & Dust

This morning’s a little hectic as was last night. Suffice it to say that it was a good weekend. Lots of painting Friday, an afternoon/evening of taking pics Saturday. Plus I had the pleasure of attending a reception for a good friend, Michelle Holley at SMASH. Very cool Art. Very cool clothes. A good time was had by all. Follow that up with a great night out on the town. Food, drinks, darts, good company. Loads of fun. Sunday was a day for cleaning, cooking, and designing. Add to that I sold a painting to a friend. It’s always nice to know when one of your babies is going to a good home.

Not much philosophizing today… I made some pretty big adjustments to the latest painting. I’m trying to unify the sky and sidewalk while keeping a loose feeling in the brushwork. Hoping to get back to it tonight. We’ll see if the Universe goes along with me.

(…insert 12hr break here…)

I did get a nice surprise today. I received a call that one of my pieces had been accepted into the City of Des Moines Hi Performance Report. Every year they hold a contest and the winners are represented in the printed report. I was hoping for the cover, but got one of the interior sections. I will never complain about getting free publicity… or prize money. Looks like I can finally get a new MP3 player. My iPod’s battery is kaput.

Cheers,

R

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It’s been a long, but productive day. Didn’t sleep much last night. Probably about an hour all told. It was a day of dead car batteries, sick children, and tax preparation. Throw in a bit of cleaning for good measure. I tried to paint, but lack of sleep is getting the better of me. I’m having some issues focusing so I’m about to hang it up for the night. I do have a couple of images from last night’s round in the studio. So I’ll post them and call it good.
Here they are. I’m hoping to put the finishing touches on this by the end of next week. That should get it done in time to put it on display at a place here in tttdt….

(at this point I started spacing out and typing rows of letters. My body had finally given out and my mind was seriously considering the beneficial aspects of a coma. Taking this as a sign that perhaps I’d pushed myself too far and needed some rest… I went to bed.)

So to pick up where I left off last night I’ll post my image updates and make some comments on the concept of No-Mind. I think there can be benefits to working in a state of exhaustion. They were NOT apparent last night and I think I was right to give up the ghost when I did. Some of my best work, however, has been created while in a state of total exhaustion. When you do something long enough you develop “muscle memory”. I experienced what I later learned was a state called No Mind during my study of Neko Ryu, dance, and when I was a new father with a cholic-y baby who never slept. We find or put ourselves into situations where we’re pushing ourselves to the point of collapse. The mind disengages to a point, but the body continues to repeat the actions we’ve learned and practiced over and over again. This is a very common state that any distance runner can tell you about. Like a “runner’s high” it can be a pretty eurphoric place.

I’ve been painting for a long time now (nearly 18yrs!) so the physical act of painting has been so ingrained that the body paints more or less on its own. Once I know what it is that I want to do with an image the act of putting it on the canvas becomes, to a point, more physical than mental. I’m still extremely focused, but it seems to me that my mind is engaged on another level. Like an outside observer. When you hit that state you take away the potential of over-analyzing your actions and paint instinctively. The results can be startlingly good. But as with anything else your mileage may vary.

It’s supposed to be warm here in Iowa so I’m looking forward to getting out and getting some more photos.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Cheers,

R

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I’ve had a chance to make a little more progress on my latest NYC painting. I’m approaching this with a fair bit of ecstatic energy. I’m using big brushes. I’m attacking the canvas. I’m working up a sweat. I love it. I mentioned in my last post that I’m determined to loosen up and stop nitpicking my paintings to death. They start out with so much energy, but I feel like they get bogged down. It’s all part of the process of learning so I’m good with it. I want to spend my time in the studio not trying to churn out masterpieces (which, in my opinion, happen on their own), but working on myself as a Painter and Artist. The Artist paints him/herself ultimately. One way or another our work reflects who we are, what we’re doing, where we’re at. I think most things we do are opportunities for personal development.
Which leads me to something else… The other side of that coin: The Sowers of Strife. Those of us who spend our time trying to better ourselves, trying to help others, trying to raise families, or whatever have got to be baffled by people who spend their days trying to foul up the lives of others for their own gain. Dante maintained that the 8th circle of Hell was reserved for these jackholes. I personally don’t think that’s deep enough. These are the people that scam retirees out of their pensions and candy right out of the mouths of children. In the last year I’ve been targeted by a number of scammers. Email scams are the order of the day. So far I’ve yet to be taken, but I know those who have been. I have the benefit of having been an administrator for a corporate email system for a few years. You see all kinds of great stuff. I’ll admit they’re getting better, but since New Years I’ve been solicited no less than five times to help some poor, hapless soul get out of being “stranded” in a foreign country. Last January it was a bogus painting purchase offer that involved me paying for “shipping” costs up front, but only AFTER the receipt of a “completely varifiable” cashier’s check. Point being the age of internet commerce has been a great boon for artists. We can get our work in front of an amazingly wide audience. It increases the potential for sales, shows, you name it. The other side is that it increases exposure to these pathetic wastes of oxygen. Keep sharp and always check your sources. The ubiquitous nature of the internet makes anonymity a forgone conclusion for those you are dealing with. Don’t let that keep you from engaging in e-commerce. It’s a great way to do business. I, myself have an Etsy store and have made some great sales through there, email, and Facebook, but you never really know who’s on the other end of the line. When in doubt use your tools. Check your sources. I always confer with www.ArtScams.com if I’m sceptical about an email or offer. I’d suggest you do the same.
Best of luck, and… Let’s be careful out there.

