Keiths Cogs Blog

2011-08-24T12:02:00.000-07:00

F7 Diesel and Ghost Train edition

2011-08-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

2011-08-11T22:29:00.001-07:00

2011-08-07T15:05:00.000-07:00

2011-08-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

2010-10-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

2010-10-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

2010-10-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

2010-10-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

2010-10-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

2010-10-12T18:04:00.000-07:00

2010-10-12T17:45:00.000-07:00

Confidence

2010-08-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

I reach for my brush , I know the right one to use. I pick up a paint tube, I know which color to put down . I pick up my palate knife, I know how much blue with how much green it takes for a particular turquoise. I pick up a bottle with medium , I know how much to add. I imagine a particular thing , I make it real - The distance between thought and expression.... its gap has narrowed with time . Out side my window the rain stops and grey gives way to blue.

2010-08-09T09:22:00.000-07:00

Dreaming of the sea

2010-08-09T09:14:00.000-07:00

2010-08-08T20:10:00.000-07:00

2010-08-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

On the good ship lollipop

2010-07-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon.

Organization of mind as reflected through environment. When my studio is a mess so is my thought process. Now I have just completed straightening up my workspace. It feels good. I feel clear.

A while back I did a little time working on an 18th century schooner. In the morning before we sailed, the deck was clear, everything was in its place. The term I suppose is shipshape becuse after the trip, the boat was cleaned and its decks organized. On a boat the crew members are extensions of the captains mind . If say, a coil of rope is out of place or poorly wrapped, watch out because that sailor will catch hell. The commands cannot be carried out, putting the voyage , sometimes the boat itself in jeopardy.

Like on a boat, in the studio, It is crucial to have clarity of mind and the ability to have its commands carried out with the minimum of interference. If the captain upstairs on the bridge calls down to sailor whos in charge of brushes and says, "I need that filbert now !" only to hear, "Uh captain sir I cant find it," you better believe that Im gonna err, that sailor is gonna hear it. "Brush-master Keith ! Why is that filbert unavailable! Do you know how CRUCIAL it is, that when an idea bubbles up from below that I have the said brush to harpoon it and make it REAL! DO YOU MISTER!" " Uh yes sir,Im sorry sir,never happen again sir " Lets goddamn hope so because if you do , Im knocking you back to tube squeezer. Do you want that ? DO YOU !!!?" "Uh no sir not at all sir" "Good now get the fuck off my bridge and attend to your duties mister."

So you see what plays out on The SS.Pavia. In the past my decks had paint spattered all over them.The captain was at times running a ship of fools that often could not sustain the ability to complete a voyage. EVERY project is a voyage. Now on my ship,for the most part things run smoothly and the term, "its shipshape", finds real expression..... To all my fellow sailors - My the weather gods be with you and may the wind be at your back!

gliding in mind

2010-07-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Hell0 Howrya Howwwwdee my friend folk- Its a beautiful evening - born forth from a beautiful day in New Jack City .At times like this I often find myself feeling though as opposed to riding in traffic, it feels more like flying or gliding - I love that word ....gliding -no friction or resistance ... More and more it feels as I get older that Im learning how to glide through the day. In my 20s it felt at times as though I was in a swamp , ankle deep in mud ...hmmm "I know some heros and they all learned to walk through mud"- Lou Reed. Maybe its true, mabye one needs to do that in order to glide-paying your dues so to speak. Anyway oh yes with gliding, there is a sense of equilibrium. When i glide, as my speed increases my mind becomes clear- My mind glides... I like that.

2010-07-26T15:26:00.000-07:00

More work today....

2010-07-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

These two pics are details from my upcoming painting

2010-07-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

One more for good measure

2010-07-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

So Ok ... Heres the story... A while back I made plans to visit my parents upstate. So I hopped on Amtrak and away I went . Upon arrival, I learned that my mother has come down with a case of the directionless retirement blues. Because of its cathartic and meditative benefits, painting has saved my ass from the black pit of despair more times than I can count. So I went into town and bought her a 25 dollar liquid watercolor set, a few brushes and some paper . Shortly thereafter I tasked her to complete a line drawing of anything that inspired her. She came back with a beautiful line drawing of a porcelain teapot. Then, we sat down at the dining room table and I gave her a short lesson in technique and color. We went over a bunch of visual concepts which she grasped with astonishing ease . Moving on , I added color to her drawing as to show her the practical applications of what I had verbalized. Upon leaving for home, I assigned her to complete 10 paintings ...... Here are a few of them...

Once upon a bike joust

2010-07-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, in the land of Brooklyn, I was a bicycle Jouster... Sir Doyle was the best and one night, I decided to challenge him...

