Happy New Year!

Hey bloggers, happy new year! As we move into yet another year let us give thanks the human race is still here and thriving. This felt like a good day to post and purge my current spillings. So first up, I am moving along with my new acrylic piece. I have been working on it pretty consistently and as stated before; working with rock texture is hella fun. I'm able to really lay it on thick so it textureizes the brick and gives it more depth. The next step is to go in and 're-claim' the mortar and cover up some of the logo red there. After that I will probably throw another layer on the brick and bring out some of the highlights in the wall. This should give the wall more depth and separate it even further from the mortar. Trying to give the wall a 3D look. In any case, it's time to show my progress. Here she is.. I will probably work on this more tonight as we don't really have any plans other than to relax and ring in the new year at home. The piece is going fast and I will probably be done before I know it, as I have already found my next piece I want to attempt to paint. We can chat more about that next time.

Next up.....I recently started a Reddit. I am going to keep it anonymous for now and you will see why in a second here. Take a look at this screen shot, keeping in mind something; This one of my first posts ever on the media site. I (in my life) have NEVER recieved this many views on ANYTHING. Also, this is in the first 48 hours of the post.

The views have slowed considerably from over 1500 an hour to this number here. Again though, for it being the first 48 hours, I was impressed. I think I might stick around on Reddit for a while and see what it's all about. Anyway, I hope you all have a really safe new year. Remember, DO NOT drink and drive. In my lifetime I've had 3 DUI's and spent time in jail in two different countries for alchohol related crap. With ride shares there is no reason..make the call and keep us all safe. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Ballz to the wall

Hey! tomorrow will be our first day on the mountain! I am looking forward to riding with a couple friends! I think maybe the Christmas spirit is moving through my veins. I became inspired as soon as I finished my last painting from the last post. My last few pieces have all been 'portraits', or featured human type subject matter. I wanted to do something with less anatomy this time. I've always loved brick walls, texture, color, depth, and all sorts of shadows and imperfections. Re-creating rock and shadow sounded a little more mellow than an action shot. So, there ya go, and here you go. This first shot is of the original sketch and logo/brick study.

I chewed through a few more sketches on various brick size and or logo size. It's a pretty simple piece but the details run wild in it. I love that you can't really screw up rocks and bricks. I feel like the more rugged they look the more character they display. Anyway here is a finished sketch of the next painting I want to attempt. I feel that the scale works and the little movement there is (paint drips) has good comp. I am also glad to be working with more color again, without further ado...here she is...

I am going to use a different size canvas on this to work with the theme. I am hoping to start this one tomorrow night if I'm not to beat after hitting the slopes tomorrow. I will see about getting some shots or vids for the blog. My PSIA test is juuuuusssst around the corner!

Web-Slinging into the holidays!

Hey, I just really wanted to give a quick update to the spidey piece i started back in September. It took too damn long to finish this little piece. I worked in a smaller scale to work out kinks before I attempt to make a larger painting. I felt like this piece challenged me in a different way. I worked in the negative space a lot. Starting with the blocking of all the darkest color (black), I then just had to layer over the top with mid and highlights. One thing I'd like to improve upon with my art is the sharpness of my lines. Really, to be able to tighten up the edges and make it look sharp. It's tough to do when you are using traditional mixed media methods. I do like this finished piece though, it's high contrast and that's what I wanted. Originally, I wanted the whole piece to look like the webbing in the painting. The whole piece was supposed to look like a sketch. Upon progressing with the painting, I could see that It was too flat and didn't pop the way I wanted it to. So I started blocking in with acrylic and once that was done, the method went from sketch to painting. I'm not sure what I was thinking, I should have just posted the sketch and be done with it if I wanted the 'sketchy' look. Here is a shot of the piece I finished this morning.

One of the things I love about traditional art is to be able to see brush strokes. To actually see how the artist moved(or in Pollock's case, dripped) the paint on the canvas to bring their creation to their closest realization is really impactful. Even if I could afford one, I would never own a Pollock painting. The theme is too chaotic and it's waaaaay to busy for my taste. I do however, 'get it.' Jackson had a method to his madness. Sure he was a total drunk, and was plastered half the time, but he was an artist. I feel like he painted for himself, and his art is a huge 'F.U.' to the establishment. Our society made him famous and rich because he went againt the grain and created art that was not the status quo. Anyway, I'm rambling and that subject could be a whole post on it's own. Lastly, here is a shot of the gear room as we finished putting up the second clothing bar today.