Duncan's Art

Mythology Painting

2012-02-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

These are the first figurative painting's I've done since I graduated in May from MCA. They are about creation/prehistory myths. I wanted to keep them white and almost ghost like. The pictures I took of them do not capture the subtle color changes of the warm/cool white color play.

I was invited by Byrdie's Gallery here in New Orleans to participate in an upcoming group show. At the time I had the idea to start a painting series about Creation myths. So with a deadline I set out to make the paintings. The paintings are all acrlyic and ink on canvas.I tried to maintain a balance between the ink lines that describe form and using color to create forms.I still want to put some impasto oil to create a bit more textured surface. But, as usual with my desires to use oil paints, the deadline did not leave enough dry time. I hope to do more paintings about myths in the future. The show will be up until March 6th after that I plan to do a layer of oil on the paintings then re-photograph them with some detail shots. In the pictures of the show at the bottom of this post you can see that I framed the paintings. First frames I've made but I think they help with the presentation of such white paintings.

Adam:In the Presence of the Lord

and

Eve:With One Line, She Became Woman

24" by 52" each

Cronus: Thoughts of Power

46" by 36"

Atlas: Holding the Sky

24" by 36"

Pictures of the show at Byrdie's Gallery

sketches

2012-02-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

These are sketches for a series of paintings based on different myths that I've been interested in lately, specificly creation myths/myths that describe prehistorical events. The myths that tell where man came from, why/how we are different than other animals, how we came into being and all of those type of human existance questions. I've been mostly affected and interested in Greek classical mythologies and, being raised Baptist, Christian Mythology. So in the tradition of Greek myths I want to reflect these stories in the image of Man but combined with animal parts.

The first is of the Greek titan Cronus devouring his child. The last two are of the first man and woman from the Biblical creation myth, Adam and Eve.

Meditation on Medusa's Painted Face

2012-02-06T14:05:00.000-08:00

2ft by 3ft oil on oak panel

As a painter each painting I make I have a certain amount of attachment to, some more than others. The painting becomes an extension of myself. I am often able to sever this attachment, when it comes to selling the painting, by knowing that this new person will appreciate the painting. This specific piece was one that I had planned on keeping. With the abstract oil paintings I've been doing they, for me, are either hit or miss, interesting or not. I've only came across two pieces that I enjoy. I feel like this painting captured the feel and movement that I want each of them to resonate with. It was hard parting with this painting but I am sure that the new owner will enjoy it very much. At least I have a picture to remind me.

Study of a Feast of Seven Sages

2012-02-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

This painting is about 5ft by 3ft, oil on oak panel. I am trying to push of the oil/chemical reactions on top of another. This one has some interesting moments.

Small Commission Drawing

2011-12-15T08:28:00.001-08:00

This is a 9" by 12" ink wash drawing of a young girl I did for a friend of mine. Not sure who the girl is but I think the drawing came out well.

Meditation Upon Cronus

2011-12-13T17:41:00.001-08:00

This piece is about 32" by 48" oil on wooden panel.

The title comes from a previous painting I had done on the surface. It was a painting of the Greek Titan Cronus (which is further back on the blog). When I moved from school in Memphis, TN down to New Orleans the painting got damaged. I sanded and reprimed the surface and made this painting. These abstractions are begining to evolve into swirling open landscapes. I've been trying to push contrast in them and what not.

Two more studies

2011-11-18T08:01:00.000-08:00

Here are some more oil abstractions that I've been playing with. I've found that these types of paintings are perfectly suited to odd sizes, long narrow and what not. Another a more personal note I bought one of those big white Dodge work vans. I am currently in the process of making logo's for the sides.

So to all you folks around the French Quarter area of New Orleans look out soon for the DuncanScribbles.com van on the streets.

Study of a Pilgrimage
13" by 34"

Study of a Modern Phalanx
28" by 32"

One day, I'll Learn to Draw

2011-11-10T10:18:00.000-08:00

This series of watercolor illustrations is for a show I have coming up at 723 Louisa Street Digest this Saturday! The series consists of self reflective portraiture. Each one is 8" by 10" (plus frame) gouache and ink on paper. I'll post pictures from the show after it happens. I haven't had a chance to work on such a small scale since before I graduated and I found the process to be refreshing.

Self Portrait with Puzzles Savior

Self Portrait as my Lover's Tree

Self Portrait being birthed by a Baboon Mother

Self Portrait with a Corinthian Helmet

Self Portrait with Self Sacrifice

Self Portrait as Puzzles

Meditation on the Taste of Water

2011-10-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

Meditation on the Taste of Water

56" by 40'' oil on canvas

What does water taste like?

Detail

Dope-Ah-Mean: Artificial Fractionation

2011-10-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

This piece furthers my Dope-Ah-Mean paintings and begins to push further the "Fractionated" sub-series (these are the Dope-Ah-Mean pieces that comprise of multiple frames connected, not just a single rectangle/square frame). Again with these paintings I find it difficult to figure out how to light and photograph them. The photos below come from two different set up of lighting. Also I added a NEW footer at the bottom of the blog page of me trying to light this piece.

