Spectrum and Leurzer's Archive

So I just got my Spectrum letter telling me which piece got in number 18! Strange portraits of Richard Saja seem to be my lucky charm it looks like, because it was another commission from Richard that earned me a place in the book this year:

This piece was a collaboration between Richard and I, stemming off the initial idea of a portrait with piebald skin and then incorporating a few symbols that have significance to Richard. As I've mentioned, I often look to Baudelaire for inspiration and his poem Elevation ended up being my personal mental narrative for the painting.

Whose thoughts, like larks, rise on the freshening breeze

Who fans the morning with his tameless wings,
Skims over life, and understands with ease
The speech of flowers and other voiceless things.

Speaking of Richard, the last portrait I did of him for his show at the Shelburne Museum continues to bring me luck as it was chosen for this year's Leurzer's Archive of the 200 best Illustrators World Wide.

I actually had two pieces accepted into Leurzer's. The other was my 'Echo' painting:

But I decided to only show one piece in the book this year.

Emily

Emily is long-time friend and was one of the first patrons of my work- so when she commissioned a portrait, I really wanted to capture her personality as well as her classic beauty.



While initially Emily's look puts one in mind of a Michaelangelo, her strength and sharp wit are equally defining features. During the photoshoot we tried a few poses, but once again a relaxed in-between shot led us in a much better direction. Emily has a commanding presence, and I think the subtle smile and moment of paused motion let her confidence shine through naturally.

Grayson

About a year ago, I met Andrea in Prospect Park while we were walking our dogs. We got to talking and the subject came around to art. When I mentioned I paint, she became interested and so I handed her my postcard. She started telling me about how she'd always wanted to have a more unconventional portrait of her son, Grayson, done with a sort of sci-fi setting and my style fit the bill. After several conversations, she hired me to do the portrait as a gift for her husband. I was a little nervous, having never painted anyone under 18 before. Luckily Grayson was a real character and kept us smiling during the photoshoot:



I'd done a few sketches for composition - Andrea liked the idea of Grayson in front of a window looking out on a otherworldly landscape, but she didn't want it too over the top. The image on the right was closest but she was looking for something simpler.



Then during the photoshoot we had one of those happy accidents where on a break, Grayson threw his hand over the back of the chair and I took some shots. It ended up being just the right pose for his personality and Andrea agreed this would be a great image to work around. She even wanted to keep the watch in. I created the drawing:



And after approval, the painting:



It's no secret that I love painting portraits, and getting the opportunity to bring portraiture and my affinity for fiction together made this a great job. We all ended up happy with how this one turned out- and no doubt it will be the most memorable Christmas present this year!

Realms of Fantasy

Realms of Fantasy has been a great outlet for new artists for as long as I can remember . I have a lot of friends who have produced some turning point pieces for the magazine- largely because they gave you the sort of creative freedom that is pretty much extinct nowadays. I've wanted to work for them ever since I became interested in fantasy illustration ,so when Doug Cohen asked me to do a piece for the December Issue- it was a no-brainer. He even wrote a lovely blog post about how he first saw my work:
http://www.rofmag.com/2010/08/06/rof-art-department-latest-artist/

Unfortunately not long after turning in the art we were sent the sad news that the December Issue was to be the last, and would not make it to paper print. The final issue has been placed on the RoF website for free download here:

http://www.rofmag.com/rof-dec-2010-free-issue.pdf

Where you can read the story this piece was done for and see the rest of the magazine, including a fantastic piece by David Palumbo and lovely feature on Terese Nielsen.



So long Realms of Fantasy. You will certainly be missed.

"I Aten't Dead"

To quote my favorite Discworld character. I just moved to Boston. And while times the NYC withdrawl gets to feeling a bit much, I just look out my REAL STUDIO window to my LAWN and somehow I think I can go on.

So I've been lax, I admit. The lead up to the move, the move itself (happening quite suddenly a month before schedule) and getting adjusted... sure I've been making art- just not sharing. Only some of it due to contractual constraints. That ends now. I've got a decent backlog waiting to see daylight and it's time to get back onto communicating with the rest of the world.

The above self portrait was done in a little over an hour one morning when I looked at a still-wet palette from another piece and figured I shouldn't let all that paint go to waste. I call it "You're Coffee's Getting Cold."

Tattoo!

So a few months back my friend Vanessa hired me to design a tattoo for her. The concept was an original version of Yggdrasil, the World tree out of Nordic myth. It was a little intimidating...this work of art would be on someone for the rest of her life. I didn't want to slack off on this one. After a good amount of research and sketches I finally came out with this.



I felt pretty confident with it. I think it gave her a good design while still looking very 'me'. And clearly she liked it because she went out the same week to have the first pass done!







Thanks Nessa for giving me the hugest compliment of all!

Painted Ladies

Lana Crooks has done it again! She's curated another great show out in Chicago and I am really excited about being involved in this one. 'Painted Ladies', an exhibit focused on the art of the female form is a new group exhibit with an all-star line-up. I'm joining such awesome artists as Dave Palumbo and Craig Elliott on the walls of OhNo! Doom's gallery. In addition to sending my Eve drawing, I created three new pieces in charcoal for this show:







Painted Ladies
Opening reception: June 5th 2010, 6-10pm

Exhibit Closes: July 3rd

Painted Ladies is a group exhibit that celebrates the art of the female form. All new lady-themed work by painters, illustrators, designers and animators:

Shannon Bonatakis
Chucho
Kristina Carroll
Craig Elliott
Stephanie Inagaki
Jeremiah Ketner
Steph Laberis
Netherland
Vince Newkirk
Dave Palumbo
Jason Rudolph Pena
David Rettker
Arkady Roytman
Scott Tolleson
Alex Willan


A portion of the art sales will be donated to the Avon Breast Cancer Walk (taking place June 5-6th).

Directly after the opening reception all unsold artworks will be available to view and purchase thru our online store: http://www.enstore.com/ohnodoom/

OhNo!Doom Gallery
1800 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Chicago, IL 60647