Now for a few words about the opening reception for my exhibit at the Linda Fairchild Gallery: it was good! A few more words: the work looked exceptionally good in a beautiful clean space, with high ceilings, that soft San Francisco light, white walls, so different from the clutter of my studio. I always enjoy seeing the work in another environment than my own, especially out of my work space. And the response was very positive. Two paintings had sold before the opening (those delicious red dots!) and other people expressed interest. I met some very wonderful, friendly people. Interesting conversations.
Linda is having lots of small gatherings in this space to promote my work (and herself). It will be mainly a living space. Very beautiful, fancy, elegant, etc. A large loft space, perfect for exhibiting artwork. So her future exhibits will be at the other space and this one will be for entertaining. A more private space. I'm not unhappy about any of it. Just want more sales (so I can buy more paint)!
On the plane to SF the woman sitting next to me talked with great, tender love about the city, again about the soft, pastel light. Linda had talked to me before about it being a muted color city and encouraged me to “think light.” Seeing SF helped me understand Richard Diebenkorn’s later paintings. Those colors are not my usual palette: I‘ve always been more attracted to intense reds, blues, yellows, purples, intense color of any kind. So when one woman said she was more attracted to intense color and she could feel that intensity in my work, I was relieved that not all of SF was sold on soft color, and we had a long conversation about color and environment.
When I was studying painting at Yale, under Josef Albers, he said repeatedly that color is relative. You can have perfect pitch, hear a note and know what it is, but if someone says to describe fire engine red, ten people would give ten answers. So what seems to be happening in SF is the city defining the art.
In Nova Scotia people in the country paint their houses with colors left over from painting their boats: bright greens, reds, blues. Bursts of joy in the often grey fog encrusted landscape. The art in Nova Scotia is……..well, anything goes. And so goes it.