May Post

Well, my 80th Birthday Month is over, and what a success our 80th Birthday Celebration Sale was! In normal times, we might have gone away for the weekend, and out for a nice birthday meal. But these aren't normal times, so we just tried to do something fun and celebratory. I have to say that I enjoyed celebrating my 80th birthday this way as much as I would have enjoyed doing those other "normal" things - maybe even more.

We sold all the art books that Melissa created, 23 paintings, and some cards and tote bags (which can be created from images of my art work).

Back when I started painting 25 years ago, one of my idols, Judi Wagner, gave me the best advice. She said, "Use paint as if you were a millionaire!" Well, I took that advice to heart! I primarily paint with a palette knife, and I layer paint on thickly to create texture in my work.

Judi lived in East Boothbay, down the road from our house and gallery. She has passed away, but was quite well-known and a major influence on my painting style. Believe it or not, when I started, my style was very tight, and more than anything I wanted to loosen it up. Judi Wagner and Tony van Hasselt were major influences in helping me do that.

I'm not a millionare, so it helps if I can sell my work from time to time to keep my habit going. I'm happy to say that, after the expenses of creating the books and packing and shipping the paintings, I should have enough profit to fund my paint and canvas habit until my 81st birthday.

We also gave away two paintings in a raffle and will make a nice donation to an organization that is near and dear to my heart: The St. Labre Indian School. It makes me feel good to be able to do that from my own earnings and not from the joint checking account.  :D

A big THANK YOU to all who purchased my work - long-time collectors, first-time buyers and everyone in between - it means the world to an artist when someone wants to buy your art. So again, THANK YOU! And to all who simply appreciate the art or the artistic journey, THANK YOU for the kind words and for coming along for the ride.

Despite being very busy filling the orders, I still found some time to paint. Here are some of the paintings I created in May:

Clouds Over Taos

Hill Country

North of Taos

Beginning of Autumn

Shoreline Waves

Tranquil Surf, Boca Grande

April Post (I know - I'm Late!)

Hello!

Well you would think that, what with being at home and having the calendar cleared of outings, events, appointments, etc., I would have gotten my April post up early! Clearly that didn't happen and I'm not really sure why, except that I think there's some universal truth that says that the more time you have to do something, the longer you take to do it. (I think it's one of Murphy's Laws).

In any case, I have been painting up a storm. And, my wife, Melissa, has been managing an 80th Birthday Celebration Sale of my work. That's taken up quite a bit of my time, because I am busy sealing paintings for people who have bought - which they have and I thank them very much!

That's right - I'll be 80 years old this Friday. 2020 also marks the 25th year of my career and exploration as an artist. In honor of this milestone, we created an art book and offered a limited number of them for sale. They all sold - thank you! The celebration sale of my paintings continues through month-end. Some of what I earn from it will buy canvas and paint to keep my artistic efforts going this year, and some will be donated to organizations that are in in special need during this time of the virus.

On Friday, we are doing a raffle to win one of my paintings - all who purchased a book or artwork are entered. With my May post (which I'll try to do on time), we'll have pictures from the drawing.

Here are photos of me signing the book and a few pages from it. We had it done through Vistaprint and are very pleased with how it came out.

The images below will give you an idea of what I was up to in April. Some are in that painterly impressionistic style I've been exploring and others are just regular old impressionism, I added these pieces to my FASO site, where they are for sale - actually a few of them have SOLD in the birthday sale. Anyway, when you see how many there are, you'll realized why I'm a little late with the post. Here is the link to my website if you'd like to see more of my work: JRSecorFineArt. The last piece shown is called Sunset, Boca Grance, and Melissa has confiscated that one for herself!

Enjoy the art, stay home, stay safe and we'll get through this together!

March 2020

 Hello Everyone!

In just the short span of a month since my last post at the end of February, it feels like the planet has turned upside down and gone into a tailspin. We are in the middle of the Corona Virus pandemic, a scary time for the whole world. Being 80 and having some underlying health issues, I have reason to be worried about getting the virus, though it seems that we are all at risk.

For me, staying put at home is pretty much what I do, so social distancing and self-quarantining are not much of a change or a challenge for me. What I do is what I always do: I get up in the morning, have a cup of coffee and a croissant, and go to my studio to paint.

I started the month pretty much as I ended the last in terms of my style. But during March, I came across an artist who was new to me, Mary Bentz Gilkerson. She has a painterly style that is really what I've always wanted to achieve and so her work has inspired me to make that my new artistic exploration. She is also a master at motivating artists, and sometimes I can use a little motivation - not to paint - I'm always motivated to do that - but sometimes I need to break free and try something new.