Dope-Ah-Mean: Artifical Fractionation
56" by 71"
burnt canvas, wood and oils

Details:

Also coming up soon a Dope-Ah-Mean piece will be shown at the Trouser House
on St. Claude in NOLA. The show lasting from October 22 thru November 30th, and is apart of the Prospect 2: Satellite Projects.

Meditation Upon a Pale Green Horseman

2011-09-22T09:12:00.000-07:00

As I have been exploring abstract painting through my "study" series I have began to learn different methods of application. I work on these large paintings consecutivly, experimenting on one canvas, learning from that reaction and then trying to repeat it again differently and so on. This piece pictured below has developed beyond the "study" series into a fully completed work. This is the first piece I have done that I did not have to frame a smaller section of the canvas, I used the entire piece that I worked on for the final result. This painting begins what I refer to as the "Meditations" series. This series will consist of only the finest of abstractions that break apart from the "Studies." I continue to name the pieces based on my interests due to the fact that, especially with abstract work, a title of a painting has no final impact on the image itself. I find this to be true because our minds react to imagery faster and more directly than words. Therefore each viewer will be impacted seperately. This title comes from my interest in Christian Mythology.

"Meditation Upon a Pale Green Horseman"
60" by 46"

detail shots

Dope-Ah-Mean: Fractionated Penicillin

2011-09-22T09:06:00.000-07:00

This piece begins a new method of creating my Dope-Ah-Mean paintings. Instead of the single rectangular frames I created multiples and attached them to create a larger shape. The frames are made out of 1"x2"s up to 1"x4"s so when hung on the wall the frames break up at different levels. This piece is a little over 6' by 4' ish. I just finished crating and packaging it for shipping. It is headed to one of my favorite skies I've seen, Arizona.

Studies of Abstraction

2011-09-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

With these abstractions I have been playing with more gold metallic paint and oil mediums. The metallic shines beautifully in the pieces but the photos don't capture that.

Study of a Viral Infection
16" x 22"

Study of Sarah's Sunflower
36" by 48"

Study of a Material Revolution

18" by 24"

Sketchbook'n

2011-09-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

These are some things I have been drawing in my sketchbook. Yay!

Dope-Ah-Mean: Battle of Zama

2011-09-01T20:28:00.000-07:00

This piece is 3ft by 5ft. This is the first Dope-Ah-Mean I've done with pieces of stained canvas woven across the frame. I posted shots from different angles, the left and right, and some detail shots. I think this is the best photographed piece from this series yet. It is difficult to capture the wall space coming through, these pieces have a sculptural aspect in person with the wall coming through the gaps. The name comes, again, from my interest in the Punic Wars. The Battle of Zama was Hannibal's final battle in the valley of Zama outside of Carthage where he was defeated by Scipio Africanus.

This is a shot of the painting in its new home! I believe it looks quite stunning against that ochre color behind it. Thanks again to the Wozny's interest in this painting!

Study of a Zombie Horde

2011-09-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

This diptych from my Study series. The name comes from, well I've been watching alot of zombie flicks lately. Also I started reading Max Brook's "World War Z." Each one of these is 2.5ft by 3ft oil on canvas.

Study of Hannibal's Crossing of the Alps

2011-08-25T13:47:00.000-07:00

Each canvas is 3ft by 2ftish, oil on canvas. Still with the Punic War's in mind this piece captures, in my mind, the destraught feeling that Hannibal's march from Spain to the Italian peninsula through the French Alps. Sorry about the glare in the picture, these pieces are difficult to photo due to all the shine on them but I'm starting to figure it out.

Study of Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"

2011-08-23T16:15:00.001-07:00

I read Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" a few years ago and really enjoyed the book as well as the film that followed. After I made this painting I felt like it had the same feel to it that McCarthy's book did. The painting is about 3ft x 4ft ish. There is a hole in the lower middle of the left side of the painting through it you can see grass, I took the picture outside but that doesn't affect it to much!

Study for a Southern Crucifiction

2011-07-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

So I haven't updated the blog in a few weeks so I will take this time to sum up whats been going on with my art lately. I finished college and moved back down to New Orleans. I have been having the problem of not knowing what type of paintings I want to make. I feel like I have learned how to think about art and how to criticize art but I'm not sure if I know what type of art I want to make. So with this toggling in my mind I took on a side job of building a 14x20ft shed with about ten foot walls, of which I will be sure to post pictures of when it is done, and I have been enjoying abstract paintings. Just playing with flows of paint and reactions of that sort. I've been trying to draw in my sketchbook more and I will get a scanner soon to up load some drawings. I want to free myself with representational and objective picture making and focus more on non-objective abstract work.

This is a tryptic that I call "Study for a Southern Crucifiction." Each is about 24' by 36' on canvas. They are a play of different canvas staining techniques I've read about and experimentation of stains and different chemicals with oil and acrylic paint.

I have been taking pictures here and there of paintings I've done since I finished the Punic War paintings (those paintings are actually in my studio facing the wall still) and I will post them when I can find them. ha

Anyways stay tuned for more active updating!!

