After a little break

After having had a few days off in North Dakota, it was nice to get back to the mural at Vast Enterprise. I didn't get a full day on the mural as I spent most of it in Waconia taking down the exhibit there. Over all it was a great experience and had alot of comments. And I sold a few things to boot, so it was good. As for the mural, I managed to get the trim work painted on the house and garage and started laying in the windows on the garage. I also spent alot of time working on the trees and a few things as well. As of right now, I have six days to hopefully finish with a few extra days on the end if needed. So, with that, you can imagine what I will be working over the next week. Check back soon for more updates on the mural. Tomorrow will be spent laying out the slate tiling on the roof and maybe some window and door detail. PS. If you noticed a panel missing, it is from Mike taking it home to work on the driveway details.

Thursdays work

Well Thursday has come and gone and wasn't able to put a full day of work in, but still got some good things done on Vast Enterprise's mural. Now I will have a few days off as I go up to North Dakota for a wedding reception and party. Should be a fun time and a nice break. Don't worry though, I will be back at it on Monday after I take down the Waconia paintings. It will make for another crazy week that's for sure. So, have a great weekend and will post again on Monday night.

Mural Day #2

So day two has arrived for Vast Enterprise's mural and now I am starting to feel the fact that we are working all day on a large mural. But, after two solid days of progress and work, I feel we are right on track to finishing by the middle of next week. Crazy to think that yesterday as of noon there was nothing but a white wall. Funny how a day can change things. So in the pictures that I posted you can see some of the textures that are starting to form on the stucco look on the building and if you look closely, you can even catch a glimpse of me in one of the photos! In other news, will be taking down the Waconia show in the next week. Can't believe that it is coming up on six weeks already, but am anxious for some other fun events upcoming. Check back tomorrow for another days progress on the mural.

Mural has begun...

After a week or so of waiting, the mural for Vast Enterprises has finally come to light. Vast is a company that is producing some really cool blocks for patios, sidewalks, and driveways from recycled tires. For the mural, today was a very busy one with putting a double primer coat on the wall and then getting the sketch transferred to the wall so that we could start laying the main colors into the background. As you can see the wall is of a good size at 24 foot wide by 12 foot high and will be done before the 20th of June. The good thing is that I have the help of fellow artist Michael McCann and am looking to get alot done in the next day or so. The best part of the day was when we went to Lowes to pick up some paint and the lady who was helping got wide eyed in disbelief when we told her we wanted some 20 different colors made up. Talk about a crazy order. Anyways, just thought you would like to see what I will be working on over the course of the next couple of weeks. Be back tomorrow with some updates

Scary I know!

One of the things that I find myself not doing enough of, or at all, is the self portrait. I know it is strange to think about painting oneself, but it can be a useful tool in understanding facial features, and the evolution of yourself I suppose. If you think about how this can be utilized, you only have to look at Vincent Van Gogh and all of his great self portraits that he created over his lifetime. With that, when the opportunity came up to work on a self portrait for the Children's Book Illustrators Guild, I knew it was going to be a fun test to do another portraiture of myself. The goal was to create a self portrait in the style that our children's book work is done in. So i stylized my image a little to fit the technique that I use and went to town in creating this image. I know it is scary, but you'll get used to it. Let me know of any thoughts you guys have about your self image and portraits that you do! Here were the steps that I took to get to the final version. As previously posted at the beginning of the week, you saw how the background was completed as well.

The fun begins in two days

Well Saturday has arrived and have been feeling a little guilty about not posting for a few days. It is amazing when you get busy doing side things how quickly three or four days can pass. Mostly I have been taking care of some last minute details before the big mural project starts on Monday. How time will fly with that. Since I don't have any pics to share with you today, I wanted to share a quote I came across the other day about landscape painting. It is from the Mirror of Nature book I have been reading.

"Art must not represent nature in its natural state alone, but in its spirituality; only in that way is art natural." by Danish art critic Karsten Friis Wiborg.

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.

One more push

After much debate and thought, I am looking at getting one more painting done for the show next week. I was looking at the amount of pieces that focused on the canyon and thought the mill city painting needed a companion. Since it is so close to the exhibit, I have decided to work in Acrylics instead of oils. That way the painting will actually be dry when I hang it. The first image is the painting I have started of the old Pillsbury elevator that is on the opposite side of the Mississippi River banks from Mill City. I thought they would work well together. With any luck, it should be done by Thursday night. The other pic is of one of my walls that will soon be empty once the paintings go to the show. It will actually be nice to get the space back and start focusing on the next show which will be in July at the Edina Art Center. I only have a couple of my children's illustrations that will be done for that though. I am also starting to layout a major solo show that will have 20 -25 paintings that is going to happen next June here in the Twin Cities. Never too early I guess to start in on it. That way there isn't so much last minute work. Will be back soon with more crazyness.

