Academic figure study in progress

Drawn with vine charcoal on canvas, next, diluted burnt umber to block in the shadow shapes.

Working piece by piece in 2 to 3 hour live sessions.

an accidental photo but this is what we see when we squint our eyes... this is why we do it.  Even though its been bothering me from the beginning, it's obviously clear now... the shadow on the right leg is way too sharp, dark and purple. I think it sticks out like a sore thumb and not harmonius with the picture.

I don't know if you can see it... but everything's working except for her right leg shadow... too dark, too sharp, too purple.

Rainier brewery study

This tiny painting was done on a beautiful Summers day with a couple of friends and a six pack of Rainiers. I'm looking forward to being out there again this Summer to make a larger painting.... in fact, I can't wait to be painting outside again in general! thanks to Cathleen for a good photo...

bad apple

This tiny painting had to be done fast. The apple was turning brown by the minute and the worms were getting restless! (...they were actually dehydrated meal worm stand ins.)

Vanitas

My paintings often appear "tight" but they don't start that way as I search for composition and color... Here you see a rough block in and a close up of the final painting. The marble was an after thought and brought in late in the painting.

Block in

final painting-detail

Teen Painting Intensive 2012

Ryan Finnerty and I designed and co-taught the 2 week Teen Drawing Intensive at the Gage Academy of Art for 3 years now. This year we created the first ever 2 week Teen Painting Intensive. It was a success and a pleasure to work with such talented young students. Here is a peak at some of the work they did in class.

Vienna Webber   age 14

Vienna Weber  age 14

Lucy Johnson  age 15

Kyle Patterson  age 17

Ada Campbell  age 14

Courtney Chaney  age 17

Bronze fountain head

The bronze sculpture "King of the Dead Sea" is a revised version of a simpler sculpture I cast a year before. Here it is mounted as fountain head in the garden of the Nautilus Studio.

Casting Bronze

Bronze casting is fascinating yet painfully laborious. Many steps, and many things can go wrong. But when its all said and done, it was well worth every step....

Here we have the original (left), the cast wax (center), and the raw bronze sculpture (right).

A bronze pour in progress:

                                           - the finished bronze "King of the Dead Sea"-