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Right then.......the drawings on the canvas, the pallets been cleaned.....oh,
a word on my pallet. I use a table, roughly twenty-five inches high with
a pane of glass on it as a pallet. It's easy to clean, cheap and allows
me to have both hands free. I've used this for years. Generally I place
white in the upper left corner and paynes gray in the lower left. |
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Warm colors on the right, cool
ones on the left. As I start this piece I'll initially have only four
colors on the glass: white, burnt umber, raw sienna, and dioxazine purple.
Violet and it's complimentary are the basis of my pallet.
Well........as I'm feeling just a tad under the weather......bit of a
cold methinks. I'll probably wait until morning to start....but one never
knows. I just might get a wild hair up my ass to begin. Check back tomorrow.
One way or the other.
Z.
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Made a nice start today.... more was done, but I took photos a bit early
due to inclement weather.... my light was going fast. At this stage I'm
not terribly interested in details at all. I'm more into large masses
of lights and darks that will define the painting as a whole, even after
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The reason for a severely limited
pallet is to avoid the mistake of getting waylaid be the color.....hence,
an "underpainting" in a monotone that makes the statement the
painting must make without the distraction if you will of color. Nearly
all my oils start this way.... in fact, I've been so pleased by the underpainting
on many pieces, I've stopped work at this stage, happy as a clam.....
but not this one. Oh, now. Much more to come.
Well, am I boring you all yet? lol.
Z.
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This piece of rough cloth, a few chemicals and
oils etc.....it never ceases to amaze me how much alchemy happens when
it's all brought together. It's so much more than the sum of its parts.
At this stage honest to God, it really seems that it starts talking
back......low, and haltingly at first, but slowly with more force and
assurance......."do this here" a bit more yellow there"......I
feel that I'm channelling something outside of my experience.
The lights and darks are starting to form patterns that hint at ideas
as yet unknown and potential problems down the road. By and large, I'm
happy and finding the going fun and instructive. But trouble looms.
It always does. I've nearly got the whole canvas covered now.....tomorrow
should bring a few surprises. Some, I suspect, not welcome. I'm only
human.....and I'm currently taking major anti-biotics for a throat infection.
I must be careful.
Z.
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.....I made mention of vaguely formed disasters
and odd problems looming in the future. Well let it be known: every work
of art, no matter how we precise it as "perfect".....is nothing
of the sort. I've told people quite plainly, "by rights I should
only do one painting in my lifetime" it would still be flawed when
I pass on.
We are all flawed.....
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My work, as much as I love it, is also. I'm just being frank. Right now
as the major design is sitting here starring me in the face I must attend
to various problems inherent in the work......the success of the piece
will be how well I do this. The "idea" was pure....the difficulty
lies in "bringing it down' to tangible reality. I'm working now on
the separation of the masses...this largely tonal. Cheats use line and
color. But underneath, the world exists in shades of grey. This separates
one thing from another....lines don't exist except as raw metaphors. This
is not drawing....it's painting. The light needs ALOT of work.
Soon..........
Z.
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Changes.
When working I can make many before I'm settled in my mind that I've done
the idea justice. Today I confronted the piece and right off the bat;
I decided to change the right hand. Make it less aggressive. To my mind
the sandman only ran into trouble when he aggressively overstepped his
role and interacted in mortal affairs. If he where to have a formal portrait
done, (there are many unseen I'm sure) it would be a reflection of a monarch
fully invested and relaxed with his station.
Hence, the hand change. The first one seemed to me to reflect bad psychology.
I've also added a humble corn poppy to lower right. This in my personal
symbol.
For those of you who know me personally, they'd know I'm an avid amateur
gardener and the poppies are a favorite of mine. The humble "Flanders
" poppy is my favorite. A symbol of dreams, desires, the unconscious
and the afterlife. Along with the fact I find them sad in a way.......defiant
and fragile.
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Everything I want in my work.
