A few random draw-er-rings added. I’m working on a bigger painting, but would prefer to post when I’m closer to being done.

I seem to move from opposite ends of my spectrum: super busy and wanting time alone to super lonely and wanting to be busy. Hopefully soon I can find a happy medium…either way I am continuing to paint and that’s all that matters. Progress has been a bit slower since I am sitting in on a Color Fundamentals class my friend Joseph Noderer is teaching. You can see the first three projects at the end of the gallery below. It’s been interesting and sadly the class is almost over. I don’t know if I’ll have time to sit in on another class next quarter. There is so much to learn and I want to learn it all this second!

I realized that I hadn’t posted my final self portrait. My other two were very serious looking…in fact, I just look mad. I guess that happens when you are concentrating on making you look like you.

So this one ended pretty different from where it started off. I wanted to create a watercolor and ink image, period. No idea besides just probably painting myself super serious looking again. Then that morphed into the idea of really white paper and my jet black hair. It was supposed to be me sleeping (have lots of images of tactfully holding my camera, acting like I’m sleeping, all the while I hoped I wouldn’t drop the camera on my face!). I did a few studies of those and it wasn’t coming together. One night, I created a kissy face! It’s light and happy, no? Things kind of came together after that. Not so super serious! I even kissed the frame (which I had to photograph at an angle because my flash creates a glare).

Something I didn’t think about is that usually a kissy face means eyes closed. Perhaps this one is the most revealing of my self portraits.

I think the Ai self-portrait show is supposed to start going up this week. I am eager to see what other faculty and students have created.

Progress views of my second self portrait. Acrylic on 12″ x 12″ canvas. Pondering the frame for this. Possibly painting on the frame or even wrapping in mosquito net type fabric.

My birthday was on Wednesday. I don’t feel older…just more aware I guess. I still feel like I am moving forward instead of back. I don’t know what I am doing or why I keep doing it. Art-wise I mean. I’ve learned a lot this year. The daily drawings, progress images, posting sketches and paintings online even when I’m not 100% happy with them. Even if no one is looking at this I am putting myself out there, which is more than what I did before. Is it all leading to something bigger? My gut says yes.

The school is going to be having a Self Portrait gallery show…who knows when it will go up. But I have been working on a few.

In NYC I feel in love with Egon Schiele. Love I say. I wanted to have a crack at German Expressionism because of him. I knew I needed the expressive lines that they created and a dark color palette. I looked at several of his paintings and realized I am no German Expressionist…but this is what I came up with.

Progress of this 12″ x 12″ wood piece is below:

I started with some charcoal lines in case I messed up. Didn’t quite help since it wouldn’t come off.

Took the next step and added the thick lines.

My little studio.

Some addition of color…

Almost complete.

The finished painting. I don’t know if it looks like me, but that’s what I see. I thought I may keep the wood texture, but it just didn’t fit.

I just bought a wood looking frame today, I might want to try it in black instead…we’ll see. I also would like to make this painting a little interactive. I have the lines that I first drew in Photoshop. I want to print that out and in front of my painting have a small table with a Crayola watercolor set, printouts of the lines, a cup of water and some tape. Anyone can paint and maybe post their “Mona Gina” near mine.

Oh yeah, and you should “Like” my page on Facebook! I post there much more often then here.

I have much to write, including details about my trip to NYC! But not now. I’d like to scan some images from my sketchbook, but you know…just need to do it.

But I do have some art to update here. Lately I’ve been playing with painting on wood. Ever since those bunnies I painted earlier. I bought some clear gesso and prepped a ton of wood.

I wanted something with high contrast and I thought this would be interesting. It’s acrylic on 12″ x 12″ wood.

I thought about adding more to her, but I got a pretty good response from just this…so I left it.

I’ve never had a fig. Honestly, I had no idea what they even looked like (except in their dried state!). My friend Dieter photographed a fig from his garden. It was so fitting for painting on wood. You can see the original image at Overprocessed.com

It’s also acrylic on 12″ x 12″ wood.

More to come…

Bought a set of 3 moleskine notebooks. One I started sketching in when I bought them, the second I took to NYC and created a sort of field guide (to be posted soon) and the third is still not being used yet.
Below are the first sketches from the first sketchbook.

Spent 6 days in NYC. I was lucky enough to have a place to stay with an awesome friend. I think I visited 7 museums…I hope to upload some sketchbook stuff soon. I’ll post about that soon.

Below is the completed West Elm Parking Garage 16″x20″ painting. I wanted to focus on perspective and this helped a lot. I can see some issues, but I am ready to move on.

Original photo by: Tori Lesikar

Playing with my new camera…and showing some progress on my West Elm Parking Garage painting.
I forgot to mention that I am working on perspective. Something I’ve never felt comfortable with…but I see everyday. I usually art faces…I should be working on a self portrait actually, but instead I chose this. I tried to focus less on getting things perfect and more on getting the light and dark right. Not sure if that is the right thing to do. A fellow artist suggested I don’t work it too much, that I don’t try to get it “perfect” but to get it where it feels right. I’m lying, no fellow artist said that, it’s just what I’ve decided to tell myself.

Lots more to do.
Below is my “studio”.

It’s finals week and I completed and graded my first class (even turned in the grade folder). Four more to go. I am ready to run away.

I am reading Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller.

It makes me want to go to Paris.

And write a book…describing Everything as well.