Cheers,

R

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Saturdays were made for leisure or at least for the pursuit of things not involving the stress or the daily grind of the work week (ie: hobbies, home projects, etc). Doesn’t always work that way tho. Like I tell my kids, “work before pleasure”. So the day started with fried egg sandwiches and housework. Well, at least that’s out of the way for now.

I’d set the rest of this day aside for myself. I had a lot of Me stuff to take care of. Aside from some personal grooming events (read as Haircut and a decent shave) I promised myself, Universe willing, that I’d get a start on taking pics for the upcoming Art Festival Mural project. I’ve spent the last couple of hours walking around downtown looking for good shots. I need something that definitively says “Des Moines”. I’m working with some constraints so I’m looking for compositions that hold up well in a long, horizontal format. Size not necessarily withstanding, the painting will need to be produced in a 5:2 ratio. Plus the composition needs to be, for lack of a better word, busy. People will be painting small sections of the final piece and I can’t imagine that there are that many people out there that would want to paint an all blue square for example. It needs variety. Ultimately I’ll need to take more than a little creative license with the image to make sure the instances of that are as few as possible. I plan to go back out around sunset and again once it’s dark. Thankfully the weather’s working with me. It’s a great day. Calm, relatively warm (damned near 50! woohoo!), and sunny. I could personally go for a few more clouds… for variety’s sake, but they can always be brought in from other, later shots. Not to mention I’ve got a stash of DSM pics going back nearly 5yrs.

I’ve also managed to make some more progress on my latest NYC piece. I’m wanting to make this piece a little less “slick” than some of my more recent work. A conversation I had last night confirmed my own feelings that, although it’s not as bad as stuff I’d produced a couple of years ago, my paintings are feeling a bit overworked. Funny, the person who made the comment was quite apologetic about it, but in truth he merely said what I’d already been thinking. The wet streets, long shadows, and bright lights I think will lend themselves to a looser approach. I’m seeing areas of unpainted canvas and looser brushwork. I’ve been trying to stick to my mural-sized brushes for this (3-4″). I’m thinking there’ll be time for some more work on it later tonight.

That same discussion brought up another point that I’d been kicking around. Many times after seeing a web-posting of one of my pieces people will comment on how much they look like photographs. This is a little disappointing to me because in person they don’t look like that at all. The brushwork tends to be loose and energetic. At least, that is, when I don’t overdo it. I’m thinking I need to incorporate some sort of zoom mechanism into the site. If you know of anything that would help with that please let me know.

Sunset’s coming in an hour or so. Time to start thinking about where I want to be when that happens.

Cheers,

R

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As a general rule I like to keep busy. I like to be occupied with… something. I don’t like lengthy periods of inactivity. They drive me nuts. All I wind up doing is thinking about what it is that I could/should be doing instead of relaxing. That being said I do enjoy taking a break from my usual grind to spend a little time doing nothing. As much as it might bother me I know that it’s also necessary to have physical and mental downtime. I did this last night for a couple of hours. I played some games and watched some DVDs that I need to return to a friend. It’s been a rough couple of days and for some reason I’m seeing it getting worse before it gets better. Homelife issues, shows, work. Such is life though. So… I took a break. My way of bracing for the storm. You can see it coming and there’s nothing you can do to stop it so you sit back and watch it roll in with the knowledge that you’re going to get rained on at the very least. At worst, blown away.
There is a quote I always think of in these situations:

“There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you still get the same soaking. This understanding extends to everything”.

