Hello Blog

Ok so I've been out long enough, I miss you blog. Now that I'm a graduate and have taken my little break, I've been thinking a lot lately about what kind of art to do. I'm sure every artist has this dilemma. Make great art with no holds barred, or, make something affordable to make some money!

I've read a few articles on the thought of artists "selling out." According to the consensus most artists in the biz agree that making art for money is pretty much the goal of every artist, to live off of doing what you love. But where is the line exactly between that, and making something, just because you can, for a quick buck, which has nothing to do with you. Personally I believe this is a relative non issue with "no name" artists. You have to do what you can to make a name for yourself, just as long as you know what you're doing.

I've been thinking a lot also about what to paint in general. Experts say an artist should have a voice, an artist should have a style. Over the years I've met and have had the honor of befriending many great artists with styles so unique I could always pick out their works on the wall. I haven't always thought of my own work that way. I'm interested in so many styles and see the benefits and fun of trying them all. But when it comes to making yourself known, potential clients should be able to recognize you, thus insuring recognition with the world at large.

Maybe its ok to do all experimentation on your own, but are we really limited to what others recognize as our style? I've always thought the message, purpose, or content of a work should dictate what it looks like, regardless of whether its recognizable as mine, I'd rather the work be good, and speak on its own. One comforting thought in all this seems to be that even when I try new styles or apply new techniques, I've always been told the work still looks like me. Hmm.

D&D Pin-Up Challenge

Here is my final work for the pin-up challenge. It took about 3-4 hours. A pretty small piece 9x10 roughly. It was a lot of fun to do, and I can't wait to do more. The next challenge will be the Discover a Muse project. There's already been a lot of great entries!

D&D Pin-Up Challenge

So anyone who knows me, knows of my love of fantasy, combine that with my love of games, and presto! You have a love Dungeons and Dragons. I played with some friends a while back and it was truly some of the strangest and funniest times we've had. So I've often thought about trying my hand at doing the artwork since I had so much fun doing it for my character. Auroran was his name and some of my work with him can be seen here. How I miss playing!

I've been following the Art Director's weblog, and anxiously waiting to enter some of the challenges he's put forth. This particular challenge is to create a pin-up work of any of the various races in the game. Once again my friend Domonique has aided me in anatomical reference! So here are a few sketches of poses I'm thinking of.

Exquisite Creatures Show

Its that time again for the Exquisite Creatures: Mermaid and Octopus Show. We're at a new venue, The Norwood Flynn Gallery, on Bach Lake. I'll be joined by my good buddy Andre Williams in the show. I'm really excited about making this reception since I had to miss it last year for work. There's a live mermaid table planned, which is interesting and cant' wait to find out what exactly that is, lol. Balloon animals, live music, food, wine, coffee, outdoor patio, and all kinds of art work! If you're in the Dallas area, check out the website for details. Darling it's better down where its wetter! Under the Sea! Exquisite Creatures.

Here's a sneek peek at one of my pieces gracing the walls!

Gallery 173

So George and I's show went off without any bad hitches. It might have been nice to have a venue like other people use but I know there were a lot of benefits in being in the studio. Most of my closest friends came for support, and it was nice to see some new faces too. It took about 5 hours to set up the whole show, with moving desks, climbing up and down the ladder, and breaks. I was surprised we actually managed to cover all of the walls even through obstacles. Our next stop will be Cora Stafford Gallery next week!

EESAT Installation

Here's a piece I did for Fibers: Alternative Process class. An installation entitled "Comet" hanging in the Environmental Education Science and Technology (EESAT) building on campus.

Waiting to hear back from Voertman's show is nerve-wracking! In other news I've found myself looking for new inspiration. An artist seeking to create through experience will sometimes find himself lost in it unable to return to that in which he found comfort.

Voertmans

As a class requirement this year, I'm entering the Annual Voertman's Student Art Competition. There are 3 Watercolor dedicated awards. I'm optimistic about entering, but there is a lot of great work out there and it really depends on the taste of the juror. My stuff is not very traditional, or mainstream, but thats what I like about it. Here are the pieces I've entered, wish me luck!

