A Week From Today

Now - December 7th

"Recurrencies",  Solo Exhibition

Moench Hall,  Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Terre Haute,  Indiana

I have forty paintings currently on display in Moench Hall on the Rose-Hulman campus.  The theme of the exhibit is "Recurrencies", subjects that have persisted in my painting for several years now.  There will be a closing reception for the show on Thursday, December 7th from 6-9pm.  See you there!

Teddy Bear Bomber

"Ted and Ed"

oil on canvas

11" x 14"

I painted this in Brookville a few weeks ago.  I thought it was going to be a really creepy scene...a storefront glowing with stuffed animals.  The finished painting ended up being pretty hilarious.  Ed is a trouble maker.  

Still Smokin'

Have paintings, will travel.

If you liked "Fires" and want to fan the flame, get in touch.  Many of the paintings will travel to another "Fires" exhibit at a different venue next year, but I'd love to thin the herd in the meantime.

wyattlegrand@gmail.com

"Contest"

oil on canvas

12" x 16"

Thanks to everyone who stopped by last night for the demo and closing reception.  While I'm pretty sure ninety percent of the people who came in were just there for hot chocolate, I'm certain a few others were there to use the bathroom.  

It's Small Business Saturday you know?  Heck, I think it's still Black Friday in some parts.  Get off the internet and go buy something for God's sake.

"Swell"

oil on canvas

30" x 40"

If you're in Bloomington tonight and looking for something to do, head downtown and join the thousands of people gathering around the courthouse square to see...

The "Canopy of Lights" ceremony!  They turn on the lights after dark...I hear it's colorful, energetic, vibrant, dynamic.

BLEVE

"Beginning"

oil on canvas

36" x 36"

Happy Thanksgiving.  Be careful deep-frying those turkeys.

Black Friday Doorcloser

"Birth"

oil on canvas

20" x 20"

On Friday, I'll be doing a painting demonstration at the closing reception for my exhibition at The Thomas Gallery.  The reception will be from 5-8pm and the demo will start around 5:30ish.  I'm looking forward to confidently responding to questions I don't know the answers to and painting a target for everyone's tomatoes.  If you're not too tired from all of your Black Fridaying, stop by and heckle me from the back.

While I don't have any doorbuster bargains to advertise, Friday is the last evening "Fires" will be open.  I've said it before and I'll say it again...this is probably my favorite show-to-date.  People who like my pictures of "things" have seemed mostly disappointed.  People who don't know me or my previous work have seemed mostly excited.  At the opening, I overheard a couple deeming the show a "hoax" moments after congratulating me on my best work yet...that should be all the incentive you need, if you're into this type of thing.  Hope to see you there. 

Thomas Gallery, 107 North College Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana

"Veranda"

oil on canvas

12" x 12"

"Lyre"

oil on canvas

12" x 16"

"Sconce"

oil on canvas

12" x 12"

"Axis"

oil on canvas

12" x 24"

"Fountain"

oil on canvas 

12" x 16"

"Library"

oil on canvas

20" x 30"

"Lounge"

oil on canvas

24" x 30"

Reflecting on Where the Light Is

"Illuminate"

oil on canvas

20" x 30"

So, I'll have ten paintings on display at West Baden Springs Hotel in West Baden, Indiana for the next couple months.  The Brown County Art Guild organized the exhibit, which will feature all sorts of beautiful paintings from picture painters across Indiana.  

I needed a departure from what I had been painting, so my wife and I made a trip to West Baden in search of subject matter.  I hadn't originally planned on taking part in the show, but the opportunity to paint a subject I'd typically avoid was welcomed.  Truth is, I'm not good at "pretty" and that's all there is at this umpteenth eighth wonder.  I ended up picking out some of the less obvious facets of the hotel for my focus.  It was a fun three-evening-adventure at the easel...and so long as I'm painting fifty pictures to every one I sell, I'll keep on believing it should always be more about the fun than the fruit.  

Above all else, this short deviation allowed for an impromptu outing to one of the most fabulous buildings in the state, lots of working past 2 am on school nights, several more paintings that I'll probably die with, and a lot of reminiscing on time well spent at the very place I was painting.  My wife and I visited West Baden before the renovation was complete.  It was a windows-down day-date when we were both teenagers...I was a smaller version of myself and my wife was nearly as beautiful as she is today.  A few years later, I proposed to her at the same place...thank God she said yes.

I don't think I believe in luck, but I did get lucky once...even the losers, ya know?  I can chalk a lot of good fortune up to stubbornness and naivety, but Brittany is as close to a miracle as I'll ever be. 

Tomorrow Night!

"Breaking"

oil on canvas

22" x 28"

Hey, I'll be at the Thomas Gallery tomorrow night, Friday, November 17th.  Stop in, have a glass of wine, talk about art or television or tacos.  The show is open from 5-8pm.  See you there!

107 N. College Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana  

"Tom Tom's"

oil on canvas

36" x 36"

"Burning"

oil on canvas

24" x 24"

"Plein Air" Thanks You

I've changed my mind.  

