SUNDAY BARN #111

I will remain in western Kentucky for today's barn: 

Abandoned Barn

Pastel  20x30 plus mat and frame

$800.00

This barn is available in July's Make me an offer sale.

UMBER

The name itself suggests something from the earth, and the pigments, Raw Umber,  Burnt Umber, along with Burnt Sienna, Raw Sienna, and Yellow Ochre  are referred to as the earth colors.  I have used all of these extensively in my paintings.

Recently I have decided to create a series of paintings using primarily earth colors to establish the mood and overall tone of the paintings.

In this first painting the sky is a mixture of Raw and Burnt Umber with a touch of Burnt Sienna, and the darker foreground is Raw Umber and black.  Touches of primary colors were used to create the trees.

Umber series #1  acrylic  24x30

 I wanted a darker mood in this second piece, and used more Raw Umber and black.   I have mixed feelings about the tobacco barn – not sure it adds to the painting.  I’ll look at for a while to see if I want to take it out.

Umber series #2   acrylic  24x30

                                 

A third painting is in progress.

FAVORITES #2 Grain Elevator or Feed Mill?

This structure sits one block from the main street in the small town of Elmer, in southern New Jersey, surrounded by small crop farms and dairy farms.  I am fascinated by its clutter, texture, and seemingly totally incoherent architecture and it has been the subject of several pastel paintings.  Every side of the building is totally different from the others.  My favorite rendering, one that I include in this series of "my favorite works", is this construction done in 2004.

The list of materials used includes acrylic, pastel, ink, scale model building supplies, and miscellaneous gadgets and gizmos lying around the studio.

I'm often asked what my favorite medium is, and I say "the one I'm working with".  But for pure fun, nothing comes close to working on these constructions.

Here are 2 other renderings of the subject:

Pastel and ink - 30x20

Pastel - 30x20

SUNDAY BARN #110

 

Watercolor

9x13"

$175

 

You can see this barn if you are driving along Rt 121 in Graves county KY.  The green "dripping" down the sides is actually the remnants of of a shingle or paper covering; I could not get close enough to determine which.

MY FAVORITE PAINTINGS… #1 BROKEN

From the hundreds of paintings I've created over the past 35 years, a handful have remained my absolute favorites.  I would like to share them with you on this blog and on my Facebook page in the weeks ahead.  Today's entry is an acrylic, but I intend to look at all of the mediums with which I've worked.

I began working with acrylics in 2006.  As anticipated, the work – over 175 paintings - has evolved, both in technique/style, and in scope.  From the over 175 paintings, there are a few pieces that from the moment of their completion have remained my favorites.   Interestingly, my two most favorite paintings are from my very earliest acrylic work.  One sold shortly after it was exhibited, and the other remains in my “collection”, meaning it hasn’t sold..yet.

I don’t think I can pick one of these before the other, so I list them as my two “all time favorite” acrylics, with several others right behind them.

BROKEN

 Acrylic on wood panel

25x25” plus frame

$1500

To fully appreciate this painting it should be viewed in direct light, preferably sunlight, to see all of the colors that come through the seemingly very dark foreground, colors which are difficult to capture photographically.

I really don’t know what inspired this painting.  The only given at the outset was the horizon – a fixture in almost all of my paintings – the colors sort of “happened”, and as I became involved with the work it began to dictate the final direction.  While the sky is brushed, the foreground was created entirely with a palette knife. 

I suppose the painting is too dark for most people, but I love this, and never tire of looking at it.  I am not upset that it hasn't been sold.

the DAILY DEAL #8

Today's offering is a framed clay mono type - An Urban Skyline

framed 13x16

Image 6x9"

$50.00 plus $10.00 S&H

SUNDAY BARN #109

It's Sunday, and it seems like only  a week ago I posted a Sunday Barn.  Today's barn is from a series of watercolors of barns in western KY, and can be found on route 339 in Melber KY in Graves county.

Currently untitled

Watercolor  10x13

$175.00

A GENTLE MAN AM I

Reviewing old files I came across this post from 2007 (written in 2003), and decided to re-post it, adding the illustration.

At least that is how I think of myself, and I believe those who know me would agree with this humble assessment.  I abhor violence of any kind and would never think of striking someone, well, OK, maybe I would think of it, but would never do so!  (When I was 9 years old I did punch Eddie and his cousin in their noses, but that was only because they provoked me.)  Except in very rare circumstances I do not yell and scream at others.  In fact, my life in general has been focused on making other people feel better about themselves, both physically and emotionally.  So the incident I am about to describe is totally out of character for me, in fact looking back I cannot believe it really happened, but it did.

