 Drawing 08·27·2020, pencil on paper, 20x16 inches Yesterday, after several days of being swept away by preparation of my Pecha Kucha for the 70th A-ONE Silvermine Gallery Exhibition, I was active in the studio. I show you yesterday's drawing without comment. The Pecha Kucha is done (I will link you to when Silvermine Gallery makes the Pecha Kucha live and linkable). For the Pecha Kucha I took a photo of my studio on 8/23/2020 (see it below).  Work Wall of Mehrbach Art Studio on August 23, 2020  Drawing 06·18·2020 (state 2), pencil on paper, 16x20 inches I did not spend a lot of time altering this drawing — perhaps 60 minutes. A heat wave hit; I spent a good part of the day resurrecting an old air conditioner. Then, late in the afternoon, to the studio; this drawing's final image came quickly. The studio is cool and comfortable; it sits on a cement slab, kept dry by dehumidifier. OK, too much non-art-related information? Onward! Back to the studio I go! Just have to say... I like state 2 of "Drawing 06·18·2020" much more than state 1.
 "How's It Gonna End" (2019 No.2, state 16), oil on canvas, 60x33 inches {"And I want to know the same thing everyone wants to know, how it going to end? Drag your wagon and your plow over the bones of the dead out among the roses and the weeds. You can never go back, and the answer is no, and wishing for it only makes it bleed." -Tom Waits, song lyric} How's It Gonna End has ended! Today you see its 16th state. This wondrous solution occurred as much in my mind as on canvas. The last two months of my studio life has been more about preparing works for exhibition than making work. All the while I was doing other stuff the painting How's It Gonna End sat there on the work-wall. I saw it every day. Somedays I looked hard, other days I did not pay attention. Slowly I deciphered its need. It wanted to be resolved through simplicity. The day came when I needed to do it. The true solution came from my working the canvas itself. I eliminated some of it, then I exaggerated what was already there. Bingo! Done!
The inflection point came when I knew all is prepared for my exhibitions. I relaxed. The solution to How's It Gonna End came quickly and easily. Suddenly I feel in control of my artistic life again. More good things will come soon... after I deliver my works to Bromfield Gallery on Monday June 3.  Drawing 05·28·2019, pencil on paper, 16x20 inches Nothing feels easy right now. I am five days away from delivering my art to Bromfield Gallery. I am trying to continue being an active, creative artist. Distractions due to assembling an exhibition dominate my time. There are logistics (making sure timing of everything works wells, from truck rental to delivery and hanging), to framing, to price list preparation, to final touches on canvases. In the midst of all these practical concerns I made this drawing. The distractions slowed this drawing's creation to three days. Does creating over an extended time period diminish spontaneity? Not sure, but it is a good drawing. Will it appear in my Bromfield show? Perhaps it will.
 Drawing 05·10·2019, pencil on paper, 16x20 inches My AVA Gallery exhibition opened May 10. I have been manufacturing frames and panels for the work going to my Bromfield Gallery exhibition (opening June 5). Between my labor I made this drawing. Enjoy! I have been trying to enjoy. Recently I have been mostly a carpenter rather than an artist. That will end soon. I will be very happy to be totally engaged in making art again. This will happen sometime in mid-June. Till then I will be going back and forth, from planning and executing exhibitions to making art.
 Drawing 04·23·2019, pencil on paper, 16x20 inches I would like to sit here and chat with you, but I got to get ready. In two days I deliver 11 paintings and 12 drawings to AVA Gallery for the June 10 opening of my one-person exhibit.
Yesterday's drawing explores some of my recent ideas, but fails at exploring others. I am trying to put ALL my ideas together in one drawing. I will get there, but I must admit this to myself: The distraction of getting ready for an exhibition is heavy. I know I must accept this distraction as real and necessary, despite my wanting to rebel against this outside-of-myself organizing influence.  Drawing 04·09·2019, pencil on paper, 20x16 inches I am going back and forth, from the distraction of stretching and mounting my canvases, to making drawings. Such is my limited activity. This drawing was made over three days. My works for this Spring's first exhibition opening are on schedule, being prepared to be delivered April 26 to AVA Gallery, Lebanon, NH.
 Drawing 02·07·2019, pencil on paper, 16x20 inches It will happen shortly. My art will be due at galleries for exhibition. This fact hit me hard last week. I negotiated final dates and works to be exhibited. Stay tuned for more information. I have three exhibits scheduled this year, and more possible. My first exhibit begins in Late April.
Exhibiting is confusing to me because it comes with good, bad, and ugly. Bothersome it is to my most important activity, my most fulfilling activity: The making of art itself. The drawing shown here is from two days ago. It is a complex and excellent drawing. There is a push/pull of three-dimensional space, excellence in value contrasts, and a robust, active composition.  "2016 No.19" (state 2), oil on canvas, 64.5x48 inches I am feeling a bit sad and confused. This happens when I get swept away from my daily art-making. Perhaps for good reasons. I have been increasing my social media presence. This takes time. There is a learning curve. Believe it or not, before yesterday I did not have a smart phone or Android OS driven tablet. Without those I could not post on Instagram. But now I can. Check out my new Instagram page! There is so much to do. I am not happy with my latest work. It needs to be refreshed and emotionally simplified. The drawings are substantial, yes? Even very good. The distance between these drawings and the newest painting is too large. Going from one to the next appears confusing. No rigid ground to stand upon. This hurts me. Confusion drives me back to the studio. With more social media presence more people are watching my work. This is getting serious. Not your fault. I am trying to make my give and take work for me and for you. It drives me daisy.     Curiouser and Curiouser... appeared it did, a bird and a couple of women. Surprise! The rationality is me coming out of distraction caused by efforts to increase my social media presence. That ain't done yet (I will keep you informed). What I do know is this: I am on the trail. Often I have written about Joseph Campbell, who wrote the hero's journey has a path, but an unknown path ("if you see a path laid out in front of you, it is not your path"). I do not know my path, but it is a strong one, pulling me forward with funnel-like energy. Yesterday's work is good. My second drawing is more on my path than the first. The first is a fallback to ideas well-known. Beginning a new painting was the right thing to do.  "2016 No.19" (state 1), oil on canvas, 64.5x48 inches |
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February 2021
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