Added Feb 20, 2020
What's on the Easel, October 2019
What’s On The Easel, October 2019, Vol. I, No. 7
A monthly newsletter from Jim Fischer
About that procrastination …
…Well, I guess it’s feast or famine, and now I’m feasting.
On the easel is the reason I was procrastinating, a full size portrait of Steph and Natalie. Putting brush to canvas as a realist painter is always fraught with risk. After all, it does have to look like something other than a pot of paint flung at a canvas (yeah, don’t get me started). So, I sit on these pieces until one day my self confidence returns and I get to it. My worst critic (second only to myself), Stephanie, thus far approves (and since it is a portrait featuring her, that’s no easily made approval, whew).
Even Io gets into the act. I know, I did say in a previous newsletter that I would stop paying to get into an exhibit, and I just did it. But I couldn’t resist this one, a rare call for realist work featuring pets. The Monmouth County museum sent out the call for their holiday show and, since I’m batting .500 with them (2 out of four entries submitted for previous shows accepted), I kicked in the $20 bucks and submitted this ...
I think it’s a pretty good likeness, Io is not amused. We’ll see if it is accepted, stay tuned.
Still Recycling Used Rags
The portrait on the easel has already generated a number of ancillary works from the clean up rages used thus far. They are only 5x7 and I’ve started a tradition of naming them with quotes that invoke the image I see.
The one on the left is titled “O for a horse with wings - William Shakespeare”. The one on the right is a bit longer, “If you lose touch with nature you lose touch with humanity. If there’s no relationship with nature then you become a killer; then you kill baby seals, whales, dolphins, and man. Then nature is frightened of you, withdrawing its beauty. - Jiddi Krishnamurti” Only asking $20 each. Interested?
I’m Open For Business With JCAST
Every year at this time Jersey City organizes JCAST, Jersey City Arts & Studios Tour. It’s a big event with hundreds of artists and dozens of venues. As I have done for the past two years, my studio will be open to the public. ALL ARE INVITED!
In other News…
The cherry trees in the garden are gone, replaced by two Japanese lantern sculptures. They got a blight and the only solution offered by the experts was to remove them and not replace them. The disease is in the soil and can’t be eradicated. I enjoyed the intimacy they gave to the gazebo and, as such, will miss them.
So, I continue to be an avid commentator on the NYTs website and this month I broke my previous record for ‘recommend’s. Commenting on the Iran/Houti raid on the Saudis, I got 1,672 ‘recommends, which put me in the number two spot and it was also made a NYTs selection. I think the NYTs reviewers have flagged me as a good commentator, many of my comments are now posted immediately, within seconds of my hitting ‘submit.’ Cool!
The resident squirrel (commonly referred to as ‘rats with bushy tails’) has discovered my tomatoes in the back garden. I caught him on the wall the other day chomping away at one and now I’m racing him to pick the ripe ones before he gets at them. Ah, the challenges of the urban garden.
That’s all for now. Drop me a note if you like. I’d love to hear from you.
Everyone be well.
JIm