To begin with , I fashioned cardboard armor with a trash lid chest plate-A helmet that I never wear , I wore. To myself, I admitted that it was a fools mission. In the moments beforehand I could feel the fear expanding outward from my stomach. We mounted our tall bikes and started closing distance. I knew I was in for it. WHAM -When Doyle Hit me - I fell back 10 feet. I saw George Michael french kissing Madonna. They both had wings and were dressed in white leather bondage gear...... There was a bright light, I saw stars stretched out like rubber bands ..... The Joust squarely hit its mark and i flew backwards into a concrete support pillar for the BQE . My helmet took the impact and cracked like an egg but I was ALIVE ... On rainy days my shoulder still hurts . The pain will always be a souvenir of the night I went up against the greatest Bicycle Jouster ever --- there i was .

Tina Fey,Eternity,and ME

2010-07-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

When i finally pass through life- Im going home - my real home has always been eternity. When i arrive, ill kick off my boots-my red leather half boots-----and put my tired ol dogs up on a gold chest filled with stars. Tina fey, with whom ill make love, will be there.

2010-07-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

Its time to start work. Its always interesting that always before I begin , there is some anxiety. After all these years of painting an drawing,a little anxiety always creeps in right before the process begins. Of course its not as intense compared to 20 years ago . God has it been that long .... " Time is a Jet Plane " Bob Dylan ...... You know I was going to write about anxiety. Fuck anxiety , Id rather think about all the great times in this city ... my car chase on the Brooklyn bridge , Finding my girlfriend at the time , during a party , in a hallway, engaging in passionate physical behavior with a stranger.... or what about the time when in Central Park on a first date, while rowing , combined with exessive drink , broadsiding ( ramming ) a couple in another boat . The guy looked as if he wanted to swim over and kick my ass. With a bit of quick thinking though, I reversed course and made my escape. My date was laughing hysterically. I liked that. we lasted for 5 years.... Oh and then, all those times at The Villag Idiot, WHEN it was in the east village, drinkin whiskey with Waylon on the J box.

Damn , I love this place - not because its easy, laid back , breezy or low stress. No its because its NOT those things . I spend 2 weeks in any other american city .... ho hum , I wanna go home. This place is rock and roll. This place attracts the hard cores who want to be the best at what they do. There is a pacing and intensity to this place that stands, distinguished and unique in the solar system. In another town, I always feel that its people are just about standing still.

Long live Lou Reed, the king of NY

Im out

2010-07-21T20:37:00.000-07:00

After years of clinging to life he died to the world. Bury Him? Theres no need.Undead. .

Reclining nude -gouache on paper

2010-07-21T19:25:00.000-07:00

1) Trees - gouache on paper 2)House - mixed media on canvas

2010-07-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I forget....................................................

2010-07-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I forget-I look without-Beyond the perimeter of my flesh- When I look to others - When I look to art,when I look to nature,- when I look to things and objects inanimate - when I look to lovers or leaders or or countries or any number of religious ideologies....... I cant find what is to me, most important ...... not to say those things mentioned cant help .... At the end of the day though, freedom starts inside . It begins in my mind, and when I forget re-mind.

NEW WORK IN PROGRESS

2010-07-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

NEW WORK IN PROGRESS

2010-07-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

I knew she get into trouble after she left me.....now shes jailbait...Way to go Lohan

2010-07-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

2010-07-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

2010-07-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hi folks -- So --Ive decided to share my love of drawing with my fellow bloggers and price my sharpie drawings for $35 each........for now

2010-07-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

Uuuuuuuuuuh What do I do with myself-----burnout--------Im staring streight ahead , its 4am------burnout---------Im on standby,watching my own thoughts bend - twist - and crash to the floor------burnout------hold a pencil? I barely can,hold an idea? about the same. Reassure myself - Hey Keith its a temporary thing - read a book, watch a flick--Just get your mind off of this shit--- -- up and down and up and down and up again---- - the temporary nature of things --- the sooner you let go- the sooner you get it back.........knowing when to turn off the light- that what its all about ..........burn burn burn out.

there it is

2010-07-13T16:05:00.000-07:00

reclining nude in progress-gouache on paper

2010-07-13T15:18:00.000-07:00

The wrong right --sharpie on paper $35

2010-07-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

The impaler sharpie on paper $35

2010-07-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

This guy keeps popping up in my dreams (nightmares)

2010-07-06T15:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Flokes

Group show Hope to c u there

2010-07-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

So here I am in Saratoga...I came upp here to decompress and what do I do ? ,,, start an oil pastel drawing. Oil pastel is a great medium. It has benefits of oil painting and drawing combined. The expensive ones can be purchased separately and yield amazing brilliant color quality. For me, I prefer the cheap ones like craypas or pentel. With these the color is always a little off and weird - washed out ....kind of like the difference between modern digital films and those made in the early seventies. If you ever saw the Texas Chainsaw Massacre youll know what I mean, On the other hand I only buy good oil paint when I paint.The cheap shit is colored vaseline. IM OUT

2010-07-02T11:23:00.000-07:00

2010-07-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

2010-07-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

2010-07-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

2010-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Keiths cogs blog

2010-07-01T12:32:00.000-07:00

Hi my fellow fiends . Ive decided this is the time to start blogging. Carpe Demons.