A GLORIOUS MESS OF THINGS

Coming Together - Falling Apart

2012-02-19T12:01:00.001-05:00

Well, here it is - the first piece from Phase II of my graduate studies. The art from this point forward will be 'major works' - pieces which draw upon all the motifs, symbols, materials and experimentation from Phase I and bringing them together into a comprehensive whole.

I have increased the scale of the drawings, which has really forced me to slow things down a bit. That's a good thing: I believe it's important to continually assess what is being put into a composition and whether it has relevance to the concept. As a result, the drawings have a stronger cohesion - a stability and purpose of execution.

The right eye (our left) decided to be a problem right from the get-go. I had to rework it so many times that - you guessed it - I wore away the tooth of the mylar. I had to seal off the area, spray it with fixative, then redraw the whole thing. Took me 2 hours just to get that right - what a mess.

Drawing pots is always fun. Really!

Fabric folds as well - I could draw fabric all day...it appeals to the Abstract Expressionist in me.

Thankfully this head went well the first pass - not too much noodling around with this.

Here's where it got interesting. I used a BIG 4" brush on these areas dipped in powdered charcoal, scrubbing and rubbing until I got the textural effect I wanted.

These two could be abstract compositions in and of themselves.

Maybe I'll cut them out of the drawing and frame them as independent pieces.

Yeah right.

Living Inside Me IV

2012-02-07T22:27:00.000-05:00

...And so ends Phase I of my MFA experience. I honestly don't think I can further explore the single figure theme without becoming completely redundant, but I won't rule it out (the single figure thing, not the redundancy - my work has received that label in the past).

Phase II now begins in earnest - larger drawings composed of multiple figures are in the works...

Alla Prima Demo - Self Portrait

2012-01-29T11:07:00.001-05:00

My demo for my Alla Prima painting class this semester. I haven't done a self portrait since my undergrad days, but I thought, eh - why not?

Taking the time to practice over the Christmas break really helped me find my painting groove again.

The melancholic expression kind of weirded me out. I instructed my students to create a portrait that tells the viewer something about the subject's personality through emotion. I decided to paint the face I put on every day I walk out the door.

Yeesh - what a gloomy Gus. I've got to work on that.

My 6"x4" rough on gessoed paper.

Living Inside Me III - The Perils of Cryptomnesia

2012-01-16T18:27:00.001-05:00

I suppose it was going to happen sooner or later.

Something bothered me throughout the entire process of creating this drawing, but I couldn't put my finger on it. The drawing just didn't seem...right to me. I asked the opinion of a couple of my studio mates, and one of them remarked how the drawing reminded them of Egon Schiele. And then it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

I had fallen into the trap of cryptomnesia.

According to Wikipedia:
"Cryptomnesia occurs when a forgotten memory returns without it being recognised as such by the subject, who believes it is something new and original. It is a memory bias whereby a person may falsely recall generating a thought, an idea, a song, or a joke, not deliberately engaging in plagiarism but rather experiencing a memory as if it were a new inspiration."

It's really strange - I set up the pose, took my own reference photos, and never thought about it in any other way other than it being a great image of my own making.

And yet, after doing a little googling, there it was:

"D'oh!"

Ah well, I still think it's a good drawing.

Living Inside Me II

2012-01-05T19:59:00.000-05:00

Back to school next week, so back to the drawing board.

I thought this would be a good time to try drawing on canvas again as a segue from the paintings to my studio work. I experimented with this technique early in my grad studies, and you can see my initial forays here, here and here.

After two years of concentrated drawing and lots of new techniques under my belt, the results are very different than the landscapes. The powdered charcoal washes really loosened the process and created a new dimension of depth...

...unfortunately the weave of the canvas is a pain to photograph! It's not as noticeable when viewed in person.

I'll replace these images when I can figure out a better way to photograph the drawing and lessen the texture.

Lots of smearing and smudging wet charcoal with my fingers and rags going on here.

You may notice some tonal differences within the drawing - that's due to the use of different brands of charcoal. General's compressed charcoal has a cool tone to the marks, while Alpha brand charcoal has a warm umber-ish tint to it. The Cretacolor chunky charcoal I love so much just lays down jet black.

I like the juxtaposition.

Shameless Plug - 'monster, me'

2012-01-02T11:55:00.000-05:00

A good friend of mine and fellow artist Milt Klingensmith is currently animating and directing his own short animated film 'monster, me.' He's created a blog documenting the process, and I recommend you take some time to check it out:

http://monstermethemovie.blogspot.com/

I think it looks really interesting - can't wait to see the finished product!

And once you're done there, check out Milt's Illustration Portfolio site - he's far and away a better Illustrator than I ever was or could hope to be.

http://www.miltklingensmith.com/

Go! Go now!

Practice, Practice...

2011-12-27T19:17:00.004-05:00

The second of my practice paintings using a more traditional approach to the modeling. Trying to keep the paint application thin and loose - so much so that you can see the weave of the canvas.

Rather than using my usual broken stroke technique, I simplified the shapes of the planes using broader patches of value to sculpt the face. I think it gives the sketch more of a watercolor feel.

I really like how the beard bleeds into the overcoat - sometimes things DO work out the way you want.

Right click and open in a new window for the original sizes.

Now In Technicolor!

2011-12-21T10:40:00.000-05:00

There's an old adage that "drawing helps your painting, and painting helps your drawing."

I haven't painted seriously since beginning my graduate degree program over two years ago - there simply hasn't been time. I promised myself that I would get back to it over the semester break, and here is the first result.

It's obvious (at least to me) that my drawing has definitely informed my painting during my absence. I wasn't looking to complete a full-blown, high finished image but rather something akin to my drawings. I chose to use oil washes and thinned paint strokes to achieve a similar look and feel, rubbing out areas of lights and highlights with a rag and letting the paint do what it wanted.

I used raw umber, burnt umber, burnt sienna and no mixing - just straight colors out of the tube thinned with medium to achieve value scales. No white or black to tint and shade the colors.

Kinda neat.

Press and Release

2011-12-14T20:05:00.000-05:00

My mid-program review went very well. I received a lot of positive feedback and constructive criticism - I'm on the right track. On to Phase II.

After the intensity of the Product of Our Time and Man and Crisis series I needed to dial it back a bit and depict some quieter subject matter.
Drawing and painting still lifes are an enjoyable way to spend quality time in the studio musing over this nebulous thing we call Art. I decided it was the right time to take the cumulative lessons of the past two years of study and apply them to these drawings.

I worked from life using a number of objects that have personal meaning to me, arranging compositions and light effects which evoked a powerful sensation of deja vu and memories of the simpler times in my life.

Into the Breach...

2011-12-03T18:22:00.000-05:00

Anticipation will be running high next week - I have my MFA mid-program review Dec. 7th (Pearl Harbor Day, of all things).

The mid-program review is a checkpoint in the graduate arts program. I'm required to submit a five-page Artist Statement (six for Mr. Overachiever here), spend twenty minutes describing my work to a panel of my graduate professors, then an additional forty minutes discussing my work and progress with them.

After wading through my inventory of drawings from the past two years I was surprised to find that I have over forty completed works.

That's 40.

That's more than four times the work I produced from the time I stopped freelancing until I began my MFA studies - about nine years. I feel pretty good about that.

I managed to edit my presentation down to 19 of my best pieces. Here they are hanging in the critique area of my graduate studio space.

I haven't posted this print yet, hence the copyright.

And here's a shot of my studio space. Typical end-of-the-semester disaster area.

Let's hope they don't boot me out of the program - cross your fingers!

Monotype: A Product of Our Time V

2011-11-21T17:22:00.000-05:00

The downtrodden.

Monotype: A Product of Our Time IV

2011-11-12T10:04:00.000-05:00

The Sadist.

Have I mentioned that in addition to all of this drawing, I'm also taking a printmaking class? I finally got around to photographing a number of monotypes I have added to the Product of Our Time series.

Monotypes are a lot of fun, primarily because they are a one-shot deal: you roll out a layer of ink on a flat, hard surface (in this case a sheet of clear plexiglass) and draw directly on the surface by wiping off excess ink.

I start by drawing with a Q-tip, and then carve out the image using bristle brushes and rags. If I remove too much ink from an area, I repair the area by reapplying ink with one of the brushes. Once I'm satisfied with the image I run it through the press and pray to God it works.

