Death

The previous painting is coming along at a snail's pace, due to very slow drying time of the shadow areas. So, I started the above 36" x 24" canvas, "Death," using a medium to speed drying!

On Saturday I attended the opening for the Heartland Artist Exhibition at the Irene B. French Merriam Community Center. There was some impressive work there, including some low-relief paper sculptures that I found particularly impressive.

Duplicity

Here's a new painting; Oil on ABS 16" x 20" I'm really enjoying it, but the dark areas are taking forever to dry!

March Events

A lot is going on this month! Here's the scoop on what's happening between now and the end of March:

February 28th at 1pm - Art Marketing 101 OPAL Program
I will give a presentation on art marketing through OPAL Online

March 2nd - 31st - Erotica 2007 at MOCA DC
"Restricted" is included in this juried national art exhibition in Washington, DC. Opens March 2nd and runs through March 31st.

March 3rd - 11th - Annual Heartland Artist Exhibition
Juried national exhibition, running through March 25th. Opening Reception Saturday March 3rd 5-7pm at the Irene B. French Community Center Art Gallery

March 7th - Kansas Arts Commission Awards Ceremony
I will be in Topeka on the evening of March 7th to accept a Mini-Fellowship in Visual Arts from the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Danette Update

Above is a little picture of the shrine Danette sets up while she is in the hospital for chemotherapy. I visited with her last week, and took some neat pictures of her with my new camera. I love visiting with her, and seeing how people react to her; I'm not so sure she notices the effect she constantly has on those around her.

This week an article about Danette and my two paintings of her appeared here in the Olathe Sun. I'm certain that more than a few people will read it and be touched and inspired by her optimism. I certainly am!

Kansas Landscape, Another Road Trip

I ventured westward again yesterday, driving out to Manhattan, KS to deliver art to Strecker-Nelson Gallery. The owners and staff are fabulous; easy to talk to and wonderfully enjoyable to work with. I'm tickled to have them in my corner!

After leaving the gallery, I stopped at the scenic lookout on highway 177 and took some pictures with my new Nikon D80. The camera is awesome, and I am having a great time playing with it and learning. I snapped pictures on the way to the gallery as well, and am highly impressed with the crystal clear results I got while travelling down the highway at 70+ MPH. (In the passenger's seat, of course.)

Venus Completed

"Venus"
Oil on Panel
18" x 36"

Nude Update

Still a ways to go with this, though most of the work that needs to be done is on the sofa and background.

Central Resource Library Exhibit

Photo by Stephen Locke

I nearly forgot to mention that I have an exhibit of my portraiture on display for the month of February at the Central Resource Library in Johnson County. On February 28th, I will give a presentation online through OPAL on the subject of marketing for artists. The presentation will chronicle my experiences over the past year and a half, outline marketing strategies for the artist, and highlight local venues and opportunities.

A New Nude

Still in the first stages of this painting. An 18" x 36" oil on gessobord.

Shhh

"Shhh"

10" x 8" Oil on Canvas
$500

I never popped back in to say I was finished!! Here it is; I am pleased.

Another painting is already on the easel, a nude much larger than this small painting, but it is not yet ready to be shared. Soon.

Blue, and the Heartland Artist Exhibition

Am I the only one who enjoys all these little changes? I am having too much fun with this one.

Also, I wanted to mention that two paintings have been juried into the Heartland Artist Exhibition in Merriam. I will post an invitation to the opening reception later in February.

Blue, Continued

Continuing to work on this little 10" x 8" oval. It's quite pleasant to paint, my hope is that it will also be pleasant to look at.

Restricted

24" x 30" oil on oil primed linen

I'm calling this painting done! It's been an interesting journey with this painting... after some deviations from my original plans, this painting transformed into something more sensual, maybe erotic, than I expected.

Corset Nearly Finished

Really, I didn't realize just how naughty this painting would become once I included the hint of the bare bottom! Regardless, this painting is nearly complete. Just a few more details, and some smoothing of a few transitions, then the signature will go on.

Blue Hush

I just started this one last night. 10" x 8" oil on an oval canvas. I am really, really fond of unnaturally colored hair. Wish I owned more wigs!

Big Background Change

I wasn't digging the other background. This is much nicer. Still plenty of work to be done; I've been so focused on finding the right background that I haven't gotten to focus on other areas as much as I want.

Mini-Fellowship Award

Last week, I found out that I will be the recipient of a Mini-Fellowship Award in Visual Arts from the Kansas Arts Commission for 2007. An awards ceremony will take place on March 7th in Topeka, KS.

Needless to say, I am ecstatic.

