Photo of the Day

found at Man Made Lakes

Wednesday Wind-down

This week's quiet selections are;



Very patient, spacious ambient by Lumbers and the soon to be released new album by Fort Collins based M. Sage - you can stream it in its entirety here:

New Work: "Procession"

"Procession", Acrylic and Oil on Canvas, 18x32"

Finishing up

I had a great time painting at the Denver Art Museum the last two weekends - and I also was able to nearly finish a large painting... win win!

Last day at DAM

Today is the last day to catch me workin at the Denver Art Museum studio. I'll be there from noon until about 3 or 4.

Katie Paterson, As the World Turns

Katie Paterson, As the World Turns

A turntable that rotates in time with the earth, one revolution every 24 hours, playing Vivaldi's Four Seasons. If performed from beginning to end, the record would play for four years. The movement is so slow it isn't visible to the naked eye, yet the player is turning, imperceptibly.

New Ravi Zupa

This is the promotional image for Ravi Zupa's new show at Black Book gallery (opening November 2nd) - this guy is definitely one of Denver's absolute finest.

Wednesday Wind-Down

This week's musical recommendations are:

The Perry Weissman 3, "3"


I attended their new cd release show on Friday and had a blast. This track is from their new album - made up of mostly horns, guitars, and a great bounce.

And Faws: "Blue Notes" EP (free download)


A blend of jazzy-samples like "My Funny Valentine" and electronic beats.

Additional Art Blogs

I'd like to take a moment to recommend the art blog of Theresa Anderson - who is a local Denver creative. She covers Denver area exhibitions -like the much talked about Adrian Ghenie show at the MCA Denver, as well as her own works and collaborations. On top of all that - she's a real positive and enthusiastic supporter of the art scene in Denver as a whole.  Be sure to check out her site and works.

Theresa Anderson

Speaking of the Adrian Ghenie show - if you haven't seen it yet it is a must-see. Nearly every painter I've run into in the last few weeks has talked about it - some even saying they've seen the show upwards of three or more times. I posted a Ghenie painting way back in 2007 on this blog - and it is a pleasure to finally see the work in person. Photos online don't do the scraped, flung, and dripped surfaces any justice.

Porcelain and Wood Axe by Aleksandra Pollner & Emmett Smith

Porcelain and Wood Axe by Aleksandra Pollner & Emmett Smith

Monday Morning Abstraction

Jason Stopa

Jason Stopa

Sterling Ruby, "SP89", 2010, Spraypaint on canvas, 96 x 84 x 2 in.

Mali Morris, Crossing Lilac, 1996, Acrylic on Canvas, 27 x 35 cm

Mali Morris, CANOPY (2)  2009  18 x 24 cm  Acrylic on canvas

Today's progress

Progress on work at the Denver Art Museum

I made a lot of progress on the painting on Saturday (see these photos for where it began) and will be there again today from 12-3  - and the same hours/days next weekend. For more information visit the Denver Art Museum website dedicated to the ongoing project.

The Society for the Prevention of Unfinished Needlepoint

Mary Smull, "Lute Player", Found unfinished needlepoint completed by the artist using only white yarn, 20" x 21", 2011

The Society for the Prevention of Unfinished Needlepoint (SPUN) is a textile welfare organization.  SPUN was founded in 2009 by Mary Smull; our mission is “to eliminate the worldwide phenomenon of unfinished needlepoint.”

Current Inspiration

Jules de Balincourt

Tomiko Jones - her work can currently be seen at Groundswell Gallery (facebook link)

and the poetry of  W. G. Sebald:

For how hard it is

to understand the landscape

as you pass in a train

from here to there

and mutely it

watches you vanish.

A new mix

Dust and Scratches Vinyl Rips Mix from nateabels on 8tracks Radio.

All music ripped or sampled directly from vinyl LPs. Most were ripped by me - dust, scratches, and pops included. Lots of old-timey country/blues and rock n' roll. Artists like Lil Green, Bessie Smith, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, etc.

Wednesday Wind-down:

This will be a new feature on "minutiae" - the "Wednesday Wind-down" featuring quiet music recommendations. These are typically musical selections that I listen to while reading, grading papers, or - as the title suggest - just winding down. This week I recommend:



"Essential Oil" by "Journey of the Mind" - a beautifully looped composition from the school of Basinski

and the other recommendation for the week is:



One of my favorite ambient albums this year - by Biosphere called, "L'incoronazione di Poppea" (The Coronation of Poppea) - named after an Italian baroque opera first performed in Venice during the 1642–43 carnival season. This album blends classical music with spare, echoed effects and distortions and is a beautiful listen all the way through.

Natural Selection: part 2

As stated in this post from 2010 : "Part of being an artist is knowing when to say 'when' and learning how to edit. Not every work 'works'. There are pieces of mine that didn't seem to grow with time..." 

Below you can see two more works that never quite came together - the hill/bells piece was tinkered with for a long time, never quite resolving the foreground/background balance or lighting. I may revisit the bells image sometime. The second image might also be repainted but at a different scale or perhaps with a different medium (this image did not work well at the scale I planned - 3.5'x5').  For now though - these paintings only exist digitally - they have both been sanded down and re-primed for new works.

Progress on new painting - at the Denver Art Museum

The next two weekends (October 20, 21 and October 27, 28) I will be painting in the painting studio at the Denver Art Museum. You can see me work on a large new painting from noon until 3 pm each of those days. I would be happy to answer any questions about my work or technique - hope to see you there! Here's the current progress on the work I will be bringing to the museum:

One of my favorite sounds

We made an impromptu visit to Estes Park yesterday to hear the elk bugling during their fall rut. It has got to be one of the most haunting sounds in the natural world. Listen here or here: