Fall Focus
Painting, palettes, and Alice Neel at Zwirner
Weekly Wrap:
I’ve been at work on this painting this week. Trying to keep my focus and be present while painting and wondering if I will able to complete it in time for the looming Bennet Prize deadline. I have also been reminding myself that it is okay if i don’t, that it is more important to make a painting I’m happy with than rush it. I thought this painting was a shift away from my shadow and light series but while painting her shadow on the upholstery I recognized that this painting is still shadows and light! But here we are shifting more towards the light, so perhaps it is now a light and shadow series. I am both enjoying and exhausted painting this one. Kind of like the first sketch I attempted for this painting, many of these marks feel hard won. Painting is SO hard, both physically and mentally. I’ve had a difficult time trying to find good stopping points which means I’ve been painting longer durations than is smart and becoming totally spent. Anyway, I like how it’s unveiling—hopefully that doesn’t intimidate me and get in the way. When I like the way a painting is going I worry that I will ruin it. Another reason to work at painting faster—so I can stay out of my own way.
I bought the cutest, most pocketable watercolor palette at Blue Rooster art store. Last time I was at this art store I saw these tiny watercolor palettes at the check out. Then some place on the internet I saw the same tiny palette in use and learned they were from a brand called Art-Toolkit. I googled, I read a bunch of reviews, and I pined for one while not sure which tiny size was for me. I returned to Blue Rooster happy to see them in person and build my own set up with various size tray segments. It’s hard to believe but there is a palette close to half the size of this one! It seems a bit too impractical to me but walking away I thought maybe it would make a great edition to extend the color palette of this business card sized one. I’m sure it is still much too impractical but tiny things make me so happy! Now to decide which colors to fill it with!
I learned this week that there is an Alice Neel show at Los Angeles David Zwirner gallery! It is up until November 4th. So I have to figure out how to get myself there. The show is curated by the culture critic Hilton Als. It is titled “At Home: Alice Neel in the Queer World” and has an accompanying catalog edited by Als and published by David Zwirner Books. The works on display come from museums, private collections, and the estate of Alice Neel. I’m somehow always surprised by blue chip galleries creating their own exhibitions, comprised of works from permanent collections that are not for sale. I realize how it is win all around, increasing the profile, scholarship, and popularity of the artists the gallery represents, a win for them while at the same time a win for the art historical canon. I’m glad this model exists but it also makes me a little uncomfortable as it is a little too in bed with itself. Anyhoo, I’m ultimately very glad for any chance to see an Alice Neel show. And I can also say the same for any chance to see a show curated by Hilton Als.
I learned about the Alice Neel show via the podcast Dialogues: The David Zwirner Podcast. The latest episode Hilton Als talks with host Helen Molesworth about Alice Neel and his curation of the exhibition.
Open call:
Clip studio paint 41st international illustration contest
Due: October 9, 2024, 23:59 UTC
Theme: Seasons
Winners announced: November 6
Having crossed the equinox last Sunday and therefore shifting from Summer to Fall, a season themed illustration contest feels timely! This ClipStudio contest asks entrants to draw a favorite season, seasonal activity, or seasonal memory. Entry is as easy as posting and hashtagging #cspcontest41 on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, or Facebook. It does not seem to require one to use ClipStudio for the creation but does ask that entries denote what apps were used in the works creation. Also ClipStudio has a very generous trial period for anyone wanting to check out this robust, digital drawing app, available here.