Up until two weeks ago, my focus was pointed on my dual portrait of the Joker and Doc Holiday, but that all changed when I started to surf the net. My interests were taking me towards an art society that I’m planning on joining this year (more on that in a later post). The society’s web page featured a “call to artists” section so I clicked on it thinking I could get an idea of what the members of this society participated in. To my pleasant surprise I learned that there are a few annual art competitions that are open to the public. So I jumped on the nearest one and that is what I am working on now. Sorry Joker. Sorry Doc. You will have to go on the shelf a bit longer – I have a river to paint.

The juried show is called “Painting Where the Wild Things Are” and the theme is the American River which runs through Northern California. Artists are expected to paint the river and or the animals that live in that environment. This show is also a fund raiser for the Effie Yeaw Nature Center located in Carmichael. Accepted works will be put up for sale and later for auction to raise funds for the care of the animals and the river itself. It’s a wonderful program that I believe in as the American River has always been like an extension of my backyard. I go there a few times a month to explore and to think. Every city should have this kind of natural jewel to go to. I realize how lucky I am to live near such a wonderful and inspiring place. Coming up with ideas for my submission was not a problem; deciding on a single idea to work on, however, was.

The submissions must be in by April 27th, so I don’t have much time. Given my history of painting speed, I knew that I had to start ASAP and better stay focused on it. After doing a few different concept sketches, I finally decided on my submission. My painting will feature a cloudy, wintery sky as that is my favorite time to be around the river. The river will be in the foreground and will be strong and deep. In the middle ground will be a small bridge where bicyclists will be seen riding over the bridge enjoying nature. In the foreground is the star of the painting – a black tail mule deer buck. These deer are found in many areas of the American river. Though there are many species of wildlife to choose from, I always felt that as a child, spotting a deer in the wild was like spotting a celebrity in Hollywood. I felt like the paparazzi clamoring for a closer look. So the deer will be the star here and the vantage point will be eye level with the deer so the viewer will feel like they have just happened upon a buck as he was getting a drink from the river. The deer will be large, the people will be small, the star of the scene will be nature herself.

“Wanna know how I got these cards?”

That’s what it feels like the Joker should be asking Doc Holiday in my newest project under development. This work is currently in the late stages of forming and will probably change in terms of look and feel from the final product. I would estimate that I’m about 45% through this piece.

The first of a planned many paintings centered on movie mash-ups, the Joker and Doc Holiday sitting at a table together is partly a graphical auto biography. On one side is Doc, a man who prides himself on education, a thinker, an adventurer. Sitting on the other side is Joker, a man of parody, unafraid of being different, a lover of games and laughs. To be sure, I am NOT either of these guys. No I am not a killer, thief, or womanizer. But I can attach some of my own personality traits to these ethically-challenged dudes. Is that why I am painting this? No. Actually I just thought it would be funny to throw these two together on canvas. The funny thing here is that at first you would think they would have nothing in common. One was a real person and one is a fictional character. One believes in the finer things in life and one believes in simply getting dressed. However, when you take a closer look at these men you see some commonalities. For example, they were both into gambling; one with cards the other with human lives. They both saw the law as a concept that was made to be ignored. They both lived their life expecting to die at any moment and when you live like that then you know you’re maximizing your adventure quota. After getting through the halfway stage of this painting, it occurred to me that this painting is an extension of me. I am painting my personality traits on canvas – a visual metaphor. For me, painting is more than a relaxing session of color slapping and charcoal pushing. I think painting is laying your conscious and subconscious out for the world to see and then waiting for the viewers to judge you as a pleasant, charming guy…or a twisted, demented freak. The jury is out on my works; You’ll let me know.

I have been trying to raise the emotion in my paintings and I hope that the manic expression of Joker will provide that heightened state of tension. It’s quite amazing what the eyes can convey. I’ve learned that with 1 stroke of my loaded bristle brush I can change an entire expression from fear to excitement. You can’t paint portraits without learning something about anatomy, and emotion. So how do you better your portrait painting skills? Same as with anything else in life – practice. With this single painting I have learned more about the human face than at any other time in my life. There are just 2 faces in this dual portrait, but they’re the result of many laborious attempts at a likeness. Oh sure, I can paint a face, but you say you want it to actually look like someone you know? Well, that’s going to take some extra time and consideration. Now don’t get me wrong, if you ask me to paint from a photograph of someone then I can duplicate it. But that kind of painting isn’t very interesting nor is it a challenge. In that case you’re simply plagiarizing a camera and if you wanted a photograph anyway then just keep the photograph. The real challenge for a portrait artist lies in taking in subject material, photos, sketches, live models, and shifting the material in your own head to make it something else entirely. To take elements from photo references and then create a unique perspective is a fun and rewarding challenge. So how do you practice this? How do you strengthen a part of the brain that is difficult to define?

Well I’ll let you in on a secret. Can you keep a secret?

Yes? OK well then, (looks around) here is the secret: I HAVE NO IDEA.

