Perhaps it 's because I turned 60 nine months ago that I've painted six self-portraits during that time and find myself also looking back at some of my earlier work. The earliest I'm posting is 1980 with a few from 84-87. All the paintings from 1980 were painted in one sitting and most are 24x30. I had been painting full time for five years in 1980 but didn't start going out on location on a daily bases until 1979. At that point I had met George Van Hook, James B. Moore and Curtiss Otto and started painting with them each, mostly with George. It was a great learning and growth period. We were painting at least three 24x30's each day. The energy and enthusiasm was addicting. I think the smallest size we worked was 16x20. My work was rough and not always drawn well, but it was fearless. I'm not sure I could pull off a 24x30 in one shot today. I had a naive passion in the early work. The passion is still there except with a much more formed and critical eye. I thought it would be interesting to post these works showing where I've come from. I've also included a couple of portraits. Thanks for taking a look. Some of the paintings are in storage and others I copied to jpeg from old slides. You'll be able to tell the difference.
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| 1980 24x30 Auto shop, Arcata, Ca. |
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| 1980 30x36 Auto shop, Arcata, Ca. |
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| 1980 24x30 Arcata, Ca. |
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| 1980 24x30 Outdoor portrait, Arcata, Ca. |
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| 1981 24x36 This is the house I where I grew up in Ontario Ca. I think of this as a self-portrait, I'm reflected in the sliding glass door |
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| 1984 20x30 I've started working on paintings more than one sitting by the time I painted this work at the dry dock. |
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| 1981 24x30 This is Justin on my pickup truck. He is the son of a friend |
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| 1981 24x30 Justin again on his front porch |
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| 1982 36x48 Painting of a friend Suk Cho Kim |
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| 1982 30x36 This was a commission of Paul Ricards grandfather. He was in his 90's and I painted this at their home. |
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| 1985 12x36 Eureka Ca. |
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| 1984 12x24 Tanker and Tug Eureka, Ca. |
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| 1980 30x24 Eureka Alley |
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| 1980 24x36 Holt and Euclid Ontario, Ca. |
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| 1980 30x24 Arcata, Ca. |
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| 1980 24x30 Eureka Street |
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| 1980 30x24 Claremont College |
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| 1981 30x36 Claremont College |
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| 1987 40x48 Mt. Lassen I spent two weeks camping and painting in Mt. Lassen park in the fall of 1987. |
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| 1986 34x50 San Gabriel Mountains, Southern Ca. While visiting my folks in Ontario I have painted many works throughout the area. I recently took this out of storage and spent a couple hours reworking some areas. I'm pleased with this piece. |
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| 1987 40x60 San Antionio Dam Spillway, S. Ca. The grey part of the sky is the valley smog. |
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| 1980 30x24 Rouge River, Oregon |
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| 1980 24x30 Above the smog filled valley in Southern Ca. |
Self-Portrait 1980 30x30 oil on canvas
Passion indeed, the energy with which you painted these scenes just leap off the canvas! Plus that fearlessness adds volumes; we should all paint like that, instead of the timid little strokes we hesitantly use at the easel.
ReplyDeleteAwe-inspiring, daily painting or drawing is a excellent pratice for a creative development.
ReplyDeleteJim, are these paintings "acryl" or "oil"?
Keep it on, I'm impressed by your paintings.
I put the link of your blog to my blog -
I hope you don't mind.
-Matthias
Hi Jim, really cool retrospective works- I was just a little boy growing up in Arcata when you were doing these and seeing some of the scenes invoked some nostalgia. Ya, your line has changed a bit, a little bit sharper edges back then- I can sense the hunger and "im gonna do this shit" kind of immediacy in the strokes of past, and naturally a strong similarity to the Van Hook works I have seen hanging at HSU and the Arcata library. As always, very inspiring. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteBjorn Lundeen