january 28, 2012

The wheel of the year has turned again, and I am painting almost every day even though I’ve been somewhat ill for a few days.  I’m working on some smaller pieces at the present time – 16 x 24 inches or 24 x 24 inches. Also I am trying to use more pigment and mediums to get different finishes in the paints. The pictures are similar to my larger ones in that they are still all people from Petros or nearby.  In the next couple of days I will attempt to get some new photos of pieces I am working on.

Winter has never really come this year, just a few cold days- not much though.  We have had little work to do at the nursery ( my day job) so I’ve been able to paint three or four days a week.  Blessings do come in unusual ways!

Lately I have been studying painters from the Fauves, a group of painters who lived in Paris around 1900-1920. They were called ” The Wild Men” because of their use of color. It is their use of color that really intrigues me! Although Matisse is probably the best known of this group, personally I’ve been more interested in the works of Henri Manguin, Albert Marquet, and Kees Van Dongen.

I plan to get back to some ink work, but it just hasn’t happened yet. I already have some basic drawings, but they remain unworked with ink.

I hope in 2012 to become a more persistent communicator through this blog.  I also want to post more of the works in process.

All the best to each of you from the BEAR!

Coming show at the Emporium in downtown Knoxville

Lonzo, my muse and friend, gathers in the meager potato harvest after a long season's labor.

 On June 3rd, I will be opening a show at the Emporium in downtown Knoxville, titled ” Expressions and Impressions.” I will exhibiting with another artist, Maya Simonson. Here’s what the Arts Alliance has to say about us:

Rickey A. Beene of Petros showcases acrylic paintings of the faces of the community with whom he has lived and worked during his lifetime; Maya Simonson of Morristown displays watercolor paintings of children that reflect a feeling of playfulness, naiveté, and ignorance within the characters and their surroundings. These artists’ works combine to create an insightful and colorful exhibition about the everyday joys and struggles of people of all ages.

It should be a great show. The reception will be held on June 3rd from 7-9:00 pm. I look forward to seeing some of you there.

Getting prepared

Winter is a good chance to get in the studio and look at all the work I’ve done over the last year. This last month I spent a weekend taking photos of all my recent work. This spring I am opening a new web store for more people to check out my art, and if they feel inclined, purchase my work.

The painting behind me is of a young girl in downtown Petros. The photo from which it developed was taken this fall at the gas station cafe downtown.

Self-portrait

Self-portrait, black and white

Every now and then, it’s nice to take some time to reflect. I have spent the last couple of weeks cutting wood, preparing for winter. My art deepens in the same way that the seasons shift and change. Around my house, the leaves become brilliant ribbons of yellow and red. Then they drop to the ground. I can sense I am shedding old skin, preparing to encounter new life in my art. What a magnificent season!

Petros revisited

Renaissance Man

We went to the Renaissance Man/Woman of the Year Competition today, held at the Chattanooga Open Air Market located at the First Tennessee Pavilion. It was a hot, hot day. Carol (my wife) and I met lots of local people, art lovers and artists, who had gathered in the attempt to raise money for a charity called the SISKIN Foundation that works with children with disabilities. We also met a wonderful couple who run a local restaurant called The Yellow Spot. They were kind enough to share with us a free, delicious lunch of peach yerba mate tea and sandwiches (delicious!). We didn’t win the contest, but we did have a great day visiting the city.

Good news

I heard word back in the last couple of weeks that I will be having a couple of shows in summer 2011. The good people at the Knoxville Arts & Culture Alliance were kind enough to take me back as a member and now they have decided to hang a show highlighting my work and the work of another artist in June 2011.  Exciting news! Here’s a link to the most recent arts alliance notification http://artsmagazine.info/calendar.php?view=detail&id=201004182220425467 for the members show that includes one of my paintings called The Lollipop, shown on the front page of the website

The second show will be hung at the Unitarian Church in Knoxville and will begin in July 2011.

As for my recent work, I can only say that there is too much gardening and weeding in spring and early summer for my liking. Still I keep my hand on the brush or pen, depending upon the day. In this post, I’ve included one of the first paintings from the Salt of the Earth series, a local girl with piercing blue eyes, and another poem written recently that I call The Bird Candle.

The Bird Candle

The evening sky settles as a fine blue dust on the surface of the lake.

A small boy holds to the boathouse rail

and looks out where an osprey pair hang

in the void of white light

hunting along the darkening shore.

The boy’s face is slightly pink with a fever.

“Where do the birds go at night?” he asks quietly.

“to their nests,  to their beds,”

says the child’s mother

who is pulled away,

yet again,

from the page

where she has been concentrating her words.

“They go to their beds at evening

which is where we must bend ourselves,”

she says again as she reaches toward his dodging hand.

He pulls back and then leans

into her leg and takes her hand.

“I’m not tired,” he says

and turns to watch one of the ospreys

take a fish at dusk.

Silver

out of the lake

bird and fish rise

to flicker for a moment in the top of the tallest pine.