Thursday, November 26, 2015

One week left!

OK - 2 things ending next week (December 1st being the last day):


Last week to check out Small Wonders 4 at Arch Enemy Arts in Philadelphia. (Last day to view works is Dec.1). You can also view the works online here.



Also, one week left to pick up the framed drawing of 'Cereal Siege' at a special rate through CROYDS http://www.croyds.com/

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Arnold Bocklin, Alexandre Cabanel and Jacek Malczewski



I've been planning some new paintings to complete for TheArtist Project in February 2016. Montreal's 'le Grande Bibliotheque et ArchivesNationales du Quebec' (the large library and national achieve of Quebec) is my favorite place in the city. (Half the first floor of this massive library is books related to art!)


 I like looking at art books before I fall asleep. (Sometimes it gives me weird dreams, but I'm OK with that.) 3 amazing artists I've introduced myself to from the eminent dead category are: Arnold Bocklin (Swiss, 1827-1901), Alexandre Cabanel (French, 1823-1889) and Jacek Malczewski (Polish, 1854-1929). I have a strong affinity to symbolist painters (Bocklin and Malczewski being two of them. Cabanel was more of an academic painter.)  


                                                                        Arnold Bocklin
                                                                             'The War'
                                                                                  Oil



Alexandre Cabanel
'The Death of Moses'
Oil

 

 Jacek Malczewski
'Eloe and Ellenai'
Oil

Saturday, November 07, 2015

CROYDS interview

CROYDS is an online gallery curated by my friend and art dealer, Mevin Runganaikaloo. I was happy to participate in this new video series he started of artists sharing their thoughts.


 To expand on viewing art online verses viewing art in person: I think one of the biggest distinctions is a sense of scale. When you can look at a photo of a painting or a work up to the size of a mural on your iPhone, you know it's not as impressive as actually standing in front of it. (There is a painting series I will release in the future that will address this...) The internet is introducing people to works they would have never otherwise discovered though and that's a great thing.

http://www.croyds.com/store/p75/%E2%80%8B%22CEREAL_SIEGE_%22%28ORIGINAL_SKETCH%29.html

 I will also have the framed original drawing of the painting 'Cereal Siege' (accompanied by a THOUGHTS & PROGRESS booklet) available through the site at a temporary reduced price for only one month. (You can pick it up now and save $! Sale ends December 6th.)

Thursday, November 05, 2015

Small Wonders 4 - Pre-Sale!

My piece in Arch Enemy Arts Small Wonders 4 = SOLD!  



"But - the show hasn't even opened yet - how is that possible?" you ask.

Answer: Art Galleries have previews or, pre-sale views they send out to their clients prior to the official opening to give them priority selection. This is good business practice to increase sales and customer loyalty.

The good GREAT news: You CAN get on their preview list for advanced viewing and purchase! Contact them at: archenemyarts@gmail.com (I suggest using 'request for Small Wonders 4 preview' in the subject header) and they will send you an exclusive link. Many of the pieces have already sold.

The opening is tomorrow night! You are quite  welcome to attend and see all the works in person if you live in or are visiting Philadelphia! (Admission is free.)

You can find the fb event info here.

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

The Artitst Project - I'M IN!

HUGE NEWS! I've been accepted to exhibit at The Artist Project Toronto 2016! (I will be devoting the next 4 months of my life to gearing up for this art event alpine. Goodbye sleep.)

The Artist Project is Canada's largest and most anticipated art fair of contemporary artists selling their work direct.

http://www.theartistproject.com/about-the-show/

 You can find out more about the 4 day event here: http://www.theartistproject.com/about-the-show/

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

Small Wonders 4 - online preview now up!

The online preview for the ‪Small Wonders 4 group show at Arch Enemy Arts is now up! Contact the gallery for advanced viewing at: archenemyarts@gmail.com (It's a very good looking show. Many pieces have already moved!)


Exhibit opens to the public this Friday, November 6th! fb event info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/929810250428252/

Sunday, November 01, 2015

The possibilities are not endless...



Here is the color studies I completed for my most recent painting, 'The Devil is in the Details'. These color studies were completed digitally.  


While the possibilities are vast, they are not endless. If you're trying to say something specific, it's your job to remove everything that doesn't support your message and keep what does. You need to be a good editor. Every color has an emotional state that must match the emotion you want your audience to feel. (Disney movies have mastered this.)

In this case it was regarding color: I had to find the most suitable fit. Deciding what the colors should be is akin to deciding what the colors can not be (Re: top left corner - what was I thinking?). Nothing quite said heat like warm colors yellow and orange. This image was kind of tricky because the painting is split in two with separate color schemes that still had to work together without being too obvious (Re: top right corner: 'Ooooooh - blue and orange, how'd ya come up with that one?'). 

I looked at cosmic and nebula photos (wanting the bottom half of the image to have a very tranquil state to contrast the fire in the top half) and saw there was a lot of blue-green. I incorporated that so it wouldn't be so direct yet still work well with the top half. (Compare top right with bottom right, the study chosen to based the final painting off of, shown below.)