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BIG NEW PAINTINGS & LATE NIGHT MUSEUMS

Monday, May 3, 2010

I’m still painting…not a whole lot else going on. I’m about %80 done with the first of the wood panel pieces, and this week I started on a new bigger canvas (below). this new one is 48″ x 48″, and while that isn’t huge for me, the composition is much different than I’m used to. I usually tend to focus on a single torso/head, but this one will have two subjects, with both full figures within the scope of the canvas. (that seems oddly unclear but I can’t think of a better way to say it). this means that although the canvas is big, the faces end up being about the size of the palm of my hand, which is really different than painting them at (or larger than) scale. i’m really having to be conscious of overdoing detail and getting too meticulous in the early stages, as I feel like it could easily muddy things down the line.  new territory is fun though, so I’m anxious to see how this one goes.

my new direction: abstract landscape. I present you, "amazon rainforest #1"

On Saturday night, I went to the Oakland Museum’s grand re-opening celebration. The museum had been closed for over two years undergoing some huge renovations, and this weekend they opened for 32 hours straight, and for free. I cannot pass up a chance to go to a museum in the middle of the night, especially one in my favorite city.

I hadn’t been to Oakland Museum since I was in elementary school. It’s reputation was such that, even in the busy Bay Area art scene, I really only thought of it as somewhere you take 5th graders to learn about the gold rush. within the last few years though, there’s been talk of updating it; bringing more focus to their contemporary gallery, and making it more art (and adult) friendly. They did a really good job, and the new gallery space was way bigger than I thought it would be. they also had a really broad selection of art they deemed contemporary, which although confusing, actually was great for people like me with short attention spans.

I was there from about 12:30am, to well after 3am, and couldn’t believe how many people were there that late at night. it was a really good representation of how awesome Oakland can be, and it felt very comfortable…not like I envision most free public events. I wasn’t sure my car windows would be intact when I left, but all good all around.

here’s some pictures:

my favorite piece in the Contemporary (what!?) gallery: Charles Christian Nahl - 1858

~3am

a bad picture, but here's my friends Zoli and Isabel playing music in the California History gallery

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ON THE EASEL, A WEEK AGO

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

I’m now done with the two 12″ x 12″ pieces I started two weeks ago. one, or both of them, will be part of “the Next Generation”art show (flyer below) at London’s London Miles Gallery. It’s curated by ThinkSpace (now down in Culver City), and features a ton of excellent artists from all over. It opens June 3rd for anybody in the area.

as I mentioned a couple posts back, these tiny paintings went pretty quick. this (at right) is a shot after one sitting on painting #2. I’ve been using Walnut Alkyd as my main painting medium and I’ve been really liking it. it’s non-toxic and smells pretty good, so I’m less freaked out by the carcinogens that come with the job. it doesn’t really work for glazing, especially on a panel (it starts to slide down the wood — not good), so i’m still relying on Liquin for that. I’m going to keep experimenting with some alternatives though, as Liquin is pretty gnarly. I tried a little mix of Stand Oil and Gamsol I read about on the interweb somewhere; didn’t work at all… will keep trying.

I was also finally able to do another photoshoot last weekend, which will be reference for the next few paintings (hopefully). I got to work with two new models, which is always fun and inspiring (a special thank you to Aeschleah and Brenda for the help).  more soon.

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MUCH ART

Saturday, April 17, 2010

This week, I continued on the two 12″ x 12″s i’ve been working on. they’re going pretty well and are both almost done. (one thing about painting so small — they go quickly). I’ll get some progress pics up soon. until then, I was able to get to a few art openings this week, so I thought I’d post a bit about that. word?

