London

Well, I'm in London. That about sums it up. I'm selling my work in Camden market! It's interesting to get a european opinion. I've had positive response. So excited.

Well...it's that time of year again.

To be honest, I've struggled lately. I know, I know....I'm always going on and on about how I've struggled, and that I'm trying to find a new, fresh direction. But, well....that's my life, I guess.

The arts festival is coming up at the end of June. I'm under pressure to produce now. I want to go in to the festival with new perspective, and fresh material. I really don't want to go in, and showcase work that looks exactly like what I did last year. To avoid repetition, I'm starting to re-employ some color in my work.

This is an example of the direction I'm pursuing. This isn't the final destination of my new direction, obviously. It's only a starting point. I'm well enough pleased with it. I especially love the structure of her ankles and feet. The are kind of all over the place...but that's what I love about them.

Back on track!

I'm back! And I just finished T-shirt and poster designs for the "One Good Reason" anti-smoking campaign! I'll be the featured artist for May. I'm very, very, very happy with the design. I'm hoping to see some of my shirts walking around out there!

Comm Arts

Have any of you ever looked at Communication Arts, the magazine? I do...constantly. Well, I decided to enter their illustration contest. It was all very rushed, and I had to hurry some of my stuff along, but here are the five pieces that I entered. There are always so many fantastic artists who enter, so I'm just happy that I got the application. Honestly I'm not planning to be published in the mag, but it was at least a goal of mine to enter the contest this year. I'm going to be working on some more solid pieces, and enter next year again.

New, for Christmas

Here's a new one. I put it together in about an hour for a good friend, to give to her mother-in-law for Christmas. I've got several more projects at the moment. I'll post them shortly.

Old Before New

Some of my oldest works.

Another for the show

Yet another image of my work for the upcoming show. I had to work on this one quickly. I didn't like the other pieces that I had to choose from, to hang in the show, so I decided to produce a new one on the spot. Here's the result.

Mondo Fine Art show

Okay, I'm very, very excited about these two!

I'm getting ready for a show with Mikell Stringham, and Mondo Fine Art. These are two of the pieces I've just finished for that show.

I think that the face of lady #2 is so pretty. I was excited to have it come out on paper. I was a little leery about keeping her topless, but I'm comfortable with her the way she is. She's quite reminiscent of my older work, which I've really been trying to reincorporate into my work. Lady #1, in my opinion, is also pretty. I'm completely content with her, and with how she's turned out. I'm trying to play around with increasing contrasts; more pure black, and bright white. I'm removing outlines from my work, meaning that I'm not defining white spaces with lines. I'm defining it, rather, with black space around...like on lady #1's face. I've not outlined her jaw or forehead. I've defined them using her hair and her collar. I'd eventually like to completely remove outline. It make for a stronger piece, I feel. It makes a piece look more like legitimate artwork, and not just drawings or sketches.

Gearing Up!!!

Okay, I've been busting my brain, trying to get some work done. I've really been feeling the "flow" lately, and have wanted to take advantage of it. I've got a couple of potential shows coming up soon, and want to submit new, fresh work for the two of them. Here are some preliminary pieces that I've got to finish by the end of this week. I'll be experimenting a little with gold leafing, new colors, etc. I'll most definitely post the finished pieces.

Guys & Gals

I've a problem illustrating men. They aren't as fun as women. If I do illustrate a man, however, I tend toward some sort of ceremonial man. They're more ornate, flashy, and mobile. Here's my latest. I'm rather fond of this one. I love the fringe on his leggings. I love native American, actually. Everything about them intrigues me. I've a dear friend who's part native, and I'm amused and fascinated by him. This one reminds me of him, actually.

My next work will be a commissioned piece for my friend Ashley. I'm excited to see what comes out. She's given me full license to do whatever I want on this one. I'll keep you posted!

Unsure Direction

I haven't produced in weeks. I've meant to, but have been feeling slightly frustrated with my work. I feel differently now. I'm not sure what it is, but I feel unsatisfied by my artwork. Okay, that's not entirely true. I still love so many of the pieces I've done; I just feel that I've thoroughly explored my current style and method. At first, I was satisfied with an image that "snapped" and/or "popped". The line of the figure was enough. Now, though, I feel a need to delve deeper into my brain, pushing the envelope beyond it's current capacity. The image of my piece needs to be so much more than my current ability can produce.

Here is one such example. I started this piece a couple of weeks ago. I love the lines, the contrast, I LOVE the hands, but there is so much that is missing....and the most frustrating part about it is, I don't know what it's missing.

This has happened before. I've been able to push through it. I'm confident that I'll explore enough, until I find what it is that I'm looking for. Here's a basic idea of some of the attributes I'm looking for: I'll continue with black, white, and red, but I will begin to incorporate colors. Heavy patterns are a must. More motion and flow to the figures and clothing will definitely develop. Detailed backgrounds, I feel, will be the next step.