Punic Wars

2011-05-03T15:20:00.000-07:00

Well after a semester of planning, crafting and painting my Punic Wars paintings are sorta done, well done enough for display. These are bad pictures but I should have less blurry/more detailed shots coming through a bit later but until then here are my paintings.

Punic Wars Paintings-still in progress

2011-04-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

Well the paintings are still getting worked out. The first one has changed a good bit and the other two are progressing. The first painting has been giving me some trouble computationally but I think it is starting to get worked out. Only a few more weeks till they are due!!

And this was my working area last night. Complete with spaghetti sauce jar full of coffee in the bottom left.

Punic Wars Paintings-work in progress

2011-03-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

So I've been painting and figuring things out with these compositions. I changed the first one around a bit. The other two have stayed mostly the same since the drawing. The first three are images are the paintings with the first loose layer of paint. The last image is the beginning of the second layer of paint. I'm going to go through a put a layer of line work in conte and ink after the second layer of acrylic and then a layer of oils. Well that is the plan anyhow. Sorry the pictures aren't that great. It is kind of hard to get good pictures of these as I'm going about painting them.

Cronus Devouring Child

2011-03-15T14:46:00.001-07:00

This is the painting I did for my little PnH show. The painting itself was an exploration with acrylic under painting and oil glazing on top. I wrote out a statement and it hangs next the the piece. I'm glad that my hand lettering is legible.

Flyer for upcoming show!!

2011-03-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

I will have a painting on display at a local bar. I made a flyer for it. This is based on some of the early Christian Byzantine murals. I changed the center image to a self portrait with a brush and palate and the two side angles into baboon angles.

Studies in watercolor

2011-03-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

These are some watercolor studies for my Punic War paintings. I decided to start over on the first panel of the triptych but I will surely keep the blog posted as I begin to paint, which I hope will start soon!!

Punic Wars-drawings

2011-02-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

I have began to draw out my compositions onto my three 4x7ft panels. They're coming along, they need work, I'm interested to see in what direction they turn to. They are in order from the first to the third.

I have began to draw out my composistions onto my three 4x7ft panels. They're coming along, they need work, I'm interested to see in what direction they turn to.

Cronos -sketch

2011-02-16T10:09:00.000-08:00

So I haven't updated in a minute or so, I've been busy with school and trying not to be poor. I'm working on a few paintings right now, some big ones. This is a sketch for a painting about Cronus, the king of the Ancient Greek gods who would eat his children. He would eat them because one of the children was destined to over throw him and become the new king of the gods. So every time his wife had a child he would eat. Once she found out about this she wrapped a stone in a baby's blanket and gave it to him while the child escaped, this child was Zeus. I'm having the painting up at a bar in Memphis called PnH starting the second weekend of March till April, the show is called Archaic Thoughts of Power.

Children's Book Story-Puzzles goes Outside!!

2010-12-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pages from a children's book I did about my dog, Puzzles, going outside. They are all watercolor, gouache and ink on paper. The first 6 pages are in order.

Then she goes outside and enjoys it then gets scared and lost.

Then gets lonely and scared.

Then she comes back home!! yyaayyy

Self Portraits

2010-12-13T15:40:00.001-08:00

These are images of paintings I did for my self image and metaphor class.

This one is called "A conversation with God" it is 2ft by 3 ft oil on canvas. and below are the work in process images.

And these are the other Self Portraits I did for class. I have one more I'll post later that is not yet done.

This one is called "Undulation" 3ft by 2ft acrylic on canvas.

"self portrait as Baboon" oil, acrylic and ink on canvas
"Self Portrait as Baboon Shaman" 2ft by 3ft oil on canvas

"Self Portrait with little monster" 20" by 26"

Core Portfolio

2010-12-02T21:40:00.000-08:00

This is the selection of my work I choose for my core portfolio.

Works on Paper

2010-10-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some collaborations to bring down to New Orleans for Halloween. These are all on paper, different sizes, and they all have nice small wooden frames they fit in.

Children's book story

2010-10-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

A Visual Essay of the Dog park

2010-10-15T03:29:00.000-07:00

I went to the Shelby Farm's dog park here in Memphis and did a few drawings. I didn't want to work from photographs for this project, which is a bit different from my usual method of working. It was a challenge but I enjoyed it. I decided to draw a lot of images many times and then pick the best ones for the final presentation of the project. I have two of the same image (yet they are different) that I both find successful.

They are all ink and the color is watercolor/gouache.

Combonation

2010-10-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

I should be writing a paper right now but instead I put two of my baboon drawings together in photoshop. I think it looks pretty fun.

sketchbook stuff

2010-10-01T19:24:00.000-07:00

These are some pieces from my sketchbook that I've been meaning to scan. Some pattern play and baboon stuff. Yeaaah boyyy.

Children's Book Illustrations

2010-09-20T22:28:00.001-07:00

These are for a story called "Sky Ship." It is about a ship that sails the skies, drops an anchor that hits a church in the 1240s. Blah Blah Blah. When I printed these images they came out dark, which sucks.

