NEW SITE, AND A LOT OF SHOW PREP
Welcome to the new site! It’s real basic, something i’ve been favoring lately – and it’s without Flash (so all the iPhone and iPad users can actually see it). the ‘Portfolio’ can now be sorted by date, which is fun (right?), and the images are way bigger. there’s still some bugs and i’m gradually going to keep fixing things, but wanted to get it up before the show. I decided on this re-haul last weekend after I realized how ill-equipped the old site was for all the new work, and predictably added a ton to my plate during a very hectic few weeks. But it’s done-ish, and I hope it works for you. feel free to send me an email if you notice anything totally screwy. (I lot of the old blog entries need some image adjusting so those look a little unseemly, but I’ll get to it one of these days).
My solo show at Shooting Gallery is fast approaching, so i’ve spent the last few days taking paintings in to get photographed, paintings edges, varnishing, and generally making things presentable. So far it’s looking like I will have 15 new pieces, including a smaller one I just started Tuesday (cutting it way close, but I feel like it needs to be included, and I seem to enjoy stressing myself out). I’ve been taking as many photos as I can so I’ll start posting sneak peeks on the site right away — I hope to have a new one up every day or so.
more very soon. thank you as always for reading and for the support,
a
PS. I made this new combination pallet/paint stand. It’s a used window I found at urban ore stacked on top of my old paint stand. i’m pretty stoked on it, this is a picture of it’s maiden voyage.
“A THIN LINE”, JUNE 11th, SHOOTING GALLERY
"the calming" - 58" x 40", oil on canvas, 2010
And we’re officially in show prep mode. I’ve barely come up for air this last month and i’m going to be painting and generally overworking myself right up until show time. Show info is in that graphic up top, right above the show piece, “the calming”. [the Shooting Gallery site is here] It’s big. come see it in person June 11. There will be 10-14 others!
I’m going to start posting preview and in-progress shots very soon, but before then, I may take the blog down and rebuild it…along with the entire website. no idea how I’m going to fit it in, but it needs a refresh and there’s not really enough room for all the new pieces. so if there’s a coming soon page up (likely on the blog first, shortly followed by some main site downtime), that’s why.
SUNRISE ARTISTS INTERVIEW
Did this interview for Sunrise Artists Online: http://sunriseartists.com/2011/04/27/aaron-nagel-interview/
ON THE EASEL / SOLO SHOW APPROACHING
Started this one the other day – this is a shot after about 8 hrs or so. I rarely paint on un-tinted panels (or wood at all really) but I was feeling especially impatient and enamored with the wood grain, so I just jumped in. I doubt much will show through when the painting is complete but it looks neat unfinished so I figured I’d post.
also, I’ve been scrambling on work for my solo show in June, and it’s really creeping up. So far i’m planning for somewhere between 10 and 14 pieces, almost all of which are brand new. The opening will be June 11th at the Shooting Gallery in SF, please mark your calendars if you’re in the area!!! more info on all the show details very soon.
a
NEW PAINTING, “REGAL”
"regal" - 30" x 38", oil on canvas, 2011
This painting, completed a few months back, will be featured in The Empty Exhibition shows this month in Sydney Australia. They will celebrate the launch of the 20th issue of Empty Magazine, (I was honored to have been featured in issue #18) and will consist of two shows in Sydney. I’m really excited to have work traveling so far, I only hope to make it out there myself one day (if only to art-stalk Jeremy Geddes). Continue Reading →
“LUSH” PRINTS and WARHOLIAN GROUP SHOW
“LUSH” prints are here and I’m really happy with how they came out. A HUGE thank you to those that have ordered prints already…the support really really means a lot.
I’ll also be taking part in a group show this Thursday in SF called “Warhol Re-imagined: the New Factory”, put on by my friends from Warholian.com. It’s a Warhol themed show (duh) and I was asked at the last minute to contribute to a rebuilding of Warhol’s original grid of soup cans. and yes, I agree that a figurative oil painter is very much out of place in a pop-art tribute to Warhol, but that’s kind of why I wanted to do it. that said, I might have cheated just a bit…but it is a pop-art show of sorts, so cheating is fair game. I don’t have an image of my piece yet, as I finished it only a few hours before the deadline, but as soon as I have one, I’ll post it. More info on the show here: http://www.warholreimagined.com. The lineup is fantastic! looking forward to seeing all these dudes.
“LUSH” prints available tomorrow
I’ll be releasing a new giclée print of my piece “Lush” (2010) tomorrow! They are large: 21″ x 27.45″ (19″ x 25.45″ image size) and look fantastic. They will be signed and numbered, and limited to 30pcs (only 10 of which I will be selling directly).
Available on my site here tomorrow!
WORKIN
Tardy with the posts yet again, my apologies. Since returning from the East Coast, I’ve been at it full steam, and haven’t really come up for much air. Right now though, I’m nursing a bruised/cracked rib and a really bad cold (horrible combination), so I’m taking a sick day.
