Reference Shots

Hi, all! I’ve come up with a series of blog posts that might be at least somewhat interesting, particularly if you enjoy my Unrefined series of artworks. Many have inquired about my references for the structures and scenes in the Unrefined paintings, so I figured it might be fun to share some of my favorite reference photos on my blog. I figure I’ll post a few a week until I run out of “good” ones. (By, “good” I mean, nice shots that are interesting to you. I have hundreds of photos, but I imagine most of them are only interesting to me, as they’re either altogether useless, or only contain a small tidbit or two that I deem worth saving.)

First, it’s worth mentioning that I have NO access to ANY of these refineries, and thus far I have been unable to attain it. Private security, state authorities, and federal agencies protect these complexes. I have been asked to leave certain areas politely, and, well… not so politely. I was once “intimidated” by security vehicles off of an access road that led to refinery’s gate and I was easily still a half-mile away from the gate! You get my point. Unfortunately, in spite of the fact that I continue to bring art supplies on my reference hunts, doing sketches on location is impossible – unless I don’t mind sitting a couple of miles away from my subject, which I do! Therefore, my best bet is taking photos with my camera or (frequently) my phone, very often from my car, or “mental snapshots,” for lack of a better expression. (I’ll essentially just hold an image in my head until I can sketch it or paint it.) 

As shown here, there is rarely a shoulder upon which to pull over
and the speed limit on this particular road is 55 mph, making it difficult
to even slow down to take pictures!

Here are some more shots to kick things off....

This one may look familiar to some of you....

UNREFINED X

Coincidentally, UNREFINED XI "No Dumping," was inspired by a vacant lot with a "NO DUMPING" sign. Behind this lot was a pile of scrap and detritus from the refinery in the distance,  beyond some trees. Luckily, it was too perfect to forget, as I had no opportunity to photograph it. Anyway, sometimes these paintings are almost ready-made.

Okay, next:

How 'bout one more for now....

I like this shot, and fortunately got some more, too. About three
minutes after taking it, two security trucks drove up this road
and forced me to leave. They followed me back to the main road
and remained at the intersection. For how long... who knows?
I just kept driving....

Recently, I discovered a few more roads that have some great vantage points, so I'm sure to continue my library of reference for Unrefined, a series that seems to have no end in sight. Well, I hope this was remotely interesting for you. I'll post some more photos next week.

- Ian

Good Show! Bitch of a Canvas....

The Push Pin-Up Productions show went swimmingly! We had a great time, and met a lot of great people! The turnout was impressive to say the least. I posted some pic's on Facebook and hopefully there will be more to follow (I'm waiting on some emails....). A hearty "THANK YOU" to everyone at Push Pin-Up Productions and all of their volunteers that orchestrated such a wonderful evening art party. If you'd like to donate to Push Pin-Up to support future events like the Reflexion/Projexion show, here's a link: Donate!

Moving on, I finally finished stretching the canvas for my next piece in the Presence series. What a f#cking bitch! GRRRR! In the end I may have removed more staples over the course of getting it right than I actually ended up using on it. What a pain in the ass.... Here's why:

Remember that plaster fist on wood supports?

Yeah, that one. Well, here it is now:

So, yeah....

Gesso time!!

Peace!

Reflexion/Projexion

Aaaannnd that's the theme of my first New Orleans show! I am very pleased to report that my piece, Shadow of My Former Self has been accepted to a show that "unofficially" kicks-off White Linen weekend in NOLA, and "officially" provides the after-party for a show opening at the Ogden Museum of Southwestern Art! Good-freaking-stuff, right? My sincere thanks to Push Pin-Up Productions for even considering my work, and obviously for accepting it as well.

Coincidentally, what do you think this is going to be used for?

The next piece in the Presence series, of course... but I'm not gonna' spill the beans, you'll have to wait for it.

While I wait for molds to dry, or wood glue and such, I'm keepin' busy with other work, like this one:

 

And this one:

They're both unfinished, but I'm truckin' on the first piece and the second... well, let's just say I'm rethinking my original objectives....

So, that's what I've been up to lately. It's great to return to the blog with happy news, and I'm actually still waiting to hear from some other venues regarding artwork I've submitted. Suffice it to say, I'm keeping my fingers crossed while I celebrate. You should, too.....

Much love,
Ian

Behind the "Shadow of My Former Self"

I've had some inquiries and remarks in the past month or so regarding my painting, "Shadow of My Former Self" - which is on my portfolio site and is currently my Facebook profile picture. What is not apparent from the digital images of this piece is that there is a three-dimensional aspect to the composition. Here's the painting:

"Shadow of My Former Self" - 2010 - 36" x 48" - Oil on canvas - ©2011

Here's the painting hanging in my front hallway to give you a better sense of scale:

Now, here is a photo from the side, or a "profile" shot, of the painting:

 

It should be more apparent here that there are small protuberances where the fingertips appear to come in contact with the canvas. It is a subtle effect, but - I feel - one that adds a certain "je ne sais quois" to the piece. Yeah, that's right. I didn't want to hit the viewer over the head with the 3-D quality of the canvas, I intended for it to just be "off" or even a touch unsettling, particularly when viewed from a slight angle.

It is worth noting, at this point, that this painting was actually an experiment. In my initial idea, I wanted to create a piece that depicted something almost trapped within it. It should seem as though there exists another reality on the opposite side of the canvas, as if it were a translucent window into another world, because, really, isn't that what a work of art is in many ways? A window into the artist's reality, or, perhaps, his or her mind? All right, I've written too much. I'm big on the subjective interpretation of the individual viewer and, frankly, I don't want to get philosophical here - back to the nuts and bolts.... Just painting it without the 3-D quality would have been too ambiguous. I needed to reinforce that this wasn't simply a painting of a silhouette, there was substance to it. The shadow was cast by something - someone - tangible. Now, I have a number of other ideas for artworks that will utilize this technique, but this initial experiment had to be something that I could create quickly and simply, so I came up with a rather straightforward composition with easily crafted pressure-points: fingertips. Here's what happens when you look behind the curtain:

 

 

Here you can see the backside and frame of the canvas. The small board is attached to one of the braces between the frame and canvas. If you look closely you can note the small spherical pegs attached to the board, which are pressing against the inside of the canvas and creating the fingertip impressions. Upon installation of this wooden plane, I felt that there wasn't enough pressure exerted on the canvas; therefore, I reinforced it with a few pieces of cardboard to increase its thickness and, in turn, applied precisely the right amount of stress to the canvas that I had intended.

I know a magician shouldn't reveal his secrets, but as I mentioned, there have been some queries about this piece, so I thought going in depth about the crafting of it would prove intriguing for some. There will be more pieces like this, and - with a little luck and lots of ingenuity - they will become more involved and complex. But, with this concept, for every idea, there are serious logistical and construction issues to consider - and they in turn have ramifications when it comes to composition and aesthetics.

Plus, I've got other projects goin', so I may not crank this series out as fast as I would like. Speaking of other projects, I just gessoed a canvas for the next Unrefined painting. Maybe I'll do some "in progress" posts, to better illustrate my process... then again, maybe not. You'll have to stay tuned.....

- Ian