Blah Blah Blog...

Painting Tonight

2011-03-07T20:37:00.004-07:00

And tonight there was this...

More New work

2011-03-07T20:29:00.005-07:00

Sunday night came more painting on 1 and the beginning of 2....

New Paintings

2011-03-07T20:26:00.002-07:00

It seems like nothing I ever start gets finished... like I am working on a new series every time I paint. Well, this one is meant for me to enjoy the material. Painting for paints sake. This is painting one of "Fat over Lean".
Saturday night I began...

Quarter to Eight

2010-09-26T13:11:00.004-06:00

Masked

2010-09-26T12:39:00.007-06:00

Here is another work that I completed over the last couple weeks. It is painted on vintage lace on canvas board. I honestly thought it would be difficult to make the image clear because of the texture of the background. However, it actually allowed me to leave out most of the detail that I would normally obsess over, cutting my painting time down to a couple hours.

Bhavatarini

2010-09-17T01:10:00.002-06:00

Here she is... in all her glory.

Making works

2010-09-12T11:06:00.002-06:00

Here is a peek at what I've been working on. My plan is to finish it today.

Another Show Poster

2010-09-01T14:24:00.004-06:00

This is a very talented musician, and I am proud to contribute to his support team.
Check out his tour dates and see if he will be playing near you!

Trade Secrets

2010-05-26T07:13:00.005-06:00

Here is a little trick I use for my graphic design work...
I signed up to receive the Dover design sampler that comes via email about once every 2 weeks or so. The clip art gets dragged to a desktop and put into a folder for making photoshop brushes, etc... Here are examples of the clip art that I have access to with this email...

Tour Poster

2010-05-26T06:50:00.003-06:00

Designed another poster for Trevor Green to use for his approaching tour. Very talented guy. Let his music speak for him: www.trevorgreenmusic.com or myspace.com/trevorgreen
You can also find his tour dates on these sites.

A Portrait Gift

2010-05-19T09:09:00.007-06:00

This painting was a gift to the grandmother version of the baby in the painting. Of course, it was loved. I can't stop staring at it myself.
One of the reasons I decided I loved paintings of people was that I would always look at them and wonder who the subject was and why they were documented in this way.
There is really no explanation needed as to why I chose to paint this photo. To me, she looks so glamorous in her 1940's style, caught in a moment of joyous laughter. So beautifully candid...

Shhhhh..... It's a Secret

2010-05-13T00:42:00.003-06:00

So, I AM painting.... despite what it looks like from the number of recent posts on here. This time it is a gift. It is one that will most definitely draw tears. I am painting for my soon to be mother-in-law. It is her birthday coming up and I am painting a pic of her mother (who recently passed) holding her as a baby. It is a beauuuutiful photo. I only hope I do it justice. It truly is a pleasure to stare at such a uniquely beautiful face all day.
Anyway, I hope she doesn't stumble across this until after it has been presented to her. Seeing as how no one is following, I think it will be alright.
Here is a little preview.

Clearly, there is more work to be done. I worked on it again tonight, and will post an updated pic tomorrow. I don't know why I always serendipitously choose the right color for the underpainting. This time I was cleaning my mineral spirits container and there was all this reddish pigment at the bottom, so I slapped it on the canvas. It's working with the sepia tones quite well.

Like Paint for Chocolate...

2010-05-10T12:46:00.005-06:00

This artist may have what it takes to really inspire me to start making work again, or at least finish what I've started. I think these pieces speak for themselves, but what I really enjoy is the dramatic and noticeable color changes in the flesh (ala Lucian Freud) and the intermingling of the figure with his/her background.
Thank you, Jason Shawn Alexander, for making me drool!

Updated painting...

2009-07-23T11:36:00.000-06:00

Here are the latest pics of my current piece:

Painting Featured...

2009-07-20T00:13:00.002-06:00

I have a piece of artwork for sale on Thursday, featured at:

Thursday

23-Jul

Devon Sharon

Lori-11x14-gicleeoncanvas-$75.jpg

Latest painting...

2009-07-16T00:35:00.005-06:00

Painting continued

2009-07-09T09:02:00.002-06:00

Not much done... Sat down for maybe 20 minutes while the dog was still. Changed the position of the swing.

Painting again...