Here is a quote from Wilkinson that seems especially appropriate right now:

"Get some fresh air- this releases chemicals beneficial to humans. It gives you a sense of peace and connectedness and it will re-energize you. It is one of the best ways to anchieve a peak creative state."

Since we are all keeping close to home these days, getting outside for some air and sun seems like the best thing we can do for ourselves.

Anyway, I've been having fun with this new style and like the results - enough that I've added a new collection to my FASO website: Painterly Impressionism Collection.

Below are examples of what I got up to in March, ending with the new painterly impressionistic style. I hope that everyone will stay safe and well until we meet again in April - stay home, take care of yourself and loved ones - we are all in this together!

Grassy Dunes Boca Grande
12 by 12 on linen canvas panel

Gulf of Mexico Tranquility
18 by 24 on heavy linen paper

New Mexico High Country
18 by 24 on heavy linen paper

Across the River
12 by 16 on linen canvas panel
Painterly Impressionism

Dawn
24 by 18 on heavy linen paper
Painterly Impressionism

Summer Day New Mexico
12 by 16 on linen canvas panel
Painterly Impressionism

FEBRUARY POST

It's Leap Year, so this February is giving me an extra day to paint!

I have been experimenting with using brushes as "mock palette knives." I received three beautiful new brushes from my sister-in-law for Christmas and that inspired me to buy a few more. Believe it or not, I haven't bought any new brushes in about 20 years! We painters become very attached to our brushes, and typically to one or two out of the ten or so we have. Not only that, but in recent years I have mostly been using palette knives to paint. so I haven't really needed to buy brushes.

I have found though, that my Parkinson's makes it a little harder to control the palette knife - sometimes the big swooping clouds in my paintings are not on purpose! So, I'm back to using brushes more, but as I said, using them like palette knives, with quick, directional motion rather than going for precise detail.

Adding a heavy gel medium to the paint makes it quite thick, so I can apply it with a quick directional motion up, down or sideways, leaving as much paint on the surface as desired. The quicker the motion, the more painterly and textural the effect. I'm having fun playing around with the new brushes to see what kinds of effects I can create.

Here's an example of a piece I did using this approach. It's called Llano de San Juan Farm. Llano is a small New Mexican village nestled in the Truchas mountains.

And here are a few more examples of what I've been up to this past month. A little bit of the southwest, and a little bit of southwest Florida.

String of Distant Mesas

Autumn, Low Southwest Desert

Cathedral Rock Semi-abstract

Fog on the Horizon

Three Big Guys

January Post

I have started the new year and new decade with a lot of painting mojo! In January, I was very busy and productive. Most of my works this month are what I call "Mindscapes," which means that they are scenes (usually landscapes) that capture my memory and feelings of places that I remember seeing, or that I just think I saw! So mindscapes are reminiscent of a place, and may look like that place, or they may just look the way that place made me feel.

I have also been following a couple of artists who put instructional and informational videos on YOUTUBE. These artists have a loose style and presentation that I admire, and which inspires me to be looser in my own work. The looser I paint, the happier I am!

The artists are:

* Walt Gonske (my favorite): www.waltgonske.com. You may remember that I posted about meeting Walt at his home studio in Taos, NM last September. I have the photos to prove it! 😄

* Michael Chamberlain www.chamberlainpaintings.com. This fellow is fun to watch because his videos are a combination of art instruction and travel log, and he visits some interesting places.

I created a lot of work in January. I won't show you all of it, just a few of my favorites. These and others are available at my beautiful new website on FASO at  JRSecorFineArt.com. I have three collections on my website: Southwest Landscapes, Seascapes and Still Life. Please check it out when you have a chance.

January Favorites

Cool Spring Day, 12 by 16 on canvas linen panel. The cold of winter has left the high desert, and the smells and colors of spring are starting to emerge.

The Livin' is Easy - Southwest Grass Plains. 18 by 24 on Heavy Linen Paper, done with large brushes.

And a few more selections from my January exploits.

Winter Peace

12 by 16 on gallery-wrapped canvas

Dusk Settles on the Desert

12 by 16 on gallery-wrapped canvas

High Country Winter

12 by 16 on canvas panel

I hope you've enjoyed this update. Thank you for coming by and please come back and visit often, and don't forget to check out my FASO website at JRSecorFineArt.com. 

