A few New Pics...

Not a ton of time to philosophize today, but I wrote a couple of posts back about my bestest and oldest friends, Michael and Joshi came to visit me in the studio. Michael posted these in-studio pics on his FaceBook page and I really enjoyed them so I had to share.

These are in no particular order, but you may notice in some of the shots some of the dark red under-painting I used. I think that red added a real dimension to the layers of color that went over it. Even in the finished piece it peeks out here and there. I wanted it to add vibrancy.

























As always, Dancing is not only allowed in the studio... it's encouraged.
Here is my friend, Joshi showing us the finer points of The Skank.


Gotta Run!

cheers,

R

Taking a Big Bite

Once upon a time (very recently) I made the statement, "Sometimes you bite off more than you can chew, but it sure beats starving". I meant it when I said it. I still believe it, but I took one hell of a bite this week. Lately I've been getting approached to book showings for future dates; many of them in 2010. I don't have much in the way of formal bookings for this year, but next year's filling up quickly. Seems odd, huh? I took a BIG bite this week, however, by booking a show at the Iowa State University Memorial Union Art Gallery. Very cool. Turns out they'll be needing about 25 pieces for the show! Whoa... 25 paintings. That's huge for me. Thankfully the show's not until December 2010. It'll be a challenge, I'm always up for a challenge. I wonder if I could convince some of my clients to loan me a few, select pieces. That might help.
Just "thinking" out loud there.
digress digress digress...

On a couple of other fronts I managed to get that painting of the late Steb's Amusements in Cedar Falls scanned. A little color correction and I'll be ready to make the announcement that prints are available. I'll post a link here and my other points of contact (FaceBook, Twitter, etc) when that time comes. Won't be long.

Also I've finished my latest painting. I think this is a land-speed record for me. At least for a piece this size (36"x48"). I'm very happy with the way it came out. The piece overall is very loose and energetic. I've been using it as practice for the Des Moines Art Festival Mural project. I needed to loosen up. To make sure that every inch of the image had something going on. Not a necessity for all of my work, but for that project I've got instructions to make sure that there's a lot of visual activity. When the piece is enlarged the little things will become very visible: the funky, little edges of brush strokes, slight variations of color, etc. I think this latest piece has been a good exercise in working towards that, AND in working with more immediacy. It's going to a good temporary home at ArtDive so hopefully you can go see it and pieces by many other great Iowa artists in person.

Gotta run. A beautiful Saturday awaits.


Cheers,

R

Welcome Visitors in the Studio

For the last 4 and a 1/2 days I've been in the splendid company of two of my best friends, Joshi and Michael. During that time I got the extreme pleasure of having them spend some time with me in the studio. I don't normally have a lot of visitors, but this kindof hearkened back to a time (before small children) when I painted in my living room. I was used to having a lot of company while I painted back then. It was nice doing that again.



The whole scene gave me a much-needed dose of inspiration. I started a piece late last week out of an overpowering desire to paint. I wanted to do something relatively quickly. Keep it loose. Keep it energetic. I started playing with some deep red underpainting and was able to start working over the top of it. Having them for company kept things very lively. A definite energy carry-over into my painting. I was bolder with the brushes and actively avoided impulses to "clean" things up. Actually I'm going back over a bit of the street where the colors started to muddy. They've lost their energy and that's no good.

We also took some time last night to gather some more pics for the DSM Art Festival project. I'd never played with the panoramic settings before, but it fits the required ratio for the painting so well... I don't know why I didn't do it before. I got some shots I really enjoy. I'll put them up in another post. They need editing and I don't have the time or energy. I sincerely hope they go over well.

Time for horizontality. Even insomniacs need their rest.


Cheers,

R

The Restoration

I swear I'm trying to write more than once per week. It seems like I've been doing nothing but running around. Plus I'm exhausted most nights lately. Dozing off while hanging out with my boys or while relaxing after they go to bed. I guess it's a sign and I should try to figure out what it means

Seriously tho I'm kindof in a holding pattern on the DSM Art Festival project. We've made some adjustments to the process of image-approval. I need to take some new pics as a result, but the weather hasn't been cooperating. I was out of town all weekend and when I came home, ready to work, I got 3 days of rain and fog followed by a 30degree drop in temperature. Not conducive to taking panoramic shots of the City of Des Moines.

So in the meantime I've been restoring a piece that belongs to a friend of mine. He used to smoke... a lot, and this piece has spent its entire life in the room where he did most of his smoking. I've taken a heavy layer of tar off the surface by gently brush-washing areas with turpentine-substitute and then taking it up with a lint-free rag. I was amazed at how much better it looked just after that. Also the painting had never been varnished so I gave it a couple coats. I like to do a coat of Damar (glossy) followed by a coat of matte varnish. When I've got it I use EcoHouse-brand Damar. It's orange-based so it doesn't smell as badly as regular Damar, AND it doesn't yellow. EcoHouse doesn't make a matte-finish product yet sadly so I've been using a Miameri product. At any rate it looks gorgeous now. The colors are revitalized and the finish is like muted glass.
(the image here is an old pic. I'll post a new one when the scan's done)

Truth be told; although I do regularly varnish "matured" pieces for clients at no charge (I feel that it's part of the process of creating the work) I'm doing this one with an alterior motive in mind. I recently posted this piece on a bulletin board for a group of people who are fans of a Cedar Falls, IA landmark, Steb's Amusements. The building no longer exists. It was foolishly replaced by a big, empty hole. The response to the piece was very positive and some people have requested prints. My friend was wary of giving up this painting at all until I offered to give it a good cleaning and varnish. I'd have done it anyway, but the potential to make a little profit never hurts. As a matter of fact I delivered it to my local hi-rez scan provider today. Tomorrow I'll have the painting along with a TIFF file in excess of 300mb which can be color-corrected and made into giclees.

The moral of this story: Never write off your old work. You never know when it may find a new audience.


Cheers,

R

Taking a Moment

The kids are in bed. I'm NOT doing any laundry tonight. Just wanted to take a moment to do a few things for myself: catch up on emails, return a few calls, and practice guitar. I'm just learning how to play and this time I'm going to stick with it... I swear. The nice thing about it this go 'round is that there's the miracle of the internet. Last time I tried was before my first home PC. Now if there's a song I want to try I just Google the tab and go. I think that's going to be a big help. Being able to apply what I'm learning and see progress gives me a purpose. It gives me a point of focus. I'm not outwardly such a goal-oriented person, but having them does help. Plus it's on my Bucket List. Ain't gettin' any younger.

Speaking of that there's this DSM Art Festival project I've been working on. Because of the nature of my contract I have to submit images for the approval process weekly. That means I've got to be able to come up with quick studies that not only explore the composition, but the color and treatment of the medium as well. It's giving me a chance to pull out the charcoal and pastels. Oil pastels too. They're great for the quick study. The only downside that I can see is that now everything in my studio is covered in a fine layer of chalk dust... as well as the inside of my head. Have you ever blown your nose and had it come out Magenta? Talk about a nasty shock. Ah, the joys of creating.

But I digress... you know this.

The connection I was making is that this project is giving me focus, but there's another side to it. I feel a little like I'm floundering in it. There's some difficulty in coming up with an image that people will immediately relate to as "Des Moines" while keeping certain contraints in mind. I've been feeling a little stuck trying to come up with just the right shot. You think you've got the one only to hear that it won't do for one reason or another. So you do it again. Simple. Coming up with and iconic image is a tall order though and everyone's got their opinions. So the best thing to do at this time in my opinion is to forget the subtext of the project and just work.
So there you go.

