Reclining Figure

"Man in Yellow Jacket"

Back to my favorite subject: people. Still-lives, landscapes, cityscapes, all are fun. But figure paintings or portraits have always been my biggest interest. Either when enjoying other artists' paintings or painting figures myself... There is no clue about surrounding interior here. I'll tell you, this is a scene from Sirkeci ferry which connects Uskudar (in Asia part of Istanbul) to the Historical Peninsula (Europe side). Fethi and I sometimes just take this boat and go have a dinner in one of the nice little restaurants there, feeling like tourists in the city where we live. This is a quick oil painting done inspired by a photo taken in that boat. After doing this painting, I decided to do a portrait of Fethi-if I can ever make him pose for me, this time spending enough time for details and taking the resemblance issue serious!

Tekrar en sevdigim konu: Insan! Bir suredir ardarda sehir manzarasi ve naturmort yaptim izlediyseniz. Zevkli calismalar ama iste figur baska. Baska sanatcilarin eserlerine bakarken de en cok ilgimi ceken bu tur zaten... Bu resimde mekanla ilgili bir kopya yok. Soyleyeyim, resim Sirkeci vapurunda cekilmis komik bir fotograftan ilhamla ortaya cikti. Fethi'yle bazen cikip Sultanahmet'e gidiyoruz, orada turist gibi dolasip, minik restoranlarda yemek yiyoruz. Iste bu da oyle bir gece oncesi yapilan kisa deniz yolculugundan. Resmi bitirdikten sonra benzetme konusunu daha ciddiye alarak (!) Fethi'nin bir de portresini yapmaya karar verdim-tabii bana poz verirse ancak; cunku kolay is degil, sabir isi.

"Tabletalk"

SOLD

Sorry for the 4-day break in my routine. Sometimes you just cannot fix things quickly. But I am back. Maiden's Tower again. This time the interior. A cup coffee in a winter morning, nice view, nice chat.

Bir sure -mecburi- rutinden ayrildim. Umarim her sey yolunda gider de, hergun1resim'e hakettigi sekilde devam ederim yine. Bir kez daha Kiz Kulesi. Bu sefer ici. Bir kis sabahinda sicak bir kahve, sicak bir sohbet.

"The Tram"

SOLD

After a couple of days without any paintings done, here I am, back at work. First of all, I wish you all the best for the new year. I was in Ankara in the new year's eve. It was freezing there! Today we arrived in Istanbul and such a warm lovely winter day here. So another Istanbul painting. The tram in Kadikoy (Chalcedon) and a man breathing fresh winter air, enjoying the good weather. Done on oval board. A different experience for me.

Bayram, yilbasi, yolculuk, ziyaret derken resimsiz gecen bir kac gunun ardindan tekrar rutine donuyorum. Yilbasini Ankara'daydik, sevdigim sehir ama buzz gibiydi. Istanbul ise harika, sicacik surpriz bir kis havasi karsiladi bizi bugun. O zaman bir tramvay, Kadikoy-Moda hatti. Bankta tatli-serin kis havasini icine ceken bir adam. Oval tual. Her zamankinden biraz daha buyuk bir ebat (24x30), ilk defa oval yuzeye resim yaptim.

Kutlayamamistim. Kutluyorum: Harika bir yil gecirin, saglikli, mutlu, huzurlu...

"Mirror on the Easel"

$100

Oil on canvas/18x24cm

If you'd like to purchase this painting, please send an email to yapincakokyar@yahoo.com

"Figure"

$100

Oil o canvas/18x24cm

If you'd like to purchase this painting, please send an email to yapincakokyar@yahoo.com

"Girl in Red"

$100

Oil on canvas/18x24cm

If you'd like to purcahse this painting, please sen an email to yapincakokyar@yahoo.com

Amazing to see how many people visited the orange painting. It was also great to find so many emails with great comments in my mailbox. Thank you very much! Yes I enjoyed that challenge, too. And I think I'll be continuing to paint fruits in the next days. But I won't promise to do it very soon or everyday.
Coming to the painting of today, I can say that when I start struggling to find a subject matter and when it takes too long, I almost always end up painting the studio and the painter (probably myself?). Interesting, isn't it? Bruce Nauman comes to my mind. The video artist of the first generation, he picks scenes from his creative process and records them. The process becomes the work. I love those works. (Also I remember Goya's "Sleep of Reason" and the work I love done after the so-called graving by the legendary video artist Bill Viola. And Ingres' Cherubini and the Muse...). All-and more-depicting artists waiting for the muse or the struggle they have to find the muse.
So here, another composition with an artist in the studio. Remember the blue vase and the bowl, and the orange in front of the window? I had put a part of the easel next to the girl as well but then I liked this large emptiness in the composition. So, enjoy the screaming red.

