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Patina of Orthodoxy
16" x12" | Acrylic on Canvas Panel |
Interesting Quotes about Art
" An author should never conceive himself as bringing into existence beauty or wisdom which did not exist before, but simply and solely as trying to embody in terms of his own art some reflection of eternal Beauty and Wisdom." — C. S. Lewis
You cant tell when inspration will strike, it has no schedule.
There are no check in or out times for the fountain of artistic creativity to start and stop. Sometimes while restiing or taking a nap you might find it... and that is the spark to start the engines of creativity. Mostly it comes while you work, after you start, or even when you thought you were finished. That vision that sets everything in its proper perspective and urges you on to do something about it.
Digatal collage was created in September 2021
Sitting at the desk his father used in his law practice as far back as 1958, the artist is shown working on the Art and Imagination of David L Friend website in the upstairs loft studio.
Photo was taken in February 2024
The artist with headphones. Being very hard of hearing does not prevent trying to listen to various kinds of audio. Classical to Christian music and audio books are favorites while the artist is in the studio.
Photo was taken in September 2021
In the Studio back in 2012 preparing canvases. At this time the artist was stretching his own canvases, gessoing them, sanding the surface before they could be used for painting.
Listening to music was a normal thing while working on various projects in the studio.
Cutting canvas cloth to size always leaves scraps of different sizes. Early on, I had experimented with assembling shapes of leftover canvas over other canvases… but it never grabbed my interest too much. Still I was accumulating boxes of scraps… What to do with them?
I did experimenet with attaching
scraps cut up to canvas but was
never tooengaged after a couple
of projects. So I gave up on using
scraps.
About half of the 'Out of Your Mind' series are seen on this wall. This is during the time the north window studio was being used.
The idea of that series is that the interpretation of the art would come out of your mind, but I suspect that some who saw the artwork may have thought the artist himself was out of his mind! Not everybody sees what everybody else does... thank God!
Photo was taken in September 2021
Here is that 1882 Vose & Sons baby grand piano downstairs when my north window studio was in use. You can see it needs some TLC (and probably a lot of money) to come alive again.
Photo was taken in July 2020
Stretcher bars of all sizes, put together, anad waiting for the canvas to be placed over them to get ready to become something so much more.
Photo was taken in November 2023
Yes that beard is getting too long.
Photo was taken in November 2023
The artist deep in thought or just staring out into space? Who knows? Things are not always what they seem. Lighten up dude!
Photo was taken in November 2023
Here is that Phoenix painting that has not been finished up closer.
Photo was taken in November 2023
This is the Loft Studio with most of the stuff moved in. It is still pretty empty feeling and does not have the settled in feeling the previous studios have had. but we will give it some time to season up.
On the easel is the Phoenix painting that I have never completely finished. You see Fred's Dog - Jethro (painting now finished) peeking over the desk to the right.
Photo was taken in November 2023
The area downstairs where my studio had been after moving much of it upstairs into the loft. The artist has a baby grand piano that was bought more than 50 years ago that is in the corner on its side. It had seen better days and now the cost to rebuild is greater than its worth. The piano is around 142 years old.
Photo was taken in November 2023
Here is the upstairs loft studio space with its walls painted with a lighter shade of green. The carpet even after being cleaned is almost a lost cause but that's ok for the studio, as the floors will be draped with wall to wall canvas overcovering.
Photo was taken in November 2023
This is the second chance for the upstairs loft studio. With the repeat of our adult kids moving out again, this space was available to be repurposed. It was the second time the loft would become the studio. Here the space is opened but not cleared out and soon would be ready for the walls to be painted.
The space had formerly been the middle grandson's bedroom, but now with his parents moving out, he could move into thier old bedroom, where he would have more privacy. The mural on the wall was painted as a christmas gift to him in 2015. It was decided to paint around the mural and preserve it for the studio space.
Photo was taken in November 2023
While wearing his 'Bald is Beautiful' shirt and playing around with his grandson one day, the artist took a couple of big wheel tires from the grandsons toy truck and used then as part of his glasses. Play should always be a part of life and creativity.
Have fun with it!
Photo was taken in May 2022
This was the old loft studio that was used around 2012 shows the artist posing at the easel sitting on the red chair borrowed from the kitchen downstairs. The move to the upstairs loft was enabled when his adult children moved out to try life away from home. This left space in the house which could be converted into a painting studio.
The painting space prior to this had been a small corner carved out in a corner of the kitchen eating nook where it had been for 3 years before. That red kitchen chair was a reminder of those years.
Also surrounding the artist are the creations from the 'In Red' and 'Human Security' series. In the background on the door is the blow up for the digital mock up of the partially done painting (on the floor against the wall) 'In the Begining.'
Photo was taken in May 2012
The work table of the artist (as shown is from the days of the old north window studio). Not one for much fancy 'store bought' equipment, the table top is a scrap of pressed board on a discarded wood table that was given him from his last employer while he was working in an Architects office years before. Old pickle jars for brushs and brush cleaning water containers. Golden heavy body acrylics are the standard paint in tubes used for all work done since about 2013.
Photo was taken in September 2021
The old north window studio. Smaller than the Loft Studio. Space has always been an issue and as more paintings are created storage becomes more and more difficult to find. This space was the studio's home for several years and many paintings were produced from here.
The chair was given to the artist by his son. It is well worn but not worn out. Works great! The headphones are often part of the painting process. Listening preferences range from classical to christian music and can include audio books. Studio is almost never in perfect order and chaos may seem to reign over the floor and worktable but that never seems to detour the creative spirit there.
There is a canvas panel on the easel that has been toned and is ready to be painted on. As I recall the easel was purchased for half price back about 2009 and has the paint stains of both oil and acrylic paint from over the last 13 years.
Photo was taken in September 2021
Posing in front of some of the paintings from the 'Out of Your Mind' series (series painted between 2013 and 2015) is the Artist. His shirts sometimes look like they came off his easel. The beard has been a part of his appearance about all of his adult life.
Photo was taken in January 2022
Left Washington and moved to a new state. What a chore but the timing was right. Here is my new studio. Tiny as it is, I am surprised how functional a space slightly larger than 10'x10' can be. Some of my equipment and material supplies were lost in the move, which included some of my artwork, but I am happy with what I have.
Still in the process of settling in and I really haven't started back into the regimen of producing artwork yet. but the itch is there even though a few days ago when I tried painting again my shoulder was still aching from rearanging packed boxes in the garage.
One of the early pictures after the move into the new house. The studio, which is small gets stuffed fast when you cant find places to store all your old paintings and books.
One of the things i did was to buy a new carpet for the floor. The floor was already carpeted but I needed something I could drop paint on and still keed the carpet looking clean. I think for the palette colors I use this carpet should be prety good at masking the mess. What do you think?
Here is the artist, late at night, in the very small studio.