Cheers,

R

ps: If you're in Des Moines this weekend make sure to check out the opening of the Instinct Gallery Saturday night. Good stuff. A definite must-see.

Push Push

It's been a good week. I've been spending my studio time wisely, but I need to be writing more. Seems like I when I have the time to write I never feel like it (read as: tired, uninspired, inebriated). I need to carry over my studio work ethic into my writing. I never was much of a writer to begin with so it's been hard at times keeping up a good momentum/schedule. But this has become important not just to me but to my work as well. Seems like it's less real if I don't write about it now.

I got great news yesterday. I've made it as a finalist for the Art EMC contest that EMC Insurance holds yearly. I think it's a great project and not just because I made it. The company purchases work from the finalists and those pieces go on display in the company's buildings. I think the businesses that populate our city would do well to invest more in local/regional Art instead of spending money on some print from Art.com or something like that. Too many times I've visited office buildings only to see the same crap on the walls. A shame really when there's a wealth of great art right here in our back yard.

Which segues into my work on the DSM Art Festival Mural Project. I submitted a pack of images last week. Met with my contact from the DSM Art Center and went over some notes a couple of days later. I'm back to the drawing board and have been plugging away at charcoal/sharpie composition studies and have moved into working with some oil/chalk pastels for color studies. I'll start posting images from that when we've landed on a final, approved image (hint: if you're on FaceBook friend me and you'll get to see all of my developmental work thus far!)
Until then I'll leave you with some pics from the studio...
Meet my palette (top). It's heavy with paint and more than a little worn. Broken in like a pair of good shoes.
And here's me in the depths of a painting fugue. I don't usually post pics of myself because... well, I'm not all that fond of the photos I take, but in this case I'd set up a camera to catch my work in progress with a series of timed shots. I caught myself a couple of times and thought I'd share. When I'm painting, for some reason, I compulsively run my hands through my hair, close my eyes, and fidget a lot. My hair has a tendency to stick out in all directions anyway when left to its own devices, but the compulsive hair-tugging doesn't help. By the end of the night I've got this great Wolverine-thing going on. I'm pretty sure I scared the little one with it last week. Good times.

Wishing you all a good week.


Cheers,

R

Doin' the Webby Work

Took the night off from painting last night to take care of the web stuff. The web site needed to be updated with the latest painting. No good having painting inventory if you don't bother promoting it . I also spent some time trying to suss out some meta-tagging issues on the site. It's not showing up in search engines the way I want it to. It's getting good placement for the most part. Just not displaying a good site description in the Google's blurb section under the found link. Even though I put my own pages together (with some help) I'm no web designer. Research research research...
I also managed to get a stack of giclee prints posted for sale on my Etsy Store. I'm hoping that people will be more interested in picking up prints than they have been in buying the original paintings lately. When you can get a high-quality image for one tenth (or less) the price of the original why not? From an Artist's perspective it's a great deal so long as you have a reliable source for the prints themselves... which I do AND the cost to produce them isn't exhorbitant... which it isn't. You can continue to generate some revenue from paintings no longer in your inventory. In my case I can also have them produced one-off and on the fly. Custom sizes or rush jobs aren't typically a problem. I got lucky.
I can't say you'll get rich off of print sales, but I will say this: I've sold more prints this year than originals.
Something to think about.

Cheers,

R

A Brief Moment to Reflect.

Well the plan was that I'd have the house to myself for a few hours this afternoon. Things don't always turn out like you'd planned. So the open house didn't get any traffic (damned real-estate market). Not a huge surprise. It IS February. We'll keep trying. It'll sell one of these days. On the up-side the house is clean, the kids are being good, I'm getting to blog and catch up on email. Life could be much worse. Maybe I'll get a chance to sneak out this evening and see Coraline. Big Neal Gaiman fan here. Love his stuff. If ou've never seen MirrorMask I'd highly recommend. His words with Dave McKean's art... the stuff of nightmares and fantasies galore.

But I digress... as you well know.

I put the final touches on the latest NYC piece. I'm happy with where it went and how it turned out. It gives me a sense of accomplishment that's a good warm-up for starting the new painting for the DSM Art Festival. I'll be turning my preliminary images over to the the person who is acting as my primary contact. I'll start posting the updates on this blog once we get a handle on which image we're going to go with. I've come up with three, but I'm leaning towards two of them. Well, you'll see what I mean in the near future. Keep watching.

All the best...




Cheers,


R

Thursday?

I can't believe it's been a week since I last wrote. If there's anyone out there actually reading this... Sorry for the delay.

I've put in some more time on the NYC piece. Nearly done and I'm having to make a conscious effort to avoid overworking it. Sometimes I'll go back and simplify areas as a piece progresses. Just a bit more on the overhanging sign and the background.

Been spending a lot of time shoring up some details for a design project I've been working on. I feel like I've finally made the logo do what I wanted it to do. My prior designs had the necessary elements and austerity, but lacked visual punch. It can take some time to get a real feel for an image or subject matter. You've gotta play around with it. Experiment. Don't be afraid to do a complete rework (or several). It's all part of the process and in the end you'll have a better finished product if you take the time to get familiar with your subject. Once the client approves the image I'll post it.

To this end I like to play around in Photoshop. I've found that it can be a quick way to explore an image. To experiement with color and composition. Sometimes I use it to put together presentations for clients who like to have a better picture of what the project will eventually look like. It can help us to collaborate and make decisions in a more interactive way. Mind you, I don't use it exclusively. I mix my PS work with sketches, and in some cases even mockup paintings. A lot of it depends upon the client and how much they want to see up front. Some people just want you to produce a piece because they enjoy your style.

Right now I'm using it for some of my prep work for the DSM Art Festival Project.

Ok... The day job calls. Gotta go be productive for someone else.


Cheers,

R

Eat or Enjoy Your View from the Ivory Tower. You Choose.

I've had a pretty good couple of days minus a stressful event or two. I got a chance to meet with someone from the DSM ArtFestival and discuss the mural project some more. Very exciting. Plus he was a pretty good cat so that helps. So far everyone there has been just fantastic. I'm sure at some point we'll rub foreheads a bit, but I try to be pretty easy to work with. Receptive to the ideas of others without being a total push-over. When this is done I'd like for them to say that I was pleasant and professional as well as a talented Artist. I've known too many people who've let their egos get the better of them. They become demanding or snotty or worse. In the end the talent will only get you so far. If you're an ass people will stop wanting to work with you eventually no matter how amazing your are as an artist. I figure the world has enough jackoffs with more being raised every day (yes, "raised", parents out there). Why add to an already exploding population?

Sorry, that stemmed from a conversation I had yesterday about people in the Art World who raise themselves up to be more than they are. They sit in their ivory university towers or in their offices (read as Art Critics) and proclaim this or that to be Art and everything else (art festivals, for example) to be beneath them: the "True Artists" who create for the sake of creation. That's so much bullshit and it keeps entire generations of Art students from taking part in some very rich artistic communities, and from seeing some really amazing Artwork, AND from making a living. Ever heard of a "Starving Artist"? Of course you have. The great names we studied in Art History were, for the most part, working people trying to make a living by doing commissioned work, art contests, salons (festivals), etc.

