russpotak

2012-02-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a painting is just a painting. No message. No complex underlying compositional equations, .. and no deciphering meanings.

Sailboat in a tidal pond, is just such an example. I did this last year, and it is really nothing more than a place in my mind, derived from a place I was at, and translated into this painting. I thought it a pleasant scene at the time, and thats all I needed to convey it. Sailboat lazily being pushed by a gentle breeze into this backwater pond on a soft and splendid day.

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acrylic on canvas

16 x 20"

2012-01-30T14:51:00.000-08:00

Early this morning as I opened the shades in the studio, I watched the morning light change and create patterns against the woods and fields. I was about to run and get the camera, but then I thought, why photograph something you already have seen. Why not translate this experience into a painting?

The camera is never going to be able to put the feel and drama of the moment into something that is 60% visual and 40% experiential. Its that 40% that counts. Its what goes on in the mind and hearts eye. Its the guts of the moment of awe. A camera would have recorded it, and yes, you can fudge around with it a manipulate it with photoshop, but, I like to keep my hands and flesh on the controls as much as possible, and forego the techno-control over the final statement. Thats one of the reasons, I paint. Its the human element that has the last say. It was me that said it, and did it. So later, I took out the sketch book, put it down, and later I painted it. Its a painting. Its not a photograph.

This is it.

11x15

acrylic on paper

Sunrise patterns, against the woods and field.

2012-01-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

A Painting? An Illustration? Who cares?

Sometimes subjects just come from something I feel like translating into an image. Its not like the other works in the sense that I'm working the elements of color, and shapes for the sole sake of a finished piece. When there is specific images that are being tossed around, its more of like,.. how do I say this, and still incorporated the basic elements to make it work and make it interesting.

More along the lines of an artistic illustration, than anything.

At least for me, that's how it is.

I find I become bored quicker if my work tends to fall into too much information. So when I do something like this, I try to find ways to keep my interest level up. That might be using colors to my advantage, or shapes to created movement. These kind of works come and go in between my other more art for art creations.

But, nonetheless, I find that somehow they fall into place nicely anyway.

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In Flight

16x20

acrylic on canvas

2012-01-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

Just outside, not more than a stones throw away from where I gaze out from the place where I paint, some people call a studio, and I call a room that takes on the appearance of a studio, .. lies these hills.

They constantly change in light and color with the seasons and are more revealed in the winter months. I have done a number of paintings from this exact vantage point many times now, and you have probably noticed a similarity in subject matter if you have been following my paintings. That is because they are. The subject is the same, only the lighting and the seasons change. How convenient for me. These hills and mountains pose permanently for my canvas.

This one in particular I especially like, because I incorporated a stressed surface resulting in a texture that adds an extra interest to the overall work. Its simply called Winter Landscape. Its on a 16x20 stretched canvas and has a light coat of varnish over it. Sometimes, the subjects for an artist are no further away than the back door.

You can find this original piece listed for sale on my Etsy gallery page . russpotak.etsy.com

I'll try to post some other paintings from this location soon, so you can see and compare the way I handled the subjects.

2011-10-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

Through the Fence Line

acrylic on paper

12x15

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Another example of my interest in translating a mood rather than a picture. I use the subject as a vehicle, but lean heavily towards an inwards expression of that. A more interpretive translation of the things that caught my soul's interest.

Not all that I do, comes across so evenly, as some attempts get lost in translation, and I deem them good paintings but not true to my innermost attempts to be accurate to the soul, not the eyes of the brain. Speaking from the heart is not always easy as the eyes will try to lead a lot of artists, away from the innermost well of creation and to the known, the predictable, the mundane, the easily crafted.

Mountains in the Mist Landscape Original Painting

2011-09-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

Mountain in the Mist

11x15 "

acrylic on paper

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I've been gathering photographs every morning on various walks done by the lake to use as reference subjects in my paintings. I hope to have a plentiful supply as winter approaches, just in case I get bogged down in snowscapes. I look for a mood when getting these pics for studies. I'm not interested in painting a scene per se, but rather the sense of place, and the mood of it. Literal depictions of places would bore me to death. As an artist, I need to reveal something else, not so evident as the outward appearance. I hope to be able to translate this idea into my works. More later.

2011-09-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Farm Fields

15 x 20 inches

acrylic on heavyweight paper

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Well, its September now and the suns light is changing somewhat. The leaves are starting to turn a little here and the farmers markets are starting to sell the root vegetable and squash variety produce. It won't be long now before things start to change from what we know to be summer, to autumn. I do love the shadows, and light that this season brings. As a painter, its the best. I get to use more of a full palette of colors with a more dynamic application of paint.

This painting is the first of my "Post Summer Season" series. More to come I'm sure. Its just a matter of time, and season.

Between the Essence and the Scent: Art is Like That....

2011-08-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Between the Essence and the Scent: Art is Like That....: "Russ Potak: Harbor Fishing Boats... While perusing my FaceBook page this morning, I saw a post by Russ Potak and felt the need to share..."

Between the Essence and the Scent: "I don't care about things....I care about LIFE" M...

2011-05-19T12:16:00.000-07:00

Between the Essence and the Scent: "I don't care about things....I care about LIFE" M...: "POTAK: STORMY DAY... Art is one of those things that is talked about, argued about, fought over, cried for, died for, and has been the ca..."

