SQUAM STILLWATER : Five Pines { 9 }

What would happen if one combines the Japanese like elegance of native pines

with 15th Century Florentine musical ratios by way of the Greek

Philosopher Pythagoras?  Let's find out.

Squam Stillwater: Five Pines

James Aponovich

oil on canvas, 24" x 18", 2019

Leonardo once said that paintings are never finished, only

abandoned. I feel that a painting is 'finished' when there is nothing

the artist can do to make it any better.

This painting is finished.

Copyright 2019 James Aponovich

All rights reserved

SQUAM STILLWATER: Five Pines {8}

AS EVER HIDDEN

Squam Stillwater: Five Pines   ( in progress)

James Aponovich

Oil on canvas, 24" x 18"

Now the painting is in the home stretch. To most eyes it

appears to be finished but I know that there still remains hours of 

painting ( pine needles ) ahead. I originally had something happening

where the air meets the water. On the surface of the water I painted

a Mayfly which has just landed and underneath you could see a trout

 rising to catch it. I understand that things like that occur. I realized that was

 in complete juxtaposition of the tranquility I was trying to capture.

So out came the hungry fish and if old 'Golden Pond' ( Squam Lake)

is known for anything.....

(detail)

.......it's Loons

copyright2019 James Aponovich

all rights reserved 

SQUAM STILLWATER: Five Pines { 7 }

What would happen if one combined the Japanese like elegance of native

pines with 15th Century Florentine musical ratios by way of the Greek

Philosopher Pythagoras ? Let's find out.

Squam Stillwater: Five Pines ( in-progress)
James Aponovich
oil on canvas, 24" x 18"



The painting has stood in a corner of the studio for the greater
part of a month. I had to attend to a Sunflower painting. Now it's
back on the easel so I repainted the sky ( 8 colors & values) and
the water ( 10 colors and values).

The sky is dry so I begin the
arduous process of painting the pines, plus the distant
mountain and hills. Did I mention I hate the color green?

Detail

SQUAM STILLWATER: FIVE PINES {6}

What would happen if one combines the Japanese like elegance of native

pines with 15th Century Florentine musical ratios by way of the Greek

Philosopher Pythagoras?  Let's find out.....

MID POINT 

( But still swimming upstream )

Squam Stillwater: Five Pines (in progress)

James Aponovich

oil on canvas, 24" x 18"

Finally the entire surface has paint on it. I want to

emphasize that this is only the first coat. By the time the

painting is finished you will not see this layer. This is the

'Ugly Duckling' stage with all the miscues and warts

showing. I now let it dry then scrape it down smooth and

start over again. Are we having fun yet?

Oh, I should mention...there is something happening

where the air and water meet.  (?)

copyright 2019 James Aponovich

all rights reserved

SQUAM STILLWATER: FIVE PINES {5}

What would happen if one combines the Japanese like elegance of native pines

with 12th Century Florentine musical ratios by way of the Greek 

Philosopher Pythagoras? Let's find out.......

THE FIRST GO-ROUND: Part II

Squam Stillwater: Five Pines  ( in progress)

James Aponovich

Oil on canvas, 24" x 18"

GROWNG PAINS

I have just completed the 'Blocking In" of the trees and other

reflections. So far, nothing in this painting is finalized, just 

the basics are established. Now the real ( a,k.a. tedious)

work begins with a very, very small brush.....every twig

and pine needle and then everything is repeated in the reflection...

Did I mention I hate repeating myself?

Fortunately I have to wait a few days for the paint to dry.

Company is coming for the weekend anyway.

Copyright 2019 James Aponovich 

All rights reserved 

SQUAM STILLWATER: FIVE PINES {4}

What would happen if one combines the Japanese like elegance of native

pines with 15th Century Florentine musical ratios by way of the Greek

Philosopher Pythagoras?  Let's find out.....

Squam Stillwater: Five Pines  ( in progress)

James Aponovich

oil on canvas,  24" x 18"

THE FIRST GO-AROUND

The first coat of the sky (and water) is dry. Now it's time to

'generalize' the trees with color. There will be more detail to come

but now I want to establish how the light is....not easy.

Mt. Chocorua is just catching the last rays of the setting sun

and glows with ember like warmth. The tips of the trees are

also barely in sun while their bases are in cool shadow.

Now I have to repeat this in the reflections.

Copyright 2019 James Aponovich

All rights reserved

SQUAM STILLWATER : FIVE PINES {3}

What would happen if one combines the Japanese like elegance of native

pines with 15th Century Florentine musical ratios by way of

the Greek Philosopher Pythagoras? Let's find out.

THE BLOCK- IN

Squam Stillwater: Five Pines  ( in progress)

James Aponovich

oil on canvas, 24" x 18"

I now need to cover the entire surface of the canvas with a coat of paint.