When you go to school for something the ultimate outcome should be to be able to make a living doing that thing in my humble opinion. We rarely discussed it when I went to University. As a result I had no idea what to do with my degree outside of... create Art. Seems a little pointless when you look at it through the eyes of someone who's paying a mortgage and raising a family. I spent a LOT of time trying to figure out how to make it work on my own. LOTS of trial and error. Still is. Somewhere along the line the teaching of a vocation turned into the teaching of a romanticized lifestyle. Again, so much bullshit. That being said I LOVED my teachers. Wanted to make sure that was clear.

(steps down from soapbox...)

So here I am trying to find my way in the burgeoning DesMoines Art community and hopfully branch into others. Thankfully I've made some great connections here and have been given some amazing opportunities, but ultimately you get what you get. It's what you do with it that makes all the difference.

Speaking of which I really need to finish this latest NYC piece. I'm hoping it will go on display in the next week along with a couple of others. Here's the latest update. More work to do on the big sign over the people walking and I've made the angle on the sidewalk too severe. Gotta fix that. I'm afraid all of those nice people are going to slide into the busy street.

Cheers,


R

NYC Rain Update

This morning's a little hectic as was last night. Suffice it to say that it was a good weekend. Lots of painting Friday, an afternoon/evening of taking pics Saturday. Plus I had the pleasure of attending a reception for a good friend, Michelle Holley at SMASH. Very cool Art. Very cool clothes. A good time was had by all. Follow that up with a great night out on the town. Food, drinks, darts, good company. Loads of fun. Sunday was a day for cleaning, cooking, and designing. Add to that I sold a painting to a friend. It's always nice to know when one of your babies is going to a good home.

Not much philosophizing today... I made some pretty big adjustments to the latest painting. I'm trying to unify the sky and sidewalk while keeping a loose feeling in the brushwork. Hoping to get back to it tonight. We'll see if the Universe goes along with me.

(...insert 12hr break here...)

I did get a nice surprise today. I received a call that one of my pieces had been accepted into the City of Des Moines Hi Performance Report. Every year they hold a contest and the winners are represented in the printed report. I was hoping for the cover, but got one of the interior sections. I will never complain about getting free publicity... or prize money. Looks like I can finally get a new MP3 player. My iPod's battery is kaput.

Cheers,


R

A Quick Note Before I Collapse

It's been a long, but productive day. Didn't sleep much last night. Probably about an hour all told. It was a day of dead car batteries, sick children, and tax preparation. Throw in a bit of cleaning for good measure. I tried to paint, but lack of sleep is getting the better of me. I'm having some issues focusing so I'm about to hang it up for the night. I do have a couple of images from last night's round in the studio. So I'll post them and call it good.
Here they are. I'm hoping to put the finishing touches on this by the end of next week. That should get it done in time to put it on display at a place here in tttdt....


(at this point I started spacing out and typing rows of letters. My body had finally given out and my mind was seriously considering the beneficial aspects of a coma. Taking this as a sign that perhaps I'd pushed myself too far and needed some rest... I went to bed.)


So to pick up where I left off last night I'll post my image updates and make some comments on the concept of No-Mind. I think there can be benefits to working in a state of exhaustion. They were NOT apparent last night and I think I was right to give up the ghost when I did. Some of my best work, however, has been created while in a state of total exhaustion. When you do something long enough you develop "muscle memory". I experienced what I later learned was a state called No Mind during my study of Neko Ryu, dance, and when I was a new father with a cholic-y baby who never slept. We find or put ourselves into situations where we're pushing ourselves to the point of collapse. The mind disengages to a point, but the body continues to repeat the actions we've learned and practiced over and over again. This is a very common state that any distance runner can tell you about. Like a "runner's high" it can be a pretty eurphoric place.

I've been painting for a long time now (nearly 18yrs!) so the physical act of painting has been so ingrained that the body paints more or less on its own. Once I know what it is that I want to do with an image the act of putting it on the canvas becomes, to a point, more physical than mental. I'm still extremely focused, but it seems to me that my mind is engaged on another level. Like an outside observer. When you hit that state you take away the potential of over-analyzing your actions and paint instinctively. The results can be startlingly good. But as with anything else your mileage may vary.

It's supposed to be warm here in Iowa so I'm looking forward to getting out and getting some more photos.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.


Cheers,

R

NYC Rain Update and the Sowers of Strife

I've had a chance to make a little more progress on my latest NYC painting. I'm approaching this with a fair bit of ecstatic energy. I'm using big brushes. I'm attacking the canvas. I'm working up a sweat. I love it. I mentioned in my last post that I'm determined to loosen up and stop nitpicking my paintings to death. They start out with so much energy, but I feel like they get bogged down. It's all part of the process of learning so I'm good with it. I want to spend my time in the studio not trying to churn out masterpieces (which, in my opinion, happen on their own), but working on myself as a Painter and Artist. The Artist paints him/herself ultimately. One way or another our work reflects who we are, what we're doing, where we're at. I think most things we do are opportunities for personal development.
Which leads me to something else... The other side of that coin: The Sowers of Strife. Those of us who spend our time trying to better ourselves, trying to help others, trying to raise families, or whatever have got to be baffled by people who spend their days trying to foul up the lives of others for their own gain. Dante maintained that the 8th circle of Hell was reserved for these jackholes. I personally don't think that's deep enough. These are the people that scam retirees out of their pensions and candy right out of the mouths of children. In the last year I've been targeted by a number of scammers. Email scams are the order of the day. So far I've yet to be taken, but I know those who have been. I have the benefit of having been an administrator for a corporate email system for a few years. You see all kinds of great stuff. I'll admit they're getting better, but since New Years I've been solicited no less than five times to help some poor, hapless soul get out of being "stranded" in a foreign country. Last January it was a bogus painting purchase offer that involved me paying for "shipping" costs up front, but only AFTER the receipt of a "completely varifiable" cashier's check. Point being the age of internet commerce has been a great boon for artists. We can get our work in front of an amazingly wide audience. It increases the potential for sales, shows, you name it. The other side is that it increases exposure to these pathetic wastes of oxygen. Keep sharp and always check your sources. The ubiquitous nature of the internet makes anonymity a forgone conclusion for those you are dealing with. Don't let that keep you from engaging in e-commerce. It's a great way to do business. I, myself have an Etsy store and have made some great sales through there, email, and Facebook, but you never really know who's on the other end of the line. When in doubt use your tools. Check your sources. I always confer with www.ArtScams.com if I'm sceptical about an email or offer. I'd suggest you do the same.
Best of luck, and... Let's be careful out there.


Cheers,

R

A Day Aside

Saturdays were made for leisure or at least for the pursuit of things not involving the stress or the daily grind of the work week (ie: hobbies, home projects, etc). Doesn't always work that way tho. Like I tell my kids, "work before pleasure". So the day started with fried egg sandwiches and housework. Well, at least that's out of the way for now.