No really, I have no idea on a formula to train the mind to improve it visual-spatial acuity. However I’m improving so maybe it just goes back to that old trick we refer to as “practice.” Well as cousin Eddie said in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, “Uhhheye don’t know!”

One thing I do know is the grisaille (black and white forming stage) phase of the painting is nearing completion. Once that is done all that will be left is coloring in the piece. I will have another update before release of the painting. I am targeting a completion date for this painting on January 31, 2012.

I am also working on another painting that will be complete before the year’s end. Since that painting is a gift for Christmas I will not be revealing any information on it until after the new year. But there will be plenty of photos and perhaps even a new video on that work. So please stay tuned.

Coming up in my next post will be a year-end review of my work and a discussion about what I learned and plan on doing next. I hope you will check in to see what I have in the works for 2012. As always, let me know if you have any questions about purchasing copies of my work, originals, or commission information. Thank you to my readers and art lovers. More great art is to come in the new year.

Merry Christmas and happy new year!

Some painters enjoy going on painting retreats to get away from the everyday grind and enjoy some quiet creative time on the easel. Usually these retreats range from a weekend to a full week in a remote part of the world. Often people go on these retreats because they simply can’t find the time to paint during their busy work week. Well there is a certain group of people who have nothing but time and they fill it with painting. While this is great, the people in question are people with questionable morals. No we’re not talking about politicians. We’re talking about prisoners. You know, the folks who like the color orange or sometimes black and white pinstripes? Yeah, prisoners.

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I was able to visit Alcatraz Island again. I hadn’t been there since 2004 and this was my first night tour. It was a bit spooky but it was also enlightening. Before I go on let me make something clear: In general I really could care less about the prison population. Most of them know the difference between right and wrong; they chose the wrong and ended up getting caught. So 9 out of 10 prisoners are just evil to me and they can stay locked up as far as I am concerned. There is no such thing as rehabilitation for murderers, rapists, and molesters. OK now that I made that point clear let’s move on. So 9 out of 10 inmates are a lost cause, but perhaps that other prisoner has the ability to look past himself, his anger, and his pain to see the beauty in the world. I tend to believe that this kind of inmate simply has lost faith in the world and himself. He needs to be educated on the world he has never met. A good place to start is from within. Developing one’s frustrations into something creative is good therapy. Why not place that energy into something productive? That is exactly what some inmates have done as they are painting in prison. There is a small room in the old main cell block building where the park, Alcatraz is now a state park, is displaying art from inmates.

I found this art to be as intriguing as any of the most famous works of art I have ever seen. Yes, I have seen some the biggest in my life time: the Last Supper, the Blue Boy, the Last Judgement, Night Hawks, American Gothic, and more. This art, while not spectacular on a technical scale, makes an immediate impression from a narrative standpoint. Viewing the art I found myself feeling their anger, fear, sadness, and even a bit of remorse. These artists are not just painting to pass the time, even though they have plenty of it, but rather to express themselves in order to understand the world, society, and even themselves better. I have always advocated that painting is therapy and this is more evidence to that point. One painting in particular grabbed me. The work was entitled “Justice” and at first glance it looks like it was painted by a 7-year old. But the more I looked at it the more I realized there was a deeper story to it. The artist, Les Dewberry who was serving time at Pelican Bay State Prison, depicts criminals and what appears to be cops fighting on each side of an outline of the state of California. The state is covered in bars like a jail cell. The criminals appear to have guns and a red or blue bandana (bloods and crips gang colors). Behind this shootout appears to be a large crowd of faces with the word ‘VOTE’ appearing throughout the crowd. As I looked at this, I noticed that a jail cell door was painted on the left and looked like it was open. So it appeared as if the police were pushing the criminals into the jail cell. There is a ’13’ painted on the cell door, but I am not sure as to the meaning. It could be a message of how “unlucky” those people are to have been caught and thrown in jail or perhaps how unlucky they are to have been born into their situation. Then again it could be another gang reference like the 13th street gang that runs across the country. At any rate, the reason I like this piece is that it draws a reaction with the most minimal of figure renderings. The people are nothing more than stick figures and yet I could look past that to focus on the story. It’s strong and yet leaves you asking yourself “is there something we can do to fix this never-ending cycle of violence?” Notice there is a cent sign in the jail cell while there is a dollar sign behind the cops. There is definitely a statement here about social economics. I’m not sure if Dewberry is blaming the cops, the criminals, the voters, or the system in general. But I like the fact that its left a bit open-ended so you won’t jump to conclusions. Art that leaves you thinking is always good art if you ask me.

Now I am not making any political statement here. I am only making an observation about the power of painting and art in general. I like the idea of painting being used as a rehabilitation tool for that small sliver of the prison population who could actually reform their life. Imagine what Bob Ross could do to these folks? Happy Parole!

