schopenhauer.

ah, arthur schopenhauer. 

wrinkles, flesh, feathery hair... all my favorite things. 

there are many portraits of schopenhauer out there, but this pose was the only one i wanted to paint. he was a request from another german philosopher, so the pressure was on--i had to get him right. hopefully, i succeeded. 

i could paint old wrinkly men and women all day, honestly. babies? gimme a break. innocence and purity in that sense are not things i'm drawn to. weathered wisdom, however, is something i can get behind.

brandy.

brandy has the most amazing coloring. chocolate cherry spots and a pinky nose.

brandy

acrylic on canvas

2009

mister darcy.

would you believe me if i told you this cat's person is an english professor? shocking, i know.

mister darcy

&

naughty mister darcy

acrylic on canvas

2009

drake.

this guy was photographed by the pool. he's about 13 years old.

drake

acrylic on canvas

2009

though he's old and tired, there's a semblance of contentment. 

khaki.

the first cat of the bunch. this was the funniest looking cat i've ever seen... she has these gigantic eyes that make her look like she's a walking photoshop project.

khaki

acrylic on canvas

2009

i do like the somewhat monochromatic thing going on here.

lilienne & mande

oh, jeez... people and their pets. at least the one on the right looks content. 

liliene & mande

acrylic on canvas

2009

roxie.

ah, another short-haired breed. 

roxie

(pet portraits, 9)

acrylic on canvas

2009 

the glossy coats really do require a completely different method. they also lend themselves more to a modern or abstracted portrait, but i resisted. if the owners don't directly request it, i default to a more traditional and straight forward image.

dante.

a bird! 

don't get me wrong, dogs are definitely fun to paint. but, it was a nice change of pace to paint someone's exotic pet. 

dante

(pet portraits, 8)

acrylic on canvas

2009

i had a bird growing up, and this brought back some fun memories. all bird owners know that they have much more personality than many give them credit for. 

duncan.

this one's a sassy one. when i asked the owner if he wanted me to paint the dog's left ear flipped forward, he said absolutely not. sometimes, those little imperfect moments are the ones worth capturing.

duncan

(pet portraits, 7)

acrylic on canvas

2009

this one i approached a bit differently than the scruffier dogs. dachshunds' fur is so silky smooth and shiny, i opted for more of a color-blocking method rather than a brushy, impressionistic technique. i think i like it. 

max & bucca.

ewoks? almost. 

max & bucca

(pet portraits, 6)

acrylic on canvas

2009

leica.

dogs can be such regal animals, as in this example. 

leica

(pet portraits, 5)

acrylic on canvas

2009

for me, he demands respect. what a gorgeous creature.

dobbie.

mutts are great. i particularly love this guy's nose. 

dobbie

(pet portraits, 4)

acrylic on canvas

2009.

eli.

bulldogs are probably the most fun animal to paint. there's so much personality in their faces, not to mention all of the wrinkles, texture and slobber. 

eli

(pet portraits, 3)

acrylic on canvas

2009

tippy.

another pet portrait. this particular cutie passed away a few months ago. i bet doggie heaven is fabulous.

tippy

(pet portraits, 2)

acrylic on canvas

2009

pet portraits, one.

i'm starting a new series of pet portraits for various friends and colleagues. 

baci

(pet portraits, 1)

acrylic on canvas

2009

animals make much better subjects than people most of the time. it will be a fun project for me to spend a little extra time painting during the week. 

i shall die in the rosebush.

i shall die in the rosebush

acrylic on canvas

2006

this painting was inspired by a poem:

"inside the garden

i shall surely die.

inside the rosebush

they will kill me.

mother, mother, i went out

gathering roses.

but surely death will find me

in the garden.

mother, mother, i went out

cutting roses,

but surely death will find me

in the rosebush.

inside the garden 

i shall surely die.

in the rosebush

they will kill me."

-federico garcia lorca

there's a bit of a story, but... it revolves around a dream. maybe i'll share that dream one day, but not today.

i was introduced to this poem when i worked on the set of a play inspired by the work of the poet. it was an interesting experience, and i quite enjoyed the work i did. in a future post, i'll share the drawings i did for the play. 

dead.

this was one of those happy accident paintings.

dead

(zombie girl)

acrylic on canvas

2005

it began as something completely different. it's all a bit of a blur now, but i vaguely remember applying several layers of gesso, adding a bit of texture and loosely painting in some winged creature. when i hadn't even finished the underpainting, i scratched the whole thing and just started smothering the surface with a dark indigo color. it mixed with the wet gesso in such a way that i saw a face. so, i went with it.  about an hour later, i had her. completely just for fun. 

sure, i've always liked things a bit on the darker side, so painting a zombie girl is like another bowl of fruit for others. it is just one of those subject matters that i don't think about much, i just have fun with the paint. sometimes, you've just got to do something mindless to bring you elsewhere. simply doing is an important part of the creative process, especially if you're in a rut. 

plus, when zombies attack, i'm hoping i can win them over with a few portraits. genius.

la prima.

it was difficult to choose which piece i would post first. notorious for over-thinking the small things (what kind of artist would i be if i didn't?), i decided to just go with one i liked. 

amanda

prisma colors on toned paper

2006

i chose it also because it does in fact represent a few firsts:

in general, i'm a firm believer that figure drawing should be a prominent foundation of anyone's art education. regardless of style, drawing the figure from a live model is one of those experiences all artists need. call me old-fashioned. so, in that sense, a figure drawing seemed fitting to lay the foundation for this portfolio. though it isn't my finest work, it is one that strikes a certain chord.

it was not nearly my first figure drawing session, but it was the first time i had the opportunity to draw a pregnant woman. she was eight months pregnant, no less. i had drawn the old, the young, male, female, thin and fat, but never pregnant. it was a very strange and delightful experience overall. she was amazingly comfortable up there on the model stand, even under the heat of the studio lights. during the 10-second gesture drawings, she even managed to get herself if compositionally interesting poses. this particular pose was from the last drawing of the day. she was so relaxed and, yes, glowing. i'm not one to get all sappy about the miracle of life, but i did so appreciate the opportunity to draw her. 

it was also the first figure drawing session where i did not play the role of student. i was simply an attendee, there to draw because i love it. i had been in college for a few years at that point, and i returned to the art studio in my home town where i took figure drawing classes from the age of 15. my old art instructor was having a casual drawing session with a few local artists and extended the invitation my way. it was strange not to have him pacing behind me, counting down the gestures and offering critical harrumphs. it was certainly a session i'll remember. 

so there it is. the first of many.

all'inizio.

so, it is happening.

i've succumbed to this whole blog thing. it isn't anything i was particularly interested in on its own. rather, i'm using this as an online portfolio that is ever changing. it makes sense, really. though the first dozen or so posts will introduce the work of my past, this website will eventually develop into a chronology of art.

i will include images of one or two works of art per post, along with a little blurb of text. perhaps i'll talk about the creative process, the materials used, the story behind the piece (though some are too personal, even for the anonymity of the Internet), the inspiration or just a random tidbit.

we shall see, both you the far away reader and myself, how this all unfolds. even if you are merely a tool through which i can work out some creative kinks, i think it will be worth the effort.

enjoy, phantom readers.