12/10/15

Up-cycling Plastic Water Bottles

Had some empty plastic bottles and blister packs sitting around, so turning them into something new.





 

Downtown Update

Hmmm, too pastel-ly. Not the look I was hoping for...

11/15/15

Downtown

The start of a new piece in my painting class. The assignment was to depict an urban scene. My painting is a composite of my little world, the city I experience  on a day-to-day basis. Just blocking in the main pieces at this point.




Mural Painting

This weekend was spent painting murals with some amazing artists. These are photos of the panels I did. Still a long way to go to get the lines and details I want.



Da Queen

Finished the painting I started a couple of weeks ago.


11/2/15

Long Lashes Painting

I started with a sketch, which became a painting. Part way through, I had to ask myself how cheesy was it? I guess if I had to ask myself if it was too cheesy, then it probably was. It's still a work in progress, so here are some photos of the progression.


New idea.

The original idea.

10/31/15

Oil Painting class

Taking a second oil painting class. The assignment was to choose an artist you like and to reproduce a painting with emphasis on the style of the piece.

In my case, I chose Tamara de Lempicka, a Polish painter. She was a socialite and popular artist. She fled Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution and eventually made her way to Paris. De Lempicka worked during the early part of the 20th century and her work is characterized as Art Deco with influences of cubism. She was well-acquainted with other famous artists of the time such as Picasso and Jean Cocteau.





EyeSee painting

A new painting. Acrylic on canvas. 8"x10" I've added some process photos below.







10/6/15

Painting Robots

First in a series of robots I'm painting. Acrylic on canvas. 8"x10".

8/26/15

Meet Wallie

Wallie is complete and just hanging around in the shop. Some pics of the finished piece. Wallie is made of scrap lumber, 2x4s for the limbs and 4x4s for the body and head. 24" high.






8/19/15

Wallies...the neverending project

Here's yet another minor update to Wallie #1. Revised the face and added a tuft of hair. Painted some details on the shoes, but forgot to snap a picture.




8/11/15

99 Dragons in Oakland Chinatown

This week I hooked up with a street artist named Doctor Dragon to paint dragon murals around Oakland's Chinatown. The goal was to paint 99 golden dragons during the week he was here. We didn't make it to the full 99 but the projects continues. I'm now in charge of a group of students to finish and maintain the murals.

We start each dragon using a template and freehand the body of the dragon.


The dragon's head template. 


The dragon with a gold base before the black line art.


Doctor Dragon working on a mural when I first met him. 


Some of the students working on a dragon mural. 


More dragons. 


And even more dragons.

7/18/15

RexPoly

Exploring a faceted, low-poly inspired technique in this wooden piece. Cut and carved from chunks of old 2x4s. Painted with acrylic paints.






7/16/15

Wood sketches

Practicing face sculpting with some of my new tools: a set of Flexcut palm cutters and a spindle sander.


Wallies Update

Re-sculpted the face, sanded and rounded fingers on the hands and added cuffs to the arms and legs.


6/15/15

Wallies WIP

Some new pics of the "Wallies" wood piece I'm currently working on—slow as usual. Started shaping the head and cut pieces for the hands and fingers. Love the wood grain. Will have to figure out how to preserve that in the final piece!






5/20/15

Queen of the Scrap Pile

After cutting some wood for another project, I was left with a pile of wood scraps, and she rose from it.


5/12/15

Octopus print

This is the last of the print-making projects for the semester. The original is a linoleum block cut. Image is 8"x10" black ink on Reeves BFK paper.


5/8/15

Blocking out a new project: Wallies

Working in a new direction based on the sketch below. Just started blocking out this piece using 2x4 scraps with my bandsaw. Love bandsaws!!!



Rabbot, Metallic version

Trying out a metallic paint scheme for the second Rabbot. Not sure if it's quite right, but will live with it for a while.