sketch in oil

having some fun making marks and throwin' turp.
oil on board, 16x20

new recent quick sketches from life

 just messing around... and having fun doing it.  lots more where these came from......

Blitzen

Blitzen, oil on board, 18x24

Painted from life, just seconds before the spontaneous combustion.

SpeakEasy in Boston

Tightrope Trouper at the Speakeasy
oil on board

ah where does the time go?.....
 ....been busy painting.....
This is a relatively recent painting that was showing last month in Boston at William Scott Gallery in the National Figures group exhibit, curated by Rick Berry and Damon Lehrer.  I had two paintings in the show, this one was more recently finished, and the other painting I've posted previously on this blog here.
I actually went to the show, which was a whirlwind of an adventure, and a wonderful experience that is embedded into my being.  My new work has taken on quite a noticeable evolution.. I'll post some of those paintings here soon too.  I guess I have not been posting here much because, at first, I was somewhat in hibernation, and more importantly because lately, I have come out of hibernation and have been painting up a storm.... plus, I just really lag at posting here, apparently.

<< the list of artists in the show... so honored to be included in an exhibit that showcased such an incredible group of artists.

you can see photos from the opening reception on Rick Berry's blog (click here).


good times!

Cheers! after the reception, photo by Irene Gallo

some still life info for TAD

the above image is a 2-value notan composition for the below still life.  Using notan is a helpful means for working out a composition. the notan can be done on a small scale in pencil in a sketch book, as a thumbnail for a larger piece.  It helps to layout the shapes of light and dark, and to see objects as they are surrounded in their environment - not just necessarily as objects separate from their surroundings

here is the finished painting

this is a 3-value notan for the below still life painting.  this set-up is a bit more challenging in terms of determining what direction to push a value into to keep within the 3 values.

and this painting, though unfinished, shows how the form can be pulled from the graphic notan layout, while keeping true to the composition of the initial thumbnail.

some painting application refs for TAD

I promised I'd post these up.
I've got some more I'll add here, but for now these are a few that I had shown the other day in class:

above: a few scribbles and swatches to demonstrate different ways to apply paint.  Click the image to view the textures and notes larger and more clearly.  I posted this file pretty large for that reason.  so.. go!  grab it and use it.  :)

this was done with acrylic, layering on top of a bright thin stain of yellow and alizarin and some blue too, letting that dry, then adding thicker paint, then swiping it away with a shaper tool, then adding more paint, letting it dry again, and swiping away with a shaper tool and dripping the edges with very thin (with water) paint.  the same can be done with oil (the drying time would be longer), or a combination of acrylic first then oil.

this painting was done in oil.  it was done as a demo from life for a still life class at Studio 2nd Street.  it was a 2-week set-up.  The first week was spent doing a monochromatic drawing in paint first with a stain of burnt umber with some canvas showing through (the orange look for the thinned paint where turp was thrown at the canvas to pick out to canvas, leaving a lighter stain (more canvas showing through in lighter stained areas).  Then the clown was painted with burnt umber for darks and white for lights.  The lights are not only light, but cooler because of the addition of white.  The 2nd week of the set-up was a stain of purple (ultramarine and alizarin), applied thin over the dry monochromatic painting.  Then more colorful darker darks (still kept thin) were added to the clown, and opaque paint was added to the lights.  Colorful lights (not just white, but white with blues, yellows, oranges added).  The mid-tone shadow areas are part painted with thin coats and part left as what was underneath from the initial monochromatic stage of the painting, adding only clear glaze to some parts of those areas (such as the shadow on the collar).

Jono the Clown

Jono the Clown, oil on board, 6x9"

Humanoid Harpy

Study of a Humanoid Harpy and the Deconstruction of Her Wings

oil on canvas - 10"x20"

an s2s commercial spot

check out this new video
showcasing Studio 2nd Street
and a glimpse at our work!

Sketch Theatre video

check out this video!

click here for Ron & Vanessa Lemen on Sketch Theatre

...it turned out pretty cool!.. & was a lot of fun! :)