The Camera - The Computer

The digital camera allows me to have immediate images of my work on a day to day - work in progress basis. Before I would wait till a film roll was finished and have several developed at once - Now I can look at the paintings progress - as I go along - Compare one day to another - study it- obsess about it - be charmed by loose casual touches- I worry - am I am ruining an honest effort ? Was it better before ?? Is it just a different painting not better or worse ? The inspiration that led me to the subject matter becomes - subjective - assuming that the more I work the closer it is to my *model* I think - should I start a new one and take it as far as possible -leave the first effort? - Before I would not be able to compare images till I was way farther along. I love the start !

Jacob Collins and the Hudson River School

The Catskill Mountain Foundation in an effort to inject culture into their little ski village have invited Jacob Collins a classical realist painter to use some of their buildings for a summer painting school. Mr Collins is attempting to revive the Hudson river painters ...of Cole ..... into modern day saviors of mans - connection to the natural world via landscape painting.

There is a wonderful review in The New Criterion (that once said abstract painting was the only paintings that speaks for the age)by James Panero who describes students painting from sun up till sun down, Making small sketches (that will be turned into large paintings - later - in their studios), Then cooking dinner and then enduring happily three hour lectures from paint vendors.

I am reminded of Homer sitting for hours on a rock -- or a Japanese Brush painter sitting for hours quietly observing his subject before describing it with a few strokes.