Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Korgoth



\http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTlYhSZbb5U&search=korgoth


I'm going to break my usual (arbitrary) self- imposed no animation talk on my blog to promote a new pilot I painted the backgrounds last year. It's coming out on Adult Swim on Saturday night at midnight. I want people to watch it so I have something fun to work on again. It a Barbarian show done right with loads of violence, sex and urination. It's directed, written and designed by a funny cartoonist friend of mine you may have heard of by the name of Aaron Springer. Genndy Tartakovsky produced and did animation timing and generally was a strong backbone for Arron. The backgrounds were layed out by one of the best young background artists out there right now Justin Thompson. I did some final paintings and some rough keys, here is a selection along with a fake title card. The big bar pan was cut for time so this will be the only place you will see it.







Sunday, May 28, 2006

Patty 2


This a a class study that I'm using to bridge the gap until better paintings dry or get back from the photographer. I cropped the painting a little and adjusted the background in Photoshop. A cheat I know, but I wasn't going to put it up looking the way it did and if I repeated it would be wet too. Her head feels a little big, but she does have a tiny body. 10x15 on crappy canvas board.



As an added bonus here is a little Plein Air landscape of a water storage tank done at The Cobb estate at the top of Lake in Altadena. 8x10 oil on linen.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Frankfurt 1960


Here is a painting biased on one of my Dad tourist photos in Frankfurt, Germany in 1960. I think is both over worked and under worked, but shows some promise for the future. Oil on wood 16x24.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Springtime at Levitz


I just finished a fairly big studio painting today of the railroad tracks at Azusa, but will have to wait to post intil it's been photographed. In the meantime, here is a typical little Plein Air done on the side of the Levitz showroom in Glendale off of San Fernando road near the LA River and the 134. It was a hot hazy day. I was trying for a little bit of a tighter view than I usually go for. Note the old bumper cars stacked up at the business next door that must have been there for many years. 6x8 oil on linen panel.

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Happy Postmodern Mothers Day.


This is a painting I did from a photograph my father took at my second birthday. I presented it to my Mother today at the Glendale Mothers day painting and music thing. Thanks to everyone who stopped by. Sold some paintings, made some new friends/ students and saw some old.

Is the painting sentimental or ironic? You tell me. ;-)

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

LA


This was a challenge to myself to do a cold modern painting. It was suggested I was making urban images to sentimental by seeing beauty in urban settings through my use color and technique. I'm not changing my style, but am always up for an experiment on the right subject.16x20 Oil on canvas.




Exciting news! A painter I've admired from afar for awhile now has hooked up with the Los Feliz to teach a portrait class. His name is Vadim Zanginian and he was trained in the Russian tradition. I'll be taking the class and expect some good painters to be there. I find his work to be a great combination of solid foundation drawing, but with a lush impressionistic painting approach. Please tell Ben or Jen I sent you.

If you want to see more of his masterful work please visit his site link in my links------->




The Glendale Symphony Orchestra Association, Segil Fine Art & Whites Gallery invites you to enjoy Music, Art and a beautiful day in the Friendship Gardens at Brand Park.

Bill Wray will be there, meet his mother.

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Glendale at Historic Brand Park

Mother's Day, May 14, 2006 11-5 pm

Brand Park - 1601 West Mountain Street, Glendale, CA 91201

Free Admission [$10 suggested donation]

Bring the family and celebrate Mother's Day, surrounded by beauty. Experience an outdoor Japanese tea ceremony, tour the doctor's House Victorian Museum, sip champagne or tea with hors d'oeuvres, stroll the beautiful gardens and listen to classical music while viewing some of Southern California's finest plein air artists at work. Vibrant acrylics, dynamic oils, charming watercolors and other wonderful mediums will be on display in the teahouse art gallery. All art will be for sale! Win a piece of fine art in the raffle and opportunity drawing. Join us on Sunday, may 14. There will be a special treat for Mom and the whole family will enjoy the artful experience of Music & Art in the Park.

Proceeds benefit the Glendale Symphony Orchestra Association

Co-sponsored by the City of Glendale Parks, Recreation & Community Services with Freinds of Shoseian, Whispering Pine Teahouse, the Doctor's House Museum
and the Glendale Historical Society.

Glendale Symphony Orchestra
Tel. 818-500-8720
http://www.glendalesymphony.org

Saturday, May 06, 2006

Power Box and Steel Plates



Two 6x8 oils from last week. First there was a dull morning and second was late afternoon after the sun had come out a bit. Both were near the LA river near where the 5 and the 110 meet. The first is right near the 5 next to a tiny mostly Hispanic family community alongside Riverside drive.



Further down the river under the freeway was some burned out cars with mole people living under the freeway.



Including this guy passed out on the trail who's drug use/ schizophrenia apparently convinced him to lose his clothes at some point.




Later he was raving like a lunatic as were walked by, but he snapped out of it when I addressed him in a firm (but neutral way) that we were going by him. He blinked and asked me what time it was... I told him I think you missed your appointment.



The second was on the other side of the river, slightly further south in a closed manufacturing business. The painting snuffed a bit from to much reflected light making for a little duller painting then I was trying for, but I like the composition. At one point I hear cursing behind me, some local crack heads were pissed we were there, forcing them to get high somewhere else.

Monday, May 01, 2006

Bloody Train Step by Step



I have two paintings in this show, stop by if you can.



1. Lay in

Here is a recent train painting that I did sort of a work in progress series of photos. I started with a under painting of thinned transparent orange and then sketched in the drawing with a neutral mix after it wash had dried. I should have taken a photo at that stage, but had not gotten the idea of a WIP yet. I then applied very thin paint with a rag for my lay -in. I almost stopped there as I kind of liked it as a "modern" art piece. I decided to go on and took a picture to preserve it in cases I messed it up, that got the WIP idea rolling. The dull orange at the top of the painting is the under painting.


2. Getting the brush out

Sorry about these inconsistent photos, but I'm not set up for good ones. Here is where I took out my brushes and stated adding a little bit thicker paint. Mostly dark edges and refining the drawing , but some added color and details to the cars. Generally I'm thinking Green and it's complement Red as my dominating colors.



3.Getting it wrong.

Added in the city background and had my bloody train theme going and got a little carried away with the red paint everywhere. I put the tracks for the first time. I now realized the background wasn't working... covering the horizon line with the bridge presented a visual problem that the city felt disjoined to the rest of the painting.



4. Re- thinking and changes

I hadn't figured out the problem yet and stated re- working the foreground a bit more getting the red focused back on the train by darkening the overdone red shadows on the ground. Still felt sick and in trouble. ;-)



5. Final Painting

I tried painting in more details under the bridge to make my transition worked by sheer detailed painting, but it still didn't work. I should have taken a photo at that point, but was to frustrated and determined to pull the thing together to stop. I remembered the old adage: less is more and took out the sky line and ended up finding that acceptable. I added in the little truck and a bit more detailing and this is the result. final is 24x39 Oil on wood.