So far, so good.

WIP: Man and Crisis II

2011-11-06T10:33:00.000-05:00

This piece traveled through a number of twists and turns during its creation, and took longer than normal to reach the finished product. I learned a lot from this experience, specifically how NOT to overwork a drawing.

The reference I used reminded me of a bulldog, so I incorporated some of those features to the hybrid.

A little value to give it some dimension...

...and I decided I wasn't feeling it. So I erased the drawing back down and re-established a basic likeness from the reference.

Now down to business...

The search for something tangible begins with smudging, smearing, washing and a little buckshot to the mouth.

While developing the eye to see what it would do, I discovered I was drawing a walrus.

A bit more destruction and now I've got something. I really liked the drawing at this stage, and decided to work with it as it appeared.

Applying charcoal washes with brush and fingers, I lay in the background and start refining the head and features. It's starting to look like a hallucinogenic Sargent sketch. I almost called it good at this stage, but I never play it safe. Onward and upward...

...and I should have gone with my first instinct. After adding a wash of translucent white acrylic, I got that sinking feeling I had pushed the image too far and was losing the essence of what I was trying to define. Oh well, too late now - might as well go for it.

After more banging around and messing things up I regained some confidence. I was concerned with the similarities to Mike Mignola, so I reworked the eyes and mouth and added more acrylic until I arrived at the finished image.

Whew!

Intermezzo: Pete

2011-11-02T09:59:00.000-04:00

This originally began as a new entry in the Man and Crisis series, but wound up taking an interesting twist. I started the drawing in my usual fashion, creating a generalized drawing and blocking in some basic values to give it a sense of weight.

And then I added a little more value. Then just a little more detail. Ok, time to wreck it.

No, just a tiny bit more rendering, THEN I'll destroy it...

...but I just couldn't do it. Up to this point, all of these portraits have been strangers - anonymous faces from a near distant past with formal expressions and no emotional connection to me. It was easy to tear them apart.

But not this one.

After all, he was my grandfather. I couldn't do that to him.

Not him.

Man and Crisis II

2011-10-26T10:12:00.000-04:00

"To be centered within one's self is the opposite of living harried and confused - leaving to things in our environment the right to decide our actions, to push us mechanically from one thing to another, to carry us along without rule or order."

"The opposite of being one's self, of genuineness, of being within one's self at all times, is to be outside one's self, far away from one's self, in something other than one's own veritable being. Well then, the opposite of being one's self or withdrawing into one's self is to be in a state of otherness, to be shoved about and confused."

Very often our life is that and nothing else - a falsification of itself, a supplanting of itself with something else. A great proportion of the thoughts with which we live are not thought out by us with the evidence in hand. With some shame we recognize that the greater part of the things we say we do not understand very well; and if we ask ourselves why we say them, why we think them, we will observe that we say them only for this reason: that we have heard them said, that other people say them."

"We have never tried to rethink them on our own account, or to find the evidence for them. On the contrary, the reason we do not think about them is not that they are evident to us, but that other people say them. We have abandoned ourselves to other people and we live in a state of otherness, constantly deceiving and defrauding ourselves. We are afraid of our own life, which is synonymous with solitude, and we flee from it, from its genuine reality, from the effort it demands; we hide our own selves behind the selves of other people, we disguise ourselves behind society."

"My opinions consist in repeating what I hear others say. But who is that 'other,' those 'others,' to whom I entrust the task of being me? Who is it that says what 'they say'? Who is the responsible subject of that social saying, the impersonal subject of 'they say'? Ah - people! And 'people' is not this person or that person - 'people' is always someone else, not exactly this one or that one - it is the pure 'other,' the one who is nobody. 'People' is an irresponsible 'I,' the 'I' of society, the social 'I." When I live on what 'they say' and fill my life with it, I have replaced the I which I myself am in solitude with the mass 'I' - I have made myself 'people.' Instead of living my own life, I am de-living it by changing it to otherness."

- Excerpts from Man and Crisis, chapter 6, by Jose Ortega y Gasset. W.W. Norton & Company. 1958.

WIP: Man and Crisis I

2011-10-21T10:02:00.000-04:00

As mentioned in a previous entry, I've decided to post images of works in progress from initial drawing to the final stages of completion. Generally I come to a drawing with a preconceived idea which is supplemented by my own reference photos - laying out the pose, composition, lighting, perspective, etc. I then render the image with little deviation from the original conceptual drawing.

What makes this semester's work so intriguing to me is that I have essentially thrown out my standard process of predetermined steps and begin with a mish-mash of seemingly unrelated images from my reference files. What I start with gradually changes throughout the process as I react by instinct rather than adhering to a predetermined idea. Marks are made in reaction to other marks, spontaneous accidents and strange results by the drawing materials are absorbed and worked into the whole. The drawing maintains an open fluidity until the end stages when final decisions are made.

I've never worked this way before, and the results have opened a new way of creating things.

I began with a structured drawing based on an old family photo. My initial idea was to continue with my animal/human hybrids, so I tentatively added some goat horns to see if this influenced the direction of the drawing.

Using charcoal, I added basic value description to model the form (which I neglected to photograph - sometimes I get carried away in the moment and forget. I'll do better next time) then proceeded to dismantle my structured drawing. I used a water-soaked bristle brush, a rag and my fingers to smear around my values, reacting to the results and searching for something tangible on which I could direct the flow of the drawing.

At this point I decided the goat horns weren't cutting it, and chose to put the animal portion of the drawing aside and concentrate on deconstructing the human features. Notice that despite my exaggerations, the drawing maintains an underlying structure which anchors the image and keeps it from becoming lost. I believe it is very important that no matter what the end result may be, a solid foundation beneath an image allows one a greater freedom of movement; it grounds the image in a successful illusion of substantive weight and depth of space.

He's looking like a pirate at this stage!

I now put away any reference images I may have used and work solely by instinct and gut reaction. Again, I neglected to photograph the transitional phase, but I do know that both the mouth and the nose determined the final direction of the drawing. I removed the hair and added some donkey/goat/rabbit ears. The fully modeled eye, a feature of many of my recent drawings, wasn't working for me so I eliminated it and chose a more asymmetrical pair of hollow sockets. I also began layering the drawing with white acrylic washes, playing with the opacity and moving it around with both brush and finger, letting the drips flow where they may.

Once I'm satisfied with the central focus of the image, I then proceed to integrate the figure with the background environment, layering and removing charcoal washes and acrylic until I feel the image is complete.

Man and Crisis I

2011-10-18T11:21:00.000-04:00

"An historical crisis is a world change which differs from the normal change as follows: the normal change is that the profile of the world which is valid for one generation is succeeded by another and slightly different profile. Yesterday's system of convictions gives way to today's, smoothly, without a break..."

"...an historical crisis occurs when the world change which is produced consists in this: the world, the system of convictions belonging to a previous generation, gives way to a vital state in which man remains without these convictions, and therefore without a world. Man returns to a state of not knowing what to do, for the reason that he returns to a state of actually not knowing what to think about the world."

"It is a change which begins by being negative and critical. One does not know what new thing to think - one only knows, or thinks he knows, that the traditional norms and ideas are false and inadmissible. One feels a profound disdain for everything, or almost everything, which was believed yesterday; but the truth is that there are no new positive beliefs with which to replace the traditional ones."

"Since that system of convictions, that world, was the map which permitted man to move within his environment with a certain security, and since he now lacks such a map, he again feels himself lost, at loose ends, without orientation. He moves from here to there without order or arrangement; he tries this side and then the other, but without complete convictions; he pretends to himself that he is convinced of this or that."

The negative conviction, the lack of feeling certain about anything important, prevents man from deciding with any precision, energy, confidence, or sincere enthusiasm what he is going to do. He cannot fit his life into anything, he cannot lodge it within a specific destiny. Everything he does, feels, thinks, and says will be decided and achieved without positive conviction - that is to say, without effectiveness; it will be only the ghost of any real doing, feeling, thinking, or saying...a life emptied of itself, incompetent, unstable."

- Excerpts from Man and Crisis, chapter 6, by Jose Ortega y Gasset. W.W. Norton & Company. 1958.

A Product of Our Time III

2011-10-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

The Forgotten.

Something new from now on - I will post progress shots of my work for those who might be interested in the working process of my drawings. I decided to do this because these latest pieces undergo a significant transformation from start to finish and usually look far different than my initial idea.