I'd set the rest of this day aside for myself. I had a lot of Me stuff to take care of. Aside from some personal grooming events (read as Haircut and a decent shave) I promised myself, Universe willing, that I'd get a start on taking pics for the upcoming Art Festival Mural project. I've spent the last couple of hours walking around downtown looking for good shots. I need something that definitively says "Des Moines". I'm working with some constraints so I'm looking for compositions that hold up well in a long, horizontal format. Size not necessarily withstanding, the painting will need to be produced in a 5:2 ratio. Plus the composition needs to be, for lack of a better word, busy. People will be painting small sections of the final piece and I can't imagine that there are that many people out there that would want to paint an all blue square for example. It needs variety. Ultimately I'll need to take more than a little creative license with the image to make sure the instances of that are as few as possible. I plan to go back out around sunset and again once it's dark. Thankfully the weather's working with me. It's a great day. Calm, relatively warm (damned near 50! woohoo!), and sunny. I could personally go for a few more clouds... for variety's sake, but they can always be brought in from other, later shots. Not to mention I've got a stash of DSM pics going back nearly 5yrs.

I've also managed to make some more progress on my latest NYC piece. I'm wanting to make this piece a little less "slick" than some of my more recent work. A conversation I had last night confirmed my own feelings that, although it's not as bad as stuff I'd produced a couple of years ago, my paintings are feeling a bit overworked. Funny, the person who made the comment was quite apologetic about it, but in truth he merely said what I'd already been thinking. The wet streets, long shadows, and bright lights I think will lend themselves to a looser approach. I'm seeing areas of unpainted canvas and looser brushwork. I've been trying to stick to my mural-sized brushes for this (3-4"). I'm thinking there'll be time for some more work on it later tonight.

That same discussion brought up another point that I'd been kicking around. Many times after seeing a web-posting of one of my pieces people will comment on how much they look like photographs. This is a little disappointing to me because in person they don't look like that at all. The brushwork tends to be loose and energetic. At least, that is, when I don't overdo it. I'm thinking I need to incorporate some sort of zoom mechanism into the site. If you know of anything that would help with that please let me know.

Sunset's coming in an hour or so. Time to start thinking about where I want to be when that happens.

Cheers,

R

Bracing for the Storm

As a general rule I like to keep busy. I like to be occupied with... something. I don't like lengthy periods of inactivity. They drive me nuts. All I wind up doing is thinking about what it is that I could/should be doing instead of relaxing. That being said I do enjoy taking a break from my usual grind to spend a little time doing nothing. As much as it might bother me I know that it's also necessary to have physical and mental downtime. I did this last night for a couple of hours. I played some games and watched some DVDs that I need to return to a friend. It's been a rough couple of days and for some reason I'm seeing it getting worse before it gets better. Homelife issues, shows, work. Such is life though. So... I took a break. My way of bracing for the storm. You can see it coming and there's nothing you can do to stop it so you sit back and watch it roll in with the knowledge that you're going to get rained on at the very least. At worst, blown away.
There is a quote I always think of in these situations:

"There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. But doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you still get the same soaking. This understanding extends to everything".

I like this quote a lot and I apply it to any situation where something bad or very strenuous or taxing is inevitable. It helps me to focus on the end result and not get muddled up in the middle. So there is unpleasantness that I'm dealing with in my personal life, there is the grind of the day-job (which I'm happy to have at the moment), and there's a looming list of projects, shows, and new work that all need to be addressed. AND let us not forget that taxes are upon us. These things may weigh on my mind, but I'm happy to have the work. As for the homelife situations that loom I am resolved to get through them and so I won't dwell on them or let them take my focus away from the present.
With that in mind I've started a new piece to help me meditate on the upcoming wave of activity. Fittingly enough the source photo was taken during a rainstorm. People rushing around trying to stay dry. People hurrying from awning to awning or from one doorway to another. My friends and I walked down the middle of the sidewalk... getting soaked, but comfortable in the knowledge that there was a dry, warm place waiting for us at the end. In this case at the Tir na Nog Pub across from Penn Station. I've just laid down the first layer of paint, but I'm already excited about what's going on. I'm hoping to complete this one quickly. There are shows in the near future. I have much to do and people are counting on me.

And an extra special Thank You to my very good friends who have spent a LOT of helping me to work through this stuff recently.
I don't know where I'd be without you.


Cheers,

R

The Last Dance

I'd have to say it was an all-around good day. I spent most of the day with my boys. I was able to blog twice. I finished a painting. I visited the new collaborative workspace, the Market Street Foundry (very cool!). My oldest got to spend the night with his bestest buddies. I got to spend the evening with my little one. I even managed to slide in a run to the grocery store without the kids. Yep. Good times.
Tonight I feel like I've finally finished Spiral. Here's the final pic. I've made the changes I set out to make. I feel like I can put this one down. I've got another canvas on deck and a couple of those NYC pics to choose from. I'm hoping to work a large cityscape in. I've gotten to a point where I need to redirect.

I'll say no more tonight tho. It's late. Jackie Chan's on the TV and it's time to relax.


Cheers,

R

Rise

Another week has gone by before I'd really even gotten a good start on it. So much has happened lately that my head's spinning. Not all that unusual for me I suppose. Not all of those things have been good, but that's life, huh.
I did manage to sneak in a couple of painting sessions and am nearly done with Spiral. Good thing too. More and more opportunities are coming my way and I need to buckle down and get working. It's good for me to have some deadlines. Keeps me focused. Keeps me moving forward.
I figure I've got one more session before Our Lady of the Many Arms is finished. She's needing some finishing touches on her hands and arms plus I need to soften up her torso. The line of her ribs and tummy is too hard. I want her to be muscular-looking, but feminine, lithe. I'm thinking tonight's the night. We'll dance one last time and then I'll let her go. Other projects are looming. That means putting her down, but not before we've finished with each other. I've got ideas for some other surrealist pieces, but I don't have time for them right now. So I've sketched and notated enough so that I can come back to them in the future. Stay tuned. I went waaaay out in left field for a few of them. It's a place where I feel at home with the things lurking behind the curtains of my subconscious. Private things.
So on to the new work. Right now I'm doing a logo for an architectural firm in Chicago thanks to an old and good friend. I don't do a ton of graphic design work, but I do enjoy it and would like to do more. So if you've got a line on some... think of me.
In some really great news I've been commissioned to create a new cityscape of Des Moines for the big Des Moines Art Festival this Summer. It's a great event attended by thousands and I'm thrilled to be a part of it. The image will then be enlarged and divided into about 1000 squares which will be reproduced by Art Fest attendees. Those squares, when completed, will be mounted onto a framework resulting in a billboard-sized reproduction (roughly 30'x50'). That's HUGE! I'm really pumped up for this project. Working with specific contraints and with a committee will be a new experience, but I'm totally up for it and can't wait to get started.
On top of that there are shows coming up and contests, AND I might be speaking to an Art History and Architecture class. I love public speaking, but I'm a little nervous about this one. I'm up to the challenge tho.
I'd like to give thanks now to those people that have presented me with these opportunities and to those people that have and continue to believe in me. I won't let you down. I appreciate you more than you know.

When opportunities arise you rise with them.
Sometimes you bite off more than you can chew, but it's better than starving.

Cheers!

