Bukowski Painting

The end of summer already.

2010-07-29T22:28:00.001-07:00

Summer is over already!

Unfortunately I noticed 2 days ago that the "peak summer" flowers are losing their blossoms. It seemed to go really fast this year. It was only July 28th and it only lasted a few weeks. Now that should be a warning?...or at least a reminder of how short life is and how fast time moves. The picture was taken yesterday and if you look closely, you can see that the flowers aren't as full and will continue to loose their color. In real life to talk about how time flies is such a cliche that it has lost it's meaning.....but paint a garden and the meaning is crystal clear. The good thing is that the park people have planted fall and late summer flowers so the garden will continue looking great. But it is still almost all over. Just yesterday.......

I made a discovery today and the discovery is that real breakthroughs are small and subtle. As much as we want to be dramatic and heroic, it is usually a small thing like an understanding, or seeing something old with fresh eyes or letting go of a personal quirk that may be holding you back.

The secrets are in the brushstrokes.

2010-07-20T05:40:00.001-07:00

No matter what the image of a painting depicts the real secrets are in the brushstrokes. The brushstrokes give you an unique artist's view of the process of creation. The mark of the brush has it's own aesthetic. If you study the strokes you can enjoy a painting just on that level. Some old school painters whose brushstrokes are particularly helpful include: Velasquez, Manet, Rubens, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Cezanne and Matisse. It is like compiling a best movie list, it can go on and on and it changes depending on who puts the list together. Painters whose brushstrokes don't really help you understand them include Leonardo, Botticelli, sometimes Bonnard and Munch. It is always worth the effort to look into a painting to see the marks and how it was constructed.

These details are from recent paintings from Sibley Park.

Pilgrimage

2010-07-15T20:30:00.000-07:00

For years, one of my former students comes to Mankato to paint for a few days. He is a painter but has another day job. We usually work from life and paint all day for 2 days. Whatever doesn't get done on the spot is finished from digital memory.

It is a good chance to catch up and to push to complete a painting. The flowers are nearing the peak so there is a good variety and the bugs weren't as bad as they've been. Nearly a perfect day for painting.

Painting at Sibley Park in Mankato, Minnesota.

The wages of sin is death (by mosquitoes).

2010-07-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

This summer I set up right by the ridge of trees that usually have been featured so prominently in my park paintings. What I hadn't anticipated was the high rise apartment for a zillion mosquitoes.

I don't remember ever having a more tortuous time with the bugs. I made the mistake for the first few days of going in shorts. Since I really hate to put on bug poison, I have usually just wait and the wave of the little devils just go away. But here, they come out wave after wave. It has been a wet summer and clear bug overpopulation. One would never think about how hard it is to concentrate when there are mosquitoes on your eye lids, behind your ears and on your hands. It is hard enough just trying to figure out how to paint the light and what you are seeing let alone see and swat, and paint and swat. I may have to give in to some bug spray.

Finally back to the park!

2010-07-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

For the sixth summer I have returned to Sibley Park to paint from life.

This is day one of painting from 8:30-12:00.

I found a spot in the shade and the light changes were noted.

This is a 30" X 40" canvas with some medium sized brushes.

It is very exhilarating to watch the light in the garden and I literally had to slow down my pace.

I've noticed that they haven't taken as good of care of the garden this year and maybe the recent severe weather has beaten down on it. July is the month to work and the flowers are coming .....

bukowskipainting.com

Landscape for Godard

2010-06-26T07:25:00.001-07:00

Landscape for Godard

3 canvases oil on linen

(in progress)

Just for fun, I did a three panel landscape and decided to follow a famous quote by Jean-Luc Godard, "a story should have a beginning, middle and end, but not necessarily in that order". I did each panel separately from the same image. When I came closer to finishing the work, I put the panels together out of the normal order and the results were kind of interesting. It still needs the final touches and framing but the patterns and space that result reinforce a kind of abstraction (tame by cubist standards).

Bukowskipainting.com

2010-06-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have a new website: bukowskipainting.com

This photo is the header for the website but due to auto-editing you don't get the whole picture. Dave Norris took this shot in my office at Bethany Lutheran College for an upcoming issue of the Bethany Report. I like the image because there are some nice details that add more to the story. It also shows my office and the collection of junk that keeps me inspired. The website is a stripped down model based on templates and in house design formulas, but it is super easy to update and change. I hope to use it for more to feature my newest collection of available paintings.

Waiting....

2010-05-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Recently, I have been working on designs for possible images for the Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. I came across this image from the past. Julia was drying off from swimming and sitting in the sun with her little friend. This is only a watercolor study for a possible oil painting, but it would make a nice work for kids who are at the hospital. I have 6 or 7 other possibilities. I am waiting for the green light on this and other works.... We will see.....

In Christ Alone at Martin Luther College.

2010-04-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

oil on linen

He Died In Our Place

and

Jesus Is Among Us.

I have a couple of paintings on display at Martin

Luther College in New Ulm, MN. There is a show going on for the dedication of the new chapel on

campus. The show is a fund raiser for artwork to

decorate some rooms on campus. I did one painting with Christ standing on the campus of MLC. It is in the library and will be until the end of May.

Fun to find a few oldies.

2010-04-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

When preparing to put out 37 years of painting in a show recently I had the fun of looking at some of my older works with a renewed interest.

What was I trying for here?

How did this turn out?

or maybe the most important:

Why do I still own this?

But it is all a part of the "short journey" as I called the exhibition. The top picture is a painting from my old office in the late 80s. The next one is from Greenville, PA a spot on the campus of Thiel College called, "East Acres" and lastly, Jenna at the cottage. They still hold up.

A good year for still life.

2010-03-30T20:58:00.001-07:00

A Short Journey- an exhibition of paintings

at Bethany Lutheran College by William Bukowski. (ending March 30, 2010)

As I looked at my work over the years, I decided

to hang three still lifes that I still own, in a horizontal arrangement. These were all done in a fairly short period of time after my first sabbatical. The year was 1988 and I was coming off of a great trip with Pete beginning in Rome and ending in London. I tightened up the edges, put some high contrast lighting and added some kid drawings, some toys and some shiny objects.