A little bit of sanding to roughen up the texture.

Acrylic is added at this point.

The drawing gets worked over in some key areas with an exacto knife and sandpaper.

After this point comes the charcoal washes, more sanding and more acrylic, all worked over until I achieve the desired visual effect.

A Product of Our Time II

2011-10-06T09:59:00.000-04:00

The Opportunist.

Conte' and charcoal washes. The neat thing about using washes on gessoed paper is that by cutting the powdered charcoal with water, the wash isn't absorbed by the gesso and can be pushed and pulled with a rag or finger. There's lots of rub-out going on in this drawing, which mutes the modeling to a very narrow set of values and creates an indistinct and blurry effect.

A Product of Our Time I

2011-09-30T08:57:00.000-04:00

The Brute.

How to Circumvent Blogger's Crappy Image Viewer

2011-09-21T09:03:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm not fond of Blogger's new image viewing device, primarily because it doesn't display the image size as it was uploaded.

To get around this, simply right click on an image and open it in a new tab or window. The image should be displayed at its original uploaded resolution.

UPDATE:

It looks like Blogger has reverted to the old style of viewing. But keep this alternate method on hand in case they change their mind again.

Living Inside Me

2011-09-18T10:52:00.001-04:00

We all have our demons.

It is the creature we keep chained within us, the thing which connects us to our primal origins. The monster is the source of our cruelty to ourselves and to each other in both thought and deed. It lurks deep down in the dark recesses of our being, waiting to be unleashed when it senses a moment of weakness. Once free of it's constraints the beast creates all manner of chaos in our lives, manifesting itself through cruel language and acts of physical destruction. Most of us exert a vigilant control over the creature in our daily lives, forcing our rational mind to suppress the influence of it's malevolent nature and live peacefully and with civility.

Yet there times in our lives when our guard slips and the monster burst forth. We can all identify situations in which we have behaved badly, momentarily giving in to our baser instincts which resulted in feelings of guilt and regret. Sometimes we carry these emotional attachments for years, allowing them to consume our lives and stunt our growth. We brood over them and replay them until they become so distorted and magnified that the truth of the matter no longer exists.

It becomes the food which nurtures and gives strength to the monster. And that is exactly what it wants.

Say hello to my monster.

I've started experimenting with powdered charcoal mixed with water and applied with a brush, rag and my fingers, which is really evident in and around the head. The technique has opened new horizons in mark-making, and I had a great time working and reworking areas of wet charcoal washes by layering, erasing, smearing and smudging. There's nothing like getting down and dirty when you're drawing.

Heads: 02.09.09

2011-08-24T12:19:00.002-04:00

Another from the Archives. I've been saving this one of Barbara because it was the first drawing from life that seemed effortless. Everything fell into place with this one; the proportions were spot on and there was little correction necessary. What a lovely face - if only they were all this simple.

Heads: 04.01.09

2011-08-24T12:17:00.001-04:00

From the archives. A quick drawing of Chuck from life. I've always liked drawing the figure in an elevated position. It really makes the process a challenge and the final image more interesting.

And of course there's always my weird penchant for removing the eyes...

Tree Sketches

2011-08-15T17:36:00.003-04:00

Some preliminary sketches for upcoming projects this fall.

Please excuse the photo quality, but these original photos looks much better than my photoshop-edited versions.

A Much Needed Break

2011-08-08T21:16:00.000-04:00

As I wrapped up my summer semester at the end of June I realized I had been creating art at a blistering pace for ten months straight - I needed a vacation! So I decided to take the month of July to myself and do nothing but relax and occupy myself with other things of interest. Now with school fast approaching at the end of August, I'm busy planning my new drawings, updating the assignments for the courses I teach, writing my artist statement - it's back to the grind!

Throughout the month I will probably dip into my backlog of art and post some older work not seen here before. In the meantime, here's a bunny with a pancake on it's head. This has been floating around the 'net in various forms for years, so I think it's safe to assume I'm not violating anyone's copyright. If I am, let me know and I'll take it down.

Boxed In I - Revisited

2011-07-05T11:37:00.000-04:00

Some of you might remember the original version of Boxed In I I did last year as a small monotype rendered with grey scale chalk. I decided to revisit this composition using the charcoal on gessoed paper approach and increasing the size.

I played with the idea of extending the left hand beyond the borders of the box to heighten the sense of uncomfortable compression, and after some discussion with my professor it was decided to magnify this sensation by also extending the left leg outside of the parameters of the square.

The experience of working with the abstracted interiors is really beginning to assert itself in my drawing as these detail shots show. I'm finally loosening up.

This left hand fought me like an upset child all the way through the drawing. I spent several hours over a couple of sessions trying to get the thing to look like it belonged to the figure. After many attempts at reworking it (and a re-priming of the area with gesso after I wore away the texture of the surface), I executed a final erasing which accidentally gave me what I was looking for. A few touch ups and there it is. It may not be the best hand I've ever drawn, but GOOD ENOUGH!

The Wait

2011-06-14T12:39:00.002-04:00

This drawing is a bit of an anomaly, in that it doesn't fit squarely into any of my established series. It's not hiding, and it's not boxed in - it's just...waiting.

Patiently.

Boxed In V

2011-06-08T08:24:00.002-04:00

I decided to take a break from gessoed paper and return to a natural drawing surface - in this case my stock of grey Ingres paper. The change proved to be a real challenge. I've been using gessoed paper for about eight months now and have become pretty familiar with the kind of effects I can achieve. Switching surfaces forced me to essentially rediscover the dos and don'ts of working on paper - its properties and limitations.

Eh, it's good to challenge yourself every once and a while. It keeps you off balance and open to new discoveries.

Here you can really see the laid of the paper, which is one of the neat aesthetic properties of the Ingres brand.

Hiding in Plain Sight III

2011-06-02T08:26:00.000-04:00

I like how the back pockets look like a pair of eyes. I should have labeled this "Butt Monster", or "The Man with Two Faces"...

Boxed In IV

2011-05-23T14:45:00.000-04:00

Back in school for the summer session. Basically this semester will be an odds-and-ends semester, revisiting some of my previous themes and seeing if I can improve upon them now that I have a few seasons under my belt. All leading up to my first year review late this fall.

After heavy experimentation with charcoal on gessoed paper earlier this year, I thought I would try the technique out on the figure. Using light, shadow and a bit of unorthodox cropping of the composition, I've attempted to abstract the figure in a similar fashion to the interiors of last semester.

Alla Prima Demo 03 - Chris J. II

2011-05-16T21:00:00.000-04:00

Yeah, this guy again. What can I say? He's got a good face. This semester's alla prima painting demo started in January and finished last week. Completed roughly in four hours over two sessions - the face and hair in the first session, the shirt and background in the second. Hey, it was a busy semester!

And here's my small 4" x 6" color rough on gessoed sketchbook paper. I decided to change the background color in the final painting from yellow to a neutral grey to better enhance the color intensity in the face.

Watercolor Demo: Kimi

2011-05-05T14:36:00.001-04:00

During this semester's life drawing class I demonstrated the use of watercolor when painting from a live model. I haven't used watercolor for at least a couple of years, and was surprised at the results.

Generally I am pretty inept when it comes to watercolor, having made oil paints my main medium of choice over the years. But I was so intrigued with the effects I was achieving under the self-imposed time limit and the spontaneous application of the paint and washes, that I am beginning to realizing the limitless potential watercolor can bring to my drawings.

I've got something new to obsess about! Yes!

Watercolor on Bienfang 140 lb. medium texture paper.

Abstracted Interiors: Two Room Abstraction IV

2011-04-27T08:08:00.000-04:00

The final drawing in the abstracted interior series - for a while at least. Now that the school year has ended for the summer, it will be interesting to see what kind of influence these abstractions have on my subsequent drawing and painting projects.

This one is all charcoal on gessoed paper - no acrylic. Easily the most relaxed and free-flowing application of materials in the series so far.

Abstracted Interiors: Two Room Abstraction III

2011-04-13T19:27:00.001-04:00

The bi-annual "Everybody Loses Their Minds" event officially kicks off this week.
In addition to my regular end-of-the-semester duties of grading final assignments, attending senior portfolio reviews and hanging work for the Spring Open House, the college is getting a double-whammy visit from both the Higher Learning Commission and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.

