In Progress(?): Junction

"Junction"

48"H by 36"W, on panel.

(click for enlargement)

I've reached a place with this painting where I can almost call it done. It buzzes with the amount of shapes and colors inflicted on it, seems overcrowded and disjointed. I'm going to look at it for a few weeks, see if I can figure out how to fix it. For now, it's hanging in the studio highway, taking up some space.

In Progress: Untitled (shoes)

"Untitled (shoes)"

30"H by 48"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement)

 

Still working on this one. I have noted that every time I feel like my strokes aren't going on the way I want them to, I feel like I should go brush shopping. Really, what I ought to do is learn to clean them a bit better. 

I'm not sure of the shadow colors in this one yet, and some of the spots haven't been added or their placement still eludes me. Now that some of the shoes are looking a lot more solid, it's easier to see what the result will look like. Tomorrow I hope I can get the background slapped on.

In Progress: Untitled (shoes)

"Untitled (shoes)"

30"H by 48"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement)

Still going really strong on this one. My Mondays are cut short at the studio, but the extension cords are finished and were very fun to paint. This painting has an issue I didn't really see until this point; the shoes on the left side are small in size, but shouldn't be quite as tiny as they are. I'll have to correct that when I paint on top of the drawing. 

I'm ready to paint more on it as soon as I get up in the morning. This is going very quickly compared to some of the other ones I have languishing in the studio.

In Progress: Untitled (shoes)

"Untitled (shoes)"

30"H by 48"W, on canvas. 

(click for enlargement)

This is a pile of shoes with a couple of electrical cables piled on top of a mattress.  I had a really good groove going with this by the time I was done today. So good, actually, that I didn't really notice that I was clenching my jaw and leaning heavily to the left. Forgetting to move and above all, relax, is a sign of a good painting, or at least it means that I'm passionate about it. It also means that I might be found laying on the floor tomorrow, trying to get my back to go back to where it should be.

Here is a reference collage I've made of the same subject:

(click for enlargement)

 

Just drawing these absurd little graceful objects brings me more joy than wearing them possibly could.  Another series of paintings? Well, yes. I've got nothing but time until I start making a realistic income with my painting, so I may as well put my eggs in a lot of baskets.

State Fair Visit

Here's me with Garbage. I like this painting, but me being fond of it doesn't excuse the fact that it feels like a much weaker painting than the ones I'm working on these days.

Tumult seems settled now that it's framed. If it is sold, I may cry a little before using the cash to fix my decrepit truck.


Both paintings won Awards of Merit, and the ribbons are some of the most lavish award rosettes I've ever seen. The State Fairgrounds is enormous and I saw perhaps half of it before deciding that it was just too hot to continue. The Fine Art building is housing some incredible works of art, and I feel like my paintings are in excellent company.

Starbucks Grande

Here's the underdrawings for the start of a series of small paintings. I am not sure if all of these will be of coffee cups, or whether they will all be crushed.

All are 6x8 inches, charcoal on cradled panels. Going to put some paint on them next week. None of them have names or individual lives yet, and I'm not sure whether I'm going to include any of the text. It's a bit repetitive, like a visit to Starbucks.

Built for Two

I've been away for a week, and I feel like I should apologize for being out of the studio for so long. I can't wait to get back to painting. On the bright side, the summer camp that I helped to run got a lot of positive reviews from parents and students alike.


Some friends of mine got married a couple weeks ago, and this was my wedding present to them: 

"Built for Two"

11"H by 17"W, on canvas.
(click for enlargement)

And here's the painting with the frame on it. I went to the trouble of putting gold leaf on the poplar frame and then had to dull it back with an acrylic wash and some satin polyurethane. It came out very nicely, if a little late with the seven-day drying time. 

In Progress: Sink

"Sink"

24"H by 54"W, on panel.
(click for enlargement)

I've been painting outside lately. In my studio, I can't step more than four feet away from the surface to see the picture from a distance. The open air and more importantly, heat, has caused the drying times of my paints to reduce to almost nothing (nothing being an hour in this case). So I'm able to work on a part of the painting and come back to a dry surface, as long as I keep the paint somewhat thin. It's a nice way to work, if you can keep from dying of heatstroke.

JuJu's Front and Juju's Back

"Juju's Front"

9"H by 9"W, on panel.
(click for enlargement)

"Juju's Back"

9"H by 9"W, on panel.
(click for enlargement)

Finished these paintings and framed them today, they look pretty nice. More dogs for the dog-painting portfolio- someday I'll figure out how to paint a black labrador in a way that doesn't look like an inky spot with ears. 

Here's one with the frame on: