The Motherload.....

Discarded frames.
I hit the mother load of all dumpster dives recently. Frames. Lots of them and all in nearly perfect condition. The hotel I work part time at had begun to throw away framed art they didn't need any longer. For an artist frames are like gold. I actually only needed 7 for a larger project Im working on but took more just in case I botched things up or needed to frame other art work.

I actually have several projects Im working on that I can't quite discuss, hence the silence on the blog recently but I did finish a beautiful "Dante" resin recently and will be sorry to see him leave my studio for good. The shading, the dapples and the color all came out as I had hoped. Im most pleased with him. He'll be missed here in the studio next week.


Finished Dante resin in dappled sooty bucksin:

"Embrace II"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylics on Watercolor paper.
"No one else, Love, will sleep in my dreams. You will go, we will go together, over the waters of time. No one else will travel through the shadows with me, only you, evergreen, ever sun, ever moon."

~ Pablo Neruda

Flea Market Finds

This past weekend was full of fantastic flea market finds and "on-the-road" finds. Out of all the flea market finds these three little nesting tables were by far my favorite. They offered a fantastic springboard to more xylene transfer art. They looked awful, but were sturdy and the tiniest one was just right for my own personal uses. Below is the transformation.

Set of unwanted tables.
Prime and paint
It looks better already.
Dry brush technique used to
accentuate the details in the table.
Surface ready for some art.
Adding a graphic using Xylene
and a lazer print out.
Decided I'll keep this one.
I have the perfect spot for it!

Spring

Spring has finally arrived here in PA. All my bulbs have begun to sprout and bloom which caused quite a lot of inspiring moments this week. My mice were right there to enjoy and welcome back spring.

"Stretch"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylic on paper.
"Gift"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylic on paper.
"Daffodil Field"
Graphite, Watercolor and Acrylic on paper.

Live Sketching- Mohegan Sun Casino & Huns West Side Cafe, PA

This week flew without many posts, but I finally had an opportunity to take a jaunt out to the local bar and the casino to live sketch and I wound up with some fun stuff to share.

Most recently, during these sketching sessions, I've found myself in a darker creative mood. For whatever reason an old classroom assignment keeps popping up in my head whenever I visit these places. The assignment was entitled, "The Seven Deadly Sins" and class upon class that came and went through the hallways of Pratt were asked to illustrate one (or all) of these sins at one point in their career at the school.

I have image upon image floating in my head right now which are based on this assignment pairing with these images I've sketched. My recent excursions to bars and the casino have inspired me in strange new ways. Im not really sure where this creative vibe is taking me, but it's definitely fascinating to watch it unfold slowly.

These were the sketches from last night. The man with the cigarette is my favorite.

"Sunrise"
Graphite, Watercolor, Acrylic and
Decoupage on archival bristol board.