Petite gardens

I have been working on some small paintings of the my favorite theme. It is interesting to compress the color and brushstrokes. I am trying to add enough details without getting too clunky with the paint. I hope to do a series.

Petite Garden

9" X 12"

oil on linen

In Memory- Robert Grilley

On September 19 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison there was a memorial for one of their great professors, Robert Grilley or "Mr. Grilley" as we called him as graduate students back in the late 1970s.

Mr. Grilley set a standard of excellence that we all strove to achieve. He was tough on his students and could prove his point on a chalk board whenever anyone doubted him. I still feel the influence of Mr. Grilley in my own teaching career after 31 years.

His studio is still set up as if he will be back later to paint.

Warm fall gives me a little more time.

The fall has been so sunny and warm you would think it was still summer. The dying plants and turning leaves kind of give it away. But I have been able to paint a few more days because of it. The palette has changed and some of the fall flowers are a bit jarring compared to the summer harmonies. The angle of the sun has changed quite a bit and prime time for my morning is closer to 11:00 am instead of 9:30 am. But, every day of painting outside is a good day.

On Location

When you look at these photos it looks like I am literally in a painting doing a painting.

Actually these photos were taken by Mankato photographer Michael Schwertfeger. He was working at the site and happened to snap a couple of extra pictures and sent them my way.

How refreshing to be on location at the garden.

One more before the frost.

William Bukowski

The Path (again).

This painting is two days old and I have hopes of getting this done from life. Some of the flowers are dying and the leaves will be falling. I have to get as far as I can given conflicts, rain, and the seasonal change.

I may be working on paper and on smaller canvases, we shall see.

Summer session is over.

With conflicts like teaching, it is time to finish the summer garden paintings. It is harder than it looks to paint consistently at a site as the season changes. Some of the greens are turning orange and yellow already. I have to decide if I want to paint a dying garden. There could be something there, but would you want to contemplate the death of a garden in your house? or in your place of business? I suppose it could be in the great tradition of death paintings. They just aren't for everyone.