R

A Flurry of Activity or Our Lady of the Many Arms

So much to do. So much that's been done. So much that gets left on the wayside.
It's been an all-around busy week. Seems like everything happens at once. I'm sure there's a law of causality that governs it or at least makes a flail attempt to explain it. I've been happy to be busy. It keeps you from dwelling on any one thing excessively. That works for me. I'm kinda all over the place anyway.
Got great news this week. I'm keeping it largely under my hat, but there are those that know. Just want to get going on it a bit before I talk to much more about it. Suffice it to say that it's a great opportunity and I have some serious Thank You's to dole out.
Had a great weekend. Got to visit some friends and had a great night out at some very cool places. More Thank You's.
My social life has taken a bit of a front seat lately. Perhaps it's time to ease up on that a bit. It can be a bit addictive and can hinder one's productivity, but it can be good too. You can't hole up in your studio and expect anything to happen to you.
As a result of all of this Our Lady of the Many Arms has taken a bit of a break. I have some pics from my last session with her. I'm thinking her arms are a pretty good metaphor for things as they are right now. I'm reaching in may directions at once, but doing it gracefully. Or at least making an attempt.
Does this mean my feminine side is a six-armed woman?
She's lost some arms and the ones that are left are feeling more or less right to me. I just need to spend some time on their shape and pose. Then we'll refine form. I think she'll be done soon. I've got other projects that need tending to though so she may take longer than I think. The paying projects take precedent right now.

Gonna be a good week.

Cheers,

R

Getting There and Gaining Limbs

More updates on Our Lady Spiral.
Sometimes when I'm working on cityscapes I feel stuck or sortof blah about the piece. It can get hard to move forward or at least feel like you're making progress. A college prof of mine used to call these Slave Paintings. Pieces you feel like you're tied to. They can become a burden. They can even make you feel like you don't want to go to the studio and work. Sometimes though, all you have is dogged determination. I've got a couple of pieces on the easel or in the sketchbook that are started to feel like this. Projects that I've started or should start that I just don't want to touch right now.

This piece has stepped in and wiped all of that away for a while at least. It's taking focus away from my core portfolio work, but I like painting this way sometimes. It has really gripped my imagination. Painting without references is pretty liberating to me although I'm still grumbling about the lack of a figure-model to help with the arms and final leg positioning. You do what you can sometimes. There IS a life drawing group that gets together at a local gallery. Perhaps I'll get off my ass and get down there. I'll have to make do. Improvisation is a big part of creativity in my book. If you can't improvise you can quickly find yourself stuck. When you don't have what you need you find a way to get it or get around it.

I feel like I'm getting to the end of this one even tho I'm still unsure as to how many limbs she'll have when we're done. Plus I'm still fiddling with the final positioning of the one's she's got. I've got some ideas for a new one, but I've got to get some more cityscapes done. Some potential shows coming up that I'll need them for. I don't feel like this work should mix with the rest. Pieces like Spiral are more personal to me and need special attention. Their own show

Cheers,


R

Miss Spiral

I've noticed something. Since I've started painting Spiral I've started seeing things a little differently. I've noticed that I don't feel as isolated. My work for the most part depicts either empty streets, or streets with one or two people (minus the cars... they don't count as people). A lot of my paintings are, then, studies in isolation or the juxtaposition of isolated individuals.
I think you get back what you put out. So here I am depicting these singular elements under darkness. You see what I'm getting at.
Since I started working on her I've had a slightly different outlook. My social calendar is filling up. I'm spending more time involved hands-on with things. I'm wanting to involve people and get involved with them. I find myself sketching again. An act that had become more and more rare in the last few years. I don't know if it's just the change of subject matter. Perhaps I'm opening up more.

I'm shooting from the hip more on this. I don't have any photo-references to make my decisions for me on what goes where. No pre-built skylines or people walking about. I'm having to get more involved and take the work a little more personally. I don't think this is going to be necessarily where my work is going, but I'm definitely going to be spending more time with this part of my personality.
So, she's got me going. I've added and removed arms. Repositioned legs and breasts. Her head's about the only thing that's left intact from the original canvas sketch. I'm hoping to get some help soon with the poses. After that it'll be a little more academic. I'd like to finish her, but I can't do that until I'm satisfied. Perhaps I'll have to put her aside for a while to play catchup on some other work, but honestly I can't really go down to the studio and not work on her.
Preparing to tangle with those arms tonight.
Wish me luck.



Cheers,


R

More to Come Soon

As I'm sure it has been for everyone this last week's been a real blur. The holidays wear me out. I've had your standard work-holidays and should be catching up on rest, but it seems like there's always so much to do: friend and family visiting, parties, the occasional road trip. I'm preaching to the choir. As a result I've only painted a few times in the last week or so. I'd say I've gotten a lot accomplished tho. I've been talking. Getting the word out. Trying to develop new relationships in my professional and personal life. Might have come through with a couple of new shows lines up. More importantly I came through with some new friendships and refreshed a few older ones.

That's what's been keeping the spring in my step. I think it's also what has produced this change in my subject matter. Spiral absorbs me when I'm in the room although at the moment she's got me a little turned around and I'm not sure where to go. I made some major changes last night. I ditched 2 or three arms and revamped her legs. I think they look strong now... perhaps too muscular. I'll have to look at it some more. I want to convey exuberance, reverance, delicacy, and strength. The limbs have to be perfect in their own pose in relation to the body but I don't want to get caught up in the details. I think that could take away the energy. That's part of the reason I did what I did with the limbs.

Frankly I need a large mirror... dammit i need a model. I don't do figurative work a lot and it would be handy to have an actual reference I could pose.

The job of Muse is also currently open...
Apply within.

Cheers,

R

Dancer Update

I did what I said I was going to. I stepped up to the canvas w/ the bare vestiges of a gameplan. I usually have a fair idea of how I'm going to get started on a night's work, but last night I spent a little time deliberating about which brush to start with and that was about it. It just started coming out. I did spend some time testing out the pose... the position of the arms. I probably looked pretty ridiculous, but that's what curtains are for. I found myself adding and subtracting limbs, adjusting the tilt of an arm, the position of a breast. I'm not going for accuracy here, but I do want the pose to make some sort of anitomical sense. If, that is, you can make sense of a woman with an undefined number of arms.
Around 1am I stepped back and realized she'd taken on a Lovecraftian look. She'd become beautiful and horrible. Graceful and unsettling. I want her to be exhuberant, triumphant, and a little disturbing. She's definitley getting that. I didn't realize it until I stepped out of the room and came back. Guess I needed to reset my perspective. I'm not sure where she's going to go from here. Who knows what we'll wind up with at the end. I'm kindof along for the ride here so it's anyone's guess.
Stay tuned for more.


Cheers,

R

The Dancer Begins

I mentioned in my last post that I'd done multi-armed female figures before. Here's my first. The piece is entitled, "The Dancer Begins". She was the product of another burst of quick inspiration one late night. I used to do tons of figurative work in graphite and charcoal. I really enjoy it, but in recent years I've let it slide in favor of my cityscapes and nocturnes. This work doesn't fit with my regular stuff so I've kindof put it off to the side. I've had shows and commissions and too many other things to think about I suppose. Maybe it's time to let these characters back out. I've often considered posting this stuff under a pseudonym just because it IS so different. Maybe that sounds pretentious, but I like the idea of this work being the property of an alter-ego even if that alter-ego is maybe more me than the other guy or at least a part of me that I file away for personal use only.