I used to think plein air painting was much less about the artifact and much more about the experience.  I used to believe success as a plein air painter isn't found in pursuing a certain aesthetic or mastering a particular technique and never measurable by awards, workshops attended, or advertisements purchased.  With the popularity of plein air painting growing in conjunction with the prevalence of juried shows, monetary prizes, publications, and success stories, I used to hope many others would try find the spirit of plein air painting as an end into itself as I thought I had.  I used to tell people to go outside, record an experience, and enjoy the adventure.  And I used to believe that as soon as the purpose of plein air painting becomes anything other than capturing our world on canvas, it stops being plein air painting. 

I've grown up, I guess.  Plein air painting isn't about any of that anymore.  If we keep at it, we can make sure it was never about anything other than what's printed in Plein Air Magazine.  If you have a competitive spirit, a photogenic face, and a deep pocket book, you can be a plein air master.  That's great news for all of us!  So long as the walls of cultured homes need decoration and aspiring art-lovers need hobbies, the plein air movement has plenty of room for all of us on it's printed page.  

So, for all of my painting peers out there, let's stop painting as hobbyists!  Put your money where your mouth is!  If we enter enough shows, attend enough conventions, and pay for enough advertisements, we can make plein air painting the art movement it deserves to be.  With any luck, years after we're gone, they'll hang Plein Air Magazine articles on placards next to our boring landscape paintings in galleries celebrating a painting style that closely replicates what artists wore out hundreds of years before us.  Let's create a legacy for God's sake!  Put away the french boxes and hit the social media.  Take a break from making and focus more on "making it".  Buy a subscription and read about what you could be doing.

This article doesn't feature any of my recent awards or accolades, but I hope you can still enjoy it...it's costing me a lot. 

https://www.outdoorpainter.com/12000-miles-of-friendship-and-painting/

Thank You "Plein Air"

Plein Air Magazine printed an article about the trip Larry and I went on this summer.  It turned out pretty good...probably because they just "copy-pasted" everything Larry wrote.

If you didn't know this already, I'm not a big fan of Plein Air Magazine.  I'm sure Larry wouldn't mind me saying he felt the same.  It really doesn't matter, and take it for what it's worth, but I think a national publication that claims to be the starting and end point for all things related to painting pictures outdoors should focus on printing pictures of paintings created outdoors instead of photos glamorizing the magazine's top artist advertisers holding awards they won at juried plein air events sponsored by said magazine.  I know, I know..."But they're exposing all sorts of folks to the plein air movement (as if it's something new)."  I guess I just need some more convincing...maybe a few more features I can share with all of you?  Maybe one of those big game show checks and an invitation to teach at a "plein air convention"?  You can't blame an "artist" for trying to make a living, right?  Give me a chance to change my mind.

I guess I can take comfort in knowing the article is about going painting instead of winning awards and becoming a "successful artist" after buying ad space.

https://www.outdoorpainter.com/12000-miles-of-friendship-and-painting/

"Mice and Men"

oil on canvas

48" x 48"

Hey, stuff sucks sometimes...go paint a picture.

I also painted a bunch of littles in Brookville.  Stick me in a dimly lit parking lot after midnight and I can make all sorts of depressing pictures.  Speaking of depressing, any of you celebrate anniversaries?

"Height of Autumn"

oil on canvas

30" x 54"

Here's one from my Brookville trip a couple weeks ago.  It doesn't look like much as a reproduction, but I like the painting very much.  I didn't realize how large of a canvas it was until I secured it to my plein air easel...I could barely reach halfway up the surface before reworking my setup and taping a paintbrush to a long stick.  There's something invigorating about working this large out in the woods.  It's a physical challenge, but more so, it's a test of commitment.  Walk into the woods, stop in an arbitrary location, break out a canvas nearly as tall as you are, and paint whatever is on the other side of it in 90 minutes.  Knowing that you can successfully paint a huge picture of anything that's in front of you in any two hour period is freedom. 

Update

Just in case any of you really did mark your calendars, I have a slight adjustment for you.  Unfortunately, I have to push back the date of my 2-day Bloomfield show.  Good news is, I'm only pushing it back a week.  And...I snagged a sweet venue.  Here it is...

December 9th & 10th

"Bloomfield",  Solo Exhibition 

MainSource Bank Building, 87 E. Spring Street

Bloomfield, Indiana

This solo exhibit will feature a bunch of recent work, including many Bloomfield scenes.  Join the town of Bloomfield at the opening reception on Saturday, December 9th, 5-8pm.  I'm considering this a "best of" type show, so...you can bet your daddy's ball cap there will be some of my all-time favorites on display.  

"Spirit of Ioana"

oil on canvas

48" x 48"

"Signals"

oil on canvas

20" x 24"

Attaboy

Larry filled a gymnasium with paintings.  What a cool thing to see.  

Here's to Larry Rudolech...a living legend, a great friend, and...

a horrible speller.

Thank You Thank You Thank You

Thank you for coming out last night.  We had a lot of fun.  If you missed it, no worries..."Fires" will be open at the Thomas Gallery every Friday this month from 5-8pm.  And if you're planning your Bloomington Black Friday shenanigans already, plan to stop in and see the show again...I've got plans for a fun evening.  I'll keep you posted. 

Nailed it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LNiJK3rK9s

"Fires"

Thomas Gallery

107 N. College Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana  

Opening reception Friday, November 3rd, 5-8pm

Can't wait to see you there...wear your party pants!

"Life"

oil on canvas

48" x 48"

"Fires" opens this Friday at the Thomas Gallery. 

107 N. College Avenue, Bloomington, Indiana  

Opening reception 5-8pm