on the drawing board: in the tropics

I've done palm trees in a picture in the past, and I have to say, I don't enjoy them.  They're too geometrical for me.  I can't just splotch on dabs of color in a certain way 'create' leaves.  Palm tree leaves have lines and edges against the background that need to be clean and sharp.  Frustrating.

on the drawing board: sunning

I woke up today to a cool apartment and an outside temperature only in the 30's (Fahrenheit), but hopefully I'll get some of the heat radiating from my sun-warmed life guard.

on the drawing board: back to the beach

While it is fall here in the Northeast and I've already done my Hallowe'en piece, I find myself working on a hot life guard on a tropical beach.  Normally the seasons influence what I do but this new piece is a commission and I'm finally finding the time to do it, even though the project came to me back in January.

So for the next couple weeks I'll be conjuring up feeling of Summer, sun, sand, and sea and the coconut scent of island drinks and sun tan oils.

on the drawing board: eye of a camera

I decided to add a little something to the background. Since Mike is a photographer I went with a camera lens. Often peripheral elements balance out composition and can draw the eye more toward the subject.

on the drawing board: up close and personal

With a few good solid days of working on the portrait, it's really starting to come together. Mike Ruiz saw the last in progress posting of his portrait and said "Wow! That already looks awesome!" Which is great to hear. It's a very different feeling working on a commission, because I'm not the only one I have to please, add to it that it is a portrait too and I realize why it is I don't do very many. I couldn't handle the pressure doing them all the time.

on the drawing board: the look

My latest project is a commission of and for celebrity photographer (and former model himself) Mike Ruiz. He found my work on facebook and then asked about commissioning a portrait. Inspired by his profession, I came up with the idea for his portrait, to base it on the famous photo shoot of Marilyn Monroe in which she is nude and playing around with a sheer scarf. Mike was on board and took a very sexy pic of himself for me to work from.

on the drawing board: dynamic duo

I know it's been a bit quiet here on the blog lately. I was spending a lot of time getting framing and things ready for my solo exhibit, and now am slowly getting back into the groove. My current piece is a commission and I just wanted to share the sketch. It's a portrait commission, and if you know me, that's not something I often do. But it just struck me right and felt it would be fun and interesting.

on the drawing board: commissionary man

Something else I've been working on simultaneously is a commissioned piece. It's intended to be the poster for a play. This is my third attempt to capture what the client wants, so I am not sure I want to keep on trying so this may not develop.

I've had an experience like this before. The client lays out the basic concept to me, and leads me to believe I have some creative input, but in reality they have a very specific idea of what they want. Perhaps it's a control issue, which makes it difficult, because I need some leeway to do my job.

New Work: Vers la Vie Nocturne

It’s been a long hard day and he’s been burdened by its demands. He’s ready to make some demands of his own. He needs action and release. Nothing will keep him from his destination, not even a downpour. He made his way across the city of light as every raindrop washed away his façade as the proper business man. He feels alive again in his element. He needs to get away from the structure of the day and submerge himself into the nightlife, vers la vie nocturne.

Full size limited edition gallery, limited edition studio, and open edition portfolio prints are available for purchase through my website. The Day of Issue sale is on until around Midnight ET September 5, 2008.

On The Drawing Board: Soaked to the Bone

For most of the summer it's been very rainy, with a thunderstorm almost every afternoon. So it worked out well that I was going to be doing this commission of a figure in the rain. It really helped to put me in the mood. However, since I got started on the piece the weather has been very clear and dry. Oh well...perhaps come January I'll do a hot tropical painting to ward off the blizzards.

On The Drawing Board: Aprés Moi Le Déluge

My latest work is a commission. The client really likes my "Rainstorm" piece and wanted something with a similar feel. He also mentioned quite a few of my figures to point me in the direction of the kind of guy he'd like. So -I- am liking how it's turning out so far, I am just waiting to hear back from him.