Studio Storage is complicated. Everything needs to be quickly accessible for different uses, and it has to be flexible. I have used these plastic storage bins for years. They come with wheels and some of them slide easily under my work tables. Each of them holds items that align with the table they’re under. The tall one is narrow enough to fit snuggly in between the doorway and the closet without me having to move anything. I bought them years ago at Target but I’m sure you can get them at many different locations that are convenient for you.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

Regardless of what medium I’m working in, I’m always creating. Today I created on the computer using both Photoshop and Procreate. I have a 30” square canvas that has the underpainting layer in abstraction, inspired by a space image posted on the NASA website. Using Photoshop, I was trying to decide which flower in my huge collection of photos I was going to use as the catalyst for the next stage of painting. I had imagined a rose and tried a few samples, but settled upon a dahlia instead. Using Procreate, I created a grid on my new image composition, then, using pastel, I replicated the grid on the canvas. From there, I was able to sketch in the center of the flower and then the petals. I’m so happy to be moving forward on this painting. I started it about a month ago and it’s been sitting patiently in the corner waiting for me until now. We are both heaving a sigh of relief on moving forward with this project.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

I made a big decision that might not work. When I opened the cellophane and unwrapped the canvas, I didn’t notice it at first, but once I began painting it became more obvious. There was a defect in the weave of the cotton canvas and with paint settling into the crevices, it became more difficult for me to overlook. So I decided to try an experiment. I squeezed big lumps of white paint onto my palette, and using a palette knife, began to apply the paint thickly to the canvas near where the problem is. Then I feathered out the paint to the edges of some of the petals it will be affecting. Now, it will have to dry for quite a few days before I can return to the painting. I don’t know if I’ll like the outcome, but I’m curious to see what it looks like once I return to the work. It’s just another challenge to work with.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

From yesterday to today, I made some dramatic changes. This isn’t at all definitive as to where this painting is heading, it’s just another step in the journey. I work mostly with fan brushes and a thin 50/50% galgyd/gamsol medium. Mostly, I glaze layer over layer trying to always retain a bit of whatever preceded it. This gives me the opportunity for subtle brushwork and tinting. Glazing presents a variety of benefits and deficits, but it is my preferred method. Also, by using a very thin medium, I’m usually able to paint each day which, if I painted impasto or used other thicker mediums, I would not be able to do.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

I decided while working on the painting that I wanted to go with a completely different color palette than I’d originally imagined. This happened since I wanted to make the space-inspired background, a fiery swirl of dark red emotions. This will change the whole piece since the flower colors will also change. My show at the Ceres Gallery in November will be titled, Centering in the Midst of Chaos. So, I wanted to create some chaos for the flower in order to present the contrast. At this point, I don’t know what the flower will look like by the time I reach the end and sign the painting. That’s because part of the painting is driven by me and part of it by the painting itself. Still, very much a mystery to me where it’s headed.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

Since the 1980s, I’ve worked with computers to create art. I sold computer graphics systems to the broadcast television industry. These were electronic paint systems and character generators used for titling. Since then, I’ve continued to create comfortably with computers with a variety of programs, one of which is, of course, Photoshop. Although all my work is now created on canvas with oil paints and brushes, I usually try out compositions and color ideas in Photoshop. Most often, I just find it easier to experiment with pixels rather than paint. It doesn’t mean that I copy exactly what I’ve seen on my computer screen, it’s more like a general idea of treatments I might experiment with This lets me arrive at conclusions more quickly. It’s a workflow I’m most comfortable working in. Probably unusual for many artists who are doing oil paintings but because of my background, it works well for me.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

At the botanical garden in Santa Barbara, California, I stumbled upon this spiral labyrinth with a seating feature. Different than a maze since, it is not meant to offer different paths but a place to meditate while walking to the center and back. This configuration reminded me of the Fibonacci series of numbering I had embedded in a spiral over and around the image of a nautilus shell I had digitally imaged. This shell is also a representation of the Fibonacci series. The Fibonacci numerical sequence is created by adding the two numbers preceding it. For instance, 0 + 1=1. From there the numbers continue on to infinity, 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13, etc. This configuration is found often in nature, like this nautilus shell and also in the center of sunflower.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

Living in New York with our Zone 7 climate, the only Birds of Paradise I see are in greenhouses since they’re tropical plants and would not survive in our Northeastern winter freezing temperatures. I’ve only seen them as specimen plants but since I’m currently visiting California, I was surprised to see these stunning flowers growing in abundance in many of the parking lot islands throughout the shopping areas. They sure add a cheerful note to the landscape. I have often thought of featuring one of these flowers in a painting, but generally, I don’t like to paint such aggressive and angular forms. I lean toward the soft feminine rather than the angular male imagery. But the colors in the Bird of Paradise, AKA Strelitzia reginae are so stunning, one day I’ll be compelled to paint them.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

One of the things I do as an artist, is look at the work of other artists. I study their use of paint, thick/thin, wash or impasto. The types of brushstrokes, bold, tight, long, short. The way they their edges meet, sharp or diffused. I also look at their palettes, the selection of colors which often set the mood of a painting. Each painter has their own signature in the way they apply paint. It’s just like a non-artist’s signature, none of them are ever the same. There are endless lessons to be learned by studying closely the work of other artists. These works were at the Getty in Los Angeles, California.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