The first is 8x10 inches, its a big ship made out of clouddssss.

This one is 11x4.5 inches.

The last one is 4x4.5 inches. Its the rope of the anchor going down down down down to the ground.

Naked Women, Violence and Monkies

2010-09-09T20:43:00.000-07:00

I feel like my drawings, paintings and illustrations need to start to meld. So I did these. I wanted to play with the idea of violence. As I thought about violence I started to turn to baboons, they scare me. To me the baboon is a vicious beast. I want the rage of a baboon to come across as primal violence. The first two are probably the weakest of the five but they helped progress to the other three which I think are successful

Work from this summer

2010-08-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you who sorta follow this blog you may have noticed I haven't really updated since like June. I do assure you I have been working and documenting that work. But I lost my chord that connects the camera to the computer to get the pictures off. Well I found that cable the other day and turns out I can't get the photos off so I guess I'll have to get a cd made off of it or something, I'm not sure but I'll figure it out.

But until then I scanned in some of my summer sketchbook pages. They are mostly ink with watercolor and gouache, some acrylics as well.

Underwater Archiling Fight!!

I'm hoping to work more with the underwater Archiling idea.

This is my homie Lance Vargas. He kinda looks like the picture.

A few more recent things

2010-06-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated this blog in a mintue or so. I had to move then, got sick, then went on a road trip but anyways here are a few paintings and patron pictures.

This one is apart of my Natural Perception series (paintings with out my glasses or contacts in, hence my natural perception) it is of Megan Sellstrom, this is the second painting in the series I have done of her. It is 2ft by 3ft, acrylic on wooden board and I topped it with epoxy.

This a commissioned piece for a couple up around Chicago. I called it Dope-ah-Mean: Blood Brain Barrier. It is 3ft by 4ft, the piecture is kinda lame of it though.

This piece I call Unification. It is 2ft by 3ft acrylic on wooden panel and topped with epoxy.

This is a picture of the patrons of my largest Dope-Ah-Mean yet. I call it Dope-Ah-Mean: Artificial Meat. It is 4ft by 6ft, I have a better picture of just the piece but I have to find it.

This is the 3rd painting this fella has purchased from me, oh returning customers!

This is a picture of the patrons of a colab piece between myself and Miss Sarah Jenkins. I didnt mean to be smoking while the picture was being takin, but it looks pretty bad ass. haha

Demon Cards -a selection from 52-

2010-04-30T23:08:00.000-07:00

Here are some selected cards from my demon playing cards, I have a few more to do till they are finished. Also I'll include the design I'm thinking about printing on the back of the cards.

The idea behind the cards is through the isolation of allegories and metaphors of the acts, thoughts and relationships I have with sex. From the animalistic side of sexuality, the feeling of sexual superiority and/or inferiority, not having control over when/where you get an erection, the act of becoming one during sex, the brutality that sex can conjure, masturbation, etc... The figures are backed by either a green, yellow, red or violet environment. The idea is to contrast these acts and situations with brightly prismatic colors; colors one would not expect to have with such imagery.

All images will be printed at 2.5" by 3.5" (size of a playing card). Each was executed at 6" by 9" with ink, sharpie, gouache and watercolor.

The back design is based on Francis Bacon's "Two Figures, 1953." Bacon's work as well as Clive Barker's work has played an obvious influence on these paintings.

French Quarter Fest

2010-04-12T22:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all these great people, and the others I didn't get a picture of. For buying some good ole Josh Duncan paintings!

These are some paintings I did for the festival this year. Some of them are pretty cool I must say.

This one is a diptych I call "Spring's Release." Both canvases are 2x2ft, and acrylic latex. I do enjoy painting my little Archilings indeed.

This little guy is a funky little possum just hanging out. Acrylic on canvas, 16" by 20"
I call this one "Monica's Modern Music." It is a portrait of my friend Monica, whom I have painted before. Its 2' by 3 ' acrylic on canvas. I feel like its not quite done yet, when/if I work on it more I'll be sure to update.
"Half Life Alex" 18" by 24" acrylic on canvas. This is based off a blind contour drawing of my fellow peer Alex Barton. I've done them for a color studies class and decided to enlarge it and play around with it a bit for this painting. It doesn't really look like him but that doesn't matter.
Oh the Dope-Ah-Mean. This one is "Dope-Ah-Mean: Artificial Honey" 2' by 3' burnt canvas on burnt wood frame. I think this may be one of my favorite Dope-Ah-Mean of the series, I have a large 6ft by 4ft one in mind...soon soon.
This one is along my werewolf painting series I've been exploring, I call it "Gentleman." Its about 18" by 24" (or something I can't remember). The back ground has bits of collage paper in it the rest is acrylic. I like the use of the drizzles black contour line. I want to explore that more so.
This is a 2' by 3' painting based on my Isis illustration. I decided not to include Osiris from the illustration in this painting. I'm not sure its done yet. I may want to go over the acrylic with some pastels, not sure yet.

Myth Illustrations

2010-03-26T23:15:00.000-07:00

These are 3 illustrations for the myth of Osiris, Horus and Isis.