2011-05-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

The title of this painting is Sailing Down East

The title of this blog is

MONET BY THE LILLY PADS

Its been really busy. Aside from the usual spring clean up and chores that mount into a monument if they are not taken care of promptly, my studio work and on line galleries are keeping me busy, not to mention outdoor shows. Now I've got to cut out a little time for some work on the easel. People always wonder if I'm out in the surroundings of nature painting by a pond of geese or something. Well, not really, .. here's why. Summer is crazy. Shows, fairs, festivals. online sales, shipping, packing, marketing, site maintenance, and the list goes on. Winter is actually studio time. Summer, oh how I wish, but the reality is, thats its time to put your nose to the grindstone, your cards on the table, and go for broke. Sometimes I envy people who can do art for a hobby. Its sounds relaxing. Maybe after autumn sets in, I will find that pond of geese and just paint like Monet by the lilly pads.

2011-05-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

Clouds and Sails

11x14

acrylic on paper

There's nothing better than salty breezes pushing along the clouds and canvas sails with equal ease along the deep blue sea.

2011-05-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Hills of Spring

16x20

acrylic on canvas

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Just outside my studio, is this scene which changes with every passing minute. Now that spring is upon us, it is a real show to see it develop this mosaic of color and light as the trees and hills start to come to life.

This is that scene.

2011-05-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Springtime Country Landscape

16x20

acrylic on canvas

One of my favorite places to walk. I usually carry my sketch book and record impressions. This is one of them from that walk translated into this painting.

2011-04-25T15:18:00.000-07:00

Landscape with Pink Sky and Mountains

11x14

acrylic on paper

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This particular work was composed over a coffee, on a sketch pad at a local haunt. I liked the sketch, and had to urge to translate it into color, thus the painting. Some of my best works come out of that little coffeehouse. There's no telling what a good cup of joe will do to fire up the creative process.

2011-04-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

Birdseye Diner Yellow Coffee Mug

acrylic on canvas paper

9x12

About this painting:
People that know me, know one thing about me. I love my coffee. Not the milkshake, sundae varieties with names longer than intros to some novels, but rather the kind that pours out black and you add at the most cream, or sugar. or both. Well anyway, this is one of my many favorite coffee mugs. Having just finished my brew, I painted the mug, which is now immortalized in paint, for all time. It sits on an insulated fabric insulated coaster, available at WSDreams from Etsy.
I hope you like my mug, and my painting.

Someday maybe I'll paint my other mug, the one I see in the mirror. ~ ugh, or is that mugh!

2011-04-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

Soup Can

9x12

acrylic on canvas paper

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I actually painted this in my studio, and it was just a bunch of stuff near by and the can sat on a table edge covered with a cloth. But, people not knowing that, have come to see the can on a hill of grass and a city in the background. Thats what you got to love about expressive paintings. You can never tell what interpretation will surface from viewing them.

2011-04-11T09:04:00.000-07:00

Seaside Boathouse

16 x 20

acrylic on stretched canvas

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A place I sketched from a photo I took on Old Cape Cod. It was early in the morning, no one was around but me and my coffee. I wandered down to the boats waiting on the shore, and just soaked in the peace and quite.

2011-04-08T17:03:00.000-07:00

Cows in Pasture

16x20

acrylic on stretched canvas

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2011-04-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

Seacoast Village

16 x 20

acrylic on panel

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2011-04-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

The Seaside town of

Kennebunkport, Maine

11 x 14

acrylic on panel

Had to do this one. A favorite little port nestled in an inlet on the Maine seacoast. Love this place! I found it challenging, conveying the colorful bustling life onto the surface of my painting. I wanted the salty ambiance of the town to come through. This is the town Popeye would have frequented on one of his shore leaves.

Sometimes I'm glad I paint impressionistically, for it's an asset when trying to capture a multi-eclectic subject matter that won't stand still. ~ Hope you like it!

2011-04-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

Country Spring Landscape

11x14

acrylic on gessoed panel

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This painting is from a composition just down the road from me, and I sketched it out rather than taking a picture. I find that sometimes the photo doesn't remind me as much of the subject as does a sketch. Too much information in the photo is more than likely the reason.

This way I handled this painting, is the direction that I am striving for in my work. A free, looser approach, with more emphasis on making a maximum statement, with minimum of complexity in execution. Its not easy, as I am finding out. Saying more with less, is way harder that saying more with more. Simplicity is complex. But thats the mystery and key. It should look like it was done with ease, and yet, the ease is work. The appearance by the viewer should be one of, .. its free, easy going, lively, and they should not be aware of the foundation and work behind the paint. Its kind of like magic. You see it and are engrossed, but not aware of the hand behind the illusion. I hope to maintain this direction as I continue my work.

2011-04-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

EXPRESSIONIST PAINTING of sailboats and sunset

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

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I've been working up enough art courage to get into some different levels of expression with not only my use of color, but subject and composition as well. This is the first of this endeavor I'll be embarking on for a while. I want to explore using color in an uninhibited manner, and let the subject take a secondary seat to the use of shapes, colors and line. Not that I have taken it into the next logical step of abstraction, but it in a close neighbor of it. This being the first, I'm sure I will have a lot to learn as I uncover things that will be revealed to me as I work. Its exciting, and new, and I always feel better about my art, if I haven't been there before. New is good. I'm looking forwards to it. I will include it in my portfolio of art under "it's coming along". But I'm sure I will still adhere to much of my other working procedures and styles that I have come to learn and utilize. ~ Hope you like it.

In case your wondering, .. yes I did some rework on this painting. I decided that it needed a little yellow hue to some of the green as well as a touch of orange. So I did, and now you can see it for yourself. The before and after.

2011-03-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Storm Along the Coast

16 x 20

acrylic on stretched canvas

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As with a lot of my works, they start out as a sketch, and then translate into a painting. This one was pretty much just a pleasant seascape, when I began thinking about how on a perfectly beautiful nice warm day, a storm can spring up without a moments notice over the water. I love to watch them roll over the horizon knowing that they usually stay out to sea. In the scene are two escaping sailboats caught off guard. I thought, that is how it is. Warm, and sailing along one minute, and making haste to find safe harbor the next.