I like this quote a lot and I apply it to any situation where something bad or very strenuous or taxing is inevitable. It helps me to focus on the end result and not get muddled up in the middle. So there is unpleasantness that I’m dealing with in my personal life, there is the grind of the day-job (which I’m happy to have at the moment), and there’s a looming list of projects, shows, and new work that all need to be addressed. AND let us not forget that taxes are upon us. These things may weigh on my mind, but I’m happy to have the work. As for the homelife situations that loom I am resolved to get through them and so I won’t dwell on them or let them take my focus away from the present.
With that in mind I’ve started a new piece to help me meditate on the upcoming wave of activity. Fittingly enough the source photo was taken during a rainstorm. People rushing around trying to stay dry. People hurrying from awning to awning or from one doorway to another. My friends and I walked down the middle of the sidewalk… getting soaked, but comfortable in the knowledge that there was a dry, warm place waiting for us at the end. In this case at the Tir na Nog Pub across from Penn Station. I’ve just laid down the first layer of paint, but I’m already excited about what’s going on. I’m hoping to complete this one quickly. There are shows in the near future. I have much to do and people are counting on me.

And an extra special Thank You to my very good friends who have spent a LOT of helping me to work through this stuff recently.
I don’t know where I’d be without you.

Cheers,

R

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I’d have to say it was an all-around good day. I spent most of the day with my boys. I was able to blog twice. I finished a painting. I visited the new collaborative workspace, the Market Street Foundry (very cool!). My oldest got to spend the night with his bestest buddies. I got to spend the evening with my little one. I even managed to slide in a run to the grocery store without the kids. Yep. Good times.
Tonight I feel like I’ve finally finished Spiral. Here’s the final pic. I’ve made the changes I set out to make. I feel like I can put this one down. I’ve got another canvas on deck and a couple of those NYC pics to choose from. I’m hoping to work a large cityscape in. I’ve gotten to a point where I need to redirect.

I’ll say no more tonight tho. It’s late. Jackie Chan’s on the TV and it’s time to relax.

Cheers,

R

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Another week has gone by before I’d really even gotten a good start on it. So much has happened lately that my head’s spinning. Not all that unusual for me I suppose. Not all of those things have been good, but that’s life, huh.
I did manage to sneak in a couple of painting sessions and am nearly done with Spiral. Good thing too. More and more opportunities are coming my way and I need to buckle down and get working. It’s good for me to have some deadlines. Keeps me focused. Keeps me moving forward.
I figure I’ve got one more session before Our Lady of the Many Arms is finished. She’s needing some finishing touches on her hands and arms plus I need to soften up her torso. The line of her ribs and tummy is too hard. I want her to be muscular-looking, but feminine, lithe. I’m thinking tonight’s the night. We’ll dance one last time and then I’ll let her go. Other projects are looming. That means putting her down, but not before we’ve finished with each other. I’ve got ideas for some other surrealist pieces, but I don’t have time for them right now. So I’ve sketched and notated enough so that I can come back to them in the future. Stay tuned. I went waaaay out in left field for a few of them. It’s a place where I feel at home with the things lurking behind the curtains of my subconscious. Private things.
So on to the new work. Right now I’m doing a logo for an architectural firm in Chicago thanks to an old and good friend. I don’t do a ton of graphic design work, but I do enjoy it and would like to do more. So if you’ve got a line on some… think of me.
In some really great news I’ve been commissioned to create a new cityscape of Des Moines for the big Des Moines Art Festival this Summer. It’s a great event attended by thousands and I’m thrilled to be a part of it. The image will then be enlarged and divided into about 1000 squares which will be reproduced by Art Fest attendees. Those squares, when completed, will be mounted onto a framework resulting in a billboard-sized reproduction (roughly 30’x50′). That’s HUGE! I’m really pumped up for this project. Working with specific contraints and with a committee will be a new experience, but I’m totally up for it and can’t wait to get started.
On top of that there are shows coming up and contests, AND I might be speaking to an Art History and Architecture class. I love public speaking, but I’m a little nervous about this one. I’m up to the challenge tho.
I’d like to give thanks now to those people that have presented me with these opportunities and to those people that have and continue to believe in me. I won’t let you down. I appreciate you more than you know.

When opportunities arise you rise with them.
Sometimes you bite off more than you can chew, but it’s better than starving.

Cheers!

