Contemporary Art

Getaway I and II

The paintings are done. As always, there is more than meets the eye on these. I have included some close up shots to evidence the watercolor-esque quality I was going for.





Getaway I and II, shown together





Getaway I, Acrylic on Canvas, 24 x 30 in. 2013


 
Getaway II, Acrylic on Canvas, 24 x 30 in. 2013

This turned out better than I expected. The challenges of painting this series at a larger scale have actually sent me in a different direction, not so much of a tangent. It's more like a parallel pathway. I am excited to see this through!

Marine Layer 2.0

After months of putting it off, I finally took a little day trip to the Channel Islands. Hopefully, this will be the first of many. There are so many beautiful subjects out there!

For the most part, these pictures will be the main reference images for my new series, Marine Layer. I intend to push myself and paint these islands like they have never been painted before!




A National Park of this magnitude, right on my backyard. God, I love California!

New Series: Marine Layer

This piece was the prototype for a series of paintings I've been wanting to do for a while now. It has taken me a while to figure out the execution and the materials used, but I think I am getting ready to start production. It's been two years in the making, so I am excited to finally get this project started.


Marine Layer I, Acrylic on Board, 6 x 6 in. 2010

 There is definitely an undefined quality present in these works. Like with my other recent pieces, I will keep the sizes rather small for the time being.

Another project in progress...

The ADD kicked in and I needed to paint something else while waiting for the flowers to dry. Well, not really. It is very easy to get overwhelmed by a daunting task, so taking a little "break" from it is always good.

I believe in letting works mature, not physically, but internally. As soon as I feel the need to rethink paths and maybe approach the painting differently, I know it is time for a break. I have done many works in my time and I am always updating my process, looking for a way to get a better result. So this is something I came up with to avoid the feeling of hitting the wall and getting stuck.


Oh, those beach paintings keep popping up!


I also try to include my contemporary project in my working schedule as much as possible. This work in particular is part of something much bigger. There are actually five of these I'm working on at the same time.

Yes, wearing different hats can sometimes backfire and be even more overwhelming, but as an artist you have to learn how to put stuff on hold and pick it up on the fly when you come back. Life does not care if you are inspired, you will still have to leave and go do time consuming stuff every day. So, you better be prepared to get back to business, quickly.

I actually had to drop a class to keep up with this painting schedule, a very important class I might add. But I'm a man on a mission and I can't be stopped. Well, at least that's what I keep telling myself.