In progress...

I started this way back in August (late July, actually) and have been plodding along ever since... but it'll be worth it when it's done. Really not much left to do - just need to fill in a few of the bare patches on the skirt, finish the shawl and the balls of string, finish the sash, and do some touch-ups.

Mad Dog

I drew this one this afternoon (ink on illustration board). It's tiny - about 3"x2". I find myself suddenly very interested in demented, disturbed, and otherwise ugly dogs... might be a new series.

On a side note, I do have a larger watercolor painting in the works - I've just been keeping it to myself until I get more work done on it. It's finally close to done, so I'll post a picture of it soon.

25 Artists to Watch

I'm honored to be included in Watercolor Magazine's "25 Artists to Watch," along with two of my favorite artists, Molly Brose and Mary Chiaramonte. The article starts on page 54 of the fall 2011 issue.

I also got a lovely mention in Courtney Jordan's interview with Naomi Ekperigin (editor of Watercolor Magazine), over at Artist Daily. To be mentioned in the same article with Edward Hopper and Mary Cassatt (who has always been one of my favorite artists) is unspeakably cool. :-)

Some old sketches & doodles

Some random doodles...



And some sketches from work...

Illusion, Disguise, and Camouflage

A while back, The Arts Center in Orange approached me with the opportunity to organize a group show. I'm happy to announce that the resulting exhibition, "Illusion, Disguise, and Camouflage," will run from September 1 - October 31, 2011. The artwork in the exhibit represents the artists' interpretation of the theme of illusion, disguise, and camouflage - the interplay between things seen and unseen. Featured artists include Mary Chiaramonte, Laura Edwards, Laurel Hausler, Christine Parson, Lisa Schumaier, and myself. The opening reception will be held September 1st from 5-7PM.

The Arts Center in Orange
129 East Main Street
Orange, VA 22960

Crossing the Alps - Finished

24"x18"

Finished this commission last Sunday and it's definitely one of my favorites. Several things differ from the original Jacques-Louis David: the subject (the client replaces Napoleon), the size (of canvas and also the ratio of length to width), the stones (Napoleon's name is replaced with the Latinate form of the client's name; Bonaparte replaces Karolus Magnus [Charlemagne] so that there aren't two Karoluses right next to each other), and the flag (colonial American flag replaces the French flag in keeping with the client's nationality). So altogether, we have a modern Karolus leading the colonial American army across the Alps. :-)

Geishas

All finished and framed. One (the geisha in green, bottom left) is already sold, the other three will be in an upcoming show at The Arts Center in Orange for $125 each. I'll probably do more mixed media work of this size and a similar theme in the future.

Crossing the Alps

Slowly but surely.

Got the mane done, as well as the horse's head. Only thing left to do on the horse is the lower legs, reins, and the tail; then I just have to fill in a few thin spots in the cloak behind the horse's head and finish the background.

Crossing the Alps

Another in-progress shot... Not all that much left to do, really, but a lot of the remaining details are going to take some time.

Geisha #2 (Geisha in Yellow)

6"x6"

Having a lot of fun with these little geishas. :-)
Though it doesn't show very well in this scan, that's copper leaf on her hair accessories. This is an actual pose from a Japanese fan dance, though I did take some artistic license with it.

Portrait of Fiona

9.5"x6.25"

This is a commissioned portrait I did in May. I had a lot of fun working on it and especially enjoyed the colors and the challenge of painting the silver chain and pendant. I'm really happy with how it turned out. :-)

Geisha #1 (Geisha in Green)

This is a mini mixed media piece I did over the last weekend. Ink, watercolor, Japanese paper, and gold leaf on illustration board. The entire piece is 6"x6", and the image is about 4"x3". I did the pen and ink drawing first, then laid down a few washes of watercolor for the skin and more ink for the hair. I used an x-acto knife to cut the paper and applied the gold leaf last, and finished it up by applying a few more lines of ink over top of the paper. I really enjoyed making this one and love the format. There's also a special challenge and fun to slicing up colorful papers. :-) This'll be the first in a series of androgenous geishas.

Who's That Crossing the Alps?

Not Napoleon.*







Here's an 18"x24" commission I've been working on. It's after Jacques-Louis David's portrait of Napoleon Crossing the Alps, but with a slight change.*



It's all acrylic, so it's a change from what I'm used to, but a whole lot of fun. I'm really enjoying the concept (other details will be tweaked from the original JLD, including the names carved in the foreground and the flag) and I'm having a lot of fun with the challenge of the different medium. It's really a different way of thinking; in watercolor, I paint light to dark, in acrylic... well, I'm pretty much painting whatever I want, in whatever order I feel like. But I'm doing a lot more broad areas of color and building up the shadows as I go, rather than leaving the darks for last. I've also been dividing my time between this and a watercolor painting, and whenever I switch between the two, it kind of gives me pause, and I have to take a few moments get back into the right mode.

Anyway, I'm almost done with this one. The background is almost done (just need to finish the soldiers and flag, and touch-up the sky and mountains with another layer or so). Most of the horse is done, and so is the face.

I love this painting so much, I've been thinking I ought to do more copies like it...


*(It's the client crossing the Alps.) :-)

New Stuff

I've been working on building my illustration portfolio whenever I can. These two are some of my favorites so far.


"Rats." Ink and watercolor on plate illustration board.


"Crows." Ink on plate illustration board.