Success Ratio

The final selections have been made for my upcoming exhibition. In addition to twentyfour paintings eighteen oil pastel drawings made the cut. Working from a model two or three times a week over four years I had hundreds of drawings to choose from. What, I wondered, has been my success ratio. For each chosen drawing how many attempts found their way into the "miss" stack? I honestly have no idea.

Fermale Nude, oil pastel, 9" X 8", 2016

A baseball player that gets a hit every third at bat is as huge success. My success ratio is no where near that percentage. It is probably closer to 1 of 30 or worse. On reflection I've decided there is no reason to quantify this number. Working from life involves a random ever shifting set of variables. Sometimes the planets just line up.

Mile Posts

There are events in everyone's lives that serve as markers or mile posts. A graduation, a marriage, the birth of a child, events where you remember the specific time, place and circumstances. They can signify a beginning, end or maybe the apex of a certain life stage. Many of my paintings and drawings serve as markers in my art career and life.

Abandoned Bus, oil on canvas, 15" X 20", 2000

Often an extended period of time has to pass before a pictures "marker" role becomes apparent. For the painting above I was between studios and spent a summer working outside. Even after sixteen years this picture still transports me back to the place and time of its creation.

On Exhibiting (part one)

Four years ago I swore off exhibiting. Prior to that time I had mounted shows every two years or so. This pace became untenable as my interest in the figure grew. Attending or arranging model sessions became all consuming. Now, with an abundant body of work, I feel the time is finally right for an exhibition.

Thirty minute figure study, oil pastel, 2014

Putting ones work on display is essential for any visual artist. Garnering attention and generating sales are the most obvious reasons for exhibiting. However, the show I am compiling will consist primarily of nudes and I anticipate few if any sales. My main motivation for showing at this juncture is personal. I want to put down a marker indicating where my work stands at this particular time and place. Somehow I need this before moving on.