Hung Liu - Deer Angel II - 2010 Oil on canvas 36 x 36 inches

On thursday, I made it down to Hung Liu’s opening of “Painting from Life and Death” at Rena Bransten Gallery in SF. she’s quite the art heavyweight has been at it for years. you know that huge window piece at the Oakland airport with all the drippy flying cranes? that’s hers.  her work isn’t usually my cup of tea, but it was a great show and really well put together. she certainly knows what she’s doing. after her show, I went to Slim’s to see my buddies in Rx Bandits before they head down to play Coachella. not visual art I know, but they are certainly artists. they’re also some of my closest friends and a big reason I had the balls to pursue art as a career. (maybe I’ll get more into that another time?). seeing them makes me want to be in a touring band again, but then I remember all the work it takes to get to that level and that i’m 30 now…so… scratch that, painting it is. super fun night though.

the next night, I caught Carl Dobsky’s opening at John Pence Gallery in SF. I hadn’t heard of Dobsky before but was given the heads up by friend of mine who is a student of his at the Atelier School. really nice work. to top it off, there was something like 35+ pieces in the show!? years of painting all in one room. I can’t imagine compiling that much material (not yet anyway). I particularly liked his Dia de los Muertos themed figurative work…super traditional but with that slight tinge towards the modern.

Carl Dobsky

I was able to meet Carl and also got to catch up with Kim Cogan, who I hadn’t seen since visiting his studio last year.  I had never been to, or even heard of John Pence Gallery, but man is it a nice space. and huge! in addition to the excellent showing by Dobsky,  there was a bunch of art in another room from the gallery’s other artists, including 3 excellent pieces by Jeremy Mann. he was another new find for me, and also covers a lot of different subject matter; landscapes, figurative, still life, etc. His piece “Sonnet Dress in Violets and White”, was beautiful.

Carl Dobsky, Woman in Dia De Los Muertos Costume, Oil on Linen, 62 x 31 inches, 2009

Jeremy Mann

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FORWARD

Thursday, April 8, 2010

I’m just finishing up this painting here. This picture was taken only two days in, and all in all, it went pretty smoothly. (I’ll post final pictures soon). as usual, I did the face in one sitting, then was able to do the rest of the flesh tone the following day. I played around a bit with this piece: tried my best to loosen up a little, painted some pearls for the first time, did some different things with the background…It was a fun one. thank you to Nikki (yet again) for modeling.

Next up, I’m going to do a piece for the Thinkspace group show that’s going to the UK in June. all the pieces will be 12″ x 12″, which will make this probably the smallest painting I’ve ever done. I’m actually going to do two, just in case. if they both come out, maybe it’ll be a diptych.

I also ordered some panels from Signature for my next larger paintings. they are beautifully constructed and are made from temperature treated basswood so they won’t warp. I used to make my own when I lived in a warehouse. there’s a number of reasons I don’t do it anymore, the least of which was the quality of panels, which was poor. I also no longer have the room, the right tools, or any business being around fast moving blades.

a nice day for polyurethane

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WHY BEAUTY MATTERS

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Fantastic artist, Jeremy Lipking, posted this on his Facebook profile today. It’s a sort of video essay that aired on the BBC by philosopher Roger Scruton.  It was immediately re-posted by a slew of excellent figurative painters…so It peaked my interest. The first 2 segments, which i’ll embed here, really struck a chord with me (but if you have some time, check ‘em all out). I’ve had numerous conversations with friends over the last few years on the artistic merit of a certain exhibition or artist…which always leads to what makes art art in the first place. (these usually take place staring at a ball of string or a pile of drift wood on display in packed gallery).  Mr. Scrunton has some interesting things to say about conceptual art, and art whose purpose seems the antithesis of beauty. he’s a bit smug (which I love), but I do generally agree with him. (not sure if I agree that modern architecture is the greatest crime against beauty so much, but I see his point).
anyway, enjoy. it’s very inspiring.

here’s the rest of the series: #3, #4, #5, #6

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I’M A PAINTER AGAIN

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I have just experienced my first post-show painting lull. I spent the better part of the last 10 months on the “Marks” show, but once the show was up and the opening over, I felt really indecisive about what to do next. it seemed like a good time to do some new stuff; try some new imagery, work on some different surfaces…step it up a notch if possible. I did get right on all that, but I forget how long all the prep can take. I was then trying to hold out for some art panels I ordered, but they won’t be ready until later this week. I’m generally pretty patient, but when I don’t work, I get depressed. aside from painting, the only way to curb it these days is to spend an inordinate amount of time at the gym (and there’s only so much my joints can take).

thankfully, I’ve been rescued by a new painting.

