ONGOING - "MOSS AND A MAN ON MEXICAN BOULDERS" - OIL PASTEL

Scoping out a new one - "Moss and a Man on Mexican Boulders" - oil pastel drawing on 11" x 14" medium surface paper. Using turpenoid as well. Adapted from my photo.

Seems ready to set aside to figure out if it's complete ...

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION - "COLOR SCHEMERS IGNORE DR. GRAY'S CRITIQUE" - OIL PASTELS

Progression - “Color Schemers Ignore Dr. Gray’s Critique” – oil pastels on 12” x 18” medium surface paper.

Completed --

Scoping it out:

 

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

 

 

"NATIVITY" -- ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS --- STILL IN PROCESS

A rougher and more chaotic style than I thought I’d pursue – “Nativity” –  still in the works, feels incomplete, out of sync - letting it rest for a while -- . Acrylic painting on 25” x 30” canvas. © Wes … (photo is a bit “hot”; faces are a little darker)

I don't imagine it's easy to see their faces on a computer -- here's a detail view

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

MINIMILIST WORK -- "TALL SHIPS" -- OIL PAINTING ON PLYWOOD

Minimalist work -- "Tall Ships" -- oil painting on 12" x 24" plywood ... an abstract experiment.

 

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

 

PROGRESSION -- "NATIVITY" -- ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS

Progression -- “Nativity” – acrylic painting on 25” x 30” canvas

Starting to come together ...

Roughing in the setting, the figures, the relationships … 

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

"COFFEE SHOP" - ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS

Seems complete, “Coffee Shop,” acrylic painting on 20” x 24” canvas. Except for touch-ups, letting it rest. I get to a point where I don’t know where to take a painting anymore, so I acknowledge it could be completed. Different ways to approach this one -- some things aren't immediately apparent perhaps -- the eyes need to settle on the moods, then on how the shape operates and how the roughness works that.

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

THE STREAMLINED AND THE ROUGH

The streamlined and the rough:

I’m conscious of the streamlined design emphasis of a lot of today’s visual art and at times wonder if I should emulate it or whether it’s enough just to work on content, and on combining it with the abstract and representational. Rough those two aspects up. Muck around with these in paint and other media.

Then I look outside into the woods and see Nature’s turmoil. Engage the news and social justice and try to fathom human turmoil. All rougher hewn, even with the delicate its midst. Feel both the abstract and representational qualities this way. Appreciate what other artists have done in this realm. And let my imagination embrace this mode of seeing, thinking, feeling, and creating. It could be viewed as throwback. It could be out of vogue. But to be true to myself and its roughness, it’s the way I feel it.

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PROGRESSION - "COFFEE SHOP" -- ACRYLIC PAINTING

Progression -- "Coffee Shop" -- acrylic painting on 20" x 24" canvas

Venturing but needs adjusting ...

More detail combining representational and abstract elements.

Scoping and roughing out another new one -- working on an acrylic and an oil at the same time -- might get confused ...

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION - "FOUNDATION FOR A THIRD WORLD HOME" - OIL PAINTING

Progression -- "Foundation for a Third World Home" -- oil painting on 20" x 28" canvas - image from my photos ...

Roughed in more content

Roughing in positions, content approach.

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

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PROGRESSION - (NEW TITLE) "CLIMATE PROPHET'S FINAL FORECAST - OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS -

Progression -- New title "Climate Prophet's Final Forecast -- oil painting on 16" x 20" canvas --

Recast a part of it to emphasize the abstraction -- after letting it rest, I felt more was needed -- still in process..

Except for minor touch-ups, feels complete -- letting it rest ...

I started this with idea of improvising from forms I drew in a soft pastel titled “Spirit Upon.” In an ongoing conversation between intuition, spontaneity and the painting, it went through changes, initially with scriptural prophetic and transformational themes to the direction it’s heading now. With the deluge in mind, I’ll begin to complete it expressionistically.

Scoping out dynamics, underlay, possibilities ...

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION - "AN ANCIENT PROPHET HAS A QUESTION" - OIL PAINTING ON CANVAS

Progression -- “An Ancient Prophet Has a Question” – oil painting on 20” x 24” canvas –

Feels nearly complete - needs touch-ups and to sit a bit ...

