Up for auction: Interior with Chair

I want to congratulate my friend, Micheal Bruce for his winning bid on "Slow Like Honey!"

This week, I'm reaching way back in the archives and auctioning off a painting I did in 2002. I did this one before art school, and it was a real breakthrough for me both technically and conceptually. I took a lot of risks, pulling away from traditional representation and learned in the process.

This painting was influenced by one of my favorite artists, Mark Rothko and I used his technique of placing down washes of color on top of dry underlayers, then scrubbing them off to reveal the colors underneath.

I've enjoyed this painting for years, but it's been placed in storage. Which is why I'm happy to give it a new life in a new home.


“Interior with Chair” is an ORIGINAL oil on canvas.


This piece is a BIG 36x24", on high quality cotton canvas. It is framed in a modern brushed aluminum frame with 2" edge. The painting is signed and dated.

To bid on this lovely beast, visit my Facebook page. Friend request me if you aren't already one. Just comment on the album to place your bid, it's that easy! Auction ends at the stroke of midnight of April 12th PST

A paypal invoice + shipping will be sent to the high bidder via private email.

some major changes

The White Dress #5 (sold)

I've thrown my hands in the air. Working as a full-time artist is no longer feasible. I've given everything to my art, and there's nothing left. The painting will continue, but at a much slower rate. At moments like this, it makes me seriously question my talent, and even my sanity.

I'm once again filling out job applications and sending out resume's. I won't let the electricity get shut off, or the kitties go hungry. There's no way to raise the funds to attend those festivals I'm just dying to participate in this year. Nope. It's time to put this art thing aside for a bit, and focus my energy on a steady paycheck. When I get back on top of my finances, I'll try once again. In the meantime, I won't be accepting any more commissions (sorry for those on the wait list). Any extra time will go to my own work.


It's such a shame that the living artists in our society are not supported better and valued. We don't get unemployment benefits and most can't afford healthcare. When you factor in the hours spent creating and promoting, most artists earn much less than minimum wage. Art is the first thing cut out of school budgets, yet artists produce the most cherished objects in a society's
history.

A new mini (4x4") painting, available for purchase:

A nude for Sunday

Something Only She Knows 30x40"

I finished a new painting this week, and I'm so happy with the way it came out. These large ones are very special to me, and it takes months to do just one. From first conception, it often takes years before they come to fruition.

This one was teetering on being "finished" for weeks, but I kept making small adjustments; fine tuning the color arrangements, flow and overall solidity. There's always a moment (after working for hours), when I take a step back to look at the painting with fresh eyes. It either tells me it's done, or it's set aside to for another day. How do I know when it's done? It's when I can look at it as a whole, without my eyes being drawn to this part or that. It's when I know I haven't neglected any one part, trying to convince myself it's good enough. The whole painting settles, and in some way, becomes it's own entity. It tells me it's ready, and I let it go.

New paintings, proliferation and compulsion

Tango
purchase

Looking back on my mini collection, I'm amazed at how fast they proliferated. I started painting them in March, and here we are a few months later with nearly 40 of them (I'm including the few sitting on my desk unfinished). What was intended as a brief project has mushroomed into an entire series.

I'm debating if I should take a break from the mini project. I love the mindless intensity of painting these little beauties, but wonder if my time is better spent on other paintings. These are choices we all have to make as artists. With so many creative ideas, it's difficult, but important, to edit. Time will tell if the mini's make the cut.

This latest batch continues several themes. The cherries (top) are part of a little subgroup. I spent a whole afternoon arranging and photographing cherries in my backyard for these. There are more in the works, all pairs of ripe cherries dancing into the night.

Apricots
sold

"Apricots" continues my fruit theme. I've developed a habit of scrutinizing the produce section for painting subjects. It looks a little nuts, as I hold up each fruit to the light, examining it from all sides for character, shape and color. Perhaps I should extend my search to the meat isle, or canned goods. The possibilities are endless.

Claws

sold

Claws is part of a commissioned group of kitty paintings. The intense close-ups are my own compromise on painting cats. I loathe painting "pet portraits", despite their popularity. By getting so close and cropping, these become something beyond a portrait.

Siamese Fighting Fish
purchase

Lastly, little fishy. I can't help myself with these. I've painted a slew of little fish paintings throughout the years. Most were sold or given away. I don't even have photographs of them. It's the play of light and color that I find irresistible, and the tremendous personalities. Or it could be the guilt from when my entire tank of fish died from ick when I was 12. Every time I finish one, I want to start another.

Two Years in the Making

So much has happened since my last blog. It’s been a nail-biting month, where I dealt with some very difficult decisions.My leap back into the workforce was short lived. I was hired as a bar manager for a new restaurant, and given the task to stock a full bar, create a cocktail menu, staff and train within 12 days. We were only open 9 days when the whole restaurant went belly up. It was the most hectic, ridiculous few weeks of my life.

This experience taught me one important lesson: I belong in the studio! Within those few weeks, I lost out on a gallery show in San Francisco because I didn’t have time to drop off the work, and was inundated with 14 commissions. I’m still trying to catch up. There’s nothing like a cosmic kick-in-the-butt to put you in the right direction.

That said, I want to thank everyone for the heartfelt words of encouragement. I’m so humbled and amazed to reach anyone through my bumbling adventures and the outpouring of support made all the struggling worth something. Thank you, thank you.

So I’m back to clawing my way along. Rent may be late, the creditors are calling, but I do what I can and hope for the best. It’s out of my hands; it’s in my hands, through my hands. Something like that.