 Since most of the painting is sky ( or reflected sky) I can rely on

my ' sky progression' sequence, ie. pale Naples Yellow transitioning

into Ultramarine Blue. There are usually seven colors of deepening

value, each reflected in the water. The land is a soft Cobalt Green

with Mt. Chocorua bathed in distant sunlight.

So...with all the blues, violets and greens everything is quite cool.

That usually means I will want a 'Hot Spot'.

Stayed tuned.....

Copyright 2019 James Aponovich
All rights reserved

SQUAM STILLWATER: FIVE PINES {2}

What would happen if one combines the Japanese like elegance of native

pines with 15th Century Florentine musical ratios by way of

the Greek philosopher, Pythagoras?

Let's find out.

THE WASH

Squam Stillwater: Five Pines ( in progress)

James Aponovich

oil on canvas, 24" x 18"

The oil wash does a couple of things. First, it covers the pencil with

a thin semi-transparent coat of oil paint. It also darkens the trees so

that I can see them through the subsequent coats of paint.

By the way, after the first twenty minutes or so, 

the 'fun' is over. It's all work( albeit enjoyable) now.

Copyright 2019 James Aponovich

All rights reserved

SQUAM STILLWATER : Five Pines

SQUAM STILLWATER: Five Pines ( in progress)

James Aponovich

pencil study on canvas, 24" x 18"

What would happen if one combines the Japanese like elegance of

native pines with 15th Century Florentine Musical Ratios

by way of the Greek Philosopher, Pythagoras?

copyright 2019 James Aponovich

Lunch in Venice

James and I like to have a light lunch if we know we will be going to

dinner in the evening. We have found inVenice that cicchetti is a great way

to enjoy a local tradition as well as keeping to our light lunch pledge.

The green awning.... the signal that we have arrived at our destination, Enoteca 

Cantine del Vino 'Gia Schiavi, a well known bacari bar in the Dorsoduro neighborhood.

Cicchetti can be thought of as a Venetian version of tapas. Small bites
on bread or toothpicks which can be anything from  whipped baccala  ( salt cod)
or anchovy and a small
sweet onion, variations of tuna, to gorgonzola with pear and honey.
Here at 'Gia Schiavi', one might find sausage, cheeses or pesto &ricotta, all
that can be partnered with some crazy ingredient to make it an
extraordinary small bite!

There are many bacari bars throughout the neighborhoods.
All have different moods and atmospheres. At times we find we walk in to a bacari and are
the oldest people in there.....then, we slowly back out and find another
more to our liking. Most, however, cater to all and the cicchetti is
distinctly their own.

Once you have selected  the cicchetti, order a glass of wine.
Here at 'Gia Schiavi', being that it is an enoteca, there
are many wines to choose from. Since we were in the Veneto we  each had a
chilled Soave. Perfect for our selections of cicchetti.

Our plate included gambieri and soar ( shrimp and a special Venetian sauce), salmon with mascarpone, tuna
with cacao, anchovy and onion.....

After a morning at the Accademia then a walk around Dorsoduro, and lunch, it
was time for a short rest....but, there is always more to see in this
amazing city of stone and brick that seemingly floats on water.

ARE WE THERE YET? ( week10)

STILL LIFE WITH THREE GROUPS OF FLOWERS

James Aponovich

R.I.P.

( week 10 )

ARE WE THERE YET?

"It ain't over 'til it's over."

-Y. Berra

Still Life with Three Groups of Flowers

James Aponovich

oil on canvas, 40"x 52"

......It's over.

But wait........something new next week!

SWEATIN' THE DETAILS (week 9)

R.I.P
(almost)

STILL LIFE with THREE GROUPS of FLOWERS
James Aponovich

week 9

SWEATIN' THE DETAILS

"As ever hidden, look at its inner essence
as always manifest, look at its outer aspects."
- Lao Tzu

I have been asked (often) who is my favorite painter or what is my favorite painting style.
A complicated question, more often than not I would say something about
Chinese Classical painting...they liked looking under the hood.

Egg
James Aponovich
Pencil on paper, 4cm x 6 cm.

But, seeing as I represent the Western Classical tradition, the one
unmistakable, numero uno thing is.....


FORM

Portrait of Massimo ( in-progress)
James Aponovich
Pencil on paper ( detail)

The Italians called it Chiaroscuro ( light / dark), we know
it as difficult to do. It is the representation of the Three Dimensional
'thing' on a Two Dimensional surface such as canvas or paper.
It used to make 'em or break 'em,
now, nobody cares......
whatever.

I won't lecture on the rules ( a lot), but either you know it...
..or you don't



TEXTURE
or
PUTTIN' ON THE GLITZ

Although form is rock solid, pattern can accentuate it to please the eye.
People like to look at it.

"The hidden and the manifest give birth to each other."
- Lao Tzu






Next week - Are We There Yet?

