back at Jumbo's

I have completely painted and re-painted this one 4 times now but I finally feel happy with it. I liked the composition from the start so the search was mainly for the color. I want to go back to the place and see how the painting feels versus actually being there again. Maybe try sketching from a different part of the room. I took it to class today and one of the models recognized it as Jumbo's so it does have a specific likeness to the place to go along with all the crazy paint strokes! That was what I wanted to keep the most, the energetic application of paint and strong color. acrylic on canvas, 24 by 48

vista hermosa park

I went out yesterday with fellow plein air painter Jose de Juan for some plein air at a favorite spot of mine, Vista Hermosa Park. It could not have been a more perfect day for a perfect view. Here's my stab at it, a 30 by 24 oil on canvas.

adventures in web traffic

wow! I am a fan of Max Keiser, I think he's funny and right on about the present global economic disaster we are in. I once heard him use the term 'suicide banker' and for fun I quickly made a satirical humorous image inspired by this and sent it to him, it's Lloyd Blankfein as a crazed economic terrorist. He liked it and posted a link on his site of our exchange and I'm getting hits from all over the place. so welcome! buy silver and buy art! ahahah! I'm a perfect "buy low/sell high" opportunity because I am still as yet "undiscovered", I have a proven track record of consistent painting output of high quality and imagination, a great exhibition history, lots of stories and yet since the light of the 'art world' has not yet shone upon me, prices are very affordable! it's all for sale, make me an offer. :)

monkey

I've been working on an image for my friend Nick Griffin's next comedy cd titled Bring Out the Monkey. This is a real multi-media piece, and it was fun to make! I wanted the image to walk a line between cute and crazy, right and wrong, for the monkey to be a haphazard tumble of brushstrokes defined and sort of compressed by the contour. I'm pleased with the result! By the way if you click Nick's link you'll see a portrait I did for him a little while back.

Jumbo's Clown Room

I was live painting at Hangar 1018 on Friday where there was a costume party with music, dancing, painting good times and I used the energy of the event as an excuse to block in a painting based on my composition from Jumbos. The costumes were awesome, people really got into it, (I was a zombie Bob Ross) the music was great and it was fun to dance and paint! I used acrylic which I've really gotten into lately, but I use them like I use oils alla prima so you can't really tell the difference, which is nice because I can make a seamless transition to oils when I want! The speed of the acrylic drying makes experimenting with glazes and transparent paint fun too. There's a little more "stuff" to bring with acrylic, but it's kinda worth it. with this painting at this stage I'm most interested in getting the canvas covered and establishing the overall "grand scheme" value structure so everything is "approximately right on" which you can see when comparing the first digital sketch and the painting so far. From my first sketch, I could go and get models, pose people in just the right place and angle and eyeline, take photos and reference shots for the figures and details in the composition and head in the direction of painting ever more realistically... but I feel like who cares? How is that going to make it better? I like a certain amount of 'rightness', especially in the feeling of light, and I absolutely love to paint/draw/compose from life, but I just can't give up my love for and pursuit of physical expression through paint and painterliness itself. This seems to condemn me to a life of broke fascination! hahahaha! Here's the painting at the moment, 24 by 48