For years people have been telling me to write a blog.  For years I have resisted.  Why?  That's an interesting question.  It's not as though I don't enjoy writing.  In fact, there are few things I enjoy more then letting myself prattle on over a keyboard as I listen to the satisfying clicks of the keys, which, as my wife points out, I seem to punch with just a bit too much gusto.  That's all part of the pleasure, I tell myself.

I suppose it's been for two reasons.  First, the obligation to get something turned in on a semi regular basis.  Not the most challenging thing in the world, to be sure, but let's not forget I left the world of 9-5 so that I would never have to punch a clock again.  The second was out of skepticism that anyone would want to hear the actual personality of Tim Rees come through in my writing.  I've made a point to distance and formalize that personality in the instructional media I've put out, and let's face it, a blog is known for being impersonal.  Do I have the clout, or at very least the mild entertainment value, to sustain an interesting and worthwhile blog?  I suppose we'll see.

I hope to cover, in a fairly light hearted manner, TWO basic topics in this blog.  The first is any technical or philosophical musing I might have on art.  Consider it a way to get your fix into the slightly more complex concepts that are floating around my head while I try to articulate on the canvas something that (I hope) has not been done before.  I also might throw out book recommendations, artists I'm looking at, or any other manner of relevant art-babble that I seem to deem interesting at the moment.  The second is to apprise you of news.  Things happening in my studio.  Shows.  Giveaways.  New paintings.  Tooting my own horn, or the horn of others that I may be excited about.  Welcome to the circus.

SOOOOOOOOO....

With that long introduction, I'll move right ahead and just mention one point of news, as I'm sure there will be more to come.

I've recently started these Impressionist paintings.

I love to do Impressionist paintings.  I used to hate Impressionism.  

Strange, right?  Well, there's a specific reason - it's not as though my tastes have seasoned like a fine wine (well, maybe they have, but that's not the reason).  Actually, I have always been drawn to realism.  A beautiful, well represented figure was the bee's knees to me.  I soon realized that those paintings looked as real as they did because they were drawn well.  When I looked at paintings historically, Academic and Classical paintings were well drawn, Impressionist paintings (tended) to not be.  "All color, no drawing" I thought to myself.  Rubbish.

Well, long story short, the more I painted and the more artists I became familiar with, the more I realized you can have AMAZING impressionist paintings that are also well drawn *cough* Richard Schmid*cough*, and that brilliant color does not preclude good drawing *cough*Rose Frantzen*cough*.  My love for impressionism was sparked, and now I pursue it regularly.

While it still does not command my love as much as a well rendered figure foiled against a suggested background, I love to paint impressionism and dance the line between what must be described and what can be left completely abstract.  That's why I like to do one a week.  They are usually smaller, and usually alla prima.  I don't sell them through the gallery, as it doesn't quite fit with what I've built my body of work around.  So the only place to get them is directly from me.

I've begun to sell them, one a week, on my website at www.ReesFineArt.com/weeklypainting through a lottery system.  Potential buyers can enter the lottery (it's free to enter), and if they are selected they can purchase the painting.  Each painting is only up for one week at a time, and then it's gone.  That's it. If you like a painting, you should put your name in the hat to buy it.

I love these paintings, and I hope you do too.  If not, there's plenty of other art to look at I suppose.  But few things are delicious as some brilliant colors slathered across a canvas, in my opinion.  

Today is the last day to put your name in the hat to buy this painting.  There are about 20 entries so far, but who knows.  You might have a shot- we're all as lucky as the next, right?  Best of luck, and talk to you soon.

-T