First two black and white with a red spot color.
The first one is when Horus cuts off Isis' head and Thoth replaces it with a cow head. The second two are different takes off of when Isis speaks Osiris back to life. I like the graphicness of the first two.

Conceptual Self Portraits

2010-03-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

This is a painting of my dog, Puzzles.

This paintings is based off David Hume's idea of there being no concept of self. Instead we are a serious of experiences not linked together. In this painting I'm playing with that concept by having a series of my face, each was a full portrait of myself in the moment but as the experience passes the portraits melts back into a blob of fleshiness that I proclaim would be the consciousness that backs up our experience. The back ground represents memory of past events.

This is painted on a stack of 7 books. The books are glued together and are able to be hung. The image is of myself nursing a baby version of myself as a mother nurses her child. At a certain point a mother can not take care of the child as he/she grows up and at that point the child must take care/nurse themselves. The image is on the spines of books to represent knowledge, nursing ones self with knowledge

photos from over winter break

2010-03-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

some people who own my paintings

This is the second version I've done of the seated wolfmother, but I found this awesome frame at some junk store. I think it fits the painting. I find that framing a painting is a very serious side of the painting craft that is often overlooked.

22''x 16''

acrylic on wooden panel

This is a blind contour painting of Annie Walker, she's the one with the painting on the previous picture.

20"x 16"

acrylic on canvas
newspaper stand

Thumbnails for myth illustration

2010-02-24T07:22:00.000-08:00

A few from the sketchbook

2010-02-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Scans taken out of my sketchbook, fun stuff.

Adventures in the Archiling Valley

2009-12-15T14:59:00.001-08:00

I just completed a 21 page comic called Adventures in the Archiling Valley. It involves the little flower headed fella's I've been painting, the Archilings, and expels upon their story. The work is done in ink for the line work and colored with crayons and watercolors, utilizing the wax resist technique, here are some of my favorite pages.

3 Illustrations

2009-11-05T07:22:00.000-08:00

Illustration for Utah Pregnant Woman beating.

Illustration for Obese People and Ambulance

Illustration for Pakistani Car Bombing

yeah yeah

2009-09-20T14:40:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of friend and fellow artist Lance Vargas' place where he has three of my paintings hung up. I like the fact that from this perspective you can see all three of the paintings at once, so therefore the person is overwhelmed by pictures from my mind!! aahh!!! but no seriously, super cool that he has embraced my pictures in his home. Thanks Lance

Some cool sheet, man

2009-09-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Okay so these are a few new paintings I've done with a few pics of the people who now have some Josh Duncan living on their walls!

Portrait of Monica Gehrig

acrylic and oil pastel on canvas

2ft by 3ft

This is the 6th in my Natural Perception series. My friend Monica Gehrig was kind enough to sit and let me stare at her for a few hours. I'm glad she did because this painting came out wonderful. Monica has a blue-ish vibe to her so I think the painting captures an enjoyable quality about her. I'm not sure what the woman's name is who bought the piece, but she fell in love with it as well. If I remember correctly she said its going to soon hang over her baby grand piano, sounds like a nice home for this piece!

This piece was painted on an old shelf I found. I stripped it and painted a New Orleans style funeral on it. I liked it, but I didn't get a better picture of it before this nice couple bought it.

This lady bought my favorite painting that I've made in a while, "The Portrait of Megan Sellstorm." She is bringing it back to Washington D.C. I believe. I look stupid in this picture because I was shocked she bought it. She just came up and asked the price and before I finished saying it she said "I'll take it!" I also think its funny that two pictures were being taken at once here, one from my camera and one from hers so we're both looking at our own camera...I think its funny.

Birth of the Archlings

acrlyic and sharpie on canvas

3ft by 2ft

This is the painting of the birth of the Archlings. There are these massive fields of flowers growing all over the place that are surrounded by a dense forest. In the fields Archlings with flowers on their heads walk around and pluck up the new flowers when they are ready. Then after they work the fields for awhile their flower falls off and they join Archola, the city in the surrounding trees.

Some stuff to look at!

2009-08-26T20:05:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't updated the blog for a bit, slow computer issues coupled with moving back to school but anywho...

Portrait of Katie O'Dell

acrylic with soft and oil pastel on canvas

2ft by 3ft

This painting is the 5th in my natural perception series. The colour is thick on the canvas with enchanting scratches in the textural surface. This piece was sold in a burnt wood frame, but I didn't get a picture of the painting in the frame but its similar to the frame on the Megan Sellstrom portrait.

Spirit of the Bull

acrylic on canvas

2ft by 3ft

This painting was an experiment trying to further the drizzled paint technique. Lots of layers on this piece, some of the layers were burned with my torch so it has a wonderful bubbling effect in areas. I went on top of the drizzled paint with glazes and then established more high key tones on top of those.

This piece was commissioned for the fella holding the painting. This is a Dope-Ah-Mean but before I cute the canvas and stretch it, I use the canvas as a drop cloth beneath me while I paint. I used this drop cloth for about a month or so and then cut it up and stretched/burnt it. This is the second drop cloth Dope-Ah-Mean I have done, I'll post the first soon. Oh and I can't remember what I named it, but it is 2.5ft by 3ft.

