Boulevard Bulwarks

I started the second large panel today (on the left below), roughed in as of right now, but it's nice to see it next to the other image. They feed off of each other in terms of creating the visual language which I started to doubt after finalizing the first one. Something seemed to be missing and I wasn't sure what it was. I like when my problems resolve themselves.
I'm still figuring out my technique and, as of right now, I think it's still fairly archaic and crude. With that in mind though how resolved/refined can I make these without neutering them?

 both panels 30" x 80", wood panels

 (((detail)))

The last image is of a hand painting that I've been working on since November of '09. Let it be known that I don't work on individual pieces for more than a few sessions before they are set aside for various reasons (spite, distraction, I forget, etc). Mostly it takes a lot of time to see and to think about the directions that I want to go. So when I say "since November of '09" it's not as intense as one might think. Nonetheless, I'm pretty happy with it. I'd like to start more contour shape paintings in the spring (the garage studio will be naturally heated and tolerable).

8.5" x 18.25", acrylic on wood

To see the previous state click here

----

more drawings...

Sorry for the crummy scans. Just works in progress so I'm not too concerned with making things pretty at the moment.
The lack of definition and coherency in the drawings inspires my fancies and, more to the point, keeps the image open for added information and evolution.

---

my scanner doesn't like faint pencil drawings and Photoshop doesn't care

Some recent journal drawings, sketches.
Ideas that I'd like to pursue as paintings someday soon.

 

***

Growing Up

I'm working on a pair of large drawings for an upcoming two person show at Dollop Cafe in Chicago mid -March (dates TBA). I will be showing alongside betsy birkey, see her work here.

In an effort to occupy two large spaces on the back wall of the cafe I wanted to a pair of large drawings using imagery from some smaller drawings that I did last month (photos towards the bottom). I typically don't work large and the original drawings appeared in my mind at a small size. The more images that I came up with on paper the more I started thinking "big". I had been looking at monumental bronzes and related imagery at the time so I guess the larger, life size concepts of heroes at rest started sticking in my brain.
I hope to make more of these. The panels are actually inexpensive luan doors from the local home improvement store. $23 for a painting support... can't beat that.

 

-in progress-

acrylic on wood panel

30" x 80"

2011

 

-detail-

These are some samples of the smaller related drawings that led to the above piece...

 6" x 11"

ink on paper

2010-2011

3.75" x 7.5"

acrylic ink on paper

2010-201

3" x 6",

ink on paper

2011

---

Peripheral Monsters

Since 2007 I have posted and cataloged my work on Flickr but, because it's a website meant to share photographs, it doesn't really allow for any "deep thoughts" or, more importantly, the ability for me to capture the sense of day-to-day in my entries. I plan on updating my Flickr site with the more "finished" work  so this blog is meant as a peripheral and an active eye on my work going forward.

In an effort to document this day-to-day process that I experience in my studio (thanks Field Museum!) I plan on posting images of unfinished and in-progress work, journal pages, photos of my palette and my work tables, photos documenting the evolving states of my studio, music that I'm currently listening to while working, links to interesting articles and artists... all of the stuff that keeps me and my work moving along towards becoming something else.
***
The first images that I am posting are an unresolved series of small scale landscape paintings/collages that came out of drawings that I've been doing for the past several months: a cast of robot-soldier-monster-humanoids occupying a dark universe. These paintings are an attempt to marry a couple of different ideas that I've been working with for a while and to set them, as giants, within imaginary landscapes of buildings and garbage (craftily made of blobs of recycled acrylic paint peelings from the palette). Ideas touch on urban and global decay, isolation and conflict but simply put these ideas are born out of my imagination and putting paint to board using a visual and viscous language that is slowly evolving. Basically I'm trying to figure out how to turn some childish robot-monster scribbles into something more interesting for the viewer to look upon .

acrylic, collage on board
10.875" x 5"
2011

acrylic, collage on board
11.25" x 6.125"
2011

oil on wood panel
8" x 10"
2011

---