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10"x8" oil on canvas. • Just a couple of blocks and a few bottles. To be more specific: A really heavy Coca-Cola bottle found by the side of the road, an old Lysol bottle found in a thrift store, a square balsamic vinegar bottle The Spousal Unit bought just for me to paint (the vinegar was a bonus), and two worn wood blocks I made for The Spawn many years ago (that they used to bean each other with—I think they call that "Authentic Battle Damage").
Posted October 29, 2013
12"x12" oil on canvas. • I was reluctant to show this to you, but it is sold and gone and I like to share. Reluctant because this photo is a poor representation of the actual piece. No matter how hard I tried, all the temperature and intensity shifts—the reds in particular—that I work so hard to achieve just don't' show up here. Oh well. Hopefully, this cat will bring the new owners luck (and kill my camera with its two pawed hex). Whoa. Sorry for the Freudian slippage.
Posted October 25, 2013
sold • private collection pasadena, ca
8"x8" oil on canvas. • It may seem morbid, but painting dead guys is fun! • This painting of the creator of the most famous sleuth of all time brought two bonuses. The first is that it sold before it even made it to the Beverly Hills Art Show(!!!) and the second is that it exposed me to the term "Sherlockians." The collector who purchased it is a well known Sherlockian. I love Sherlock Holmes, but honestly had never heard that term before and it struck me as sounding like an alien race of people on Star Trek. You remember how it went: A small Enterprise contingent beamed down to the planet Sherlock's surface, engaged the Sherlockians, who then proceeded in killing Crew Member #7 (I think it was always the guy in the red shirt, or was it blue?). Maybe it's because it sounds similar to the Morlocks in The Time Machine. I don't know. • Moving on… Not liking his age in my resource photo, I blended two Sir Arthurs to come up with this piece. I hope the Sherlockians approve. They do know many creative ways to make a person... expire.
Report on the Beverly Hills Art Show
This past weekend I was in the Beverly Hills Art Show. Many friends and collectors came to visit, which is always great. The weather was close to perfect. The weather is very important for me particularly. If it is too hot and sunny, my forehead turns bright pink and my hidden horns risk sprouting out. If it is too cold, I start grabbing any available Pekingese (of which there are many) to use as yipping insulation. • Our friend Viv brought a wonderful lunch on Saturday (Thanks Viv!). We often have people hanging out with us under our umbrella, but bringing good food guarantees you select seating. We also accept good recipes, but bringing the actual dish gets you more points. If you bring a plate of cookies, I will personally boot any lounging fellow artist out of a chair for you. Actually, I would do that for any luscious baked goods. • To top it all off, The Spousal Unit was again able to be with me during the entire show—always a big plus (for the other male artists). • All in all, a great show.
Posted October 22, 2013
sold • private collection los angeles, ca
This is my last promo for the BH Show—I promise.
By the way, the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle portrait that was in the background of the last promo sold, so he will not be appearing at the show. And yes, I am bragging.
Hope to see you at the show!
5"x5" oil on door skin panel • Even though my beloved Mustang had a 302 engine in it, I thought the "289" emblem a bit more iconic. And the answer is "No"—I do not have my '68 Mustang any more and "Yes," I cry about it on a daily basis. • People occasionally talk about (complain) that I do not talk enough about painting. So… so... let me think… Ah, let's talk composition. This emblem is not symmetrical—the horse's tail sticks out farther than its head—but it seemed better to me to have the rectangular part of the emblem centered. To help balance out the composition I used light. The light on the background to be precise. To throw some heft on the left, I raised the value and intensity of the colors around the horse's head, hopefully countering the weight of the tail. The light was subtly doing this anyway, I just chose to push it a bit in my battle for balance. Composition is not just about moving things around, there are other ways to compose a piece. There, didactic rant done. • And lest I forget this important technical tidbit: Painting horses can be a pain in the hoohah. Just ask Mr. Degas. Oh yeah, he's dead. Go ask another artist, they should confirm it. Just don't ask them to show you our secret handshake.
The Beverly Hills Art Show
(http://beverlyhills.org/exploring/beverlyhillsartshow)
I will be showing my wares in space #139.
Saturday & Sunday, October 19th & 20th
10am to 5pm both days
Yes, The Spousal Unit will be blessing us with Her attendance.
Posted October 11, 2013
6"x4" oil on raymar panel • The first thought that pops into my little mind whenever I see a transistor radio is of those guys (yes, mostly guys) who used to listen to sports on these with those little white mono earphones. They would be walking along, all normal like (and yes, sometimes their pants were hemmed a bit too short), until their team would score and they would punch the air and shout like they were insane. Actually, I guess people still do it, just with much nicer earphones and much more expensive pants.
Posted October 8, 2013
sold • private collection marin, ca
4"x6" oil on raymar panel •
I have always loved these funky little cars. During an era when a "small" two door car was longer than many of today's minivans, these little cars with their bright colors seemed microscopic—like bathtubs on wheels.
Posted October 4, 2013
sold • private collection los angeles, ca
4"x6" oil on raymar panel • I found this lock with its rusty chain buried deep in a dirt road I was walking down whilst taking pictures of an abandoned farm house in the middle of far reaching fields of lush green spinach. My shoe caught the exposed part of one of the links, I pulled, and there it was. • There is the distinct possibility that I might have been trespassing. Okay, I admit it, I was. You know how I know I was trespassing? Because that is what The Spousal Unit was yelling at me—at some distance—from the van: "You do know you are trespassing, don't you?" She informed me of this along with the surprising development that The Spawn were hungry (when are they not hungry?), so we needed to get going. Anyway, the trespassing was unavoidable; I had to get my shots. The lock and not falling into a drainage ditch were just gravy. Yes, I am a trespasser and a thief and, on occasion, easily distracted (Oh, look a chicken!) to the point that I have fallen into a ditch. • The chain annoyed me a little at first, but I decided to keep it and see what it would look like in oil paint. So... I present to you the (somewhat illegal) painting above.
Posted October 1, 2013
sold • private collection marin, ca
