Happy 2015 To you, Happy Birthday To Me!
Without checking, I’m pretty sure that the last time I was here typing was a year ago, when I had a show at The Goodfoot. I wrote entries throughout my process of painting for that show. I’m here again, because it’s that time. Thursday Feb 26 is the opening for a 4 artist group show and I will be one of the featured creators. I’ve always loved showing at The Goodfoot and it’s been a key element in my last decade as an artist. For me, it exists as an environment and community, more than just a structure that has cool art shows, pool, pinball, craft beers, music concerts and amazing chicken strips. I wish that I’d been more consistant in my blogging entries, because there have been a lot of great shows happening there, and at other venues, that I experienced during 2014. But…I didn’t, so here we are starting fresh…sort of.
Here’s something new: I made a website for the series of volcanoes from last year (There will be more). This year, I finished 26 new pieces for The Goodfoot show. I put the final touches on them on my birthday, which was on Monday. It was a satisfying day.
So…Samurai.
That’s what the content is for my series that is opening at The Goodfoot. It’s really and extension of my inspiration from classic Japanese woodblock prints. I wanted to do more samurai last year and just didn’t have enough time. It’s all part of a bigger picture that I’ll get into later. For now, I’ll just start sharing some images.
Transferring small study with pen and ink into larger format brush and ink illustration.
Ink on Paper
Pen and Ink
Ronin Study
Pen and Ink with Watercolor
Welcome To Cascadia: Collaborations.
My first two shows at the Goodfoot, were 2004 and 2005. Natalie Oswald and I worked together to create series of collaborations that we did in a improvised style, working on them at the same time, passing pieces back and forth. Some great work came out of it and I learned a lot each time, lessons that I apply to my solo work as well. Some concepts are Non-attachment to the outcome or the object, being open to new techniques, learning from others and being willing to share ideas and techniques because it only progresses a style/movement/scene.
This series has four collaborations so far. Natalie painted/printed the background for the “Glow Koi” piece. It has some neat gold iridescent effect on top of the fish print. I finished one piece and here is a detail of a second piece that she started, same as the one I finished.
Detail, Natalie Oswald koi block print (became background for “Glow Koi”)
I like working with artists that I know will bring their best effort and do something rad even if it’s not what I expect. For this series, I had requests as to what I wanted them to add, but was open to however they wanted to do it. Heather DeWitt does some super cool miniature scenes, so I asked her for a forest to put on a shelf in the foreground of my first volcano painting. She made a partially burned treeline and we co-painted the ground and trees.
“Welcome To Cascadia”, Collaboration with Heather DeWitt, 36×24 inches
Detail, Collaborative forest, With Heather DeWitt
For years, I’ve loved the cranes and herons that Heidi Elise Wirz paints and draws. I saw a crane that she did for the Brink show here in Portland, so asked if she’s do a version of my heron piece. I gave her the same background scene that I’d worked with and she did this:
“Fire Crane” 18×24 inches, with Heidi Elise Wirz
Detail, Fire Crane, I love that she took the sci-fi element to a new level with the mutant version of the crane! Lots of linework and stippling!
I had a few ideas for Jonny Luczycki, but with the show approaching we settled on a samurai. The samurai is an element that worked its way in because of the Japanese print influence. Now it’s part of the narrative in this future world. Why samurai? I like the idea that it’s a return to old ways. It makes sense to me that in the potential destruction of cities, collapse of the technology grid, etc. that the bad asses would return to a simple and noble code.
“The Way”, 18×24 inches, with Jonny Luczycki
Detail, The Way, I like the painterly style on top of the graphic background. It’s good balance. It’s satisfying for me to see the same palette in two approaches.
I plan to add more collaborations to this series. There are other collaborations that are not part of this series and those will probably show up here at another time…
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