Upcoming solo show at Abend Gallery, opens August 12th. This will be my last major solo exhibit for a while, so check it out!
Adding it up I realized in 6 years I have had 17 solo shows in 7 states. I am going to spread them out a bit moving forward! Focus on delivering my very finest paintings to a select pool of galleries.
As my next show gets closer I am making decisions about which pieces I will take. I am varnishing older work and still painting new pieces. I want the exhibit to be a strong collection that all belongs together but also with visual variety. It is tough to know sometimes exactly how much work is needed. Like so many things in life it is about making good decisions.
I destroyed half a dozen paintings I decided not to put into my solo show. I like to let paintings breathe for a while and see them fresh. So often you feel an energy and excitement from work, that usually fades. If a painting doesn’t intrigue me after hanging around the studio for weeks it is probably not worth keeping. Sometimes I will deeply love elements of a piece but it has to be compelling as a whole. Once in a while a painting just needs a little extra work to bring it all together. Sometimes that little extra is the final blow…
So I destroyed a painting, this is the new painting on the same panel. Now I can’t remember for sure what was originally on this board but I know this is stronger. Will it stick around? Time will tell.
This painting is on the bubble for me. It has a lot of the force and intrigue I enjoy but is that enough? I will catch it out of the corner of my eye when I am working and it draws my attention… is that enough? It has some beautiful color, blending, texture, shape and motion… enough?
I am forever running out of painting surfaces. Now when I finish a painting I set it aside in the studio rather than varnishing it. I let a little time and distance come between me and the painting and see how it stacks up against other works I am making. Then when there are too many paintings and not enough new boards I spend a morning removing paint from the ones that fall short.
This has become part of my process. I am increasingly comfortable destroying to create. Nothing is sacred.
Still not sure if I will keep it but it is intriguing so I will put it aside and let it breathe.
I am framing work for an upcoming exhibit. Part of the process is editing your work and trying to select the most powerful pieces. I took this photo of three of my small cloudscapes… only two will go. I have my opinions but would love to hear from you! Which two paintings do you like the best?
brian sostrom 