A Walk of the Wolfmother

16in by 20in (ish)

acrylic on glass

This piece is interesting because the figure of the woman is painted on the front of the sheet of glass while the environment she walks in is painted on the reverse side. So when a glare hits the glass it stops for the figure pushing her off the surface even more.

These are two more of the large big eyed archling guys using the drizzled paint with glazes technique. I sold them both and when I did I'm sure I named them something poetic but the name escapes me right now...

Blind Contour

Portrait of Collin Kelly

acrylic on canvas

2ft by 2ft

Blind Contour

Portrait of Jim Mauer

acrylic on canvas

2ft by 2ft

This is part of my blind contour paintings series. This is of an artist friend of my mine in New Orleans, he also purchased the painting. I guess he liked it! But as I got done with this one a fella came by, really liked this portrait and wanted one of himself. It was the first portrait I've done of someone on the street like that but it came out good as well.

woes of the moon day

2009-06-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

These are two shots of the Portrait of Megan with the burnt wood frame around it. I think it turned out pretty damn nice if I do say so myself! Sorry about the shadow from the frame on the work but oh well

Fight or Flight

acrylic and oil pastel on canvas

2' by 2'

With this piece I wanted to show movement within a single image. The face changing from one emotion to the other. I used modleing paste to create the surface texture then applied glazes of acrylic paint over which I used oil pastel to bring out the texture even more. I totally forgot to get a picture with the guy that bought this one...I gotta start remembering that.

Contours of Joel

acrylic with soft and oil pastel

16" by 24"

This began as a blind contour of my friend Joel Doney as we talked and drank coffee. I don't really have much to say about this piece other then I enjoy looking at the loose line work and contained bits of colour.

Study of Clive Barker's "Mater Motley"

acrylic, soft pastel and oil pastel

30" by 48"

This is another Clive Barker study. It was commissioned by the two fellas in the picture with me and the painting. I want to start getting picture of the people I sell to but...I usually forget...yeah... They are also the owners of one of my other Barker studies "The Arsonist." The red enviroment behind the figures is covered with scatches and markings of soft pastels. The photo doesn't show em that well so I have a detail shot that I manipulated in attempt to show the layers of sgraffito on one part of the canvas.

Mamma, I don't know your name...

acrylic and woodstain on

canvas

2' by 2'

...But I can still play your game

acrylic and woodstain on canvas

2' by 2'

This two (plus another that isn't done yet) were painted yesterday out on Jackson Square in the BLAZING heat. They are apart of my face series (working title). Layers of paint were drizzled onto the canvas, one on top of the other, then washes of acrylic paint and woodstain were applied between some of the layers. I think what I love most about these piece are the sides of the canvas, the drizzled paint seems to almost melt from the image and down their sides so when it is hung on a wall the dripping edges push the image off...its pretty damn cool I must say. When the next painting is done I'll be sure to post it!!

oooh yeahhh

2009-06-10T15:25:00.000-07:00

Portrait of Megan
25" by 36"
acrylic and oil pastel on canvas

Well continuing my natural perception series when I paint with out my glasses or contacts on. This one is swirling with scratches and expressive marks from the oil pastel. I find this image a bit unsettleing for some reason, I dont know why...but at the same time I really enjoy this one. I'm making a nice little frame of burnt wood w/ a nice pecan glaze on it, I just hope it turns out and doesn't make the painting look bad!

Study of Barker's Woman Taken by a Demon
25" by 36"
acrylic and oil pastel on canvas

This is another study of a Clive Barker piece. The original is all oil pastel, didn't know that till after I did the piece. The two figures seem locked in either a sexual embrace or perhaps the demon is being taken down by the woman hmmm things to ponder upon...

Experimental Portrait
20" by 28" (ish)
acrylic and oil pastel on wood panels

This piece is made up of a bunch of, roughly, 3" by 3" panel squares. Each is stacked on top of each other, so when you look at the piece at an angle the image is distorted. This is the second piece like this I've done, the first I sold to a nice little senorita from Houston. I'm not sure if this one is done yet....we'll see...if I do anything else to it ill be sure to update with the newest piece

Unable to Resist
16" by 22''
gesso, ink and polyurthane on canvas

This guy now belongs to a nice young lady from San Antonio. She bought three of my pieces, this piece plus "Pictorial Dope-Ah-Mean and "Mississippi Man, Louisiana Woman" so I think that makes her my biggest fan! haha well maybe 2nd biggest behinde my mom...

Ch-Ch-Check it outtt

2009-06-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

Burnt Under a Sacked Moon
3' by 4'
acrylic and polyurthane on canvas

Sorry about that shitty glare on the picture but its the only one I have of this image. This piece led to alot of information about how to play with polyurthane and different stains on canvas. The figure is handled in a heavy impasto way so the texture is thick as mud. Man I just really wish that damn glare wasn't there. Oh this painting was my mom's mother's day gift.

