Christmas Eve eve post

 Well, it's almost Christmas. This is pretty much my favorite time of the year. As a Christian, I try every year to find deep spiritual meaning in this holiday, but I tend to get caught up in all the hub-bub like everyone else.With all of the holiday "hustle and bustle", it can be a challenge to stay in a disciplined, create mode of working. I must say, that it has been much easier for me the last couple of months. I have recently re-established the habits of mind and body that make it easier to flow with some proficiency. It's mainly due to the fact that I want it so desperately. This "white whale" that we as creators seek, be it music or the visual arts, I have sought it out for most of my life that I can recall. I will get out of the daily grind and do what I feel that I need to do. Working for an organization that is struggling to prove it's validity (the public school system) with all of the politics and other bullshit, compounded with the stress of the job is proving to be unlike something that I wish to continue. I will find a way to do what I need to do.
     Anyway, these three pieces are my most recent offerings. The first, is called "such a great cloud of witnesses". This is loosely based on a scripture from the bible:
Hebrews 12

 ¹ Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Somehow my late pappy showed up in the painting, along with some other familiar or not, faces. I love you and miss you Spec.

     The second is a work in progress for a first grade student at school who's father lost his life in a fire, saving his family. Truly tragic, the boy Jose, is holding up pretty well because he knows his father is an angel now, who watches over him. This is an attempt to capture a beautiful image for the family's Christmas card.
     The third, is a more finished version of a pen and ink sketch that I was working on, just to play with a bit of character development. It is about circumstances, or forces that threaten to "cut down" my dreaming tree.

New stuff/update

 Working on another painting, slow but steady. The pen and ink is just a practice sketch. I keep having this vision of these baby-like characters and trees. I started the painting, but ended up gessoing out the sky a couple of times. Just wasn't happening. Anyway the sketch I did tonight was a lot more fun, and ended up with a clear concept. Avoid those that will try to eradicate your dreams...The saw-creatures are coming toward the boy's tree of dreams/visions that he is guarding. Stand firm and keep dreaming. A little cliche but true. I'm not sure how the painting is going to turn out though. I have to decide on colors and such. Oh BTW, my art show was a lot of fun, I got to explain some of my work to folks and got a lot of feedback and affirmation. I am looking forward to doing more work and having a bigger, better show next time.

Finally a new painting

 Well, finally three weeks later a gallery piece is ready. 30" X 40 ", acrylic. I decided to do a piece on Edgar Allan Poe. I am intrigued by his poems/stories as well as his distinctive look captured in the old photographs. I did not want to only capture his likeness, but a bit of the other-worldly, feeling that I associate with his works. Mysterious, yet almost comic book imagery flutters in my head as I read "The Raven", and I thought it would be an interesting concept for a painting. I enjoyed most of it, but as usual, I feel that I have to relearn a way of painting each time I paint, especially something this large.
 I know I had to have painted the background of the night sky three times or more.

Anyway it's been a tough three weeks balancing work, a family, and grieving over losing a best friend halfway through the painting. He did see it halfway finished, and liked it very much. I guess I am content with it for now.

Working on gallery work

Greetings self. Been working on a couple of things lately. Finally finished up ink piece already posted on facebook. Turned out good I think. Now focusing on gallery work for a December show at a lovely friend of mine's gallery. I will be working bigger than usual, excited about that. Have several ideas, going to work up some thumbnails and decide which ones work. Trying to stay away from dark imagery for this, more like children's narrative images, with a couple of exceptions. We'll see. I'll post some as I go.

Nothing going on but work lately

It's been a while since I did anything to post. However I am thinking about it. I teach art to elementary school students, so I at least get to draw at work. It's been a good school year so far (it's only been about a month), but I haven't had time to work on my own stuff lately, between lesson planning, grading papers, and my two kids at home. It's frustrating to always want to be working on something and not doing it. Often, when I do have a little window of time, I am frustrated or apathetic about it. It seems that it's all been done before. I need to focus on something that keeps me interested and motivated. ? Anyway, here's an older commissioned piece I did a while back. Cheers.

The troll is hungry

Finally another piece. Had some problems uploading photos to the blog for a couple of days. I also ended up redoing this after the first one didn't turn out so good. I loved the drawing by itself, but I need to find a way to work with acrylics that I enjoy, and doesn't take forever. The last post; "The Squeal of the Hampire" didn't turn out so good with the acrylics and color pencil, and the letters really sucked. This one I actually really like. I like the simplified drawing style, and the colors are nice as well. The first time I did this one, I used acrylic and added ink toward the end. I did not like they way they looked together so with this one just acrylics, and it's much stronger visually. I am in need of a new scanner, but working on the artwork is more important at the moment.

Latest Blog

Another addition to the "Monster a Day" idea. Silly idea, but the play on words stuck in my head. I started with a graphite drawing on illustration board, added a little gesso for texture, and then acrylics and color pencil. I thought I had the scanner problem licked by scanning the "rooted man" as a tif, but I scanned this in as a tif and a jpeg, and it's still blurry. It looks a little bit better in real life, but you get the idea.

Today's Post

This is my latest piece. More of a narrative, rather than just a stand alone image. Tried to hold back on over-working the background to no avail. I guess I'll have to harness my OCD behavior for good one day. The lettering is still a bit of a challenge, especially if I try too hard. I'll keep working...

This week's stuff

I decided to try a "monster a day" idea to keep me working this summer. This black and white one was 85% finished when my son decided to slam something on my drafting table and spilled ink water all over the desk and my first monster. Lesson learned, I wasn't mad because the image was covered in water, but simply due to the amount of ink I'd used for the image. I decided it wasn't really worth gessoing and working too hard to repair since I wasn't gaga over it.

The second insect/reptiled monster is also something that was simply to keep the creative-craft chops going. I do like both of them, but I'm not gaga. BTW my new scanner is also blurring my image. I could use some advice, if anyone reads this and can offer suggestions regarding the scanner.

Abstract, automatic ink drawing

This one came like most of mine, from just wanting to get something on paper. Influenced by alone time and scary music that I listen to on Pandora. I started with basic shapes, added a little acrylic paint, then finished up the details.

New stuff

This is in response to our new addition in the family, Duncan. I am getting a little stretched lately, but in a good way. There is nothing like being a Dad. This started with brainstorming in my journal, writing down any particular thoughts for the day or week, and then trying to produce them in visual form. Of course this one does include text, which I need to work on. Been looking at my Crumb and Eisner books again...

A few more

These were done on Thanksgiving break 2010, when we went to Branson to see the inlaws. I only carried a sketchbook and color pencils. I wanted to get back to a dry medium, rather than always using ink and paint. I always start my artworks with people for some reason. It's what I tend to like more than any other subject.

Latest, more to come