Zigging and Zagging

      Here are some more of the new concepts that I have been exploring all the while working on a whelk still life. I'll throw in those process pics too.

 This is larger at 11" x 14". Avialable here.

In my Etsy shop here.

 If you look at the Photography post from a few days ago this is the shell. Honestly, it is a little bit intimidating.

 I had a dream with these white triangles on the blue background. This construction came a bit later.

Shell as of this morning... I'm gearing up to dive back in.

This one's also for sale here.

Funky Flowers

Concepts in the works... And a landscape. All today's work.

Too Much

On my trip south I made an abstract watercolor with my friend's daughters. I enjoyed the freedom and thought I might experiment some more. Here are some musings:

I thought it might be interesting to add some ink drawings over the top of the watercolor...it may be too much.

This is busy, though there are some good ideas that I intend to build upon.

There is some whimsy here. Each of these offered something of a lesson that I might make use of in future works.

Photography

Often I am asked what medium I work in... and it is often that I am left without a clear answer. I do tell people that I have artists ADD. Last week I trevelled with Aunt Sue south across Florida and into our old stomping grounds in the Keys. Here are some of my photographs from the trip. I beleive that they are art.

 This should make a nice leaf portrait for the series.

 Sure challenge for still life.

 From Sombrero Beach as the sun was rising.

 Buoy on Bahia Honda.

 Sombrero Beach sunrise.

 Sunrise panorama.

 The Tree from Palm Beach.

 I've done a 5" x 7" study of this already. Isn't the blue of the water amazing. 

 Palm Beach

 I saw three man-o-war on this trip.

 The red lights are meant to keep the sea turtles from going the wrong way after they lay their eggs in the beach sands. This was on Sombrero.

 This young mangrove was sprouting from the jagged rocks that I used to swim around at Sombrero. I was amazed to remember that I used to walk in bare feet on those rocks as a boy.

 Sea grape leaves on the coast at Bahia Honda. I had forgotten skies this blue. It is daunting, but I plan to make this a painting as well.

 I loved the sand resting in the fold of this leaf. Leaf portrait for sure here.

 This was a shot from the first morning on Marathon. I love these.

Sentinel from the Atlantic side of Bahia Honda.

Pinecone Portrait

This past week Katie and I travelled down the Parkway towards Craggy Gardens. Though the road was closed we walked for a bit and had a lovely time none the less. On our hike I found a small pinecone on a branch. What follows is a process of the painting through completion.

 Layer on subtle layer. It's almost like you're looking over my shoulder, no?

 A jaunty little pine cone...

Working with Paper and Light

This week I have been working with some origami and light. Here are some rumblings of possibility, though I have yet to incorporate the wood that will house the light bulbs.

Here is the folded piece... not sure if I like this paper, I may just go with a simple white.

Here it is lit.

Red spiral

Another possibility.

S is for Seahorse

Here is a process post showing a bit of what I go through to arrive at one of my machines.

I generally start by prepping my paper with the tape and then applying a wash. To the wash I occasionally add salt which does this wonderful effect of leeching the color off the paper leaving a crystalline white space. Then I sketch the outline of the planned piece. After that, I begin the machine works.  

For the seahorse it felt pretty straight forward as their bodies are pretty square and already have a bit of a put together look. I like the through line of the pipeworks that are the spine here. 

Once the sketch is complete I generally consider a palette of colors that seem to favor the animal. In this case I felt like orange was a good direction. Then I start laying down a base layer of colors. 

Once all of the base color has been applied I then go back with multiple layers of darker and darker color to work the shading and begin to find depth. Some areas may end up with five or even six layers to help draw the image forward. Watercolors is all about carefully considered layers.

If I include any parts that have a glass effect I do those last. Here is the finished work... though I like to leave this on my table for a day or two because often I find that there are additions that I may have overlooked. This work is 8" x 10". 

New Light Designs

So for those of you who may have interest, I did not get past the first jury for the Craft Guild... this time around. I do intend to apply again in May and my plan is to apply with my lighting designs. What follows are two early stage concepts.

This one was actually a gift for my brother, though I cannot claim the wood work, I do hope to create like forms in the future. Sorry it is not the clearest image.

This is an idea I have for a desk lamp. Right now it is only a mock-up.

Here is what my brother's looked like when turned on. I love the layers of vellum when illuminated.

2013: Take Two

Here is another direction that I have jaunted off to. I have actually been meaning to since fall, but have only just gotten around to it. Leaf portraits:

This was the first that I painted from a leaf I found online.

This one also came from an image I scoured.

Three.

Four.

Having exhausted the images from the internet that I thought good enough, I had to see out the real thing. It was a little late for fall leaves, but I managed to find a few. This is one... titled Number 5.

Five.

I went with Katie to Urgent Care when she was sick and who'd have thought you could find a leaf like this in the midst of December.

Six. This is actually an 8" x 10" though all the others are 5" x 7"