New goodies have arrived.

Boxes of goodies have just graced my doorstep via UPS. New paint, and acrylic mediums by the gallon, Yay!!

I don't know if this warrants it's own post, but I'm a total nerd when it comes to art supplies. As soon as a shipment arrives, I'm out there unpacking and photographing everything. I guess it's good to have a nice picture before I begin using them in my studio, because in about a week all of these containers will look like they were excavated from the debris pile of a demolished building.

(Mostly) Removing Color.

In order to spend more time focusing on form and composition, I have been working primarily with black, white and a few neutral gray tones. It's actually a nice break to be able to narrow my focus a bit, and it also has me more objectively considering the role color plays in my works. As it stands, I'm feeling as though my work could use a bit more subtlety when it comes to my use of color. We'll see how things progress.

4 small 18x24 inch works on paper with very little color.

 An actual painting, 24x30 inches, inspired by the above exercises. This piece had already begun with a lot of saturated color, so I thought it would make an interesting background for what I now wanted to do. The bits of color remaining are simply areas that were not completely covered up, and provide a nice hint of color, while keeping it a very secondary element.

Okay, now some color is really creeping back in. Time to take it back a notch, or two.

Works in progress.

I don't know why I like to show images of unfinished paintings. I always seem to get myself in trouble. Someone will always ask me about a certain piece, and I end up having to let them down gently, telling them that the work they so love looks nothing like the image they saw in the first place. I guess it's about being comfortable with exposure.

This one looks like it would make a great coffee table painting. There is an idea at work here. I'm just not sure what it is, yet.

Works about town

A selection of my works have found their way into the appreciative arms of the good people over at Moonshadow Salon in Berkeley. Stop by and have a spa treatment, get your hair done and enjoy the view before you. What more does one need, besides hair? 

Everyone I show these pictures to comments on how wicked cool the mirrors are. "Yeah, they're cool, they're cool, look at what's next to them (cosmetology licenses and family photos?) ". I kid.

2 new works in progress on paper.

Just trying out some new paper to see how they respond to acrylic and ink and all manner of mark making devices. So far they seem to be holding up pretty well. Both of these held up to aggressive scrubbing with various brushes, and had no problem withstanding violent, heavy-handed gestures with Conte' Crayon on a surface misted with water. Of course, they were primed with Gesso, mixed with matte medium, so moisture won't soak into the paper.

Two sold paintings have arrived at their new home :-)

The gentleman who purchased these is just at the tail end of a remodel and is going to send me some shots of them once the work is finished and the paintings have been hung.

And no post would be complete without a nod to my obsession with brushes. I just swung by Utrecht in Berkeley yesterday to pick up some printmaking paper and some bright pink paint, and these little guys just jumped into my basket. By the time I noticed I was already at the register and didn't have the heart to put the them back :-) They would have been very sad.

Just a quick product shout out. Utrecht brand brushes (not sure who actually makes them) are some of the best quality brushes for the price I have ever used. There paint is awesome as well (they actually make their own) and very affordable for artist quality paint.

Works in progress.

Apparently, alien life forms not only exist throughout the cosmos, they also live inside my head. Just a handful of the way too many works currently in progress.