Emergency medicine in a busy city hospital can be challenging and stressful, especially late on Friday and Saturday nights when there is no telling who and what will walk through the door.  The experience can drive an otherwise sane and gentle person to uncharacteristic behavior.  THAT is my excuse, and I’m sticking to it!

Shortly after the ”last call” in the local pubs we could count on several patients scattered about the ER on gurneys in various states of acute intoxication.  Most of the time they were understandably subdued and quiet, but there was always the occasional obnoxious drunk who could not resist articulating his (they were almost always men.) alcohol-tainted feelings about his current life’s circumstances.

It had been an especially busy night and I was near the end of my shift in the acute care unit.  I was tired and depleted, struggling to cope with all that was required of me, and this one very noisy and obscene drunk was beginning to get on my nerves.  A constant stream of obscenities flowed from his mouth, loud enough to be heard by the other patients in the area.  I politely asked him to be quiet, repeatedly, to no avail.  I tried pleading, coxing, and even bribing, but nothing worked.  Finally in desperation I threatened him!  I told him that if he did not cease his yelling I would remove his filthy socks from his equally filthy feet and stuff them in his mouth!!  Actually I believe I yelled something like, “if you don’t shout your goddamn filthy mouth I’ll’....well, you get the idea.  He told me to F___ off, and continued to yell and swear. So I did it!  To the shock of the nurses and staff, and to the patient, I pulled off one of his socks, balled it up, and shoved it into his mouth.

 

I don’t know how many of you readers have had the occasion to remove socks from the feet of some one who hasn’t bathed in who knows how long; the skin of the lower legs and feet is dry, flaky, and dirty, and when a sock is pulled of the foot it is invariably accompanied by dry flakes of dirty skin.

I really don’t know how long it remained in his mouth, far less than a minute.  But it was effective.  He knew I was not some one to be antagonized; in his alcohol-saturated mind I was mean and evil, and certainly not a compassionate healer.  I suspected that even the ER staff looked at me a little differently after that.

There is no telling what a Friday night shift in the ER will do to a person

the DAILY DEAL #7 MOONSCAPE

Following yesterdays theme - Moonscape is a 12x12" acrylic on 1'5" deep cradled panel

Moonscape
$75 plus $15 S&H

DAILY DEAL #6

Italian Cypress

Acrylic on cradled panel

12x12

$75 Plus $15 S&H

Payment options:

1.     Personal check to Gallery 5 at 803 Madison St. Paducah KY 42001

2.     Call me at 270-366-2837 with credit card info

3.     I will email you an invoice via Paypal

4.     Pay at the gallery if you are in Paducah

the DAILY DEAL...#4

Orange Tree Line

Acrylic

12x12 Gallery wrapped canvas

$75.00 plus $15 S&H

Payment options:

1.     Personal check to Gallery 5 at 803 Madison St. Paducah KY 42001

2.     Call me at 270-366-2837 with credit card info

3.     I will email you an invoice via Paypal

4.     Pay at the gallery if you are in Paducah

THE DAILY DEAL #2

Today's deal is an 8x10 mixed media - an enhanced clay monotype on paper mounted on a cradled panel.

Clay landscape #21 with 3 Trees

mixed media on 8x10 panel

$60.00 plus $10 S&H

Payment options:

1.     Personal check to Gallery 5 at 803 Madison St. Paducah KY 42001

2.     Call me at 270-366-2837 with credit card info

3.     I will email you an invoice via Paypal

4.     Pay at the gallery if you are in Paducah

SUNDAY BARN #108

All of my paintings begin with a "thumbnail" sketch to work out the composition, and to a lesser extent, the values.  Not all of these sketches arrive on canvas, and today's barn is one that has languished on this small 1x4" drawing.  Maybe this will be the incentive I need to act on it.

Long Field  Pencil  1x4"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pencil

THE DAILY DEAL

I’m missing the Barn of the Day fun, and have decided to replace it by doing a daily deal.  I have several dozen small paintings, 12x12” and smaller that are taking up too much space, so I am putting on my chef’s hat and apron and offering a daily special.  I’ll post it here on my blog as well as my face book page, the Art of William F. Renzulli.

There will be a new painting every day except Sunday Barn day

Idleness  Acrylic on canvas  12x12 x2' deep  

$75.00 plus $15 S&H

Payment options:

1.     Personal check to Gallery 5 at 803 Madison St. Paducah KY 42001

2.     Call me at 270-366-2837 with credit card info

3.     I will email you an invoice via Paypal

4.     Pay at the gallery if you are in Paducah

Sunday's Barn

This is a quick watercolor from memory of the barn on the farm I grew up on.  The cow and assorted livestock occupied the ground floor, with chickens on the 2nd and 3rd floor.

watercolor 15x20