Back To Basic

I've been told, by someone very close to me, that my older work is preferred. He said: "Your older work is quirkier, and more 'you'." I think, for a time, I'll look back into my early years, to see if I can recreate a thing or two. Who knows, it could be something fantastic! Here's a picture of an older piece. I always loved the placement of her hands, and the curvature of her figure.

Commission: Finale

Here she is. I finally completed my commission. It was quite an effort. The actual artwork came easily, but it was a great expenditure of mentality that brought this particular piece to fruition. I think that one of the main reasons was because I virtually had to create four pieces in one. Typically, I just come up with a figure, and build the work around him/her. In this case, I had to form a figure, build another completely different figure next to her, and then another, and another. Like I said, it was like four in one. I feel that it was worth the effort, and definitely plan to produce again....soon.

Livestock...apparently.

Another idea I've thrown around for a while....branching out into illustrating animals.

Here's an example, from a birthday card I've just completed. I like the direction that this might go. *SHRUG* We'll see.

Architecture with a twist...literally.

I know, I know...Halloween, right? I also admit it...there's such a strong Burton influence, that there's probably more him in this piece than there is me. I can't help it, I think that Tim Burton is genius.

I've been considering a branch out of fashion illustration, and whatever else it is that i've got going on in my work. Don't get me wrong...I'll never abandon my elongated, curvy figures. I thought it was time I explored something else at the same time.

One of the important aspects of work, to me, is exaggeration of prominent attributes. Architecture, for example, is typically a construct of lines...usually horizontal and vertical. I like to pull those out of the images, and cause them to do something that they can't do in real life. When I was young (heck, whatever...I still do this daily) I used to imagine myself in possession of the ability to break the laws of gravity and reality. I used to fly, stretch, teleport, change colors, etc. My mind made possible what my body could not. I guess the same rule applies in artwork. I can make happen, on paper, what I wish could happen in life.

I always wished to live in such a town.

Commissions

Well, I've started my first commissioned piece. It's taken a little longer than I'd first anticipated. As I create, you see, I form the image in the process. I'm not one of those who already has the image in mind, and then is moved to put it on canvas. No, I'm one of those who sees a blank, white piece of canvas or paper, and feels the need to decorate it. With that frame of mind, I begin with a single line, and build from there...until it looks "right". That process can take a few hours, or it can take weeks. And, in that sense, my works never appear to be done, to me. I always see something, down the road, that needs a little modification. I have to force myself to leave a piece of work alone, once it's been officially "finished", or I'll continue to change it.

This particular piece is far from complete. I began with the figure at the left, and went building to the right. The figure in the middle still feels "wrong" to me. I've still got much work to do with her before I can call it good. The one on the right is only just in its beginnings. I've still got work to do on the face, the clothing seems wrong, and the broach needs isn't finished at all. I'm thinking of making her some sort of head-dress as well. There is still a blank spot on the right, which will house one or two more figures. I'll begin their construction soon enough. Until then, here is a picture of the unfinished work.

Here's a new concept I've been throwing around in my mind; I give my self a time limit with a piece of art...a limit that really pushes me to just let go of my stringent perfectionism, and let the art flow. It's a little something I dappled with during the arts festival, and it seemed to work quite well.

I call them 10 minute cards. Basically, I limit the time spent on them to 10 minutes. Here are two of them. It should keep the artistic juices flowing until I can get to some larger, more substantial pieces in the near future.

Nouveau!

The 1920's and 30's had it all. Great fashion, fantastic music, and truly groundbreaking artwork. Art Nouveau and Deco, in my opinion, are some of the most important and expressive eras in fine art. The works were obsessively clean, lines were prominent, and figures were exaggerated, accentuating delicacy and form. I'd really love to adopt those attributes, implementing them into my own, personal style. This piece is slightly reminiscent of those previous works.

Enter Canvas

I demand control over my medium, that's why I've use ink on paper. I know ink. I also feel like I understand paper. Up until now I spent most of my time with those two forms. I'm excited now, though, to have successfully made the cross-over to canvas. I've been dabbling in with the fabric for a couple of years now. I feel like I've finally nailed it! I've managed to transfer the feel and effect of my paper works over onto a cloth host. It'll be interesting to see where it takes me. This piece was very close to me. I managed to sell her at the Arts Festival, which was very bittersweet. I loved this piece, and wanted to keep her forever. *SHRUG*

Phase Fashionist

There's something about fashion illustration that really calls my name. I can't quite put my finger on it. I think, more than anything...more than the clothes, more than the hair, etc...it's the figures themselves. I love the way they are accentuated, even exaggerated and disjointed. The most important portion of a fashion illustration, to me, is the placement of the feet. Foot placement says a lot about the character in view. I particularly enjoyed the feet, ankle, and general leg placement in this figure, who I created specifically for the Utah Arts Festival. This piece was one of the first to sell.