Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Upcoming Show in San Francisco

I will be having an exhibit at the Studio Gallery in San Francisco, in mid-April. There will be more details forthcoming. The Studio Gallery was where the Early Birds show was held last year, but they have moved to a new location, about a block away, and have a larger space. As a result, I'm spending my weekends in the studio creating more work to fill the walls. There will be about 30 pieces in the show, a selection of pastels from the Sierras, done on location over the last 4 years, as well as some recent studio pieces based on field studies. Some Grand Canyon pieces will round out the show as well, as the subject matter is pretty much the same: light, water, and rocks!

Masses of split, chiseled, cracked, and crumbling walls of rock, and the way light bounces around
on their surfaces, have fascinated me ever since my first painting trip into the Sierras in 2005. The image below is a studio version of a pastel I did in 2006 up at Garnet Lake. I recall being terribly frustrated by the piece when I was done, as the subtleties of the lit and shaded surfaces, as well as the collection of forms was a lot to get down before the shadows altogether disappeared. Sometimes the pieces that bedevil you so much in the field are worth a second look. This weekend I borrowed back the painting, found some reference images, and went at it again.


Pond Wall
Pastel on Canson Paper
14 x 19.5

12 comments:

Benjamin Plouffe said...

Looks Great Bill, I wish i could attend!

Scribbler said...

fantastic work! always a treat when you update the blog!

RAWLS said...

Beautiful work Bill... as usual!

Unknown said...

so gorgeous!

Bill Cone said...

Well, Canada, Ireland, and Colorado have weighed in.
It still amazes me how far the reach of a post is in this medium. Thanks everyone for the supportive comments, and if you can make it out to the opening, I'll pour you a glass of wine myself!

A show deadline is a good motivator. I'll have more to post soon.

b.

Craig Mackay said...

Amazing as usual. Best of luck on the show!

Jordan Lamarre-Wan said...

Great job!!!

Anonymous said...

Stumbled upon your blog from the early bird painter's one, witch i found from a link in Dice Tsutsumi's web site, discovered in the Galerie Arludik in Paris, witch i came to know
from aaaa...don't remember.Yes, internet is really an amazing thing!

Just a few words to tell you how facinating and inspiring your work is.
Great pastels...very strong lights and
colors. I wish i could see one for real! But i'm in Montréal, Canada...
I will come back soon to read a bit more!

Ronan McDermott said...

Amazing colours. Very beautiful.

Mónico Chávez said...

Great news! I'm so excited! =)

TJ said...

Bill, congratulations on your upcoming show. If you can, please post photos of the event, I am sure we would all love to see some since we are not "local" and will miss it. Our loss, I know! Hope you sell many.

I am enjoying comparing your plein air to the studio.

Best to you.

Bill Cone said...

Hi TJ, and the rest of the kind folks who have left comments. I will do some sort of report and images from the opening and show. I am currently working on a catalog for the show, as well as trying to get the last few paintings figured out. Plenty to do right now. The studio vs. the working outdoors is a real lesson for me.
It is much easier to spend MORE time working in the studio, but it does not guarantee a good result! The struggle is the same. All worth it, and a good learning experience. I'll post some more pieces from the show soon.