Commission: Red Tailed Hawk

Being my friend means that if you ask for a piece of art it'll probably take me about six months to complete it. Not because I don't like you, it's because I procrastinate like woah.

I would like to note that a buddy asked me to paint a red tailed hawk in January. I finally sent him a sketched out idea sometime in April...maybe even May.

The sketch was given the thumbs up and so I got started.

Cutting this out took a lot of patience. What a lot of work! 

Coming along. I took this photo to show a size comparison to my feet.


A close up of the face in progress. The final touches include the black lines and the color in the eyes. At this point he's looking more angry than regal. 

The completed piece. It's about 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall. Acrylic painted on 3/4" plywood.

Detail of the wingtip.

Another detail shot. I'm loving the colors of this piece!

I also love how I was completely trusted with the outcome of this piece. The official commission was: "Red tailed hawk, your style." And that was it. How awesome is that?! I assure you, this is a responsibility that I don't take for granted.

Celestial Folk Art Series - Cetus & Lepus

A few weeks before setting my art up at Bare Bulb Coffee, I worked myself into a tizzy trying to create enough work to fill the walls. Since I was so focused, I forgot to take a lot of progress photos. 

This is probably one of my most favorite paintings. Even in the progress photo, he looks so cute and happy. The canvas is a great size. This one might be pretty hard to let go of when the time comes. 

"Cetus" 12" x 36", Acrylic on Canvas

From Wikipedia: Its name refers to Cetus, a sea monster in Greek mythology, although it is often called 'the whale' today. Cetus is located in the region of the sky that contains other water-related constellations such as Aquarius, Pisces, and Eridanus.

And then here's Lepus, the hare. 

Smaller canvases meant I finished paintings faster. Love!

As you can see on the table, I do use a bit of house paint on my canvases. They're always great for solid, opaque colors. 

"Lepus", 18" x 24", Acrylic on canvas

From Wikipedia: Lepus is a constellation lying just south of the celestial equator, immediately south of Orion. Its name is Latin for hare. Although the hare does not represent any particular figure in Greek mythology, Lepus was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations. It is located below the constellation Orion (the hunter), and is sometimes represented as a hare being chased by Orion or, alternatively, by Orion's hunting dogs.

I haven't been able to spot these constellations in my front-yard sky yet, but I'm sure that'll change soon. And I'm in the beginnings of a summer slump, so perhaps I'll get caught up on blog posts. I've been a painting machine lately! Follow me on Instagram for all the behind the scenes action. 

Commission: Whale Shark

Look at that. I took a little break and next thing I know, an entire month has passed! 

Sometimes breaks are needed. Sometimes I spend my mornings straightening up the studio, making lists, answering emails, and not even worrying about art. Sometimes I just need to set aside a painting to let my mind rest. Sometimes that idea needs to percolate a little longer...

Because there's the idea. It's on canvas. It's alive and real and staring you in the face saying "Finish! Now!" but you've got no idea where to go.

So the painting sits there. I'm pretty sure it stayed in this state for over a week.

Then it gets picked up and you trudge through the yucky feelings. Just make some marks on the canvas, get back to painting, finish!

And then you do.
Here's a whale shark. A commissioned painting by a long-time internet friend.

Acrylic on Canvas.

It was shipped off to the land of Oregon. So happy! 

Celestial Folk Art Series - Canis Major

Last week I felt a little "off"...just a little tired and I suspected a bit of a tickle in my throat. Next thing I know I'm exhausted and unable to do no more than cough and whine. Being sick sucks. Having a cold is kinda like running at 60% at all times. Not quite sick enough to spend all your time in bed, but still trying to do everyday things and using up your energy in no time. 

Plus, I feel immensely guilty when I try to take some time off for myself. I mean, what's up with that?  I have to figure out a way to learn that it's okay to let those messages sit in my inbox just a wee bit longer. It's okay to not want to make dinner. It's okay to just be sick. 

Oh well. I think I'm on the way out of this sickness. I've worked on some new paintings lately and here's the latest.

