Ringo

Not unlike any other art student, my painting instructor 2 years ago had a strange method of teaching. That is to say, he didn't really teach; he just commented a lot. Mostly he said you have to learn from experimenting "pushing the paint around on your canvas" and there was no right technique for anything. Still, it would have been nice if he made suggestions. So I'm still learning. I'm working on people and getting dimension and depth in their face. To focus on that I've decided to stay in black and white but vivid colors in everything else (same with the Buddha interpretation). Here is Ringo in his Sergent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band gear. Paul is nearly finished and already a massive improvement. I've been taking photos from the beginning phase on him so that'll be a bit more interesting to look at.

Useful, Demented Design in the Kitchen

Perhaps I'm a bit slow picking this one up, but perhaps I'm not the only one. Raffaele Iannello designed this, the most aesthetically amazing set of knives you could ever hope for. If I had an extra $70 lying around and didn't already have a pretty decent set, I'd definitely be ordering this in red.
But I am a bit of a freak in general.

Sports and Art?

Since I hate football, pretty much every American would discredit anything I have to say about sports so I usually just don't talk sports. However, I do talk art as often as possible. I want to share with you the closing of an article in the April 2008 issue of Juxtapoz (yes I am an avid reader and subscriber) written about Mark Chiarello (Art Director for DC Comics) doing water color portraits for the book, "Heroes". This book is about the Legendary players of the Negro Baseball Leagues. Before this book was written, Chiarello did a set of trading cards back in the 80's. Remember that time, when the true effort to educate on discrimination began? Before that most people didn't really know anything about segregation unless they experienced it. So Chiarello is talking about taking his trading set to a convention commemorating the Negro League,

"and I saw one of the great players of the the League, the late Leon Day, and I showed him the set of cards. I remember him not saying a word, just shuffling through the pile, obviously looking for his card. When he got to his he stopped for a minute with his head down. Finally, he looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said, 'I've never been on a baseball card before.' "

Is that not beautiful? In this article Chiarello also talks about the misfortune that illustrators aren't the superstars they once were since photography has become so readily available and reliable. However, I think Illustration is making a come back. Graphic Design is in high demand and illustration is a huge part of that. Everyone wants custom work for everything. I am not an illustrator, but I hope whatever area I fall into will give me moments of fulfillment like Chiarello's with Leon Day.

I can relate to that sentiment

"Making art is a really lonely process. You spend a lot of time by yourself, hunched over a desk. It's a lot of solitary time and it can be a bit of a head trip." -Travis Millard

All my life I've had hermit tendencies. My mom told me even as a toddler I enjoyed my time to my self. For the most part it unnerves my family and peers. People hassle me for not being social. I guess they think I don't appreciate them. I let it get to me and started feeling like I shouldn't be this way. So I went through a phase of being extremely social. But I've realized that spending more time on my own is the only way I can truly be who I love being. It's the only way I can create with integrity.

So I'm working on a sgt. peppers lonely hearts club band series. I'll be posting Ringo and Paul this week.

2 1/2 years

David Minjarez, who has been a close friend of mine since we were 12, asked me to paint a buddah for him in the spring of 2006. I started immediately, finished it & was dissatisfied, painted over it, repainted it, still didn't like it, started over on another piece of canvas but didn't like the size, started it on a canvas board, finished it, repainted it again and finally this past weekend I have a completed interpretation of buddah for my friend David.

*I took this with my camera phone so please excuse the poor photo quality.

Jeff Soto & My Welcome

Hi and welcome to my art blog. I hope you enjoy my sharing time.

Jeff Soto is one of my favorite discoveries. According to his resume, he received his BFA in 2002 but I distinctly remember finding his work in Juxtapoz during my freshman year (2003-2004). Of course this may not seem as big of an accomplishment to many people who are disinterested in the type of artists featured in this magazine, but to me it's inspiring. He didn't waste anytime after finishing his education. I hope I can say that one day.
I'm also very much in love with his style. The darkness of his characters and the dismay they seem to bring into an otherwise very bright and cheerful atmosphere, the relevance of environment and childish creativity. Mostly I love how so much is happening in one piece without seeming visually, too overwhelming for the viewer but simultaneously overpowering in subject. It's a very abstract spin of action in repose. It's as if each work is literally a window into a world from a very active mind that is perceiving and reinterpreting the real world. He successfully regurgitates the perspective of imagination. I've actually seen many artists attempt to imitate his style. But they fail, and being imitated, however much annoying it be, is a great compliment to an artist.
These two images (w/o permission, please forgive me) I snagged around my first discovery because they were the two pieces that I first fell for.