SOMA Figural Arts Collaborative

A few of my fellow artist friends are holding a showing of their work at the Anna Eaton Stout Gallery on the campus of Brescia University.

Here are a few shots I took while attending the opening tonight. The show will hang until Feb. 7th and includes the work of Diane Albin, John Atkinson, Charles Shoemaker, and Larry Simpson.

Check it out while you can.

Self Portrait

What got into me to do a self portrait, I'm not sure, since I have never done one before. I think it was stumbling across a YouTube video series by Duffy Sheridan that did the trick. I was inspired.

Now, I didn't have all the colors that he had on his pallet, or the soft bristle brushes...but, I do have oil primed linen panels that I make myself, so I'm good in that department.

I also had to mount a mirror next to my easel so I could look at myself...the hardest part of the whole deal, looking at myself, that is.

I started out with a charcoal sketch...I need to work on loosening that up in the future. But, I got a some what resemblance of myself.

From that I washed in a background color with some white, raw umber, and viridian.
Then started building up skin tone in three values that I mixed from cad. red medium, yellow ochre, burnt umber, raw sienna, ultramarine blue, white and maybe a dab of this and that...

Then it was just a matter of placing darks and lights to try and build form.

I decided to stop here for the night after working on the eyes a little. I don't feel like I have them quite right yet...they are the most important think. If I get those right, then everything else keys off of them.

For those interested, here is my work space. I have the smallest room in the house, 10'x11', with an eastern exposure window...not ideal. But, it works for now.

TO BE CONTINUED...



And, here it is, night #2 on my self portrait.

I immediately noticed my eyebrows were too high, so corrected that. Also, the width of my cheekbones was making my face look too narrow.
Along with those changes, it was just a matter of looking at myself closely in the mirror and mixing colors and placing them where they needed to be to help develop the painting farther along.

Here is how it looks right now. I think I need to reduce the size of the irises of my eyes. They look a little too big and cartoon-ish.

This may be where I call it done. I have to stop somewhere or I could go on forever.

"Self Portrait #01"
16"x12" oil on linen panel

Painting During Our Heat Wave

As the whole world knows, we have been experiencing temperatures much lower than normal this week here in the midwest thanks to the Polar Vortex that swept down out of Canada....Brrr, it was cold for few days. But, today we've seen temps roar back above freezing and nearing 50.

So, what better time to get out of the house and paint. I grabbed my gear and headed out. I only had about two hours, as I needed to be home to get the kids off the bus.

I went to a spot that has been on my radar for a while on the backside of Ben Hawes Park. I drove up the road and found a safe spot to pull over, got out, set up, and started a timer on my phone.

It wasn't long before I heard a car slowly approaching and it stopped right beside me. The gentleman's curiosity piqued, he asked a few questions. I thought his voice sounded kind of familiar, but it wasn't registering just yet. I got around to telling him I was originally from Boonville, IN.

Now, this is where you just never know what you will see, hear, or experience when out painting in the outdoors. He said, "Do you remember the song, "One Night in Boonville?". Well, of course I remember the song, I was in high school in the '80's when that song was on local radio making fun of my hometown. I was never really offended by the song. We have to be able to laugh at ourselves...besides, it was mostly true. Ha, Ha!!
Now he tells me that he wrote that...and of course, it all makes sense then. He's a local DJ, very well known, Brian Jackson.

We chatted a bit more, but my timer was running and I needed to concentrate.

So, you just never know....

Oh, and here's the painting.

"Barn On Willett Road"
8"x10" oil on linen panel

Going to Hawaii

OK, so I'm not going physically. Once again, thanks to Google Street View, I'm going to retrace some of my steps from our trip to Oahu.

We had rented a Jeep and rented a place to stay on the North Shore, Kawela Bay to be more exact. We drove around the windward side along the Kamehameha Hwy. following all it's twists and turns along the ocean side and amongst the overhanging trees. I was having dreams of my Swiss Family Robinson fantasy tree house somewhere along here.

Well, I can't have the tree house or get back to Hawaii any time soon, but that can't stop me from painting.

Here is a link to the view I grabbed: http://goo.gl/maps/46dtb

And here is the image I created in my sketchbook.
7"x11" watercolor

Another One For The Virtual Paintout

So, I spent some time looking around Provincetown, MA. to find another scene for the paintout. I never know what may catch my eye and this time I seen a person sitting on a stoop enjoying a smoke, talking on their phone, and their pooch staring up at them. So, I just had to paint them. It's cool to wonder about this person. I mean, what was the story? Where are they now....No, not in a stalker sort of way!! I can put myself right there, listening to the dogs tags clink on the leash clasp, and the chatter of passers-by, the smell of the smoke (not something I like, mind you), and feel the heat of an August day.

Sent myself a screenshot, e-mailed myself a link so I could find the spot again if need be, and pulled out my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook and a pencil and loosely sketched in the subject. I used a pencil this time over a pen to allow me to get some softer edges.

I worked quickly and tried not to let myself get too bogged down in details. For one, the faces on Street View are pixelated out, so I just kinda hinted at the face...which isn't the center of interest anyway.

Once again, it was a fun exercise. I may becoming addicted to this.

Here is the screenshot.

And here is what I did with it.

Cape Cod Virtual Paintout

If you haven't heard about it or seen it yet, a fellow Kentucky artist, Bill Guffey, started a very cool blog with a very cool idea. Use Google Maps Street View feature to create works of art from all over the world. The blog is very near it's 5 year anniversary and you can visit it to get more info, see the extensive amount of artwork that has been created, and better yet-participate yourself.

For me, this is my first submission to the Virtual Paintout. I've used Street View in the past and actually one of the works I created was given a purchase award at the 2013 Owensboro Art Guild show at the Owensboro Museum of Fine Art.

This month the Virtual Paintout is focused on Cape Cod, MA. and I was thinking lighthouses. So, I snooped around the map until I found one I liked and grabbed a screenshot, made me a cup of hot tea, sat down with my sketchbook, pen, and watercolors and whipped out the following painting.

Here is the screenshot I worked from. This is the Nobska Point Light, by the way. Near Woods Hole, MA.

And here is the finished artwork in my Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.

William Kentridge

Today was a non-painting day for me. But, I don't let my time go to waste. I spend it reading and researching all things that will help me achieve my goals. Since I have no new work to show, and this is a blog devoted to art, why not give you some insight on what I find important or interesting...even enlightening.

Today, I want to introduce you to an artist whose work fascinates me, William Kentridge. I had the good fortune of catching an exhibition of his work at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC. some years ago and it still resonates with me.

Obviously his working methods and subjects are like nothing I do personally, but I just really like what he does. Maybe it's the raw simplicity of his use of charcoal, yet the complex nature of his work.

I'm posting a short video that gives a brief glimpse into his work. But, I suggest watching the others that are on YouTube also.