During the winter, one of the treats is having my Amaryllis come in bloom after the holidays are over and before the spring starts to pop color. I’ve had these two plants for a few years. Each of my amaryllis bulbs spends its summer outside in my garden, but still in its pot. They prefer to be snug rather than planted in big spaces. I keep them in the dark in my plant room until I put all the holiday decorations away. Then, I bring them into the dining room where they get southern sun through the windows and they begin to come back to life. Oh, and BTW, their real name isn’t Amaryllis, it’s Hippeastrum.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

Since I am very comfortable with technology, I use different programs where it makes me more efficient and productive. I’ve always used a grid system to upsize my drawings to canvas. Now I use Procreate in that capacity. Once I finished the composition in Photoshop, I imported the file into Procreate on my iPad and created a grid. Then, on the underpainting, I use pastel to transfer the grid and flower outline to the canvas. Using a wash of Titanium White and 50/50 Galgyd/Gamsol to continue to my painting process.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

I always work on my compositions on my computer since that’s the most efficient way for me to create. Since I’ve been working with computer graphics systems since the early 1980s, I am completely comfortable and also very open to experimentation on my computer. Since I want to make a square painting, I cropped the flower in multiple ways and finally decided on this treatment. Then I tried many combinations of images I have from NASA and selected the color treatment I wanted for the painting. Using masking in Photoshop, I added the space imagery behind the flower to give me an idea of how that would look. I liked the outcome and will use this as my model.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

For the last 35 years that I’ve been creating and maintaining my garden, I’ve taken many thousands of photos. In my Mac Photos app, I have sorted them into garden photos, flower photos, closeups of flowers and then into closeups of individual flowers. This collection is the backbone of my art. It is the inspiration behind all my paintings. Now that I’m planning my next painting, I again returned to my collection for inspiration. 

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

Another day in the studio working on the center of this painting. I decided to add some detail to the center of the seed pods, which is what happens as they mature in size. For years, I studied and worked in botanical illustration, but I’m not aiming for accuracy in my current work. I am interpreting what I see and know about flowers, but I don’t want to reproduce them in paint. I am instead trying to provoke thought and conversation about their and our purpose and place in the universe.

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These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

The way a painting looks is so very different based on the distance you stand from the work. I wanted to paint the center sprinkled with the pollen that falls from the ends of the stamens. Depending on the age of the flower, the pollen changes color and texture. I’m not trying to make a botanically accurate painting, but one that speaks in rhyme about the anatomical parts of flowers. Only the center in this painting is based on flowers.

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These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

Each time I finish a piece of artwork regardless of what medium I’ve used, I document the work. I call this “productizing”. Each piece is given an Index number that will follow it throughout it’s existence. It title the work and at times the name has changed but the Index number never does. I use apps to track the work and a spreadsheet for quickly looking up the details of the work. The process I use is one I’ve developed over decades.

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These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

I had read somewhere that the irises of our eyes are like fingerprints, none of them are alike. This intrigued me, so when I stumbled upon a business that photographed your irises, I handed over my charge card. The setup was just like going to the ophthalmologist for an eye exam. I put my chin in a cupped holder facing a large piece of equipment, which was the camera equipment. The camera was moved into position very close to each of my eyes. It took longer to write up the order than it took to take the image. Later, I received an email with a download link to retrieve the digital images of my irises.

As expected, my right and left eyes didn’t match, although they had mostly the same colors. For my upcoming show in NYC in November, I decided to make a painting inspired by my irises. Those iris photos are the inspiration for the painting that is currently on my easel.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

Today was a day for planning on where I was heading for a painting I’d started. I had plans in my mind about what I was imagining would work but I had some hesitation. So I decided to try a few potential solutions on my computer rather in my studio with paint. Having worked with computer graphics since the early 1980s, I’m very comfortable, let’s say, extremely comfortable, working out compositing issues and possibilities with pixels.

First I headed to my photo library on my Mac for candidates, then brought them in to Photoshop to try them out. It quickly became apparent to me that the intial vision I had for the painting wasn’t going to make me happy so I zigged and zagged into a completely different direction. By testing solutions in this way, I saved myself many hours, days and potentially weeks trying choices with canvas and paint. Now, I know what will work for me and I will just be able to move forward towards that goal.

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

Busy today in the studio working on 3 different paintings. I oiled out the just completed hibiscus painting with a recipe of 50% Galgyd/Gamsol. I pour the mixture onto the flat canvas, use a large brush to spread it, and to get even, full coverage. After 5 minutes, I rub the surface of the canvas with a Viva soft paper towel to buff the extra mixture off and create a mild but even glow.

The second painting had me sketching in the outline of the flower using pastel that I’ll be painting over the initial layers on the round canvas. And the third project was unwrapping and gently sanding a fresh 30×30″ canvas. Then I began brushing on the beginning of an underpainting using an image from NASA as inspiration. I love being productive!

These daily studio notes lead toward my 2026 solo exhibitions in New York City and  Poughkeepsie, NY.

February 4, 2026

Ever sign a painting, only to discover you missed a spot? That was me today. I work on gallery-wrapped canvas and paint all the edges to skip framing, but when I lay my ‘finished’ piece flat, there it was—one unpainted bottom edge staring back at me. Matching the colors and brushstrokes was trickier than expected. Good thing I keep detailed notes on each painting!

Today I took delivery of a new canvas and began a new painting. There weren’t many places for me to buy a 36″ round canvas but I found this one online at Dick Blick. It came boxed very carefully, I’m glad to say. My first concern is finding the center and creating the correct proportions for the underpainting. I dug out a compass from my wayback stash and it was the perfect solution. Then I proceeded to put the first layer of oil paint down. Very productive day in the studio!

Take a peek at this short video for studio glimpse!