Jack and Lindsay

14x18 graphite on bristol. This here is a commission I recently finished of some happy newlyweds. Jack's best man, Jeff, surprised his old college buddy and his wife with a drawing of themselves from their wedding photos. Good project to crank out and get a little extra dough!! Woohoo spending money!

Pumkins and Rubber Ducky

Here's a couple more still lifes from Vanessa's class.

S2S still life

Here is a color study from school that I painted this morning. This class is really great! Vanessa is such an informative and honest instructor. She says it how it is, not holding anything out of the instruction, at the same time, keeps such a relaxed and positive energy moving throughout the studio, which can really help keep you relaxed and not hold back any questions or comments you might have to ask or say. I am enjoying the momentum of this semester, it is something I've been hoping to gain and hold on to.

A Good Week

Here is my most recent work. Both of the portraits were painted in the same day from life. Joy, up at the top posed for the open workshop on Thursday at S2S. This painting was a ton of fun and felt really good from start to finish. I think the reason it came with ease that night, is because I was all warmed up from the little self portrait I started earlier in the day. The self is 4x6 inches. Yesterday was one of those milestone days, where I really felt like I accomplished something. I normally am not accustom to painting so small, only because I have a hard time keeping it clean. There has been this momentum building ever since those ballpoint pen sketches took place. I painted the onion for color. After those sketches and then the color study, it really helped me nail the self portrait down fast. During these paintings I wrote a quote, or just a compilation of words of what I was thinking about, to remind me of what I was feeling, and what I want to remember.

You meet every brushstroke with a predetermined expectation that you hold in your mind, the same way you grasp a handful of sand. -Brian Weisz Oct 2, 2009

Portrait of Davey 14x36 acrylic and oil on canvas

I landed a commission from a very nice couple I met at my work. Jennifer and Tye. My portfolio just so happened to be on the paper table when they stumbled upon it. They had many nice things to say, and fell in love with the painting I did of Calvin, Lindsay's cat. Jennifer and Tye had with them their pup, Davey, who is a lovable, modest, little dachshund, more reputably known as a wiener dog, and asked me to do a painting of him. They gave me the full creative freedom over the piece, which was awesome, and after doing so, I wouldn't accept a pet portrait any other way.

Hotel Sketches and Color Study

Here's some ballpoint pen sketches I did on our trip to Los Angeles when Lindsay and I celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. We checked out the Norton Simon Museum of Art. Got to see three Rembrandt paintings and a whole lot of other great artists. Inspired to learn Rembrandt painted over 70 self portraits, I decided to sketch a few quick ones myself.

Back in class! Here is a color study from Vanessa's still life painting class. It feels damn good to be back in the studio, laughing it up and studying away. I was a bit stiff in the beginning of the class, needed to loosen up, which I did toward the end of the class. Right now I am focusing on the anatomy of the head and still lives. With Ron's advice, I am trying to get away from only doing longer studies. I have many issues... and the two biggest ones at the moment, are anatomy and dexterity.

conform

48x72 inches acrylic and spraypaint on canvas
This here was a group effort. My brother, Brad, recently expressed an itch to paint. So now every Sunday after work, he is coming over and we are working on projects together. We started this Sunday night and finished it tonight (tuesday). Eventually, Brad wants to tackle paintings solo, but for now, on top of his psychology major at SDSU he will be taking in tips and thought processes of painting with his bro on group projects. This was a lot of fun... lot of laughs.