Welcome to the Art Bar 2009 posting. I have been painting a canvas a year at Don Krause’s Art bar (located at 722 E. Burleigh St., Milwaukee WI. www.artbar-riverwest.com) for 6 years now, since the establishment opened. While I remember most of the paintings, I can only name five of them, maybe it was only 5 years. What began as an experiment for me, to see if I can get a 4′ x 5′ canvas painted in 8 hours (or less) has become a yearly outing. Some years have drawn many family and friends, some have even brought the news (fox 6 came one year) and I have even got the first year as a documentary film by (soon to be famous LA cinematographer?) Dustin Mellum. This was another great year form Abby and me, a painter’s eye view of the main “gallery” and bar at the Art Bar. Portraits have been my forte in the past, and while I will continue those as my prime genre, working from life was reborn for me over the summer. This was intended to be more in the lines of a figurative work, but the idea of the bar took the lead. Fortunately, people came in and filled the place so I could (with help from Abby and a fellow classmate from UWM – thanks for coming Diane) add in the figures and even make a guest appearance myself.

This painting will be displayed for the week of August 10 – 16, and then on the 16th will be either covered up or incorporated into the next artist’s vision. This has been such a great idea, thanks Don for the opportunity, that I have even incorporated it into the workings of my days at school. I have an Open Canvas at Waterford Union High School, just outside of my classroom. Please visit the site  to see what 15 – 18 years old artists come up with in a 5-8 hour period. (Open Canvas at WHS)

Another canvas done, another year over. I look forward to seeing the final year’s artworks at the artist reception in March. It is always a bit difficult to whitewash over the previous painting (not really), and it is really exciting to see the 8+ hours of work finished and then incorporated into the next week’s work. Thanks for visiting, don’t forget to stop in and see the painting and always, tip your waitresses. Thanks to everyone at the Art Bar for such a wonderful time, great pizza and a welcoming atmosphere. Please let me know your thoughts… I am ALWAYS looking for feedback.