New Studio!!

I finally created a painting studio space in our new house. This is a photo of me glowing with delight as I hauled the boxes of crap I packed up over three months ago.

The new studio is the porch. Recently occupied as b-squad furniture-room. It's a great space because it's a separate room from the rest of the house, the cats hang out there, and there's excellent ventilation & lighting. Also, in the new house, we have more storage space, so I need not store paintings in the same area I paint paintings.

I've taken a break from painting before, but never for this long. Don't get me wrong, I've still have been creating and making, just not in the "fine art" realm. I have a million ideas for new paintings. Some of them will be great, some of them will be really dumb, and some won't get off the ground. It's like you're about to see an old friend again! I can't wait!

A new, more abstract scroll

I actually finished this one a while ago, I just hadn't photographed it yet.

Someday I think I'm be able to tackle Java Script Codes and upload me self a slide show that will do my scrolls justice, but until then it's still images.

I was thinking a lot about maps, weather patterns, and origami patterns as I was painting. I'm happy with it. It (no title as of yet) is proudly pinned to the wall above my desk. An important location, as it reminds me that I started learning about website design and coding to better promote and display my art. While, I'm not painting a lot right now, I need to remember that the work (hard work at that) is going to probably pay off.

Slideshow and Segments of New Scroll

Another Long Painting.

A piece that may make its non-cyber debut as a panorama, but for now let's watch it as a scroll.

And the stills for those who want a better look.

Art at EOR!

My work is currently being shown at EOR, the Midwest’s Environment Professionals.

I especially enjoy the image of the painting above the drinking fountain.

Better right?

Better right?

My friend Steve helped me figure out how to right the wrongs in this piece. Thanks Steve. I'm 90% confident it's finished.

It started with a drawing of the coniferous tree looking into my studio. Then I added the text from Crown Medical across the

 street. Then, I added the interior

 imagery, which is a thing I've been doing lately. I've been calling them interior landscapes.

This is also a work on paper, also one that I decided need to be reworked, and also one that started from a sketch looking out my window. This time I was inspired by the nieghbor lady's milk pods (plants).

Nate says it reminds him of Minneapolis on a foggy day.

  

Now, I Need YOUR Help!

I have recently been able to secure a art show the end of July. 

This is AWESOME, but I need at least 30 pieces for the space. eek! 

I can need to either a) work my ass off. b) rework all of my older paintings, so they're up to par. c) Include the dreaded b-squad (also know as "college work")

This is a piece I'm reworking. Originally I "finished" it almost a year ago, right when I moved into my apartment. Before the re-do it was contained in the realm of abstract landscape. The piece is becoming a more complex depiction of "looking out the apartment windows."

I liked it, until of course I uploaded the image.

Thoughts?

Today's Makeover Show

This reworking was considerably more frustrating, as the I really liked the face of SNow White and the deer the first time around. I'm over it though; the painting as a whole is much more dynamic.

BEFORE:


AFTER:

Fighting the Good Fight

Here's the second Snow White Painting I've gone back in and hopefully improved.

BEFORE:


AFTER:

Reworking is a Full Time Job!

Fellow painter Bill Webb gave me a few words of wisdom the last time we met up "Finish your paintings or throw them away." Or at least it was something to that effect. I took it to heart and started reworking three of my snow white paintings. This is the one closest to finish.

BEFORE


AFTER


Thanks Bill!

Beginnings of a new scroll

The Scroll may be my new favorite format.

The following are some really poor photographs of my latest scroll project.

It is almost 1/3 of the filled in. Finished it will be 9" x 72"

I like the color palette, the subject matter, and drawing style, but there's a subtle 101 Dalmatians aesthetic that keeps creeping in.

Teeny, Tiny, and gone before you know it.

The tiny showcase edition for Margi Grill was released and sold out within 24 hours, which feels pretty rewarding. I do think the election numbers rolling in that night gave the TS buyers an increased sense of security for the future, so I need to owe part of the success to my friend Barack. Thanks buddy! And congratulations on the win!

I started another Snow White painting. I'm thinking this is my last, that or I'll have to join SWPA (snow white painting anonymous).

Project prolonged

Phase Two:

I didn't work exactly like I planned. I applied a thick clear varnish and the pink ribbons shapes. I'm unhappy with it because it looks like I glued little bits of paper on to it. And that looks dumb. I do have a plan that involves pink tinted varnish. Too bad I already got the work professionally photographed.

I started a painting of my cat.

Elemental Wolves

Often I use google images to find source material for my paintings (unless you have a wolf-pup, rooster, prairie dog, or eight-point buck I can sketch, google images is a lame, but efficient method). I Almost always find myself sidetracked when I find artwork of the same subject matter in the search. For example, today I was looking for wolves to print out and paint . I then came across this gem. I don't know if I can muster up the tenacity to start the project knowing my competition. I sincerely suggest visiting elfwood.com

Current Project

Left is a painting I started end of July. Phase one is finished; it is a sketchy, impressionisticy, from the mind type of landscape. It was exceptionally hard to keep the elements of the landscape, landscape-like and to not add green hearts, purple horseshoes, clovers and blue moons. This is why after "phase one" of this guy to the left, I started the mountain painting (below) where I actually did add a jardin of lucky charms.

Before I go into second phase, I'll explain the inspiration for the work. The open space across from the house I grew up in is forever is jeopardy of being chipped away at for better homes and gardens. As a children, we'd be out playing in the space and pull out the wooded markers with little pink ribbons that were used to mark future demolition. It did seem like my sabotage would postpone the clear cutting. It didn't. The space is significantly smaller today and even so, it's dotted with these mocking, miniature pink flags. I still rip them out and throw them up into a tree. Anarchy!

Second Phase: After a good dousing of fixative, I'll tape off the shape of the invading ribbons. Then cover the work in a gloss varnish. Hopefully the tape will resist the finish. Lastly, I'll take my trusty Coral pink (lead based) mixed with wax and in a screen print style application, I pull the paint over the impression not filled by the varnish. The effect will hopefully be a glossy impression of the space I remember, with these ribbons existing in a jarring matte finish.

Paintings I am working on

Questo e' il mio dipinto!

I'm still working on this one. I have about a list on five things to change on it. I was going to do it today, but I instead made a banana smoothie and curled my hair.

It is inspired by travel photos jeanne and I took when we moved her cross country (chico, CA). Maybe later I'll include the photos that I used with the greatest zeal, but maybe not. 

I like the pink line down the side because it reminds me of when you'd take your disposable camera to one hour photo processing and the pictures would shift. That doesn't happen with digi-photos these days. 

I call it "Missing Miss Platt." Platt  coincidentally  means flat, which is where I live. Ms. Platt lives in a valley surrounded by non-flat mountains. Right Jeanne?

I'm not done with this one remember! I'll repost once it is finished.