Both of these agencies will be visiting the college to accredit and evaluate our effectiveness as an institution of higher learning.

Fun fun fun!

This piece will be one of four abstracted interiors I will show at Art.Downtown. this Friday!

Art.Downtown 2011

2011-04-09T20:11:00.001-04:00

If you live in the greater Grand Rapids area and want a night out on the town, c'mon down to Art.Downtown 2011! Seven destinations of art and interaction with some of the region's finest artists displaying their wares.

I will be participating at Location # 6 (the KCAD Graduate Artists Studios) along with several of my fellow grads across all the visual disciplines.

This year I will be showing Shroud III and a few of my abstracted interiors, including some not posted here.

It all happens Fri. April 15th from 6:00-11:00 p.m. Free parking at the Graduate studios and a trolley service to get you around to the other sites. Stop by and be amazed by the power of Fine Art!

Getting Out of the City...

2011-03-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

...and lookin' at some art...sometimes you just need to get outta Dodge.

Abstracted Interiors: Two-Room Abstraction II

2011-03-21T17:28:00.000-04:00

Starting to figure it out.

Abstracted Interiors: Three Door Abstraction

2011-03-14T14:19:00.010-04:00

I decided to experiment with the textural qualities of the negative space around the charcoal by adding white acrylic to the mix. I was immediately pleased with the effects - I get to both draw and paint at the same time!

What's really intriguing is how the acrylic and charcoal react when they are blended together at the edges. The coolness of the acrylic Titanium white created a nice neutral color when dragged over the charcoal's warm black, creating some neat value shifts and nicely activating the negative space. I'll continue using this technique for the next several drawings - let's see what happens!

Dinderbeck First Annual Picnic Exhibition

2011-03-09T08:52:00.000-05:00

If you live in Grand Rapids or feel like traveling, I will be participating at Dinderbeck Studios First Annual Picnic Exhibition this Saturday, March 12th. Gallery opening at 6:00 p.m. with live music beginning at 9:00 p.m.

I'll be showing (and selling) 'Closet Abstraction I', a small 9"x12" acrylic painting on canvas. This is the first time I've worked with acrylics in over twenty years, and it took some getting used to. The difference between handling acrylic and oil paint - the flow, viscosity and drying rate - made for an interesting challenge, but in the end I came up with a decent image.

Perhaps I'll see you there!

Dinderbeck
323 Straight Ave SW
Grand Rapids, MI. 49504

Slamming On The Brakes: Abstracted Interiors: Two-Room Abstraction I

2011-03-06T09:33:00.001-05:00

In a sense, I have always been an abstractionist. Despite the formal realism with which I choose to convey my ideas, my art has a basic over-all concern with compositional balance and the shaped components which occupy the visual space. If you look at any of my work and squint at it, you will find a simple abstracted design which is the foundation of the image.

This semester I have decided to take this fascination with design and shape and strip it down to its most fundamental elements, starting first with interior spaces devoid of human presence. The resulting abstraction further enhances my themes of deja vu, memory and sense of displacement - the disorientation experienced when you first wake up and attempt to focus on your surroundings.

The piece was drawn on a tan sheet of Strathmore 500 charcoal/pastel paper, and the white areas were done with white pastel. Along the way I discovered an incredible brand of charcoal - Cretacolor Chunky Charcoal, 3 3/8" long by 5/8" in diameter. It's smoothness of application, smudge factor, and richness of black have made it my new favorite drawing tool. I highly recommend it.

Lithography: The Thing That Should Not Be (L'il Shroud) - Color

2011-02-20T18:54:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I further enhanced my lithograph by drawing over the image with charcoal and pastels, reworking and creating an entirely new image.

I'm enjoying this process of printing then reworking as a drawing - I hope to take a printmaking class this fall as one of my studio electives so I can explore lithography and monotypes in greater depth.

Mini masters: Postcard-sized Art Sale

2011-02-11T08:31:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, Feb. 26th from 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. I will be participating with my fellow grad students from ALL the disciplines in the Mini masters: Postcard-sized Art Sale being held at Dinderbeck Studios in Grand Rapids, Michigan!

All artwork is original and available for a cool $25. Proceeds go towards the Kendall College of Art & Design MFA Club, so come buy a mini painting, print, photograph or drawing (or better yet one of each)!

I will be selling three originals - here's a sneak peak:

Each postcard image is 5" x 3 3/4" on a 7" x 5" sheet of Bristol Vellum, completed in charcoal and signed by me. Remember, these are originals, and not printed reproductions! So once these three sell, that's it!

Lithography: The Thing That Should Not Be (L'il Shroud)

2011-02-07T08:06:00.001-05:00

At the end of last year I was invited to participate in a two day lithography workshop held at Kendall. It's no secret that I love printmaking, and lithography has always held a special interest for me. Now, I haven't attempted a lithograph since my undergraduate days twenty-plus years ago, so it was with some trepidation that I reacquainted myself with the process.

An artist draws directly on a prepared surface (usually a lithographic stone or aluminum sheet) using lithographic crayons of various density. Here's the rub: In addition to drawing the image on the surface in reverse (since you want the image to print as you originally envisioned it), once you make a mark, it's on the surface. - you can't erase any mistakes or unwanted marks! So it's important to plan your project accordingly.

And here is the finished lithograph. It came out pretty well.

And here's the original master drawing using charcoal on newsprint.

I further enhanced the image by drawing over one of my proofs using charcoal and pastels, which I will reveal in my next post.

Absence of Presence I

2011-01-26T22:33:00.001-05:00

This series focuses on man-made spaces and interiors devoid of human presence. I'm searching for an evocation of memory, the experience of deja vu, of displacement and other-worldliness. A sort of time-slip, if that makes any sense.

This one brings back memories of my great-grandparent's dimly lit 3-story Victorian home in Pittsburgh. It was long and narrow, and hemmed in on two sides by other homes which blocked out the day light. Sunlight only filtered in through the front sitting room in the morning and the rear windows of the kitchen during the afternoon. It had that musty, ancient smell of old wood and wool. Twenty foot ceilings and huge staircases that climbed into darkness. Several cluttered upstairs rooms that emanated dust and history. An attic bedroom with an old Victor Victrola and an overstuffed down bed.

A scary place for a child with a vivid imagination. I wish I could go and see it now - I wonder if I would have the same feelings as an adult? I'd like to think so.

Alla Prima Demo 02 - Miranda

2010-12-16T18:43:00.002-05:00

This semester's demonstration of painting from life in a single sitting for my Alla Prima painting class. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it turned out, considering I haven't picked up a paint brush in a couple of months.

Completed in roughly an hour.

Shroud III

2010-12-09T21:11:00.001-05:00

This is definitely one of my A-List drawings - the culmination of three semesters of hard work. Everything I have endeavored to express in my grad studies to this point came together in this drawing. Concept, composition, craftsmanship - it's all there.

A damn good drawing.

Boxed In III

2010-11-26T13:47:00.001-05:00

I drew this back in September but only recently got around to photographing it. Initially a study for a larger piece, it came out so well that I chose to let it stand alone as a finished drawing. I tried out a different paper, Fabriano Ingres, becomes it was the primary paper used by one of my favorite artists - Kaethe Kollwitz.

And what a paper! The charcoal flowed like butter and smudged with a smoothness I've not experienced before. The classic laid of the paper created some really nice textures - I'm in love!

And then the company discontinued it, replacing it with something called Fabriano CMF Ingres. I'm ordering a sample book to see if the formula has been changed but I don't have high hopes. Usually when a company makes something 'better' it turns out to be much worse. I managed to buy 10 sheets from the local art supply store and I plan on using the remainder judiciously.

Ah well.

Shroud II

2010-11-08T08:42:00.000-05:00

Continued experimentation with lighting and perspective for dramatic effect. I have chosen this pose for a larger composition incorporating the figure into an environment. Hopefully I can finish it up in the next week or so.

Prelims: Shroud Study II

2010-11-02T07:06:00.000-04:00

The second study for the Shroud series on the same Strathmore 500 charcoal/pastel paper. Still had the same problems getting the effects I was looking for, but I achieved the reverse s-shaped figure in profile I wanted...

...and without sticking my gut out!

Prelims: Shroud Study I

2010-10-28T09:46:00.000-04:00

The first study for the Shroud series, on Strathmore 500 charcoal/pastel paper. I had difficulty getting the effect I wanted, and initially didn't care for it very much, but it's grown on me over the past couple of weeks.

