james symons
For many years I have been making images: photographs, drawings, paintings, and sculpture. This blog presents a totally random selection of some of these images. Posting will be very erratic. I hope you find something of interest from time to time. Click on a post title to see more detail and leave a comment. Click on an image to enlarge. This site works best on a computer, but will show up on a phone.
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Friday, May 15, 2020
Thursday, May 14, 2020
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Monday, May 11, 2020
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Saturday, May 9, 2020
Loafing
Okay, so perhaps a loaf of bread doesn't rank up there with a painting, sculpture, or photograph, but it is a creative work, and even better, it can be delicious. Besides, unlike a sculpture, a loaf of bread doesn't clutter up the place for very long. It usually disappears rather quickly. This is my latest loaf, baked Wednesday. The flour is 50% unbleached all-purpose and 50% whole wheat. Total flour weight is 600g. Water is about 80%, yeast is 1/8 tsp, and salt is 12g. From start to finish it took about 29 hours. During most of that time it was just hanging out, developing flavor.
Friday, May 8, 2020
Happy Birthday Mr Darcy!
Mr Darcy
Oil on canvas board.
6"H x 8"W
Mr Darcy turns 15 today! He has lived with us since he was three years old. This portrait was painted some time ago, so he does look a bit older now. However, he's still pretty spry, especially when he wants his dinner. Having him as a member of the family has been great. He makes friends (human) everywhere. He's a fine traveler—he's been on trips with us as far north as Vermont, and as far south as North Carolina, and he's been to France twice. Overall his health is pretty good. It's not clear who will need Depends first, him or me.
Thursday, May 7, 2020
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Volets Bleus/Blue Shutters
Volets Bleus/Blue Shutters
Acrylic on Arches paper.
7-1/2"H x 5-5/8"W
Please see Matin/Morning.
While living in a small village in France in 2015, I painted a series of façades
inspired by the richly layered surfaces of the local architecture.
Please see Matin/Morning.
While living in a small village in France in 2015, I painted a series of façades
inspired by the richly layered surfaces of the local architecture.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Facades
Déverrouillage/Unlocked
Acrylic on Arches paper.
Acrylic on Arches paper.
7-1/2"H x 5-5/8"W
While living in a small village in France in 2015, I painted a series of façades inspired by the richly layered surfaces of the local architecture.
Voisins/Neighbors
Acrylic on Arches paper.
7-1/2" x 5-5/8"
Please see Matin/Morning.
Monday, May 4, 2020
Lost Gloves in the Age of Covid-19
Photographing lost gloves has become an obsession (please see my posts for April 14, 15, and 17). I now have hundreds of photos of lost gloves. The photos above were taken on recent walks around the neighborhood. In spring, I usually see lost gardening and work gloves. Now, there are many more nitrile and latex gloves, a real sign of the times.
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Sketchbooks
Sketchbook
8-1/2" x 11"W (open)
Before the Covid-19 era I used to carry a sketchbook whenever I went out, especially if the destination was a museum or someplace I'd have to be waiting for a while. The sketches above were made at the courthouse in Washington, DC. when I was on jury duty, waiting to be empaneled.
The sketch on the left was made in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
I also would sketch ideas for possible new projects: sculpture or paintings.
Saturday, May 2, 2020
"R"
"R"
10"H x 9"W
Oil on linen
(Private collection)
Although a lot of my work is about multi-layered surfaces, textures, and facades, I am also interested in peoples' facades: their faces and figures. I have painted portraits in oils and acrylic, and drawn them in pastel, colored pencil, and charcoal. Some of the portraits are commissioned; others are done for my own enjoyment.
Please see: Portrait Sketch, 50 Years Ago, Tattoo, Anne, Devin,
George Twice, Eileen, Lincoln in the Library.
Please see: Portrait Sketch, 50 Years Ago, Tattoo, Anne, Devin,
George Twice, Eileen, Lincoln in the Library.
Friday, May 1, 2020
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Chair–Blue and White
The blue chair adjacent to the blue painted markings on the sidewalk caught my eye. As chairs are one of my favorite things to photograph, I stopped and took this photo. I composed it to exclude anything of a different color. Please see these other chair photos: Waiting for the Train, and White Chair.
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Medusa
Medusa
31"H x 47"W x5"D
Lacquer on resin and hardboard.
A two-part wall sculpture from the 1980s.
Monday, April 27, 2020
Sebastian
Sebastian
30"H x 36"W x 5"D
Lacquer on resin, wood, hardboard, wire mesh.
(Private collection)
Another 1980s wall sculpture.
Please see; The Sun King, Eros Lost in the Wilderness, Liberty at the Barricades.
Sunday, April 26, 2020
Liberty at the Barricades
Liberty at the Barricades
35"H x 47"W x 5"D
Lacquer on resin, wood, hardboard.
The figure in this piece is modeled after the one in the 1830 painting, Liberty Leading the People, by Eugène Delacroix. This is another of the wall sculptures I made in the 1980s. Please see, The Sun King, and Eros Lost in the wilderness.
Saturday, April 25, 2020
Aegean Night
Aegean Night
20"H x 20"W x 5"D
Lacquer on resin, wood, hardboard, wire.
Another 1980s wall sculpture. Please see; The Sun King, Eros Lost in the Wilderness.
Friday, April 24, 2020
Construction
Construction
72"H x 96"W x 48"D
Lacquer on plywood.
This is one of my earlier sculptures, made before I began to incorporate figurative and cultural elements. It was exhibited in a show at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, back when it was an independent institution.
Thursday, April 23, 2020
Graveyard Shift
When traveling I will often visit local cemeteries. As I wander among the stones and markers, reading the names and dates of the departed, I feel more connected to the history of the place, to the families that, over time, created the community.
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