Knife Painting

This was an experiment with both painting style and with art supplies.  I used two gessoed sketchbook backs and the under-frame of a torn canvas, and I tried my hand at knife painting for the first time.

 

The tools I used.

See more paintings.

La Inferma

I used two little blobs of paint for this.  Watercolor is so much different than any medium I've ever used, and I think I like it.
As an experiment I soaked the paper in my sink for about ten minutes, and then used some clamps to hold it to a piece of wood and keep it from wrinkling.  It stayed evenly damp throughout the whole process, which helped the colors merge better.

I think for my first watercolor-only piece, it turned out pretty well.

See other portraits, art pieces involving watercolor, or check this piece out on my store.

Seven Stars

This was an experiment in two ways:

1. I tested out using the style of color segregation I tend to reserve specifically for pen and markers--this time with paint.
2. I gessoed a the back of my giant sketch pad as a painting surface; it was the right size to fit into an improvised frame I made. The frame was made from a torn pre-stretched canvas. I ripped off the damaged canvas, removed the staples, and am using the underlying structure as a plain wooden frame.

See more of my paintings here.

The Living World

I think it's funny how we project our humanity into everything we see . . . and also how we fail to recognize life in things that don't move and change as quickly as we do.

This is an oil painting on a 3' x 4' canvas: my first with this medium.

See more of my surreal landscapes.

Abandoned and Found

This is one of those paintings that I got frustrated with and set aside years ago.  It was going to have an additional panel.

I've moved four times since then, yet somehow I never lost it.

It's been too long since I started it; I'll probably sand it down and reuse the canvas.

It's a pity, but it will never be finished.

Find more of my acrylic paintings, or check out more of my art involving hands.

The Source

See other acrylic art based on the Bible, or check out other work involving hands.

Shrooms Don't Make You Creative

I enjoyed an evening spent at the Bellingham Flea Market displaying my art a while back.

In the single-room building, there were a variety of odd things to enjoy:

• belly-dancers balancing swords on their heads
• customized painted scraps of broken tile
• stylish clothing made out of recycled sweaters
• bluegrass musicians wearing fake mustaches
• free wine and cookies . . .

. . . and that's only the beginning.

I got plenty of feedback on my art, met some great people, and even got a visit from some awesome friends.

Among the complements on my work was this one:

"Your art is great. It reminds me of being on shrooms."

It wasn't that creative; he was looking at this art piece.

"The Mushroom that Wished It Was a Tree"
Acrylic on wood

See more of my acrylic paintings here.

The Obedient One: Completed

The Obedient One

I draw monsters.
Here are some more.

See an earlier stage of this painting, or check out more pieces in my Philippians series.

A Painting Begins: The Obedient One

After a morning of studying and thinking, I came up with the rough idea for my next painting for the Philippians series.

I started it on a 4' x 3' canvas this afternoon . . . just a brief 15-minute stint of painting, but enough to get the gist down.

Want to see the final piece?
You can see other works in progress here.

Controlled chaos: "The Starvation for Home"

The Starvation for Home
3' x 4'
Acrylic on canvas

I really enjoyed making this painting—employing gravity and excessive amounts of messy watered-down paint.  I get a kick out of using destructive forces for constructive means.

I like hands, and I use them in art a lot.  You can see more paintings with them.

Not a Human Experiment

Here are a few shots of the progress on the painting "You Will Be Complete."

I realize it could seem a little like Frankenstien . . . sort of a human experiment. That's not my intention. The face on the right, staring into the separated spectrum, is meant to represent humanity in an incomplete state.

I'm interested in creating a series based off of the book of Philippians. Both images I've done so far in the series deal with the mind—its vulnerability and its incompleteness.

See other works in progress, or check out other images from my Philippians series.


EDIT: I eventually did finish this painting.   Here's how it turned out.