Rhapsody in Blue

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My uncle was a concert pianist. The last time I saw him alive was at an outdoor concert he played with a symphony orchestra. They played Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” It has been a favorite of mine since then.

I gave it that name because the glass building known as the Indianapolis Artsgarden reflects the blue sky. It is surrounded by high rise buildings of different colors. It is though there is a symphony of sights as you look upwards, and the Artsgarden sings out in blue.

The sun shines bright, the orange and white buildings stretch upward. The blue structure starts it’s solo as the sunlight begins to illuminate it.

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Still Life Demos

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I teach a still life oil painting class.  I always have two or three set ups to paint from which are lit from the side with lamps.  The lights are turned off.  This gives a great contrast of light and shadow.

The demos are done quickly, just to give the students an idea of how to paint them.  I try to teach them some of the elements of art during this time.  These paintings are never completed.  I just want to give the feel of what can be done.  The painting on the left has a pitcher and bowl.  They are white, but with the light and shadow many different values and colors can be seen.  The one on  the right is to give the artists what to look for in a bowl of fruit  —  how to look for the different shapes of color with it’s highlights and shadow.  After I’m through doing the demonstration I expect my students to see what their own interpretations will become.

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Ball-Point Pen Portrait

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To become good at most things takes a lot of practice.  This would include playing the piano, singing, dancing, and art.  I draw four or five portraits per day.  Quite often I am using a ball-point pen.  I find that if I can draw well, my painting does well.  Also I’ve found I do much better doing a portrait from a live person than a photograph.  People have asked me to draw from a photo, but this method is rarely satisfying because the photos usually  are flat looking, have no dimension to the face, and are just too hard to read.  I recommend doing at least a half hour of drawing practice every day, and to draw from life.

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Tomato Blossoms

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Last winter my wife dug the grass away from the fence.  This spring she had me buy some bricks for a border and two large bags of potting soil.  She lovingly planted tomato plants, peppers, zuchini and crookneck squash and some pole beans.  We’re experiencing the benefits each night with fresh salads with the fruits of her garden.

As a little kid I liked to stand on my head and see what things looked like upside-down.  I’m still that way.  I love to look at things from unusual angles. This view is from down below and sideways.  You see my wife’s tomato plant right next to the chain-link fence.  There is a rythm.  Each link is one rythm, then the blossoms in a row.  The lines on the side of the building do the same thing.  You could imagine a child laying on the grass looking at this scene.  In the case of this painting, it would begin raining on him in the next few minutes.

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Long Jump

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This was a commission I did for the proud father of this athlete.  He was a record holder in the long jump at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

I had a hard time trying to get the look of action.  Finally I painted little gobs of paint in the background, then quickly and lightly brushed them sideways.  They blended slightly, but gave a blurred look as though he was moving.

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Eugene

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After much too long in our history, it it time for all humans to be equal.  The predjudices of the past need to be discarded.  We are all important.  Our mothers looked at us all as perfect beings when they first looked upon us, and we are the same now.  We must love our brothers and sisters, no matter what our background is, while at the same time, we should rejoice in the richness of the cultures of each individual group.

This is Eugene.  He is one of the most intelligent and talented men I have ever met.  He is very happy and comfortable with his own culture, but fits in well with the rest of the world.  I asked him if I could do his portrait because I wanted to portray an African American man who is happy and comfortable with who he is.

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Handbags

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If you want to see what a real “Tom Slack” painting is like, this is it.  I’m so very interested in figurative painting, as well as cityscapes.  I love the human form.  In college I spent many hours painting nude models, and frankly, I was bored to death with them.  I am much more interested in portraying clothes on a person  —  the folds of the fabric, the patterns, the shadows and light.

I had been in downtown Indianapolis and saw a group of girls standing together with big handbags hanging from behind them.  I was fascinated by the scene.  I thought it would be interesting to have different hairstyles, clothes, and styles of handbags.  The view from the back is interesting to me, because they all have a different gesture.  People are so interesting!

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At the Beach

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I’ve loved playing in the water my whole life.  Nothing is more fun than  going to the beach!  This is supposed to be my nieces Laci and Kayli and their brother, Jake while playing along the Northern California coast.

I’ve tried to create excitement with backlighting.  Note the small edge of light on the right side of them, while the rest of their figures are in shadow.  I’ve splashed a few waterdrops around along with crashing waves.  Kayli is running through the water.  The waves above their heads show sunlight shining through them.  Trees and shoreline are in the distance.  I haven’t put detail in their faces.  I wanted the viewer to create those things in their own minds.

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