Category Archives: Paintings & Drawings

#Oath-ish of the Horatii Series

oathish season 1 episode 3
oathish season 1 episode 3

oathish season 1 episode 2
oathish season 1 episode 2

Slow going Oathish of the Horatii series (in progress here) based on past commissions source material. The process got more interesting when it became also about painting the source material and how that faded and degraded, unlike Dorian Gray’s portrait, it didn’t have any effect IRL. Also, you’d think random ripped up sources, would be more forgiving compositionally, but it’s actually the reverse.

Looks like it’s going to be the winter of obsessive paintings

detailofobsessing

Obsessive. After painting 2(!) commissions of David’s Oath of the Horatii many years ago, I tore the cheap, paint and dirt incrusted source material into random strips on the studio floor and took some shots of them, then forgot about it. Then I found them on my computer, printed them out, stretched some canvas and blocked them in, with the idea of painting all the smudges, tears and wear. It was really hard, plus it started to seem like a pretty stupid idea. So I gave up. A year later I thought I’d take another crack at it. By then the photos had done that weird digital random color shift fade. I couldn’t reprint them because after all the new ink I bought, my Epson printer was telling me that it wasn’t REALLY Epson ink but it is! Look at the stupid box you stupid machine. And I do not want to be on tech support all day for something that’s by now looking like a mega stupid idea. So I moved on to do what I was supposed to be doing anyway (working) which is after all much more pleasant and rewarding. So another year later here I am again, during this break painting them again. Because now that they are fugitive blown-out source materials  that are themselves getting covered in paint, of the original low quality source materials torn up and photographed and output on a crappy printer and they are literally fading away as I try to paint them and I’m slow because it’s been awhile so now my all likely hood they could be blank by the time I’m done, I’m happy. (BTW This one is the least faded).

shark again and not so decipherable notes to self

Round 2 where everything gets muddy and awkward and second guessing. Yay!

So many thoughts flying around while painting so I jot them down

OK what I can decipher from this part of the list

1.  “Michael Alfe” was a reference to the fact even though really smart people use and recommend something, doesn’t mean that you should too. 30 years later I realize that Stand Oil was great for his painting, but totally inappropriate for what I was doing. duh, I’m slow.

2.” foto realism”.  I like to paint from photos or random scans of things. I don’t project or trace them—something in the process excites me.

3. “lines and edges”. Most of us when painting or drawing will draw a line around stuff. Those lines don’t really exist in nature were everything blurs and reflects. I always try not to, but still I get false lines and edges.

4. I have no freaking idea what Shern Oil ban refers to.

 

 

Restarting

After a long break I’m making art and painting in oil again. The smell is soooo good. To make it even easier I’m going to paint whatever I feel like, starting with Laine and gummy sharks. So there. Makes me miss smoking though.

Its weird how natural it feels. I like to start with semi-rough gesso’d canvas and muscle on the first layer of paint with a too small brush. Looks like I used it a leeetle too enthusiastically. Sad brush and canvas full of tiny hairs hahaha.

Paintings from random fb+ photos

This is a series of small paintings (about 3″ x 4″) in gouache,  4 up on  11″ x 17″ pieces of paper. The images are mostly from facebook, twitter, etc. I stole the gouache from chef Phil. I usually use oil or graphite. This is what gives them the demented paint by numbers look, which I think at least works for the chicken.