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!

"pick...."

Hey! Finished this one up a few days ago. Sorry for the delay in posting. I took some detail shots as well....

pick.... - Acrylic and Enamel on Canvas - 36" x 24"

Click the image to enlarge (hopefully - Blogger can be finicky at times).

In these detail shots you can see the 3D effects I achieved through the magic of molding paste.

I actually painted the canvas and mottled "bruising" entirely with my hands and fingers, and used my fingers and palette knives to sculpt the "scab" out of molding paste. It only seemed appropriate that I would use my fingers for a piece titled pick...., and I thought it might grant it a more visceral quality. It certainly made for a more visceral creative experience, and I hope it comes through in the art.

Now I have to get back to work on my Presence series. In considering pick...., however, I find that it may be an interesting complement to the Presence paintings, not only in appearance, but also thematically.... Huh.... More on that stuff in a later post!

Thanks for the interest everyone! Oh, and I may bite the proverbial bullet soon and start a Facebook page to promote my work. All in favor say "Aye." I don't know that it's necessary.....

- Ian

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

New NOLA art! This time it's St. Louis Cathedral!

Conté Crayon on Paper - 18" x 24" - 2012

Peace!

Atomic Comics Christmas

A cartoon I did for my friend Don's Christmas sale. Inked entirely with brush! Not bad - if I do say so myself..... The final ad is under it. Yes, the tagline of the ad was conceived in conjunction with the concept of the cartoon:

(as usual, CLICK to enlarge) 

37... huh....

 

 

    

 

Oil on Canvas 24" x 30"

So, I knocked this self-portrait out pretty quickly my birthday weekend. I just stood in the bathroom with my small easel and did it. I had initially planned something completely different, in fact, in order to avoid getting lost in details I painted it without any corrective lenses. (Nearsighted means my image in the mirror - about 5 feet away - was blurry, but my view of the canvas in front of me was pretty crisp.) Great idea at the time I started, but, I, of course managed to completely overwork it anyway. In all honesty, it was "done" after about 10 minutes... and I knew it, but I just had to second guess myself, and the notion of how long a "proper" painting should take, and, hey, what if I could improve it, hone it, perfect it? Ugh.... It was perfect. The first creative blast of gestural strokes nailed it. Oh well. I was just funnin' anyway.... On to the next!

Fun and Frustration with Ink... and Halloween!

Grrrr.... Practicing with various inking tools and techniques over the weekend and I churned this drawing out on Halloween. It kinda' made me chuckle so I thought I would share it. This was done entirely with brushes and ink - no pens, markers, or digital "doctoring" of any kind, although I may have used a little <AHEM> Pro-White in a couple of...  problem areas.... Damn, inking with a brush WELL is tough, but that's why we practice like this. I don't bust out my expensive Series 7's for stuff like this, so the brushes used were cheap and not of the best quality, but for practice and playful purposes they do all right.... Anyhoo, I hope your Halloween was a happy and haunted one!!

A few different brushes and black FW Acrylic Ink