Red

This is actually a painting I did last winter. One of the few paintings from my Stripes series I haven't taken the time to really show anyone. I've always liked this painting, but it's one of those paintings I appreciate more after being put away for a while. I thought about this one too much while I was working on it. Now I am able to look at it as a whole, rather than a canvas polluted by a bunch of tiny concerns. I can find flaws, but I can also see where my constant re-evaluation of this painting paid off. This painting has a lot of color and texture relationships I hope to repeat in future paintings. If you ask me, even though the clothing is provocative, the sexiest part of this painting is glow of that red sheet.

Review

These past couple months I've somehow found my way back to theatre. It has kept me very busy, and if I stay busy, I stay happy, so things have been good.
Working with Pink Banana theatre company, I have been involved with a new and great group of people. Frank McGuinness' Someone Who'll Watch Over Me opened on the 9th of this month and is still running for a few days longer. It's a really well written play, and I enjoy the performance from the actors. I just thought Id post a few pictures of the set I did and a recent review of the play by Russ Bickerstaff.

if you are interested in seeing the play, check out www.pinkbananatheatre.com

review: http://www.expressmilwaukee.com/blog-3985-impressions-of-pink-bananas-latest-show.html

Button Garland & Ink Bottles

I was looking at some watercolor paintings by an artist that has had a strong impact on my work recently. I don't often look at his watercolors, but when I did, for the first time in years I was inspired to find my inks and pull them from the heap of my forgotten art materials.

I did 3 small paintings in my sketchbook. I haven't painted anything in my sketchbook since like 2 sketchbooks ago. Since then and until now, it had been all writing. I decided to post the last painting for everyone to see. I'm very happy with how it turned out... a fun and successful exploration with a medium I had abandoned. Luckily, I also discovered that my sketchbook pages support wet mediums...

More Stripes...

I have been fighting my cold apartment, trying to finish up the paintings I have started for my Stripes series. Although I will remain working with this series, I have plans to take the work in a new direction and take a break from the detailed oil paintings.

This is probably the smallest painting of the series, and probably one of my favorite oil paintings that I have done recently. It isn't completely finished, but its awful close and I've been anxious to post it. I'm finding myself very excited about this series, and even though I'm happy with the paintings created so far, I see them only as foundation works for the Stripes series projects yet to come.

Sunflowers & Finches

I, not too long ago, painted sunflowers and finches on the back wall of a dining room. These are just some images I've been meaning to post.

New Painting!

This belongs with my "stripes" series. I am happy to say that its finished. well, almost. I plan on going over the painting with a clear varnish. This painting will be the oddball of the series. I say this because this is the only painting that is clearly a portrait. In all the other paintings (in progress), the foreground and the background share more equal roles. The picture I took of this painting isn't that great, mostly because it's still wet, so theres a lot of glare. I plan to take better pictures of it, when its is all dry and varnished. I didn't want to wait until then to post it. My schedule has been ridiculous and very busy, so I'm very happy that one of these many paintings I've started, is completed and I wanted to share it.

Unfinished Business...

Right now I'm in a location with a lot of unfinished work, and no materials or space to do anything about it. Which I guess is okay for now. Although I am excited to work on them again, I think some time to think them over might be good.



This first piece is about 3 years old now. It started as a vertical 6ft. tall collage, and was later reworked and cut in half, the other half was reworked as well. This piece was at the beginning of my college senior thesis. My main material for my senior thesis was etch a sketch, and this piece was an early experiment where I was attempting to work etch a sketch images in with other materials and mediums... one of my experiments to remove etch a sketch drawings from its red frame, and work them more like fine art material. I have always really liked this collage, but I never got it to a stage where I could consider it complete. Right now I am thinking I would like to remount it, and possibly create a companion piece to it. Possibly create a diptych. I haven't decided yet.



This little painting I happen to be pretty happy with as it is. I just haven't really decided on if I want to re stretch it or not. To be honest, I really just felt like posting this one.



This painting I started about a year ago. I had plans for it, but for whatever reason I wasn't into it after too long, and I started something else. Looking at it now, I'm seeing a lot more possibilities, and I think I have a direction planned out for it. Maybe something a little more playful and surreal.



I don't have much to say about this. I don't plan on changing the composition much, if at all. What I am sure of right now is that I want to take that figure and possibly push it to be more realistic, and give the negative space around her more depth.


Before last summer, this collage, was actually three different collages. All three collages were about taking roads/paths in one way or another. Now it has become more of a reflection piece of where I have been, and the 'on the road' lifestyle I've been stuck in the past couple years. Its coming along. And, although I'm content with it now, I can see myself altering it in the future.