Professor Art

Monday, January 16, 2012

A New year

The Professor gives up the pretense of the third person.
I am Earl Staley and I was born in the suburbs of Chicago...Oak Park like West U. in Houston.
I discovered that there were such people as artists at Illinois Weslyan University, Bloomington, Illinois and then I went to University of Arkansas for a MFA. There I learned to paint what was important to me and then I got a job at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. and then at Rice University, Houston and then at University of St. Thomas, Houston and then I went to Rome and then New York and then I was hired at Lonestar College-Tomball, Texas. I love my job.
Writing takes work , I would rather paint.
Here is a painting that is more or less finished. It needs to be turned to the wall for month or more. I call the process fermenting.

The Leap 36x48

I started it 12-28-2011

Stage one 12-28-2011

Stage 2 12-28-2011

Stage 4 12-29-2011

I am doing lots of watercolors in preparation for a show and inviting people to my studio to show them what I have been painting. Here are more images from recent months.

Awakening 54x60

Drunkeness of Lott 55x60 12-29-2011

This is a picture called Vortex 36x48

It is about resolving conflicts. I will show you a few stages.

First Stage

5th stage

Vortex 12-27-2011

Painter's Apron #5 36x36 12-2011

Serenade 20x20 collage 12-2011

The Unicorn's Captive 20x20 12-2011

MM found a group of printed tapestries made Italy in the 70's that have French 18th c. themes and then she obtained a group of printed tapestries with the medieval Unicorn theme damaged by Hurricane Ike. These I have rethought/re-purposed using erotic pictures that I painted in the past.

The Unicorn was seen as a symbol of the male Libido needing to be tamed by the Lady...here reversed or 18th French Rococo themes of courtly romance with their underlying male dominant compliance.

Lots of Watercolors

12-22-2011

12-27-2011

MM and I went to Terlingua, Texas

We stay here.

up at Mimi's place Casa Milagro, Terlingua, Texas and we sit, write and paint

and talk and look East to see the sunset over the Chisos.

I paint.

MM takes a rest.

MM writes.

I build a fire when the sun disappears.

We went to the Basin, Big Bend N.P. and fooled around.

MM bought some stone pots in Terlingua.

Sunset....looking East toward the Chisos from Terlingua.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

The Professor gets older by a year

Another birthday for the Professor.

In 1981 before the Professor went to Rome he painted this picture. It is called The Awakening.

It has been rolled up for many years. When he painted it he thought he was the new Picasso. His ego was rather large. He knows better now. The picture has been rolled up for years. He has recycled it.

Here it is laid out ready to be reassembled.

Assembled and still a work in progress. Next to it is a 1977 Winged Mermaid still in progress.

Back in the year 1981 he did a painting based loosely on story of the Drunkenness of Lott from Genesis.

Being a non believer he enjoyed the inclusion of incest in the Old Testament. Why is it included?

There are many Renaissance paintings of this story.

Here is one by Albrecht Altdofer from the 16th c. Sexy.

Altdofer is better known for The Battle of Issus.

It's in all the text books.

Here is The Professor's Drunkeness of Lott circa 1981.

Not very good, so it has been recycled.

Dotting the strips

Laid out ready to be assembled and finished.

Here is the original Winged Mermaid from 1977.

and it's reincarnation.

Final stage

Sunday, October 9, 2011

It is just about mid semester and school progresses as ever.

The Professor went to the first of two International Art Fairs in Houston. It was all nice, clean and proper - saleable. What did he expect? It is a commercial world. Art buyers want acceptable products that do not trouble them. He enjoyed the spectacle of the dealers booths filled with short skirted, attractive young women selling in many cases Knock-offs of Knock-offs particularly hard edged stripped pictures or horse statues of the found-material style.

He did see his friend Forest Moses’ paintings; these he always enjoys, rough and tumble and still sellable…how is that possible? He admits he is like a child with his nose pressed against the candy store window. His work is so unlike what he saw.

He has a show at The Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont,Texas next June and a three person show in Austin at St. Steven's school. It is a start.

In Houston it has been raining for over three hours for the first time since we cannot remember.

The Professor is painting in the studio. Here are some new works.

Sign 49x43

Scenic View 16x9 08-2011

Magic Landscape 14x12 08-2011

Unexpected Waterfall 15-9 08-2011

Needles Eye 72x24 09-2011

New Territory 12x16 WC 09-2011

Waterfall 1 12x16 10-2011

Waterfall 2 12x16 10-2011

Waterfall 4 12x16 10-2011

studio 10-2011

10-2011 work in progress

studio 10-2011

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

At Vaction end

The Professor has worked on many pictures these 6 weeks. Next week begins the new school year. He finds old work and thanks to viewing it in the new space sees how to revised. Here are some new views.