Self Portrait-alla prima

9" by 16"

acrylic on paper

This is a little self portrait I did the other day with some left over paint on my pallet. It was fun, I dig it cause hey its me!!

Womanly Instinct
18" by 26"
acrlyic on canvas

Well if any of you stumbled upon my blog via my buisness card this image may look familiar. It is the first wolf woman I did and was a christmas present to me mummy. She has a big thing for werewolves so it was fitting. This is a kinda shitty picture of the painting, sorry.

Distorted Portrait of Kunjal Shroff

30" by 50"

acrylic and ink on canvas

This came from a blind contour drawing/watercolour I did in my sketchbook of my friend Kunjal. I think the original drawing lost something in the translation but still turned out pretty cool i think. That scarf is pretty bitch'n I must say.

Painting machine!!

2009-06-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

Portrait of Whitney

2ft by 2ft

acrylic on canvas

Here is another in my natural perception series. This one is of my beautiful young lady friend Whitney Ball. It's so strange how with out my contacts or glasses on all I seem to see are strange blurs and shapes of colour. I feel like this painting represents a solid progression in the series.

Beside the Dreams of a Child

2ft by 4ft

acrylic and polyurhane on canvas

This is a strange piece. It began looking nothing like the finial image shown. The child lays at the bottom of the composistion to give a feeling of insignificance to the overwhelming scratches above him (or her I suppose). The scratches are done on a black ground over which I glazed with layers of blues and purples, all of which are heavily saturated with some mars black. Over the scratches, in certain areas, I coated with a thick layer of polyurthane. The poly adds a nice heavy gloss to the areas, so when the light hits the piece at an angle the glare makes the images come to life even more. It also allows certain areas to breath heavier then others. This one is pretty creepy I think, but still pretty damn cool to loose yourself in!

Awak'n to a New Light

2ft by 3ft

acrylic on canvas

This piece came from a conversation with another artist by the name of Heather Petterson. She spoke to me of meditation and becoming self aware. I'm not one that's into all that jazz persay but I do belive one can become enlightened through self exploration. Sometimes you have to come out of the ground and take yourself apart before your eyes can truely see what the path before you leads to.

some new Puh-Ain-Tings

2009-05-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

"The Jumper"
16in by 22in
acrylic and ink on canvas

Well I'm going to start this post off with a picture that I created with the ultimately groovy Mr. Matt Ryan. He, being the illustrator that he is, illutrated this piece and I painted it. I love the way the scratches swirl around the canvas with the curiosity of a lion as they play off the harsh black inked contour lines, fun stuff I belive. Much love out to Nicole who purchased this work (the title I wrote on the back is way better then just "the jumper" but ah...I cant remeber it lol)! Oh and this, even though its the first, will not be the last time Sir Ryan and I work on a piece together.

"Silence Between Songs" 2ft by 4ft acrylic on canvas
with two detail shots

Next in line for your viewing pleasure is a piece I like to call "Silence Between Songs." This piece has a great texture covering the surface; when the acrylic paint was wet I brought in my blow torch over it to burn and pop the paint. The woman's body is covered with a series of scratches that seem to devour the burnt and aged body while the face stands clear and youthful with only the whites of her eyes leading the viewer to belive she may indeed be a souless winch, but is she? The only way to tell if this beauty is a truely kind spirit is to listen to the silence between her songs....

"You Can't Keep that up Forever..."
2ft by 2ft acrylic on canvas

This fella here is another one in my Face seriese. To me he seems like a faker, putting on the face that people want to see, not enjoying it at all. No one ever wants to have to fake their emotions, and when you do you can't keep it up forver. If you notice under his right eye (the eye on our left) is a small blob of paint that I didn't notice until a couple came by (before they purchased my "Portrait of Anthony" woo woo) and the lady remarked how it looked like a tear of blood. Maybe it is, maybe this guy has been putting on a mask for so long that it is starting to effect him. Oh and the back ground is covered with glitter so it sparkles in the sun.

"Loosely Dope-Ah-Mean"

2ft by 2.5ft burnt canvas on a burnt wood frame

Here is another installment of Dope-Ah-Mean, I have three more that I did but the pictures didn't turn out as well as this one so maybe I'll post em later. I think im starting to get a better grasp on photographing this suckers but only time will tell. I feel like this series is leading me somewhere, where that place is... I don't yet know. But I do know that getting there is exciting and each new Dope-Ah-Mean I create teaches me something new.

"Devil Mann"

16in by 22in

acrylic on canvas

This guy is kinda evil looking....okay he is totally evil looking. I feel like the Devil Mann represents the opposite side of "You Can't Keep That Up Forever...", he doesn't fake his joy, he has no joy, knows not the pleasures of life but only the delight of paint and misery. He is a liar, full of deceit and disgust. He represents an emotion that is okay to vist but never vacation in. Everyone feels this way at some point but only the few heartless people stay there never returning to rejoice elsewhere.

heeeerrreeeessss some cool pick-torals

2009-05-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well its a Friday, I should be on Jackson Square makin some mew-knee, but its one those rainy days, so I'm not. Instead I have decided to post a bunch of pictures.

