Part-Time Employment Has Potential for Awesomeness.

So I had two great interviews this week, after spending Christmas and the days immediately following it, in New Jersey catching up with awesome people! I hope I get one of these part time jobs, and that it will be just enough to keep the art-cooker up at full blast, while making some cash too!

My abstract guy installed successfully inthe bathroom!

Finally tackled the other me in the Medusa piece!

Its amazing what a difference there is, documenting work in artificial light. But, you get the gist of it. I am thinking about totally redoing the background. I took some awesome reference photos at the PMA last week... I need to do some digital sketching!

Choo-choo!

I got a decent amount done on Medusa, which is great because she was giving me a lot of trouble earlier this summer, and I was extremely frustrated by it. I'm still playing around with the columns (references from the Philadelphia train station).
I've still got a lot of work to do.
But I think this guy is done. He's for my bathroom, just a little something to brighten it up (ok, so the room is bright yellow with an almost rainbow shower curtain, whatever).
I really liked working on the pieces for Lauren this summer. Although frustrating at times, its good to just think about color and form, without anything to limit you. I am still limited by them, though.

piecing it together

So this is what I got done last night. Again, not finished, but on a roll.

New Beginnings

So I am officially on Holiday! Although I am applying to jobs and keeping busy!

I was suppressing all artistic negativities for the past two months and neglected to post these images which I did in fact do before then. They are not finished but should be posted nonetheless.



I will be reading art history and literature, as well as painting frequently these next few weeks!

Also, the light was nice on the building across the street, and I took a photograph: does it look familiar?

I am going to paint today! Cheers!

Dexter

Painting I did of Hans a few days ago, but was too wet to photograph.This has a little more to go, but its almost there.

I started watching Dexter again last night. There is a repetitive thing with a sliced up barbie. I had seen the first few episodes back in January I think. I wonder if that image sparked this project. Interesting.

One Arm In

So I pretty much did this painting while Skyping with Aisha. It was really nice. The painting is small, like 3x4 inches. The rest will be proportional to this. And if all goes as well as this one did, I can get a lot done pretty quickly! Maybe I'll do another tonight as it is only 10:00

Pre Painting

So I also did this the other night, when the watercolors were out.
I did this tonight. Noel left some primed canvases, and I think I could use a painting in the bathroom. I guess I also thought I could use some pre-painting enjoyment before diving in to the piece. I think I'll work on this one more night, but next week or something. Hmm.

Warming up

I found this adorable plant at work last week, and I did some studies of it. Only this one came out. It was enjoyable. Like a doodle, with intention. I think hanging out in the 1533+Yelena Studio was really good for my motivation muscle.

I did manage to finish all the drawings for the new piece, and when I rabbit skin glued them to the MDF, the pencil didn't run. This is wonderful. I ruined one of the papers trying to shove it into place, but I did another drawing, took the least amount of time, and theyre all dry and everything. I think tonight will be painting night.

Beginnings.

Soon these things will be united. As one.

post script

I just remembered I never posted this photoshopped concoction of the paintings together, as they sat on my wall until Lauren came to get them. She has yet to send me the picture text of them on her wall, but whenever that happens, I will be sure to at least try to figure out how to post that as well.

Still no art on my part, however I am hoping to hear back from Project Basho soon, and Celia sent me this link: to the Little Show of Horrors, which I am planning on attending. I will also be in NYC on Wednesday to see the Francis Bacon show and maybe even muster up enough energy to get to the Guggenheim.

Paralytic Fears of Post-Collegiate Highway Hypnosis

This is the only way I can think of explaining how I fear the future of my own state of mind. I love being high on caffeine- that adrenaline pumps me up and gets me going to push me further, getting me genuinely high on life. But lately I have no reason to drink coffee in the first place. Of course, I have to, otherwise I just plain feel sleepy. This is really no problem, it is just really frustrating to me that my relationship with it is so drastically different than it used to be.

As far as art goes, I have been trying to make art so that I don't just plain stop making art, but on the other hand I feel that I may just need a healthy break from it, of course assuming that this break doesn't lead to the stoppage of my art-making muscle. So I am now abstaining from making art, and will resume again sometime in the beginning of September. Already I have found myself thinking about art voluntarily rather than scared, and forcing myself to. And I have taken off work next Wednesday to see the Francis Bacon show at the Met before it closes. This might be magic.

