Thursday, March 31, 2011

Another "Oh *#@%" Moment

I seem to be having these moments a lot lately where I think I have more time than I actually do in order to get work done for a deadline. For example, I thought I had more time before my studio visit with the curator of 111 Minna. Turns out, that is probably going to happen in the next week. I also thought I had plenty of time to submit images for my June show at Madison Gallery, but nope, that has to happen soon too.

Today, I thought I had two weeks before open studios, but it turns out, IT'S NEXT WEEKEND. Holy crap! There's so much to do! In addition to getting my work ready for this event, I'm also the show director and need to assign gallery wall space to the studio artists, assign set-up/ clean-up jobs to people to make sure that everyone pitches in, and coordinate with everyone else with the sixty-million other things that need to go on, ALL while also painting and trying to meet my deadlines. Needless to say, I am more than a bit overwhelmed. I'm sure everything will be done, and on time, but I will be pretty stressed trying to get the work done. I think I need a better way of keeping track of upcoming deadlines.

For those of you who need the information...
Spring Open Studios, April 9th, 10th, 16th, and 17th
noon until 5pm
Art Explosion Studios
2425 17th Street, San Francisco

I did manage to finish the underpainting of one of my pieces, and start the underpainting of the second piece. I am hoping to finish these two pieces by next week and have them ready for my studio visit. They don't look like much at this stage..

24"x30"

24"x24"


Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Live Painting at Flax

This Saturday, April 2nd, I will be doing a live painting at Flax Art & Design, from 2-5pm. For those of you who don't know what a live painting is, I will be set up at the front of the store, and well, painting...live. It's as simple as that. For three hours you can watch me work on one or two of my "Forgotten Memories" paintings and ask me about the paintings, or my technique. It's a way for me to promote my artwork and also promote open studios, which is coming up on April 8th-10th.

I'm pretty comfortable painting in front of people. I'm usually painting during open studios since it can get pretty boring in between answering questions and greeting people.  Plus, our open studios usually last for three days which is a lot of hours to be in my studio and not be painting. I think it's good for people to see my process, and it usually takes care of answering the dreaded question, "Are those photographs or actual paintings?" I am also paint pretty fast, so in three hours I can get a lot of work done, which people like to see. I just hope I don't get too distracted by all the shiny new art supplies around me at Flax!

So if you are in San Francisco, stop by Flax and say hi. It will be nice to see some friendly and familiar faces.

In other news... I finished the painting with the pot roast and oven. It is now awaiting wax. I sketched out two more paintings and started one of them. I am finishing these paintings quick enough that I am once again out of panels after I finish these two pieces. It seems like I am always order panels lately, which is not a bad thing, as long as the finished panels are selling! I am hoping that with open studios and the two shows coming up, plus the quarter page ad for 111 Minna Gallery, which has my painting on it (!!!), that is coming out on the next issue of 7x7 magazine, I will be selling a lot of work soon. Keep your fingers crossed, cause I will!

My latest painting, 24"x30"

Monday, March 28, 2011

Painting Update

I didn't get much done today. I wasn't feeling well, but I did get the dress mostly done. Yup, my opinion hasn't changed. I still don't know what she was thinking when she got dressed that morning...


I really need to fix her face. Sometimes it takes staring at the photo of the painting to see the flaws.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Auction Excitement

Last night was the most nerve-wracking, exciting evening that I have experienced in a long while. The Artspan Benefit Auction went off without a hitch and my painting sold for one of the highest prices all night! Watching people bid on my painting was exhilarating. The bids went high pretty fast and the next thing I knew, it was over and the people around me were congratulating me. What a night!

Here I am standing next to my painting before the auction.

The place was PACKED!

Here's my painting during the auction...

After an exciting night like that, it was hard to get into the studio today. But, I am a trooper, and I made it in for a few hours and worked on my latest two pieces.


I finished "Dancing Nurses" and will wax it later in the week. I am pretty happy with the final results and think it will look even better with the wax. 


I also worked on this painting. I didn't work on the face, which is odd for me since it's usually the first thing I start and finish. I don't know why I'm painting differently for this. I also worked it backwards on the nurse one. Anyways, the pattern on the dress is a pain but I am liking the results. Painting the hair was fun too. Tomorrow I will try and get more of the face done and hopefully have her dress done too. 




