Been kicking around experimentation in short paintings. I feel like I launch pretty regularly into 6 month long projects. Does anyone remember the huge Gawaine painting I made? How about the 12 foot dragon sculpture I never finished?

After a while on one of those, I feel like like I’m driven by sheer sunk cost fallacy. Additionally, I keep…maybe all of them. I can sell small paintings, but very few people want a 70 pound painting for 1000 plus dollars. Someone told me to make big paintings to sell small ones- the idea being that people would want the big ones and then buy the little ones because they are still cool but more affordable.

So, here is the first thing I finished- I posted about a little a few weeks ago. The idea here was to make a bunch of tiny, North Braddock themed paintings. Unfortunately, doing a really small painting (3×3 inches) is almost as bad as doing a ginormous painting. Technique wise, this painting looks cooler from farther away because I dialed the colors up to 8-9 and then cut them in some places with their color complement. (Been thinking a lot about Matisse). So, from up close it looks a little clunky an bright- but from far away, it coheres into something pretty special, I think, which was the goal. I really like making landscapes of areas that don’t get a lot of attention. I think that painters should have local reference. I like to find out that the artist’s physical environment informed the way they think about their paintings. I am committed to representing North Braddock in my work- I just have to figure out what direction that should go. I think little paintings, but bigger than this one, and then theme and variation.

Proud of this little painting. I was thinking of doing a huge multi room house- but I finished this, and it seemed finished. I like the yellow to blue light transition- I want to have that kind of movement more in the future. The portrait is right in the zone I’d like it to be- suggestive, but also not totally unrealistic. I think it has the sense of quiet I’ve wanted from my living room paintings. I’ve recently been reflecting that the living room paintings might be my favorite paintings I’ve ever made. That’s because they click with so many of my art thoughts- like representing people’s realistic lives without being needlessly gritty or sentimental. Trying to think through the importance of people’s private lives. Seeing how the worlds people create might partially stand in for who they are on the inside as well.

So- here are two paintings. I didn’t know where to fit them in, since they weren’t major, major projects. But I like them both very much, and are helping me think through where I’d like to go next. Bigger little landscapes/more and more intimate living rooms.

Thanks for reading- as always please comment with questions/ideas/thoughts. Love to hear from people.