Every Cubic Inch a Miracle: January 2020 Newsletter

A New Year!

I like Tom Peter’s assertion, “Whoever makes the most mistakes the fastest, wins!” Or Hemingway, “If you can start, you’ll be all right, the juice will come.” Problem is, negative thinking often gets in the way, keeps us from acting. It can keep me from starting a painting, applying for a show, making resolutions etc. Steven Pressfield refers to it as resistance. "Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your life’s work. It will perjure, fabricate, falsify, seduce, bully, cajole. It will take any form to deceive you. Resistance is always lying and always full of *#”!.

The beginning of a new year always presents a choice. Do I give in and dwell in resistance, doubt and fear, the cynical view that new year’s resolutions don’t last? Or like Emily Dickinson, do I dwell in possibility. I’m stickin' with Emily.

(…and thanks for stopping by.)

News

Workshop

I'm looking forward to my annual workshop "Painting in the City". I'm preparing a little booklet with instruction on general principles of painting, along with specific tips on city painting. It will be available only to members of the class! Starts Saturday, 27 Feb and runs for 4 consecutive Saturdays.
(Each image on this site can be enlarged by clicking on it)

Plein air painting in downtown Phoenx

Upcoming Show

I'm continuing to prepare for my show this Spring. The reception will be 1st Friday, April 3 at Olney Gallery, located on the Trinity Cathedral Campus, just west of Central on Roosevelt in downtown Phoenix. It will be a collection of oil, gouache and watercolor paintings around the valley, mostly cityscapes and neighborhoods but maybe a few desert paintings also. I'll be showing with Christen Quissell who does beautiful watercolors of old neighborhoods in Phoenix. You are invited to come!
here are 2 of the paintings that will be there.

Detail, painting of downtown Phoenix

Country Club and Main, Mesa, SE Corner

Prints Available

This Dairy Queen with its iconic sign was a small but loved landmark in Mesa for decades. This is a painting that I did a few years ago. 9x12 archival prints are available for $35. If you are interested, email me at allen@allengarns.com.

Landscape Commission

I've put some of my city painting on hold as I've been working on a commission for Chase and Tatum Rassmusen. Here's a detail of the work in progress. It's an extraordinary view from the cabin their family has owned for a few generations. It's been a good change from the urban imagery. Thanks C & T!

(Detail)

Bookshelf

Walking through the smog and congestion of Florence Italy, I turned and entered the convent of San Marco. The peace and beauty were so welcome! Wandering through the halls and rooms, every turn reveals a masterpiece fresco on the walls, painted by Fra Angelico, a monk who resided there in the 1400's.
One of my most beautiful art books is Fra Angelico, by Jacqueline and Maurice Guillaud. Not only are the paintings stunning, the production of the book is gorgeous. The center dwell of pages are printed on a vellum like paper that simulates the dry, matte surface of fresco paintings on plaster.

The beauty of his faces are just one of the things I love about his work.

He was baptized Guido de Pietro. He took the name of Giovanni de Fiesole when he became a Dominican Friar. It was after his death that he received the name of Fran Angelico because of his angelic demeanor and because he painted like one.

Sketchbook

We'll end this issue with a few pages from my sketchbooks, which I carry with me almost everywhere I go. Again, thanks for looking. Feel free to make a comment if you like.

Happy New Year.