2011-03-28T06:55:00.000-07:00

Seacoast and cottage seascape

11 x 15

acrylic on 140 lb paper

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"What is the Point?"

Sometime, it get to the point where I feel like I've done this before, and I've said this before. Well, that happened the other day as I was working on a painting from a photo. I felt like I was just going through the motions. That I already knew the outcome. Every brushstroke I knew in advance. The painting was done in my head before it was on the canvas. I thought to myself, why am I doing this? What's the point?? Why don't I just leave the whole thing in my head and save the paint? What am I trying to say and why? It was then that I remembered something that Picasso said. That is was okay to try anything in a painting, just never try it again. Sometimes as artists we get into a comfort mode. We have learned to "make art". And we do it over and over again with such ease sometimes. Well, .. to make a long story short. That painting that I was working on? The one that I said to myself, seems like I've been here before and done that? Its now underneath this one. This one is new and fresh to me. The other one, belongs where I put it.

2011-03-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

Landscape with hills and clouds

11x15

acrylic on 140 lb paper

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Woke up this morning and looked out the window to see the sun lighting up the barren hills of early spring. Before I even went for my first coffee of the day, I grabbed a pencil and sketched what I needed to remember. I did remove the snow though, and greened up some things in the foreground. But other that that, its a pretty good translation in my humble opinion. The sketch worked well, because I didn't wait too long to transfer it into a painting. Had I waited any longer, I probably would have lost the moment, even with the sketch.

2011-03-25T09:06:00.000-07:00

Spring Landscape Painting

11 x 15

acrylic on 140 lb paper

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This is the painting that I did from a photo even though the scene is just minutes from my studio. The reason being, that it's still under a foot of snow in places and since its spring now.. ha ha.., I decided to take it from a photo I shot last year, in the "real spring" like around May 20th. Did I tell you, we don't really get a lengthy spring here, like everybody else. It goes from snow season, to mud season, to "what was that?" season, and then to a kind of summer, and then the ice age returns to inhabit the majority of the years months. So, even though the calendar says spring, it not even close. But if I wait for the real spring to paint this, everybody else is already at the beach, in mid summer. So here it is. Smell those apple blossoms!

2011-03-23T15:21:00.000-07:00

Landscape with Farm and Hills

acrylic on stretched canvas

16 x 20"

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Today I painted something in my own neck of the woods. As of late, I've been fighting the winter snows and turning my palette to warmer images and places I would like to be at this time of year. So, I have been busy painting summer seascapes, harbors, sandy beaches, and more. But then, suddenly as I was rummaging through some sketches and photos, I recognize the places as being just down the road from here. I thought to myself, this time I'm not taking the warm and easy way out on a composition. I'm going to see what I can do with what's right under my nose. Damn the snow, the cold, I'm a painter, and I can paint cold and barren just as well as warm and sunny. Not that the neighbors farm house is barren, but in contrast to the beaches of Maui, well,.. you know. So, now I'm back to painting whatever gets in front of me. Be it, warm, cold, animal, vegetable or mineral. That's for now. Who knows where I go from there. For me, the process of painting comes down to more of the fact that I paint, to paint. I don't want to make a picture, I want to make a painting. That to me is foremost in my intent. To paint, to make a painting. Aside from marketing factors, the subject is the vehicle for the painting. It forms the bones for the paint to build up muscle upon.

Today, a landscape, tomorrow, .. a bottle of wine. It doesn't matter, its a painting.

2011-03-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

I'm rummaging through sketches I have done in all sorts of places. Coffee shops, on a rock near the lake, in the car, in my studio, on location in some point of interest, wherever. These I will convert into works, .. paintings, impressionist painting, expressionist paintings, abstracts, seascapes, landscapes, animals, and colorful acrylic compositions. Its what I do. I'm not a method painter. I didn't go to the school of "lets learn how to make a painting." I went to art school. That's not the same. Nobody ever told me how to make a painting. They opened my eyes to learn how to see, to absorb life, to purge that onto the canvas with honesty. I still remember some of the students in art class that were frustrated because the instructors were not teaching them how to make mountains, or trees, or horses. They instead were talking color, movement, energy, line, impression, experimentation. This really separated the art students from the illustration segment. Some left the class and went on to become the Norman Rockwell of their time, and others just gave up. But the ones who wanted to be artists, kept on with the pursuit of just working at the canvas, for the sole reason of the creation of something new, something unseen before, and revealing. I'm really glad and thankful, no one taught me "how" to paint.

Stylish Home

2011-02-05T06:34:00.000-08:00

I have bee included in the Stylish Home Etsy finds page, under the category of painting this week. Please feel free to take a look at the painting that was chosen and let me know how you like it.

www.stylishhome.com/Community/StylishHome-Current/Paintings-StylishHomes-Week...

2011-01-31T11:38:00.000-08:00

I especially like the spontaneity of this one and the way the warm light is bouncing off of the structures.

Its not easy being simple.

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Island Light

8x10

acrylic on canvas

2011-01-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

As of late, I've been experimenting painting on heavy weight paper. I like the unpretentious feel it has, and the fact that I can store them more readily and easily than stretched canvases. I hope to do more on this surface and see where it takes me.

