The Veterans Memorial Park Band Shell Mural work got underway last week! After plenty of washing, scraping and sanding the entire shell was primed. Then the "sky" area of the shell got it's coat of light warm gray; it has just a touch of pinkish to it so it takes on a different color appearance depending on the time of day.
Here is a link to an article and related video in the Helena (Montana) newspaper where you can see the old mural that I am covering up:
http://helenair.com/news/article_76c13284-9491-11df-b698-001cc4c03286.html?mode=story
I don't know how long the newspaper leaves their article/video links online, so check this one out soon.
Here's a photo of the primer being applied (Nathan operating the airless sprayer and me doing the rolling to even out the spray.

And here is a photo of the band shell all primed and with the sky pinkish gray painted in the shell.

Oscar the Bionic Cat

Well, this is a blog site about my art, but I found this series of videos to be of enough interest, that I thought I'd share them here. They are about a two-year old cat named Oscar whose hind legs are cut off in a farm accident. The videos document the medical marvel that gives back Oscar's mobility and life.

Here's a video that shows Oscar his with his first proto-type legs/paws; The veterinarian's comment at the end is especially touching:
Oscar's First Bionic Feet

Here's a video giving some information about the medical procedure that gave Oscar his bionic legs/paws;

Here's a video that shows Oscar with his permanent "legs" (as opposed to the proto-type legs shown in the first video with the veterinarian:

Mural Proposal selected!

I've been selected to create a new mural for the Veterans Memorial Park Band Shell in Montana's State Capitol, the City of Helena. I'm excited about this for two reasons: First, I'll have the opportunity to create a large public art work that will add meaning to an existing structure; Second, the mural site is one of high daily visibility to not only people using the park but also passing motorists (both local and tourist.)

The imagery in the band shell represent three Helena iconic structures: Historic Fire Tower, the Capitol building's dome and St. Anne's Cathedral. On the wing walls are: On the left wall, a cavalry soldier with flag (Ft Harrison is across the street from the band shell) and the pick/shovel/gold pan (a subject also on Montana's state flag); On the right wall a WWII soldier with flag and the sod busting plow (also a subject on Montana's state flag--and like the pick and shovel, allude to different eras important to the state's history.) The band shell, not counting the two wing walls, is 48 ft across the opening.
(To access a larger view of this sketch, click the image above.)

Sidelines of History

This video is one of those interesting tidbits I find while researching art projects. For more information visit Vojtek - WWII Soldier Bear

"A Cat's Lullaby"

"Spring Sky Over the Judiths"

"Spring Sky Over the Judiths" and "March Skies #3" (the post immediately below this one) each measure 9 x 7 inches. Both are on board panels and both were brought to their current state in one very short paint session. Both are also what I call "cold" (explained in the post appearing below this one.)
This painting was done "plein aire" outside my studio door. It's very intense painting session for about 15 minutes and then it is set aside as the sky has changed too much to continue. I enjoy working in this manner and am never disappointed with the results. Works like this are always about the paint as well as the subject.

"March Skies #3"

This small painting is based on an earlier larger work which I no longer own, but which still influences my stormy sky paintings. "March Skies #3" as it appears here is a work in-progress, but it may not change much (if at all), as it is now cold. The painting was started before I left for my most recent two-week residency in Oregon and now enough time has elapsed that the energy of the first session is cold. Is there energy still? Yes, absolutely! But it's not the same energy. Also, the paint has dried so additional brushwork will sit on top of this first layer rather than merge or flow with it. And that's an important consideration because this work is as much about the paint as it is about the subject.

"Spring Winds" (or, Gusty Skies Over the Judiths")

Painted on a gesso primed wood panel, this oil  painting started as a sketch that developed a mind of it's own, so to speak. Upon reaching a certain stage I determined that it be declared finished and then left alone. Sometimes talk is cheap and I might push a painting too far. This painting, however, works for me. The scratchy, hurried linear marks that make up this work give a feel for the crisp spring winds that pack a good bite for all who were fooled by the sun and so are unprepared for what spring is on the high prairie.

"Hmmm. . . . ."

This is a small work in-progress. It is oil on wood panel and measures 8 inches high by 4 inches wide. It's my impression of Neko when she's thinking: "Hmmm. . . what can I get into next?"

Often I paint on small panels to "warm up" before doing anything else. And just as often, I end up liking the spontaneous quality of these small works. Always, the warm up paintings are as much about paint as they are about subject. This particular work will, no doubt, lead to more and larger works based on Neko.

The eyes at this point are simply lifted out of the blackish/brownish paint but I may decide to leave them at this stage. For me, there seems to be enough "attitude" in the gesture of the tail, head and ears. And there is a sense that the cat is lifting itself slightly on it's toes, ready to spring into action.

Neko, by the way, is a small black kitten growing into a leggy long-tailed mischievous cat who needs to know absolutely everything about everything in the whole house! Neko's fur is black, but her attitude is pure sunshine!

"North Of Town"

"North Of Town" is a 5 x 7 inch oil painting. The town referred to is Lewistown and time of year is late winter, when the snow is getting yellowing thin. This is a memory work--i.e., I created it based on landscapes recalled from auto trips taken in the area. My initial intent was to create a study that would resolve some compositional thoughts leading to a larger work. When it reached this state, it felt "finished." Pinning it to the studio wall, I left it to dry for several weeks and then decided to sign and frame it.

Back Home (for a while)

I'm finally back home! The return road trip was long but uneventful. But I've hit the ground running here, as I have several new project applications to get into the postmail and email within the week or so.
The Redmond Proficiency Acadamy students got their mural project off to a good start the week I instructed there. The school set up a "moodle" access for me to stay in touch via the internet between now and when I return to Redmond in late April to facilitate the actual painting. Sometime over the next few days, I'll be posting some photos of all the residencies I conducted in Oregon since January.

Mid-week point - Artist Residency at RPA

Since the previous blog post, the first week of my artist residency at Redmond Proficiency Academy is at the mid-point and the mural is starting to form as an image with specific elements. Working with a small core group of students, I've taken them through the following steps since beginning on Monday:
Site Visit - After a brief introduction and overview of the mural project, we visited the site where the completed mural is to be installed. There are actually two sites involved; one is a temporary site in the City of Redmond Centennial Park and the other is the permanent location the mural will be moved to at the end of summer.
Brainstorm Ideas - Group discussion to generate ideas for subjects that may be included in the mural. Follow-up research for source images was begun after the brainstorming session.
Formal Meeting with the "Client" - Students met at City Hall with Economic Development Director and representatives from the RCAPP and the Centennial Committee. A pre-meeting group discussion generated questions the students determined they needed to ask at the meeting. The meeting ended with a visit to the mural installation sites led by the Economic Development Director; additional questions and concerns were discussed at each site.
Formulating the Basic Composition - Students discuss and map out what images go where in the mural. This process will continue through the end of the week.
Creating a Budget - Students create a budget, working with unit prices and then calculating total costs. I also introduce line items that are typical requirements in "real world" proposed budgets and discuss the purpose of each and why it is needed.