Getting a feel for oil paints for the first time – neglected them in the four years I painted three-plus decades ago and since I resumed in May. I had painted just with acrylics up to now. Eileen encouraged me to work with the oils. -- Added a little more here on the painting..

Beginning to scope out shapes, arrangement and color.

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION - "SELF-PORTRAIT AT THE ABSTRACT CAFÉ" - ACRYLIC PAINTING

Progression -- "Self-Portrait At the Abstract Café" -- acrylic painting and 24" x 30" canvas ...

Things are in place, basically complete , title of painting changed, (was "At the Sufi Café - Self-Portrait"), touch-ups yet to do ...

.

Another step, work on the figure, shapes

Scoping out colors, shapes, arrangement (eyes will be different) ..
.

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION - "WINTER WALK ON TUSCARORA MOUNTAIN" - ACRYLIC PAINTING

Progression - "Winter Walk on Tuscarora Mountain" - acrylic painting on 24" x 30" canvas --

Seems complete - some touch-ups then letting it rest

Coming along in a mildly expressionist way.

Scoped out design, started on detail.

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

"NORTHSIDE HOMELESS PORTRAIT" -- ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS

Done for now -- "Northside Homeless Portrait" -- acrylic painting on 20" x 24" canvas -- some touch-ups then letting it rest -- progression of painting in post below --

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION -- "NORTHSIDE HOMELESS PORTRAIT" -- ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

Progression -- "Northside Homeless Portrait -- acrylic painting on 20" x 24" canvas ....

Putting down some tones, textures and shapes to see where I might take it --

Scoping it out --

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

COMPLETED - "ACCORDIONIST ON THE WALKING BRIDGE" - ACRYLIC PAINTING

Completed - "Accordionist on the Walking Bridge" -- acrylic painting on 24" x 30" canvas -- adapted from video I filmed in November 2005 when Eileen and I arrived in Chattanooga TN -- painted in what I'm calling an "intuitive combustianist" style ... progressions are in a previous post.

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

THROWBACK THURSDAY - TWO DRAWINGS FROM '79 AND '80

For Throwback Thursday -- two 8" x 10" abstract drawings from the 4 years I did visual art in the past -- one in '79 and one in '80, the year I stopped doing art then.

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION - "ACCORDIONIST ON THE WALKING BRIDGE" -- ACRYLIC PAINTING

Progression - "Accordionist on the Walking Bridge" -- acrylic painting on 24" x 30" canvas -- adapted from video I filmed in November 2005 when Eileen and I arrived in Chattanooga TN

Some details moving in ...

Getting some content and color relationships figured out here ...

Roughing it in ...

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

"AUTUMN RIOT" -- EXPERIMENTAL -- ACRYLIC PAINT ON CANVAS

"Autumn Riot" -- experimental -- acrylic painting on 16" x 20" canvas ...

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION -- "STREET POLL TAKER" -- ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

Progression -- "Street Poll Taker" -- acrylic painting on 16" x 20" canvas

Except for the details of her hands and some touch ups, it'seems complete -- on to the next one --

Adding detail ...

Roughing in underlays, shapes and method ...

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION -- "INSPIRATION" -- SOFT AND HARD PASTEL PAINTING

Progression -- “Inspiration,” hard and soft pastel painting on 11” x 17” charcoal paper.

Done ...

Having a conversation with the work ...

Blocking it out with hard pastels

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION -- "ROCKETS DESTROYED THEIR HOME" -- ACRYLIC PAINTING ON CANVAS

Progression -- "Rockets Destroyed Their Home" (was“Gaza Aftermath”), acrylic painting on 24” x 30” canvas, expressionist interpretation of photos from Gaza posted on the internet by Muhammed Kabariti. Having been to Palestine twice, I have some sense about this ...

Done for now ...

Basics are in place. Some work yet ... color, detail, integration.

Still roughing it in, altering content, scale, tone and conception

Roughing it in  ...

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg

PROGRESSION - "CELEBRATION AT A MEXICAN COOPERATIVE" - ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

Progression - "Celebration at a Mexican Cooperative" - acrylic painting on 20" x 24" canvas - adapted from my photo in the late '90s ...

I keep tilting toward the expressionists in a more static way -- maybe it's done ... letting it rest

Working out color, content and relationships ... rough but making headway

Roughing it out ...

(c) 2014 Wes Rehberg