Foetus

I have always been fascinated by pre-birth imagery. I have several reference books of images of the various phases of gestation.

Here are two self promo pieces inspired by that imagery. The top image was done during the college years and the one below is an unfinished piece from 1997.

Vampire

This is an old personal piece from 1992. Oil on Illustration Board 11" x 17".

Oil Painting: Materials and Methods

So I dove in and signed up for an evening painting class. With thoughts of returning to school to get an MFA in my head, I decided a good test would be to take a class to see how things roll. Since it has been almost 16 years since I graduated from Ringling there may be many cobwebs to clear.

The class is at the San Francisco Art Institute. I chose Oil Painting: Materials and Methods which appears to be focused more on the technical side of the medium. There are many options with oil so getting a better understanding of the materials will be a huge plus. I studied Illustration in school which was all about getting the work out really fast and not designed for long lasting work.

This begins the last week of Jan. It will be good to connect with fellow art students as well. I feel very separated from the SF art community since most of my time is spent in the South Bay in the tech world.

I am patiently waiting for the email to let me know what to expect and which materials to bring to the first class.

Multi-tasking

After an enjoyable few day break for new years celebrations, I am back to my work. The Dogs in School piece is now done...other than the custom frame piece. I re cut, painted and attached the wood frame this weekend. Final paint details were done this evening.

Over the years I have jotted down ideas for paintings in my sketchbooks. After reviewing various lists, I compiled a new list of pieces to work on this year. A trip to Flax to use up the last of the balance on a gift card got me 3 new canvases to go towards these pieces. I also picked up some brushes and some damar varnish.

I realized while working on the last stages of the Dogs in School piece that there comes a point while waiting for layers to dry that I could and should be working on secondary pieces. So in between detailing on DIS I prepped the new canvases and finished up the drawing on the two next paintings.

I am going to try to complete at least two paintings a month this year. As of tomorrow I am back at the day gig which consumes the bulk of my weekday time so we will see how this goes. I am up for the challenge.