Saturday, March 26, 2011

Two New Paintings in the Works

I don't know why I thought I had a free moment to play with a bunch of color studies before open studios. I guess I figured I had enough time to get ready for my two shows, one in May and one in June.  I thought I could just paint some small pieces for open studios next month and then worry about the other shows afterwards. I was wrong. I guess I wasn't really thinking.

I need to show the curator for 111 Minna Gallery  all of my new work for the four person show at the beginning of April. I also need to send images of different new work for the Women on Figures show at Madison Gallery , which is in June, around mid-April too. I don't know why I thought I had more time. I came to this realization about two days ago and now I am painting as many new pieces in the next week or two that I can. It's crazy, but I know I can get at least 5 new paintings started and mostly finished in the next week. I am on Spring break so I have all day, every day, until April 3rd. It's time to kick it into superwoman mode!

30"x24", "Dancing Nurses"
I am currently working on two pieces. One, "Dancing Nurses" is mostly done, except for the two nurses on the right need their faces/ heads worked on. I usually work on the faces and heads first but for some reason worked backwards this time. I think I can finish this tomorrow in about an hour. I like the large amount of white on this piece. The wax will make the white areas recede even more so that the painting will be really subtle, which I like.

24"x24", "Homemaker of the Year"
The next painting has a pretty complicated pattern on the woman's dress. I liked the idea of challenging myself, but as I was painting it, I kept thinking "What the hell was I thinking???" I'll still finish the pattern and I think ultimately it will look fine, but it may take some time. I was only able to get the underpainting done and hope to get a large portion done tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Donating to Benefit Auctions

As an artist, I am constantly asked to donate art to one fundraiser or another.  Despite this, there are very few causes that I will donate to. It's not that I don't think these causes are worthy, I'm sure they are. It's more of an issue of feeling like the "cause" doesn't support the artist who is donating work. Most places want artists to donate a painting without any compensation other than telling us "It's great exposure! Lot's of people will see your work!" but that doesn't really pay the bills. If you're lucky, the "exposure" will amount to a later sale. But more often than not, people will see your work, perhaps even like it and look at your site, but that's about it. Why would they buy a painting for full price when they can wait until the next benefit and buy it for super cheap? The thought of someone who makes a lot more money than me buying my work for super cheap, even if it's for a good cause, while I, who am pretty much poor, makes nothing seems hardly fair.

"Best Friends", 30"x30".
This is my painting that will be part of the live auction this Saturday.
As an artist, I don't have much money. Making art isn't something that is paying the bills just yet. Like most artists, I am struggling to make ends meet by creating art but I am passionate about painting, so I do it despite the sometimes hardship. While I am sure there are other people far off worse than I am, I don't have the luxury to donate my work just for the sake of donating, without any compensation, and as an artist, I am constantly asked to donate work. And by compensation, I don't mean getting paid to donate. That's hardly donating then, I know. The benefits and auctions that I do donate to will usually give the artist anywhere between 25% to 50% of the selling price. It usually covers the cost of materials, and if your work is really popular, you can make some money that may come close to the hours you put into the piece. It's not a lot to ask for AND the cause that you donated to still makes a good amount of money. The artists win. The cause wins. The buyer even wins. These kinds of benefits I like and will always donate to, especially if it's a cause I completely believe in.

Artspan is an organization that I was recently asked to donate a painting to. They are the organization that puts on the city-wide open studios in the Fall and they have many programs, such as Art for City Youth, which provides art education to over 700 under-served youth in San Francisco. As an educator who sees many schools have to cut out their arts programs due to budget cuts, I know the importance of having art education and the effects of not having one. I think their cause is worthy and when they ask you to donate, they support the artists donating by giving them a percentage of the sales. This is my first time donating and I am excited to say that out of 170 donated pieces, I was selected to be part of the live auction! I am nervous but quite honored to be one of the few artists who will be part of this. If you live in the Bay Area, be sure to buy a ticket and check out all of the wonderful paintings this Saturday, March 26th. I'll be the one in the corner chewing on my nails while throwing down shots to calm my nerves...okay, maybe not shots, but you get the idea.

Here's more information on the event:
Bid on more than 170 original artworks by established and emerging artists in live and silent auctions at San Francisco's premier visual art event! Nibble snacks from Thomas John Events catering and sip luscious cocktails from an open bar, featuring Pernod Absinthe Green Beast Punch, while bidding on fabulous, affordable local art!