Over a month after I finished the last “Marks” painting, I finally started something new. I put in a little over 7 hours yesterday and my hand is now sore in all the right ways.

until I have some new pictures, here’s a few randoms from the last few months:

"faith in fallacy" gets a coat of shiney

about 2 months into
about 2 months into "the response" bkgd text
"marks" in progress on the East Coast
low-rent paint hanger for drying...and pull-ups
low-rent paint hanger for drying...and pull-ups
"floater" gets a coat of shiney
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POST SHOW III: MORE COVERAGE

Monday, March 15, 2010

A Huge thank you to everybody that covered the show this past week. at risk of total overkill, I’ve posted some of them here if you want to check them out. (this is the last “MARKS” post I promise, I did another shoot this last weekend and will be starting new stuff this week. If people are interested, maybe I’ll do another step-by-step series? let me know if you could, they’re a lot of work!)

Warholian.com did a nice video tour of the opening:

ArrestedMotion, one of my favorite art blogs, came by before the opening and covered the collection. (they also took some pictures of me trying to get the last of the cat hair out of my paintings…nice aaron). That post is here.

FecalFace, another fantastic art blog (chances are, this is not new to you), covered the opening as well. That one is here.

I love pictures like this.

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POST SHOW II: SHOW PICS

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pictures from the opening are trickling in so I thought I’d post a few. Most of these I poached from the Shooting Gallery blog, so thank you to Kirsten and Dayna!

by: Guru Khalsa

Lisa, one of my oldest friends, graciously posed for "the Fates" triptych

I've painted Helena more than any other model to date, she is fantastic

from above

amazing model, Nikki, and two of the four paintings she helped me with

Davey Havok and Justin Giarla

Ron Turner of Gingko Press and artist Isabel Samaras

Nikki and "Marks"

collector Michael Deeb, Justin Giarla, and myself

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POST SHOW I:”MARKS” NOW ONLINE

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

First off, thank you to everybody that made it out to the “MARKS” opening. The Shooting Gallery was packed for almost 4 hours and it was great to talk to everybody. Special thank you to my family for making the trip from the East Coast and Chicago, and for those that caught flights or drove long distances to be there for the opening. It means more than you could know.

All the pieces from the show are now online on my site here. I’ve been having a really hard time getting perfect images of a few of the new pieces. I’ve had them shot twice now, and am still running into problems with glare or uniform color accuracy. I’m likely being a little over-critical so they’ll have to do until I can get some updated images up. most of them are spot on though. here’s a few of the new ones, larger files (and non-flash) so you can save them if you wish. I’ll post pictures from the opening as soon as I have some.

"marks" - 30" x 46"

"the Fates" - 24x40", 30x40", 24x40" (Triptych)

"keeper" - 24" x 36"

this one (above) from the last “step by step” posts here.

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you are unique! and not alone..

Monday, March 8, 2010

I pulled this from Lola’s blog. I’m not sure where she found it, but it’s pretty great:

12 Step Recovery Program for Artists

1. Admit that you are powerless over your ARTmaking, and it is the only thing that makes your life manageable.

Many artists describe the feelings they get from making art as an almost spiritual or sexual experience, feeling a complete and total sense of happiness and being at one with the world. Much like the feeling an athlete gets from hitting the ball in the sweet spot. But, instead of it being a fleeting moment, it is a lasting sense satisfaction and contentment. It is what keeps them the sane, wonderful people we love.

2. Believe that ART is a Power, greater than yourself, and can restore you to sanity.

Making art is the way artists create order out of chaos. It is a personal order, that allows them to navigate their way through life. The most positive addiction. When you find yourself cranky or irritable, is it really just because you haven’t allowed yourself quiet time to work?

3. Made a decision to turn yourself and your life over to ART.

The term “frustrated artist” didn’t come out of nowhere. Societal pressures, parental pressures, and sometimes our own need to succeed or fear of failure, keeps a lot of artists from ever realizing their dream. You can’t escape from it forever…eventually, the need to create will overpower whatever rational reasons you have developed to keep yourself from finding the time to make art. The sooner you accept it, the better.

(Continued)

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