What should it be ?

I find the biggest things I am asking myself as a painter and art-person ( I don't take easily to the word "artist") is this:  What should the work be ?  What should I be ?   There are fractals and iterations of answers for these questions.

How realistic ?  How faithful to what I see ?  What pleases me when it's complete ?  Is it the hard effort of a finely rendered work ( yes) ?  Is it the heroics of a few lines and good design-thinking which propel beautiful shapes ( yes!)..  Is it the quality of the stroke of the paint and  how it meshes and mingles with the paint nearby ? ( absolutely yes)..  

I am blessed to have studied under amazing artists - and many of them - while having similar roots ( Ted Seth Jacobs and Frank Reilly seem like the primogenitors largely) they each have an aesthetic - and they are ALL valid.  These slightly shifting aesthetics argue in my head as I work sometimes ( often ? always ?); and I am working to create a more singular aesthetic for what I do.  How long will this take ?  All my days I should think...

If you read this far - you are kind.  You probably feel some of these things as well ( but based on your own path and trajectory).   Some current thinking - below - A figure based on several references - Acrylic paints on watercolor paper. 12" x 16"

"Wuthering Heights 2014"

Some recent oil paintings - all from life - all Alla Prima - @ Academy of Art University and with Robert Liberace 2014

The first painting below was done during a documentary shoot @ AAU for Tomutsu Takeshima's father.  A Japanese film-crew came and shot Tomutsu-san and several painters doing their thing.  I hired the model - she did a fantastic job!

The paintings that follow I completed ( -ish) while assisting Robert Liberace @ his Portrait Painting workshop in the Woodlands TX via the Woodlands Art League.  A great group of painters there and super nice as well ( great Bar-b-Que !).  Thank you Rob for the opportunity to attend!

"Sarose" - 10 x 10" - about 3 hours - done from life - Sunday @ AAU.

Oil on Yes Canvas - about 3 hours - via Robert Liberace workshop @ the Woodlands WAL - TX
Limited palette of Burnt Umber, White, Burnt Sienna and Black.

Same as above but on Linen panel..

Same as above but on Yes Canvas..

Oil on Panel @ Palo Alto Art Center in 20 hours on my Open Box M !  ( 8 x 10" gessoboard)

A few things in the hopper.. Mostly practice stuff and demos from school..

Figure studies in charcoal on neswsprint..

Same as above - different times for each drawing - nothing more than about 20 minutes..

A 1 day cast demo for my Masters Drawing class students #Academy of Art

Study of one of the V sisters #Robert Liberace Workshop.  Oil on Yes.

Grayson W age 14 - acrylics on Canva-paper. About 12 x 17

I plan to be posting some new project work in the coming weeks and months - more about what I hope to accomplish vs simply: practice work.  I hope you'll take a look when I do!

Happy New Year! 200,000 Page Views! 

Здравствуйте и спасибо российских посетителей! (Hello and Thank you Russian Visitors)

Я просто хочу, чтобы поздороваться и поблагодарить Вас за то, чтобы всех людей из России, которые приходят на мой блог! Приветствия и спасибо - Кевин

I just want to say hello and thank you for coming to all the folks from Russia that come to my blog!   Cheers and thank you - I have noticed lately that sometimes half of the visits to my blog come from Russia and nearby - Kevin

5 minute construction gesture November 2013 - from life!

 

Need it need it - got it (!) GOT IT!

BACAA Travis Schlaht and Ted (Edward) Minoff 1 Day portrait workshop painting.  Oil on Linen - just about 2 hours - so basically FLYING!

Megan - from life on toned green paper!

Figure on Toned Paper from life..

Erica - from life - charcoal on newsprint..

Kelsey - from life - Oil on Yes Canvas.  About an Hour.  I liked it all unfinished so I left it this way!

OK now this is officially a hodgepodge!   Here is a wrinkly-shirt-in-strong-chroma demo I did for my clothed figure students!  Go UT Austin!

Head Studies - demonstrations for my Intermediate Figure STudents at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco

Erin - HB Charcoal pencil and Carb Othello ..

The process - from basic shape to block-in to value and a bit of render..

Updated below - Tim more refined..

 

Tim - HB Charcoal pencil and a bit of vine charcoal..

My Summer workshop travels with Travis Schlaht, Ted Minoff and Robert Liberace ( my heroes!).

3-4 hour heads done via the TnT workshop @ Grand Central Academy in NYC - August 2013

The above paintings were done with Travis and Ted via their Portrait Sketch workshop this past august at Grand Central Academy in New York City.   I was a bit under the weather ( no sleep) so while the results are OK - I continued to take on-board useful learning from Ted and TRavis!

I assisted Robert Liberace this past August at his figure workshop in Vancouver.  A great group of students showed up and Rob was his usual, awesome self ( teacher, painter, guy)!  I got to paint a bit too!  (Thanks Rob!)

My Second Figure of our excellent Model.  Rob's key input for me was about ( and has been!) the variability of my line ( contour and terminator shapes) and to "tickle the brush" across these areas..  To let it dance a bit more - and it was super useful input ( hopefully exemplified in these practice efforts!).

Final day figure..

"Fahdi"

Day one demo for my new Intermediate figure students at the Academy of Art!  Let the learning begin!  ( about 30 minutes over a few poses)..

Airplane and hotel drawings while traveling to London and Grindelwald, CH ( Switzerland)!

While on my trip - I did all these top head studies just to keep my brain and eye working.  Most of these were begun on planes with low sleep levels so .. I finally bought "cartridge paper" at Cass Art Supply on Charing Cross near Covent Garden - it seems like the same thing as Bristol vellum.. I like it!  The left hand side drawings in each of these was accomplished on that paper.  Thanks for looking!

Graphite Drawings based on photos by Man Ray - He did things with photographs that - when I saw them I thought - 'self, that's what I want to do with my drawings!'

More Man Ray referenced drawings - the middle image is of Laney - from my own photo reference.

"Bollywood Fashionista" charcoal on Newsprint.

20 minute figure.. a bit too metallic feeling amongst other issues..

2 minuters..

2 or 3 or 5 minuters..

5 minuters..

a Tenner..  all these from life..

Rusting, dented, peeling container of irreplaceable fossil fuels. Academy of Art Faculty Auction entry for 2013.

"Moderne" - 10 x 10 Oil on Canvas. SOLD

Two Paintings of Sophia Constance Ellis while subbing for Master Henry Yan last week at the Academy of Art University.

The top painting was for his clothed figure class and the bottom one for his Figure Painting 1 class.  I enjoyed working with his students ( and saw some of my students in his classes as well - like Greg H back from Afghanistan and hilarious as ever ( and still using Acrylics - what ?)

Figures from life on newsprint + charcoal from 2-20 minutes

2 20 minute figures and 2 gestures - all "Mira"