What...I'm painting?!

4/29/14

I decide to get into my studio today and start a diptych painting that I've contemplated for several years.

1) I start by preparing my panels using many layers of gesso and power sanding.

2) At the same time I play with some sketches and studies. At first I like using a black background, but since have thought of keeping it white. I'm still vacillating on this. I need to decide this soon, for I want to paint them upside down so that the drips run OVER the background.

3) I scan the photo reference and then remove the black background with Photoshop.


4) Then I resize the finished scans and print them out.


5) Then I lay them out on my panels to get a feel for the placement.

6) Next I cut out the legs and assemble them as one piece.


7) I decide to start another painting as a test. So I start with a drawing.

Creativity Explored Art Opening

Tonight I attended an art opening at Creativity Explored. I especially liked works by Peter Cordova.

April 24 - June 11, 2014

Peter Cordova

Peter Cordova

Peter Cordova

Peter Cordova

Pancho Cruz

Pancho Cruz

Andrew Bixler

Collage Night

Tonight I attended Collage-A-Rama at Arc Gallery and spent most of the time collecting and organizing pictures I want to use. For the rest of the evening, I started working on the background–one red and one black.

Art Show and Reading

Tonight I went to the Center for Sex & Culture with my friend to listen to a reading. I usually don't like readings because I often have problems focusing and understanding the performers, but tonight there were some really great writers.

Perverts Put Out!'s He is Risen Edition

WhenSat, April 19, 7pm – 10pm

WhereCenter for Sex and Culture, 1349 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, United States (map)

Descriptiondoors 7:00, show 8:00 $10-25 sliding scale Do you feel in danger of having a pure and unsullied Easter weekend? We can fix that! On the night before Easter, join the PPO! gang for a celebration of the Vernal Equinox, unexpected res-erections, and all things springlike and new, tra-la! It’s the annual He Is Risen editiion, with a passel of brilliant perverts including Jen Cross, Daphne Gottleib, Philip Huang, horehound stillpoint, Hew Wolff, musical guest Jon Ginoli of Pansy Division, andhosts Dr. Carol Queen and Simon Sheppard.

I also viewed an art show in the main gallery by artists Karen Thomas and Kerry Kelly and curated by my friend Dorian. Although the art technique was sound and the content intriguing, I did not care for either artists' work.

Karen Thomas

Kerry Kelly

Flesh, Fetish and Fairytales: Drawings by Kerry Kelly and Karen Thomas

February 7-March 29, 2014

Opening Reception, Friday February 7, 7 -10 pm

gallery hours: Mondays, 11:30 -4 pm, before events (http://www.sexandculture.org/event) or by appointment: sexandculturegallery@gmail 

Figure Drawing on a Friday Night

Tonight's model was Inky, who I've drawn in the past. Her poses are always dynamic and energetic. I really do not like the first drawing because of the uncomfortable frustration I experienced.

Closing of Art Show

In the past I have exhibited art with the curators of MicroClimate and have a lot of respect for their hard work and commitment. So tonight, I attended their closing of the artshow entitled "Wabi Sabi". Not only was the space really amazing, but there were many pieces that I loved. I completely fell in love with the oil paintings by Kim Kei.

WABI SABI EXHIBITION OPENS MARCH 15th, 2014

Wabi Sabi
A show of artwork in multiple genres exploring impermanence, imperfection, and the accidental

March 15th – April 12th, 2014
Opening Reception: Saturday March 15th 7-10pm
Closing Reception: Saturday, April 12th 2-5pm

Curated by MicroClimate Collective (www.microclimatecollective.com):
Glenna Cole Allee and Victoria Mara Heilweil

Alter Space
1158 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
alterspace.co
(415) 735-1158


Wabi Sabi

Wabi Sabi is a Japanese school of aesthetics inspired by Taoist and Buddhist philosophies that embraces the timeworn, the weathered, and the accidental. Asymmetry, irregularity, economy, and intimacy are key aspects; beauty waits to be discovered in the unpredictable and evolving nature of materials and form.

Here are the highlights for me.

Kim Kei
Watermedia and oil on paper mounted on panel

Kim Kei
Watermedia and oil on paper mounted on panel

Kim Kei
Watermedia and oil on paper mounted on panel

Laura Boles Faw
Tread and Toil(e), 2010
Tires, toile fabric, thread, beads
Size variable

(detail)
Laura Boles Faw
Tread and Toil(e), 2010
Tires, toile fabric, thread, beads
Size variable

Dimitra Skandali
Omikron, 2011
Printed hammered loom-needles on black painted cardboard
27 x 37 in.

Tobias Tovera
Atum, 2014
Mineral, solvent, bay water, holy water, human ash, tree ash, fire
Variable dimensions

Hand Drawing

Today the sun was coming into my apartment so beautifully and so I grabbed some pencils, pastels, and an oilbar. I drew my own hand and I'm fairly happy with the results.

Wrangling Art Supplies

I was going to attend the free figure drawing class tonight, but felt really tired. Instead, I decided to stay home and enjoy the last moments of sunshine coming in my apartment and draw my hand. So I pulled my supplies out and next thing I knew, I was organizing all the pastel kits I have into similar colors.

Is this art? Not exactly, for this was my scrap paper for testing the colors of the pastels. Wait...maybe it IS art!

Rework Drawing

I decided to tackle this drawing that I previous drew to see if I could integrate the top and bottom. I'm not sure if I improved it or not. Any thoughts?

Figure Drawing Attended

The model for this session was named Veronique. I really loved the shape of her body, but somewhat struggled to relax tonight.

There are some etched black lines located in the middle of the torso that I would like to get rid of.

I want to work on this drawing some more because I think it has potential. I really don't like the left red shoulder and the yellow/orange neck.

I love the forearm, but hate the way the hand turned out. I really struggled with the thumb and the left side. Perhaps I will work on it some more.

I am extremely happy with this drawing.

Attended Leonora Carrington Opening

I attended an art opening tonight with my friends Nikki and Eric.

LEONORA CARRINGTON: THE CELTIC SURREALIST

APRIL 03, 2014

RECEPTION 6:00-8:00PM

161 JESSIE STREET [at NEW MONTGOMERY]

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Gallery Wendi Norris will present the second solo exhibition for Leonora Carrington. Many of the exhibitions twenty works will travel from the Irish Museum of Modern Art, where the first solo museum exhibition has been on view since Carrington’s death. Entitled, Leonora Carrington: The Celtic Surrealist, the exhibition and the corresponding book examine the iconography and narrative as it relates to her Irish ancestry. Carrington’s exhibition will include roughly ten rarely exhibited oil paintings in addition to a seven-piece gouache series that was on view at the Guggenheim’s seminal exhibition, Surrealism: Two Private Eyes, the Nesushi Etegun and Daniel Filipacchi Collections in 1999.