Tuesday night sept 23

So Sam was looking through my sketchbook and said, "hey you should post these drawings." So here you go. I have a few sketchbooks, different sizes so I can bring it with me.

So a bunch of random drawings. Obviously some studies for paintings but mainly people, heads. A few of Dexter from a marathon of watching it on Netflicks. I have been really trying to be intentional with what I want to make. And part of deciding what I want to make is what I draw when I don't think too much about "making" something. Here is a small sculpture that I made a few years ago.

Just something totally different than what I usually do.

Goodnight.

Back again

Alright. Back at it. I've been really busy lately trying to get my paintings spread throughout the internet. It takes a surprising amount of time to keep all of these sites up to date, plus new ones that aren't huge but every little bit helps. 

Tonight I will just show a few things I have been working on.

I have stayed away from pools and bathers, even beach scenes because Sam is so attached to them. But I do want to start using multi-layered imagery and had some drawings from this summer put together. I like the initial stages of this but want it clear that these are multiple angles/images which means painting out things that are solid and or successful in technique but not serving the greater image. We'll see how it comes along. 

So I think this has been on the blog before but I have been not painting on it and just looking at it. It helps though I know it sounds like ignoring a problem painting, it's not. I turned some heads around and tried a few things but finally came to the conclusion that the figure that was right in the center had to go. It made a huge difference! I know it looks rough in the seam area right now but it turned a corner in my mind once the figure was out. Opened up the space and let's some background in. I really need to solidify the objects on the table but it's going to need to dry a bit. 

Sorry for all the background stimuli but I just want to get some things down tonight. I have been revisiting some cityscapes lately to loosen them up a bit and this idea came out of reworking other paintings. A remembered landscape from flying into Minnesota. Without a strict reference I want to let color dictate area and possibly move from representational to more abstract painting. If not completely abstract enough to let me relax the rigidity I see in my own paintings.

That's it for tonight. I may be busting out my new favorite painting tool tomorrow - my electric sander. I absolutely love grinding areas of my paintings out with it.

Friday

Yesterday I delivered a cityscape painting that was commissioned a few months ago. Even though the client was very specific about what he wanted and checked in during the process I was still really nervous about presenting it to him. Sam agreed that the feeling of self doubt probably will never go away. It is a baseless fear that they will be like, "this looks terrible! This isn't what I wanted at all" 

This is the painting. They were really happy with it. That feeling that something you've made makes people happy. That others recognize and consider your abilities a talent, is pretty much priceless. 

So now an update from my current painting. There was a figure that I was giving me trouble. Originally it was turned away from the viewer and it was the closest in the foreground, which made it the back of a head. A huge back of a head. It was blocking movement through the painting. So I changed it to a profile and last night Sam suggests 3/4 view, which is what I went with. It is now the best part of the painting to me.

Perfect, huh? I wish I could just leave it like this. I am really going to leave the figures ambiguous. 

I mainly worked on the other side tonight:today. Here is initial color scheme. Though I need to get a really bright pink and possibly see if a neon orange is available.

A lot of painting ahead of me. I mean on this painting. I figure if I paint for the rest of my life I will eventually see some progress.

Goodnight.

Monday

Hello there. 

So I worked on some paintings tonight. I did some drawing for Sam on a commission (no pics, since it's not mine) and then worked on my color study/self portrait. Changes from realistic to colors that push/pull and back again. A few hours and I left it.

So the next few posts are going to be for people who maybe aren't artists. I had some stretchers built a few weeks ago. I had them professionally made because I lack a wood shop and I need a specific size. Two long stretchers. 

I had an idea for a painting based on the way we see different perspectives based on our viewpoint. Turning our head changes vanishing points of perspective. How can you show this? Panoramic paintings is my initial idea. Really wide ratio.

So I have an idea. I make some pencil sketches. Now comes the gamble. I haven't made a painting like this but I want to make it large. The canvas' re expensive, whether or not I build them myself or I have a pro shop make them. A couple hundred dollars gamble on canvas. But I really believe it will look really interesting. Maybe a new direction for me. But I am apprehensive so I make a few studies with gouache. Some work, some don't. But I have the canvas, so now the next few days I prep them. Applying coats of gesso. Shooting for 3-5 coats. Sanding. I hate sandpaper, it gives me the "willies" but I have to do it.

So I hope this helps you understand the initial back and forth you go through in the process. Idea, preparation, self-doubt. I haven't made paintings like this so I am worried I spent money and a LOT of time prepping and painting something that I (and everyone else) may hate. But it can be very rewarding. Let's hope so.

Fighter portraits

Starting some portraits of fighters. I am going to start a few and see if I can get some calm energy through mark making/ execution. 

Here is an initial start. I will update after some more work today.

I am done for today. I have some other paintings to work on tonight. I do like where this is heading.

Sunday night

I worked on new painting all day. Just trying to cover everything and get a sense of color. I need to hit Utrecht tomorrow and get some paint, brushes and a palette knife. 

So the initial color looks pretty muted but don't worry it will brighten up with a few layers. 

That's it. 

Goodnight.

Slipping

These are getting farther and farther apart but that doesn't mean I am not working. Over this last week I have been doing drawings for some medical illustration that I sent off yesterday. We will see what they think of my work and prices. From what I heard today they seem to like the simplest drawings and did not like the more finished gouache paintings. Less work for me I guess. 

So I have been working on a portrait. Self portrait. I wanted to do something from life and to so a very traditional painting but got bored about three layers in. The slow process drags on and I don't want a very "finished" look for my self portraits. I like the mark making to convey what my very blank expression doesn't. Here is a pic. Still in progress.

I just figured out how to insert a pic between text. It's not as simple on my phone as you would think. The app always puts the cursor back to the top of the page.

Next. I have been prepping these two large canvas for the last week. Gesso and sanding multiple times. About four coats under my final sanding. I drew everything out from the study I made a few weeks ago over the last few days.

I keep thinking of the last supper while I have been working on this for some reason. Though it is not an intended reference. It's just the subject and the execution so just everything. Easy to ignore, right? Shit. Whatever. Light tonal under painting started tonight.

See the figure on the far right border? I am not happy with it. It really needs to be fixed but I will get to it. Other than that I am really excited about getting this painted. This will probably be my focus for this blog for the next few months/weeks.

Goodnight.