Jeff decided to make an appearance in the top still life as the masked hero, Zorro.

Faces at 30 year show.

2010-03-20T08:19:00.001-07:00

A Short Journey, Paintings by William Bukowski at the Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center, on the campus of Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota on display through March.

One wall of my show is reserved for portraits of the family. The cluster is hung salon style with works from 1977-2004. I had to leave many paintings out of the show.

There is one painting in the show that is not mine- but it is of me. Jenna painted me on a four by four foot canvas.

A Short Journey- 30 Year Show at Bethany

2010-03-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

On February 25th, there was an opening reception for the show: A Short Journey. The exhibition is at the Ylvisaker Fine Arts Center on the campus of Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota.

The phrase "a short journey" represents one's life and career and the paintings in this show cover more than the 3o year teaching career of Bethany Professor Bill Bukowski.

Foot in the Door at MIA

2010-03-17T18:02:00.001-07:00

The Minneapolis Institute of Art has their "Foot in the Door" show currently on display. Any artist in the state of Minnesota could bring artwork to show as long as it was within one foot square or cubic . There is quite a bit of diversity in the exhibition.

I had most of my new work in the show at Hopkins Center for the Arts, so I decided to enter the painting I had given Sherri of Goldie.

The paintings is oil on linen and shows the little cocker spaniel begging with one foot up on the couch. It marks just over a year since Goldie died- March 9, 2009. Now she is remembered in the Minneapolis Institute of Art until June 13, 2010

Bukowski at Hopkins

2010-01-20T20:19:00.001-08:00

Bukowski paintings will be at the Hopkins Center for the Arts until February 21.

The space is pretty dramatic with the glass walls and plenty of natural light. If one just drives through the city of Hopkins, you can't help but to see the exhibition right from your car. The best part is to walk along the wall on the inside and see a large part of the Sibley Park series. One reward of doing a show like this, is to see random people walking along very slowly looking at every painting.

They are actually looking......

Hopkins Center Exhibition Opening

2010-01-17T12:17:00.000-08:00

Garden Paintings by William Bukowski

Hopkins Center for the Arts, Hopkins, Minnesota.

Last night was the opening of this show in Hopkins. There were 3 other artists showing new work and a play going on in the theater, so there were a lot of interested viewers.

I called the show, "The Search for Paradise" because of the show in Waseca. The paradise metaphor works for these painting because it is a garden that is not easily identifiable with a specific place and there are no people in it to define fashion or time period. I like how the show is visible from the street and during the day has some beautiful natural light. If you are in the area, check it out. The show runs until February 21, 2010.

Show coming up at Hopkins Center for the Arts.

2010-01-05T21:00:00.000-08:00

Hopkins Center for the Arts will be showing my garden paintings coming up next week in Hopkins, Minnesota. I am getting everything ready.

It is always interesting to see a the paintings together. I decided to call the show" the Search for Paradise". I think it gives it kind of a Romantic notion like the European desire to fine an earthly paradise. The Sibley series has evolved to more of a metaphor for the desire for heaven. Heaven probably isn't Sibley Park in Mankato for most people, but it is art after all, and an interpretation.

Small is still in....

2009-12-05T11:19:00.001-08:00

William Bukowski

Petite Garden I

oil on linen

12" X 9"

I am finding that the small works continue to intrigue me. I am on my fourth small work in this series and the miniature quality of the brushstrokes and different kind of concentration appeals to me. The image is still Sibley Park in mid summer. I can work out some ideas of light and color that would take much longer in a large scale. That is not to say I wouldn't jump at the chance to do a large work, it is just that this is what is happening right now.

Monet on my mind.

2009-11-26T21:43:00.001-08:00

A recent trip to New York always gives me pause to reflect. One of my favorite paintings on the trip was Monet's large water lily painting at the Museum of Modern Art. This is such an amazing painting because of the surface and giant brushstrokes. It is a simple idea but put together with a sense of scale that goes far beyond the easel. The fact that he was in his 80s when he did this painting is completely astounding. Imagine working away at 80 years old in your warehouse studio on such a series. It really alters the definition of the artist in old age.

Emy Frentz Gallery Poetry Collaboration

2009-11-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

The RiverCrossings Art Fair that took place in October also had an exhibition at the Emy Frentz Gallery in Mankato. Artists were asked to submit a painting and then poets would write their reaction or interpretation next to the painting. I showed a Sibley park painting from a few years ago. The show went on into November and just recently came down.

The poetry read like this:

Second Nature

Late September. The garden

has its daggers out-

bristle-armored moon flower pods,

the yucca's razor-edged lances,

phlox heads frizzy and brown.

The blazing dahlias elbowed out their neighbors.

Now they stretch across the cobblestones.

I remember summer's perfection,

the swirls of pink and lavender,

the pale green of new leaves unfolding.

The rose hips darken. Soon, everything

will be crisp and brown, and dry stems

will chatter in an early October wind.

Jana Bouma

Sibley Park Paintings featured at the Waseca Art Center.

2009-10-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

The Waseca Art Center is showing 15 recent paintings in the Sibley Park series. The show opened on October 13 and will be on display until November 20th. The Waseca Art Center has supported my work with workshops and exhibitions over the years. They have at least 2 paintings and an etching in their permanent collection.

There was a reception last night in Waseca with a gallery talk.

It is always interesting to see your own work up in a public space. It can almost look like someone else's work and can make you feel a little off balance.

Small works.

2009-10-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

Petite Garden II

12" X 9" oil on linen

I don't know if it is the recession. But is seems appropriate to do smaller works. Same brushwork, same intensity but small scale. I just happened to have a few small pre-stretched canvases in the studio. Now, can I do a series?

Invitational Show at GAC.

2009-10-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

The Winds of Change at the Hillstrom Museum at Gustavus Adolphus is up and running into November. It is really a great show and features nearly 50 artists from around the state of Minnesota. At the reception on October 6th they had a quartet of dancers performing with music.

