Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Help!! I'm Shrinking!...or...The Incredible Shrinking Artist.

Last summer I posted a solution for us aging baby boomers. All ya gotta do is TAKE OFF a year when your birthday comes around! In Feb. of '09, instead of being 62 yrs. of old age, I'll be 61 yrs. of age and getting younger! It's kinda of the Dorian Grey effect. I'm finding, however, that unlike Dorian, I'm not getting more grotesque in visage but am shrinking in stature! And this after only one yr. of subtraction! Lord knows how tall I'll be ten yrs. from now (age 51 and getting younger and smaller). Will I even be able to get onto my painting stool?! Anyway, here I am standing by a 36"X46" acrylic painting on stretched canvas I did last year. You can plainly see that I have shrunk substantially!

22 comments:

Carrie said...

Wow! This is incredible!!

Anonymous said...

But you've gained in stature as a painter.

Looks like you could just turn around and hail a cab.

Major great piece of work, there David.

( have you considered elevator shoes?)

Amber Massey said...

Amazing! :) I love how you always turn ordinary scenes of life into beautiful paintings that grab the eye! I'm already missing your classes and I've only been at Sac State for 2 days!!!

Nava said...

46", eh? So, 10 years form now, when you're 51, you'll look like that next to a quarter sheet of watercolor, I presume. That is Alice in Wonderland all over again. Now I'm glad I started off with a height of 5'10" or so (175 cm).

And - I am already bracing myself, dreading the comment OnPainting will leave on the subject.

Chris Sears said...

now that's a big painting... nice job!

as far as golden open acrylics goes, i just saw them the other day at a local art store and mentioned them to nathan fowkes. i'm kind of eager to try them, but i have to justify the purhcase by using up what i've got lying around first.

David Lobenberg said...

Kinda scary too, Carrie, but I'll get use to it.

David Lobenberg said...

Bonnie: Are you anywhere near hurricane territory? Elevator shoes!...that's the ticket! Thanks Comrade!!

David Lobenberg said...

Amber: Go get em at Sac. State!

David Lobenberg said...

Nava: You're lucky. You have a height advantage on me. I started out at 5'7". Well, I still think this is a small price to pay to add a few extra yrs. on one's life, and yes, I sure will be dinky, but maybe at a diminutive size, I won't get too seasick as a boat person in a dinky dingy (onpainting).

David Lobenberg said...

Chris- the- left/right -brainer and talented artist: I agree...waste not, want not, but when those regular acrylics go, try the Open. I gotta add you to my Fav. links section. That Fowkes fella sure has a way with painting!

hj said...

Wow!!
Bravo,amazing!

David Lobenberg said...

Bon Jour Helene! Thank you. When I did this painting, I stretched the canvas on the floor of my studio using duck tape. I gridded off the canvas so I could take my 8"X10" sketch and enlarge it to about 8'X10'. I walked over the canvas to paint it and climbed a ladder to view it. The finished canvas was stretched across a huge wooden frame, and the painting was hung just like a smaller stretched canvas!

Anonymous said...

Lovely painting from such a young little man.

David Lobenberg said...

Onpainting: I just knew that you would know a true story when you read one. No, no, no, I'll NEVER end up on the Oprah show apologizing for writing a felonious story!

Melinda said...

This is just wonderful! I love the painting and the scale. Amazing process. Your sky work is luscious and the scene is very engaging and powerful. This is one of those paintings that you want to keep visiting.

I like your idea of subtracting years too. I don't see any reason why we can't stop when we reach our favorite year, right? I'd take 45.

David Lobenberg said...

Melinda: Hey, I appreciate your positive feedback...and...your idea of stopping at the age of 45. Before you gave me this tip, I would have kept getting younger and smaller to such an extent, i might not have been able to look over the top of shag carpet (Remember shag carpet! It was great to train your pet rock on shag!) At 45, I still would still be a mature adult and most likely a workable 4'8". Thanks again!

milindmulick said...

thats a great painting and a great size,..by a great man.

Do painters neccesarily grow as painters or sometimes shrink as well as they grow old.what do you think.
oops..sorry ..may be a wrong question.

Theresa Rankin said...

Ok!!! You are the man..(little man I guess..lol!) This is truly stunning!! You are a fabulous artist and street scenes are among my faves...You have done a masterful piece here!!

Ambera said...

Haha, funny pic! I think I'm shrinking as well..my mom has shrunk incredibly, I feel I'm on my way..

David Lobenberg said...

Fellow watercolor and acrylic artist Milind Mulick: As long as we can stay healthy, we can GROW AND GET BETTER as artists, although we may stoop a wee bit in the shoulders as we get old.

David Lobenberg said...

Theresa: You are so magnanimous after I dised your pre-vacation painting! LOL! A thousand and two thank yous!

David Lobenberg said...

Ambera: We are all on our way but meanwhile keep painting your magnificent skies and clouds and nocturnes!