PAINTING IN PERSPECTIVE ( week 8)

P. I. P.

PAINTING IN PERSPECTIVE

STILL LIFE WITH THREE GROUPS OF FLOWERS

James Aponovich

LOST IN SPACE, AGAIN

week 8

So far I have been dealing with the arrangement of things ( composition) on

a flat 2 Dimensional basis. 3 horizontals and 4 verticals. There is another, 

perhaps more important element I must confront....Space, or what

is called Aerial Perspective.

Self Portrait ( in -progress)

James Aponovich

oil on canvas

"Isn't he already dead?"

You see, I paint in a very traditional manner, based on the principles

of the Italian 15th Century...So there's not a large support group

for me... Lone Wolf Club.

Montalcino (Tuscany)

Usually a painter ( particularly a landscape painter), must deal

with Depth of Field in three distinct sections:

Foreground 

Middle Ground

Distant Ground

Panicale ( Umbria)

"Listen Buddy, Between you and me, there ain't much Middle

Ground here."

Typically, Middle Ground is the most challenging because 

it's all about transitions. It bridges what is closest to you ( Foreground),

and what's most distant ( Distant Ground). It's the in between

that is such a headache.

Detail with Lake Trasimeno ( Middle Ground)

The still life is up front and in your face, and what there is of Middle Ground

is minimal.....some peek-a-boo glimpses of the lake and Val di Chiana.

So to create a whole new zone...

I have introduced the Imaginary Space of the Viewer...

sound confusing?

The vase is black glass.....Welcome to my world.

There I am with palette looking at the painting. 

Elizabeth is also in the room, arranging flowers....

Kinda wierd

Still Life with Three Groups of Flowers {in- progress}

James Aponovich

oil on canvas

Next week.....Sweatin' the Details

PAINTING IN PROGRESSION ( week 7)

P.I.P.

PAINTING IN PROGRESSION

Week 7

STILL LIFE WITH THREE GROUPS OF FLOWERS

(in-progress)

James Aponovich

THE UNDERLYING SUPER STRUCTURE OF VISUAL RHYTHM

( The Secrets of the Universe Revealed)

BUT...

"It don't mean a thing

If it ain't got that swing."

-D. Ellington

For anybody who has had the misfortune to see me dance, it would

have become painfully obvious that I do not possess any body rhythm.

I was a massive disappointment to my mother.

Fortunately, visual rhythm is another matter...

Leon Battista Alberti was a Florentine author, party boy , and most importantly, 

an architect. He, with some other guys created in Florence what we

now call the Renaissance. Although he was an important Theoretician,

he designed the beautiful facade of Santa Maria Novella, not far

from the not so beautiful train station in Florence.

YEAH, SO?

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN PROFESSOR WIDGIT?

3 : 4

That means that this painting is a horizontal, 3 : 4  ratio, more or less.

It can be divided into three horizontal sections and four verticals. Draw

some triangles and fill them with stuff. It's alright I guess, a bit stiff

and static....kinda clumsy, like the guy who can't dance.

9 : 12 : 16

Alberti decided to spice things up, so he incorporated

Renaissance Musical Consonances into the equation

and created a rhythm that still rocks.

9 : 12 equals 3 : 4

12 : 16 equals 3 : 4

So instead of having the vase dead center, it is just off to the left.

A triangle drawn from it's top to the sides incorporates all of  the 'stuff'

like a broad umbrella.

SUPPORTING VERTICAL COLUMNS

To the leftist a pyramid of objects. While....

it is countered on the right by a slightly larger one.

At the intersection of the two lines is the

'Golden Section Point'....

where I placed the Full Moon.

As an anchor I've added a fourth, smaller triangle with

a single Agapanthus flower....

to end the sentence, so to speak.

Coming next week-

Lost In Space

P.I.P. PAINTING IN PERPETUITY ( week 6)

STILL LIFE WITH THREE GROUPS OF FLOWERS
( And even more stuff)

Painting In Progress
week 6

JAMES APONOVICH

" Oh, It' you again"

Remember that old cartoon of a prisoner scratching six lines on the
cell wall and the seventh line through them.... One week down...
Let's just say the bloom is starting to fade with this painting.
'Chained to the easel', all day, everyday.



" Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end, 
but it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
-Winston Churchill 



IT'S A MATTER OF VALUE

So far I have been thinking a lot about color and it's effects,
but value ( light /dark) comes with it and it's starting to raise its head.

To counter the brilliance of the yellow ( light), I have introduced
another cloth underneath which is blue (dark). So, as the yellow can
soar to great heights, blue can descend to almost black. There is a
reason ( I think) for all that pattern, but I will get to that later.          

As deep in value as blue is, it can also ascend to be light and
celestial. Blue can move around quite a bit, but yellow
doesn't want to.

So, aside from some final fussing, the bottom third of the painting
is finished, like a massive chord of music...full and rich.
Now, I must try and compose the melody with the ever-present 'stuff'.
....It is a Still Life after all.

Still Life with Three Groups of Flowers ( in -progress)
James Aponovich
oil on canvas, 40"x 52"




Until Next Week.....................