Dunku portakal o kadar ziyaretci aldi ki diger sitede, anlatamam ve bir suru guzel email (arti burdaki guzel yorumlar). Hepinize cok tesekkurler! Meyva konusuna devam edecegim cunku ben de zevk aldim ama her gun veya hemen yarin yapacagim diye soz vermiyorum.
Konu bulamadigimda, bakiyorum donup dolasip vardigim nokta, ressam ve studyosu. Ressam ben olabilirim, sonucta en cok alisik oldugum figur, saclarim da benziyor. Ama onemli olan o degil, studyo halleri. Kaygili, dusunceli, yogun veya yorgun. Bruce Nauman aklima geliyor. Studyo hallerini ve yaratma surecini konu alarak videolar yapan sanatci. Studyoda aklina bir seyler gelmesini beklerken top saydirisi, kenarda duran kemanla tek ses calisi, son islerinde hayvanlarla dolu studyosunu 24 saat bir suru kamera ile kaydedisi. Sonra tabii Goya'nin gravuru var (Sleep of Reason) ve ona referansla yapilan harika video calismasi, imza: siirsel videolarin buyuk ismi Bill Viola. Bir de Ingres'in Cherubini ve Ilham Perisi aklima geliyor, ilham bekleyen bir besteciyi resmettigi. Bir tane de benden. Studyoda ressam. Gerci resim de yok, resim sehpasi da. Kizin yanina bir sovale (bir kismi) kondurmustum ama sonrasinda o genis bosluk hosuma gitti, sildim. Pencerenin onundeki vazoyu, kaseyi, ve meshur portakali hatirladiniz herhalde! Kirmizi cok bagiriyor, biliyorum. Oyle geldi icimden...

"Poetic Mind"

SOLD

Do you think I am a poetic type of painter? My answer is, not really. Generally, I say things directly in my paintings. Lately my colors also tend to turn bold in character. But today, look at this. Some sort of poetry I guess.
Sizin dusunceniz nedir bilmiyorum ama, ben cok da sair ruhlu bir ressam oldugumu sanmiyorum. Resimde soyleyeceklerimi tum netligiyle soyluyorum. Renklerim de hep daha kararli, hep daha parlaga dogru gidiyordu bir suredir. Bugun ama, boyle bir sey cikti birdenbire. Sanki biraz siir kokuyor gibi, ne dersiniz?

"The Painter"

SOLD

"Cafe Red"

SOLD

Do you think he is ever gonna show up? Or maybe she doesn't even wait for him any more. Had to finish it quick. I have 10 guests for dinner tonight! So up to the kitchen. I like this color. Wish I were having a drink in the Cafe Red...
Kirmiziyi yiyecektim neredeyse bugun. Son dakikada tuvalde kullanmaya karar verdim! Aksam yemege on kisi bekliyorum. Kaciyorum...

"Boogie-Woogie Bus-Stop"

"Lulu"

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Acik Arttirma Kapanis Saati: 7 Aralik, 17:08/ Auction End Time: Dec 07, 07:08 PST

Her name is Lulu. She was a beauty in her youth.

Lulu, huzunlu Lulu.

"The Bosphorus"

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Acik Arttirma Bitis Saati: 6 Aralik, 18.32, Istanbul; Auction End time: Dec 06, 08:32 PST

The curtains of each and every house facing Bosphorus are almost almays left open. While residents enjoy the unbelievably beautiful view, vice versa happens, the Bosphorus watches them at the same time. All secrets revealed. Discussions, passionate moments and so on. No good to take it for granted.

Now I know where I am leading. Composition, photographic angles, conteurs, lights and shadows... Never in my life, I finished two paintings in a row. So had no chance to see what was going on, where actually I was leading. I think now it shows a bit. Let's see what comes next.

The worst thing is to find a theme. And no time to search for it. Painful in need of a large surface color, the blue became the sea, the sea became Bosphorus, the other formal elements followed easily. I feel like now I am making more out of abstract approach. But never eliminating figures.

Bogaz'a bakan tum evlerde perdeler aciktir. Onlar Bogaz'i seyrederken, Bogaz da o evlerde olup bitenleri seyreder. Bogaz'a sirlarini verir tum sakinler; kavgalar, asklar onun gozleri onunde yasanir. Alismamak gerek, sirtini donmemek gerek bu guzellige. Cok siirsellesiyorum hayirdir:)

Gidisatim belli oldu, kompozisyon, acilar, konturler, golgeler, isiklar... Hayatimin hic bir doneminde-kucuk ressam Yapincak'i saymazsak, iki gun ardarda resim yapmadim. Coook gunler arayla resim yaptim, onun icin gidisatim, ilgi agirligim nerelerde belli olmadi hic izleyene. Galiba simdi bir seyleri ele veriyorum. Bekleyecegiz, gorecegiz, bu yolculuk nereye goturecek.

Konu bulmak en buyuk sikinti. Malzeme toplamaya ise vakit yok. Genis bir renk lekesi ihtiyaci ile kivranirken, mavi leke, Bogaz oldu, gerisi cabuk doldu. Dikkat ediyorum, konu mazeret; soyut yaklasim, sevdigim figurlere donusuyor.

"A Hard Day's Night"

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Remember those days, you had a hard day and finally you are at home. Tired but relaxed after all those working hours. A little bit here, a little bit there, slow and easy. Day and night, just like black and white. Have a good rest, enjoy.

Zor bir gunun sonrasi, tum streslerin gectigi anda kendini gosteren sakinlik. Biraz orda, biraz burda gecirilen tembellik, biraz hayal kurmak belki. Yavas ve agirdan. Siyahla beyaz gibi gunun hiziyla, gecenin agirligi. Iyi geceler...

"Composition with Mirrors"

SOLD

So this is the painting of today. Just finished, no good light out there. So please come back tomorrow for a better view. This is new for me, I've become very much interested in mirrors lately. But not necessarily the repetitive images they create; but their relationship with the walls, other architectural elements seen through the glass and etc.

Last week, the painting I enjoyed the most was the "Interior" of Thursday 23rd. Mirrors again. But: Scientific approach is not necessary. Because I play around for the needs of the composition, the colors and the likes. So you can play your own game too. Try to find out the scientific rights and wrongs.

This is the secret place of the ladies, the hairdresser's. No details though. I like it this way. Hope you like it too.

Bugunun resmi. Aynalar ilgimi cekiyor son zamanlarda. Gecen haftanin en zevk aldigim resmi bana gore "Interior"di-23 kasim resmi. Bu resim de o yaklasimin devami sayilabilir. Bir kuafor salonu, iki arkadas, yapilan saclar, kuaforle paylasilan hayat gercekleri... Ilham bir kac hafta once evlenen canim kuzenim Meltem'in dugun oncesi hazirliklarindan.

Benim aynalarimda fiziki gercekler aramayin. Cunku kafama ve resimsel ihtiyaclarima gore sekillendiriyorum aynada gormek istediklerimi. Genelde tekrar eden imgeler degil ilgimi ceken, aynanin diger yapisal elemanlarla ilgisi mesela, ya da ele verdigi mimari formlarin yarattigi geometrik olusumlar.

Detay yok, boyle birakmak istedim ve sevdim, umarim siz de seversiniz.

"Interior with Mirrors"

$100
oil painting on canvas, 7"x9.5" (18x24 cm)

Today I did some shopping, bought new brushes, paints and new medium. After shopping I went to some place to have some snacks. So this painting is after the sketch I did there. New features added :)

Kadıköy'de bir sürü boya, yağ ve fırça aldım. Niyetim tuali değiştirmekti ama istediğim şeyleri bulamadım. Ne istediğimi de pek bilmiyorum. Bildiğim herkesin bunları kendi yaptığı, ama bir de bununla uğraşırsam gerçekten pilim bitecek. Bundan sonra duralitin üzerine denemek istiyorum, detaylar daha kolay işlenebilecek zannedersem böylelikle, fırça akışı da kendini gösterecek. Artık gelecek haftaya... Alışverişten sonra bir şeyler atıştırmak için bir yere girdim, orda da bu resme ilk adım olacak bir eskiz yaptım. Çok şey eledim, çok şey ekledim, bu resim çıktı. Sevdim.

"Lost in a Moment"

SOLD

Third day, third painting. Tried to finish before evening in order to get good shots under the daylight. I finished but I am still bad at taking photos. Wish you saw the originals... After the playful painting of yesterday, here I am with this simple subject, yet a difficult one. I am enjoying these colors though, the ones who checked my portfolio ("Yapincak's Portfolio" in the sidebar) would realize the change-from grays to whites and colors.

I would like to thank the ones who leave comments on this page for keeping this blog alive. And also thanks for Basak, Atilla, Ulku&Mike, Kardem, Mine, Zeynep, Cagla&Bob and my beloved piano teacher from Bilkent University who is now teaching and continuing his piano career in the States, Namik Sultanov for their mails. Your comments and good wishes mean a lot. They give me the energy and the excitement I need to achieve this task.

Üç gün, üç resim. Zor iş. Yine de zevkli. Beni pes ettirmeyen mesajlarınız aslında! Yo, yine de söylemem gerek, çok keyifle çalışıyorum, bunca aradan sonra büyük zevk. Dünkü coşkulu resimden sonra, bugün biraz sakinlik. Yandaki linki tikladiysaniz (Yapincak's Portfolio) eski resimlerimle aradaki farki fark etmissinizdir. Grilerden sonra, beyazlar ve parlak renkler.

"Waiting for the Muse"

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OK it wasn't easy at all. I couldn't start till the afternoon. I didn't know what to do. This break was way too long. Then...I decided to paint my studio with the blank canvas and me hopelessly waiting for the muse. I like the strange architecture of the little window up there. Probably I will be working on it again some time.

The photo quality is bad, I know, I will try to download a better version next time.

Oldu, bir gün bir resim. O kadar uzun ara vermişim ki... Başlangıç çok zor oldu, malzeme eksiklerim de işi biraz daha zorlaştırdı. Konuya karar kılmak ise nerdeyse çıldırttı. En sonunda yeni atölyemi, henüz el değmemiş tualimi ve ilham perilerini beklerken kendimi resmetmeye karar verdim. Arkadaki küçük pencere çok hoşuma gidiyor, belki bir ara onu tekrar çalışırım. Fotoğraf kalitem çok kötü ama iyisini çekmeyi öğreneceğim söz. Hadi devam.

Introduction for International Visitors

Hello all. I've just realized this blog is also having visitors from other countries. Good internet! So I decided to give a brief introduction about myself.

After having spent last couple of years being active in my main profession-I am a pianist and a piano teacher, I decided to start painting again. It's hard though, after being so many years out of practice. So I am hoping this "a-painting-a-day" challenge will warm me up somehow. Last week I rented a tiny room and now I am trying to turn it into a cosy studio. If everything goes fine, I will post my first new painting on Monday, Nov. 20th. You can also find some of my older paintings in http://photos.yahoo.com/yapincakokyar (or just click the "Yapincak's Portfolio" link in the sidebar)

Please join me in this journey and feel free to post comments and to email me any time.

PS: This painting is a studio study I did back in 1998 at Arts Students' League, New York.

(Update: As I had planned back then, everything went well and I've posted almost 50 paintings until now. In the first months I was proud of not skipping a day without a painting but lately due to "my wonderful excuse"-pls check the post of feb 2nd-I'm running a bit slow. Rather than painting daily on a regular basis, maybe it will be better for me to work on longer paintings for some time. We'll see. Thanks a lot for visiting and for the comments left to this blog. I really appreciate that. Update on March 17th, 2007)

Yıllanmış Resimlerimden Bazıları

http://photos.yahoo.com/yapincakokyar

Link'i tıkladığınızda--veya copy/paste, eski resimlerimden bazılarını görebilirsiniz ("Yapincak's Portfolio" dosyası). Yeni resimler gelene kadar hep beraber bunlarla idare edeceğiz :)

İlk resim son sergimde satıldı. Diğeri Amerika'da Arts Students' League'de yaptığım stüdyo çalışmalarından biri.