Untitled 286

I've had almost no time lately to paint, but I've done a few small pastel works.  I'm excited about this one, because not only do I really like it, but it's also kind of a new direction for me.

Untitled 286.  Pastel.  Approx. 4" x 6".   Purchase information: jala [at] jalapfaff [dot com]

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Fennec has his head shot. He's ready for any auditions that might come his way.

I haven't blogged for a while... My life feels completely crazy juggling so many things. I'm kind of exhausted lately.

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The other day I went by a client's (I guess technically I'm supposed to call her one of my collectors, but that always sounds so pretentious to me) to drop off a couple of small paintings she is considering.

I got to see a bunch of my art in situ. Her house is so perfect for my pieces--she has an ultra-modern house with all white walls and a ton of light.

Here's one of my oils on linen. It's 36" x 36" (looks small! Her wall spaces are seriously massive).  She bought it about three years ago, before my divorce:

And here is my group of small white paintings, oil and cold wax on museum panel. They are 6" x 6" each and she bought them last year. She has them in a little alcove with this awesome bench. So perfect:

She has good taste, don't you think? ;)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Untitled 22 (oil)

Oil (no wax), 36" x 36". Finished about a month ago. One of SamArtDog (my neighbor)'s favorites.

(Sorry for the upper-left glare.)


Sold.

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Still trying to figure out why the manufacturer called them dog beds...

As you can see, the cats always exercise their feline rights to have first choice of seating arrangements. If they choose to sit on a dog bed, the dogs don't dare ask them to move. And with a sigh, the dogs go and lie on the floor.

(Below) I love this one. Jazz was occupying one dog bed already, and Mojito was pacing between the one Rumi is clearly smack in the middle of, and Jazz's. Finally he plonked himself down on Jazz's bed, hoping there'd be enough room.

And a rare moment where Miss Lemon allowed some company on "her" dog bed (she was there first).

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Untitled 13 (oil)

36" x 36", oil on linen.
Sold.

This one, with a lot of glazing, was almost done quite a few months ago, but I got so disgusted with Liquin, Galkyd, et al (I find the fumes intolerable) that I put it aside while researching alternatives. I eventually found M.Graham's Walnut Alkyd glazing medium, nontoxic, no fumes, and (so far at least) works wonderfully. I can't believe there was an oil glazing product out there that wasn't harmful to one's health and I didn't know about it. But I am extremely glad to know of it now. It uses walnut oil as opposed to flaxseed (linseed) or poppyseed oil or safflower oil. Linseed is the most commonly used oil for paints, but the manufacturers tell us that it is okay to "mix" oils in a single painting (e.g., most of my oil paints use linseed oil). On the label it instructs the use of a maximum of nine drops of this medium per inch of squeezed tube paint. It seems to be a good amount; I've been using the full nine drops for a very sheer glaze. The photo is a bit glare-y.

I'm just amazed I can now glaze without killing my nervous system. It's great.

The weather has been so horrible for the last couple of weeks. It's doing what it did last spring, and which it never used to do...thanks, Global Weirding. It has been snowing!--second week of May and snowing!!--and raining constantly. Boulder used to be known for being sunny almost all the time. I'm hating it. Waah.

Tortured tulips.

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Because you need a break from yellow

3 ft. x 3 ft. (one of my preferred sizes for oil abstracts), oil on linen.


Sold.

As many of you know, I am incredibly moved by all Rothko's later work. I have been experimenting with approaches to try to, in some way, feel what he may have felt doing these sort of paintings, and imitating what may have been some of his techniques (I don't know, and am not sure that anyone does for certain). At the same time, I try to always paint as non-toxic as possible, which for me means, in part, eschewing solvents (I think I read somewhere that he used a lot to achieve his effects). I use none except for a little turpenoid for the "staining the canvas" first step--which I do outside on a nice day, so as not to have the fumes in the studio--and a little for cleaning brushes. (And anyway, I have tried some solvents and mediums and they always seem to backfire on me, so I gave them up. But, never say never--who knows what I will or won't be using in the future.)

I continue to feel completely captivated by color abstractions, and I imagine I always will. Oddly, apparently Rothko said that all these types of paintings that he did (the ones he's most famous for, that look like this) had nothing to do with color, only with emotion. For me it's both--certainly evoking a particular emotion or emotions, but definitely about color for its own sake.

Isn't it strange when you feel such a powerful attraction to someone's work (for me, Rothko and Diebenkorn, for example) that you feel you could die happy if you could somehow crawl right into one of the paintings and become it...and you show a book of that artist's work to a friend, and they give it a rather bored glance and give you a weird look, like, Nah, not my cup of tea, and why does this even interest you?

It continually amazes me, why as individuals we are so drawn to some work and not at all to others. I suppose it's a good thing, though, or else there would probably be only one or two artists in the world.

Comfy furry Golden vegetable. (Mojito.)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Spring came and left

The latest. Very cool details in person, and lots of texture. Completely new palette (have been naughty, ordering some interesting-sounding colors). I love this one; The Husband doesn't like it at all.

Trying out the "large" size photo upload here, as opposed to the "medium" I've been using.

I have been lagging with my blogging duties somewhat...sorry. The new semester just started, and with it all the administrative stuff that goes along with teaching. I'm teaching four days a week (three Spanish, one drawing), and experimenting like a fiend at night in the studio with painting materials and such. Very tired lately.

He's such a character.

$1025.00 - Spring came and left (No need to Frame)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com

Giant's Causeway

A long time ago, I saw the famous basalt site on the northeast coast of Ireland called Giant's Causeway. Hence the title of this most recent abstract painting. (The Wikipedia photo doesn't give much idea of the outrageous scale of this natural rock formation, so when you look at the photo, keep in mind that the tallest of the columns is about 36 feet high.)

Feisty little CheeseMonster.

$1025.00 - Giant's Causeway (No need to Frame)

More art on my website: jalapfaff.com