There is also a review of the show in the Star tribune's online art section today.

My own painting kind of mimics the Monet, Sisley trio that are framed together in the Musee Orsay in Paris. I wanted to capture that fresh vision of Minnesota fields in a traditional sense with the non-traditional wind turbines in view.

For some reason I felt a little self conscious taking pictures with a lot of people around, so I waited for the crowd to thin.

RiverCrossing Art Fair in Motion

2009-10-03T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Mankato area is having an art crawl this weekend. Bethany Lutheran College is a sponsor so I have an exhibition of garden paintings and

waterfalls. Instead of just standing around, I decided to paint, so I am putting the finishing touches on the last of my late summer paintings.

There have been some interesting people coming through even though it is cold and rainy.

Petite gardens

2009-09-23T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have been working on some small paintings of the my favorite theme. It is interesting to compress the color and brushstrokes. I am trying to add enough details without getting too clunky with the paint. I hope to do a series.

Petite Garden

9" X 12"

oil on linen

In Memory- Robert Grilley

2009-09-21T20:28:00.001-07:00

On September 19 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison there was a memorial for one of their great professors, Robert Grilley or "Mr. Grilley" as we called him as graduate students back in the late 1970s.

Mr. Grilley set a standard of excellence that we all strove to achieve. He was tough on his students and could prove his point on a chalk board whenever anyone doubted him. I still feel the influence of Mr. Grilley in my own teaching career after 31 years.

His studio is still set up as if he will be back later to paint.

Warm fall gives me a little more time.

2009-09-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

The fall has been so sunny and warm you would think it was still summer. The dying plants and turning leaves kind of give it away. But I have been able to paint a few more days because of it. The palette has changed and some of the fall flowers are a bit jarring compared to the summer harmonies. The angle of the sun has changed quite a bit and prime time for my morning is closer to 11:00 am instead of 9:30 am. But, every day of painting outside is a good day.

On Location

2009-09-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

When you look at these photos it looks like I am literally in a painting doing a painting.

Actually these photos were taken by Mankato photographer Michael Schwertfeger. He was working at the site and happened to snap a couple of extra pictures and sent them my way.

How refreshing to be on location at the garden.

One more before the frost.

2009-09-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

The Path (again).

This painting is two days old and I have hopes of getting this done from life. Some of the flowers are dying and the leaves will be falling. I have to get as far as I can given conflicts, rain, and the seasonal change.

I may be working on paper and on smaller canvases, we shall see.

Summer session is over.

2009-09-04T19:34:00.000-07:00

With conflicts like teaching, it is time to finish the summer garden paintings. It is harder than it looks to paint consistently at a site as the season changes. Some of the greens are turning orange and yellow already. I have to decide if I want to paint a dying garden. There could be something there, but would you want to contemplate the death of a garden in your house? or in your place of business? I suppose it could be in the great tradition of death paintings. They just aren't for everyone.

Sibley Park Summer of 2009

2009-08-29T20:45:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

oil on linen

40" X 30

Peak

Sometimes you work so long on a painting and look at it and wonder if the hours and effort show at all. It could look like another "pretty flower" picture, when in your mind you are constantly struggling with light, weather, actual plant growth, color, composition, brushstrokes, expecting some kind of artistic breakthrough.

Does it really express the intensity of the experience? or is it just another pretty picture.

Painting from Life.

2009-08-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

The more you look, the more you see......

You can look like the stereotype hobbyist and everyone can see your mistakes.

The light and weather can be so uncooperative that while you wait for the right light, the flowers die.

It is easy to see why the practice of painting from life is seen as so archaic or outmoded or quaint to modern artists.

It might take forever to feel comfortable working from nature. And you have to actually "go outside and play" and that doesn't always fit into the concept of the angst of modernism.

The final push of the summer.

2009-08-21T20:50:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

Garden Edge (in progress)

oil on linen 30" X 40"

The edge of the garden looks to live for a while yet, so I am optimistic that I can finish this work from life. Some how the summer has slipped by and school is starting. Panic would normally be the feeling I would have with so little time left, but I can handle it. I think I can......I think I can.......

Wind Turbines for Invitational Show at GAC.

2009-08-09T19:02:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

Minnesota landscape

(in progress) oil on linen canvases

The subject of this 3 paintings set is the wind turbine in the modern Minnesota landscape. I was asked to participate in an exhibition at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. The show will take place this fall and there will be a program on wind energy during the semester. The college has plans of building a wind turbine for part of their energy needs.

I set out to find some wind turbines and found some near Butterfield, Minnesota. My first reaction was that the aliens have landed. There is something really odd and interesting about giant wind mills on the Minnesota farm. I decided that one view wasn't enough so I changed the perspective one each, but tried to keep them connected.

The peak has passed.

2009-08-06T15:33:00.000-07:00

Sibley Park

2009

William Bukowski

oil on linen

(in progress)

Once again, painting

gardens can be a metaphor for life. At first you are waiting eagerly for the growth of the new beds and buds. Then everything comes together, and blossoms in its glory and you enjoy the peak of summer.

And eventually you realize that no matter what, the peak will pass and slowly the flowers will die. For a few days you wouldn't notice. Some of the flowers are quite healthy, but you know what is coming.

I hope to finish at least two more from life before the end.

The cool summer has been great for painting.

2009-07-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

The set up at Sibley has been very convenient. I can have my easel and table on the new paving stone path. It is cold when I start and hot when I finish. The light changes as I switch between three different canvases. My sessions usually go from 8:30- 12:30. I treasure each day as the summer slips by.....

Today I finished the middle painting, so I will adjust tomorrow.

Painting in a flurry of brushstrokes.

2009-07-30T20:18:00.001-07:00

My paint brush is on speed dial. I have been trying to paint as fast as I can when the combination of light and flowers is peaking. Every day things grow and die but the emphasis is on growth. Each painting gets at least an hour as the light is perfect and then I switch paintings.