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Seacoast landscape

11 x 15

acrylic on canvas

available on: http://www.etsy.com/listing/66937183/expressive-seacoast-painting-with-boat

2011-01-27T16:11:00.000-08:00

As of late I have been experimenting with painting on heavyweight paper. It has a different feel to it, and I am beginning to like it. I also like panels and canvas boards, when I'm not using stretched canvas. The thing that I do like about paper, is the storage space that it offers me to file them away. Eventually, stretched canvas can run you out of the studio, if you try storing too much of it.

With the flatter surfaced panels and papers, its not a problem storing large numbers of works in a limited amount of space.

For now, though, I move around from surface to surface as I need to. Seems like I just enjoy the different feels each one has.

2011-01-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

Seaside shack in a fishing cove

11x14"

acrylic on canvas

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Somewhere in the mid coast region of Maine is a small cove with this little shack that sells crafts and paintings.

A pleasant salty little place that deserved to be painted.

2011-01-18T05:05:00.000-08:00

Seacoast Village

9x12

acrylic on paper

_______________________

About this painting:
From a snapshot I took up in the Midcoast area of Maine, along Boothbay Harbor. I feel strongly that this painting is the direction I want to go, as I feel it has broken through some barriers that have been obstacles for me, one of them being tied to the conformity of representational brushwork techniques. This painting, for at least this one attempt, has crossed that line. I feel its one of my strongest paintings I have completed in this new year.

2011-01-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

Impressionist Landscape Painting of quaint house by a salt marsh

acrylic on 140 lb paper

11 x 15

I found this composition of a small quaint home by a inter coastal waterway quite interesting. The small red boat beckons to take you out in the waters, maybe to a place where the hermit crabs line the banks of this salt marsh area.

2011-01-04T16:35:00.000-08:00

There are certain time in an artists life where there are dead spots and energized times in the process of creation. As a painter, I find that if not given the time to be in non productive period, the process of working at the easel can sometimes get repetitive and produce tired and sometimes stale work. Artists I think, need that time off, to recharge and sponge up the life and energy that is around them. When that is completed, productivity happens and sometimes it happens rather suddenly and with a whirlwind of activity at the easel. Kind of like, when it rains, it pours, but seldom does it drizzle. Drizzle does not produce any lasting work worthy of staying in the game.

I think I am now entering a phase of high productivity, as I feel a slow time now has passed and I have much work to do, with a renewed vigor and energy. I look forward to this new exploration in my painting. It will be interesting to see, how and if, my work is going to take on any new things in the process, or if I will approach my subjects with a different outlook.

Time will tell.

2011-01-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

Well, the new year has rolled in, and am excited to get working on some new material. I am hoping to concentrate more on how colors relate to one another, and let the subjects be assembled by shapes, and colors, more so, than before. I look forward to letting the energy of the brush become more dominant and line to play a bigger part in my works. All of this of course, is to be approached with the, "anything can happen" policy, and I always leave myself open for variations in the theme and subject. How a work evolves, is how it evolves. I can direct, .. but things can happen along the way which I did not anticipate. That is one of the exciting things about exploring the creative process. It holds in store mysteries, not yet revealed, until the work, becomes a work in progress.

2010-12-22T16:13:00.000-08:00

Lunar Solstice

16x20

acrylic on canvas

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And so on the night of the lunar eclipse and the solstice that was occurring, I ducked outside to observe and document on my sketch pad as much as I could before my hand froze. Contented that I soaked in as much pertinent visual information as I could, I headed back inside to the warmth of the house. Once there, I could digest the sketches and translate them into this painting.

2010-11-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

December in the Village

11 x 14

acrylic on canvas

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Somewhere in Vermont, maybe East Arlington. The two figures in the painting are returning from the general store, having just bought flour and butter to make a pie.

2010-11-29T16:37:00.000-08:00

Russ Potak Visit my feature if you already haven't. I'm in the running for Artist of the Month, on Artist of the Day. Visit here to boost me to stardom (or at least, my Andy Warhol 15 minutes of fame.)- Click on this link--> Expressionist Painting by Russ Potak | Art of Day

2010-11-15T08:51:00.000-08:00

This is my small works painting that is going off to Moss Norway for the David Sandum art charity. The benefit has captured the attention of artists worldwide and the media as well. I send my congratulations and best wishes to David for a successful endeavor. http://davidsandumart.posterous.com/call-for-artists-twitter-art-exhibit-in-moss

2010-11-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

The Path to Robert Frost's House

16x20

acrylic on canvas

___________________As I was heading home from a visit to nice gallery in Vermont, I stopped along the way to visit the grounds and homestead of Robert Frost, the beloved American poet. I walked in his woods, and took with me, a few sketches of the surroundings. This is my painting of that visitation.http://artofday.com/wordpress

2010-11-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

I've been honored with appearing on this great site as a featured artist. Take a look and see what its all about! -> http://artofday.com/wordpress/?p=2216

2010-11-05T13:38:00.000-07:00

2010-10-24T07:12:00.000-07:00

Hills of Home

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

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Often I take sketches and notes from just outside our home. A lot of seasonal changes occur right under my nose, and I find that they occur so often, I could paint them forever and not run out of subjects. This particular scene, is the result of a moody weather front that moved in from the mountains, and contrasted nicely with the autumn maples and aspens. I love when that happens. Moody weather has a personality all of its own, and I try to catch it upon the canvas.

2010-10-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy summer, and now its fall. The time has flown by, and I never seem to be able to keep up with it all, .. like don't forget to keep in touch with everyone, in not only my blog, but my tweets on Twitter, and my facebook pages. Hopefully, I can and I will.

I have been painting, a lot, and there is a lot to be said about what I am doing. I'm overdue on posting my new works, and hope to catch up.

That said, I'm now heading back to the easel to work on a painting from a sketch that I did recently outside in the invigorating autumn air.