Texture, texture, texture

Today started off as a busy one with a couple of meetings near downtown Minneapolis this morning. It was an especially nice ride into town since I had the sunroof open and the windows down enjoying the warm beautiful weather. Then it was back to business in the studio with the final pushes for the paintings. As I was working I noticed that the texture of some of the paintings were really cool to look at from the side. So I thought I would take a snapshot of that and show you myself. This one is a closeup of one of the apache trail paintings. The other photo is of Dakota as she lay on my pillow watching me work from afar. I am sure she is getting sick of all of this work as well! Anyways, will be back with some final pics in the next day or two.

Getting final touches on

Well, can't believe it is Wed. already. It is amazing how fast the week goes when it is busy. I have been working on getting the final touches onto the three paintings that are left to finish. This one is really close to being done, but have some more work on the rocks to deal with. The other two will hopefully be complete by Friday night. I also have been putting the final details in some painting workshops that I am going to be teaching the weekends of June 15th and 22nd at Homewood Studios in North Minneapolis. As the summer approaches quickly, I am really starting to look at a packed schedule. That is good though as it will keep the work flowing.

Frogs sounding out

Happy Sunday to everyone. I hope you have all had a great weekend so far. Things here have been beautiful with the weather. The frogs from the pond in the backyard are croaking like there's no tomorrow. It's nice though, feels like I am at the lake with the ducks and frogs and all. I even have the patio doors and windows open so the fresh air is nice as well. The first picture is looking outside of the studio space. I know the other photos have all been dark night shots, so this will be a little better to look at. The other picture is of the painting that I starting working on again. I am down to three paintings now that need finishing and am looking forward to getting them done. Its nice having a deadline approaching, otherwise I would be tempted to go outside and skip the studio work for a day or so. This way it keeps me on my toes and working away.

Apache Trail II final

Well, I am getting to the point finally on a number of the paintings where I can start putting some finishing touches on them. The Apache Trail II painting that I have attached is pretty much finished now (if a painting ever really is!). That makes four of them completely finished and another four that are ready to be completed by mid next week hopefully. I also have been working on the drawings as well the last couple of nights. I think it will all come together just in time. I also thought i would show another one of the "studio" shots to give you an idea of the craziness of my studio right. How empty it will feel when they all go out the door. At least I will have room to work on the next pieces.

NIght of Drawing

With many nights of painting lately, I thought it would be a good change of pace to get in some drawing tonight. As you can see by the photo, I have three of them to work on, but am happy that they are not the size of some of the paintings I have recently done. I also have been enjoying my increased studio space lately as well. It sure is nice having more space to work and lay things out. I guess it will just be a better excuse to make a bigger mess!

Sunday work

Thought I would give you guys an update photo on the painting.

Finally a springlike sat.

After a number of weeks with snow and cold weather, we are finally feeling like spring here. And I have my patio doors open to bring in all that fresh air. Don't worry though, I am still hard at work with the paintings. The snapshot here is an untitled piece that I layed out last night. It is the key mountain that you see when you start your way onto the apache trail in Arizona. Not sure of its name, but there is a number of residents that live at the base of it and will be painted in this afternoon. Check back to see the progress.

Also it looks like there will be a reception for the Waconia show on Monday May 14th at 6:30. I will give full details when they are settled but will more in likely be signing copies of a couple of the books I have illustrated as well. Have a great start to your weekends!

Kolb Studio Final

Here it is. The final Kolb Studio. I was having trouble getting a good picture of it with the camera and lighting so this will have to do. I am sure you can get a good idea of it. The piece itself is 24" x 18".

Kolb Studio progess's

After a short hiatus on the Kolb Studio painting I am getting back into it and working on finishing it by the weekend. I managed to get alot of things figured out with location and color in which I can start putting finishing highlights and textures on next. This one and some of the other ones I am sure you have noticed are getting a little more expressionistic with color and brush stroke. I am getting back into some of my old style that I had done a couple of years ago with texture and color and having fun with it. On the other front of things going on, I was invited to be apart of a Plein Air painting competition the week of July 17-20 in Aiken Minnesota. It will be a week of painting and enjoying the outdoors about an hour and a half from the twin cities. It is part of the River Boat Arts fest 2007 sponsored by the Jaques Art Center in Aiken. I will keep you posted as to the locations and times we will be out there so if anyone wants to stop by and check out the fun festivities you can. Plus all the paintings that are done in the field are available to buy, so they will be great gifts for anyone!!

Apache Trail II continues

Happy Easter everyone. I hope you were able to enjoy time with your families this weekend. Now it is time to hunker down again and get all the projects done that I have started. Sorry for the absense of posts this last week as well. I was occupied with some product illustrations that needed to get done and will be working on some more this week. As you can see by the picture, I have been able to work more on the Apache Trail II painting as well. It is getting closer to done, but will need to put more of the finishing touches when this layer dries a bit more.

Xtreme Weather

So here I sit with some snow on the way and it was just last week we were in the lower 80's. Hard to believe. At least it is April and the summer is not far away. As for work tonight, it has been a mix of working on another one of the paintings for the show (I don't think I have shown this one up close yet) and the start of an illustration project that has to be done by Thursday. I can really start to feel the pressure of getting all the paintings and drawings done with the show a little over a month away. I am anxious but know the pieces will get done on time and it will be a good show. What would work be like if there wasn't a little bit of anxiety that went with it!