Cheers,

R

Spiral

I was up painting Friday night and wasn't having a lot of success. Earlier in the evening I'd put a 36"x48" canvas sup on my primary easel just to have something on it. I got a funny feeling right after I put it up. I was walking away from it and turned around for something and I got the oddest sensation that it (the canvas) was looking back. I even posted a note on Twitter commenting on my new, blank canvas "smiling" at me and how I knew it was going to be something different. I had no idea what tho.
I'd covered my palette with plastic wrap and had turned off the tunes. I was ready to hang it up for the night when, for no apparent reason, I snatched a dirty brush out of my turp can and started frantically... for lack of a better word, scribbling. I still really didn't have any idea what was going to come out. Kindof like Voodoo Chevalier(i think that's the name for it). Like it wasn't me and someone else was driving. I'm not really talking about spirit possession of course, but the sensation is odd to be sure. I think a lot of artists get this feeling.
So here she is. I'm calling her Spiral. It's a comic book reference to a six-armed woman that appears from time to time in the X-Men. Her character always made me think of Shiva as the Cosmic Dancer. Those images have always fascinated me. It's not the first time I've depicted a figure like this. I painted a six-armed feminine figure a few years back. A personal favorite of mine. This one's feeling different tho. I'm not sure where she's going to go from here. I'm not putting much into planning. I plan on doing some conscious tweaking, but for the most part I'm just going to step up to the canvas and let it come out. She could wind up with dozens of limbs... who knows? I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes. Maybe moreso than anything else I've done recently. It's nice to take a new direction. It's been a long time since I've let myself explore so it's exciting. Maybe a change in direction will be good for me. Maybe this represents new things for me in other areas as well. Sometimes I think this facet of my work is my real self speaking up.
We'll see what he has to say.

Cheers,

R

Christmas Spirit?

Every year we're bombarded with stuff that's supposed to invoke the Christmas Spirit. Usually this irritates the hell out of me, but this year I can't say that I've really even noticed. Maybe it's because I don't watch a lot of TV. Maybe it's because of the current home situation I'm in. Christmas is a time for Family and mine's a bit of a mess right now. Not to mention, people... Jesus wasn't born in December. Pretty much any Bible scholar can tell you.
More than anything the rabid commercialization just gets me down. Kindof wears your faith in humanity a little thin.
On the other hand I've seen a lot of generosity going around in the face of tough times. If anything will restore my Christmas Spirit that's it. I've seen my own children express such giving that it lightens my heart. I can't wait to be with them when they come downstairs Christmas morning. The sheer excitement on their faces... their instant willingness to share their new discoveries with each other. Looking forward to that. It gives me some hope.
Maybe hope is the reason I'm working on a piece depicting two people walking down the street windowshopping together. It's not that I'm hoping to be like that right now. I'm not. I am putting it out there as an image of things working out. Of knowing that things don't stay the same. That situations, no matter how bad, can work out for the best one way or another. Maybe working on something like this gives me some solace. Maybe that's why I'm feeling so tentative about it. The painting's only 9"x12" and the little things can be delicate. They need special care and attention. Working small has made me feel like I'm tiptoeing. Taking little steps. Being more mindful. Perhaps that's what I need right now. A little stillness of heart.
I think that's what I want for Christmas this year.

Well, that and a new MP3 player.

Cheers,

R

Refreshed

I'm back from NYC and I feel recharged for the first time in a long time. I've been taking so much time off painting lately I think because even though I was actively working on a piece and had others I wanted to get done I'd really been struggling with the desire to actually get down and do it. It's not like my weeks haven't been a little hectic, but I think I was using that as a beard for a lack of motivation. If you really want to do something you'll find a way. The opposite of that is true as well.

My day-job employer, Aviva, sent me out to Woodbury, NY to do some inventory work. I'm generally always happy to travel and the trip itself went well although the work experience could've been better. On the other hand I did finally get to meet some people I've worked with for several years that I've never had the chance to actually put the face with the voice. So that part was good. Plus one of them gave me an umbrella when I told her I was going into the city to take pics. Very cool. So, Thanks! Needless to say the umbrella went to good use as it was windy, raining, and about 40degrees. I couldn't have cared less. It was effing beautiful. I met up with a couple of friends and we pretty much walked, got soaked, and had an excellent time. I took about 60 good pics. I couldn't get as many as I wanted because I couldn't keep the camera out for long in some areas due to the blowing rain. Miraculously it still works. It was totally worth it.

The trip revitalized me. I had to really want to get those shots to go out and wander around in that weather. The experience forced me to have to endure some unpleasantry to get the really good stuff. Granted I had good friends along and Hot Toddies at the end of the road before the train ride back to Long Island. The company of friends can take the edge off of nearly anything.

So thankful that I went. So glad to be home.

Looking forward to starting on some of these. Maybe tonight.

Cheers,

R

Before I Go

So I've been thinking a lot about things lately. I haven't been painting much. I haven't been exercising much either. Seems like there are a number of things that are falling into that category. I've had a few shows recently and there is talk of more. Lately tho I've been settling into a different mindset.

Seems to me that Winter is a time for thought. It's too cold here to want to spend days on end enjoying the out-of-doors so your options become limited. We read, watch TV, talk, or if you live where it's cold you probably drink and/or have sex. All perfectly good ways to take the edge off of cold Winter months. Not only that tho I think it's necessary in a way. To be sheltered away for a while either on your own or with those you love. For some people it's both. Any way you slice it... it can be time well spent, but you'd be wise to build up your reserves.

I will settle back into my routine of nightly painting very soon, but just like the colder temperatures this season's frame of mind can take a while to get acclimated to.

Here is an update to my current piece. The original photo was taken in October. A time when everything alive is storing up for the Winter.

On the road to New York tomorrow. Better get some sleep.

Cheers,

R

Quite a Week

Wow, this week's been a bit of a whirlwind so I haven't been painting much. It bothers me a bit, but on the other hand I've been using the time to promote my work and do a little reflection. Plus work's been a bear. My coworkers and I have spent the last week doing assett inventory for my employer, Aviva. That means we've been working with a team of contractors to pretty much count everything remotely electronic. With three buildings in Des Moines and four remote locations it's a pretty big undertaking. I'm proud to say that we've been moving along ahead of schedule although it's been exhausting. Mostly I've just wanted to come home, spend time with my boys, relax a little and go to bed. There IS a little bonus that comes with this project tho. I've been assigned to go to our New York office to do the inventory there. The office is on Long Island, but I'm hoping to get into Manhattan for at least one night. Christmas time in NYC is practically mythical in my book and I'm geared up to take pics til my camera explodes. Can't wait for that part.
Day-Job aside the rest of the week's been very entertaining. The Crossroads Conference happened Thursday night and I have to say that it was a blast. Lots of good music, art, food and drink. The New Belgium Brewery was one of our sponsors. I LOVE their 1554 Enlightened Black Ale. Nectar of the Gods... Last night ArtDive had an open house and the Fitch Studios & the Fitch Gallery had their open artists' studio night. Both were very well attended. I got to spend some time with some amazing artists and regular people as well (smirk). I spent the earlier part of the evening discussing art with visitors and potential customers. I tend to be a bit of a solitary observer, but for some reason I felt like I was in my element this week and chatted up a storm. I have to admit... it felt good.
That brings up a discussion I had last night with a new friend of mine. He teaches Art and had some interesting insights not only into my work, but into this blog. I tend to break the blog up into "What's going on in my life" and "Here's what I'm working on". I never really considered it, but it sort of insulates my personal life from my work. Perhaps it's my tendency to be a voyeur that led to it. I'm not 100% sure, but it's given me something to think about. I feel like perhaps I need to include myself more into my work, or at least in my discussion. Not just talking about what I'm doing, but why.
I'll give it a try. Hell, I'll try anything once. Well, almost anything....