VIP and General tickets available online:
http://artspanauction2011.eventbrite.com/

VIP Ticket (Admits One) - $75 in advance ($50 for members)
VIP Reception (6:00 - 6:45pm) features:
* Exclusive preview of artwork starting at 6pm
* Champagne cocktail reception
*Gourmet hors d’oeuvres by Hibiscus Oakland Executive Chef Sara Kirnon, EOS Restaurant, Swan Oyster Depot, and Taboun Restaurant
* Preferred seating for live auction
* 5% discount on art purchases (up to $50 per purchase)

General Ticket (Admits One) - $25 in advance - $35 at the door
* Open bar and light hors d'oeuvres

* First Silent Auction Section will close at 7:30pm
* Live Auction will begin at 8:15pm
* Creative Cocktail Attire Encouraged

Proceeds from the auction benefit all of ArtSpan’s programs, including Art for City Youth, providing arts education to 700 under-served youth, and San Francisco Open Studios, the city’s largest free visual arts event held each year featuring over 800 artists.

First and Second place awards will be bestowed in the following categories: Representational, Abstract, Figurative, Fine Craft, Sculpture, and Photography. Jurors will also present Juror's Choice awards.

Awards Jury:
Justin Hoover, Curator, SOMArts Cultural Center; Ellen Mahoney, Mahoney Suter Art Advisorys;
Lizanne Suter, Mahoney Suter Art Advisors

Auctioneer: Risley Sams

Thank you to ArtSpan's Donating Artists:

Diane Abt, Zue Acker, Jhina Alvarado, Don Anderson, Jack M. Androvich, Bob Armstrong, Kathryn Arnold, David Avery, Jenny Balisle, Oana Barac-Matei, Suzy Barnard, Richard Bolingbroke, Susan Bostrom-Wong, Johnny Botts, Brandi Brooks, Rena Buchgraber, Brent Bushnell, Lise Carlson, Sofia Carmi, Stacey Carter, Rebecca K. Chang, Lee Cline, Helen Scheuer Cohen, Linda Colnett, Elaine Coombs, Ilana Crispi, Maeve Croghan, Herb Dang, Flora Davis, Nadine Defranoux, Monica Denevan, Robin Denevan, Raymond Difley, Paule Dubois Dupuis, Aximillion Helga Duson, Renee Eaton, Anna Efanova, Bernadette Emrick, miles owen epstein, Jennifer Ewing, Fong Fai, Ana I. Fernandez, Linda J. Fitch, John Fitzsimmons, Kat Flyn, Rebecca Fox, Elizabeth Fracchia, Taiko Fujimura, Annie Galvin, Katie Gilmartin, Kurt Glowienke, John R. Goldie, Mirto Golino, Kristin Grahn Kyono, Sevilla Granger, Florence Gray, Jane Grimm, Jana Grover, Louis J. Gwerder III, dk haas, Marc Ellen Hamel, Mikhail Haramati, Lyall Harris, Jeanne Hauser, Audrey Heller, Monika Henschke, Soña Holman, Anne Howson, Phillip Hua, Hilla Huebert, Cristina Ibarra, Joseph Illick, Uma Rani Iyli, Ivy Jacobsen, Martine Jardel, Randall Jay, Carol Jessen, Philippe Jestin, Doyle G. Johnson, Phylis Johnson-Silk, Soad A. Kader, Marie Kelzer, Christine Kendrick, Mike Kimball, Barbara Kleinhans, andrew knipe, Lisa Knoop, Katherine Hisako Kodama, Rachel Kolenda, Dimitri Kourouniotis, Elana Kundell, Katja Leibenath, Leslie Lowinger, Robert Lowrey, Tatiana Lyskova, Maggie Malloy, Kay Marshall, Alan Mazzetti, Marti McKee, Jody McMillan, Saundra McPherson, John F. Melvin, Erika Meriaux, Andrzej Michael Karwacki, Marcia Middleton,Misho, Gloria Morales, Leslie Morgan, Carrie Nardello, Sonja Navin, Julie Nelson, Zannah Noe, Hadley Northrop, Priscilla Otani, Joel Peirano, Xavier Phelp, Chessa Piker-Ward, Heather Polley, Silvia Poloto, Patricia Preble, Nanci Price Scoular, Kristina Quinones, Shilo Randall Ratner, Lucky Rapp, Gurpran Rau, Judy Reed, Robert Reed, Eric Rewitzer, Fernando Reyes, William Rhodes, Brian Rich, Samuelle Richardson, Carol Rienecker, Heather N. Robinson, Wendy Robushi, Karl Roeseler, Thierry Rosset, Lynn Rubenzer, Tachina Rudman-Young, Lisa Ryers, Ali Saif, William Salit, Sherry L. Schaffer, Jill Schneider, Greta & Manu Schnetzler, Thea Schrack, Brian Schuck, Valerie Scott, Steven M. Scotten, Mercedes Segesvary, Janet Seifert, Mel Solomon, Toru Sugita, Michael-Che Swisher, Elizabeth Tana, Deloris Thomas, Cynthia Tom, Veerakeat TongPaiBoon, Trish Tunney, Susan Tuttle, Charity Vargas, Victoria Veedell, Pep Ventosa, Aaron Vonk, Melissa Wagner, Stephen C. Wagner, Kay Weber, Audrey Welch, Cecilia Welden, Jennifer Wildermuth, Hilary Williams, Laura Williams, Jane R. Willson, Mirang Wonne, Gavin Worth, Roxanne Worthington, Rene Yañez, Rio Yañez, Melissa Yarbrough, Soo-Hwa Yuan

