Trimmed in Blue

Trimmed in Blue (16x18 o/c)

Mood Indigo

"Mood Indigo" (30x40) o/c

New piece for my show opening next week at Bonner David Galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona... I'll be there Thursday, the 25th from 6pm to 9pm.  Come see the show and the rest of the galleries on Main Street during Scottsdale Art Walk -- tons of amazing art to see!

 Progress shot #1

For this one, I started with a simple line drawing in a thin wash over my pencil lines (which were scaled up on a grid from a smaller sketch). Then I erased the pencil lines and lightly stained the canvas with burnt sienna...

Next, a wash-in tone of big shapes with thin paint using smooth synthetic brushes before switching to hog bristles for thicker texture...

 Progress shot 2

The model I hired here is Amber, a professional jazz singer in the Portland area along with her husband, Luke Short -- they perform under the name Boy & Bean...

 Progress shot 3

The reference for the male figure came from photos of the late Mississippi Fred McDowell.

 Finished close up

Here, I knocked back the light on his ear, keeping the emphasis confined to his face...

I later lost the 'tails' on the bow tie too (it looked too western).

Detail of finish...

Brubeck

Brubeck (12x12) o/p

American Jazz composer and innovator,  Dave Brubeck passed away at the end of 2012, the day before his 92nd birthday.  This piece is the second of two that I sketched while listening repeatedly to his iconic album "Time Out" from 1959...  

Along with his signature time experimentation, some of the runs on this album were described in the liner notes as "Urgent discovery that can never be captured by the arrangers pen"... (like those in-the-moment surprises that painters sometimes call "Happy Accidents").

In his song "New Frontier" by Steely Dan's Donald Fagan,  Brubeck is described as "an artist, a pioneer"...  It's hard to define an innovative pioneer in representational painting today, and although any painter of integrity certainly aims for something new and unique, it is not easily achieved.  

A 'new' frontier only comes along every once in awhile, and is hardly pre-planned; that kind of 'urgent discovery' only happens to a painter searching for what he knows not until he sees it --  

...and this defines the very frontier itself.

Rest in peace, Dave Brubeck...

Kentucky Derby Bottle

A case of the official bourbon for the 2013 Kentucky Derby just arrived!  
I was fortunate to have been commissioned to paint the artwork for the Woodford Reserve bottle this year that coincides with the 139th Derby,  running this May 4th at Churchill Downs...they even added my signature to the tape that seals the bottle top and an artist bio card on the neck -- quite an honor to be associated with such an iconic American sporting event!

Back to Work...

 

 "Night Shift" (20x24) o/p

Back at it in the studio today, and thankful for a wonderful weekend with family and friends...life is good (because it's life)...

(detail)

WEEKEND WORKSHOP IN APRIL

"Backstage" (24x30) o/c

The date is getting closer for my Figure Painting Workshop, April 6th & 7th at the Hansen Studio in Oregon City -- Several spaces left, details at top right under "Events" (Oregon City Workshop)...

Everyday Hero

 "Everyday Hero" (16x12)

When I was in the first grade, the school janitors name was Joe.  I liked Joe, everyone did -- he was the friendly guy who always had a smile and even knew your name if you took time to talk to him (which he always enjoyed no matter how busy he was). 
 

I never knew his last name or even thought much about him outside of school (he was such a fixture, I probably thought he lived there) but somehow his presence made an impact on my young world and I'm glad he was there on the job, every day...

I gave this painting the title "Everyday Hero" because of the often overlooked nobility inherent in those vocations that seem less than noble...AND the fact that hard working people like this can make a positive and profound impression on young minds, even though they only appear to function in the background where we pay little attention... 

This piece will be in an upcoming solo exhibition opening at Bonner David Galleries in Scottsdale, Arizona on April 25th. 

New Work

 "What We Never Talk About" (36x48) o/c

This is another piece for my show in Scottsdale next month...I'd like to do more of these narratives that have an open-ended story line that the viewer can surmise on their own.  As in, are they married? (she's wearing a ring)...is it his ring, or is this a secret rendezvous affair, and that's what they never discuss...?

She's not entirely satisfied -- communication breakdown is always an accessory, if not the root of marital discord.  Perhaps she just wants to "talk" more and not treat this like a business. Maybe it's not a business at all, but a lonesome pattern of routine...the human condition. Then again, they may not even really know each other; married singles as the title may suggest, or just two lonely people escaping other issues and responsibilities. 

Either way, he's obviously tuned out...

But what do YOU see?