Hope to have some more updates and maybe even some insights before the weekend's up. We'll see.

Cheers,

R

Keeping Up the Momentum

Getting back to it after a couple days away and I'm glad I did. It was nice to take a few extra days away from the studio this last week, but momentum is important to me. Too many times in the past I've let it slip only to find myself wondering where the time went and what I spent it on. Not to mention I tend to get surly when I don't paint.

So now it's one to the next one. I posted some pics a while back from a trip to visit friends in Galena, IL. I started the painting a few weeks ago, but have left it largely untouched in my efforts to get work done for the show at the Heritage Gallery and the CrossRoads Conference coming up this Wednesday and Thursday. I feel like I'm getting a good grasp of this image and have every confidence It'll be done within the next 10 days. I spent tonight redifining some of the shapes and laying down some more colors. I still need to correct the overall shape of the stiped awning and spend some time on the right-hand figure. Looking forward to seeing this one finished.

Sleep now...

Cheers,

R

The First Real Snow!

Typically Sunday mornings are a big deal around my house. The kids drag me out of bed (read as "off the couch") and I get up and make a huge breakfast: bacon, eggs, sausages, pancakes or waffles, fruits... the woiks. This Sunday morning however they're off and running. No sooner had we all gotten up and moving then the neighbor kids started arriving in their snowpants and heavy coats asking if the boys could come out and play. Naturally I couldn't deny them. First snows are always good childhood memories. Good adult ones too. Thinking about taking a walk in it while it's still coming down.
So they're out playing and I'm having a cup of good, hot tea for my sore throat and my aching head. Had a few too many pints at The Vaudeville Mews last night. My reason for not having any updates this morning. In truth I still managed to fit some drawing in at a place called The Lift before my friends turned up. I may post that later, but I'll need to scan it first.
So cheers to you this fine, snowy morning. Let your kids get out and play in it. Let yourself get out and do a little of the same.

R

Just in Time

So which are we as a country celebrating more this year? Thanksgiving or Black Friday? It seems the latter has been getting all of the attention with things being the way they are. Understandable in uncertain times. Perhaps having a tight Christmas will get some people to start thinking about the way we're all living. Hmmm...

"...it's good to be fruitful, but don't take more than a mouthful" - Lenny Kravitz
Enough about that.

I've managed to take a few days off painting this week to give myself a break. Seems like i've been doing a lot of that lately. It's good to focus on some other things for a while. I got some great work done this week as well. I managed to finish Big Red. The actual title is Washington Street in Red. The location is in the Iowa City Ped Mall area. A place where I spent a lot of time getting pics when I lived in Coralville. I may do some touching-up of the large, yellow neon sign area on the upper-right, but all-in-all I feel done. Just in time too. I've got to deliver my paintings for the Crossroads Conference coming up this week (12/3 & 4). Can't wait. It should be a great event. Hope to see some of you there!

Time to get the boys rounded up and run some errands. We'll see if I can pry them away from the Playstation (shuffles to the garage to get the crowbar...)



Cheers,



R

Amost Forgot...

I did forget to mention something last night as I was rambling on. I'd recently gotten a painting accepted into a juried showing at a local gallery. The reception yesterday was great. Great turnout, great art, and some great conversation. All of this made better by the presence of a very good friend turning out for moral support (Thank You!!).
As it turns out I didn't rate so much as an honorable mention. But judging art is very subjective. It's all based on the tastes and moods of the judge or jury at the time. A different judge might have different tastes in art and the decisions can just as easily go the other way. Not to mention the artists were all top notch. I thought all of the pieces had great merit and was happy to be in such good company.
I did get a lot of inquiries about the piece, NYC Coffee and my art in general. More names for the mailing list... It all leads to something.
The point is that you can't take things like that personally. You keep moving forward. Keep trying. Keep getting up. Keep striving. You never give up once you've found your calling.
Next time...

A Quick One Before Bed

It's been a pretty good weekend. Spent Friday night out listening to some excellent music. I was alone so I probably looked a little odd to some, but some nights you just want to check the scene and listen to the tunes. I'm a people-watcher too so that helps. That's a better show some nights than what's up on stage. I don't mind doing things by myself. I love going to movies, galleries, and the like that way. Gives me a chance to really take it in without having someone else to consider.
Got some good painting time in last night and tonight. I'm just going to post a couple of updates and notes before I go crash. Why can't we ever just rest on the weekends?
In tonight's updates you may not notice any huge differences. I'm spending my time getting the shapes right while adding successive layers of color. Last night I made a few more decisions about the person, but she's still pretty fuzzy and something doesn't feel right about her. I added some details to the window towards the front. Nothing major yet. The large sign on the top needs work, but I'll get to it. Still not sure what to do about the lower, left corner. I kindof like it, but it doesn't fit with the piece. Hmm..
Tonight I spent some time redefining one of the white signs correcting its shape and trying to make it look like more than a blob of white. I added some details to the shop window and spent a lot of time refining the girl. I spent a little time working on some perspective issues that have been bugging me, and added more of the dark to further deepen it. After this gets varnished it's going to gain some nice depth there. I think it's coming along nicely and I shouldn't have any problems having it done for the Crossroads Conference coming up December 3rd and 4th (Click the link for details). Should be a good time. I'm thinking 2 more sessions should get it.

Looking for good things this week. Perhaps I should say, "Finding" instead of looking?
Off to bed.

Cheers,

R

Working on Big Red

Although I have no intention of actually calling this piece, Big Red it's fitting for the moment. It's 60" tall and... well, Red. Its predecessors are called Washington Street in Red. I'm loving the simple composition on the large-format canvas. I spent last night working on giving the predominant colors some more depth. I try to achieve this by adding many layers of thin paint over the base values. It gives the color a rich look and feel. The process also helps me to define and redefine the shapes I'm working with. I'll push and pull the shapes until the elements of the composition look right together. Over the next week you'll see the shapes getting more (or sometimes less) refined as they settle into their final positions and achieve their final colors.
I love to lay the paint on really thickly too, but on a piece this size that can cost you quite a bit. Things being the way they are I've had to adjust my process a little when working large-scale to save paint and money. Art is one of the first things to get hit when the economy goes south. It's a luxury good and people are reticent to pay a lot for it when things are down. I like to paint large, but in a bad economy I've got to be conscious of price. Keeping the paint thinner challenges me to achieve my desired results with a different technique than I may prefer to use on a given painting while keeping my costs lower. That allows me to pass it on in the price of the finished work. Plus the overall effect can be gorgeous... which is what I'm hoping for on this one.
Have a Happy!

Cheers,

R

Revisited

First and foremost I would like to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! to my little one, Zane. He turns five today. He's growing up so quickly. He's a great little guy and I'm very proud of him for a great many things. One of those things is that he's starting to take after his Daddy. He will spend hours per day sitting at the table drawing and coloring. I'd say he's already starting to interpret things like figures in a way that greatly exceeds his age. Both of my boys have exhibited artistic inclinations and I couldn't be more excited about it. That being said I will be equally proud of them no matter what path they take in life so long as it's a positive one.

