A "Big" project in the works

Well today I come to you with great news! Both on the art front and a new front in writing. First and foremost I found out this morning that my work was selected to be used in a very large 24 foot by 12 foot high mural in Northeast Minneapolis. That is 288 sq. feet of painting that needs to be done by the 20th of June. The good news is that I will be working with a close friend and fellow artist Michael McCann(no relation). I know that with the time schedule it would be impossible to do alone, so having him aboard is going to make a huge difference. So, over the course of the next two and a half weeks, I will be a little out of my mind with things to do, but increasingly excited about the things that are happening.

On a second note, it is cool to say that I officially became a published writer today as well. My article entitled "Take advantage of Free Listings" was published with the "Minnesota Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators". So with that, I think I have done a fair amount today and will get to work on some organizing of files to make the next couple of weeks go a little smoother.

Studio rearranging

After a couple of months living and working in my new space, I thought it was time to arrange a few things to make them work a little better. The best thing that came out of this all was a great new view I have of the outside. It almost feels like I am actually working out there! Now I can keep an eye on Dakota, work on my projects and still feel like I am not couped up inside. So, with my new space, I have started a new project. One of the things I need to accomplish in the next month is a self portrait in my children's book style. It is going to be going on the Children's Book Illustrators Guild new website when mine and everyone else's is done.




So to give you an idea of one of my techniques, I thought I would give you a little tidbit of how I get my textural aspect into my pieces. As you can see, I start out with some gel medium, cutup magazines, and a great piece of thick artist paper (arches). From there I just start laying out the pieces and try to get as much texture with the paper and also the medium. Once this is all done, I have to let it set for a day so that I can go back in and start drybrusing the acrylic on there to utilize the texture. Before that though, I will most likely shade the background a solid color to give it some "kick" behind the actually painting. Check back to see my beautiful face shot take shape over the next day or too!

Painting and constuction

As you can see by the photos supplied, I have been busy painting some more landscapes lately and also working with my cousin and uncle in building a new bathroom and shower in the basement. It will be great once it all gets done, but until then it is a mixed space with lots of commotion here and there. Its fun to see Dakota running too with new freedom and at the same time keeping an eye on her so that some of the tools don't go running off! Its amazing how quick she can be to snatch something and hide it! Hope everyone has a great start to their holiday weekend and have great weather to enjoy.

Wolf Kahn

There are many artists whose work inspires me to create and when a friend of mine recently mentioned the name Wolf Kahn, I felt like I knew who and what he had done, but couldn't put a finger on it. Then as I was digging thru my ever increasing library of books I came across a little publication of his work that I had received from a curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts a number of years ago. Looking thru that book of about 14 pieces really brought a new sense of color and composition that I had viewed many years ago. What a great feeling of reconnecting with imagery that was there, but not recognizable at a given moment. That's one of the things I love about having many books filled with great artists and thinkers and the like. When you need inspiration, what better place to start looking than thru some of the work of the masters. Unfortunately, most of my books I use as visual reference rather than reading, but I find myself studying more of the text lately. Maybe it is because of the Nordic book that I am reading now or just that fact that I have a moment to reflect on different things. The good thing though is that I have been taking this last week and a few days to rejuvenate my work and get back into a refreshed mode after pushing so hard the last few months. Now I feel I can work towards another great body of work and really put the attention into creating the pieces the way they need to be made. So until the next posting which will have a piece of my work( I promise), enjoy the art of a great artist that truly embodies color, composition and the use of brushstroke.

Great new book!

Well Saturday has come and another busy one planned. Was at a meeting this morning for the Children's Book Illustrators Guild in Minneapolis. It is going to be fun getting the upcoming "Imagine That" show together for the group at the Edina Art Center. Other than that, just the usual. I have been reading a great new book that is for an upcoming show at the museum. It is called "A Mirror of Nature: Nordic Landscape Painting 1840-1910". I always find it fun to study the paintings of others to see how they did what they did. And looking at some of the masterpieces from a hundred years ago is quite spectacular I must say! The reproductions are amazing in the book too!

