Back to the Basics

The past couple of months have found me working hard on getting new paintings together for my upcoming show at Hillyer Art Space in March. And I have been working hard: sketching, planing, prepping canvases and have a bunch of paintings underway.

On Sunday I decided that I needed a break from my intense routine and started working on some new rough sketches for the next batch of paintings I want to finish for the show. I've been drawing and drawing and drawing (or trying to draw) for the past couple of days, but things aren't coming out the way I would like. So last night I decided I needed to clear my head and go back to the basics and draw from life.

I did a quick self portrait and started to feel good, like I was relearning how to see. It isn't perfect (the eyes are a bit off due to slight shifts in the pose and I didn't pay that much attention to my hair and beard), but I feel like its a good start. I'm hoping to do a few more
of these before I dive back into the routine!

American Airlines Dec/Jan

Recently I finished an illustration that will accompany an editorial about changes that could be made to the Spanish alphabet and why the Real Academia Española hasn't made any changes since the 1700's. The illustration will appear in the Dec/Jan issue of American Airlines' magazine Nexos. If you're flying American Airlines this winter look in the back of the seat in front of you and check it out!

rough sketch ---------------------- final drawing

final illustration ( acrylic on illustration board, touched up in Photoshop)

Shepard Fairey hits the Mt.P

DC seems starstruck as pieces by legendary Graffiti Artist and creator of OBEY (Andre the Giant) and the Obama PROGRESS and HOPE posters, Shepard Fairey, pop up on walls all over town.

Well now there's one in Mt. Pleasant. (at Mt. Pleasant and Kenyon)

Brushstrokes

Last night I just happened to walk out onto our balcony, look to the right and see this...

We have great view of Rock Creek Park and the National Cathedral but last night the sunset was fabulous. The range of intense colors was breathtaking and the clouds looked like brushstrokes to me.

And I also decided that my camera is pretty good. Look at that zoom! (I need a tripod though)

Pangolin?

Do you know what a pangolin is? Niether did I, but after being asked to do a coloring book page of one for SavePangolins.org I got a quick introduction. They look like a cross between an armadillo and anteater but is niether and is endangered. Find out more about these critters and how you can help to save them here. And to download the coloring book page I created go here.

rough sketches

final illustration