Bloom: Solo art show opening on August 8th in San Diego.

I'm so incredibly excited to announce my first solo art show opening on Saturday, August 8th in San Diego.

I'll have over 20 pieces focused on female figures and portraits in various mediums including oil, watercolor, pencil, charcoal, pen, and ink.  Stop by and say hi!

Sketchbook: Model With Lifted Dress.

Model With Lifted Dress (Pencil in Moleskine sketchbook, 7x5").

Art: Portrait of Zara.

Hadn't picked up the charcoal and newsprint combination in a while... felt good to be reunited....

Portrait of Zara (Charcoal on newsprint, 16x20").

Show: Donuts or Bust.

I have five pieces on exhibit at the Donuts or Bust group art show running until February 9th at Nomad Donuts (4504 30th St, San Diego, CA).  The opening was a lot of fun.

The Wave (Donut).  Watercolor on paper. 5x5"

Purple Donut.  Watercolor on paper. 6x4"

Red Donut. Watercolor on paper. 6x4"

 Finding My Path (Alaska).  Casein on map mounted on board. 4x6"

Finding My Path (California). Casein on map mounted on board. 8x10"

Sketchbook: Sleeping Lion.

Sleeping Lion (Pen and watercolor on tan sketchbook paper, 12x9").

Sketchbook: Kate In Purple Dress On Green Chair.

Kate in Purple Dress on Green Chair (Pen and watercolor on tan sketchbook paper, 7x9").

Sketchbook: Julie.

I constantly experiment with various mediums and materials.  Every once in a while they line up in a way where I enjoy exploring their potential.  Right now that combination is the unforgiving combination of ballpoint pen and watercolor on thin, tan sketchbook paper.

Julie (Pen and watercolor on tan sketchbook paper, 7x11").

Sketchbook: Tamara In Sunshine.

Tamara In Sunshine (Ballpoint pen and watercolor on paper, 5x7").

Art Of The Zodiac Art Show.

I had a great time participating in last night's "Art of the Zodiac" show held for one night only at Bar Basic downtown and curated by Thumbprint Gallery.

I had three pieces in the exhibit:

Lion Skull (Leo).  Ballpoint pen and watercolor on paper. 6.5x4.5"

Ram Skull (Aries).  Ballpoint pen and watercolor on paper mounted on wood. 8x6"

The Maiden (Virgo). Watercolor and pencil on paper mounted on wood.7x8"

Sketchbook: Giraffe Skull With Leaf Print

Giraffe Skull With Leaf Print (Ballpoint pen with acrylic leaf print in Moleskine sketchbook, 8x5").

Art: Sketches On Backs Of Wine Labels.

Over a dozen years ago, I went wine tasting in Temecula and in a winery gift shop I came across a stack of wine labels bound together on one side and picked them up -- thinking it would make an interesting notepad to have on my desk.  They sat unused until just recently, when I grabbed it to start taking notes.  After jotting down some numbers, I did a pen sketch of Samantha, and noticed that the paper responded really well to ink.

And thus began a series of sketches on the backs of wine labels....

 

 

Art For Sale At Twiggs On Adams.

During September and October, I'll have 15 pieces of artwork for sale at Twiggs Coffee Shop on Adams Avenue (San Diego).  I've included an eclectic mix of pieces.  I have my four most recent oil portraits among my decade old Meerkat painting and 2006/2007 lino-cut block prints.  And there are various mediums represented including oil, ink, prints, and watercolors.  Stop in, get some tasty food and drink, and take a gander at my work.

 

Art: Portrait Of Julie With Blue Background.

Portrait of Julie with Blue Background (Oil on canvas board, 9x12").

Here are some process shots.

Art: Thoughts, In Shadow.

Thoughts, In Shadow (Oil on canvas board, 9x12").

In my reference photo, the model had the majority of her face in shadow and I thought it would be an interesting challenge to render the shapes.  I ended up creating a lost edge between her face and the hair, but found that creating a small temperature difference (warm in the face and cold in the shadows) provided enough information to get the features to read better.  I then played with the hair and background -- pushing and pulling each -- until I found a balance that I felt was effective in creating a mood.

Here are a few progress shots.  The outline was painted with a combination of red oxide, ultramarine blue, and alizarin crimson.  In the second shot, I had the face more rendered than the final painting, but found it distracting, and ended up scumbling it out to create a lost edge with minimal detail.