I’ve never really been very good at working on more than one piece at time, but I think I’m finally getting the hang of it. I have 4 in various stages of completion now, and instead of stressing me out and being distracting, I’m really enjoying it.
For those that have followed the Step-by-Step posts i’ve done, you’ll know that I have a habit of always starting paintings with the face, prior to any background work. I’ve also commented quite a bit on how this makes it hard to find where my values actually are, and makes me rely pretty heavily on glazing. I’m not sure how much difference another method would make, but it’s taken me this long to try and remedy that with this piece (at left). I knew in advance what the background will look like and because it will be dark, I tinted the canvas only where the figure will be, then painted the rest with black acrylic. This (at left) is about 4 hours in, and so far, I think it’s coming along ok. I’ll still need to glaze a bit to push things were they need to be, but I think the values are a little more accurate this early in the piece.
I’m also constantly experimenting with a new pallet these days, and finally becoming more comfortable with cool colors in my flesh tones. here’s the setup for my last piece, if anybody would like a full breakdown, just leave it in the comments and I’ll be happy to provide details.
THE MET (again)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a beautiful 3 hour train ride down the coast from my dads in Massachusetts. My dad and I went for the first time last summer (blog entry here), and despite the freezing weather, couldn’t pass on another trip.
The European Painting and Sculpture wing at the Met is fantastic, and probably the most inspiring (and humbling) spot I’ve ever set foot in. I took a ton of pictures again; this time focusing more on detail than entire paintings. Here’s a few bunch of my favorites (below). I will hereby aspire to paint as good as any of these guys for the rest of my life – I will likely fail, but man, what a good way to spend a “career” right?
JUXTAPOZ BOOK
I just got my copy of the new Juxtapoz Erotic Art book. I’m honored to have been featured among a slew of great artists; David Choe, Audrey Kawasaki, Tomer Hanuka, and Vania Zouravliov to name a few of my favorites. Initially I was a little hesitant about being a part of an erotic art book (although not that hesitant) because I’ve never considered my work erotic…it certainly isn’t my intent. I do intend for it to be art however, and so it is – whatever it is — to those looking at it. Be it erotic, sexist, empowering, etc., I’m just happy anybody would look at it long enough to form an opinion of it’s makeup.
I needn’t have worried though. The art is fantastic and very well reproduced, and on fancy paper and everything. a huge thank you to the good people at Juxtapoz for including me. If you’re in the market for art books, you can get it here – I highly recommend it.
BACK FROM A LULL
Aside from long lines, security theater, and the general offensiveness of the majority of my fellow Americans (flip-flop wearers); I really like flying. There are obvious exceptions*, but I usually kind of enjoy being locked in a seat at 30,000 feet, with nothing to do but entertain myself. I get a lot of thinking done, and am always surprised at how refreshing it is. I obviously don’t just think enough – too many distractions, too many obligations, too much work to be done.
I think my work would be better though, if I thought a little more…
I’m on my way back from a visit at my dads house in Massachusetts, which was to be sort of thinking vacation for me. Usually if i’m going to be gone for more than a week, I plan ahead and bring my gear so I can continue (or try)to paint every day. This trip was just over a week, and while I’ve been feeling super stressed about painting, I didn’t have anything to work on anyway.
I was experiencing a bit of a creative lull before I left town. After the Miami and LA shows at the beginning of December, I came home with a sense of urgency. I had to have an entire solo show ready in less than 5 months but was having a hard time getting started. I couldn’t actually figure out what I wanted to paint….and how I wanted to paint it. Kind of a huge problem. This resulted in hours and hours of sifting through photos i’d taken over the last 6 months, hoping that something would jump out at me. Not only did I not find anything, but I couldn’t really figure out what direction on the most basic of levels I’d like to go in. One minute, I’m crafting elaborate compositions in my head that would be near impossible to shoot references for – the next, I’m thinking I just want to paint portraits and let the figure carry the painting without distractions. And content wasn’t my only problem, I was also feeling indecisive about execution; whether I want to loosen things up, modify my pallet, add texture, etc etc. The list goes on and on.
I’m sure these aren’t abnormal issues for an artist. to a certain extent, the constant need to reevaluate, experiment, and improve technically, are a necessity for people so committed. It can be a real pain in the ass though.
So my plan was this: since I wouldn’t have anything to paint anyway, I’d use my time away to think about painting. The model, the composition, the lighting, the pallet, the technique…every aspect of painting that I’ve been indecisive about lately (all of them). And that’s what I did. I also spent countless hours trolling the internet for inspiration; artists, photographers, models, writers…and had the added bonus of a day at the Met in NY (blog entry on that coming very soon). It was kind of perfect…snowy country, warm fire…yes, I was still basking in the glow of a computer monitor, but It was therapeutic nonetheless. and I think I’m better.
I have shoots with new models all weekend, tons of ideas, and hopefully I’ll be back to post some actual progress very soon.
*American Airlines, tarmac delays, etc.
Elsewhere