New painting in progress-- I thought I'd photograph it at the end of each session because I'm always fascinated with the layers and evolution of a painting. This is an oil on linen and is 50x60" which is a very large piece for me. In the beginning of a painting, I usually have no idea where it's going; no plans, nothing. I just get out the paint and see what happens. When I talk to people about a finished piece I usually tell a story of all the phases it's gone through..."You should have seen the painting underneath this one-- it was so frustrating and I couldn't figure out where to go next so I just covered it with a new painting!"

Well, I'll try to document all phases of this one. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I can already see myself painting over this.

Current phase after the 3rd sitting:

Departure, Oil and Graphite on panel, 18" x 18", July 2013

Don't Make Me Repeat Myself, Oil on cradled panel, 20" x 20", April 2013

Sometimes, All That is Left is the Anvil, Oil on cradled panel, 20" x 20", June 2013

Transpose, Oil on canvas, 20" x 20", June 2013

Sketches 1 and 2, oil on Arches paper, approx 9" x 6" paper size

While I'm painting larger pieces in the studio, I like to work out my ideas on a smaller scale to sort through my palette, composition, and drawing. This time, I took some Arches watercolor paper, taped it up, and gessoed the painting areas. Here's the first little batch!

Sketch 3, oil on Arches paper, approx 9" x 6" paper size

detail

Sketch 4, oil on Arches paper, approx 9" x 6" paper size

detail

Sketch 5, oil on Arches paper, approx 9" x 6" paper size

detail

Sketch 6, oil on Arches paper, approx 3.5" x 3" image size

Sketch 7, oil on Arches paper, approx 3" x 3" image size

Sketch 8, oil and graphite on Arches paper, approx 11.5" x 5" image size

When we moved into our house, one of the items left behind by the 3-generation family that lived here before us was an old Briggs piano. It was left in the back of the garage and has acquired quite a few years of dust & leaves as well as being the home to at least a few critters.  Some of the keys stuck and no one on Craigslist was interested in reviving it so we set out to find an artist that would give it a new life.  After almost 6 years of searching, I found an artist! Being a friend of several friends, I connected with Lousie Philbrick, who makes beautiful work out of piano pieces. She gladly drove up from Portland with tools in tow and disassembled it. She also catalogues and researches the history of each piano and often takes the wooden pieces with serial numbers on it to make the frames for her work. I know it's a long process but I can't wait to see what she creates out of it all!!  I'll keep you posted but, for now, check out her website and like her Facebook page!

Meter, 2013, mixed media with grand piano parts on painted plywood, 14.75" x 14.75 by Louise Philbrick

in progress

another in progress

Working in the studio again and the weather has been so nice that I'm able to open the windows and bust out the oil paint! This is making me immensely happy! I haven't used my oil paint for quite some time and have really been feeling the need to use them again. I've been using casein and some acrylic for the better part of 2 years now. I really love working with casein but wanted the luminosity and thickness of oil for the ideas I'm trying to work through. But I'm not abandoning casein, by any means. In fact, both of these painting have a casein underpainting. Technically, the green one has a casein underpainting and the gray one is an oil painting over a half finished casein painting that wasn't quite making the grade. But I used it as an underpainting of sorts.

new toys: old Grumbacher oil paint, giant tubes of Sennelier, and Shiva Paintstiks

The mark/drawing are made using Shiva Paintstiks, which are pigment compacted into a stick form with a minimal amount of linseed oil and wax.

I had been taking a break from the studio after a long productive time working on the CSA project. I needed to redirect my mind and figure out what's next. When I go through this process, I usually think back to things I know and how I studied art ... figure drawings, self portraits, still lives ... but I didn't necessarily want to take that route. So, instead, I thought OIL! Digging through my oil supplies, I found some really old tubes of Grumbacher paint that were given to me; the colors are not my typical color palette (there were mostly Thalo greens and blues) so I thought it would be the perfect way to open up and try something new. As you can see in the green painting above, I had fun using them and think I'll definitely add them into the normal rotation.

Barn Raising, Acrylic on Instant Film

 Here's a round-up of the final paintings that I created for the CSA exhibition-- enjoy!  View larger images and details on my website: jamieribisi.com

The Next Generation, Acrylic & Ink on Instant Film

First Frost, Casein & Wax Pastel, 18" x 18"

Wilted, Casein, Wax Pastel, & Graphite, 24" x 24"

Milk-fed, Casein & Graphite, 24" x 24"

Erasing the Land of the Arches, Casein & Wax Pastel, 18" x 18"

When I updated my website to include all of the paintings that I've made for the CSA exhibits, I was surprised at how different the body of work was from what I was painting just prior to the project.  And I was also surprised at how much work I had made!  Here's a screenshot of the CSA paintings (those last three were done for the Tiny show at Spindleworks, made at the same time):

Updated work from the CSA exhibits + - fills a whole page!

 Here's a screenshot of the body of work the was produced just before the CSA project (minus the first one which didn't fit on the first page!):

The paintings from before the CSA project (minus that first one)

I'm really struck by the difference in palette; the older work was about dealing with migraines and chronic illness, so they were pretty dark and a bit angry.  The CSA project allowed me to focus on something bigger than my own issues and something more cheerful-- even though I always find a way to bring something haunting into my work!

One of the most intriguing results of this CSA experience, for me, has been evolving my perception of what my influences were-- What I went in with and what I came out with. And other's perceptions, too. The artists, the farmers, and the viewers. It's not always about the food itself. For me, it barely was. As one of the other artists, Maina Handmaker said in this Forecaster article, "I learned a lot from them: not just about raising animals or picking vegetables, but really about raising a family and being connected to a place in the community."

"The Hub" Monotype