Ocean Dweller

 

18" x 24" ink, oil and chalk pastels on vellum

The Feeling of Fall

A very quick ink sketch inspired by Fall. I think the size is 8" x 12" on watercolor paper.

Wanderer

I'm not completely sure what Wanderer is about. I'm hoping I don't sound like an utter fool by saying this painting came from the canvas cloth it was painted on. I knew for sure I wanted to paint but had no idea what to do. So instead of thinking, I started tracing the creases and lines of the cloth in charcoal. Eventually I started to see a face and that's how Wanderer emerged. I didn't have to do much mixing of the paint. Since the cloth was dry it took some effort for the paint to stick but I like the effect it did leave. It was a quick piece that I did rather quickly, majority of the work was done in one afternoon. As for the size of it, I'm sure you can tell from the photo the canvas cloth is about the size of a door.

Totem

18" x 24" oil on canvas

Totem evolved from a totally random doodle to a full blown painting because I wanted to see how it would look painted. I guess you could say it was an experiment of sorts.  From the background to the different sets of eyes, each 'head' has its own distinct look and expression. I had fun doing this one. I was particularly pleased with the blue sky background. To achieve that particular effect I spread a thin blue wash over the area(those are the lighter parts showing through), and then when it was completely dry I picked up thalo blue without thinning it and smeared/scrubbed it onto the canvas with a thick brush.

I (heart) Robot

Done on request for my teenage cousin who currently loves robots, afros and love. The size of the canvas is either 16x20 or 18x24 inches with acrylic paint. I'm happy to learn it's hanging on her wall instead of being cast aside in some corner. :)

Elephant Obvious...need I say more?

18"x24" oil on canvas

Scrutiny

Also done with acrylic on canvas board. Scrutiny is the uncomfortable feeling of being taken apart for another person's amusement.

When It Pours

The result of a sleepless night and a few anxieties at that particular moment. Of course everyone knows the saying "when it rains, it pours". It had seemed at the time instead of raindrops, a torrential flood had appeared.

I used acrylic on canvas board for this piece and marker to make bold lines. I don't particularly care for acrylic because it always feels like I have to rush to achieve any effects before the paint dries. But then again, I can always layer.

The Fates Have Decided II

Most of you are probably wondering "Who are the Fates? And what is it that they've decided?"

Like echoes, my childhood reverberates within me rather unexpectedly sometimes. I loved(and still do) love reading. Growing up, I read a lot of Greek mythology. Gods, Demi-gods and mortals were all fascinating creatures described on pages I could get lost in for hours and hours. No matter how powerful they all had one thing in common, they all feared the Fates.

Also known as the Moirae/Moerae, the Fates controlled every moment of life from birth to death. The golden thread represents life.


Clotho spun the thread.

Lachesis measured.

Atropos cut the thread ending the lifespan. The whole idea that fate/destiny controls our very movements...well I'm not quite sure I believe it personally but it is an interesting topic to think and talk about regardless.

Patchwork Field

18 x 24 inches, oil on  canvas

Patchwork Field started out initially as a commission that went awry years ago. Long story short, the client purchased a sculpture instead and I was left with a canvas and geometric shapes I didn't care for. A family friend saw the unfinished piece and fell in love with the colors and shapes. When his birthday came around I thought I'd present him with this piece but not before fooling around with the shapes a little more in order to make it more "like me".

Resistance, Defeat, Freedom

In consecutive order, Resistance, Defeat and Freedom were completed during the span between April and June. While I used oil paints for all, Resistance and Freedom were done on canvas but I experimented a little on gesso board with Defeat.

The process took a longer time because gesso boards as you know, are completely smooth. It took a few layers and quite some time for each to dry before I could continue working. Out of the three my favorite happens to be Defeat because of the effort it took to complete. I am usually impatient while painting but I am glad I took the time to finish this one.

Play the Samaritan

18" x 24", oil on canvas

Are you helping me or harming me? Play the Samaritan is about someone pretending to help with intention of harm. Or is it? It's up to you to decide because once again, there is no proper interpretation.

Guitar Club

This is a commission piece done for the LIFGC, The Long Island Fingerstyle Guitar Club.

Still Life Sketch

A quick sketch of some items on my desk today. Using ballpoint pen I did this in a few minutes in a Moleskine notebook. I thought it looked a bit plain so for bits of color I used a couple of Prismacolor watercolor pencils minus the water.

A Banner or two...

Last weekend I received a request from a friend of mine, Valisa. She asked me to make a customized banner for her blog, something cute, eclectic and ultimately showing her personality. I worked with her for a couple of hours and the end result is what I have below.




I am rather proud of it, still not quite believing that I did that. I wouldn't mind getting commissioned to do more personalized banners. It was a lot of work but fun for me. It was also easy work compared to most of my other clients because my friend knew exactly what she wanted. For those of you that want to know, I did this on Corel Painter using the acrylic brush for outlines and digital watercolor for the rest.

To check out Valisa's blog follow the link here.

Separation of Heart and Mind

Not much to say about this, materials used: 18" x 24" vellum, oil pastels and colored pencils. 

The Fates have decided

It's been over a month since I've started this triptych and although I was away for two weeks out of that month I've never taken so long to complete something. Sadly, I still haven't done that much to it. Mostly because I've been in a slump after getting back from my trip. I will get back to it very soon hopefully. After completion I will post detailed photos of all the Fates.

The Loner

Today I was in the same mood as yesterday, half in a mental slump. I decided to try the same approach with this painting. I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one.

The Worrier

There were no visions or thoughts or anything leading up to The Worrier. I simply wanted to paint and the moment I sketched his face onto the canvas I knew what he was. I liked the idea of a simple sketch brought to life but I honestly had no clue if I could portray him the right way. Turns out I could. ;)

Theresa's Golden Monkey

My friend Theresa loves monkeys! She has a sleeve of them on her arm as a matter of fact. While staying at her place in Richmond I decided to draw one for her. This is a mixture of liquid acrylics and marker.