Yes, It Is Grand

An image from the past year, the Grand Canyon.  Just a humbling reminder that there is something greater than us out there.

Upgraded Memory Of A Place

Digitally manipulating a photograph of an architectural detail yields new digital art, on my virtual wall.  All this, in a familiar color palette.

More Rain

Digital sketch, second generation, rain series.  Working title, "Moon Rise Over Forest With Rain".

Rainy Day Image Number 5

In the words of an old song, "Soon its gonna to rain, I can feel it." I am working on a new painting, and decided to sketch the essence in a digital format, shown above.  Why?  Just for fun.

Crane Shot Over NYC

A recurring theme in my photographic work, the crane shot.  A camera mounted on a crane for the purpose of capturing an image?  No, a shot of the crane itself, in this case, looming in the skies over downtown New York.

Memorial

Site of the September 11 Memorial in New York.  A fitting, moving tribute, well thought out and designed, and well worth a visit. 

Work In Progress

From the "In Progress" folder, a combination oil painting and digital sketch.  Not sure what the final work will look like, but for me, this is an exciting stop along the way.  When the paint dries, I plan to go back in.

Orange, Goes Well With Black

A collaborative work in progress to be sure, and, digitally manipulated, the original for which the above is based is still predominantly black on white.  I couldn't resist adding the orange, for that satisfying hit of saturated color.  

Dr. Ju and I have been working together again, and what a creative pleasure.  Written in Chinese characters, what does the above mean you ask?  All I can tell you is that it is a poem, some such as, "I am home drinking green tea, all is peaceful, and I am reading a poem from one of the ancient masters".  

All those who would create mayhem in our world could learn a lot here.

The Doors Of Zhujiajiao

The doors of Zhujiajiao, a rare and ancient settlement in Shanghai, removed from the shops and secured together during business hours.

Boston Red

Modified image, from the streets of Boston.  My old stomping grounds.

Colorado Sketch

Above, a sketch of the Colorado landscape, from a recent trip.  An emotional rendition.

Supra Natural

Above, a photo illustration.  Just having fun with a recent photo on a rainy day, transforming the natural into something supra natural, and creating something never seen before.  

Blue Blaze

Above, a marker on the Metacomet Trail.  I have been away for a while.  Creatively, a lot has happened.  It is good to be back, back on this path.

Something New In The Studio

Above, working title "White Nude, Blue Nude", a record shot to be sure.  Very pleased to have completed two new paintings in the last week. 

Desire

The word of the day is desire.

The Streets Of Beijing

Image of the day, the streets of Beijing.

Modern Man

Above, portrait of a modern man, my art project for the morning, involving sketch, scan, print, scan again, enhance with color, and stop.  

Time for tea.

In The Nude

Image of the day is a nude.  I have taken an oil painting of mine, primarily painted in greys, and digitally manipulated the image, introducing color, for an alternate emotional impact.

Blue Mesa

Part of the Arizona Painted Desert, rest your eyes on the Blue Mesa.

Image Composition

Foreground, middleground, background, check.  Yes, we have that, right here in this image of the Grand Canyon.  At the time, it was lightly snowing, on and off, and a bit of light broke through the clouds to light the floor of the canyon.

Make What Is Timeless Look Old

I have just returned from a road trip through the American south and southwest.  Above, a freshly taken photo of the Grand Canyon, made to look old by converting the image to a sepia tone.

An alternate version that I prefer.

Exceptions

I don't often like details of paintings, because I am always wondering what the entire piece looks like, but I will make an exception, and post a detail of my work, "Office Phantasm", shown above.  I suppose from time to time it is a good thing to focus our attention on a select portion, to go deeper and see more.

Every Picture Tells A Story

Above, a story in 32 parts.  Yes, this one is personal, could be called "Self Portrait".

Connections

When I was a young boy, I used to write a lot of letters to government agencies and large corporations.  Usually I wrote requesting information, or, proposing product ideas.  Above, a response from NASA, prior to John Glenn's first orbiting of the earth.  I had wished him well.  Thank you, John Glenn.  Oh, color added by me, just because I felt like it.

When I brought the NASA letter to school, they called in the media, and the next day I was featured on the front page of the local paper, see above.  Now-a-days they would have gotten a statement from the kid, but not back then.  Just the facts.

Photo Play

You can enhance a photo with some pretty dramatic effects, that is, if you manipulate the light levels.  Prior to the digital revolution, shooting slide film with a fully manual SLR camera, I used to achieve similar effects by slightly underexposing the image.  Often, I would focus, and set the aperture and speed according to the lighting, and then, close the aperture an additional stop for some added color saturation and depth. 

Aperture Revisited

Image of the day, an old painting, "Aperture", subtly updated through digital manipulation.  

After Courbet

Above, "Sleep", after Gustave Courbet.  I painted my own version, photographed the work, and then destroyed it by over painting.  Now, the painting has been digitally manipulated into something entirely new.

Power Of Water

Above, the aftermath of water on stones.  The result, smooth polished forms.  A beauty as calming as water itself.

Glass Blown Out

Above, an image from the collection at Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle, Washington.  The exhibition is well worth the price of admission, that is, if you are in the market to have your mind blown.

Enter

A photo shoot of my more recent work has been long overdue.  Today, I took the time to photograph quite a few paintings.  Above, see "Green Door", aptly titled.  My website has been updated with ten or so new(er) works.  Stop by, by clicking here.

Yesteryear Mixed Media Sketch

Another sketch from, well, a long time ago.  This one, a slice through an exhibit.  With regards to sketching technique, it is both loose, and tight, all at the same time.

Eighty Years Young

There is something endearing about government issued chunks of metal, that is, when they are not part of some weapons system, as in the case of the above geodetic survey marker, lodged in granite atop Flying Mountain, in Acadia National Park. 

The Dead Tree

Above, the majesty of the dead tree, a recurring theme in my work, gone all abstract.  This one, is on Beech Mountain, in Acadia National Park.  With it's unobstructed views, and easy landing/takeoff opportunities, it makes a good perch for a bird. 

What's In A Name?

In addition to other definitions, some have said that I am a surrealist painter.  Judging by the above piece, working title "Transparency", I think that is fair to say.

Zeitgeist

The word of the day, is "zeitgeist", the "spirit of the age", accompanied by an illustration.

Word At Play

The word of the day, is "transpose."