More on this later. I will attempt to make a more regular visit to my site with my newer works and thoughts. Until later. I will be back.

2010-09-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

Among the Colored Earth

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

------------------------------This painting is one of the first in the return of my western art theme. During my life in the west, I executed a large body of works devoted to the landscapes and history or the west and southwest.

Having lived in Colorado, both in the plains, and mountains, I became very familiar with the western landscape and it history and peoples, including the Native Americans. I sketched and painted from the wealth of the Rocky Mountains and the expansive prairies that surrounded me. I became fascinated with the history of Colorado's settlement during the 1800's and the American Indians that called it home. The Ute, the Cheyenne, the Arapahoe, and the Pawnee.
I attended many historical recreations, including the mountain man rendezvous, and the Indian Pow Wows where I sold and traded my art and artifact reproductions. I also had many one person exhibitions and my paintings were carried in local and regional galleries and fine retail outlets in Colorado Springs, Denver, Manitou Springs, Cripple Creek, and Woodland Park, Colorado to name a few.
These works that I am doing now, are a tribute to my western life that I lived there during that period in the 80's.~ I hope you like them.

2010-07-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in the Keys

Acrylic on paper

11x14

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My mind wanders to warm waters and a soothing breeze more often than not. That is all I need to paint a scene like this. Because I am familiar with this type of surroundings, growing up with a family that spent a lot of time is warm waters, I know the layout of the scene. Its just a matter of purging it in paint.

2010-06-15T16:57:00.000-07:00

Mountain Lake in the North Woods

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

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Growing up my family did a lot of camping. Sometimes we would spend weeks out in the great outdoors, canoeing, sailing, fishing, and hiking.

One of my favorite memories is the places we would camp in the northern Adirondack mountains. The smell of pine and the sound of the loon, is still fresh in my mind. This painting, is a tribute to that memory. I think the boat is waiting for me to get back in and do it all again.

2010-06-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Hillside Hamlet

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

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A place nearby that has been sketched a number of times and rehashed in this composition for this particular painting. I often walk along the lakes in this area, and derive a lot of subject matter in my excursions. This painting depicts a culmination of some of these walks in my minds eye.

You Frame, I Frame, We all Frame

2010-06-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

You go to an outdoor art fair. You spend days if not weeks, preparing your work for the show. Many hours of deliberation is spent on deciding whether you should bring this piece of work or that. Should I frame this, or not. Should I use wood or metal. Gold or silver. The list goes on.

So recently, after many shows and feedback from customers, I finally decided to give up the framing of my paintings. And this is why.

Depending on the location of the show, and what I'm going to bring, it would be almost impossible to have at my disposal quality frames for what ever pieces I decide to bring. I have volumes of work, and they take up more than their share of space where I live, never mind them having to be shelved with frames. First of all, I couldn't afford to frame everything I do, secondly, if I did, the frames would be non salable in a very short time after a few shows, with the rough handling that occurs. Rain, nicks, bumps, chocolate cupcake stained edges from curious youths, dust from wind, etc. People who want frames, want good frames. At the most, I could only afford to use a lower quality frame for so many works.

To get to the point, if I frame my work, there are many things that present a problem, and make my framing mute.

1. The person may like the work, and not the frame.

2. The person may like the work, but want another color or type of frame that matches their decor.

3. The frame may not be what the person envisions for this work.

4. The frame has been nicked or soiled being in so many shows it turns them away from the art.

5. The conversation turns more to frames than it does your work.

There are more, but the final reason, is this... with my type of expressionist work, most people see the frame as in the way. An obstruction. Maybe thats because the painting deserves the attention that only a frame shop can give it, to match it too the ultimate frame to compliment its look. This I can not accommodate.

When I did have frames at one time, many buyers of my art, asked if I could remove the painting from the frame, as the frame was less than what they envisioned for it. Other people would need the work to be easily transportable to get it back to their home, via plane, car, train or whatever.

I would hear statements like this. " I love the painting, but I hate the frame" or "do you have this in a mauve frame, or with no gloss?" or .. "I really would like to frame it myself, .. framing is such a personal thing,,, you understand?"

So I have finally given up on my vain attempts to make my paintings more salable using frames. At the most, I'll use a wooden strip lattice, just so they can have the edges protected, and they pop right off, if the buyer doesn't like them, or for transport reasons.

So, to frame, or not to frame. I know a lot of you consider that this is the crowning touch to your work, but I seriously think this privilege belongs to the buyer, and professional framer, which I confess that I'm not. I'm an artist, not a framer. Let the frame shops frame, and let the painters paint.

So, now when I finish a painting, I make sure the painting has the sides painted, so its already hang ready, and I make sure there is a hanger wire on the back. They are appealing, and with my kind of paintings, it looks appropriate. Not presumptuous or in your face. Just a painting, to look like a painting, and ready for whatever you want it to be dressed in.

So, for me, frames belong in homes and museums, not in my studio. Interior decoration is best left up to professionals as to how the painting will live out its life on the walls.

So anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

2010-06-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Horizons

18 x 24

acrylic on canvas

2010-06-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

The Race

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

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Inspired by the mere act of painting. This work was begun with various washes and under paintings that eventually developed into some suggestive shapes and images. I stayed with these impressions and finished off the painting staying true to the paintings vision.

Sea Side Cove

2010-05-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

Sea Side Cove

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

2010-05-18T16:22:00.000-07:00

The painting Break of Day, was a drawn from a momentary minute of inspiration. The sun was just cresting over the hill as I viewed it from the studio window. Not even having had my coffee yet, I was still rather in a mental fog, but I knew I had to record the essence of what I witnessed.