Out the Window

Today I finally painted this beautiful angled building across the street from me. There are several that I really do love to look at. I am glad that I have them, and that I am finally showing something related to motivation.

Lauren's number 2

Well, I think this is it. Some detail shots:




I think they are really not bad for my first pieces like this. However, I think its funny that I only ended up doing one sketch for them because I simply didn't know how to approach even a simple sketch of this sort.
And that is pretty much the approach I used. Put color down, let it rest. Do it again.

I do like the overall images, but I am really interested in the detail shots. I suppose I will have to figure out a way to sort of emulate that look, despite that I did approach the second painting using larger blocks of color. I am currently reading Varieties of Modernism by Paul Wood which is proving to be very informative, although I just started it a few days ago.

Thanks to Lauren (who has requested to not know anything about either of them until she sees them in person...) for asking me to do these, otherwise who knows how long I would have put it off!

Almost done

I think one more day on this baby.

Abstracts and SteppenMedusa

The abstract paintings, together.
And then I worked on it some more.And a new painting! Finally making some breakthrough connections between my own genius and neuroses, and that of the Steppenwolf. Thanks, Hermann Hesse.

painting #2: Lauren's Diptych

I started the second one yesterday. Very different approach from the first one. It bothered me that the first one had too few sizeable chunks of color, however, this one has fewer "moments". I've been looking at a lot of Franz Kline, although by "a lot" I mean whatever one can find within five minutes of Google time.

work it.

I think its almost done. However, I need to get a lot of work done on the other, and make sure they still work as one piece. This involves starting the second one. Hah.
Some detail shots, all the same painting.

slow and steady wins the race

I found a four leaf clover I thought I might glue or paint in here, but then I forgot about it.

I think I'll try some glazing too? Or thinner layers anyway.

Also, Larger sections of color.

I need to paint a chair to get a sense of balanced color. Chair to be painted soon.

Project: experiment

Still working on the first painting, and really have been neglecting it. I think if I photodocument my progress, I'll feel less scared about changing it so drastically. And its all sorts of relaxing and nice, to just mix paint and put it where I feel at that moment it should go. So far, still using the palette knife, probably in aversion to the waste of paint that occurs when using huge brushes for one or two strokes, and then all the large brush washing..
If you're confused about the connection the previous image, I am turning the painting periodically until I see what's going on.
So I think its going to just continue like this for a while. Maybe I'll glue some stuff, and scrape off some. But uh, other than that, I'm kind of at a loss.
I have a list of 20th century art history books I need to choose from and..... learn all the Art History I've been avoiding.

ink washes and other experiments

Living in Philadelphia has proved so far, to be the right decision. My biggest fear was that I would not be inspired to make art. However, a friend of mine has commissioned me to paint two experimental paintings. We discussed specific artists and specific paintings, and her likes and dislikes. I gave her an idea about what I plan to try, and am being honest about that I have no idea how they will end up. I started the first one, and hope to change it every few days for the rest of the month. Will start the other one soon too, hopefully. State one:

I also did a painting of another friend of mine, of whom I took some reference photos a few weeks ago:

In other news, I took some screen-caps of my friend Aisha via skype a few weeks ago. I painted this last night as well.


So, all in all, not that bad. Let's keep it moving!

what to do?

I went to the Cezanne show at the PMA: it was great. It was inspiring, however I still don't know what my immediate artistic goals should be. I am determined to experiment for a bit, but I think some regimented life-studies will be good too. I have a moving image in my head as well, but... to create an animation? I think it loops, but its one of those things where if I try to put it on paper and fail, it'll be gone forever. What a fear!

Commencement Show

Show is up! Second Floor Fox Building; 1300 Mount Royal Ave Baltimore Md 21217, if you haven't gotten to see it yet. Unfortunately I think it'll be down tomorrow night. So here is what you missed, including new paintings you haven't seen yet:






*note my wonderful models, "enjoying the show": Claire Clayton and Zoe Keller

rapunzel finished!

She's done, but these images are from my studio: it might be totally different installed with the rest of my work at commencement.