David J. Vanderpool

Although I do have some updated shots of my current works in progress I thought I'd take a break from blathering on about myself and put someone else in the spotlight for a change.
When I first started creating an on-line presence for myself and my work I was amazed by the wondrous variety of Art out there... much of which is never seen by a larger audience. I made contacts with a number of amazingly talented artists who were also trying to carve out a niche for themselves. One of those artists was David Vanderpool.

David's pencil drawings are, put simply, astounding. His sensitivity and attention to detail were in such contrast to my own work that I was immediately drawn to them. When we first started corresponding he was working as a graphic designer/illustrator for a publication. His aspirations were much higher however. Over the last few years he's put in a lot of time and effort towards making his Art a career outside the magazine/newspaper industry. His efforts paid off to some degree this year in the form of a beautiful book featuring his drawings and methods. You can check out and purchase his book here (http://www.lulu.com/content/4394828). His love of paper and pencil help to keep an old and largely ignored Art form alive.

I'll leave you with a few pics of some of my favorites from David's portfolio...

Until next time...


Cheers,

R

Juggling

Last night was one of those nights where everything seemed OK, but I just couldn't get into the proper frame of mind. I have a number of projects on my plate at the moment. I've got a new commissioned piece, some varnishing for a customer, and three new paintings in-progress. Maybe I'm thinking about all of them too much. Letting myself feel overwhelmed. A little can go a long way when you're juggling a day-job, two kids, and a nocturnal career. Not to mention my housing situation. Long story there... I'll spare you.

Some nights though you have to put it all down and direct your energies to the more mundane tasks that studio work can provide like cleaning brushes, re-setting the palette, sweeping. AND in my case spider relocation. I don't mind them in my studio (they, along with my cat, eat some of the more irritating basement-dwelling pests), but they've got to stay off my work areas.
I caught up on the varnishing and then got to work on the rest. There's a very sick part of me that actually enjoys the act of cleaning. I like the feeling of clearing the dust and cobwebs... of cleaning the gunk out of my brushes. I especially enjoy sweeping. I find it very therapeutic. Granted if you were to visit my studio on your first glance you'd have no idea that I ever cleaned it at all the way things get piled up.

I have a system... it works for me.

In a rare display of restraint I'll refrain from babbling on too much longer and get to the pics. These are shots of one of the new pieces I've been working on plus a couple from the commissioned painting I've recently started (in pencil).

Until next time...


Cheers,

R

A New Showing & A Slight Return

It was quite the weekend. Saturday at the very least was an adventure.

I finished Friday by doing some show-prep work: wiring canvases for hanging, making display cards, etc. I had to hang some paintings up in a Barnes & Noble in West Des Moines (the University location for you locals). I've been pretty lucky in the fact that I haven't had to hang my own work for quite a while now. It was good to get back into it and I liked the fact that I was able to make my own decisions about how the arrangement went down. Huge Thank-You's to a very good friend for lending a hand. I would've been kinda screwed otherwise... or at the very least at the mercy of strangers.

That evening I played emcee at a 40's-themed charity fashion show event at the Des Moines Social Club called Emergence. I was initially under the impression that I would be in the sound booth or back stage making announcements. That is until I walked in and saw the mic wired up on stage. Don't get me wrong... I've got absolutely no issues with getting up in front of a crowd. In a past life I did just that 4 or 5 nights per week. The only concern was that I hadn't quite dressed the part that evening. After some reassurances that my wardrobe fit more or less with the show (just short of a Cardigan and pipe) I took my notes and spent an hour or so rehearsing my delivery. The crowd was very receptive and the show came off beautifully. The designs looked great and the models: Des Moines' very own classic Burlesque troop, St Vitus and the Taxi Dancers, were a perfect fit for the theme.

All in all I didnt' get much painting done, but I did get some shots from Thursday night's studio session. I'll be back at it tonight. I'd like to get as much done on this one as possible before I start on the commission I'll be finalizing with the buyers tomorrow night. I've been thinking that I might try just posting detail shots while I'm still in-process from now on. Might be more fun to keep the final composition a bit of a mystery. A creative individual might just be able to tile their version of the finished piece together before it's all done. I might just post such a thing were it to wind up in my inbox. Just tossin' that out there.

Until next time...

Cheers,

R

A Quick Note on the New One and Dealing With A Soft Spot

After a few days off from the DSM Art Festival Project I decided it was time to get started again. I've got some other work ready to jump on the plate and a show to hang at the West Des Moines Barnes & Noble, but I need to keep moving forward with my studio work too. Can't do much if you don't have any inventory, right?

Like I said, I've got a commission or two waiting in the wings. One of the prospectives is a cityscape of Des Moines that's going to pair up with another piece the buyers have already purchased. The other is a portrait. I don't normally do portrait work because it's my Achilles' Heel: My soft spot that I'm always favoring. This one is different however. It's for a charity event that's going to be held for the family a well-known Iowan who died recently (more later if that pans out). For a good cause I'm more than willing to make an exception and take a shot at a process in which I'm less confident.

I've been tossing around the idea of doing more figurative work, but I always shy away from portraiture. There are a couple of facial pics I've been sitting on that would make great paintings, but I've got to get over the idea that they'll wind up looking like hell. The last portrait I did was of a group of three children. All in all I'd say the piece was a success, but Wow was it a ton of work. Twenty six hours on a pencil drawing is a lot in my book. That doesn't even cover the facial studies I did of each child. I'm not even sure how long that would translate to in paint anymore. I've done some fairly successful portraits in pastel and charcoal, but the ability to paint faces in oils with any sort of skill seems to elude me. Guess I'd better study up. Time to learn some new tricks. This old dog could use a few anyway.

Cheers,

R