Bad Water 12

part 12...

Dammit, the color change from the left side to the right side on the reeds is really obvious. When you take a week off and your color dries out you deserve to have something like that happen.

Bad Water 11

So I have a deadline now, and as you can see in the image below I have a long way to go on this thing. The last weekend in September, on the 29th or 30th I'm delivering work to Higher Grounds coffee shop in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia. Details coming soon.

What's more important is that I would like to have this painting finished (and dry) for this hang, which means it needs to be done by the 28th. To give you an idea of how daunting of a task that is, consider that this painting is on part 11. That means I've done 11 sittings, or studio sessions worth of work on it. The last time I did a step-by-step blogging of a painting was for Xanadu, which took 43 sittings to complete. Two weeks, 32 more sittings to go?

Xanadu was far more complicated and involved than this piece, and I anticipate its about 2/3 the work, but still I'm gonna have to do a lot better than the lame 1 hr sitting I just did tonight. But I love deadlines. They're an excuse to not sleep and be really moody and introspective.

What's most important is that this hang will be the public debut of After The Occupation, which I expect will incite bidding wars, maybe even riots complete with rubber bullets and tear gas, as I anticipate rave reviews and complete public hysteria over what I consider to be one of my best works to date.

I'm exaggerating a little, but I'm happy to get that one out of my house and in front of strangers. I'll be even happier if the painting below tentatively called Bad Water can get it self done in time. Take a look and let me know how much more you think I need to do on it....

Bad Water, 30" x 48", oil on canvas, ain't done yet...

Bad Water 10

This is only an hour's worth of work. I got caught up in a late night eating binge after taking a break and just couldn't get my head back into it. Whatever. No work tomorrow either, Giants-Cowboys on TV, and I'm OK with that. I think its healthy for artists to have sports obsessions. Its way better than having a coke habit and less time consuming than surfing YouTube for conspiracy videos. And the rest of TV sucks. There's really nothing else worth watching on except for Seinfeld reruns on CW Philly and Batman on The Hub.

See if you can tell the difference between tonight's photo and the last one from last week (Bad Water 9).

Bad Water 9

Installment #9 in this series............

Not So Sleepless In Seattle

I noticed over the past week or so that my website was getting some attention from the Pacific Northwest, particularly Seattle, Spokane and Portland. A little boredom today prompted me to do a google search of myself, which shed a little light on this phenomenon.

I'm not quite sure what Hankblog is, or what its intended purpose is. It seems to be associated with Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington in Seattle.

I apparently gave Hankblog an interview (maybe when I was drunk, which is a realistic possibility), although some fact checking may have been overlooked a bit by the interviewers. They did get the title of my painting correct, and even included the link to my website. But I'm strictly paint on canvas now. I stopped doing that mixed media stuff with random found objects like 15 years ago.

All kidding aside, this appears to be a simple case of mistaken identity. A quick google search of my name will demonstrate that this is a relatively easy mistake to make, turning up thousands of hits, including a former Irish MP, an English footballer, an an 18th Century English poet, and a former pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks. There are also contemporary musicians and artists with the same name as me, none of whom I have ever met.

I'm sorry I wasn't able to attend the event on the 24th at the gallery, but I live in New Jersey and probably couldn't have gotten a flight at such short notice. Besides, meeting someone with the same name as me might freak me out, like when John Malkovitch takes the plunge inside his own head.

After The Occupation by Matthew Green, not Matthew Green

Bad Water 8

Session #8, wide shot and detail. That's all for now. This painting is actually finished in my head...

Feeling like my hands are gonna fall off. Making a lot of mistakes typing. 

Bad Water 7

Last night I didn't listen to any music while I worked. Tonight started out that way for the first hour. I think the sounds that my house makes were entertaining enough for me that I didn't need music. I also didn't feel like wearing headphones. Plus I have a permanent ringing in my ears from too much loud rock and roll and it was good to give my ears a break.

After a break I put on The Kills, then The White Stripes. And I began to think that the chemical byproducts from manufacturing CDs are probably in the water. So, too are spilled fuel and motor oil from the trucks that carry cases of CDs to stores, as well as jet fuel residue from the planes that take the musicians to gigs and recording studios around the world. I start thinking about the entire infrastructure that holds our civilization together, and how this swamp is now a dead zone because of it.

Sleep tight, world.