"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

I have a blog? Oh! Hey! I have a blog!

Man, I've neglected this thing for a while, huh? So much for regular posts, or semi-regular posts, or... well, you get it. Now that the wedding's over - and it was a f*cking blast-and-a-half, thanks for asking - perhaps I can get get back to my life. Wedding planning is a full-time job, let me tell ya', but damn was ours worth it, and I think it paid-off in spades. Good times....

For this post I'll cheat a bit and upload the sketches that Rachelle and I gave away as wedding favors, and, particularly for those of you that asked, tip you off as to the specific sites. (Click on the images to enlarge them)

First:

This is a view down the sidewalk of Chartres at the corner of Esplanade. Rachelle and I got caught in the rain and took shelter under the awning.

Next:

This is a row of tombs from Cemetery No. 1, if memory serves....

This is the Napoleon House at the corner of Chartres and St. Louis. It's one of our favorite eateries in the Quarter with a multifarious and reasonably priced menu.

This is the north side of Jackson Square looking down St. Peter from Decatur (the Mississippi River would be behind you).

The Faulkner House is in the foreground. Just past the immediate buildings on the right is Pirate's Alley and to your left - out of frame - would be the rear of St. Louis Cathedral.

A tight, forced perspective view of Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop at Bourbon and St. Phillip. This is probably our favorite bar in the Quarter. The street signs have been absent for a while, but I referenced an old photo to insert them into the drawing.

So, there you go! The top 4 sketches were rendered "straight-up" with a Sakura Pigma Micron (.03 mm) pen, that is, I didn't plan them in pencil first or anything, I just used the pen. The bottom 2 were done entirely in pencil: 2B, and a 6B for the darker areas. I also used a kneaded eraser to tighten them a bit, increase contrast in areas, and add highlights.

I was rather pleased with these sketches, and I truly hope that all of our guests were, as well. Methinks I will crank out some more, and I will be sure to post the ones I like - and maybe one or two that I don't.... I am also going to get back to painting. I have a big unfinished painting on an easel that's really irritating me, as it's been there - and untouched - for faaaaaaaar too long.

Bye, for now!

- Ian