Rice Freeman-Zachary wrote a post here about “wild messy creatives.” I felt she’d hit the nail on the head. You don’t have to be wild and messy to be creative. Quite the opposite, you can be a neat and tidy creative. In fact, other than the disaster that my studio tends to accumulate, and it is accumulation as it’s a bit of a dumping ground and storage facility. I usually work in our office. My work area has an assortment of piles of stuff but my easel, brushes and actual WORK area is not wild and mess. It’s not neat and tidy but I’m finding that the neater it is the easier it is to work. Later this week my plan is to go down into my actual studio and finish the job I started in July and finish the organization I started.

Then I have to wonder about the wild aspect of her post. I have never worn a tutu, nor do I ever plan to. I *HAVE* streaked campus when I was 19 and drunk on vodka with a friend. I *have* woken up in strange places, where it takes a second or 2 to figure out where the hell I was. I’ve ridden a mountain bike down steep inclines. I’ve ridden ATVs at breakneck speeds through the woods. I’ve driven 125mph on the highway and buried the needle on twisting backwoods country roads. I’ve done some stupid shit but I’d never take it back or ask for a do over, okay, well maybe my Krazy Ex and that stupid marine* I dated in college, but frankly all those wild good times I’ve had have shaped who I am today. I won’t apologize for that and to those I’ve owed an apology to, I’ve found them and said I’m sorry, and in some cases it took 11 years but I did it. (J, I’m lookin’ at you.) You know what, without the Krazy Ex in there I’d still be a flirtatious** jerk, so no I won’t take that back, heartbreak is a cure for some things and it certainly cured my tendency to be a douchebag.

Those years when I was a jackass were some of the most artistically frustrating of my life. Moving around a lot doesn’t allow for creativity, at least not for me. Living in a crummy room in the ghetto is not artistically enlightening. Working a shitty job trying to pay my bills caused me stress and stress kills my creativity. I remember restless nights spent staring at paper, creating boring tired art, lame shit I’d never show to anyone.

The only thing those crazy post college times gave me was my first art journal. The angsty grist of my life recorded, my heartbreak scrawled with ball point on dismal paper and the detritus of my life taped, glue sticked and rubber cemented to the pages. The work is neither inspired nor is it very good, but it’s the crap that came from that life. Creating that kind of stuff is what progressed me into creating art in a journal format. Someday I’ll show you those first journals that combined the art and life but for now, the memories are still close and painful and thus better in the journal tied shut.

Now that I’m older and settled down and more at peace with WHO I really am I am the most creative I have ever been. I look at my old life and wish I’d found this calm sooner. I know that without that wild kid I was I’d not be who I am today. It shaped me, occasionally you see that wild streak but mostly I’m boring, rock solid, stable Less.

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Dark and light
Originally uploaded by lessherger

One of my cloud studies. This one painted on my back porch in Beverly, MA. I'm working simply here, just a few colors of paint, a couple of layers, the clouds don't give me time to do much before they are gone. All my cloud studies are available on my artfire page here

It’s been a long hard working weekend. I can say though, with 100% certainty that it was well worth it. In an off the cuff moment I offered to donate three 16×20 canvases to an Aunt-in-laws fundraiser for her cancer treatment. I could get on a soapbox about how the political parties’ bipartisan politic ruined healthcare reform and due to that the Auntie has to rely on the kindness of friends, family and strangers to raise the funds to pay for her most recent round of cancer treatments. Having seen my grandfather go through similar courses of mind bogglingly expensive treatments and eventually having no choice but to die in a hospital when what he’d wanted was to die peacefully at home, but his HMO didn’t cover the care in his rural area.

It sucks.

So I ran out purchased 4 (hey bogo sale at the art supply, why not) 16×20 canvases and started painting. I’m using my cloudservation sketches as a basis for these 3 paintings as well as a few other paintings. I’m really enjoying working at the larger scale. It’s rather freeing and liberating in a way the smaller work isn’t. The small cloud studies are also very freeing but it’s their speed of capture that makes them so.

I’m currently looking for places to show my work. I’ve got a list of 7 places in the area to contact but I’m willing to drive for a bit to get my work hung. Got ideas? Leave a comment or email me, my address is on the left somewhere.

I’m calling it quits for the evening with all the paintings I’ve been working on, it’s time for bed. Here’s a quick snap of the cloudservation I’m donating for the fundraiser (if they accept it) I suspect I’ve got 2 or 3 more layers of paint to apply. Definitely more zinc white and a few touches of cad yellow light. Right now I’m happy with the progress I’ve made on it so far.

A lot of work goesinto these clooudservations as they require the previous layers of paint to dry to get the effects I'm seeking. I started off with 2 shades of cad yellow- light and medium. This went on the cloud portions that will layer be mostly white. After those had throughly dried I added the blues and purples with a substantial amount of titanium white. I let that dry and started to add the areas of white in the white cloud parts. So far I've added one layer of zinc (aka mixing) white and will add a bunch more and alter the blues a tad.

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Sky Study Early AM 2
Originally uploaded by lessherger

One of my early cloud studies. This one painted on my back porch in Beverly, MA. I'm working simply here, just a few colors of paint, a couple of layers, the clouds don't give me time to do much before they are gone. All my cloud studies are available on my artfire page here SOLD

I previously showed you the first few steps of this painting. I applied the final layer of paint to it last night. I'm waiting for aday or 2 before I call it complete and sign it. This allows me to think about the piece and get some distance from it. Right now I'm very happy with it. I'm loving the effect the zinc white has on the surfaces of the previous layers of paint and really gives me that atmospheric cloud effect I'm seeking.

From here, the painting will get signed, varnished and gallery (strip) framed. I'll probably have it listed on Artfire later this week or next weekend.

I'm pretty happy with the image. I feel as though I've learned a ton by creating these paintings. My ability to mix the correct shade of blue, purple or warm white has developed over time and I'm getting a feel for brushes that I've never had. I'm confident in my ability to apply paints to my boards and paper in a way I've not been before. In short I feel like these paintings have opened my eyes and mind.

I started a 3rd cloudservation last night too. My process is the same with all of these pieces. I look at my study, look to see what I think works and doesn't work, sketch it to my board, apply intense colors and then apply more layers of color to achieve the right balance of light and dark. So below is my study and the first layer of paint.

Afternoon Sky Study
Originally uploaded by lessherger

One of my early cloud studies. This one painted on my back porch in Beverly, MA. I'm working simply here, just a few colors of paint, a couple of layers, the clouds don't give me time to do much before they are gone. All my cloud studies are available on my artfire page here

If you’ve been following me for any period of time you’ve noticed that I’ve been painting a lot of clouds and sky images this summer. There are many reasons for it, I love to stare at the sky and clouds have always inspired and intrigued me. I wanted to spend some time really looking at them as they floated across the sky. The other thing about clouds and the sky is that it’s ever changing. In 20 minutes the sky is totally different from the moment before.

Capturing the clouds and the sky is an exercise in speed due to its constantly changing nature. The studies are small on purpose so that I ‘m spending a short amount of time on them. The larger sized paintings are based on these observations and I use the studies as a starting point. I might change the colors and shapes but the essence of that moment is realized in the finished image.

So here is my starting point:

And here is my first layer of paint:

My best friend from college and I had a falling out a few years back, it’s old news so I won’t hash it out here, this isn’t the appropriate forum for it. I was reading this blog when I came to the realization that I should forgive him, because he has(d) a disease.

I’ve known my friend since 1996 and I can say that since 1997 he’s been one of my closest friends, at the time of our falling out we’d been friends for over 10 years. He’d been there for me during heartbreak, fun and strange times. The falling out was major and we didn’t speak for over a year.

Part of the reason for the falling out was his disease. He blamed his misdeed on his alcoholism, and frankly I could not forgive him. I could not understand; I was too hurt to try.

I read Jessica Doyle’s post on her addiction, it clicked for me.

In the 2 years between our falling out my buddy hit bottom. His alcohol addiction took over his life. Somewhere in there I got a random email from him (or it seemed random) telling me he was quitting his job nearby to my, moving back home and going into rehab. I was relieved to read the email but at the time I was still too hurt and still wanted to punch him in the mouth for what he’d done.

Over the years my feelings have muted and I’ve for the most part forgiven him. We’ll never be the same but despite his actions I’ll always love him like a brother and care for him more than I do most people.

That’s why it bothers me so much to learn that he’s in the hospital about to have the valve replaced on his heart for a second time.  His surgery is today and I wish him well.

I wanted to give you all a quick update on the situation with the painting I’ve been doing for Oasis Studio fundraising. I had planned on putting it up for 5 day auction on Tuesday (Aug 25th) of this week. I ended up having to work very late that night and was not able to get it varnished nor photographed to list before I collapsed in bed for the evening.

Then came Wednesday with pouring rain and high humidity. I varnished and the varnish took forever to dry. When I went to bed it was not yet dry. As I use a waterbased varnish I couldn’t simple snap pics anyway, as the waterbased varnish is milky.*

Yesterday I didn’t have time to list it before Blade’s show.

So I decided to wait until next Tuesday to start the 5 day auction, which will end on a Saturday.  I’m kind of bummed that the weather and my DayJob would not cooperate to make this a go for this week. But I’ll get better photos over the weekend and I can spend some time on the listing instead of hacking it together.

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