So, I grabbed a pencil and a scrap of paper and recorded the moment. I knew that if the sketch held true, then the painting would too.

2010-05-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Break of Day

16x20

acrylic on canvas

2010-05-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

A sketch can be a discarded napkin with some scribbles on it, or a piece of note paper or part of the grocery list. What the artist puts on it, at the time is significant, and is often used for further studies, or references for a work. Recently, I have been thinking about how I have been using the sketch as a step off point for a finished painting. Now, I am thinking, that sometimes, my sketch says it all. It doesn't need any further embellishment or adjustment. In, fact, the translation, can often be a step down in the original work, or sketch, and would be better off if left alone and appreciated for what it was. A spontaneous work, done in an inspired moment, and complete as it is. Why not, then, use the sketch, as the work, .. not as a point of departure.

I think, I am going to pursue this concept, to see what develops. ~

More on this later.

2010-04-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

TIDAL INLET

16 X 20

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

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It wasn't on the first attempt that this painting came together. I work it and then decided it was not going where I wanted it to go. After the first initial painting, I sat back on it, and then decided it needed to be reworked entirely. I rubbed out the entire painting, and then proceeded to work on it again, yet this time with the knowledge of where I didn't want to painting to go.

It seemed to take form and shape with a lot more ease this time, and when I stood back, I realized that I got what I wanted. It just took two attempts to arrive there.

2010-04-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

COTTAGE BY THE SEA

16 X 20

ACRYLIC ON CANVAS

__________________________

I am becoming fascinated with other tools than just the brush. The palette knife, combined with the brush produces a rich texture and vibrant colors, as no hue is diminished by the addition of a thinning agent. Its just the paint, alla prima. I think I will stay with this approach for a while and see where it takes me.

2010-04-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

Sea Harbor

9x12

acrylic on canvas

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Done primarily with a palette knife tool. Colors are allowed to meld into each other, and texture surfaces where the paint is thick. I find exciting qualities in this kind of paint application.

2010-04-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

You ever wonder what Van Gogh did when he wasn't painting. I mean, everybody has an image of artists always in their studios or out in fields, painting away. But, think about it. There is a lot of time in between to think, meander, get ideas, socialize, hang out, have a beer, tend to the garden, or just look for some place to grab a cheap meal. I mean, artists are people. But people with a passion for getting something created with a burning desire, and in the process, that creates a colorful lifestyle at times. Because, REAL artists, live the life in order to create. Everything is put aside for their work. Unlike a hobby or a recreation,.. it is not a fill in occupation to close the dead space up, while they are on to do something else. Usually the artists life, is built around his need to do his work, and not much will he allow to get in the way. I guess, that is why, an artist would choose to live on the edge of starvation, before giving up his work. How many other things can you think of where that drive is so strong? I'm sure it exists with some other passions as well, but artists have, I think, a corner on that determination.

So, when you see an artist doing something else, besides painting, ... it is always best to assume he is filling his spare time with whatever... not the other way around.

Van Gogh and the rest.. built their life around art. It was never a hobby. A real artist, usually can't afford a hobby.

2010-04-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

LIGHTHOUSE BLUFF

9x12

acrylic on canvas

_________________

I am beginning to really love the use of palette knife, as it lends itself to the effect of texture. I find that texture and impasto, create so much more than just the image. When the paint is revealed in the work, and is used as an energetic force, then the work becomes infused with this combination of image and medium. Not dissimilar to how a sculpture is viewed. The viewer takes in both the image, and the medium. Its a dual experience.

I am confident that I will continue to search out any other means to I can, to achieve the effects that help in the completion of my painting. However, or whatever I need to make the painting work, then that is the most important thing.

2010-04-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

The day was superb! Soft warm air and the scent of earth. Just last week it was miserable and looked like we were never to see the sun again. Now, its just a memory. Spring has shown it full beauty today. This is what we wait for, and why seasons help us to remember that.

I wouldn't even attempt to paint it. It's too... perfect.

2010-04-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Harbor Along the Coast

11x14

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

____________________

The small coffee stained sketch is still at my desk, and I wonder how a scribbled pen and ink drawing, which I can barely recognize, becomes a painting. But, at the time, the sketch was fresh and alive, and I knew exactly what I wanted to say. That is why, if I feel it necessary to add notes and info. bites onto the drawing, just in case I can't get to it right away.

Fortunately this one surpassed my expectations.

2010-03-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

Warm Water Sailing

11x14

acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

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Done from a 2x3" thumbnail sketch on notebook paper, while having my coffee. The overtones are meant to be pastel hues with candy flavored skies, since I think of the tropics as a sweet warm place. The green in the ocean, comes from the sand and coral shallows that reflect light from the sandy bottom.

2010-03-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

SAILING BY

11 X 14 acrylic on canvas

I really like the non-complexity in this work.

I said what I needed to say, and let it be. For me, it is a very singular event, with minimal definition needed. I like the passage of time, as noted by the sails, going by, and almost out of the scene. Like a flock of birds or a herd of deer, they are just passing by to who knows where.

2010-03-19T17:30:00.000-07:00

Just a short entry here. Just finished a painting that was derived from a rather simple sketch. Really basic compositional elements, and color palette. The painting was already done in my head before the first brushstroke went on the canvas. I love those kind of pieces. The image must have been so ingrained in my senses, that painting it was almost like exhaling. It just fell onto the canvas. So simple, yet so complex as it is arranged by the mind, into a sketch. ... and then, into the painting.

Sometimes, that happens. Not always. But this time it did. When I get a pix, I'll put it up for you to see.