So I really enjoy doing these large up close of face kinda paintings, actually the first painting I ever sold was one like this, I called it Ruggus (when I find the file I'll upload it). The one on the right is called "Snag it..." and the left is called "Weight'd Under Electric Blue Rain" both are 2ft by 2ft. On "Snag it..." I used wood stain to give that tanned skin look. Funny thing about "Weight'd Under Eletric Blue Rain" is I painted it with my dogs chew toy...interesting I thought.

"Trans-For-Mation" is about 22" by 30" (-ish I dont remeber the exacts) its acrylic on canvas with a bunch of polyurthane play goin on in there. Sold this is to my main man Lance Varg, he's a pretty damn good folk artists out of New Orleans who is also a happy owner of two (including this one) paintings of mine. I got one of his, oh yeah baby. This one has a pretty bitch'n frame that has similar colors as the envirmonet of this piece. The texture on this one is pretty wicked, when you burn wet acrylic paint it snap crackles and pops into some lovely texture and really brings the physicality of the painting up a notch.

This piece is a master study of one of my favorite painters Clive Barker. Dude's the shit no doubt. If you haven't seen his paintings, you should feel depreived because they're straight up awesome. This is actually my second study of one of his works, its called "The Asonists" its 22" by 30" (his painting is like 4ft by 5ft). I attacked this painting with the ferociousness of a Veloca Raptor, scratchings and smeers engluf this painting just as the flames dance around the man's body. This is piece is more of a translation then a copy because I could never paint as well as Barker does so I added my own twist on it, putting a bit of my personality into it. Every time I do a study of one of Barker's works it always helps me better understand the handling of paint. I included two smaller detail shots of the club (which I like to think is an old chair leg) and his face.

"Louisiana Woman, Mississppi Man" is a piece inspired by my mother and her new found love David (she being the Louisiana Woman and he being the Mississippi Man). He is a pretty country fella, but good for my mother, she just got divorced from a horid creature of man by the name of Tyrone Kemper (if you ever see him make sure you spit in his general direction, he is a low disgusting person but enough of that) this piece is 2ft by 3ft, its on a piece of aluminum and was shot with several shotgun shells then I drizzled polyurthane over it and burnt it. This is actually one of my favorite piece but never have I gotten so many "oh I can do that" type of comments, but fuck those people, I sold this piece and my "Pictorial Dope-Ah-Mean" to a nice little lady from San Antonio. My favorite aspect of this piece is the reflective quality the metal has, when the piece is hung in a room with normal ceiling lighting, the warped metal and gun shot wounds force the light into a magical trance of hidden wonders. Even more so when the light has a ceiling fan attached to it, as the fan spins around the shadows fall on the piece causing it to pulsate with the signs of life, blinking glares into the viewers eyes.

"Spring Crested Flowers" about 3ft by 2ft, acrylic and ink on canvas. This guy was a colberation I did with my roommate up in Memphis that goes by the name Mark Waguespack ( but I call him M. Wag). I think this is a pretty bitch'n painting, the colors are soothing, I have a mixture of my burning of rain drop technique in the back ground, the flowers are handled in a heavy impasto way, it have a nice balance, but other then that its pretty boring, I mean its flowers.....an old lady bought this....I think that sums it up there....

A few more paintings

2009-05-13T15:34:00.001-07:00

Last night/early this morning I did this painting of my friend Anthony. Its apart of a series I'm going to have through out the summer of portraits of people I know, but I paint the pieces with my fingers and with out my contacts in. I have pretty bad vision (-7.25 in both eyes) with out my contacts so everything is really blurry. I find the idea of myself being a visual artist but having naturally bad eye sight. If I lived a few hundred years ago I would have had to of been a monk working on tiny little scrolls all day.

"Portrait of Anthony" acrylic on canvas 2ft by 2ft

Some more older stuff

2009-05-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Okay this one is called "Up in Dope-Ah-Mean Flames" its about 3ft by 3ft. Sold it to a nice woman in New Orleans during French Quarter Fest

This one is called "OverWhelming Dope-Ah-Mean" 3ft by 3.5ft. One day I'm going to figure out a good way to take pictures of these paintings/wall sculptures, you can see in the holes threw the canvas the St. Louis Cathedral behind Jackson Square.

This is actually a picture that the buyer of this painting sent me. I lost my camera for awhile and wasn't able to take pictures of my work for quite a few paintings. But this one is called "Caught in a Spring Rain" its about 3ft by 2.5ft acrylic on canvas, thanks again to the nice couple from Dallas (i think it was) for the purchase and the picture!

First Blog Posting

2009-05-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got around to making a blog. I should be posting some of my previous work in the next few days followed by newer stuff as it is CCREATTEEDD!!

These are some of my more recent works:

This one is "Against my Side, Dope-Ah-Mean" 3' by 3' polyurethane and acrylic on burnt wood frame.

This one is called "Portrait of the Wolfmother" 16" by 24" ink, polyurethane and gesso on canvas.