HotDot

This is the most recent painting I have been working on. I absolutely love how this painting is going. Originally, I thought I would have that advertisement kind of background with one larger figure draped around the image, however, that changed. The bottom looks flat so I am currently working on going in and pulling the ground out, giving it more of a landscape feel. Also, the hotdog itself, in color, stands out a lot in comparison to the figures. So I am going to go back in and tone down the colors some.

Size: roughly 3'x4'

Materials: Oil on canvas

Apple Landscape (drawing)

This is suppose to look as though it is a landscape, with an apple as the land... Not sure what I think about it though. The figures are suppose to look as though they are sinking into the space, however, I don't fully think it give it that feel. And then the background is full of text relating to the idea.

Materials: Marker, pen, whiteout, and watercolor wash

Render of Form

I found this form earlier in some of my line work and was wondering what it would look if I rendered the image. From that I over laid a piece of tracing paper and extended the lines of the figure out.

This bottom image is putting both the figure and the lines on the same level.

Materials: Paper, Pencil, tissue paper, tracing paper, ink

Russian Famine of 1921

I was recently reading about the Russian Famine of 1921 and this idea came about. In the simplest explanation the Russian famine was caused by a drought in the 1920's and roughly 5 million people died.

The top image is a map of Russia, clearly not a perfect map but it was drawn from a map of Russia. Then I took a a sheet of tracing paper and drew the image of below on the left. It was this idea of the weighted atmosphere swarming the land (a.k.a. the famine). Within those lines I then found my figures, drawn on another piece of tracing paper. People who were forced to adjust to the circumstances and were affected by it. The next row down and first image on the left is another sheet of tracing paper. On that sheet, I found text within those lines. The words I found were 5 million, famine, Russia, and drought. And lastly, I took another sheet of tracing paper and over laid it on again and designed one final image, influenced by all the other layers.

Materials: paper, tracing paper, pen

Wood Burning Trial

So I decided to try wood burning and I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It was an experience though. I didn't think this idea through all the way. One of those impulses, where I thought It would be fun and then I realized I should have tested it some.

The top image is the beginning. The middle two are in-progress images. And the very bottom is what I ended with... thus far anyways.

Materials: Left over wood from the garage and a wood burning pen.

Sketch Work

Most recent sketch work. Just another one of those figure forms, nothing too special...

Materials: pencil, and a little pen work.

Sketch Work: Lines and Forms Study (continued)

Not sure how I feel about this thus far, but I do like the idea behind it. I'll probably play with it some more and try and get more of a feel of it.

I've been thinking a lot about toned paper and patterned paper. I think that would be cool to bring in. Maybe I can do some research on cultures in relation to areas of starvation or poverty and then tied that pattern back to my overall idea.

Still the same materials.

Sketch Work: Lines and Forms Study

Today in my drawing class, I was discussing with my teach my ideas. She suggested pulling the lines in the back ground up front and then pulling images out of the lines I've made. If that makes sense.

It is clearly not a finished work, but this is it thus far.

Its all still a working progress, but I'm actually rather stoked about where this is going. I really like the idea of chance in work, which is kind of what's going on in this work. Something about it kind of reminds me of Jackson Pollock's work.

Once again, I took a pen cap to smear the ink all over. However, in the bottom righthand corner, I just poured it on there. Then I took white acrylic paint and dipped my mechanical pencil.

Materials: Printmaking paper, ink, and acrylic paint

The Skinny (3): Continued

So I added ink and paint... not sure how I feel yet about it. I'm not ready to remove the tape around the edges yet because, I'm just not a hundred percent sure I'm ready to say I'm do with it. I think I may want to add more to it. Make the darks darker and the white just a little whiter.

Anyway, same as before, I took a pen came for the black lines in the background and dipped it in the ink. The black in the figures were achieved by taking a mechanical pencil and dipping the tip into the ink and essentially using it as a pen. And the paint was just brushed on.

Material: Printmaking paper, pencil, ink, acrylic paint

Gestural Forms (1)

Just did this one... I like it a lot better than the first one I did with two figures from before. This time I did do a sketch with pencil before bringing in the charcoal.

Materials: Some type of paper (I think once again from my printmaking class), pencil, and charcoal.

The Skinny (2)

Another drawing, same idea. I think it looks blurry, I scanned it in though, so I'm not sure why it looks to weird. Anyway, same as before, made with pencil, charcoal, ink, and paint (8 1/2"x11"). 

Sketch Work: After Kevin Carter

These are the images I began to sketch after seeing Kevin Carter's photography. I found myself rather disturbed by the image and these are the images that surfaced due to it. 

                  

Forms in Environment

Seeing where it goes still… Original sketch to the left and final painting below.

Not exactly sure what my goal here was. I was basically just playing with ideas of forms and environments... clearly. 

Oil on wood panel with wall putty (4'x5')