2010-03-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

Seaside Conversation

11 x 14

acrylic on canvas

My pen knows what it wants to draw,

As I sat in a coffee shop, pen in hand... a rough version of this evolved. When I returned to the studio, I made a painting from it. I don't really plan a drawing,, it just happens. I am glad that I don't gruel over the perfect drawing, because each one has something to say on its own. The pen knows.

2010-03-03T13:38:00.000-08:00

Been working on a few paintings this week. Mostly 11x14 size. Getting a little more liberal with the colors and application of paint. I hope to get them posted as soon as I can.

Wow, I just can't seem to get enough painting in. ... So much to paint, so many subjects. Most of which are actually sketches from places in my head, that came from places I've seen or been to and had remembered experiences. It's kind of like a big pot of stew, and there's a lot that goes into the making of an image. First and foremost, it's got to come from the inner self. Not superficial outside sources. Art for me, is a passion, not simply a motion of techniques and formulas. It's got to breath and live, and move.

2010-03-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

SEA SIDE VILLAGE

11 x 14

acrylic on canvas

wrap around canvas, sides painted white, hanger wire attached, ready to hang.

expressionist brushstrokes

light gloss finish

note: it must be laundry day

2010-02-26T08:29:00.000-08:00

The Beach

11 x 14

acrylic on panel

ready to hang w/unique hanger on back that lets work float off the wall

Just listed for sale on russpotak.etsy.com

2010-02-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

INLET POINT

11 x 14

acrylic on stretched canvas

$89 - available at russpotak.etsy.com

I particularly like this piece, because it was totally a spontaneous work,

formulated from a visual image in my mind, from one of the many visits to our New England coastline.

2010-02-07T07:57:00.001-08:00

Some days I just feel like pushing paint around. I don't really care that it ends up as something, or not, but the process is just simply rewarding. Its kind of like when your at the beach and just wiggle your toes in the sand. There is a therapeutic quality to it all. Subjectivity is not all its cracked up to be. Sometimes a painting is just a painting.

2010-02-05T15:40:00.000-08:00

TABLE FOR SIX

Acrylic on Canvas

16 x 20

$124 --Go to Etsy for purchase info.

russpotak.etsy.com

When I painted this, I wanted the lilacs all get together in this table arrangement. Like they were a family.

The bowl of fruit adds a bit of change to keep the composition lively.

I love the amber and rust tones throughout the painting.

This one of of many, of my Flower series paintings that I worked on with a passion.

2010-01-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

I painted this from a sketch I did at Mass MoCa in North Adams, Ma.

As I was having my coffee in their bistro, I saw this compositional arrangement to be captured by the pencil. I think I did it justice once I got into my studio and translated it to acrylic. Notice part of the museum can be seen from within the museum itself.

2010-01-12T05:16:00.000-08:00

The process of art can become comfortable and formatted if allowed to be. The artist must be open to allow the process to flow. The process must not be lead by the artist. The artist must allow the work to evolve without pre conditioned restraints. The art must be allowed to be what it was meant to evolve into aside from the controlling hand that can either guide it, or stifle it.

2010-01-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

Took this during the "Reindog Parade" in Williamstown, Ma

It was a wonderful festive seasonal event. It snowed, as it should, just like it was a movie set for filming.

2009-12-31T14:09:00.000-08:00

The countdown begins, and the race is on to figure out how best to use this new year. I think perhaps, it will just fall into place like every other new year, not really needing me to usher it in.

It has a way of just happening. Time marches on.

2009-12-28T16:16:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? I really get absorbed into the fabric of life, and forget about all the cyber-tentacles that I should attend to. What I mean simply is this. I should catch up on my sites, and respond to all of you nice people who have taken the time to view my work and leave comments. A big thank you. I hope to be more attentive to this soon. Please excuse my absence.

Hoping to give more quality time to my viewers in the future.

Thanks

2009-08-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

I have been absorbing images and impressions on a daily basis. Soon it will be time to put these to canvas. The well is almost full, and the paint will soon flow.

2009-08-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

Highway to Spring

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

painting is available for purchase

2009-08-02T15:10:00.000-07:00

People ask me if I make a living as an artist. The answer is,.... Artists survive. They earn what they need to feed their art. They support their paintings like a father or mother supports their children. You do what you have to do to paint another day. Its not about making money, it about making art, and learning to survive by doing it. That, becomes a living. Learning to survive by doing your art, and consequently, living by that credo. In fact, you are living from the doing of it. ....... more on this another time.

2009-08-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

Nice Little City

16 x 20

acrylic on stretched canvas

painting is available

You don't actually have to be in a place to paint a place. Sometimes, all that is needed is the sense of place, from memories, sights, sounds and experiences. This painting is just that. A culmination of the many nice things that I remember about a lot of little cities that I have visited.

2009-07-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked about my life as an artist. The things I have done to arrive at the point to where I am now. How did I become what I am, where I learned things, who I studied under, and how I do what I do. I never thought much about this being interesting to anyone, and therefor have not really put this to much thought. I find it curious, that so many people have asked me, and it doesn't seem to be a random thing. So, I guess, in some of the continuing blogs ahead, I will discuss some these things as well as anything I can think will add interest to the pot.

A good art patron and acquaintance of mine, who runs a chain of coffee shops and sandwich shops, prompted this essay into my life. It may help some of you who may wish to travel the life of an artist on their own. So, keep on checking back every now and then, for updates and additions to this journal I will keep active. Life happens as you do it, and so will this blog.

I hope, it imparts a picture of the path that I have traveled to be where and what I am.

2009-07-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Three Sails

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

sides are painted white

painting is available

I like the loose gestural quality of the brushstrokes and the open feel of the ocean. Its simple yet complete. One of my favorites.