I really had to stick my gut out to achieve a slumped figure!

Shroud I

2010-10-21T09:17:00.002-04:00

Back to drawing on mylar for this series.

I will be displaying Hiding in Plain Sight I at 44 Ionia Ave. SE as part of The Avenue for The Arts event this Friday, Oct.22 from 5-11p.m. in downtown Grand Rapids. This year The Avenue for The Arts is encompassing several different groups and organizations, including Site; Lab (where my favorite Printmaker Alicia Wierschke will be unveiling her 2-room installation of wall-covered prints). I will be part of the Kendall College MFA Club group showing with 11 other artists as part of the Free Radical Galleries section of the Avenue.

If you are on Facebook, the event page is here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=153381424680079

Hope to see you there!

Boxed In II

2010-10-03T20:44:00.002-04:00

Whoa! Something new has been added!

In an attempt to enhance the visual presentation of the Boxed In series, I decided to approach this drawing using a mixed media combination of oil washes and charcoal on a gessoed piece of Stonehenge drawing paper.

Using a large 2" paint brush, I began by laying down a wash of Ivory Black oil paint thinned with mineral spirits, blocking in the form by pushing the wash around with a cloth rag and wiping out areas of lights. I let the wash drip and dribble down the surface allowing it to create a texture, adding more washes where I wanted a denser application of dripping oil.

This constant push-and-pull of thinned paint constitutes the bulk of the drawing session, and continues for as many sessions as it takes until I am satisfied with the underlying structure of the figure.

You decide what the skull means...

Once the final application of washes has dried, I then modeled the form using Alpha charcoal, smudging and erasing to create atmospheric depth and detail. In some areas I applied mineral spirits over the charcoal which created a dense area of black, then wiped and rubbed back into the wet area with a cloth to create textural strokes.

I see a lot of potential in using this method. I will revisit it again. Soon.

Prelims: Boxed In II

2010-09-19T15:41:00.001-04:00

Preliminary sketch for the next piece in the Boxed In series.

Busy busy busy...

Work In Progress: Boxed In I

2010-09-06T16:49:00.001-04:00

This is how I spent my Labor Day weekend, with exciting results! I decided to try out a set of Alpha brand grey-scale chalk. The set contains 12 sticks - 1 white, 1 black and 2 sticks each of a range between 2 and 8 on the grey scale. I also used Alpha brand Char-kole, which is softer than the General's compressed charcoal I normally use and produces a very rich, dense black.

It took some getting used to. I tend to draw very aggressively and found the Alpha brand broke easily under direct pressure - unlike the denser carbon composition of General's compressed which holds up under my heavy strokes.

What fascinated me was the painterly effect I achieved after several dense layers of application. I drew this on the smooth side of a sheet of white Canson Mi-tientis charcoal paper, and once the paper's tooth had retained all the chalk it could hold, the subsequent strokes started flowing smoothly and felt like laying butter. It was almost like oil painting! So I started "painting" with the chalk. These are the results. I can't wait to try this stuff out on future drawings!

There are a few areas I am still working over - the chest could use a little more definition without losing the shadow effect, and I feel the hierarchy of lights and highlights could be better defined, but over-all I'm really pleased with the progress of this drawing.

Heads 02-04-09 Skip

2010-08-19T09:06:00.002-04:00

Heads 01-29-09 Phil

2010-08-19T09:05:00.000-04:00

Nothing new to post for the next couple of weeks until school starts, so I'll be dipping into the archives until I get my new projects under way...

Prelims: Boxed In

2010-08-12T10:39:00.002-04:00

The new school year begins in a couple of weeks, but I have been busy planning my projects for the Fall semester. These are the preliminary sketches for a new series entitled Boxed In, drawn before I began the painting commission.

This series is going to concentrate on using the figure in an enclosed space to create patterns of abstracted shapes. I'm interested in seeing how far I can push the simplification of value rendering, breaking the extreme lighting into its most elemental geometric forms, yet still retain a solid and recognizable image. The idea is to create a series of small abstract shapes and values within a larger frame work of abstracted shapes and values, all squeezed into a claustrophobic, geometric space.

The drawing turned out so well that I regret not drawing it on archival paper. From now on I will do all my preliminary drawings on better paper!

I played around with cropping the borders to enhance the squashed quality of the image. I think the final drawing may resemble this image.

The master drawing before the addition of value. I'm going to start photographing the line drawings for my projects to use as templates for the final, larger versions. It's a real time saver and much easier than redrawing the whole thing.

Some Famous Artist's Signatures

2010-08-08T09:35:00.002-04:00

Below are several examples of signatures by Illustrators, Graphic Artists and Painters I admire. Notice how each signature displays a unique appearance and compliments that artist's style. I don't think anyone could be more original with his signature than Harvey Kurtzman, and I believe J.C. Leyendecker's signature is one of the most beautiful designs I have ever seen. It's a work of art in and of itself.

Click on the name below the signature to be taken to a page with examples of their work.

Edwin Austin Abbey

Howard Chandler Christy

(my favorite!)

James Montgomery Flagg

Heinrich Kley

(fantastic illustrator!)

Harvey Kurtzman

J.C. Leyendecker

Alphonse Mucha

(the greatest Art Nouveau poster designer ever!)

Maxfield Parrish

(master of the glaze)

Andrew Loomis

(the artist who taught me how to draw the figure)

George Petty

(my favorite pin-up artist!)

(eh, you know what his stuff looks like...)

Vincent Van Gogh

(the greatest of them all)

N.C. Wyeth

Wally Wood

Oil Painting Demo Step 5 - Final Touch-Ups and Signature Placement: Mubby

2010-08-05T19:13:00.009-04:00

After the second layer and background color have dried, I examine the entire painting for any areas that appear underdeveloped and in need of more modeling and clarification. Two areas stand out the most - the parrot's underbelly and tail. These are elements that will require a touch-up. A touch-up does not mean an entire new coat, but rather a reworking of a small specific area within a larger painted mass of shapes. I repaint these areas with a greater range of detail and modeling, at all times stepping back and gauging how well these newly painted areas blend with the surrounding areas of color.

I often mix small amounts of color from the adjacent areas in order to seamlessly fuse the new worked-over area with the previous layer. Additionally I will give the painting a thorough once-over, touching up any ragged edges, over-painting or muddy color application.

Once all areas of touch-up are completed and I am satisfied with the appearance of the finished painting, I apply my signature.

My attitude towards the signature is my own and certainly should not be taken as a hard and fast rule. It is an element of painting which was not taught to me, nor have I read anything about its proper placement and significance. I'm certain a more learned artist out there in the world has written the authoritative word regarding signatures, and I hope some kind soul out there will point me in the right direction.

To me, the signature of an artist is that person's mark, the artist's stamp of authenticity. It says to the world, "I did this. This work is the result of my hard-earned experience, my toils and my labor, my love and passion. I am responsible for its creation and I am responsible for its content. This is who and what I am."

Too often I have viewed an absolutely stunning piece of contemporary art with a poorly crafted (usually cursive) signature thrown randomly onto whatever open space is available or crammed into a corner, a seeming afterthought. It is as though the artist was somewhat ashamed of the work, embarrassed to draw attention to it or unwilling to take responsibility for the work. Or worst of all, they just didn't care.

I say differently. If you are going to spend hours/days/weeks creating a work of art which will be shown to the world, which tells the public "Here I am", you had better be damned proud of that work and proud of your mark. I encourage students to develop an original signature which will uniquely identify themselves and their work. Think of Norman Rockwell's signature. We all know what it looks like, and we can immediately bring an example of his work to mind. Create a signature that represents you, that blends and co-exists with your work.

Your signature should be a part of the finished piece, and should be worked into the painting/drawing during the planning stage, not as an afterthought. Placement is everything. I like to place my signature in an area of a painting that is part of the natural visual flow of the image and also serves as a visual element occupying negative space. With the parrot painting, my signature is placed near the upper left corner. I created the flow to start with the parrot's head, down the body, then up the branch to the left, ending with the left corner...and my signature. The placement in the left corner also balances the large area of background color in that area. If it were removed, the upper left corner would become unbalanced, throwing off the composition.

