I’m sure your wondering just what it is I’m up to. Has Greg gone over to the dark side? Why is he doing this Picasso stuff? I can only imagine what you might be thinking.

Well, if you’re thinking I’ve done a Picasso thing here, your partly right – there are definite cubist elements to this work, but they are not necessarily Pablo’s. There are also non-Cubist elements. I could call this a diversion of sorts, though its not. I did want to have a bit of quick fun while I wait for my blacks to dry on what I’ve been calling my Party Portrait, but that’s an aside, as well. Really, this is about being productive, while my paint dries!

So, going with what is becoming a standard size for me, for the time being, I cut another piece of canvas off its roll so I could paint while my paint dries (I know, I’ve said that already). Painting while paint dries can be a bit of a paradox, but must be done since black oils take forever to dry. I will have an unfortunate moment when tomorrow comes, though, and I have two paintings black-lined and don’t want to risk getting my hands on the wet paint and spreading it around like tar on an otherwise beautiful painting. And so, the adventure will continue. Maybe I’ll cut another piece of 5 foot canvas and chuck some paint on that, too.

Just a short mention – I have no plans of becoming a Cubist, though I love Cubist works. Its just that its a particular way of seeing the world, and its particular portrayal of said world, that provides certain alleys, or routes, to travel as one goes where one is going, artists like myself, if there are any like myself. I promise you I will continue to be more expressionist than anything, delving into self-chosen roots from the 20th century such as Boston and German Expressionisms, Italy’s Transavantguardia, France’s Figuration Libre, and New York’s Wildstyle eras.

So, back to this piece – as yet unnamed, it is actually something that I am using to focus on a couple of particular things that I need to learn about. These are things that I need to learn, to know, to carry me further on this new path I’ve put myself on.

Its also important to me that this not be just a study, but a painting in its own right.

In the one photo below, you can see my space. Yup, that’s my studio. If you subtract the corner that hold the sink, toilet and storage, I have approximately 90 square feet to work with, and with all my tables and shelves, no real wall space. Obviously, I need more space, which I hope will come about before the close of this year. I can add another 180 square feet (18 square meters) to my studio by converting the large half of my garage and adding it to the small half I’m already using. That will be devoted to wall space so I can work all the canvas I could ever dream of – rolls and rolls of it will do!