BASEL PAINTING IS DONE

but I don't have pictures yet. soon!I finally finished the large painting for Corey Helford Gallery that will be heading to Art Basel Miami later this month. It's 40" x 68" and I've spent countless hours this last week figuring out how to transport the thing to the framers in SF, and then onto LA for shipping to Miami. I love painting big, but logistically, it's kind of impractical. Nothing beats the way huge pieces look in a gallery though, something i'm even further convinced of after seeing Gottfried Helnweins's show in San Francisco last week [images below]. holy shit those were some big pieces...and fantastic. These pieces were listed as "oil and acrylic", although I have heard that he sometimes paints directly onto photos printed onto canvas. I couldn't tell in person, which should count for something -- although I have to admit it would be totally disappointing to hear that that's how these in particular were created. Looking at his body of work (and there is a ton of it), it's clear he's an amazing painter and could totally pull off this kind of painting without a direct printout onto the canvas...and surely he has. I can't help it being a factor when I look at his work though...I feel like it shouldn't be. anybody have thoughts on this?

Anyway, I will be renting an SUV from the Oakland Airport Thursday morning (it won't fit in my car), picking up the new painting from the framers in SF, then driving it straight down to Corey Helford Gallery in LA. I plan on hitting some art shows in LA, and I'll do my best to get into some interesting activities so I have something good to write about. Until then, here are some more shots from a varnishing session in September...I love how these look all shiny and saturated for a few hours.