pezzi della mia esistenza

It's been a great studio week, with lots of new projects in the works. I've been making small color studies on paper to test out different compositions and color relationships. There is something liberating about working on paper - probably because in my mind it's less precious than a stretched canvas. Therefore I think less and look more. Thinking is something I always forget not to do while painting. These studies help remind me.

Color is coming back into my paintings in a big way. Since the last thirty or so paintings I've made have been various shades of gray, I'm very excited about expanding my palette (and just in time for pride month, too!)

Here's a detail of one of the paint-chip-pile paintings. I've gotten so much more than I had anticipated out of that sad pile of broken paintings. Stay tuned for full images next week.

Evanston + Vicinity Biennial

It is such an honor to be included in this year's exhibition. If you find yourself in Evanston this summer, make sure to stop by the art center. It is a gorgeous building right on the lake. I spent a lot of time taking classes here as a child. To be showing here now, as a professional artist, means so much.

More studio work coming soon, to a screen near you. In the mean time, here are a few recent sketchbook pages. These Col-Erase colored pencils are my new favorite sketchbook medium.

Pieces

I finally had a chance to work on this image that has been in my head for months. Here are some photos of the painting as it progressed. 

Crossing Over to the Digital Dark Side

I've been experimenting with digital drawing and painting recently. With a tremendous amount of help from my significantly more tech-savvy friends, I've thus far managed to not set my computer on fire. This is by far one of the most challenging art forms I have ever tried, and I have to admit that it's fairly addicting. Here are a few recent sketches and studies from the past few weeks: 

...a selection of 2 minute figure gestures:

...a color study of Robert Dukes' "Bright Orange", 2011: (btw, there's a great interview with Dukes on the painting perceptions blog. You can check it out here: http://paintingperceptions.com/interviews/interview-with-robert-dukes) My favorite line: "I get excited looking at things and it makes me want to paint them." 

...and the beginnings of a digital sketch for a potential oil painting. I am intrigued by the idea of digital painting as another step in my preparation for a physical painting. Working on a tablet feels more like drawing than painting (at least, it does with the brush settings I am currently playing with), and it lets me test out colors, marks, and compositions quickly and cheaply. More to come...

Studio, May

There's nothing like that new canvas smell. At the moment I have five new canvases, stretched, gessoed, and ready to go... the biggest problem right now is determining which of the twenty-some images in my head should go on these five... I'm going to need more stretchers.

Also, here's a new little color study I sketched out this week. The color of cardboard is elusive and satisfying to recreate.

Space... the final frontier...

So long, grad school. And so begins life as a professional artist. 

from left to right: Luis Sahagun, Stephanie Chambers, Sergio Gomez, me, Danielle Wagner; at White Ripple Gallery exhibition Saturday night

Stay tuned for new sketches and studio work next week. 

Upcoming Show at White Ripple Gallery

"The Feel of Color"

a group show co-curated by Luis Sahagun and Jocelyn Prue

White Ripple Gallery & Co

6725 Kennedy Avenue

Hammond, IN 

Opening Reception: Saturday May 10th, 6-9pm

Also, be sure to come check out Jennifer Cronin and Jennifer Moore's exhibition: "Colored Reality of a Common Fantasy", co-curated by Sergio Gomez and Jocelyn Prue. Hope to see you there!