Works In Progress

Not sure where this one is going, but it is starting to grow on me. I have been looking  at a lot of pictures of “Americana”, and wanted to depict a typical scene that you could find in Anytown, USA. The house reminds me of so many that I have seen in my childhood, and the tree swing as well.

This painting needs a lot of help and many of the subjects need clarification, but I am going to wait a few days before coming back to this one with a clear head.

Ok, so maybe it goes against the whole idea of the blog… but I think I finally am finished with this one for good. I feel like I have fixed the “lobster claw” look  of the right hand, and added some finishing touches elsewhere throughout the piece.

I have spent some time with this one, and while I think the hand may be a bit large, I am happy with it, and need to move on.

Well it has been a few months, and quite a bit has happened since my last entry back in September. But really–I had a few good reasons to put the painting on hold for awhile.

For starters, back in October (after much prayer I might add) I left my full time job. It was probably the best thing I could have done for myself, both mentally and physically. And as crazy as it was in this economy to just quit a job and take some time to reevaluate what my next step was, I found out that I wasn’t alone! Check out this blog by Stephen DeMaio of the Harvard Business Review.

I spent the majority of October and November in Austin, Texas. There is something about Texas that just appeals to me. Perhaps because it is so different from South Florida. Perhaps it’s the wide open spaces. Perhaps it’s the laid back vibe of Austin that I love so much. Whatever it is, my time out there solidified to me that I want to relocate there as soon as possible.

Currently, I am looking for design work as an Art Director or Creative Director in Austin. Not just another job–I want to design again! And more importantly, I want to work for a company that is making a difference in the lives of people. So if you are reading this and know of a lead…let me know!

Life “post-employment” has definitely given me the opportunity to clear my head, de-stress, and come up with some ideas for my paintings. With the holidays over, I figured it was a good time to pick up my brushes again. SO…all that to say, keep an eye on the blog!

While doing research for the hand study, I read something in a book by Andrew Loomis that made a world of difference. He said “Much of the trouble [in drawing the hands] is caused by searching for material instead of using the material you have available, because in your own two hands you have the best source of information available.”

Well, DUH.

So I set up my tripod and took some pictures of my own hand, posing it the way I wanted (which was another huge plus) and I think I finally got the result I was looking for, as opposed to the previous attempt. Take a look!

OY… those hands! I have been putting this off, but I think I need to do a few hand studies to get this one right. His left hand is supposed to be positioned almost flat, and in reality the man had some stubby-looking hands! I am my own worst critic, but I can honestly say I am happy with how it is taking shape overall, and I know that I’ll get the hands right (or at least close to it) pretty soon.

Last summer I went to Israel and had the privilege to travel to Zfat, where the inspriation for this painting came from. I loved the idea of having “paintings within paintings,” since he is reviewing some of his own work at the art table. Right now, I am just roughing out what I want to do. I am not sure if i am going to keep the man’s shirt white, or make it a color. I also need to clarify the arms and face. It’s a good starting point… now all I have to do is wait for it to be dry enough to work on again.

With this painting, I am learning (actually, relearning) how to depict the human figure. In this case, the man who is raking the cranberries has his weight shifted to the left. One arm has an overhanded grip, the other is underhanded. Getting the proportions just right has been a challenge since quite a bit of the man is buried beneath the cranberries! He also has very lanky arms, which still look strange to me,  but not sure how to remedy that. My ultimate hope is to get to the point where I paint the subjects accurately enough to not have to explain any of it, or justify why something looks the way it does. Right now my explanation is… “because that’s how I want it!”

Anyway, enjoy!

This painting is killing me!

I’m sorta-kinda happy with it, but not completely. I think I fixed some of the measurement issues since the last time I posted, but it is still missing something and I can’t quite place it. I think I may shelf this one for another week and come back to it with a clear head. I love the challenge, but to even fix the measurements from the last time required a week of being away from it.

What I love is the reflection, it almost looks like a photoshop filter in the actual picture, so it has been fun trying to emulate wavy glass.

Same thing here as with the cranberry painting–I want to try to portray the guy as though he is in motion, and it is quite difficult.

My brief hiatus was well worth it!

I was trying to come up with an idea for the next painting… and came across this beautiful picture of a man at work in a cranberry bog. I have always been intrigued by this process too, so I figured it was a good pick.

For those of you wondering, I know it looks like a ton of red, but truthfully it wasn’t that much paint. There was a lot of layering and plenty of green and yellow, and white too. Just a fun painting all around.

This is still very rough, but I am close on the face and hat. The one issue I am running into is trying to portray the man as in motion, and not totally stiff. It’s very difficult, but I am noticing some progress from the chef painting until now, and it’s getting a bit easier each time.

Inspired by the pastime of a few close friends, I decided to depict what happens to those who dare to surf in South Florida. No Waves! I am thinking about calling this one “Keeping Hope Alive” for that very reason…

This one is very rough, I just started it tonight.

I just received a few books on drawing the human figure, and I plan on utilizing what I glean from those resources in this piece. While I know I have talked quite a bit about not being photorealistic, I do want to strive for some semblance of accuracy–at least in terms of proportion and lighting/shading. That has been a challenge in my preparing for this one.

I love the reflection, and I can’t wait to work on it a bit more. Anyway, more to come in the next few days or so.