Yoda copyright 2010 by Martha Putnam

Martha is an expert at capturing the soul of her animal subjects. This dog is a wise and ancient Pug who has seen many years of life flowing by and taken it all in with great aplomb. Together Martha and I operate a little art business called "Barking Dog Studios." We've been busy lately. Martha has been swamped with dog portraits and last Friday we hosted a gigantic christening party for my Miracle of Hope paintings. The party was a raging success and the paintings are now hanging in the Stanford Positive Care Clinic. I talked to a couple patients and they seemed pretty stoked. During the party I talked to the head of Stanford's Immunology Department. She urged me to paint more microscopic based medical art and gave me several suggestions. Today I am starting a painting of natural killer cells attacking a cancer cell. There is a microscopic war between the immune system and alien invaders occurring inside all our bodies day in and day out. I spent 20 years making representational animal sculptures and painting this microscopic war taps into my experience with 3 dimensional biological art. Reading about natural killer cells (NKC) enflamed my imagination. The battle between NKC and cancer cells is truly a battle between good and evil. Now I'm stoked.

Tree of Hope copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Images of Moses talking to the burning bush and parting the Red Sea were swirling around inside my brain when I started this painting. I fight to keep religious imagery out of my paintings. Its not easy. Our house/gallery/studio was a Catholic church for 40 years before we converted it into a residence in the 90s. The church was never properly de-sanctified. I think there is a tooth from a saint buried under the spot where I paint, this relic was supposed to have been removed but somebody in the Catholic hierarchy was sleeping at the wheel. We may have been partly to blame because we put a big aggressive American Bulldog in this area before the de-sanctification process was complete. In any case, the tooth is often in conflict with me over the subject matter of my paintings. The tooth would be happy if I painted nothing but images of the Virgin Mary or other stuff from the Bible while I'm trying to create secular midcentury modernism. Sometimes I give in because the tooth scares me a little bit. But its not all bad, Moses was a very positive guy, filled with hope, so this painting fits in with the rest of the series.

Miracle of Hope III copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

The final painting in the series shows that the HIV protease enzymes have been 100% destroyed, a complete victory. The protease inhibiting drugs (blue dots) remain in the system, sentinels guarding against a return of the infection forever. In the first two paintings the edges of the canvass are painted black. In the final painting the edges are painted red, emphasizing the nature of the total victory. As with the first two paintings the background colors still represent the human body but in the final one they also resemble a glorious sunrise, symbolizing the dawn of a new day.

The three paintings will be displayed next to each other at the Positive Care Clinic and a plaque will be included giving an explanation similar to what I've done here in the blog

Miracle of Hope II copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

In the second painting of the series the HIV protease enzymes (black) are being annihilated by the protease inhibiting drugs (blue). The background colors representing the human component of the team are fully engaged in wiping out the enzymes. Molecular warfare is occurring on a microscopic scale. The tide is turning in favor of the patient being treated and the impending victory is fueled not only by medical science but also the will to live, in other words by hope.

Miracle of Hope I copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

This is the first painting in a series of three. It depicts the beginning of a battle within a single human cell between the molecules of protease inhibiting drugs (blue dots) and the molecules of HIV protease enzymes (black dots). The blue dots have just breached the cell wall and are spreading out inside the cell, engaging and destroying the black dots. The blue dots are being transported by the watery appearing colors of red and yellow, the human body working in concert with the drugs.

On Wednesday painting II goes up on this blog and Thursday painting III. You will need to look at all three in sequence to get the full effect.

Elephant Graveyard lifesize copyright 1999 by Dave Putnam

This Friday we are having an unveiling party for the Miracle of Hope paintings. I've been painting professionally for a couple years. Before that I was a sculptor for a couple decades. Elephant Graveyard is the sculpting equivalent to the Miracle of Hope paintings: both of them are more than decorative artwork, they both carry a social message. What you see here is a steel reinforced concrete facsimile of African elephant skeletons that have been poached. The skulls have had the tusks chain-sawed off. The assemblage carries an anti-poaching message and perhaps some of the folks who have seen it over the years at the New Orleans zoo will think twice about buying products made from elephant ivory or support conservation efforts in some way. While the subject matter for the Miracle of Hope paintings is radically different than Elephant Graveyard I think both carry a positive message and I had the same feeling after completing either project.

Full Court Press copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Here is my second attempt at depicting protease inhibiting drugs (blue dots) working to destroy the HIV protease enzyme. High contrast colors positioned next to each other make the painting pulse with energy; specifically healing energy. As the title implies, I am trying to show a massive and successful effort to annihilate the disease. A patient undergoing treatment can view this painting and use it to help him visualize the progress being made within his/her body. The title also implies teamwork, the human body and the drugs working in concert. After finishing this painting I finally had the confidence to begin the Miracle of Hope triptych. As for tapping into the works of great artists of the past, Van Gogh pioneered the idea of placing high contrast colors next to each to magnify their intensity.

Miracle of Hope I Prototype copyright 2010 Dave Putnam

This painting is the rough draft for Miracle of Hope I. As you will see in a later blog, the three Miracle of Hope paintings depict a single human cell that has been infected with HIV. In Miracle of Hope I (both the prototype and the final version) that cell experiences the initial insertion of protease inhibiting drugs. The color blue represents these beneficent drugs. Black represents the malignant HIV protease enzyme. All other colors represent the human body working in concert with the blue drugs.

The painting you see here, the prototype, is very rough indeed. The finished version is much more polished and it gets the message across much better. After completing the prototype I realized the final Hope paintings would need a much stronger element of graphic design. Adhering to the principles of midcentury modernism, I channeled Alexander Calder in the later paintings. He designed color schemes for commercial airliners, cars, and other commercial venues. Most people think of Calder as the inventor of mobile sculptures. This is true but he also rocked in two dimensional graphic design. I was also influenced by Dr. Z, the director of the Positive Care Clinic. Dr. Z is a top expert in HIV research and treatment. He has cared for AIDs patients as long or longer than any doctor on the planet, nearly three decades.

Expression of Hope copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Expression of Hope is part of a series that so far includes eight paintings. The series is built around three paintings: Miracle of Hope I, II, III. The Miracle of Hope triptych will reside in the Stanford Positive Care Clinic after an unveiling party at our house/gallery in Woodside Aug. 27. The Positive Care Clinic is one of the world's premier HIV research and treatment facilities. The series is dedicated to the idea that protease inhibiting drugs have given tremendous hope to people who have contracted HIV-AIDS. Each painting expresses that idea in one way or another. The painting in today's blog is very different from the other seven; it uses the image of stylized white doves in flight to trigger an iconic response. I will talk about the other paintings for the rest of August.

Rose copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Yesterday I explained why the work of Lee Krasner is the main source of inspiration and instruction for me. Krasner truly was a genius, in 1957 she started a series of paintings called "Green Earth." This was the first example of environmental art and a precursor to the entire environmental movement. Her paintings from that time were inspired by nature and carried titles like "Gaeia."

"Rose" seeks to evoke the image of a flower emerging from the earth as well as the earth itself, an attempt at incorporating cubism into my work. Besides her husband, Krasner was also influenced by the cubist Marcel Duchamp. Hopefully you will notice Duchamp's influence in the painting presented here.

Complicated Conversations copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Here I am trying to expand my core interest of advancing the school of art started by Jackson Pollock. The idea is to take his techniques and carefully add to them. Pollock's wife, Lee Krasner, was one of the greatest abstract expressionists ever and after her husband's death she radically advanced his school by introducing brushstrokes and meticulousness. It is imprtant to remember that Pollock was an extreme alcoholic and most of his paintings were made while he was wasted. This was both good and bad. It created a wild and bold style but composition, design elements, etc... are hard to execute by someone wasted out of their mind. Krasner's later work then is very important for a painter walking down this path. In Complicated Conversations I started with a wild painting where paint was flung into the canvass in a single session. I spent days afterwards with tiny brushes refining and cleaning up the image. Pollock used to say that he "denies the accident," meaning that the attractive images that emerged from his almost random application of paint were all deliberate, a bit of self deception. I say, "embrace the accident" by refining and expanding these lucky accidents.

Lavender Crystal copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Here I am trying to capture the feeling of intense jealousy, an emotion that is both an eruption of anger and an implosion of despair. If someone you love doesn't love you back, then anger is useless as a coping mechanism. Despair is the better choice. This painting, however, shows a slightly higher percentage of anger vs despair since that is a more realistic reaction for the average human being.

Ambush hunters

To the left a rear view of a wire owl sculpture. Thousands of pieces of wire are twisted together like a tapestry to create this piece. In real life owls are very fuzzy and soft, evolutionary traits that make them utterly silent while hunting, the ultimate ambush hunter. Silence in flight helps two ways: the rat can't hear the owl's stealthy wing flapping and the owl can hear better without his own noise interfering. In this sculpture I tried to highlight the traits that make an owl silent.

Rhino Family 2/3 lifesize copyright 1999 by Dave Putnam

These sculptures are designed to scare either African lions or Asian tigers. The rhinos are halfway between the African and Indian rhino subspecies. The owner of Rhino Family lives near a zoo where a tiger escaped a few years ago. In this particular episode the tiger never left the zoo grounds, but it easily could have. Any tiger prowling around a suburban neighborhood will look over the fence and see these bad boys and head the other way. Do you live near a zoo with substandard enclosures for its big cats? If so consider a rhino sculpture from Barking Dog Studios.

Barn Owl three times life size copyright 2007 by Dave Putnam

This sculpture is designed to scare rats, pigeons, some domestic animals, and people with weak nerves. The giant owl swings overhead on an invisible wire; when the wind blows it swoops in on hapless victims visiting for the first time and gives them a scare. Frequent visitors are quickly aclimatized to the mobile sculpture. It is an open question whether rats become aclimatized.

French Joy copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Bastille Day in Paris is a time for unalloyed patriotism and reveling in the essence of Frenchness. An explosion of red, white and blue national pride reminds us Americans that democracy erupted in France just about when it did on our side of the Atlantic.

You might think that this painting would be suitable for beginning collectors. Unfortunately viewing French Joy before meals will trigger cravings for rich food with heavy cream sauces. Therefore only experienced collectors or people with excellent cholestrol levels should consider owning this piece of art.

Circle of Friends copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

I was told to capture on canvas the feelings and emotions displayed by a small group of friends when they got together to party. All the friends possessed a great deal of mental horsepower and their conversations were fueled with high octane gasoline, maybe with even a little nirto mixed in. The resulting painting throbs with verbal energy and it has a sense of depth telling the viewer that this energy is well directed.

Dave & Martha Lumberjack Duo

To the left we have Pacific Northwest copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam. This painting evokes the raw wilderness of the region spanning Oregon to Vancouver back in the 19th century.
Below we have Oxen copyright 2010 by Martha Putnam. The lumberjacks in the old Pacific Northwest would haul trees to waterways with teams of oxen. Most people viewing these two paintings will experience an uncontrollable urge to put on a flannel shirt, pick up an ax and start chopping down trees. Therefore, only experienced collectors should hang art as powerful and subliminal as this.

New Mexico Chili Peppers 60'' by 72'' copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam

Martha and I go to New Mexico once or twice a year. Over the past 16 years I have never had the courage to eat the really hot chili peppers, but on our last visit I dug down deep and found a well of courage. Tapping this unexpected source of bravery, I ate a lunch rich in hot peppers. The memory of that lunch was permanently seared into my consciousness and as soon as I got back to California I got out a gigantic canvas and expressed myself. This painting is good for people whose doctors have ordered a bland diet but they yearn for something spicy. Looking at it while you eat will make the food seem spicier than it really is. Your stomach will enjoy the mild food but your brain will think its getting something hot. As I've said so many times, good abstract expressionist art can deliver practical everyday benefits beyond mere aesthetics.

Islands Produce Dogs and Lava

To the left is Hawaiian Volcano copyright 2010 by Dave Putnam. The combination of lava and sea water makes for an explosive subject matter. This is a reminder that the ring of fire around the Pacific has been picking up steam lately.
Below is Savanna copyright 2010 by Martha Putnam. This is an island dog who evolved in the Caribbean. But all wild island dogs end up looking alike as nature takes away the artificial look stamped on dogs by man and returns them to their roots.