Reception in Waconia

Well the reception for the show in Waconia was last night and had a blast with everyone that came. The photos that you see here are from before the people arrived. I am waiting for some of the pictures the pr person took last night to show up in my email so will be posting those as soon as they come. Until then, this will give you a little glimpse into it. The exhibit space is over 60 feet long so it was a nice long space it show in. Just outside the windows there is a waterfall and nice seating area so everyone can view into the windows and check out the work as well.

Summer Schedule is heating up!

After a number of emails recently about some of the upcoming events, I thought I would come up with a schedule to share with anyone interested in coming to the events I am a part of. Here is the current schedule thru August, but will surely have more added in the weeks to come. These will also be available on my website as they come up as well. Hope everyone is having a good weekend and a Happy Mothers Day and am looking forward to sharing some more art with you this next week.



May:

Solo Show at the Good Samaritan Medical Center in Waconia
May 7th thru June 11th
Reception Monday May 14th at 6:30 pm


June:

"Introduction to Acrylic Painting" workshop
June 15th, 16th, 17th
at Homewood Studios, North Minneapolis

"Introduction to Acrylic Painting" workshop
June 22nd 23rd, 24th
at Homewood Studios, North Minneapolis

July:

Teaching "Nordic Landscape Drawing in the Park"
at Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Sunday July 8th 1-4pm
Sunday July 15th 1-4 pm
Sunday July 22nd 1-4 pm
Sunday July 29th 1-4 pm

"Art Watch" White Bear Arts Center
July 11 thru 14th

"Imagine That" exhibit at Edina Art Center
July 12th thru August 21st

"Riverboats Arts Fest Plein Air Competition"
Jaques Art Center, Aiken, MN
July 17th thru 20th

August

Teaching "Nordic Landscape Drawing in the Park"
at Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Sunday August 5th 1-4pm
Sunday August 12th 1-4 pm
Sunday August 19th 1-4 pm
Sunday August 26th 1-4 pm

Writing for a change

After a few days off to catch up on some of the mundane things that added up while I was working on the exhibit, I have made it back to the studio to start in again on some new work. The main thing that I will be focusing on in the next three weeks is finishing a portraiture that has been popping up in the background of some of my past posts. It is of my brother and his wife and need to get it complete in the next three weeks. The majority of it is laid out already and tones added. But before I get into that too much, I have been working on a writing assignment that came in for the Minnesota Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. It is for an article that will be in one of their upcoming magazines. So it has been fun getting out of the usual routine and change things up a bit.

The show is up and running

Finally I can say that the Waconia show is up and running. I put the finishing touches with hanging the labels and rest of the paintings this morning. Now I will look forward to a book signing and reception on Mon. May 14th. Should be a good time with many new faces in the crowd. On the art front in the studio, I will finally get a jump on finishing a portraiture that I started a few months ago. Now that I can concentrate on that, it should go well.

Final Preps

The weekend to hang the show is here! I can't believe how quickly time has gone since I first started working on it. It will be a great feeling to get all the pieces down to Waconia and get them on the wall. Today will be spent putting the wiring and hanging brackets on all the paintings and getting all the labels finished. The nice thing is the weather isn't the best out there so it will make it easier to finish up inside the house with all the details without feeling guilty about being out there. I will also be working on an article for the Minnesota Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators for their upcoming magazine. So, with that, It should be another productive weekend.

Online registration up and running

After a few weeks of getting the details worked out, my two painting workshops that I will be teaching at Homewood Studios in Minneapolis are now open for registration. They are the weekends of the 15th and 22nd of June. It is going to be a blast and can't wait to get them going and meet new people. I also went and checked out the exhibition space again this morning and worked out a few details. The good thing is there is just enough room to display the large Mill City Painting. I think there was only an inch or two on each side left over once I get it up there. Now it is just getting the final details worked out before I hang the show this weekend.