Begin Begin Begin pt.3

Recap: The past two quarters I participated in senior seminar class at Cal State Bakersfield. I created four new paintings for this exhibit. They were four five toot by four foot each, the largest I have ever painted. Working from concept to completion took a lot of gesso, many late nights, nearly all my paint for about five months.

 This body of work is history paintings, just as many artists have made. History is being made every day. The chalkboard represents an ever-changing history. The media takes information about people and events and filters into a perverse scandalized story that time goes on. As history is being written, all of these issues can be gets added to the chalkboard. Things get erased or added as revised, or even erased, based on who is telling the story.

Those who run for public office, such as the presidency, gain tons of media coverage, but whoever wins the race essentially gets more coverage in the history books. On the chalkboard that is history, this story might fade to the back. During a debate between president Obama and Mitt Romney, Mitt describes how he finds women to make a diverse cabinet, “we went to a number of women’s groups… and they brought us binders full of women.” 

*The beauty of painting is imagination.

For Further Reading:
Todd Madigan Gallery
Begin Begin Begin pt.1
Begin Begin Begin pt.2

Debate clip

Awkward Phrase

Binders meme

Begin Begin Begin pt.2

Recap: The past two quarters I participated in senior seminar class at Cal State Bakersfield. I created four new paintings for this exhibit. They were four five toot by four foot each, the largest I have ever painted. Working from concept to completion took a lot of gesso, many late nights, nearly all my paint for about five months.

 This body of work is history paintings, just as many artists have made. History is being made every day. The chalkboard represents an ever-changing history. The media takes information about people and events and filters into a perverse scandalized story that time goes on. As history is being written, all of these issues can be gets added to the chalkboard. Things get erased or added as revised, or even erased, based on who is telling the story.

The Slutwalks started as a protest in response to a Toronto York University Officer saying "if women want to avoid rape, they shouldn't dress like sluts." Protesters believe instead of telling a woman not to dress or act a certain way, authorities should instruct people not to rape. This woman covered her nipples and walked around topless at a protest and wrote on herself "still not asking for it."

For Further Reading:
Todd Madigan Gallery

Begin Begin Begin pt.1

Slutwalk Toronto

Still Not Asking For It

We Are Not Sharks

Begin Begin Begin pt.1

The past two quarters I participated in senior seminar class at Cal State Bakersfield. I created four new paintings for this exhibit. They were four foot by five foot each, the largest I have ever painted. Working from concept to completion took a lot of gesso, many late nights, nearly all my paint for about five months.

History painting series:

This body of work is history paintings, just as many artists have made. History is being made every day. The chalkboard represents an ever-changing history. The media takes information about people and events and filters into a perverse scandalized story that time goes on. As history is being written, all of these issues can be gets added to the chalkboard. Things get erased or added as revised, or even erased, based on who is telling the story.

The first piece in this series is called Brain.The mind is where all knowledge is stored and ideas are made. Thoughts are processed and decisions are made whether to do or say something, and in which way.  The mind is the place where behaviors are created. Imagination can make many things without letting them free. Mostly nice things like "Happiness is never decreased by being shared," get written on the chalkboard.

About the exhibit:

This year 29 students displayed art in the senior seminar art exhibit Magsimula Ibda Comience (Begin Begin Begin). Bakersfield is a place where race, culture and language collide and co-mingle. The cultural history of each student, is quite often reflected in their work and it is a privilege and a pleasure to be privy to such an exotic panoply. The aim of CSUB's BA degree majoring in Art is to help the individual student develop their own language within the parameters of contemporary art and the ever-expanding global culture. 

For Further Reading:

Todd Madigan Gallery

Begin Begin Begin

Rembrandt History Paintings

Noah and the Moon

I took on a last minute project to illustrate a children's book. The client, Katie Romley, had written a book, but was not inclined in visual artistry and wanted it complete in time for a birthday. I was given an empty card board book and a stack of post-its with the story on it.

I read the post-its and did some imagining to make a story board for each page.

Story Board

Her major request was that cover. Noah and the Moon. Written by Katie Romley. Illustrated by Alexandra Ortiz.

Noah and the Moon

The story left plenty of space for my imagination. "One day Noah found the moon. He put it in his pocket." Page one.

Finding the Moon

My favorite page was when Noah took care of the moon. "Noah placed moon in his room. He gave him pillows and blankets. At night he told him funny stories & brought him crackers." Page five.

funny stories

The book was fourteen pages. I wish I could share every page, but I know I gotta leave everyone wanting more. The client (the writer) loves it, and I'm pretty proud of the illustrations I made for this. It was a really good experience.

AIA II: Part Two: Friends With Many Toes

The Foundry had another Art Imitates Art challenge this year. Each artist was given a piece of art made by a child to use as inspiration for a new piece. Artists were instructed to keep the basic shapes from the original in the new piece.

child's painting

I chose this painting to work from because when I first saw it I pictured real faces.

Friends With Many Toes

In the finished painting, Friends With Many Toes, I was trying to keep as close to the shapes and color as possible. It took several tries. I had to study from live models, too. I tried to remember what it was like to be a child just coloring. When I was in kindergarten all of my people always had to have five fingers and five toes. Even if they were stick figures, they always had eyes, noses, fingers and toes. The shapes in the child's painting I was working from didn't include toes, per say, so I drew some in with black paint.

The show Art Imitates Art II opened the First Friday of March, 2013.

For Further Reading:

Dave Devries: Monster Engine

The Foundry