First progress shots. Just filling in background colors.

Then adding little bits of color here and there. 

And then:

This painting is based off the constellation Canis Major, or the Greater Dog. It's one of the newer constellations I've been able to recogize above my house. The largest star in Canis Major is Sirius, located in the dog's chest. 

Weee look at that tail!

The official title is "Laika: Modern Day Canis Major". Laika is the name of the first dog in space. It's a heart-breaking story if you're wanting to read more about her. I wanted to pay homage to her and her short life. I do believe she is a Canis Major!

24" x 36" acrylic on canvas.

"Your Heart is a Muscle"

During our New Year travels, I picked up this mannequin hand at an artist's studio. There were more available for purchase, but I bought only one. It seemed like an odd purchase at the time but I knew I had to have it for a project. I've had the line "Your heart is a muscle the size of a fist" stuck in my head and when I saw this hand, I knew I could make it into something more.

It sat in my studio for a couple of weeks, just waiting for me to get an idea and the time. After having a very sad week, just full of sad news and feeling like I was carrying the weight of the world, I knew I had to make something or else just wallow in my own feelings. Wallowing is a bit of a waste of time, don't you think?

So I spray painted it with glitter. Lots and lots of glitter.

And then started constructing a shadow box for it.

The rest of the process wasn't photographed. Mostly because I worked on it an entire evening and just didn't think about the camera. I just had to work. Just keep my mind off of stuff. 

And here it is. The opening is 4" x 6" and the frame around it is about 6" x 8". I used whatever little trinkets I found a the art store earlier that day and supplies I had around the studio. 

I wanted it to look aged, so the sides were lightly sanded. 

The words are from a Ramshackle Glory song, "Your Heart is a Muscle".

Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist,
Keep on loving. Keep on fighting.
And hold on, hold on,
Hold on for your life.

Definitely influenced by little nichos. I'm starting to think that just mexican folk art in general has become a HUGE influence in my work lately. 

This piece sold within a few hours of posting it on my Facebook. Super, super glad to be able to share my work with everyone!

More and More!

Having a good time with these!

Celestial Folk Art Series - Cygnus

Next year I will be hanging my art in a nearby coffee shop. Right now I am almost frantically trying to come up with the art that will be on display. I'm calling it a "Celestial Folk Art Series". 

I'm enjoying working with wood, mostly inexpensive plywood, and taking the time to cut out the shapes. My dad's a woodworker, so I grew up with plenty of saws buzzing in my ears. I was super stoked when he gave me a band saw and a scroll saw this past spring. My tool collection has grown with the addition of a belt sander and a jigsaw.

I chose the constellation Cygnus because, well, it's one of my most recent recognizable constellations. And it's been above my house these past few weeks. I'm slowly teaching myself how to read the stars at night. 

These creations require a lot of time and a lot of little brushstrokes. I'm loving how it turned out. Can I admit that I don't ever start out with a specific plan? I can kinda see the finished product in my mind's eye, but I usually just let the paint flow and follow my gut. 

I mean, lots of little brush strokes.

This isn't all the way finished. I still have to seal it and add hanging wire to the back, but I couldn't wait to show it off. 

It's about 3 feet wide, give or take an inch or two.

Check out the other pieces in the series: The Sun, The Moon, and Ursa Major.

There is Always Hope...

Lately, I've been riding a wave of productivity and I'm trying to ride this wave for as long as possible. And I do think the old saying is true: "Inspiration exists, it just has to find you working." (Pablo P.) This painting started as a small sketch, just a blip of an idea for a blank wooden board I had painted and primed and re-painted over again. One morning I sat down, started painting, and a few hours later I was left with this:

I have a to-do list a mile long, but this painting had to just BE, y'know?

I'm really, really enjoying this folk art phase I'm going though. I hope it's more than just a phase, though. 

Right after I posted it on my Facebook, I had a friend buy it. Probably the fastest I've ever gone from creation to purchase. Yay!