December

In December, I had the exciting opportunity to create my own website at Fine Art Studio Online (FASO). The folks at FASO worked with me to design a beautiful site, where I can show my work and offer it for sale directly to the public. It's very easy - if someone wants to purchase a piece, they can just buy it online using PayPal and I will be notified and will pack and ship the painting. Customers can also contact me directly with quesitons. FASO does not take any proceeds from the sale - they want to support artists and the arts. Here is a link to that site: http://rvpainter.faso.com/

At the bottom of the website page there is a box where you can add your email to be on my email newsletter list. The newsletter will only be once a month, and short - I promise I won't be filling up your inbox. So if you wouldn't mind getting it, I'd love it if you would add your name.

December is always a busier month, because of the holidays of course. Melissa really gets into them with decorating and making sure we partake of holiday events like concerts, and I go along for the ride. Punta Gorda has an excellent symphony, and that concert in particular was wonderful.

Because of my Parkinson's it's harder for me to do things I used to - like putting up a real Christmas tree. Anyone who has fought with a real tree and a Christmas tree stand can relate - even if you have all your strength and are in the best of health!  But Melissa has been adamantly against getting an artificial tree, being that New England girl at heart and one who holds long and fast to traditions.

Last year, our real tree looked fine at Home Depot but was a crooked mess with crazy branches when we got it home. Still, Melissa lovingly shaped the branches and we used shims to prop it straight, and once decorated, it didn't look half bad. Then an hour later, the tree committed suicide, crashing to the ground, spilling water from the base all over the rug and smashing some of our best glass ornaments. I think that, for a moment, Melissa had thoughts of hoisting it back up and trying to salvage the situation, but then she stopped, looked up at me, and said the words I'd been longing to hear: "Tomorrow I will go online and buy us the nicest artificial tree I can find." It was the happiest day of my life.

Within two days our tree from Balsam Hill arrived, and Melissa fell in love. Every day the tree is up, she says, "This is the most beautiful tree we've ever had," and "I'm sorry I held out for so long."

Here is a picture of our beautiful fake tree:

I had a lovely Christmas this year - in large part because Santa brought me the first new paintbrushes I've gotten in 25 years! (Yes, my brushes are that old!!). Actually it was my sister-and-brother-in-law, Jess and Terry, who gave them to me, and they are VERY GOOD BRUSHES. The painting below, A New Day on the Gulf, is the first painting I did with them - and I used all three! Here I am expressing my delight with the brushes on Christmas Day. With Parkinson's you tend to lose your smile, so the fact that you can tell I'm smiling here means I'm REALLY smiling. 

I stayed busy with painting this month and am really excited about some of the work I've done. My new and improved studio set-up is working out nicely, though admittedly it takes me some time to get used to change - even good change! 

Some of the pieces below are available on my new FASO website, but I wanted to share them with you here too, since this blog is where we really get to chat about what's been going on behind the scenes of whatever I am pursuing artistically. Hope you like them!

MESA TWINS

A NEW DAY ON THE GULF

SILENT NIGHT

SUMMER SKY

ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT

ARIZONA BADLANDS

November

I'm a little late getting my November post up, what with Thanksgiving jumping in there at the end of the month. The next thing I knew, November was over and December had begun! 

During November, I participated in an effort to support our active military and veterans by donating a portion of any painting sales to the Veterans Initiative for Therapeutic Arts. I was the artist of the month at The Yoga Sanctuary, where Melissa teaches, and also participated in a one-day event there to benefit veterans. I am happy to say that, thanks to many of you, I was able to donate $150 to VITA.



As December closed in on me, so did my studio. It's small and not as functional as I need it to be, especially now that I don't always have total control over my feet! They tend to stick or stutter-step, especially when I am turning, backing up, or getting up from the floor (where I sometimes find myself on purpose and sometimes by accident).

So, Melissa came up with a reorganization plan (she loves to rearrange things), that included adding sturdy metal shelves to give me larger, clearer workspace, and storage that is not so low to the ground. She is developing some excellent handyman skills, thanks to my fine instruction. (Insert HAHA emoji here).

Anyway, my studio space is much more functional and safe now, though I am still adjusting to the new set-up and wondering where my stuff is when it's not where it used to be.

My brother and sister-in-law, Tom and Cheryl, recently took a fabulous trip to Australia and New Zealand. Tom sent me a post card of Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains of Australia, and on the back he wrote, "PAINT THIS." So I did. I usually paint in an expressionistic-impressionistic and sometimes semi-abstract style, meaning that I capture the essence of the scene rather than a precise replication of it. With this image though, I went more realistic, and was surprised at how well it came out. The whole time I worked on it, I thought it would be a disaster. Here you can see the painting alongside the post card.

Here are a few other pieces from November:

In December, I am cleaning out my boxes of paintings and trying to be ruthless about it. They either get thrown out, repurposed (painted over) or back in the box - or sometimes they get sold!