The garden is a metaphor for life and like the flowers, it doesn't last long. I found out my Aunt Lorraine died today. It seemed like only yesterday she was sending us coconut treats from Florida (we were kids and loved that candy).

The Garden is peaking.

2009-07-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

The garden is peaking and the weather has been fantastic. Every day things change slightly or in some cases -things change radically(in terms of growth). Rocks are hidden, new flowers emerge and the challenge is on... it all ends too soon.

My main worry now is running out of canvas, out of paint and most of all, out of time.

A Perfect Day.

2009-07-23T21:40:00.000-07:00

The last two days were finally perfect conditions to paint. There is an intensity of light and you can almost see the plants growing. It is

with a little bit of panic that I try to paint the experience. I almost hate to quit painting because I know it won't last.

Nature is impatient.

2009-07-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

These days I am painting at two different sites. One is the garden at Sibley Park and the garden is peaking right now! The energy, color and sense of growth is visible. I have a slight panic set in as I try to capture this experience before its gone for another year.

The other site is Minneopa State Park. I have been working on waterfalls. In just a few days, the water has been reduced to a trickle! Both landscapes are changing daily! Nature doesn't wait for me to finish paintings. Now if I could only get a few more sunny mornings.

The changing landscape.

2009-07-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

I found out what changes about rocks and water in a landscape painting. After about 2 weeks of painting at the park, the amount of water that is flowing over the rocks has been cut by at least a third.

It does make you think about natural resources.

I talked to a park guy and he said by August the water is just a trickle. hmmmm.... The large waterfall of Minneopa is already almost gone.

Fighting the weather.

2009-07-15T21:52:00.001-07:00

William Bukowski

Minneopa II (detail)

oil on linen

30" X 40"

The weather has been challenging to deal with this summer.

The days have been cloudy, rainy, windy and sometimes sunny. I am way behind on Sibley painting because of the clouds. When you paint from life this is the greatest problem-not being able to control the weather. It is hard enough not to be able to control when flowers bloom and when plants grow and die. I need light.

I have been working in the shade and on cloudy days with the even light. The complexity of the image makes it hard to develop light patterns. It can be very hit and miss.

The Growth of Art-New Gallery in Mankato

2009-07-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

There was an opening of a new gallery in Mankato in late June. It is in a historic building on North Broad Street-the Wesley Building. The gallery is now called "School of Art".

They put on a show called, The Growth of Art. I had a painting featured in the show called Full Sun, Full Garden from last summer. The show was an interesting mix of sculpture and painting from the area. The show also featured florists who matched real flowers with artwork. I hope to add more pictures. Mankato can always use another art gallery, let's hope this one can survive.

The return of Erik.

2009-07-11T18:13:00.001-07:00

Every summer for many years, former painting student Erik S. comes back to Mankato to paint. This year he joined me at Minneopa State Park.

His sensibility in painting is decidedly American and especially the Luminist style of painting the unspoiled American landscape. So he liked the place.

Two days isn't enough to really take it all in, but it is a great way to spend a couple of days.

Sibley with the new path.

2009-07-08T19:59:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

oil on linen 30" X 40"

Sibley Park(in progress)

The newest Sibley Park painting is a bit of a throwback. The view is from a safe distance and I am relying on brushstrokes to carry the "green-ness". The space is layered and so far the paving stones haven't caused too much trouble. My next painting here will be closer to where I ended last summer.

It has been cloudy in the morning so I am a little behind.

Back to Sibley Park in the morning.

2009-07-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

For the past 5 years, Sibley Park has been part of my summer mornings. This summer, the park decided to "improve" it with a large donation from a local company. The improvements included paving stones on the path and a vintage street light.

Hmmmm.... The flowers beds have really improved but so far the other additions are a little distracting.

My first painting of the summer is more of a warm up. The path, the fountain, the background trees and the new street light........I am going for lyrical....

The State Park- a popular place.

2009-07-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski Minneopa I oil on linen (in progress)

I have really enjoyed painting at Minneopa State Park. One of the aspects of painting at a State Park that I didn't anticipate was the amount of people that come by to see what is going on.

I think some people expect me to try to sell them something and some people expect me to give them an art lecture. Who knows what they really expect. Some sneak a picture and don't say anything.

Nearly finished with the first of the Minneopa work.

2009-07-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

There were quite a few people at the state park on Independence day this year. I drew quite a crowd at times. The sun wasn't shining as brightly as I would have liked, but there was no wind and it was relatively bright. I am looking forward to the next painting and picking away to finish this one.

Destination: Minneopa State Park

2009-07-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

Minneopa I

oil on linen- in progress

The painting has been going well, the paint flies off the brush and lands in just the right places. I can see 3 or 4 more paintings from where I am standing and can imagine working larger. Painting from life in such a place is really a joy and a privilege.

Reality and Illusion

2009-07-01T20:39:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of day 3 at Minneopa State Park. The image blends into the landscape. My painting is done in a diagonal fashion without thinking about it to much. There are three secrets to this kind of painting. 1. you have to find the rhythm of the image and 2. you have to find the mark you want to make. 3. you have to study the light and pick the combination of effects that work.

It is compressing the 2-3 hour experience into one image. It implies light and movement and wind but that is the illusion.

The most fun part of this painting is painting the waterfall. It seems like a cliche, but it is hypnotic when stare at moving water.

Painting "En Plein Air"

2009-06-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

oil on linen 40" X 30"

Minneopa I

This is the evidence of one afternoon of painting at Minneopa State Park. The waterfall is really exciting to paint. The noise is soothing and I am totally in the shade while painting. The light changes but I take a lot of mental notes and will adjust the light as I get further along. The time in the painting will probably be 3:30 pm. Rocks and water......ahhh

Finally........ summer painting!

2009-06-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

Summer finally arrived for me. I started painting from life a day ago. This summer I have decided to split time with Minneopa State Park right outside of Mankato and the gardens of Sibley Park right in Mankato. Minneopa has two falls and some very cool rock formations. Here is a shot of my set up. There are 2 days of paintings represented on canvas in this photo.