2009-07-04T08:55:00.003-06:00

So, I finally began another painting last night. The last day or two I was prepping the panel and puppy-sitting... but last night I was able to lay out the beginning sketch. This painting is of a friend posing as Lillian Leitzel, an acrobatic star for the Ringling Bros. in the 1920's. Click on the picture to learn more about her.
The painting is about 34" wide by 48" tall, oil on panel... and yes, I am beginning on an orange background... I can't wait to get some paint on there...

Daily Original

2009-03-21T00:26:00.002-06:00

I have a piece going up on www.dailyoriginal.com for Tues. March 24th.
Make sure you stop by to see it! It's your favorite!

Daily Original

2009-02-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

I will have a piece featured on Wednesday, this week.
www.dailyoriginal.com

Joan of Arc.... final piece

2009-02-11T00:35:00.004-07:00

Finished it today.... This is really just a prelude to a much larger version I plan to do of my model in a much more captivating pose. I was pretty good at leaving a lot of the details alone, so that it could be finished. Not too shabby....
Sorry about the glare...

Joan continued....

2009-02-10T01:55:00.002-07:00

I should've finished this one by now.... I've decided to stop being picky about every little detail, as I don't have time, what with my show this weekend. It will be done tomorrow, then another will begin, and another, and another...
Hopefully I will have four additional paintings done by Thursday. They will be quick. More like figure studies, unlike these much grander pieces I am obsessively picking at with my brush....

Joan of Arc...

2009-02-06T12:33:00.002-07:00

The latest work on this piece... I adjusted the face a little more, the lips, the chin... It is much more of a likeness of the model now...

* Also, my work will be featured on www.dailyoriginal.com on Weds. Feb 11th...

The Lady Emerges....

2009-02-04T00:44:00.002-07:00

So, this is what's happening with my latest work. I struggled with it quite a bit earlier... having repainted it several times (this being the 4th and final). I am very happy with it and can't wait to see it finished... Hopefully I can let go of my need to poke and stroke every tiny detail. Certainly well worth the wait and the work, and it proves that you should listen to your instincts when they say "You can do BETTER!"

2009-01-28T16:23:00.005-07:00

For those of you who haven't already seen it, here is a poster I designed for an event coming up in Long Beach. It took about 2 days to make, but I think it's because I am rusty on my graphic design skills and I probably did everything the hard way...

2009-01-28T16:13:00.002-07:00

Much better....
Don't you think?

If all else fails....

2009-01-23T21:15:00.002-07:00

Do it the right way....
Which is, to be less lazy and actually measure when you draw it out...
Also, start with a "clean slate."

This one is done, finally. I am going to enter it in a juried competition.

Another step in Evolution...

2009-01-19T13:23:00.003-07:00

This is the almost completed version...
Just got to work on the background, not a whole lot, just thicker paint and slight value changes.

So, the peacock feathers are gone. Something is still not quite right with the left side.... gonna do an umber glaze to blend it more with the rest of the piece.

Second draft: Still not what I want. It is a study for Joan of Arc, so I am hesitant to cut out too much of the sword... But, I decided that it is only a study, so I am going to redo it again with a more close cropping of the face, because that is the best part!

You can still see the original face peeking through....

Death of a first draft....

2009-01-16T23:03:00.002-07:00

This is my first attempt at this painting...
I don't like it. The composition is boring and because it is on a 24"x30" canvas, the figure is small. I had hoped that if I put some work into making the face interesting, it would make up for the rest of the piece. Not so. I really can't stand it. I was debating on whether or not to continue with it and make a mediocre painting, just to have another finished piece.
Also, not what I really want to do. So, the next time you see this piece, it will be very different.
Hopefully I can work it out.
That's about 2 days worth of painting down the drain.
Oh well. I will not be satisfied until I love it.

2009-01-16T23:00:00.001-07:00

This is the latest work on this painting.....
I felt like peacock feathers... but it doesn't work for this painting.
So, I am working on something else for the left side.

2009-01-09T23:09:00.002-07:00

Almost done... Maybe 1 more day...
It doesn't look like I've done much. It's all little details and refining parts of the headpiece.
Did the chains and crystals hanging down... a little on the top of the piece...
The overall color changes are from the lighting. This is more accurate than the one below it.

2009-01-08T21:51:00.000-07:00

The latest work on the evolving painting...

2009-01-06T23:46:00.001-07:00

The Evolution of a Painting.....
This is what I am working on at the moment.

This is another work in progress...

2008-12-20T10:04:00.002-07:00

Welcome to my blog! I just wanted to have a place where I can talk about my art, and you can ask questions. I will try to post everything that is going on in my art world... shows, websites, ... etc... Thanks for your interest.