evolution of big night

someone told me that they really liked seeing the progress of my work from an earlier post. so i thought i'd do the same for the painting i've been working on this week. so here is the evolution of big sky from sketch to finish. notice that the colors shift throughout, this is due to the changing sunlight or lack thereof. the last photo is the finished piece, but the color is probably closer to the next to last image. i'll be taking a better photo outside once it dries a bit.

this piece is 36x36 and i'm calling it Evolution of Night. it's based on the sketch i did and the feeling that i had from the night. i was restless and went for a drive back to eldorado to see the moon over the mountains. it felt like it was radiating. my brushstroke is different than my usual geometric patterns. can't be boring right?! i'm pretty happy with the result. i plan to put this up at max's once it's dry.

i'm supposed to be relaxing. making the photo montage and writing a blog (and cleaning my house) seem to be filling that space. turns out i forgot how to relax. even if i'm watching tv or a movie, i always have to be doing something productive at the same time. there's ALWAYS something to do when you're working for yourself. i rest when i sleep, and when i sleep, i sleep hard. i like that feeling.

back to the drawing board

hola! i'm back and a bit browner. yay for the california sun and vitamin D! i had a great weekend with family and friends. i spent friday in san diego with my mom and aunt and their two cousins who live just 20 minutes from temecula. i finally got to go to the beach even for a short few. there's something about getting near the water that completely calms me and settles me inside. i need to get there more often. i see a lot of drawings in my head when i look out over the ocean.

i spent saturday with my hostess, jami. we first went to lorimar winery to check out my work and hang the pieces that i brought with me. next we went out to wine country and checked out mount palomar winery (which is where my art will be hanging next month) for some wine tasting. after some sushi and an art supply stop we went to my art rep's house for a wonderful dinner before my show. the show itself was packed. many people out in old town temecula ready to do a wine tasting and listen to sister speak sing and of course, look at my art! i got a lot of great compliments and a lot of interest in my work. i actually sold two drawings and a painting before my show, so i consider it all a success!

i flew home sunday, watched the first half of the steeler game at the denver airport, and coaxed the pilot to keep us updated on the score on my way back to albuquerque. excited for my steelers to be back in the superbowl...again! rev'n for seven! (i'm not sold on that saying, but seven is not an easy word to rhyme) so now i'm home and feeling the need to replenish my art supply. i want to do a whole new body of work for max's restaurant and have some work on hand for when i get accepted into a gallery. :-P

here's a quick pic of my new workspace where i started a huge abstract drawing today. my arms a bit tired, i'll pick it up again tomorrow. i also finished off some edges of some paintings and did a study painting based on a sketch. i'll start the big painting tomorrow, too. mmmm, love the smell of a painty apartment! and it looks like i just made myself some new painting pants....oops.

weary of chicken

food can be evil...especially when it poisons you. ugh. i spent this past weekend sick as a dog, but i'm feeling better now. trying to be productive in all aspects...work work, design work, art work. made two new versions of my business card yesterday, hopefully they'll come in before the show.

about ready to finish up a painting and start on a big one. i think i want to do another night scene but use a lot of colors. it doesn't need to be as smooth as some of the transitions are...i don't want all transitions to be to soft or easy, i want to give them some resistance and static, something that makes your eye constantly move. i've been looking at photos of my art from WVWC and JMU and i want to revisit some styles and see what i do with them now. i also have an urge to just draw...graphite and charcoal drawings of real objects as well as abstract spaces. lots of ideas in my head!

one idea was to combine my landscape drawings with my abstract drawings. here's the first attempt. it's after a photo of the sunset over the water. i think i'll continue on this path for a bit and see what happens. drawing is much easier with my new drawing table and my space is much more organized.

i'll try to get a lot done before my temecula show. i leave next thursday to stay with my friend/artist jami tobey and meet up with my mom, my aunt and long lost family for a day in san diego. i'm so excited...i definitely need an adventure! saturday will be hanging out with jami and my art rep, brad, followed up with my show. looks like it's quite the event with a live band and wine tastings. can't wait!

namaste!