There was a slight breeze so there were almost no bugs. The paint is going on very easily. I think there are some great possibilities here.

Christy's Cafe Wine Tasting and VINE Benefit Show

2009-06-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

There is a reception this Friday, from 6 -9 pm, June 12 at Christy's Cafe in North Mankato. For me it is only the second show in a restaurant and still an unorthodox location for an art exhibition. I think there have been many shows in cafes in Paris and the capitals of Europe, why not North Mankato?

Like my recent shows, the focus is the garden at Sibley Park in Mankato. Morgan Creek Vineyards of New Ulm will be doing some wine tasting and hopefully people will be enjoying the views of summer.

Inspiration II New Wave and NeoRealism

2009-05-22T16:48:00.001-07:00

Another source of inspiration for painters is films. The inspiration is less direct but just as thorough. For the past several years now that so many great films are available for the first time on DVD, I have been watching the films of Fellini, Antonioni and Godard. Each film maker came into his own in the 1950s and each thought of film as an art form rather than meerly entertainment. When you see one of their masterpieces, you can't help but reflect on the visual strength of their work. How they play with the language of films and how each is extremely interested in the purely visual. In the book, I, Fellini, Federico talks about his films as paintings. The complexity of each man's work can only inspire how one looks at films but also all visual experiences.
I think another benefit of looking outside of your art form for inspiration is that it causes you to reflect more objectively on the visual experience you are creating.

Looking for Inspiration

2009-05-10T21:02:00.000-07:00

I have been wandering around looking for new subjects and took a group of drawing students to the local state park. The waterfall looks a little weak, but I am very interested in coming to this park to see what I can see.

I like the idea of water and rock as very basic elements of life and earth and I think I can produce some interesting images. Minneopa State Park near Mankato, Minnesota, could be a pilgrimage site for me, like Sibley Park in Mankato.

The water could become a very Turner-like image for me. We'll see.....

The Path in Two Parts

2009-05-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

The Path in Two Parts

(in progress)

oil on linen

I originally posted this painting on January 3rd, when it was in a much earlier state. I think it is coming together and soon will be finished. There are two canvases placed together to make a larger view. The summer isn't far off and I am anxious to see what I have in store now that the actual path is being re-created in bricks. By June 6th, the entire path will be made up of vintage paving bricks, it should add some perspective problems, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Panoramic detail

2009-05-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

Panoramic Garden (detail)

2009 oil on linen

The surface is getting closer to what I am striving for.....the brushstrokes are becoming more independent of what it describes. I am still looking for the rhythm of growth and the light. It allows me to work the paint surface more than usual. It adds a new level of appreciation and pulls you into the painting in a new way.

Panoramic Garden

2009-04-30T21:32:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

Panoramic Garden

8' X 3'

oil on linen

One of my recent goals was to work at a larger scale. This painting is getting closer. The painting surface is taking on a life of its own. The shadows and darker greens have a fluid jabbed surface. I think the angle of the path pulls you into the work and the small garden becomes the entire field of vision.

Bukowski Painting- Catalog

2009-04-16T16:47:00.001-07:00

One of the bonus features of the 2009 Ylvisaker Drawing Invitational at Bethany Lutheran College is that we were able to produce a full color catalog of all of the artwork in the show.

A current Bethany student, Amanda Scharlemann, designed the look, with some editing and input from all of the artists. Each artist has a bio, a statement, and a full color detail from one drawing.

They are available from the Bethany College Bookstore. ( Check online for number and address)

Bukowski Painting- Peak Summer

2009-04-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

Peak Summer

2008-09 oil on linen

I have had this one up before, but I finally finished it. The light I was trying for is very transient and I had to rely on some digital memory. The title is "Peak Summer" and when you live in Minnesota that peak is very short. The conflict is when you work from life, and life only lasts 2 weeks a year for the images you want to paint. The paintings have become more about painting and less about specific perceptions at a specific time. Oh well...who cares as long as the painting is worth looking at....

Bukowski Painting- Light and Shadow

2009-04-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

Light and Shadow

oil on linen 30" X 40"

This is a recent painting that shows my concern for light as it hits the edge of the path. It is like a detail of a much bigger painting, or experience. I like the way the soft grays change almost like the natural light one can experience.

The path will look different next summer. The park department is currently ripping up this path and laying down paving stone. It will look really nice when it is finished, but it will pose new problems of perspective and space.

Bukowski Painting- Thrivent in April

2009-03-31T19:09:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski 16 paintings

oils on linen

1st Floor Gallery

Thrivent Investment

625 Fourth Ave. South

Minneapolis

In April, there will be 16 of my garden paintings on display at the corporate headquarters of Thrivent in Minneapolis. There is a first floor gallery with movable walls. I have a painting on the front and back of each wall. The show represents many of my recent paintings including the paintings from last summer. The Sibley Park Series began in 2004 and has resulted in many variations of the garden imagery.

Bukowski Painting- Ylvisaker Drawing Invitational

2009-03-17T20:05:00.001-07:00

Through March, I have 2 watercolors in the Ylvisaker Drawing Invitational. This is a very unique show for Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, Minnesota. It brings together 27 artists that have contributed to the art culture at Bethany. Some are professors at Bethany and Wisconsin Lutheran College, and some are former students (as long ago as the 1980s and as new as last May). And the rest of the artists in the show have already shown at Bethany or have inspired students, meeting them in places like Paris or Florence. Next Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. there will be a reception for the artists and a gallery talk by contributing artist Jim Shugrue. Jim worked with me on the Creation Fresco in 2002 in the Meyer Hall of Math and Science at Bethany.

Bukowski Painting- APW Show in New York

2009-03-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

The APW Gallery hosted a show called World of Imagination Volume 2. The gallery is at 48-18 Van Dam St. Long Island City, New York. I decided to enter the show after being invited via the internet. The opening reception was March 9, 2009. I wasn't able to attend, but if you check out their website you can see a video of the reception. A couple of my paintings show up in the picture. I had 5 garden paintings on display. Two if mine are in the second picture on the top row.

Bukowski Painting- In the Details

2009-03-07T21:43:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski

Peak Summer (detail)

in progress

I had a chance to see a Bonnard painting at the Minneapolis Art Institute today. I really liked how unintentional his brushwork looks. I also liked his use of blue and violet. I've seen the painting at least a couple of hundred times, but right now it seems more relevant. This is a detail of one of my garden paintings. I am beginning to feel like this is coming together.

Bukowski Painting- 5 Square Feet

2009-02-18T20:38:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
2 Piece Garden,
3 Piece Garden
oil on linen- 5
1 foot canvases

I decided to put 5 pieces in a show at the APW Gallery- World of Imagination Vol. 2
Even though there will be thousands of square foot paintings, mine will be linked by image, paint surface and the fact that they fit together. It is Sibley Park in Mankato, Minnesota, still a part of my garden series.

Bukowski Painting- 2 Piece Garden

2009-02-04T20:30:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
oil on linen 2009

2 Piece Garden (in progress)

These two canvases finish the 5 small paintings for the APW Gallery show coming up. It is a fun kind of discipline to compose with limitations of scale and in sections. I wanted to do some paintings that are consistent with my concerns as an artist. The garden in modular small scale. I played some movies with special features going while I painted, so it was like having Martin Scorsese talking to me about film making while I painted. I think it may have pushed me a little.

Bukowski Painting- 3 Piece Painting

2009-01-31T20:26:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
3 Piece Garden

oil on linen (in progress) 2009

This is a 3 part painting that I am preparing for a show at the APW Gallery. It is a foot in the door type show in Queens.
I answered an email invitation. The artists are allowed 5 pieces in the show. So I have 2 more to go. I think this threesome works pretty well. Charis is going to help me out since there is a pretty good chance I won't get to see the show. The gallery plan is to pack it floor to ceiling. Look for 5 little sections of Sibley Park.

Bukowski Painting- Larger Sibley

2009-01-23T21:49:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
oil on linen 2006
Large -Sibley Path

The is one of the larger garden paintings besides the Pathstone Living Commission. I expect that to change in the near future. I had been busy this fall with the altarpiece for Reformation Lutheran in Portland. The large scale gives you more possibilities with the brushstrokes and paint. At times I am tempted to add figures or a narrative. I will start with big.....

Bukowski Painting- Reviewing the past...

2009-01-22T20:25:00.001-08:00

William Bukowski
Artist's Tabletop 2001
36" X 48"
oil on linen

This is a painting that summarized what I had been working on for many years. It is my tabletop motif with as much clutter and symbolic objects as I could fit on a table. It was part of a series of red still lifes that were based on the colors of Roman frescos. It was really challenging to concentrate on so many objects and make them fit in a readable space. I put the still lifes on hold while I worked on the garden series and haven't looked back yet.

Bukowski Painting- The follow up....

2009-01-18T20:17:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
Strawberries 2004
oil on linen

This is the follow up to-things that make you want to paint. I have always felt that this kind of still life will always inspire me to pick up a brush. It is influenced by a Manet still life from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is all about the energy of the brush as it recreates the surface of a berry.

Bukowski Painting- Makes you paint....

2009-01-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
oil on linen

Melons 2004

There are certain things that bring out the painter in me. In my youth, I was influenced by Manet and some of the great brushstroke painters. I have always liked working from life and simple still lifes by Chardin, Manet, Morandi, and some of the Dutch artists urge you to paint, they beg you to paint and finally they make you paint. In real life, a bowl of strawberries can make you paint any day, and of course how about a few slices of melon?

This painting was in my show at Bethany Lutheran College, called "50 at 50" in 2004.

Bukowski Painting- First of the Series

2009-01-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
oil on linen 30" X 40"

Backyard Garden 2004

Every day when I drove past this yard I thought it would make an interesting painting. It was on my way to work so I drove past it several times a day. Finally I stopped the car and asked the people who lived there if I could stand in the road and paint their backyard. So I painted this from life and was surprised how many times the lady who did the gardening moved potted plants to regulate the amount of sun. After doing this backyard garden I went looking for more gardens to paint and came across the Sibley Park garden and have been there ever since.

Bukowski Painting- Past (Still)Lives

2009-01-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
Still LIfe with Captain America
48" X 36"
oil on linen 2002

This is a look at the kind of painting that I enjoyed producing for years. The still life is made up of personal references and things that I wanted to paint. The background included a photo/poster of Monet's garden at Giverny, a panel of wood from my child hood bedroom that was painted by cousin Pete and a postcard of PIero's Risen Christ. The Captain America figure painted on the panel, was one of my favorite characters from Marvel Comics when I was a kid, drawn by my favorite artist of the time- Jack Kirby.

I have always tried to develop a vocabulary of paint to describe objects and create textures and space. One day in 2004, I stopped painting still lifes, no real reason, the garden became the subject and I haven't stopped yet.

Bukowski Painting- Souvenir

2009-01-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

WIlliam Bukowski
Mont Sainte Victoire 1987
oil on canvas approx. 12" X 16"

I was looking back to a little souvenir from one of my sabbaticals. This is a painting I did on the roof of a elementary school in Aix en Provence. It was 1987 and I was traveling with my cousin Pete. As we are both big Cezanne fans, a stop in Aix was a must. We were also traveling with canvas and paint. The woman who gave us permission to paint on their rooftop had one condition, that it didn't take more than a month. A month! we had one day.....There were some German art students already on the rooftop but they were painting out of a John Rewald art book on Cezanne. The actual Cezanne mountain was right there in front of them. It was a challenging afternoon.

Bukowski Painting- Ylvisaker Invitational

2009-01-07T20:55:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
Birdbath (detail)
watercolor on paper-30" X 22"

I have been doing some watercolor lately preparing for a show at Bethany Lutheran College. We are
bringing about 25 artists together for a drawing show called the Ylvisaker Invitational.
I decided to add watercolor to a pencil drawing.
The motif is the same I have been painting for the past four years, the fountain at Sibley Park. I added the bird from a study
for the large Pathstone commission. I eventually didn't put the bird in the big work, but here it is....

Looking back- to the cottage.

2009-01-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

Path to the Lake
oil on canvas
1996

For many years, my theme was the Goetzke cottage in northern Wisconsin. The cottage was a symbol of a family gathering place, a safe place and a place of leisure. In this classic, Amy is on the path to the lake and Jenna is upset in the water in the inner tube because she is not center stage. The kids were relatively willing models and for a while they kept track of who had posed for the most paintings. I still own this painting and I think it holds a lot of memories for my family.

I could have sold it but I reached a point where I didn't have too many left, and it was worth more than money.

Bukowski Painting- Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T17:53:00.000-08:00

A new year begins and it is time to get busy.
This is actually two paintings pinched together. I am using a little bit broader brush keeping it simple. It measures 40" X 60" with both canvases together. It gives me a little more scale with easier portability.

The new year reminds me of how much we have to be thankful for, and what is ahead. I expect to paint up a storm, work larger, looser and keep developing the image of the garden. Years pass and it is important to keep growing as an artist.

Bukowski Painting- Studio Wall

2008-12-28T21:00:00.000-08:00

I think it is important for an artist to keep taking in ideas and images and constantly filter the information. The studio wall is like a living scrap book where you can keep ideas or inspiration for when you might need it.

This is a photo of a small portion of my studio at Bethany Lutheran College.

Bukowski Painting- The Word was with God

2008-12-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

Detail:
Painting in progress- still wet

I was listening to a choir concert recently, and the words of the song kept repeating, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..... I found the lyric very compelling and was wondering if I could use it to title a painting. I was tiring of the same kind of titles: Garden Path, Morning Light, Summer Garden. I think when you look at gardens so long and hear the lyric, you could think about the nature of God. I know it is John 1:1 and I am thinking about it.

Bukowski Painting- Mankato Sibley Park

2008-12-18T22:20:00.000-08:00

Detail- the path in Sibley Park
2008 December

I finally bought a few wider brushes and let loose, at least so far.
The brushstrokes are part of the search for the rhythm of the garden. The subject is still the same, the so-called English Garden at Sibley Park. A winter version has not tempted me because it implies snow, cold, death, darkness and those themes don't interest me too much at this time. Who knows....

Bukowski Painting- Decorating the Residence

2008-12-01T20:26:00.001-08:00

New Beds- Late Summer
2007 oil on linen

The Minnesota Governor's wife, Mary Pawlenty saw my painting in the State Fair and requested a painting of mine to hang at the Governor's residence. I worked with her assistant and came up with this painting. It is on display in the governor's residence on Summit Ave. in St. Paul. The house is nicely decorated for Christmas and I think the painting will hold it's own in the collection. I like the fact that it is of Sibley Park and Sibley is the first governor of Minnesota.

Bukowski Painting- Panoramic Garden

2008-11-24T21:46:00.001-08:00

Panoramic Garden
November 2008
detail
oil on linen

I have finally started a larger painting using loose and large brushstrokes. With this painting, I am laying on very brushy paint and gradually sharpening the focus. It is totally fun. I think it is important to find your images, but also to realize the best size and type of mark. I am looking for "big" things in the future.

Bukowski Painting- In Progress

2008-11-17T16:15:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
Peak Summer-Morning
In progress 2008

It is funny what a few new brushes can do to help along a painting. This is the scene every morning
of summer in late July. I am working on the streams of light that come in in places in the painting.
The layering of the Russian Sage is very complicated and the hot spots add an interesting contrast.
This one is wet on the easel.

Bukowski Painting- Cottage Series

2008-11-14T20:50:00.001-08:00

William Bukowski
Evening Swim
oil on canvas 1990

This is from the family collection and it is a painting done from life near Rhinelander, Wisconsin.
Paintings like this one hold a lot of nostalgia. The cottage in Rhinelander has some great sunsets
and swim after supper was a must. Mark was with us and the kids were small, but willing models.

Bukowski Painting- Cottage Series

2008-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
Path to the Lake
oil on canvas 1996

This is one of my favorite cottage paintings. It shows Amy on the path and Jenna in the water.
This is a small painting done from life. Many summers were spent painting at the cottage.
These family paintings were a big part of my work for quite some time. Probably the late 80s to the late 90s. This particular painting is part of my personal collection.

Bukowski Painting - The Series continues.....

2008-11-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

William Bukowski
Afternoon Garden
oil on linen 2005

Yes, this is an older painting relatively speaking...but with my next paintings I expect to be larger, brushier, looser and more colorful. I guess we will see.....

This painting was on display at the Lutheran Brotherhood gallery at the headquarters in MInneapolis. It sold to an employee.

Bukowski Painting - In Progress

2008-11-06T20:37:00.001-08:00

William Bukowski

Summer 2008

This is a picture of the Reformation Lutheran altarpiece in progress. It was a challenging because I had to work from multiple sources and imagination. I was looking at Delacroix and Rembrandt for those reasons. There were some time constraints so I had to keep pushing. The crowd scene in the central panel went through some changes. I began with some brown tones and tried to capture the light as if they were partly in shade. I painted the Christ figure a little larger to scale to enhance his presence.

Bukowski Painting- Dedication Service

2008-11-04T16:50:00.000-08:00

I was in Portland, Oregon last weekend for the dedication of the altarpiece. Actually it is at Reformation Lutheran Church in Hillsboro. In this picture I am standing with Pastor Steven Brockdorf. I was thrilled to be able to meet the congregation and present an art lecture after the service. When a conservative church body commissions a work of art to enhance worship, it is something to celebrate. It is most satisfying to do a work of art that supports the Christian faith. The artwork directs the thoughts of the congregation in a way that blank walls and brick can't possibly, and in the media drenched age we are in, this is an exciting event.

Bukowski Painting- Longing to Paint

2008-10-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

Bukowski Painting
Summer 2008

One of the problems with real life is that you can't paint all the time. There is a host of necessary distractions you need to deal with in real life. The memory of warm light and summer has to carry you for many months. Luckily, I have a good memory.

If you like Robert Hughes check out the Mona Lisa Curse on Youtube. He rips the current art scene in New York. The problem is that art is simply investment fodder and we've lost the meaning of art and more importantly- great art.

Bukowski Painting - Away from the Garden IV

2008-10-23T15:20:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski
Sermon on the Mount, Center of the altarpiece
Reformation Lutheran Church 2008

With the central panel I was commissioned to paint the Sermon on the Mount. This was challenging because I wanted a group that may resemble the people of the congregation. The landscape is accurate based on a trip I made to the Holy Land, though it is simplified. The shade from the tree made sense to me and allowed me to break up the light as it spreads across the figures.
The Christ figure is large in stature and visually dominates the scene. I liked the agitated skies of the side panels in contrast to the calm blue skies of the center.

Bukowski Painting - Away from the Garden III

2008-10-22T22:23:00.001-07:00

William Bukowski
Right panel, Reformation Lutheran altarpiece detail
Moses, oil on linen 2008

When I was preparing to paint this work, I wanted an intense man for Moses. He didn't have to be big and strong, but very intense. He is looking at us, confronting us with the law. The landscape is bleak and the law is severe. If we only had the law, we would have no hope of salvation. It is a reminder of our need for Jesus as our Savior. It is symmetrical to the Luther painting on the other side.

Bukowski Painting - Away from the Garden

2008-10-21T18:44:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski
Luther, the Bible and Christ Crucified

Oil on linen, side panel altarpiece 2008

This panel shows a version of Martin Luther that incorporates the portraits of Lucas Cranach from Luther's time.
The background is the Wartburg Castle where Luther hid and translated the Bible. He is looking to Jesus for salvation and holding the well worn Holy Bible in his hands. The season is fall for the Reformation. The carved crucifix emphasizes Christ paying for our sins with his death.

This is part of a commission for Reformation Lutheran Church in Hillsboro, Oregon. Dedication is set for November 2, 2008.

Bukowski Painting - Away from the Garden

2008-10-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

A commission I recently finished was shipped to Hillsboro, Oregon. The subject center is the Sermon on the Mount, and the sides include Moses and Martin Luther. It is painted on linen in oil. It was particularly challenging because I normally work from life and this is based on art theory and principles, memory and research.

The most important part of the altarpiece is making the Christian themes that will successfully enhance worship. In the next week it will be installed and dedicated at Reformation Lutheran Church and the congregation will be confronted with compelling images to look at during every service.

Bukowski Painting - St. Paul Art Crawl

2008-10-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked this season's version of the St. Paul Art Crawl in St. Paul, Minnesota. I saw the opportunity as a chance to have an artistic presence in St. Paul besides the State Fair. The openings were at the Rossmor Building. I was assigned to a space on 4th floor with several other artists. Though everyone said the traffic was slow and with the poor economy there weren't many sales, it was still an opportunity to meet some interested people and to talk about the paintings. Most people wanted to know where the garden is? or did I make it up? How long did it take? After a while the artist next to me, Chris and I would just watch how people walked past the art or tried to avoid talking to the artist. It is always harsh to have someone walk quickly past the work.

The natural light gave the paintings a nice glow.

Now I know how the people feel that work the trade shows. After about 12 hours you just want to have a nice conversation or a little appreciation for the work on the wall.

Bukowski Painting - Sculpture in the Garden

2008-10-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski

Sculpture in the Garden 2007
oil on linen 48" X 24"

I did a short series of vertical canvases and this one
shows a new sculpture the park featured last summer. I like how it refers to the ancient world and the figure.
This painting was out on approval and the audience didn't like where the water was coming from the fountain.
From my perspective, it was the way I saw it at a particular time as accurately as I could paint it. I can't help the way
other people see it.

Bukowski Painting - Earlier in the Series

2008-09-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski
Second Summer in the Garden
oil on linen 30" X 40"

The summer I did this painting, I started three from basically the same spot. I moved over about a foot and started a new painting. They were all done from life and I felt like I was just really discovering what this site had to offer. I like the odd hedge of shrubs with almost rabbit ear shapes. The painting was interrupted because my Dad was sick and I drove several times in between doing the three paintings to see him. A painting like this really brings back the experience of the location and the summer.

Bukowski Painting - Looking Back in the Garden

2008-09-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

William Bukowski
Looking Back in the Garden
Oil on linen 40" X 30"
Summer 2008 Mankato

By looking back I am referring to the fake Greek fountain. We are looking back at ancient culture and how it has filtered down to the garden at Sibley Park. I still like the sculpture and the forms add a figurative element to the gardens. This painting in real life got away from me. The garden kept obscuring the view and not necessarily fitting my visual desire. I finally abandoned it. I think it works, but it was a struggle. I like the space and the variety of brushstrokes and how it fits into the series.

Bukowski Painting - Last of summer from life.

2008-09-24T21:05:00.000-07:00

Bukowski Painting
Path in the Light
Oil on linen 2008

I had my momentum going full tilt when summer ended and school began. This painting was the last painting I started during my summer stint at Sibley Park. I could tell that the garden was dying though and recently visiting the garden. It is more like a symbol of death, or the coming of fall. I haven't been interested in portraying that theme. I have alot of ideas for works until the summer comes again.

Bukowski Painting - Away from the Garden

2008-09-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Altarpiece for Reformaton Lutheran-in progress.

William Bukowski

I've decided to post a work that I have been busy with since July, for Reformation Lutheran Church in Hillsboro, Oregon. This picture shows two panels in a three panel altarpiece. Luther is on the left and the large canvas represents the Sermon on the Mount. Quite challenging since I usually work from life or experience. I have been to the site of the Sermon on the Mount, but when I was there, I didn't realize I would be doing such a painting. I have enjoyed putting these images together. The third panel depicts Moses. More to come.