2009-07-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Tidal Creek

16 x 20

acrylic on canvas

available for purchase

I'm seeming to like the use of a palette knife lately. I'm also, liking other non-brush applications. Somehow, the less in the way between me and the canvas, the more I can get the message through. It's something I am exploring further, and will do so. Texture is also a very compelling thing for me and this technique lets that element live very well on the canvas. I'll include more of these type of paintings in the future, to let you see where I might be heading with them.

2009-07-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

It's the season of doing outdoor festival and art shows. Its certainly an all encompassing activity that consumes up ones time and energy like fire burns up oxygen. Not much time left for the canvas, although at this time, its usually best to keep a sketchbook handy for impromptu scribbles that can be used to turn into paintings eventually. Many of these will go the way of the trash can, but others have been known to blossom into full and mature works of art.

I hope I can unwind from some of these shows soon, and take a breather to get back to the easel.

The best time it seems to be fully productive, is the winter. Nothing but nothing to interrupt. And plenty of dead space.

As for now, I'll squeak in what I can, and I'm sure I'll certainly get in some paintings, if not in a desired time, then on the fly at least.

More later...

for now, that is all.

2009-06-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, it's not enough to just have your paintings represent you. Sometimes, I need me to represent me. So here I am. Not my best happy face, but I don't actually recall any photos of me with a big toothy grin.

My wife and I were on one of our jaunts into some wildlife refuge, or conservation area, where this photo was taken. She took the pic. I, as most people always think, don't really think the picture really makes me look like me. No matter, I just thought it was good etiquette to let you have an image of this artist to go with his works.

2009-06-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

IN THE FLORIDA KEYS

15 x 15

acrylic on panel

One of my feel good wish I was there paintings that I occasionally do, probably because I need a vacation.

I love the warm tropical colors in this painting and the inviting boat waiting to be boarded.

The brushwork is impressionistic and the subject visually entertaining.

This painting is just one of the many beach and ocean paintings that I have recently been working on. I am producing paintings of the New England coast as well as the coastline in the southeast. Georgia, the Carolinas, Florida and the Keys.

This painting is available for purchase

2009-05-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

Painting for me can evolve from my response to a subject, a feeling, a mood, a memory, a dream, or the pure act of creativity. Just letting the hand, mind and soul search and explore the canvas, until something emerges. What ever was going through my mind when this came out, I can't really say. What's important, is,... it is, what it is. My art.

This painting is for sale.

2009-05-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

16x20 Luncheon at the Villa

Stretched wrap around canvas painted black on the sides, no need to frame, light varnish finish, gestural quality, painterly.

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I painted this from my impressions of scenes I have seen in Italy, especially of Tuscany. The family is setting the table for the noontime meal, and in the distance are hills and valleys where grapes are grown.

2009-05-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

If time permits today, I will be cutting some large panels into workable paintable sizes. These, I will prime and prepare for painting. I love the look of a blank white surface that I can mess around with. What comes forth of the painting process is always exciting.

2009-05-19T06:36:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to try and carve out some time to get to work on something from my sketchbook, on my larger canvasses. Small is nice, but I like to feel the paint move under my brush, and that only happens with movement over a larger surface.

2009-05-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

The Blue Green Sea

18x24

acrylic on stretched canvas

One of my most recent paintings. Inspired by salt water, slight warm breezes, and sand between my toes.

Painting has been sold

2009-05-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to get back in my studio. The marketing aspect of being a professional artist has its way of chewing up time. I feel like I need to paint, and paint now.

2009-05-15T07:25:00.000-07:00

THE STAFF OF LIFE

8x10

acrylic on panel

Sometimes images come to mind when sitting in a coffee shop, or just while listening to music.

Not all paintings are done with the classical subject planned and assembled like a bowl of fruit. Artists, I think, should try to strive for the spark, and strike when it is hot. We all fall into the, .. ho, hum, what should I paint next? But, while that is happening, it may be a perfect time to let your mind feel its way through the layers of life, and just paint what seems to be a moment of unplanned creation.

This painting is one example of that. I didn't see it for real. I wasn't looking at a photo of it. I did not set my easel up next to the scene, ... but I did have a culmination of feelings and experiences that led me to paint this. I bake my own bread. I visualize the warmth of the sun growing the wheat. The staff of life, out there in the fields, waiting to be harvested and milled into flour. And, the smell of the end result when the hot bread emerges from the oven. What an aroma! From the wheat fields to the table. What a miracle of sequences. From a stalk of wheat to a loaf of bread to sustain life. Go figure huh?

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This painting is available for purchase

2009-05-14T15:46:00.000-07:00

Cabbage Cove

16x20

acrylic on stretched canvas

If you have ever been to Maine, you might have looked for the mythical Cabot Cove that was the residence of the mystery writer, Jessica Fletcher on the television series, Murder She Wrote. I didn't find it, but I did come across this place which, not knowing the name... I dubbed it "Cabbage Cove" in honor of the real imagined place.

This painting is available

2009-05-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

On the Wharf

16x20

acrylic on canvas

_________________________________

some info:

The place where Richard Dreyfus as "Hooper" met Chief Brody, in the film "JAWS"

Place: Martha's Vineyard

Edgartown, Ma. Off the southern shores of Cape Cod

This painting is available

2009-05-13T09:07:00.000-07:00

A note to my readers

If for you would like to email me for any further information or questions about my work, or to contact me for purchase considerations, please do at: rpotak@verizon.net, otherwise, go to russpotak.etsy.com to see my sales gallery there.

Thanks

2009-05-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

Evening Sail

16x20

acrylic on canvas

This painting is available for purchase