Those who know me well may appreciate this more than most.  I have eliminated about half of the things that were cluttering up my studio. Josh asked me if it was more difficult to concentrate in such a clean space . That is a pretty good question.  I did manage one painting in my newly cleaned work space. Does it look better or worse?

“Roses” 8″x20″ Oil on Board

You’ve got to love roses. They scream “paint me!” I actually think they are more appealing in a painting. In real life they just die and leave petals on my studio floor. Here are some more photos of the studio.

Below  is another photo of the paintings that I have entered into the Energen show.  They were accepted along with another small landscape.

“Tera Rosa” 36″x48″ Oil on Canvas

“Flower Girl” 24″ x 36″ Oil on Canvas

I’ve become the occasional blogger. But that is a good thing because it means I am spending the majority of my time painting. These two paintings will hopefully be in the Energen Art Show in Birmingham next month. I submitted them last Friday along with one of the Grayton Beach dune paintings. I will keep you informed on how that turns out.

This little guy has been destroying the insulation under my studio for the past few months. He became so used to my presence that he would not budge when I came down to paint in the mornings. About two weeks ago he just disappeared. I figured he had moved onto some other quarters and then Saturday morning I saw this guy in a tree about 20 feet off the back end of my studio.

I guess I won’t have to buy that live trap after all.

Tuscaloosa News Article

Daniel Garber, Tanis, June-July-August 1915. Oil on canvas, 60 x 46-1/4 inches. From the Warner Collection of the Westervelt Warner Company, displayed in the Westervelt Warner Museum of American Art, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

On the 23rd and 24th of November I taught an introductory course in pastel painting at the newly formed Jack Warner Art Institute, a division of the Warner Westervelt Museum of Art here in Tuscaloosa Alabama. The course was a survey of the use of pastel and was a preview of the upcoming six-week classes that I will be teaching at the institute. Jack Warner has put together one of the largest collections of American art in the country and it was an incredible experience teaching in a room filled with paintings by Sargent, Whistler, Chase, Casssatt, Innes, Henri and others. Information on the upcoming classes taught by Caleb O’Conner, Danny Rountree, Maureen Shots and Ruth O’Conner can be found by contacting the Westervelt Warner Museum.

The highlight of the first introductory session was the purchase of my demo painting by Mr. Warner. I cannot think of a higher honor and I am humbled to be recognized by such a knowledgeable art collector and art historian. His contribution to American art is unmatchable and I hope that when you visit Tuscaloosa you will take the time to come and enjoy his incomparable collection of art. You can also see a VIRTUAL TOUR of the museum on the website.

This painting was a battle to paint (my bifocals are making smaller still life paintings difficult these days), but was well worth the effort. After selling the painting a good friend who came back to get it on the second day was left disappointed. So it was a winner but I hate to see folks miss out on the painting that really speaks to them.

This was one of two large landscapes I brought to the show. You can now find this one at the Bennett Galleries in Nashville. The other painting went to a very nice couple from Hunstville and I realized after they left that I had never photographed the painting so you’ll just have to trust that it was the most amazing piece of art ever envisioned by mankind.

This is my friend Ab The Flag Man who’s booth has been next to mine for the last twelve years. Along with producing these amazing flags out of pieces of wood he is a great musician and played for the artist party on Saturday night.

Here is a small sampling of the people who helped me out this weekend. The little tiny one on the left is my daughter Sarah Grace (who is always a huge help and is very skilled at keeping wooden flags from hitting the ground). To her left is Dakota and then Nick. Thanks guys!

My other helper was Mary Katherine is seen hear with Sarah Grace. They both did a great job of explaining to people that the reason there father had suddenly done three abstract paintings was because it was the only way to explain what the inside of his head looked like as a result of raising 5 kids.

This was the strangest thing I found on my camera after the weekend was over. That crazed look is coming from a man who religiously drives the speed limit and this morning I am very grateful that he does (yes, that was an insiders comment).

This is a group of family and friends that all wandered by the booth at the same time. I would do names but that would leave me here at Panera the rest of the morning. Thanks for your support guys!

The Gleasons. Faithful patrons and members of my church. Thanks for coming by guys and don’t worry USC will blow it before its all said and done. JK.

One artist, one Norris and three Chiacs (I don’t think I spelled that right)

Thanks for coming by!

This cute couple is Adam and Elizabeth (my niece) they are going to be married this winter and then are moving to Cambridge England… must be rough. The beautiful girl on the right is my daughter Mary Katherine she was a HUGE help all weekend. Thanks Mar Mar!

One last look! The girls and some folk fish.

8″x20″ Oil on Panel

Thought I would try a larger painting of the dunes. I’ve really gotten use to using the smaller brushes. I felt like I was putting paint on with a shovel on this one. The painting will be available at the Kentuck Festival in Northport Alabama in October.

This is a drawing I did  a couple of years ago. It was just sitting in a stack of papers so I thought I would post it. I always enjoy drawing males because they have harsher lines which makes them easier to see and easier to draw.

24″x24″ Oil on Canvas

Here is the still life I have been working on the past couple of days. I have changed my palette rather drastically this summer, which has been a lot of fun. As a result my still life paintings are turning out much brighter. I also set up my color corrected bulb and my florescent lights all to the left of the objects. It was a great way to find out what a lousy job the incandescent, color corrected bulb is doing at matching north light. The color corrected bulb was much warmer than the 5000K florescent lights. I didn’t have any problem finding warm and cool contrasts in this one.

As always, you can contact me if you are interested in this painting.

14′x11″ Oil on Canvas

This scene is from the Westervelt Gardens here in Tuscaloosa Alabama. The gardens are beautiful and start on the top of a bluff and work their way down through arbors and arches to the lake below (Lake Tuscaloosa). I have done four paintings of the gardens and have found them to be very difficult to paint due to the abundance of shapes and colors and the difficulty on deciding on which portion of the abundant subject matter to portray. Jack Warner owns the garden and has been very gracious over the years to allow painters to come and paint there. As most of you may also know, Jack Warner has put together one of the finest collections of American art in the world. It is now housed in the Westervelt Warner Museum.

6″x8″ Oil on Raymar Panel

Well, I unwillingly took a week off of painting. I was just a little under the weather but it made it very difficult to paint. Hopefully I will be able to spend some extended time in the studio this week. This is the first fall that I have planned to take several outdoor painting days but we have been smothered in rainy days. You can certainly paint a rainy day but it’s hard to do it without getting wet. Anyway, I can’t remember the last time we had this much rain in August and September. It seems like it has been non-stop since I came home from the beach. I should probably just go back!