This is not to say that the signature should be large and garish like a circus banner; to the contrary it should exhibit a degree of subtlety. Spend some time practicing different styles. Size it according to the dimensions of the work. Use a color that compliments or contrasts the area in which it is placed. Add the year behind it. And finally, make sure you place the signature at least an 1/8"- 1/4" away from the edge of the painting to allow for the lip of a picture frame. Many artists forget that little detail, and place the signature too close to the edge. When the painting is framed, the lip of the frame obscures the signature or cuts it off entirely!

I spent many years creating my signature, searching for a look and feel that complimented my work. When I found it, I never looked back. It spoke to me and to the world.

"I am Damian, and I created this."

Whew! Now back to drawing!

Oil Painting Demo Step 4 - Second Coat: Mubby

2010-07-31T13:20:00.010-04:00

Once the first layer of paint has dried, I begin the second and final full coat. This application differs from the first in that I now paint in smaller areas, bringing a section to a finish before moving on to the next area. Being left handed, I started with the head and moved diagonally to the left, overlapping areas wet-into-wet to insure a cohesive finish. In each area I modeled the form using descriptive brushstrokes that followed the contour of the figure. Color has been separated into more intricate values and tones to create a sense of three dimensions.

Larger areas are painted in a more generalized fashion and are paired next to areas of more definition. The broad area of the wing next to the textured feathered breast area is an example. I find this juxtaposition creates visual interest, especially when working with a subject that is almost monochromatic in color scheme. I also created a purposeful shift in hue from the head to the tail, creating a subtle shift from blue-green to a yellow-green. This also creates a visual play by drawing the eye from the area of most detail (the head) down towards the more broadly rendered area of the tail.

Once the parrot portion is completed to my satisfaction, I follow the same method when painting the branch.

I should mention that if I happen to nail an area on the first coat, I will allow it to stay that way and become part of the finished piece. The parrot's legs are an example of this. I got what I wanted right off the bat, and decided to leave them as is.

When both figure and branch are covered and complete (and still wet), I apply the background. Following my same principle of premixing three colors of differing values (dark-midtone-light), I lay the background in quickly, allowing the brush strokes to show with very little blending. The still-wet areas of the figure and branch are pulled into the surrounding background with a clean brush, creating small drags of color in key areas to insure that the foreground elements do not register too crisply against the background space. This creates an illusion of depth, of a thing existing in actual space. The vertical nature of my background strokes offsets the twin diagonals of the parrot's posture and the branch, creating yet another textural area of interest. The lightest value is concentrated around the head (the center of interest) while the darkest value is reserved for the edges.

The head is the focal point of interest and the area brought up to the highest level of completion. All other areas are subordinate to it. Because the head is a very small portion of the larger area, the level of finish does not diminish the impact of the painting but gives a sense of balance. Notice that the white crest feathers are not actually pure white, but a mixture of tinted color reflecting the area closest to it.

Up next: Touch-ups and a word or two about the importance of signature placement.

Oil Painting Demo Step 3 - Master Drawing and First Coat: Mubby

2010-07-22T12:35:00.006-04:00

The next step in the painting process is to create the master drawing on the prepared surface. How I approach the master drawing depends on the conditions of the painting: if I am painting for my own pleasure I will generally work from my own sketches and hand-draw the image to be painted. If I am working on a commission where a strong likeness is called for, I will often use a projector to establish the subject matter. In this case there is a mixture of both processes: the parrot is the result of a projected image, and the branch is entirely hand-drawn from imagination (and a little help from Jack "King" Kirby, the master of dead-looking trees).

I make sure to break the image down into its most basic shapes, establishing only the bare minimum of information needed to establish the forms. This allows me a comfortable parameter of creative license in which to play with the interpretation of shapes and paint handling, yet still maintain a likeness. I have found in my artistic experiences that if too much detail is added to the master drawing, I get locked into all the little details and lose the bigger picture. This results is a lifeless, mechanical-looking piece.

Once the image is drawn on top of my prepared surface (a wash of burnt umber and burnt sienna), I seal the drawing with spray fixative. This insures that any corrections requiring me to scrape down to the bare canvas will leave the master drawing untouched and visible, helping me maintain the original image without distortion.

Now comes the first coat of paint. I premix large piles of the three main colors of green and brown to be used in the parrot and the branch, each varying in tone and value to be used as a dark, mid tone and light. All other tones of green and brown in between and around these three core colors are generally a mixture of one or two of the others (tinted or shaded accordingly), which infuses the over-alI color scheme with a sense of unity.

I like to cover the entire image using broad strokes which define only the most general planes of the shapes of the branch, body and head. This allows me to paint using a method in which there is a gradual addition of detail. The large shapes become smaller and more clearly defined with the addition of new and more accurate color as the painting proceeds. There are some artists who prefer to work by completing small sections at a time before moving on to the next element. This has never really worked for me, but to each his own.

Once this first coat is dry to the touch, I will begin the next (and final?) coat which involves defining the broad shapes into more recognizable, tighter forms, and the addition of the background tone.

Oil Painting Demo Step 2 - Color Rough: Mubby

2010-07-15T15:43:00.005-04:00

After deciding on the final pose with the client, the next step is to mix the colors that will be used in the painting and complete a small color rough of the finished piece. This allows me to work out any color and compositional issues that may arise during the actual painting process.

I execute the 6" x 4" rough on a gessoed piece of 17" x 14" sketchbook paper which has been covered in a wash of burnt umber and burnt sienna, giving a nice tan/beige ground on which to work. I place my color swatches and mixing formulas on the same page for comparison and easy reference.

Upon completion of the rough, I can already tell that the negative space in the upper left of the painting will need to be adjusted to better balance the over-all composition. Composition is key to Art - you can be the greatest drafts-person in the world, but it won't save your painting/drawing if the composition is poorly planned. I will most likely extend the limb of the branch a little higher and enlarge the figure slightly to offset the discrepancy, with the possibility of an additional color gradient or shape. If the composition does not balance in a small format, the larger finished piece certainly won't!

Bonus pic! My color chart of greens, mixed a couple of years ago when I realized I needed to explore the different ways to mix green. So I sat down with a couple of beers on a weekend and painted away. It was a good decision - the chart is coming in handy right about now!

(Those blues in the bottom right are not actually blue - for whatever reason my camera refused to register these as the proper blue-green hues and turned them all straight blue. Probably the lighting.)

Up next - the master drawing and first coat of paint.

Oil Painting Demo Step 1 - Prelims: Mubby

2010-07-08T12:30:00.002-04:00

I've chosen to delay my post on how to wreck a drawing in 10 easy lessons. Instead, I've decided to document my step-by-step method of painting as I progress through a commissioned piece.

The nice lady who owns and operates the laundromat I frequent has hired me to paint a portrait of her Amazon parrot 'Mubby' as a Christmas gift to her husband. I've never painted a parrot before, and I'm looking forward to the challenge of tackling a predominantly green subject matter - I'm terrible at the use of green in my paintings!

Step 1 - When working with animal subject matter, I usually do several preliminary sketches to get the feel of the shapes, structure and details of the animal.

Here are five head studies I completed of 'Mubby' using charcoal on white Canson Mi-tientis paper. I'm still searching for the elusive paper which mimics as closely as possible the effects I achieve using my beloved newsprint. The sketches started out pretty shaky - I began with the upper right corner, moved left, dropped to the center, then finished from the lower left corner moving right. With each sketch I played with cushioning the surface. By placing progressive layers of extra paper beneath, I attempted to soften the marks and add some subtlety to the shading. The final sketch (the frontal view) has six layers of additional Canson paper underneath! I am probably going to need more!

Prelims: Headstrong

2010-06-30T12:12:00.001-04:00

Preliminary sketches for a piece entitled Headstrong.

Up next: How to wreck a drawing in 10 easy lessons.

Monotype: skull study

2010-06-22T22:11:00.006-04:00

I have had an interest in printmaking and monotype printing for a while now, and I finally took the time to experiment with the medium (a tip for grad students out there: Make friends with fellow students in other disciplines - they can show you lots of cool stuff to add to your artistic arsenal!).

Basically a monotype is a form of printmaking in which the image is a one-of-a-kind picture created by drawing on an inked surface using any type of tool you want use. Once the image is run through the press, it becomes a unique impression; you can't run multiples of the same image because the ink is depleted.