Well.......not so much the sad bit. Ok.......the basic underpainting is
done. It needs to set a bit before I begin part two of this great, secret
show........things get very interesting from here....at least until I
get stuck or have my usual crisis of faith.
The artistic life.....what a joy.
Z.
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We all must rest. That goes for
paintings as well as us, people. Makers and the made. That's what's happening
now.
For the next day or two.......my sandman will rest. Take time to dry,
and set. The next time you see him.......well, it's be different to say
the least.
While I'm letting the dream dream......I'll be working on the next graphic
novel I'm doing with Neil......always something to do here at Chateau
Zed. The next step will be what i call a "skin". a transparent
layer or glaze of color that I'll work wet color into wet color. The painting
will begin to manifest it's final tones.......the light will adjusted
and refined. so much yet to do.
I bet you think it's not too bad now, right? Why, it's only a beginning.
Just wait......be sure to stop back, say, Friday afternoon.
Ok? Promise?
Z.
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A small apology is in order here ...... I'm late for a variety of reasons.....illness,
workload and house hunting will tend to do that.
But, never fear .........I'm back at it. So, here goes .......................
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My basic pallet for this piece
is fairly typical........ on the left: titanium white, terre verte, dioxozine
purple and paynes grey,........on the right cadmium yellow deep, cadmium
red medium, raw ocher, raw sienna, burnt umber. The first "skin"
or all over color blocks have gone on, though I usually have more time
when working on a piece this size to devote to it in larger chunks. The
photos will show the painting is not as developed as I'd like at this
point, but not to worry......it's not going anywhere just yet.......unless
one of you fine, tasteful people out there are planning on buying it.
"I DO hope you're out there........" he said grinning mischievously.
Z.
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Many of you might look at this and say" wow, how'd he finish
it so fast!?"
Well, not so fast...........it's hardly finished at all. It's completely
out of balance, the colors all wrong....... and the picture plans
are all out of wack......MUCH needs to be done. What you see is
only the bare bones of where I may go. That's really the point....
as maker and made converse, we try new roads to go down........old
houses and barns to explore........secret coves of trees with old
ruins in them.
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We'll come to where we will end up when we get there.
Right now, it's a matter of getting to the basic color blocks........
then I can go in and adjust and re-paint as new ideas form from old ones.
Please stay with me during this process........ or, come back when it's
over if you're emotionally agoraphobic .......I understand. But you might
miss something nice.
Oh, a big hello to David....... and dear Fhionn. Thanks both of you.
Z.
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You should all know at this point, that I'm moving
my studio in the weeks or so coming.......there may well be brief interruptions
in the flow of this little event. Please, stay with me here.
Ok.......here's what's happening......please be aware, what you're seeing
is at least a day old, if not older.......I need a certain lead time when
painting in oil. I'm not afraid to admit...I like working with a net.
I'm crazy, not stupid. |
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The painting as it stands now is becoming a trifle more complex that I
first thought it would be, but aren't they all? The "silvery"
tones I'd originally planned on have given way to a much warmed, more
romantic, less classical coloration. Though I'm having real trouble balancing
the reds. But I think I have the solution for that. We'll see.
Z.
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..... So sorry to be gone for so long, breaking down and setting
up a truncated studio while I house hunt has been more of a job
than I at first thought. Anyway.....to the deed at hand.
Problems, problems....paintings at this stage are nothing but. Every
weird little quirk and strange little whatnot comes out of the woodwork......the
background is not "dropping back" enough, the reds are
too transparent, the hands articulate a bit funny........it's enough
to drive you mad, really.
But, that's what I do.......beginning middle and end. |
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For every odd problem, something
else falls into place......I think the trick is never give up if you honestly
think it's worth doing in the first place. I've tackled much harder paintings.
Quite realistically, it's coming along just fine. Judge for yourself.
Back soon........
Z.
PS: ......Sorry to try and keep you interested in this thing as it stands.......
the changes daily are often so small it's difficult to show you properly.
Z.
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I'm closing in on finishing this thing.
The majority of
the work to be done is largely too small to photograph very
well, but I'll try. The last "shine" I put on was a warm
reddish-brown. I worked the color, both lights and darks
into this wet, tacky layer of transparent color to take
advantage of the same oil fat to lean ratio. Small details are starting
to form images of their own
now.
Little wrinkles on the vest, reflected
highlights on
his cheek.
Color balancing well now....... are you
all saving up for this? It'll be ready sooner than you think!
Z.
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Sorry for the delay in posting here..but both moving
the studio and difficulty in photographing the Morpheus has slowed me
down a bit.
You see, in the final stages of a painting I tend to use a lot of resin
in the medium I use, namely "stand oil." It changes the paints
structure into what is called "long paint". The very paint
itself becomes more fluid and elastic, capturing more light. I honestly
enjoy a working surface for it's own sake. For instance, the fur "cloak
" to me is both lovely as a "cloak" and as paint in and
of itself.
I'm very near to finishing and will be back here in the next day or
two with the final fanfare and a completed image for you.
At that time I'll be open for bids on it.
Please if you're interested, be here.
I'm actually quite proud of it. I'd love to find it a good home.
Till then......
Z.
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No photos today. I have my reasons, which I'll make clear soon enough.
I'd like to take this time to say just a bit about painting. One of the
few teachers I ever loved told me once, "any fool can start a painting,
but it takes an artist to stop one. Trust me here, it can be a daunting
task to look ones creation in the face and say "enough, go home."
this as true a thing as I can say about the craft and practice of making
paintings for a living.
The Last Morpheus is done. Finished as
of yesterday afternoon. I've honestly said all I can say in his stance,
dress, setting the light.......
I simply couldn't say more. Not without
landing in some grey, twilight of endless re-workings, never ending noodle-ings,
and ultimately.....
I'd have lost him. I gave it all I had.
Please, if you can, or even care....come back in twenty four hours or
so and you will have an audience with a King.
Till then.
Much love to you all.
Oh! Before I stop, my thanks here in
public to my friend Neil Gaiman ......without him this couldn't have happened.
Till later....
Z.
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It's time for thank you's and some emotional closure. I need it desperately.
The 'Sandman years' of my career are now over officially. I'll never again
paint so complete portrait of the dear departed dream king. I may doodle
one in your sketchbook at a convention someday, but shortly I'm leaving
this phase of my life and art behind. I intend to be a different man,
and a more acute artist.
The work I need to do is beyond those times and I must leave.
As of Wednesday the "Last "Morpheus"
will be auctioned on ebay. I'll have a link to the auction on my site
and hopefully Neil may post one also. The starting bid will be rather
high, as I've already, behind the scenes, received firm bids. The price
will reflect this out of respect for the kind ones who've made serious
offers. I'll be honest here. I'm hoping for a personal best.
Now some thank you's. This I find particularly
difficult as they are achingly sincere and I'm not by nature a public
person.
Thank you first and foremost, Neil Gaiman.
I simply can't say that strongly enough. When all deserted me, you didn't.
Thank you to my webmaster and friend
David. You are the best.
Thank you Dear Fhionn......you've given
me new life, I can never repay you.
Lastly, thank you to all of you who have
supported, encouraged and even understood what I do. God bless each of
you.
Till Wednesday then.......
With a light heart and some tears...
Michael Zulli, artist.
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Well, here he is. I've done my
best. It's up to you to see or reject it. I feel I'm in the midst of sympathetic
people. There are as ever, loose ends. First, those of you who've
written to me about the possibility of prints, well, sad to say, though
I've got a big lawyer, Time Warner has bigger ones. So, no prints. Them's
the facts y'all.
And finally, I'd like to say that the
response I've garnered over this event has been nothing less than humbling.
You people are, utterly and completely amazing.
I never expected the outpouring of love, understanding and expressions
of joy to have flooded in as they have.
From the bottom of my heart.....bless
you all.
So, who brought the cake?
Love,
M.Z.
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