After taking a few days off for some R and R and R (Rest, Relaxation, Regrouping) I started in on a new canvas. I'm revisiting an image that I've rendered a couple of times in the past. I really love this image. It's based on a shot that I took about 10yrs ago when I lived in Iowa City. Personally I think it's OK to revisit things like this. I don't look at it as looking backward. I see it more as a deeper exploration of a familiar thing. Sometimes you don't really see a thing until you delve into it many, many times. The composition is simple, strong, and striking. A single figure walking in the crimson glow of a storefront. I hit the canvas with real enthusiasm at about 11:00pm and didn't look up until nearly 1:30am. I love it when that happens. It's like I'm in another world. Sometimes I even feel like it's not really me doing it. By the time i called it a night I was covered in Winsor Red and ecstatic. The pics here are from last night's progress. I didn't include shots of the preliminary pencil drawing on canvas althought I may post pics of the pen sketch I did in preparation last week. Now imagine this is 36"x60"!
I'm hoping to put this up in the CrossRoads Conference for the Arts in December so I'm going to really hit this hard and do my best to get it ready.
Aiming for good things this week.

All the best,

R

And So It Is...

Funny how some chaos can throw you into a working frenzy. There's been a lot of bad craziness going around these days. Bad craziness in the world. Bad craziness at home. Sometimes you've got to take that negative energy and re-channel it into something positive or at least constructive. That's what I've been trying to do over the last week and it's really come through in this piece. I've made more progress in a shorter time frame on this big guy than I did on a painting one quarter its size. Size is relative I guess.
And so it is... I've finally finished this Chicago piece. I've decided to name it after the character standing in the bottom, left corner. I've been calling him The Watcher. So this painting is titled "Twilight in Chicago - The Watcher". He's a little creepy if you ask me.
I spent a lot of time last night trying to work out a good solution to a nasty curve I'd painted into the prominent building in the right foreground and for hiding the remnants of that taxi cab I'd decided had to go. I blew through a lot of paint attempting to get it right without it looking like i was trying to cover something up. That's the beauty of a medium like this. Oil paints are very forgiving which is part of the reason I love them so much. Not to mention they just smell fantastic.
I have nothing waiting on the easel which means I've got work ahead. Seems I've got a favor to repay to some very cool people. All they wanted in return was a painting from my photo safari to Galena, IL. I guess I know what I'm doing tonight.


Until next time


Cheers,

R

Surreal and Nearly There

I think I mentioned last week that I was going to have an empty house for the weekend. It did actually happen and I had an empty house for the entire weekend. That's never happened before. I'm a proud parent and LOVE spending time with my boys, but even the best of us need a break. It was well worth it in my opinion although Friday night and Saturday morning were a bit on the surreal side. I didn't sleep much Thursday night so I wound up wanting a nap around 9:00pm Friday. I set my alarm for 10:30 so I could hit the studio refreshed. Instead I awoke around 2:30am. Unable to get back to sleep I made some coffee and hit the studio. I painted from about 3:00 until about 6:30-7:00. The time was incredibly productive and I wouldn't mind trying that schedule again assuming I can start going to bed around 9:00pm. I wound up staying up until 2:30 Sunday morning. Go figure.
I painted Saturday and Sunday nights as well. I feel like this Chicago piece is nearly completed. One of the big breakthroughs was the realization that the taxi cab that had been dominating the foreground just wasn't working. It was serving the purpose of adding some depth, but it wasn't meshing with the composition as a whole. Add to that I just couldn't seem to get it to come together as an object. In short it was pissing me off so it went away (you can still see remnants of it that will be covered with successive layers of paint).
I've been working from photos almost since the beginning. I used to paint them verbatim.. within my developing style, that is. Then one of my painting profs at UNI said to me, "These are good, but what are you really doing with the image? Are you making it your own or just copying what you see?". That really struck me and has stayed with me all these years. It was then that I truly learned that subject matter isn't sacred. Whether you're painting from life, photos, or whatever make your subject yours. Give it your own twist and don't get too hung up on the details.
In other news I did wind up getting a piece accepted into the Polk County Heritage Gallery show this month. It's a gorgeous venue and I'm sure to be in some very good company. Can't wait! I got some other potentially very cool art news this weekend too. It's only a maybe at this point, but I'm excited all the same. I'll divulge what it is only if it becomes a reality. Don't want to jinx it.
Hopefully in my next post I will be able to show you a finished piece.
Until then,

Cheers!

R

Friday Updates. Sweet Peace and A Reminder

This week's been a tough one to be sure. Lots going on at the house. Lots going on at work. Not all of it good. In fact, a lot of it's been pretty bad. All of that just got tossed out the window tho and I've been reminded how precious life is. I just saw a message stating that a woman was run over by a garbage truck behind of the my employer's buildings here in DesMoines. She was killed. It may be someone I've worked with. At this point no one's saying anything. That slapped me in the face and reminded me that all of the petty crap we do to each other and ourselves from day to day isn't worth it. Love those your have with all of your heart and don't sweat the petty stuff. You never know when your (or their) number is up and you'll never get the chance to say all of those things you meant to say. Say them NOW.
In other news I just may have a completely empty house this weekend. That would be the first time in over a decade that this has happened. I'm not sure what to do with myself. Maybe something... Maaaaybe nothing. Either way, what bliss. Honestly, I will miss my children quite a lot.
I've made some great progress on the new Chicago piece. I've made some adjustments to the skyline. It needed more variety. The color I used to make the change was a little off, but once it's dried a bit I'll be able to work it to where it needs to be. I've also lightened up the far horizon element a bit. Not satisfied with the color tho. As for the rest I'm picking at the smaller elements making them work together so the final piece doesn't look choppy or too busy. The individual bits need to work together smoothly to create a coherent piece. I'm sure I'll use lots of my spare time to create this weekend. I'm looking forward to getting some good work done.


Cheers,

R

Tuesday Image Updates

*does not blog about politics if at all possible. will not be blogging about the election today. go and vote your conscience*
One thing I'm learning as I go along is consistency. Not just in my work, but in my work habits and life. I try to get to the studio about the same time each night. I try to do things on a schedule. I'm not a list maker or a calendar freak or anything like that. But especially when you have kids you have to keep things on track when it comes to day-to-day stuff. One should also be consistent when it comes to friends as well as clients. Point being if you're going to do something do it when you say you're going to do it. If you say you're going to make a phonecall... make it. Try your best not to leave people hanging wondering what's going on. Sooner or later they'll take it personally or will simply stop dealing with you out of frustration or whatever. I've been guilty of inconsistency and it's cost me from time to time in many different currencies (monetary, emotional, etc.) So take a lesson from me and work on being consistent in your work and life. It's hard work, but being a disciplined artist/person does have its rewards.

So.. there's my little soapbox bit for the day.

Now, on to the work. The new Chicago piece is looking great. I've spent some time last night and over the weekend reworking the shapes of the cards and the background buildings. I've also started to give the big, red Chicago sign some more contrast and depth. The big building up front is start to take shape as well. If you look back through the progressive pics you'll see the windows are starting to form as areas of light and dark are worked back and forth with and against each other(remember: push and pull). I'm still debating on the color of the blue car in the middle ground. In the source pic all of the cars are more or less that cadmium yellow because of the streetlights and storefront lights. So here's where you have to ask yourself some questions: do you change the color for the sake of some variety or does it detract from the overall composition and color-balance of the piece? Still undecided.
On a side-note I put in for a show at the Polk County Heritage Gallery that will be going up this month. I'm hoping to get at least one piece in. Wish me luck!

Cheers,

R