Watercolor Studio - Thumbnail La Muerte

This is a thumbnail for a painting I'm thinking. I have a few planned that are heavily Latin influenced. I've always wanted to do them, but have been hesitant because I wanted to do them justice. I figure they'll only get better with time. The chance to include myself in some cultural art shows has also spurred the need to crank some of the bad boys out!

The painted work is still in progress, I need to add some more color and shadows, and then it will be a good working thumbnail. I even hesitate to make it a larger painting, because the small size gives it some intimacy. So the thumbnail could become a finished work maybe. We'll see.

Watercolor Studio-The Visitation

Today me and some international students got interviewed for our roles in the International Art Show coming up. I'm excited about my my piece. See my earlier posts for progress pics on this!

Watercolor Studio-1st Spring Painting

I was glad inspiration struck as I was going through some photos looking for a good one to start with this semester. I got the idea for a sudden spirit visitation, and I turned to some Chinese festival dragon costumes for some inspiration. While I was painting in studio I got the comment of how closely it resembles the cockroach from Men in Black. I can see that too, and I'm not opposed. Heh.

New Sketchbook!

I love getting new sketchbooks, sometimes to the point where I have more than one I'm working in at a time. It seems silly but I rationalize it by saying to myself that I'm organizing my ideas. But we all know better. My latest book is by Pentalic and its called the Illustrator's Sketchbook. If feels like a Moleskin with bright white pages, ribbon marker, elastic closure, and a pocket in back, but also a lot cheaper. Here are a couple of pages.

New Semester

Classes begin in a few hours. Bring on the creativity! Bring on the emotion! Bring on the bad ass ideas! LOL

This semester I'll be focusing on creating a body of work. It looks more professional, and it will help me really work out my ideas and explore them fully. I know its hard for me to stay focused because I want to move in a million different directions and I get tired of one style, or I want to blend a multitude.

This year in general I want to enter more shows. I'll be glad when the Bath House show comes up, I'll be making a few pieces for that. I had such good luck with the last show that I sold my piece. That was a really good feeling, one I'm sure every artist remembers!

Its my last semester in college, and I'm going to make it a good one!

Sleepy.

I just can't seem to stop playing Super Mario Bros. on Wii. Guh. So addicting, and such a nice way to spend time yelling and screaming with friends. I love propeller hats!

Another Year

A friend of mine pointed out that often we are excited about a new year, and despite all the resolutions and good ideas we have for it, many of them do not come to fruition. If this year is different for any reason, it will be to change that to the best of my ability.

My biggest and most important goal this year will be to graduate. Its been a long, hard road. I've been looking around to see what exactly I can do with this little degree of mine. My ultimate goal here is create art and get paid for it. I'm very interested in the illustration arena, and with that I will need to work hard on creating a portfolio to reflect that early this year. Another big interest of mine is game design. I love concept art, character design, background even! As a kid I could say my work leaned toward this area more strongly, I was constantly developing characters and background stories, and villains for them to fight. One idea I had was to resurrect those characters in their odd glory and breathe new life into them. I ran across some of those old sketches from grade school, and wondered what happened to that kid? Hah.

I also plan to work out more. That resolution always comes up after the holidays, as they often force me out of clothes that fit fine just a few weeks before. I'm thinking of trying yoga. I'm not real big on a lot of action, so it seems like something I can get into.

I want to start participating in more opportunities to show my art. So be on the lookout for announcements to upcoming shows! This past year I kept up with many galleries and annual events that I was really interested in, but couldn't seem to find the time or funds to enter. This year will be different. I'm sure I can hold off on that new season of anime to purchase an entry into a show, hehe.

This past year also saw me as an indoor locked up individual. Too many times I listened to the nagging of my friends trying to pull me away from Oblivion. As I begin to enter my career as an adult I need adult activities to help me network, expose, and perfect my craft.

This year will be about overhauling nearly every aspect of my life. It will be hard, but I have to say I'm excited about making something new.