How about my website? If you have been on my site in the last few days then you noticed is has a new look. Yes, it took me a year to finally do something about the look, but I finally have something to show for my efforts as I released the 2nd version of my site on November 1. The main objective for the site was to make it look more inviting. Gone is the blackness which has been replaced by a neutral soft brown color. I have refined the video page to allow for easier viewing. The galleries now offer better viewing as you can click an image to get a closer look along with a description of the painting. The site still has some work left as I need to do some programming to incorporate a back-end database. The database is needed to make the addition of new paintings easier for me and easier for the viewer when making a purchase. Everything works well for now so I’m happy. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect. I have many ideas for improvements before the 3rd version is released. For example, the list of purchase options in the gallery is crowded so when the programming is done, only one PayPal purchase link will be displayed at a time as you peruse a gallery (I thought separating the galleries by subject would make the experience easier as well).That is coming soon but I have other things to tend to in my life first.

In my next blog post you will get a more detailed update on the Doc Holiday and Joker painting that I’m working on. The refined site has an “In Production” session for which I will start to use to give up to date information on my current projects. For those interested in subscribing to my blog, I have a link on the site that you can click to get emails about new topics that I post here. I hope that if you enjoy the site enough that you will consider subscribing. Enjoy your Autumn! Subscribe to Brushes & Bytes!

The recent passing of Steve Jobs and the subsequent mourning of loyal Apple lovers has made me take a second look at the state of society. Every time period has its impact names. If I said “Roman Empire” then you’d probably think of Julius Caesar. What about if I say “the Golden Age of Piracy?” Did you immediately go to Blackbeard or Henry Morgan? “Age of Exploration?” You might have gone to Columbus or Magellan. Now bringing this back to the art world; if I say “Renaissance” then who are you thinking about? Perhaps Michelangelo or da Vinci? Let’s focus on the Renaissance for just a moment because I think it provides a good example of what is happening today.

Before television, film, radio, and the internet made celebrities out of people, the most popular medium to make a name for yourself was through art. During the Renaissance, the painters and sculptors were the rock stars of their time. Affluent citizens who could afford it, would shell out a hefty load of cash to have a commission realized in their own home. Many of these artists derived their success from public works projects. For example, Lorenzo Ghiberti created the Paradise Bronze North Doors of the Baptistry of Florence in 1424.

This kind of work was not just about making a statement on a subject; it was an advertisement to future customers that he could do the amazing. People from all over would come to see the intricate works of the doors and be floored by the craftsmanship. The doors made Lorenzo a celebrity in Florence and all over northern Italy. Everyone wanted a piece of art in those days because it was a status symbol and it was the latest and greatest addition to the culture. Art was changing the way people viewed each other, their country, religion, and the future. It was not just reporting on the culture, it was inspiring it to evolve. Now let’s return to the 21st century. Who are the folks who are driving culture nowadays? Don’t answer to quickly – think about it. Perhaps Hollywood was driving culture in the 20th century, but they are certainly no controlling this one. Authors? There will always be an impact book here and there but the book does not reach everyone unless there is a real interest in reading. Athletes? Not since the Roman Times has sports driven a culture. So who is sculpting our ways of thinking nowadays? How about the technologists? The nerds? The geeks who start their own software firms? Now that is worth thinking about.

First off, how am I talking to you right now? On a computer. This information is made available instantly – a powerful feature of the internet. Where can you access this information? A better question might be where can you NOT access it? With the rise of the mobile smart phones you have the world at your fingertips from anywhere. What does this information do to people? It changes their lives – we hope for the better. Need a recent example? The democratic protests in the middle east utilized Facebook to get out their messages. They were able to coordinate their protests that their governments were trying to prevent. So you have people now waiting to see what the geeks and nerds will invent next to change our lives. So when Steve Jobs passed, people took notice and reflected on what their life would have been without their iPhone or iPad. Yes, the nerds are the Rock Stars of the 21st Century. While I accept that technology will be driving culture for the foreseeable future, I also believe that painters will always be able grab the attention of the world and create new inspirations for future societies. Recently the Obama “Hope” painting struck a chord with America in 2008 for example. So with all that in mind, I continue my efforts to connect my thoughts and emotions to my viewers through my paintings. And what’s next? What’s in the cards?

I mentioned last time that I was starting a new genre.  The movie mash-ups will introduce different characters from different stories in the same painting. This idea is not original but my subjects will be. I am currently engaged in the forming stages of a painting that includes a couple of familiar names. Doc Holiday and the Joker have something in common: they both play with cards. So yes, you will be seeing a crazy painting involving these two and oh, by the way, Doc Holiday is being played by Val Kilmer. If you remember, he was the best part of 1993’s Tombstone. So let’s see if I’m a daisy and can pull this off. Who is my Joker? Heath Ledger. With all respect to Jack Nicholson and Caesar Romero, I really enjoyed Dark Knight. If this works then I have many more crazy ideas to work with. If not, then I have many more crazy ideas to work with. Now, let’s put a smile on that face and get back to work.