tangerine dreams

Recently I finished a painting of an oyster (pictured below). Commissioned by my good friends Thor and Megan, the oversized opalescent painting was by far one of the best paintings I've had the pleasure of creating. I hadn't painted seriously with oil paint maybe ever. It was the medium I used in college but I was inexperienced then and did not have the time or patience to really appreciate the silky forgiveness of the medium. But now that I am a self employed artist, I have the time and dedication to my practice to truly appreciate the medium. One of the things about painting in oil, is, you have A LOT of time to wait. So, working on several paintings at a time is necessary.

Which brings me to the point of the photo above! I created this gorgeous tangerine still life for another painting! I'm swooning over these juicy pop colors, they've got a sexy vibration. The Feminine is a constant theme in my work. A few years ago, when I painted my short series "Vessels", I really began to fall in love with the deeply appealing nature of yonic imagery. Since then, I have explored this theme repeatedly in my work. With the oyster, and now the tangerine, you can see this theme appear again.

Thor's Oyster 2017

In Salvador Dali's book "Fifty Secrets of Magical Craftsmanship", SD insists that it is painting in oil that creates a masterpiece, for, the oil gives the pigment life. In a sense, he is right. After working in acrylic and other water mediums for the last decade, going back to oil was like going on vacation. Everything is richer. You spend time with each color and curve, the details are celebrated and elusive, and you can really indulge your perfectionist side. The result is a rich luster that lasts for centuries. For Dali, it is the oil paint that makes the artist immortal.

Thus, I've taken up the practice of painting in oil again. I am challenged and excited to see how the graphic and pop elements of my acrylic style will translate into oil. I have a lot of learning ahead of me... I have no idea how some of the techniques I use with acrylic will work with oil. For example, in my current series of paintings, I use many layers of hand drawn stencils to create sharp graphic figures. I have no idea if the contact paper I use to create my stencils will work on oil! If you have any advice or knowledge about this, leave a comment below and spread the knowledge and craft 

xo

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the fall & tulips

I'm one of those artist types who can work on an idea for months. First the muse reveals herself, like a church bell in the distance or glitter under streetlight: she catches you and ignites. Then for weeks I'll get lost in her message, waiting for the rest of it to arrive.

When a new idea comes, it is like following a path of flashes in darkness. This is why I sketch. These flashes of inspiration are lost as quickly as they reveal themselves, if I don't sketch, I likely wont remember it all. 

So, this is my sketchbook. I start with actual quick sketches on paper and then I work in Photoshop to realize the composition and color palette by using collage techniques over top of my sketch. I really love adding a different dimension to the personality and complexity of each painting. These collages are like the chatter of ideas before the message is clear, once it is clear, it is a painting.

Check back to see updates on the painting temporarily titled "Jerusalem Tulip" and leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts! I love hearing what people see in the artwork.

xo