I want to introduce my new painting, Tangle. It’s something I started in 2007, and stuck in the closet for a few years. My first attempt fell short of what I was trying to accomplish; a vibrant blend of human form and abstract painting. Instead, it was heavy and awkward, and often confused for a statement on anorexia. You can see the original version here.

The new version has a more narrative approach, and I enjoyed bringing the painting back to life.

Tangle 30x40"

The mini series has grown and expanded. Here are a few new little lovelies:

Ringneck Dove -buy

Red Onions -buy

Raspberries -sold

Whiskers -sold

Jellyfish -buy

An Artist's Guide to Brushes

A professor and his wife visited my studio last year. He stared at my brush collection and was appalled. “You paint with those?” I told him some of them were over 20 years old, and his wife chided him, “See, honey, you don’t need to spend so much money on brushes”.

I’ve accumulated a sad set of brushes over the years. None of them cost over $10. Some were purchased at an auction 5 years ago in Boston. It was an artist’s estate and I bought his used easel, paints and brushes for $15. Lucky for me, his brushes were much higher quality than the ones I purchase. I still use them, though they are beginning to disintegrate.

I purchase a new brush every few months, use it until it’s a stump, then buy a new one. The way I figure it, if I can paint this well with crap brushes, life will be a whole lot easier when I get some good ones. Good brushes are a distant dream, lumped into my hopes of someday taking a vacation, or buying new clothes or a fancy new van to take me to shows. Until then, I’ll make do with what I have.

Some old relics

The three stages of a detail brush

Most of my brushes are synthetic. I’ve been told oil painters should only use natural hair brushes, but they cost 3x as much. You don't need them. I use flats and filberts, in different sizes. Fans, angle brushes and mops are useless. I rinse them with turpentine, then soap and warm water. When I accidentally let paint dry on them, a brush restorer works magic getting them back in order. Over time, a flat brush turns into nice, bushy blending brush. A new detail brush eventually becomes a stump that can be used for applying little spots of paint.

Having quality brushes will make painting easier, but if you are on a budget, I suggest spending money on quality paint. Below are my latest paintings, all painted with my beat-up brush collection.

Billy Holiday, commissioned portrait 30x40"


Pomegranate-SOLD

3 new Mini paintings, 4x4" available for $55 each plus shipping on Etsy.

A Study

I’ve been working on big canvases lately. Big canvases are imposing, sometimes daunting. They are also expensive, and require layers and layers of oil paint, which is also expensive.

With all this pressure, big canvases can become a chore. To alleviate the stress, I’ve begun some oil studies. These are sketches in oil, and I’m doing them is an exercise of sorts. It’s also an exorcise, hashing out all the ideas keeping up late at night.

This little one is 8x10”, and while I won’t be using the image in a larger painting, it led me a step closer to the heart of what I’m trying to convey. I have several more studies in the works. The rest will be larger, so I don’t have to paint with a teeny brush. Teeny brushes restrict my freedom of movement, and I loose some expression in the process.

I’d write about what I’m trying to convey, but I’m still hashing that out. It’s been weeks now, where I write every day, and stay up working through sleepless nights. I’m crystallizing themes I’ve been painting my whole life, and trying to express them in a more direct matter. This one touches on dreams, fairy tales, and castle walls, with a bit of fashion thrown in. I’m not entirely happy with it-but it’s just a study, and that’s the beauty of this process.

As an artist (as a human), it’s important to challenge yourself to break out of old habits, and jump into new territory. Push harder, and learn as much as you can in the process. You may not come up with the masterpiece of your lifetime, but you will always break new ground. Paint on!

Work in Progress

Works in Progress


I’m always hesitant to post works in progress. It’s a double-edged sword. Incomplete paintings aren’t the best they could be. Yet, it’s important for me to show how paintings are created, and the crazy journey they sometimes take.

When I start working on a painting, I see what it will be. In my excitement, I’ve often shown people my new (sloppy mess of a) painting, not realizing they don’t see what I do.
This becomes a big issue when working on commissions. I’ve learned it’s best to reveal a commissioned work when it’s complete, for my own piece of mind. I say this, because there’s nothing more suffocating to one’s creative juices than a client looking over your shoulder making recommendations.

That said, I’m breaking my own rules today, and posting two commissions I’ve been working on. They are part of a series on iconic women, all 30x40” in size.

Marilyn

Marilyn has been a struggle for me. Part of me wants to really destroy it, and do something bold, brushy and drippy. Another part of me wants to make it glowing and pristine. I’m leaning toward the pristine, but I wish I could do two of them.

Billy Holiday

Billy is just in the beginning phase, I think I’ll be able to do a nice balance here, and won’t be overly tight in the rendering.

New Painting

Over the next few weeks, I'm working on an ambitious project:

Five 60x48" abstract expressionist paintings done oils. I'm nearly finished with the first one. It's a battle. I have paint everywhere, several ruined brushes and a badly bruised foot. While I enjoy the challenge of doing realism, these are my true favorites to paint. I love the texture and the process.

My original concept was to paint them all at once, on five massive easels positioned outside my studio. Since my studio is open to the public, I thought it would be an interesting thing for the folks to witness. To test my theory, I began this first one as an experiment, to test how the canvas and easel held up to the wind. Within the first hour, a gust of wind collapsed the easel on my foot-thus the bruise.

Anyhow, this is a quick blog, since it's past midnight and my eyes are shot. Here is a photo of the painting in it's unfinished state. I'll be posting more photos when I'm satisfied with it.

Title ideas: Creep, Shallow, Tidal.