R

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So much to do. So much that’s been done. So much that gets left on the wayside.
It’s been an all-around busy week. Seems like everything happens at once. I’m sure there’s a law of causality that governs it or at least makes a flail attempt to explain it. I’ve been happy to be busy. It keeps you from dwelling on any one thing excessively. That works for me. I’m kinda all over the place anyway.
Got great news this week. I’m keeping it largely under my hat, but there are those that know. Just want to get going on it a bit before I talk to much more about it. Suffice it to say that it’s a great opportunity and I have some serious Thank You’s to dole out.
Had a great weekend. Got to visit some friends and had a great night out at some very cool places. More Thank You’s.
My social life has taken a bit of a front seat lately. Perhaps it’s time to ease up on that a bit. It can be a bit addictive and can hinder one’s productivity, but it can be good too. You can’t hole up in your studio and expect anything to happen to you.
As a result of all of this Our Lady of the Many Arms has taken a bit of a break. I have some pics from my last session with her. I’m thinking her arms are a pretty good metaphor for things as they are right now. I’m reaching in may directions at once, but doing it gracefully. Or at least making an attempt.
Does this mean my feminine side is a six-armed woman?
She’s lost some arms and the ones that are left are feeling more or less right to me. I just need to spend some time on their shape and pose. Then we’ll refine form. I think she’ll be done soon. I’ve got other projects that need tending to though so she may take longer than I think. The paying projects take precedent right now.

Gonna be a good week.

Cheers,

R

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More updates on Our Lady Spiral.
Sometimes when I’m working on cityscapes I feel stuck or sortof blah about the piece. It can get hard to move forward or at least feel like you’re making progress. A college prof of mine used to call these Slave Paintings. Pieces you feel like you’re tied to. They can become a burden. They can even make you feel like you don’t want to go to the studio and work. Sometimes though, all you have is dogged determination. I’ve got a couple of pieces on the easel or in the sketchbook that are started to feel like this. Projects that I’ve started or should start that I just don’t want to touch right now.

This piece has stepped in and wiped all of that away for a while at least. It’s taking focus away from my core portfolio work, but I like painting this way sometimes. It has really gripped my imagination. Painting without references is pretty liberating to me although I’m still grumbling about the lack of a figure-model to help with the arms and final leg positioning. You do what you can sometimes. There IS a life drawing group that gets together at a local gallery. Perhaps I’ll get off my ass and get down there. I’ll have to make do. Improvisation is a big part of creativity in my book. If you can’t improvise you can quickly find yourself stuck. When you don’t have what you need you find a way to get it or get around it.

I feel like I’m getting to the end of this one even tho I’m still unsure as to how many limbs she’ll have when we’re done. Plus I’m still fiddling with the final positioning of the one’s she’s got. I’ve got some ideas for a new one, but I’ve got to get some more cityscapes done. Some potential shows coming up that I’ll need them for. I don’t feel like this work should mix with the rest. Pieces like Spiral are more personal to me and need special attention. Their own show

Cheers,

R

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I’ve noticed something. Since I’ve started painting Spiral I’ve started seeing things a little differently. I’ve noticed that I don’t feel as isolated. My work for the most part depicts either empty streets, or streets with one or two people (minus the cars… they don’t count as people). A lot of my paintings are, then, studies in isolation or the juxtaposition of isolated individuals.
I think you get back what you put out. So here I am depicting these singular elements under darkness. You see what I’m getting at.
Since I started working on her I’ve had a slightly different outlook. My social calendar is filling up. I’m spending more time involved hands-on with things. I’m wanting to involve people and get involved with them. I find myself sketching again. An act that had become more and more rare in the last few years. I don’t know if it’s just the change of subject matter. Perhaps I’m opening up more.

I’m shooting from the hip more on this. I don’t have any photo-references to make my decisions for me on what goes where. No pre-built skylines or people walking about. I’m having to get more involved and take the work a little more personally. I don’t think this is going to be necessarily where my work is going, but I’m definitely going to be spending more time with this part of my personality.
So, she’s got me going. I’ve added and removed arms. Repositioned legs and breasts. Her head’s about the only thing that’s left intact from the original canvas sketch. I’m hoping to get some help soon with the poses. After that it’ll be a little more academic. I’d like to finish her, but I can’t do that until I’m satisfied. Perhaps I’ll have to put her aside for a while to play catchup on some other work, but honestly I can’t really go down to the studio and not work on her.
Preparing to tangle with those arms tonight.
Wish me luck.

Cheers,

R

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