Jeff's Clock Radio (GE) small

4"x6" oil on raymar panel. You may recognize this radio from a previous larger painting I did of it. (I know, I know, a 16x20 is not that large, but lately it has become large to me. So there.) Well, I thought I would do a small painting of this red radio before returning it to the eagerly awaiting hands of my sibling. Sometimes, when I request to borrow an object to paint it, people think that I am actually going to "paint it," like with pink paint or something. These are the same people that when they ask what I do and I reply that I am a painter, they immediately ask me for a quote to paint their kitchen. Anyway, this is a good time to talk about the evils of radio grilles. When confronted with grilles on a radio, I may sometimes delve or descend into the world of insidiously isolated abstraction. Isolating a section of a piece like that, of course, risks the whole painting going bleck (bleck is an artistic term derived from the Teutonic "blechunziekrapper" which, bizarrely enough, is related to the word "plotz." Such as, "I went to see Jackie Mason's show and I laughed so hard I plotzed.") The best counter to this isolation is to dance about the painting, not focusing too much on any one area, lest it becomes isolated or worse, precious. So, in the end, when I paint these radios with their nefarious grilles, I tend to move about the painting. As an aside, I am also looking for old radios that to do not have grilles so that I will not, in the future, type such a long and obnoxious commentary. • The above commentary was actually typed a few days ago and wasn't posted because I have been happily painting and forgetting to post. Anyway, after reviewing it, I have come to the conclusion that it is totally inane and should be ignored—the commentary, not the painting.
Posted September 1, 2011
sold • private collection sykesville, md

GE Clock Radio White

12"x8" oil on canvas panel. • The Clan Logan has three of this particular clock radio. My Brother Unit has a red one (which you have already seen in oil paint), The Mother Unit has a kinda marbled maroonish one, and I have this white one. Mine was acquired via eBay auction and it arrived damaged. The main damage is a 4, maybe 5 inch crack right on top. Needless to say, I was disappointed, but for modeling purposes, it still suits. The cause of the damage was easy to surmise: When placed side by side, you would swear that the box the radio came in was smaller than the radio itself. This person somehow defied the laws of physics and crammed this poor radio into a smaller box. The post office, of course, could sense this ripple in the physical universe and proceeded to repeatedly punt it across the nation until it landed—with a thud—on my doorstep.  •  After all of that, I think it deserved to be painted.
Posted September 5, 2012
sold • private collection venice, ca

Zenith Consoltone Radio

4"x6" oil on raymar panel. • The full name of this radio is actually, "Zenith's Beautiful Consoltone (Yes, We Just Made That Word Up) 6D015, Six Tube (That's Totally Tubularly Awesome, Dude, and Can Really Bring in the Tunes) Mid-Century AM Radio That Will Rock Your World!"  Hey, that's what the manual said. All kidding aside, it is a beautiful piece of industrial design. I was first attracted to the wood version that I believe was designed by Ray and Charles Eames. Still haven't landed one of those, but I got my grimy little paws on this bakelite beauty. Even though I was raised in the electronics business, I do not think I really came to appreciate old radios and the like until I became a painter. The daily painting regimen really enhances your powers of observation—it is the constant hunt for subject matter* (an obsessive personality helps, but let's not talk about that)—and many of these older items are, quite frankly, gorgeous. They also can be very challenging to paint. This radio, in all of its mid-century glory, had me cussing and spitting a bit whilst I was painting it—and that's a good thing.

*If you want to know more about my reason for painting what I paint, go and read my atrocious "Artist Statement" on my website. Here is the link: www.raymondlogan.com/about.html
 
Posted August 6, 2013

sold • private collection lopez island, wa

Emerson Clock Radio

8"x12" oil on canvas panel ••• At about 9-inches wide, this is what would have been considered a small clock radio in its time. It is kind of small and weighs just about as much as a Sherman tank. No kidding (well, a little kidding). It seems that the manufacturer equated weight with perceived value. So, when confronted with a smallish radio they felt compelled to put a 200-pound lead weight in the bottom to lend heft and a sense of "You're still getting a lot for your money, mister." • Reminds me of when devious little Cub Scouts carve out the bottom of their pinewood derby cars and fill them with nuts and bolts to make them roll faster in the race. They somehow think that nobody is going to notice the little 7-inch car that once weighed 12-ounces now weighs more than the kid. Not that I ever did such a thing—I was a saint of a Cub Scout. (I used my Dad's tube of graphite powder to cheat.) • How the heck did I go from an old heavy clock radio to cheating at pinewood derbies? It must be all the paint fumes in here.

•••••••

The Beverly Hills Art Show

(http://beverlyhills.org/exploring/beverlyhillsartshow)
I will be showing my wares in space #139, that's in the first park between Rodeo and Beverly Boulevards. • Saturday & Sunday, October 18th & 19th (that's this coming weekend) / 10am to 5pm both days. • If you, like everybody else, are coming just to see The Spousal Unit, She will be holding court starting Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. Yes, I will be alone Saturday morning—unsupervised and probably getting into all sorts of trouble with the park rangers. They only tolerate me (i.e., don't tazer me) because they like Her. • If you are going to be on this side of the world, come and see me—the weather looks like it is going to be fine.

Posted October 13, 2014

sold • private collection beverly hills, ca

Zenith Owl Face or Owl Eyes Clock Radio

4"x6" oil on raymar panel. Comments: I know that I have not been posting a lot lately. Well, I've been busy. Primarily I have been prepping for the Beverly Hills show (October 15th & 16th). The time for painting for the show passed at least a couple of months ago due to the fact that oil paint takes a while to dry before I can frame. Paintings are still being done, but recently I have been focusing on making frames and trying to maintain my digit count at what I consider to be the reasonable amount of ten. • Amongst the confusion, I was able to paint this clock radio. The little details were wonderfully annoying, but I got it done. I think this style of radio was called either "Owl Faced" or "Owl Eyes." Lifted this one out of the Mother Unit's garage. She didn't really care about me pilfering it, but BOY!, she really wanted that dang coffee grinder back.

Beverly Hills Affaire in the Gardens Art Show
Raymond Logan (that would be me) will be in space #137 • Saturday & Sunday, October 15th & 16th • 10am to 5pm both days (they don't like me to leave my space, something about scaring the locals)

Posted October 6, 2011
sold • private collection west hollywood, ca

Westinghouse Clock Radio

8"x12" oil on canvas • I haven't shown you a clock radio in a while, let alone a green one, so here you are.  • There are three things I could talk about considering this painting. The first being how challenging it was to paint, in particularly my management of the values and colors. The second option would be to discuss how difficult it was to photograph (you know—my usual whine about wanting to kill my camera because it is secretly plotting against me). Or the last and obviously most important thing about this painting: Does this clock radio look like an owl? Being the sophisticate that I am, I vote for option number three: Does this look like an owl?
  
Posted May 27, 2014

sold • private collection irvine, ca

My General Electric Six Transistor Radio

6"x4" oil on raymar panel • Whilst I love my little radio, in reality, it is not so… intense. It is more of a subtly refined sophisticate. Me? Reality terrifies me and I am so far away from being sophisticated that it's pitiful. Good thing the radio is inanimate, because if it could, it would have surely walked out on me by now. •  Painting a subject like this really brings out the "let's throw the palette at the thing and see what sticks" mentality in me. It is just such a great format to push back and forth with my warms and my cools and test the intensities of my pigments (or rather my willingness to accept those intensities). Remember—reality terrifies me anyway.
 
Posted January 14, 2014

sold • private collection, northridge, ca

Gloria's '46 Sentinel Radio

4"x6" oil on raymar panel. • This radio was generously given to me by my fellow artist Gloria Zucaro (www.gloriajzucaro.blogspot.com)—along with a cool train lamp, which was stolen from me by parties that shall remain unnamed (Spawn and Spouse). I love, love, love old radios, hence my addiction problem with that evil entity known as eBay. Gloria's grace has helped assuage the pang of addiction and I thank her for it.  •  So, here is Gloria's 1946 Sentinel radio in oil paint. Lighting is so important in my work, so I shifted the light around on this uniquely shaped subject to see what would come up.
Posted June 12, 2012
sold • private collection sykesville, md

General Electric Clock Radio Pink

4"x6" oil on raymar panel • This wonderful mid-century clock radio has just enough angles to really tick me off. Not only does it lean backwards—the clock face at one angle and the radio face at another—it also has gently canted sides. Of course the sides are at a different slant than those of the inset clock. This pink baby has just enough wonderfully graceful mid-century, Jetsons-like angles to drive an artist absolutely mad. I love it. I liked the insanity so much that I am thinking of painting it again—a bit larger. • Oh, I almost forgot to walk Astro on the treadmill. That thing terrifies me—the treadmill, not Astro. Where's Elroy when you need him. Jane! Jane!
 
Posted August 6, 2014

sold • private collection marin, ca

Still Life Landscape #9

6"x4" oil on raymar panel. And the addiction to these still life landscapes (dramatic pause) continues. This was going to be a painting of just the old Philco radio, but it blossomed into what you see – just couldn't help myself. I will probably paint a portrait of the radio at a later date. Don't ask, because I don't know when the muse will strike.
Posted May 28, 2010
sold • private collection west hollywood, ca

Jeff's Clock Radio (GE)

16"x20" oil on canvas. It has been somewhat of a meager Summer for me posting my paintings to you. It is not that I haven't been painting, it is just that I am trying to focus on larger works and they, quite frankly, are a pain in the hoohah to photograph. I thought I would leave you with a picture of one of the those larger pieces I constantly whine about. Let me introduce you to "Jeff's Clock Radio (GE)," thus named because my brother loaned it to me to paint. An earlier posting called "Jeff's Old Philco" was one of his radios as well. Yes, I unabashedly scrounge/trawl through my family for subject matter. Heck, if one cannot abuse family, whom may one abuse? You will notice the stripes in the background—it would appear that no amount of intervention or therapy can wean me from them—sorry.
Posted August 10, 2011

Telechron Musalarm Clock Radio

4"x6" oil on raymar panel. • As you can probably tell, I like old radios. Tube or transistor, wood or bakelite or plastic—I don't care as long as they look cool. This clock radio, fashioned in a kinda Mayan architectural style, caught my eye a while back. The brilliant idea was to include it in one of my still life landscapes, but for some reason the poor thing just sat there in my studio never being included in any of those paintings (probably because of its canted sides). Well, it just sat there staring at me—freaking me out a bit—so I thought I would give the funky thing its due and paint it. Here it is getting ready to be pushed off a cliff for constantly staring at me.

Posted March 1, 2013

sold • private collection washington, dc

Columbia Transistor Six Radio

6"x4" oil on raymar panel. • Well I'm back and, lucky for you, I really do not have much to say. Took some time off—didn't loose any of the clan in the Pacific Ocean (always a sincere possibility with my somewhat inconsistent attention span and the existence of kites flying)—sea otters tried to mug The Spawn—still alive—that's about it.  •  Here is another transistor radio-on-block for your visual amusement or torture—depending on your mood today.
 
Posted August 8, 2012

sold • private collection washington, dc

Zenith K725 Mid Century Radio

4"x6" oil on masonite panel ••• This is the last of the mid century Zenith tube radio paintings I have for you. That does not mean that I will not paint more. It just means it will be the last for at least a good chunk of time (if ever), and that you have won a well-earned reprieve from my torturing you with them. • It looks like I have painted five Zeniths—that might be enough for this artist. (Evidence: See the little Zeniths above.)