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Counting Down the Days

I am finding that now that I have a job again, I am constantly counting down the days until my next day off, or even better, when this job will end. It's not that I don't like my job. It's actually a pretty good job but I find that I am much more tired daily and that I have less time to paint, which is not a good thing when you have shows to prepare for. Currently I have open studios in early April, a four-person show at 111 Minna Gallery at the beginning of May, and a "Women on Figures" show (with 4 other women) at Madison Gallery in June. All of these shows need paintings and I would like to provide them with new pieces. The thought of painting all of these pieces is overwhelming when I think about how I need to do that all while making sure I have good lesson plans, preparing tests, and making sure my grading is up to date. In other words, making sure I am doing well at my day job (and teaching pre-calculus is no easy job!). Either one of these jobs is exhausting on it's own, let alone together. Then add in spending time with my husband, alone time, and time to do housework and other various daily life chores...it's a busy way to live.

Today I should be going straight to my studio to paint after teaching most of the day,  but like most days, I am exhausted. A nap sounds like the most luxuorious thing in the world right now and I want it with all my being. In fact, I am having a hard time keeping my eyes open while typing this, as my students are in the background taking a test on complex numbers. It's hard to do two full-time jobs (and yes, art is a full-time job for me) and do them well. I'd like to think that I am doing both well too, and I strive for it regularly. Sleep just seems like something you have to give up in order to be able to do it all.

So what do I do then? I sit and count the days until the weekend (4 days...). I count the days until vacation (which is in 3 days...Spring break!!). I count the days until this job ends (43 work days until May 27th). I sit and I think about what it will be like again when I only have one full-time job to worry about, only one job's deadlines to worry about. It's not that far away, but some days, like today, it seems like an eternity.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Chairs, Chairs, and More Chairs

Sometimes I like to pick one thing and paint it multiple times. I think it's a good exercise in seeing, as in, each time you paint the object, you see something different that you may not have caught the first time. Today I painted a chair...twice. I like this chair because it's paint is chipped which makes it much more interesting that just your average chair. I painted it on small pretty small canvases (6"x6" and 4"x6") that I collaged old paper on and then stained with a raw umber. It gives the painting a nice surface to sit on and it makes me happy since I really don't like the texture of canvas and hate when the weave shows through. The paper gets rid of that and adds some interesting texture and "roughness" that I like. I think it's a good look.

I think this painting needs a horizon line so that the chair doesn't look like it's floating.

I only worked on the second chair for about a half hour since I had to run home to meet my tax accountant. I will probably spend an hour tomorrow on it since I think it could look better with a little more work. It's really still in the underpainting stage. I will probably paint this chair a few more times tomorrow and then move on to a different object on Monday.

On a side note...I am extremely excited about signing up for some classical realism painting and drawing classes with Sadie Valeri. The woman is an amazing painter and I am excited to learn from her. I am self-taught and don't have any art training other than the occasional encaustic workshop. I am starting to feel like I need to take my work a step further and that I have gone as far as I can go on my own. These classes will help me propel my work to a new level and I'm excited about it!! Unfortunately the classes don't start until the Fall so in the meantime, I'll keep painting and figuring things out on my own.  

