N Anderson

Skadi, done

I think Skadi is done. I’d left it for quite a while to allow the initial layers to dry. I had never painted on board before, and found it extremely challenging. For me, board (even gessoed) is too slippery for oils, and I thought that the underpainting would allow subsequent layers to grip;Continue reading “Skadi, done”

A Juxtaposing Weekend

I had the good fortune of attending a day of panel discussions and breakout sessions for artists at The Art of Protest: Public Art and Scholarship as Political Resistance at the Mayapple Center for Arts & Humanities at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, NY. The day included visual arts, poetry, filmmaking, writing, and music, from aContinue reading “A Juxtaposing Weekend”

The Subconscious Beginnings of a New Idea

I’ve been puttering around in the studio, working on this and that, enjoying a little time to work on my own ideas while the next couple of commissions make some decisions (which size? Is this picture the one?). Sure, it slows down the queue a little, but I am always happy to have time toContinue reading “The Subconscious Beginnings of a New Idea”

Intermittent Reinforcers

Like most of us, I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook. While it has always been obvious that the user is the product on a free social media platform, Zuckerberg’s despicable brand of greedy exploitation of others to serve his own self-interest has its own strain of wanton deceit (obvious to anyone who listened toContinue reading “Intermittent Reinforcers”

Whys and Whatnots and Talking to Dogs

I was talking with another artist recently about artist statements; why we do the work we do, and how we articulate the reasons why we do the work we do. The artist statement is the bane of our existence. Never-ending, we are constantly re-examining and tweaking, editing it for every gallery we contact and each show we submit to, but never truly satisfiedContinue reading “Whys and Whatnots and Talking to Dogs”

He’s in a Good Place

After having my work hung at Christopher’s in Cambridge, I was contacted by a local veterinary clinic interested in exhibiting my dog paintings on a rotating basis. They were fairly new to their address and the walls were bare. I met with them and we hit it off; nice people with a vision compatible withContinue reading “He’s in a Good Place”

Furbo, done

Furbo is done. It’s a departure from my usual composition, but I do like how his personality is captured, here. I am always grateful for commissions where the humans’ vision for the painting is more about the dog’s personality than facial features! 24 x 36″

Furbo, in process

Whoopsiedaisy – I’ve been forgetting to post updates on Furbo’s progress. I’ve spent the morning working on hair brush strokes; the interplay of hair growth direction and the shadows it creates. I can get lost in that process, it’s almost meditative. This is why I love working with smaller brushes; they allow for that prolongedContinue reading “Furbo, in process”

Furbo, started

Some dogs I like better than others. Beagles definitely fall into the ‘better’ category. They’re funny little dogs, with their quirky little habits and insistence on doing them. Furbo’s humans chose to have him portrayed in all his glorious joy – in the grass with his ball at his feet, letting out a big beagleContinue reading “Furbo, started”

Home at Last

She said that they had the perfect wall to hang this painting. His mom (I never know what to call the people who share their lives with dogs. They’re not parents, but they’re not owners. “Guardian” is so proper, and “companion” is so contrived. OK, so his mom) wanted to have it before Thanksgiving, asContinue reading “Home at Last”