Posted September 17, 2015

sold • private collection hays, ks

GE Clock Radio Red and Square(ish)

8"x12" oil on canvas panel ••• With this post, I put this series to rest. • I will not kid you or myself and commit to this being the last mid-century clock radio I will ever paint. Let's just say it is the last for a good, maybe long, while.

Posted June 18, 2015

sold • private collection irvine, ca

Little Red Radio (Emerson)

4"x6" oil on masonite panel • I thought we should take a break from the lollipop paintings. Just too much sugary goodness for me. • In an effort to avoid cavities, please find the above  little painting of a little red radio.
  
Posted June 16, 2014

sold • private collection malton, north yorkshire, uk
 

HJ's Philco Radio

4"x6" oil on raymar panel. • Only a handful of the old radios I paint were actually my father's. This was one of his. By the way, H and J are not my father's initials, they belong to the person who acquired the painting.  •  Collectors are funny. If he were still alive and I asked him if he had any old cameras, phones, or bottles, etc. laying about, my father would reply, "What the hell would I have any of those for?" Actually, I do not know if you would have called him a 'true' collector. He didn't gather much stuff and objects were not all that important to him—people were. He was happy as long as the electricity was flowing, his truck started on the first crank, and his wife was happy (and not spending money on QVC).  •  I think this radio is pretty cool. 
Posted November 15, 2012
sold • private collection myrtle beach, sc

"No tequila for you!"

4"x6" oil on raymar panel • Now, for this to really work, you have to say the painting's title like the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld.  •  Via strict monastic practices, I usually try to only humiliate myself in type, but tonight you will actually be able to HEAR me humiliate myself on the radio (see below).

RADIO INTERVIEW… TONIGHT!
My interview on "Spirit Matters" will be tonight. Tune in by going to link below, then click on the button in the upper left hand corner with "CHANNEL 1. Click here to listen now!" It will be live tonight and then accessible through the same link as a podcast.
Tuesday, February 4th at 6pm (PST) / 9pm (EST)

Here is the link to the online broadcast:   www.gvbradio.com/spiritmatters.
 
Posted February 4, 2014

sold • private collection marin, ca

 

Zenith H615Y Mid Century Radio

4"x6" oil on masonite panel ••• There are a few of these mid century Zeniths hiding in plain view in the Mother Unit's garage. • Some of the old radios are pretty cool looking. But, as it is with most things, there are some that look so odd or downright ugly, that you wonder who on earth would have bought and displayed them in their home. Oh well, to each his own. • I thought this one looked pretty cool, so I tested it out as a possibility for membership in a series of three Zenith radio paintings. • By the way, the The Cityscape Show V over at the George Billis Gallery in Culver City is up for only a few more days (last day: August 22). I have three pieces in this show, so if you have not seen it, go and check it out while you can. (Particulars pasted in below.)

Posted August 19, 2015

sold • private collection ridgecrest, ca


The Cityscape Show V
July 18 - August 22, 2015
George Billis Gallery/LA
2716 S. La Cienega Boulevard / Los Angeles, CA 90034
310.838.3685 / la@georgebillis.com
Summer Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am - 5:00pm

Toshiba Transistor Radio

6"x4" oil on raymar panel. • Yes, I have witlessly stumbled upon more subject matter: transistor radios. Most of them are pretty plain, but some are really cool and nicely designed. I will not go into the history of the transistor war between the U.S. and Japan (my family being somewhat involved on a tertiary level), because the story, while probably consisting of only a few sentences, smacks of sour grapes and bores even me.  •  A key lesson that my (almost) daily painting has taught me is to keep my eyes open and aware of the world around me, because you never know what might pop up as interesting subject matter. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be painting transistor radios, I would have cocked my head sideways like a puppy and wondered what the heck you were talking about. Today, my head still often cocks sideways like a puppy, usually when The Spawn do something I do not understand (which is just about everything the imps do), but here I am painting a transistor radio. You just never know.
Posted July 17, 2012
sold • private collection west hollywood, ca