Background on Corset Painting

I finally painted all the way to the edges on this. There are still parts that I haven't gone over the first coat on, though, including the back between and under the corset, the hair, and a part on the right arm. So long as I remain pretty much satisfied with the background, I should now get to focus on those areas, and on details, which I plan to have a lot of in this painting. There will be details in the lace edging and brocade of the corset, there will be silver eyelets and the cord that laces the corset, and I really want to get into describing the surface of the skin and hair.

I seem to go in cycles where I want to loosen-up with my brushwork and forgo too much detail, and then the pendulum swings in the other direction and I want to go back to including more detail. Yet, no matter how much I feel I am pushing my boundaries, the work is always within a certain spectrum that is 'mine.' It makes me wonder how much of my work is of my deliberate choosing, and how much of it is just inherent to me and cannot be changed.

Starting the Corset

Well, I guess I've become a frequent blogger! Last night I realized that I'd accidentally moved the left shoulder, so I put it back in the correct place. I also started working on the corset itself.

My Students

Here I would like to share some work done by some students of mine! I have been working with mom Amy, and brothers Parker and Spencer for over a year, giving a lesson two times per month, with breaks in the summer. We've covered mostly drawing concepts, this year starting on some color theory and beginning paint mixing. I still throw in drawing exercises regularly, as I feel this is the most important aspect in learning to see, and the last one in particular showed how much they've learned. They even seemed to really enjoy these exercises!

All of these are copies of Bargue plates, which were designed to train artists and are even used at the New York Academy of Art. The drawing way above is a copy by Amy, and you can see where she uses outside measurements (the box) to ensure she draws the copy at the correct size. The box also helps in seeing negative shapes.



The above two images are eye copies by Parker, age 10. Parker really seemed to enjoy drawing these eyes best, and even challenged himself to draw a single eye more than once, trying each time to improve over the previous attempt. I was really quite impressed with how diligently he worked on these!



The final two images here were done by Spencer, age 8. Again, you can see how effectively he used the box to copy the image of the ear at the correct size and shape, and how surprisingly well he was able to translate the shapes of the eye drawings onto his own paper. Working with the boys is refreshing as I am constantly able to review these fundamentals with myself, and I am often taken aback when they go so far beyond what I expect!

Corset Painting: More Flesh

I've done another pass on the back above the corset, and started making my way down the arms. By the time I got to the right arm and hand, I was a bit tired, so it remains more general. Soon I will begin adjusting the background and putting in details in the hair and corset. Fun!

Corset Painting: Back

I've only worked on the back area pictured above, so I figured there was no sense in redundantly posting the whole painting again and just posted a crop. There are some transitions that are too harsh, and still so many shifts and such to put in, but I am on my way.

I had a second Christmas yesterday: a few thoughtful family members gave me gift certificates to Dick Blick, and, after much consideration, I put in my order over last weekend. It's always exciting when new materials come in. Among the goodies are some small panels and canvases for more still lives and a couple 'miniature' heads, larger canvases and a large panel, new paint brushes, Ugly Dog Brush Soap, and some new tubes of paint. I'll be set for a while now!
(Thanks Shannon, Mom and Mimi!)

Figure with Corset: Beginning

This is the beginning of a new oil painting on a 24" x 30" oil primed linen canvas. I am trying to use some of what I learned in the dead color paintings here, and am filling in colors quickly with an approximate hue and value, before bogging myself down with details and subtle shifts. The approach is proving enjoyable, yet I can't wait to add in all those nuances!

You can see here, however, one of my main frustrations that result from my lack of a proper studio: I can't paint all the way to the edge of the canvas right away. I always need to leave a dry spot where I can grab the painting and relocate it nightly.

Summer Updated

I've been working right along on this drawing. It's been a bit difficult to photograph, but when it is finished I will see if I can do better with my scanner. Feeling I am mostly done with the figure, I will start to put in some background elements, though I don't feel that I will bring everything up to the same finish as the figure. I just don't have that kind of patience with a pencil.

Little Clementines For Sale

I went back and made a couple of changes to the clementines painting; just the background and shadows. Following is a close-up that shows the color of the clementines much more accurately. The painting is now up for sale, as are most paintings and drawings featured on this blog. Click here to purchase the painting for $100.

Summer

It's a little difficult to think of summer when it's smack in the middle of winter, but I really want to continue on with my series of the four seasons. In this series, I use classical, ideal proportions for the figures. This is to give them an other-worldly feel, because they are not real people, but representations of ideas.

To work out the proportions ahead of time, I create a detailed drawing which I then use as a reference for the painting. This is after day two of drawing, still much to do. The figure is 16" tall; 8 heads in height.

Happy New Year

To all my friends and family, and anyone else who happens by this blog; Have a joyful and prosperous New Year.

