Author: Eric E. Kolbe

I will be collecting my art that has been hanging for almost six months in Wallingford, tomorrow. Those eight paintings are what will be on display at my open house on March 23rd, 2014. I will have “Cold Flowers” which is my favorite of the Effloresence technique as well as 3 Colorstretches and 4 Colorspace paintings. This will be a really mellow open house. Come on down have a beverage and check out art. All my tables will be up, so people can walk in and mingle this time. I will have all new works for the open house in June. That is my goal.  See you in two weeks!

I’m back from London. My mom and I had an amazing time. We were able to go yo the Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert museum, Somerset House to see the exhibit we flew there to see. Isabella Blow: Fashion Galore. It was everything I expected and more! Did a lot of walking and checked out as much as we could. The underground was a snap once we figured it out!

Going to the coast town of Hastings was a treat. We didn’t do much, but ate good food and shopped a little. Walked on the beach and did a couple of touristy things. This bed and breakfast we stayed at was truly great. Totally vegan and they had quite the spread every morning. We were the only two staying at the B&B the 3 days we were there. I discovered a delicious condiment, Marmite. I had to bring some back it is so tasty.

Upon coming back to London, my mother developed post-op complications. So we didn’t do much but stay close to our B&B. I was able to catch a play of Molière “The Hypochondriac”. That was fun, at the same time my friend brought me to the art department of the school that put on the play. All I can say is damn those kids are very talented.

We walked in Richmond Park, and watched my friends two Dalmatians go nuts. It was chilly but managed to stay warm. We saw several herds of deer, that was fun to see.

Being in London I feel like every step I take something happened on that very spot, London is old, and the history is great. I will be returning later this year. If possible. I am so thankful I was able to go with my mom and come back inspired!

Pictures to follow. My iPhone broke so I was unable to take pix on my phone. So in the process of combining camera photos with my moms and mine.

This year I want to challenge myself in several ways artistically. I will be taking, hopefully, a stained glass class and some kind of metal sculpture class. I’d like to take an encaustic painting class as well. I will make some form of collage, I have never done one, but I have the materials I want to use. I also will make the largest painting ever (for me) this spring. I’m thinking 72″x84″, I shall see. I will need to rent a truck to transport that size of csnvas. I will be making Purple Flowers #2, a commissioned Colorstretch (24″x48″), my “Primary Stretch”, and another commissioned Flower painting. I will be keeping busy. So much to create, it’s going to be a great year!

Is how long it took to create this one-of-a-kind “piecemeal” painting. It was completed this morning, strung and delivered to the new owner. I’ve never had a painting take this long to create, granted I didn’t work on it for about two months. That was due to moving in to Inscape and getting ready for my first open house.

It took a little more than three rolls of blue painters tape to help create this highly texturized painting and also the first time I used very small brushes. It took more than a hundred hours to create. I’m very very pleased.

I started this on August 25th, 2013.
I’ll be glad when it’s finished. I will have it signed, strung and ready for the owner to pick it up next Wednesday…

I feel the urge to create
Mixed Flowers #2 before I leave for London. Now that #1 might get accepted for the Tuxes and Tails auction, I will need to make its replacement. (M.F. #1 is currently hanging at Agrodolce Restaurant). It will probably blossom next weekend, I’m hoping. Just need to finish the painting I’m currently working on.

My first painting of 2014 was painted the other day. It was painted on my easel. Only two were painted on my easel last year. This year I plan to make more.

Painting on an easel is fun. Out of the 3 techniques, only one is made on the easel usually. The Colorspace gallery shows these paintings. Of the works of art that I call Colorspace only a few were not made on the easel. Those are the oil pastels and food coloring pieces that are done on paper, and canvas board, never on a stretched canvas

I have a show coming up this summer, hopefully a couple more that I don’t know about yet 🙂
But my goal is to have All new work to hang at Broadcast Coffee in Capitol Hill. It won’t be to hard. Just a fun creative journey.

I am going to start having regular hours on the weekend. I will be there between 10am-2pm. Contact me to let me know you might be stopping by. I will be painting, prepping, cleaning, amongst other stuff. eekolbe05@yahoo.com is my email addy. Looking forward to having people stop by!

In a month, I will be going to London with my mother. We’re going to go see the Isabella Blow exhibit at Somerset House. When I was made aware that this was happening I didn’t hesitate to ask my mom if she wanted to go, and she said yes.

In August of 2011, we traveled to NYC to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That was the longest time I have ever spent in a single exhibit ever. It was sensational. I was fortunate to have seen it twice. So, learning of the Isabella Blow exhibit, the one who is credited for discovering McQueen, I felt I needed to go view this. It’s far away, but it can only be seen there, in London. I can’t wait to spend some quality time in England and get inspired! More to come in this topic…