Thursday, March 17, 2011

I'm a Cheater Already...

Yesterday when I went back into my studio, I looked at my painting from Tuesday and decided it needed to be brightened up a bit. I know I said that I didn't want to hyper focus on any of these pieces and would limit myself to finishing it in one day, but it was REALLY bugging me. I decided I would let myself cheat and gave myself 10 minutes to work on it and decided that I wouldn't work on it past that time, I swear. I actually set a timer and broke out the liquin and did some yellow and white washes. It brightened up the painting and made the colors a bit more vibrant. I am now happy with the results. I know that I won't be touching it anymore because now it feels complete.


I wasn't in the studio very long yesterday, probably an hour and a half, if that. I did start another painting but didn't get much done due to my limited time at the studio. I know I won't be in for very long today too (I've had a lot of appointments/ meetings lately) so I am contemplating working on the same painting I started yesterday. I would like to work on each piece for at least two hours, I'm thinking. I'm already a cheater to my own rules by working on the first piece for an extra ten minutes the next day. I may as well go for broke and do it again today. Here is what I started, which doesn't look like much:


On a good note...THERE'S MORE COLOR! Yes boys and girls, I have broken out the blue tubes of paint! I don't think anyone will question whether this one is in color.

On a side note....Here are some installation shots of the three commissions I recently finished:




Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A New Colored Painting

Now that my studio is clean, I can focus on the important things, like painting. I decided to get back to my color studies and do one a day for every day that I am at the studio for the next two weeks. It should be an interesting exercise since some days I am only in the studio for about two hours at most, and other days I am there for at least 5 hours. Some are bound to have more details than others. Some will look better than others. The time limit is imposed so that I don't get too hung up on the details or getting a painting perfect when these are just studies/ exercises. This is practice and they don't need to be masterpieces.

Here is the first one that I did today. I was in the studio for 2 hours today.

"House and Trees" 10"x8"

I was pretty excited about this one and when my studio mate came by, I exclaimed "I'm painting in color!" She looked at the painting and said "This is in color???". Yeah, okay, there's not much color but it is in color. I used three different yellows, white, raw umber, and payne's gray. Baby steps, I keep telling myself. Baby steps.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Spring Cleaning

My studio space isn't large. In fact, it's pretty small at 7 feet by 13 feet. It's basically a cubicle in an open floor with many other cubicles. Since I don't have much space, it can easily get cluttered quickly, especially after getting artwork back from a venue (or from a consulting firm as is the case this time). My space was starting to get so cluttered that just being in it made me anxious and not want to paint. Because of this, I decided that it was time for some Spring cleaning. I just can't function surrounded by clutter, whether it's in my studio or at home, in my kitchen.

This is what my studio looked like earlier today:
Underneath the front table (closest one in the picture) were MANY cardboard boxes and packing materials. I try and keep any boxes supplies are shipped in so that later when I have to ship work, I can re-use the boxes. I order a lot of supplies and have a lot of boxes. These boxes were starting to overflow onto the floor. On the table are a bunch of prepped panels waiting to be painted, supplies, and old paintings that I don't know what to do with.


This is the view from my work table, which is also starting to be filled with prepped panels, work, supplies, and boxes. Underneath this table I have a bunch of storage boxes holding god knows what. Across from this table is the rack that my husband built for me so that I can store paintings. It had panels, paintings and cardboard stacked in it. 

I decided that what I needed to do was clear out the space underneath my work table and put all of my prepped panels there, all labeled so that I know what sizes I had by just glancing underneath the table. I pulled out all of the storage containers except for three small ones, one containing small canvases and the other two containing hanging supplies. My bubble wrap also went under there, on top of the container of canvases. 



Next up was the other table. I broke down all the boxes and lined them up against the wall behind the table. I also put all the packaging pillows in a storage tub which fit nicely underneath the table with plenty of leftover space.



The rack was also cleaned and emptied so that only finished paintings now live there. 
I can now see my studio floor and my table tops again. I have space to paint and walk around without running into anything. I feel so much better now that the area is cleaned. I am less anxious and ready to paint again, which is a good thing since I have open studios in April. 

