Taking Advice from Richard Diebenkorn and David Ohlerking

Current State of Commission after changes, 12/22/10

I'm currently working til the bitter deadline to finish a Christmas commission. Painting commissions first of all are challenging just in the fact that you are trying to please someone else. This one is also trying because it's all from photo reference and I'm trying to pull a lot of different ideas together into one piece.

My mission: to commemorate a client's culinary food tour in Italy, from photos supplied, and some key points mentioned by the client, and to work within the scale / dimensions agreed upon.

Page from my sketchbook featuring the selected sketch (top)

Ok, so the aspects gleaned from my conversation with the client were the factors of Mt. Vesuvius always being in view throughout their trip, the amazing pizza, and all the fresh produce and fish. So I went to work on the composition my client selected, but as I've been working in actual scale with paint and color, I'm not happy about how the lower portion is working out. The scale just wasn't working for me; all the produce appearing much smaller than the pizza itself just didn't seem right to me.

In Progress Painting, 12/21/10

So, after feeling a few moments of frustration, I looked at some of the work by TraillWorks' exhibiting artist, David Ohlerking, then went and read the notes on starting a painting by Richard Diebenkorn reminding me about the importance of moving past pretty, destroying things, and starting again. This brought me back to the point of the process of painting, making the painting work. I returned to my easel, scraped away most of the bottom portion and started again, changing scale, painting directly over the streaked remaining paint. Already I'm happier with the direction.The first image in the post is the current state, as of this evening. This must be done by Friday, my plan is to finish tomorrow.

Welcome David Ohlerking to TraillWorks

Cheddar Alley, 24" by 48", Oil on Panel,
©2010 David Ohlerking.
$1200, unframed.

Romanesque Revival in Newton, 12" x 24", Oil on Panel,
©2010 David Ohlerking.
$300, unframed

Pennies in Newton, 12" x 24", Oil on Panel,
©2010 David Ohlerking.
$300, unframed

TraillWorks has accepted a new artist to represent. Please welcome David Ohlerking of Philadelphia, PA to the gallery. When I met David last week upon his visit to Newton's Cheddar Alley for a day-long portrait-painting session I was struck by his energy, friendliness and ability to paint! I am in awe of David's loose, gestural, immediate approach which follows the methodology of 20th Century Abstract Expressionist and Bay Area Figurative Artist, Richard Diebenkorn. As part of his studies with painter, Alex Kanevsky and a project to paint free 15 minute portraits, David is following the rules of painting that Diebenkorn laid out sometime between 1966 and 1976, written here:

Notes to myself on beginning a painting (from The Art of Richard Diebenkorn, by Jane Livingston, ©1977, p.115)

1. attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion.

2. The pretty, initial position which falls short of completeness is not to be valued — except as a stimulus for further moves.

3. Do search. But in order to find other than what is searched for.

4. Use and respond to the initial fresh qualities but consider them absolutely expendable.

5. Dont “discover” a subject — of any kind.

6. Somehow don’t be bored — but if you must, use it in action. Use its destructive potential.

7. Mistakes can’t be erased but they move you from your present position.

8. Keep thinking about Polyanna.

9. Tolerate chaos.

10. Be careful only in a perverse way.

Thus far, David has presented me with three works, all of Newton, to represent at TraillWorks. For now they are unframed, but we will be working on framing them to hang them in the gallery. In the interim, here are the 2.0 versions of the paintings. David plans on painting free 15 minute portraits at Cheddar Alley on Thursdays when Spring Street is open late. Stop by Cheddar Alley; meet David, get your portrait painted and then see some of his paintings at TraillWorks.