Urban Beach Sketches

Here are a few sketches for several paintings which I'll be completing for a possible (we have to submit an application) Urban Beach -themed group show. I'm pretty excited about this. Went down to Venice Beach and took some reference photos...That place is wild.

Pasadena Ramblings

Last Wed. I was up in Pasadena dropping off a painting for The Nature Exhibit at Linus Gallery and took the opportunity to visit the Norton Simon Museum. The museum has a ton of great work. SO much Degas. Only had time to get through less than half of it so will have to go back. Here are a few pieces that particularly struck my fancy-

The Traveler by Liubov Popova

While I'm not necessarily one to complete cubist work myself, I can definitely enjoy it. The style works perfectly for a subject like travelling. Seems like a scrapbook full of ticket stubs, notes, pictures of places visited, signs etc...

Portrait of Leila by Pierre Bonnard

Something to aim fore in portraiture. The pose and setting is classical but the graphic pattern of the chair and the paint application is modern/emotional.

The Legislative Belly by Honore Daumier

Okay so this piece wasn't at the museum but a few paintings by Honore Daumier were there and while reading his biography I learned that he was a respected caricaturist. Having completed a stint in caricature while in college I still dabble and the subject always interests me. I believe a piece like the above can be on the same plane as, say, a Degas. (Don't get offended here -I love Degas.) It just seems that there is as much to be learned from it and as much thought and skill most likely went into it.

Gnarly Hands

My dad was kind enough to text me a few pics of his hand walking along resulting in some more study sketches for the intersections piece. I like the very first one the best because it looks like the hand is actually taking a stroll.

Riley

Just finished up (and will be shipping-off today) this commission. It is going to be a Christmas present. The subject is cute dachshund named Riley.

10"x10" acrylic on 1.5" depth canvas-textured artist board

Emphasizing Faith in Art

Some big things (36"x48" big) are brewing here. I'm working an entry for an Intersections art show at Ecclesia and am also starting a new series that is going to be very spiritually based. The sketch below is a brainstorm for the show entry. As far as the series is concerned, don't worry, you won't be seeing any Pietas or Madonnas but I do want to start bringing my faith into my work in a much bigger way. I've listed some quotes below the sketch which should give an idea of the direction in which I am heading...

(brainstorm for Intersections art show entry)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." -Psalm 19:1-4

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." -Albert Einstein

"You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands." -Isaiah 55:12

"Some keep the Sabbath going to Church,
I keep it staying at Home-
With a bobolink for a Chorister,
And an Orchard, for a Dome."
-Emily Dickinson

"I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it...People think pleasing God is all God care about. But any fool living in the world can see it always trying to pleas us back." -Alice Walker, The Color Purple

(picture taken at The Angeles National Forest)

Urban Landscape With Pink Sky

6"x6" acrylic and ink on 1.5" gallery canvas, return edge is painted black

purchase here for $50

Urban Landscape With Purple Sky

6"x6" acrylic and ink on 1.5" depth gallery canvas, return edge is painted black

purchase here for $50

Back Alley Urban Landscape

This is the back alley behind my apartment.

6"x6" acrylic and ink on 1.5" depth canvas

(1.5" return edge is painted black)

purchase here for $50

I'm trying to decide what subject to do for my next series and struggling to make a decision. Feeling a bit uninspired. Here are some of the ideas that I've been toying with:

1) Venice Beach boardwalk (all the people, the homeless, the grunge, the sun etc...)

2) people in lines

3) downtown LA urban landscapes

Thoughts?

I've Been Chided

My sister chided me today for being such a lax blogger...So I finally took some pics of this guy:

 6"x6" acrylic and ink on 1.5" depth canvas

purchase here for $50

(a pic of the painting in its current environment -for scale and perspective to see the edge is painted black)

Other things that I'm working on which will be coming soon:
>More pet portraits
>(3) More 6"x6" urban landscapes similar to the one above
>A new website (this may take a while but I'm beginning to put it together so stay tuned...)