When you don't have much space, it's important to be organized and clean. It's too easy to let the clutter take over though and invade not only your space, but also your mind. Ideally I would have a larger space, but since I don't, I have to make due with what I have and make it a useful, working space. I think I did a good job today. It may seem like a silly thing to write about, cleaning one's studio space, but for me, it's part of my creative process. It signifies that I am ready to start a next wave of creating.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Final Approval

The final two paintings of the three commissioned pieces were finally approved! I waxed them as soon as I could and will be dropping them off tomorrow. Phew!

"Drive In", 20" x 16", oil and encaustic wax on panel
These were not all easy paintings for me.The painting of the man and woman was pretty difficult. I am still not completely satisfied with it. There's something about his eyes that I just can't get right. Everyone at the studio I paint at seems to think that I am just being over-critical and that it looks nice. The client likes it and approved it so it must look like her parents, but there's something missing for me. I don't even know how to put it into words. After many days of trying to capture whatever it is that's missing, I finally had to put my brush down before I destroyed it by overworking it. Sometimes you just have to make yourself stop...and I did.

So how important is it for the artist to be satisfied with the work they produce? I think it's very important. The artist creating the work is probably the most important person to satisfy since it is their passion that is being represented. But what happens when nothing that you do with the work satisfies you? Do you trash it and work on something else? Or do you still put it out in the world and let others judge it instead?  I probably could have worked the painting forever and still not have been satisfied.

"Cannes, 1969", 16"x20", oil and encaustic wax on panel.
So when is being unsatisfied okay? I think that if this was NOT a commissioned piece, I may not have ever waxed it and called it done. I may have put it away for a few months and tried again later. I may have just painted over it and done something different too, though. I have called a few pieces done that I wasn't satisfied with and every time I see those pieces, I cringe. I don't want to do that anymore. But this is a commissioned piece and the client did approve it. So in this case, I think it's okay to not drive myself crazy trying to capture something I am not even sure exists or is possible for me. The customer is always right, right? Okay, maybe not always, but I think in this case it's okay to say she is.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Two Newly Waxed Pieces

I finally finished all three of my commissions...I think. One of the paintings was approved so I was able to wax it today. The other two I am still waiting to see if the client approves them or wants to make any changes. I guess technically they will all be done when the last two are approved and waxed, but I feel a huge weight has been lifted and I can now work on some color studies and pieces for open studios. YAY! Now let's keep our fingers crossed that the client doesn't want any changes!

Here is the waxed piece:
 14"x14", oil and encaustic wax on panel.

I was also able to wax my "Bee-line" entry for this year's encaustic conference. Here it is:
"Beehive", 16"x16", oil and encaustic wax on panel.


Saturday, March 5, 2011

Making Progress on #3

I had a really good day of painting yesterday. I was playing hooky from work since I had a doctor's appointment so I was able to get in some good hours at the studio before and after my appointment. I went in at 9:30 in the morning, let for an hour for my appointment (luckily my new doctor's office is 3 blocks away from the studio!), came back and painted until 6 pm! That's at least 7 hours of painting! It was a long day, but I didn't even notice. I was having such a good time painting that I didn't even notice the time until my husband called to say he was on his way home. It was so good, I even painted most of the hands, which I usually leave for last since I hate doing them. I think they came out pretty well too!

I love days like this, where you are so involved in a painting that nothing else matters. Everything is clicking and working out the way you want it. Nothing seems to get in your way of accomplishing what you want. I wish everyday was filled with limitless hours of studio time and countless moments of loss time because I'm so wrapped up in what I am doing. I think all of us could use more days like this.

16"x20", "Drive-in"
Working on the sound pieces up against their ears was fun. I can't wait to add in more highlights so that it looks metallic. The faces were also a good time for me. I used thick layers of paint, which is different for me. I usually paint in pretty thin layers and "stain" the shadows but this time I layed it on thick. I like the effect and the process. Maybe I'll start doing that more....

Detail of "Drive-in"


Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Commission #3 of 3

After getting too frustrated with my recent painting (aka commission painting #2: the bane of my existence), I decided that I need to take a break from it in order to get some space from it. I just couldn't get certain elements right, which was making me resentful and angry.  Since I had one more painting in the series, I figured it was a good time to start painting #3.

I worked on the new piece for about 4 hours so it has a long way to go before I can call it done. Here it is:
The image is of two men at a drive-in theater with the listening speaker-thing that usually attaches to the car help up to their ears. One of them men owns a chain of movie theaters and I think the other person may be a business partner or friend.

A detail of the newest painting.