Mule Ears

A work in progress.  Inspired from photos I took on my many hikes in Big Bend National Park.  I'm trying to go for a Russel or Remington feel to the landscape.  I get thirsty every time I'm painting this one.

 

"Tame"

A still life using a limited color pallet.  Fun to do.  Fun to look at.  Its a garage painting; meaning, its the one you hang in the garage.

"Mic"
A knock off of someone else work.  On this one I started with a BLACK canvas and layered the colors on top.  It's done in acrylic.  Relatively fast to paint.  As much as I enjoy music, I discovered that I am not keen on painting the performers. Alas, there will be no "Cher" painting.

"8:02am"
During the attack on Pearl Harbor nine torpedoes hit the USS Oklahoma causing it to capsize at 8:05am.  This happened shortly before the USS Arizona was infamously sank.  
To do the painting I first created the scene in Maya 3D - the same software Pixar uses for their movies.  I found photos of battleship row and of the attack and downloaded 3D models of the ships and planes then positioned them as best I could.  Next I placed a lighting source in the computer scene to simulate the morning sun. The 3D software result is being used as my guide.  This work in progress is a test for me; using the latest technology to inform and inspire traditional art.

Hannah's Painting Part 2

A friend saw Hannah's painting and wanted one for his kids.  He requested that the bear be ripping into a fish and that there be a hunter in the scene.  This is the first time I've made a copy of a painting - something I do automatically now whenever I give away or sell a painting.

"Contact"

I felt like "A simple plane" fell far short.  I was dissatisfied with the mechanic.  I decided to change his costume and gesture and found a willing model to pose for me.  I took some photos did some sketches and painted a quick 5 x 7 'study' to see if it would work.

Doing this change made me appreciate the awesomeness of Photoshop when it comes to making changes.  On this painting I had to paint over the old character, sand down the bumps caused by brush strokes, then start over.  A simple plane indeed.

Spring Air Fair Poster

Here is the latest poster for the fly in we hold every spring and fall. For this poster I riffed on the famous upside down Jenny stamp from the 1920s. I like this version, but am wondering if I can come up with a better background than just plain white.

Nick's Fish

I forgot to bring a Christmas present to a secret Santa party last December so filled out a card with an IOU for a free painting. The winner wanted this moment immortalized. Don't tell anyone, but I made the fish A LOT BIGGER. All kidding aside, what attracted me to this image was the muted colors. I wanted to feel the chill in the air.