However, you can run the plate through a second time and attempt to get a "ghost image", which is a second impression made with whatever ink is left over on the plate. The ghost image is usually very pale and faded. I took that second impression and drew on it using charcoal and a stick of white pastel which created the mixed media drawing you see above.

Below is the original monotype image of a skull I borrowed from school. Created on a piece of clear Plexiglas rolled with black printer's ink, drawn using some bristle brushes, q-tips and paper towel to wipe out areas and create light and dark modeling. Printed on white Canson Mi-tientis paper. Pretty cool!

Many thanks to my friend, fellow grad student and printmaker Alicia Wierschke for the monotype tutorial. Go and look at her nifty art on her nifty blog. GO NOW!

Dad

2010-06-20T09:05:00.002-04:00

Dad -

I wish you were here to share the experiences I've had since you left for a better place, but I like to believe you have had your hand on my shoulder, encouraging and guiding me all the while. Your integrity, talent and strength of character flow through me like a river. I hope you are proud of me.

I am my father's son.

Life Drawing: Mark 2.07.10

2010-06-15T17:38:00.003-04:00

Another life drawing from earlier this year. About an hour-and-a-half.

Life Drawing: Kerida 3.30.10 - 4.30.10

2010-06-14T23:26:00.003-04:00

Life drawings from two separate sessions earlier this year using the same model. The first one was about an hour/hour-and-a-half.

Forty-five minutes.

Ten minute gesture.

Alla Prima Demo 01 - Chris J.

2010-05-23T11:57:00.004-04:00

While my graduate concentration is in drawing, I still continue to teach an Alla Prima painting class to undergrad Illustration students. This was a demo done in early January from a photograph of an old friend from my own undergraduate days. The demo was completed over two class sessions, taking about three hours total.

I instruct my students to complete a small rough of the final painting to work out any color and compositional issues that may arise during the final piece, and to make swatches of colors to be used and notes on mixing formulas. It takes the excitement and guess work out of the equation, but since Illustration is all about deadlines, I have found the few hours spent planning the final painting goes a long way towards keeping editors happy. My rough of Chris measured about 4" x 6" on a piece of primed sketchbook paper. Most of the time I find my little rough is more lively than the finished piece.

Prelims - Hiding II

2010-04-12T19:23:00.001-04:00

Preliminary sketches for Hiding in Plain Sight II

Hiding in Plain Sight II

2010-04-07T21:15:00.004-04:00

"Swamped" would be the word of the month. Exams, evaluations, papers - it's been a hell of a ride.

This is the second drawing in the Hiding series, and I'm very pleased with the results. The pots are my favorite part of the drawing, and I was surprised at how easily they fell into place. Of course, the rest of the drawing fought me the whole way.

I'm experimenting with different colored surfaces used behind the mylar to create monochromatic tones. In this drawing, I've used a piece of Folio Antique Buff drawing paper which gives the drawing a sepia flavor.
I like it!

If you live in Grand Rapids and have a free Friday evening, come and check out both Hiding in Plain Sight I and II on Fri. April 16th. I'm participating with my fellow MFA students in the Art.Downtown event, and we will be displaying our kick-ass art at location # 6. Of course, I encourage everyone to check out all seven art sites, as there will be some exceptional work on display by some of the area's finest artists.

P.S. Definitely take the time to check out location # 3 - you've got to see the giant whale!

Prelims - Hiding

2010-03-14T11:48:00.000-04:00

Preliminary sketches for Hiding in Plain Sight.

Hiding in Plain Sight

2010-02-27T09:43:00.002-05:00

February has not been a stellar month. Lots of stress in my personal and academic life, doubtful thoughts, second guessing, artistic roadblocks, droughts of creativity, fatigue - pretty standard stuff as any college student would agree. This drawing is a reaction to all that, and hearkens to my childhood. When I was a kid and received scoldings for acting up in class, I would become so embarrassed and ashamed that I would hide my head under the desk.

To disappear.

To become invisible.

To just hide and make it go away.

And yet I never thought that such inner turmoil could be the source of a great drawing.

Go figure...

Heads 04.27.09 Ruby

2010-02-21T09:14:00.002-05:00

I've notice a peculiar quirk to my life drawing - I like to leave the eyes of the model unfinished. Don't know why - maybe it's influenced by all the plaster cast drawings I drew as an undergrad. Kinda creepy, but I like it.

Heads 03.22.09 Kwame

2010-02-21T09:08:00.000-05:00

Busy busy busy...

I have completed two more drawings in the Atavism series, but haven't had time to properly photograph them. In the mean time, here are a couple of head studies from early last year.

Atavism or Something Like It

2010-01-30T09:43:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted sooner, but the ideas behind this series of drawings are pretty personal and complex and I'm still trying to effectively articulate what I have to say. Hopefully I can convey the concept as briefly as possible without confusion.

I am an observer - a spectator - of my environment. And what I see frightens me. For decades our western civilization has steadily declined in both civility and culture. Sure, we have made incremental leaps and bounds in science and technology, yet with these rapid advances we seem to be de-evolving at an equally alarming rate. The most obvious example of this would be the accelerated downward spiral of violence we see everyday. Each one of you reading this has witnessed, been subjected to, or participated in man's inhumanity towards man. And it seems to be getting worse.

Collectively as a society we are becoming more prone to immediate physical confrontation to solve differences. We quickly get angry at the slightest perceived insult. We yell at each other rather than quietly resolve a dispute or just walk away. We assault each other and take from one another with a narcissistic sense of entitlement. In the head-long rush to mold our living environment for our own ease and comfort, we are rapidly decending into a rough state of atavism. We are becoming throwbacks to an earlier state of existence, both psychologically and anthropologically.

Hence the hyena-men.

Up Next: Attack of The Hyena Men!

2010-01-11T18:24:00.000-05:00

Craziness ahead...

Storm Clouds

2010-01-07T13:01:00.000-05:00

Another Mylar drawing. I can't take credit for this composition - the drawing is based on a camera phone photo sent to me from my photographer friend James during a week-long vacation from Michigan through Wisconsin and Minnesota. He kindly gave me permission to use the image as a reference.

Oil Shack

2010-01-05T09:01:00.004-05:00

A cool little oil pumping shack I came across located on the trail between Johnson Park and Hopewell Indian Mounds Park. It was pretty rusty and obviously hadn't been in use for years.

This was an experiment on Mylar, a thick form of plastic closely related to acetate. It's very smooth and has virtually no tooth, but it has an excellent smudge factor for pushing and pulling marks. It can really take a beating, too - you can completely erase it back to its original state. Because of it's translucency, it should be mounted on a lightly toned surface.

Sundown at Kirk Park

2010-01-03T08:39:00.002-05:00

Another small stand of pines at Kirk Park in Grand Haven. I tried for a more immediate, loose application with the charcoal and drew primarily with blending stumps. The range of effects and mark making with these stumps has really begun to intrigue me. Lots of possibilities...

Off The County Road, Upper Peninsula

2009-12-30T08:58:00.004-05:00

In October of 2007 I visited the Upper Peninsula for several days with my friend James, an accomplished photographer and seasoned hiker. His knowledge of the peninsula is staggering, and he gave me a tour of some excellent areas along the northern coast where he photographed and I took half-assed amateur reference photos.

Each day as we drove to a specific park or natural area, James would abruptly turn down a random county road to look for something to shoot. We came across an open field with low-lying scrub and a few isolated trees here and there, and I got pretty excited with the natural compositions I found.

The drawing above is the result of one those compositions, and the first experiment with drawing on canvas using charcoal.

Plein Air Sketching

2009-12-28T14:50:00.004-05:00

A sketch of some trees out at Rosey Mound Natural Area along Lake Michigan. I completed this in early November, and already the wind from the lake was blowing fierce and cold. Having my back to the wind didn't help much. My fingers got numb pretty quickly, but it was worth it.

Vacation!

2009-12-28T14:39:00.003-05:00

Well, I made it through my first semester of grad school (with some bruises here and there), and for the most part I'm pleased with the progress. I have plenty of work to post between now and January, so check back when you can. Here's a page of tree studies from my sketchbook early in the fall.

Heads 11-08-09 Todd

2009-11-09T19:36:00.004-05:00

This drawing was an experiment that worked out better than I expected. The shading was done almost entirely with a blending stump dipped in powdered graphite. Pretty cool!