My Funny Clementines

I think I will call these little clementines done. I've learned a lot about the color orange here, and had a good time painting. However, it's been a while (a whole week!) since I have worked on a figurative piece, and I am ready to get back to one. Perhaps what I have learned so far with this 'dead color' method will carry over into the figures, too. I plan to keep painting these little stills as well; they are fun little projects and are satisfying.

Also, it is my birthday today!

Clementines, Continued

Orange is slippery color! One minute I will see more yellow, and the next it will appear to need more red. It's also a difficult color to photograph. Regardless, I am having a great deal of fun trying to put my finger on just the right hues and values of these clementines, while I dine on their tasty siblings.

Oh My Darlin'

I can't help but think of that song every time I see or hear of a clementine. This isn't exactly a 'dead color' layer, as far as I know, but it is void of most of the value and hue range that I see. There are some wonderful highlights and reflected lights that aren't even hinted at here. We will see what happens next!

Red Pepper, Finished

Red Pepper
5" x 7" Oil on Canvas Panel

Completed this little painting tonight, and then fed the pepper to my guinea pig to seal the deal. A sad fate for such a lovely pepper, I know. I was so happy with the painting experience that I decided to start another one.

Red Pepper Update

The red pepper is now nearly complete! I will spend just one more session with it before I call it done and pass the pepper on to my guinea pig, Julian. He will enjoy it.

Exposed

This painting may or may not be titled "Exposed." I am somewhat undecided. Either way, it is finished: 14" x 11" Oil on Linen Panel.

Red Pepper

I am working on painting this red pepper from life on a little 5" x 7" canvas panel. I am following a technique favored by an e-friend of mine, Richard Murdock, who creates stunning little still life paintings (among other works.) He starts off with 'dead color,' and slowly adds depth with each layer. Here is my dead color layer:


This is after my second session, where I have started to shift the hue and value of the pepper to create form: (Never mind the napkin, please!)


I am enjoying the process very much! It is very much different from the way I have been painting, where I start with the values and then adjust the color. Updates to follow.

Life Drawing

I had the pleasure of drawing two heads from life yesterday; this is the better of the two. The subject is my 8 year old son, Shannon. It is very difficult to draw him because, as you can imagine, he doesn't sit still. Even more challenging is the fact that he cycles through various facial expressions as his mind wanders, which I find completely hilarious. When I start to chuckle, it makes Shannon laugh, and we both wind up laughing so much that we can't speak. This can make it very difficult to draw!

Gasp! Painting Update

The painting is progressing well and I am pleased thus far. Now I just need to come up with a clever title before it is finished!

The presentation last week at H&R Block went well, and it was a pleasure to meet new people and share ideas.

Speaking Engagement and Sketch

14" x 11"

Above it an oil sketch, just started last night. I took the picture with a flash, so the lights don't show the full range of values and there is some glare, but you can still see where I am going with it. I always want to just add color to the light areas, and leave the shadows in this sketchy manner, but something inside takes over every time and I wind up painting over every inch of the canvas.

Tomorrow I am to give a presentation at the H&R Block World Headquarters downtown. I have a slideshow prepared, and I will talk about my ideas on art and realism as well as share my work and how I create it. I hope to meet lots of new people and have a good time!

MyArtSpace Blog

I was recently interviewed by Brian Sherwin of MyArtSpace.com. Check out the blog here!

While you are at it, take a look at the interview with Mark Ryden. I enjoy his work a lot, and am happy to occupy this virtual space with him.

Danette, Revisited

I just completed the above pastel of my friend, Danette (see my previous post, Danette, Unveiled.) I am toying with the idea of cropping this into a square. While not overt, I have intended the light and composition in this painting to be symbolic. More on that later. (Anyone care to guess in the meantime?) For now, a detail image:

Holiday Show at Pi and Art Fair

These are a couple pictures from the First Friday opening at Pi Gallery. It is the "Back to the Future" 2006 retrospective show, and I have 6 pieces placed throughout the gallery. There was also a Preview Party on Thursday, but it was snowed-out. Another party has been scheduled for Friday the 8th, 6-9 pm, to make up for the missed one. Stop by if you can!



Saturday was the Lawrence Art Guild's Holiday Art Fair at the Lawrence Arts Center. I would have brought more pieces with me, but I thought I would only have six linear feet to hang in! The exhibitor next to me was unable to make it, which gave me a little more room to spread out, and allowed me to sit and chat with a neighbor in the empty corner.

I also got my very first ticket this weekend. I was flying at a screaming 0MPH; that's right, I got a ticket for backing into a parking space. What can I say, I just wanted to unload onto the sidewalk instead of into the street!