Heads 10-11-09 Kerida

2009-11-09T19:24:00.004-05:00

Between teaching, work and my own graduate classes, this has been a really busy semester. I apologize for the length between posts, but I plan on posting the bulk of this semester's art at the end of the term in December. In the meantime, here are a couple of head sketches from open life drawing this fall.

Late Afternoon at Kirk Park

2009-10-11T13:31:00.009-04:00

This is the third of six drawings so far that I have completed for my first semester graduate studio drawing course. I'm concentrating on the natural landscape of Michigan, and specifically the balance of abstract shapes and values Nature provides us, if you take the time to look. This drawing depicts a stand of tall pine trees at Kirk Park in Grand Haven, Michigan during the late afternoon when the sun filters through and blurs the surroundings.

Most of the drawings are an experiment of compressed charcoal on unstretched canvas - I'm really digging the effect. The canvas is not the standard type used in painting, but the kind used for commercial giclee prints. It's got a very light texture, and a coating which helps the smearing and blending effect I get when using blending stumps and my fingers.

Neela's Red Letter Day

2009-09-29T11:31:00.005-04:00

Cadmium Red is a demanding mistress - you expect her to do one thing, but she has other ideas...

The Long and Short of It

2009-09-21T19:28:00.003-04:00

I've been really busy with my MFA drawing classes - hopefully I will post some of the work soon. In the meantime, here's a charcoal study done earlier this summer for a possible oil painting.

Study of B. 02.11.09

2009-09-06T12:02:00.005-04:00

Life drawing from earlier this year. This was B_'s first year as a model, and she was understandably nervous about nude modeling. I was struck by the expression of vulnerability in her eyes and demeanor, and tried to sympathetically capture the emotion.

A very dear and sweet lady.

Defensive Posture

2009-08-30T15:19:00.012-04:00

Before beginning a painting I like to do a black and white sketch to work out any value and compositional problems I may encounter during the painting process. Occasionally I do them to record a certain composition for a later date. This would be one of those times.

The fall semester begins tomorrow and I'm going to be busy as hell with both teaching and completing my own class work. If I lapse in my once a week post pledge, I do apologize. Hopefully I will have some good drawings to put up as they are finished.

Wish me luck!

Rudy

2009-08-20T17:50:00.009-04:00

An illustration of silent film legend Rudolph Valentino from his film "The Eagle", 1925. This one was the last of my illustrations to employ bleach on matboard. I used an atomizer that was made for spray painting model airplanes and attached the device to a can of compressed air bought from a hobby shop. This allowed me to spray the bleach like an airbrush, but after a handful of uses the bleach corroded the internal non-metallic parts and rendered the atomizer useless.

As I mentioned in my previous post, getting the desired effects on matboard was 50/50 at best, and I wasted at least three boards before getting this one. I still have one successfully airbrushed board in reserve waiting for just the right project. I found Crescent matboard #921 black to be the best for achieving the antiquated greenish-beige color. The drawing was executed using back colored pencil with small accents of white for modeling.

This drawing also holds personal significance because it was the last illustration project directly influenced by my late father (Dad was an exceptional commercial artist and ad-man in his own right, but I will save that for another post). He saw this piece while I was working on it and I solicited his opinion. He viewed it very closely and carefully and said, "Don't touch it. Stop working on it."

So I did.

What you see as the finished piece I would consider to be less than half-finished under my normal working habits. My father convinced me that the unfinished ethereal quality of my rendering coupled with the airbrushed bleach background made for a more powerful image.

He was right.

Bobcat!

2009-08-10T19:29:00.015-04:00

Outside of a couple of pet portrait commissions, I don't get to draw or paint wildlife very much. I intend to incorporate animals into my work for the MFA courses, so I figured it would be a good idea to brush up on my wildlife rendering skills. The reference for this piece came from a royalty-free stock photo.

This is a mixed media technique I developed some years ago utilizing prisma (colored) pencils on Canson Mi-teintis charcoal paper and common household bleach applied with a variety of tools (in this case a synthetic flat brush). When working in a more graphic style I will also use pen & ink, black marker, and ink washes.

I was taught the bleaching technique as an undergrad and became excited about the possibilities that it brought to my illustration. I initially used the bleach as a wash, discovering that if you cut it with water in ratios on a 10 point grey scale it took on a watercolour texture. It's an unpredictable medium, and you take your chances when using it - it's 50/50 that it will either work for you or go horribly wrong. It's use in my images eventually evolved to a spot color or background texture - I just got tired of ruining rather than succeeding.

I originally worked on Crescent matboard used for picture framing, but I found that the board's sensitive properties coupled with the seeming randomness of the bleach application rarely worked in my favor. If I applied the bleach in a heavy wash it would pull away the top layer of the board like a skin. If I used too little, nothing happened.

I experimented with Mi-teintis paper and got much better results. I strongly recommend Canson paper as it can take a serious beating and LOTS of erasing. This piece was done on Mi-teintis ivy green which I purposefully chose as part of the over-all color scheme. I wanted to use a palette that would be made up of the secondary colors on the color wheel (green, violet and orange), with touches of some of the analogous tertiary colors such as red-orange and blue violet. The yellow background color resulting from the bleach application was to offset the violet of the shadows.

I plan everything!

Apple-Plated

2009-08-03T14:04:00.005-04:00

I paint primarily with earth tone colors. The palette is simple in value, and allows me to concentrate on other aspects of painting like brush strokes and the placement of compositional elements in a pleasing arrangement. With this painting I purposefully chose to deviate from my comfort zone and painted an image utilizing the bright primary colors of yellow, blue and red.

The shadows and darks of the apples have a much richer and more subtle depth of color and value, but my photo editing skills are middling at best. I really like how this turned out.

Heads 06.08.09

2009-07-29T16:41:00.004-04:00

Compressed charcoal stick - 4B on newsprint.

Heads 06.10.09

2009-07-26T10:35:00.023-04:00

During the Winter-Spring semester I took advantage of an open invitation to attend an advanced life drawing class taught by the Department Chair at the college. I was free to come and go as I pleased, and I made it a regular routine throughout the semester. I made sure the students chose their places before I set up (they're paying for the class, after all), and spent the time practicing and keeping my arm loose. In an effort to further understand the properties of compressed charcoal, I concentrated on portrait studies to really maximize the potential of the medium. I absolutely love compressed charcoal - I could sit and draw with it all day.

For anyone interested, I use the following materials for all my charcoal drawings:

Newsprint - 32lb. rough surface, 18 x 24
General's compressed charcoal sticks - usually 4B, sometimes 6B - broken into various shapes and sizes for different strokes and effects.
General's charcoal pencil - 4B soft
Pentel click eraser - for fine detail erasing
Sandpaper block - for beveling the edge of the charcoal stick and pencil
Staedtler Mars plastic erasure

Dowel stick - for measuring proportions (not shown)

"Apple Beans"

2009-07-21T19:47:00.010-04:00

This was my second attempt at painting seriously from life, and my first attempt at entering a regional arts competition - the Grand Rapids Festival of the Arts. The festival has been around for 40 some years, and draws an incredible amount of talent from all over the state. I was pleasantly surprised when I was both accepted AND sold the piece through a local business purchase award.

I was able to complete this in about 15 hours over a 7 day period despite the additional objects and composition. I was starting to feel comfortable with the whole process, yet I still spent most of the time just staring at the set up and analysing what I saw, then filtering it down to what I wanted to see, and then making deliberate strokes with the appropriate direction, value and color. If it didn't look right, I scraped it down and tried again until it DID look right. Hard work!

Looking at it now, there are a few things I would change - the bean pot could be a little less defined around the edges, and the apple in the center resembles a mutated orange - but I suppose I could have spent months noodling with it and never be satisfied.

"Pedestrian Application"

2009-07-20T15:43:00.023-04:00

Shortly after I left the field of Illustration I was itching to start oil painting again. Oh, I would occasionally dabble here and there, completing an oil sketch for my own amusement as well as to keep my talent in shape, but I never took the time to devote any serious attention to furthering my ability.

In August of 2007 I sat down and attempted to paint a serious picture, and the result was "Pedestrian Application". It's been at least 17 years since I painted from life - I would have to go back to my undergraduate days to find any evidence of it. I spent between 2-3 hours each session over a 7 day period, analyzing and attempting to take the seeming complicated object before me and commit my interpretation to canvas. It was damned difficult, to say the least. I scraped this down 3 times before I was satisfied.