Ray-Mel Cornelius

Urban Palm Tree, San Antonio, TX

2012-01-16T08:08:00.001-08:00

A Magpie This Fall

2012-01-02T20:41:00.000-08:00

"A Magpie This Fall", acrylic on canvas, 40 by 30 inches.

Some of the posts in 2011 were a bit down, noting the passing of too many people. Necessary but hardly much fun. So, as an antidote, I'm starting this new year with something lively.

Few creatures are as lively as magpies. They squabble and fly around, find a spot and very noisily make it their own. They're also very graphically beautiful, all black and white. When painting one, and when being painted by a colorist like me, it's necessary to shoot some more color into the scene. Fall colors, especially those of New Mexico, are a good way to accomplish this.
I've done several pictures with Taos Mountain in them. I'll pull them all together into one post sometime soon.

In the Bleak Midwinter

2011-12-24T09:13:00.001-08:00

This is O L D, but I still like it. It was done for a Christmas Day issue of a newspaper supplement magazine. I had in mind what the object in the sky was, but I suppose I shouldn't identify it and leave that up to the viewer.
Someone once asked me "What is the spirit of Christmas to you?" and I dragged this out, much to her confusion. It's really more about the mystery and magic of winter nights in general, specifically those this time of year, with all of the connotations the various Winter holidays bring.
Whatever your holiday of choice might be, I hope it's a good one.

Happy Winter Solstice

2011-12-21T21:52:00.001-08:00

Bosch in the round.

2011-12-12T19:33:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we attended a holiday party at some friends' house. The lady of the house, artist Rosemary Meza, had a collection of toys and resin figurines, which were three dimensional interpretations of images from famous paintings. I found out where she got these figures and checked out the web site.

Among the most interesting figurines were those taken from Hieronymus Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights" and "The Temptation of Saint Anthony". I also thought it was interesting that the subjects chosen were among the more horrific images in those paintings, the monsters and demons wreaking their own Boschian havoc on sinners and malcontents deemed unworthy of Paradise.

I found one of my favorite images from Bosch's work recast as a figurine and will one day get one of my very own. Of course it ended up being one of the more expensive pieces.

It's the "Tree Man", which always looked like an eggshell to me. In any case it's from the "Hell" side of "The Garden of Earthly Delights".

There was also a series of pieces based on Salvador Dali images. Dali was probably my favorite artist, followed by Bosch and M.C. Escher (who is represented by 3D versions of his "Tessellations" series), from my college days. One of the Dali pieces is from "Geopolitius Child Watching The Birth Of The New Man", which back then hung in poster form on my bedroom wall.
I think it's interesting that while the Dali pieces are from some of his most famous paintings, his signature image, the melting watches from "Persistence of Memory" aren't among them.

Anyway, these objects and others can be found at Museumize.com.

Late bird

2011-12-09T07:25:00.000-08:00

A student found a dead bird outside the classroom and brought it to class wrapped in a paper towel. She laid it out and proceeded to do several very nice drawings of it. So I decided to do a drawing of it, too (and I'm only showing mine).
It was poignant seeing the bird separated from its previous life and I hope in our different interpretations we depicted it with dignity.

Dugald Stermer

2011-12-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

I'm sad to hear of the passing of Dugald Stermer, a great artist who was always passionate about his work and his profession. Although my encounters with him were limited, he was always generous with his time and hospitality.
At the 2005 San Francisco Illustrators Conference my wife Becky and I were fortunate to have dinner with Dugald and Brad Holland. Dugald was jovial and full of stories about mutual acquaintances. It was one of my favorite evenings.
His work can be seen here.

Winter Berries

2011-11-28T07:33:00.000-08:00

"Winter Berries", 6 by 8 inches, acrylic on canvas.
This piece is my donation to the Dallas Challenge Auction Party, benefitting Dallas Challenge, a non-profit organization that has provided prevention, intervention, education and outpatient treatment services to over 147,000 kids in North Texas since 1984.
The auction is Thursday, December 1, 6:30 - 9:00 pm, at Norwood Flynn Gallery.

Holiday cards with this and other artists' images can be acquired, with proceeds benefitting the organization, from Dallas Challenge.

"Finalist" in The Artist's Magazine

2011-11-22T14:34:00.000-08:00

I've posted this image before, but the December issue of the Artist's Magazine features the winners of their 28th Annual Art Competition. I wasn't one of those, but I was a "Finalist" in the Animal/Wildlife category.
That means my name was listed, but without an image of the painting I submitted. So here it is, "Icons".

An addendum; I learned this Thanksgiving weekend that "Icons" has been sold. So thanks to the buyer and I hope it fits well into its new home.

Wasted energy

2011-11-18T08:23:00.000-08:00

Having energy to waste, and wasting it, in a futile effort may be the ultimate vanity. But we never know what might be futile until it we've tried it.

Beethoven

2011-11-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

It's 34 days until Beethoven's birthday.
He lived in a world of silence, but created some of the greatest and most important music.
This image has been used by a local Beethoven ensemble for the past several years.

Copper Moon Gallery, Taos, NM

2011-11-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that my work is now represented in one of my favorite places, Taos, New Mexico. The new Copper Moon Gallery on Kit Carson Road, near the Plaza, shows my paintings. Other artists include metal sculptor Tom Wheeler and paper artist Ed Morgan, among others. If you're in the area, check it out.
Sorry, I don't presently know the name of the designer of the gallery logo, pictured above, but when I learn that I'll give him/her credit.

Coffee is good fuel.

2011-10-21T08:31:00.002-07:00

Although I never drink it. I've never acquired the taste. I do drink iced tea, though, no matter what time of year it is.
This sketch, of a patron who may have had one frozen latte too many, was done on site at a particularly famous corporate coffee shop.

"Vortex Tour"

2011-10-19T21:54:00.001-07:00

"Vortex Tour", acrylic on canvas, 30 by 24 inches.
This painting, it subject inspired by a trip to Sedona, AZ, will soon be on its way to its new home in Austin, TX. The new owners are practitioners of Tai Chi. Very "TexZen" they said. That would have been a good title, too.

James Cornelius July 3, 1937 - October 6, 2011

2011-10-08T09:24:00.000-07:00

I usually use this space to talk about my professional life, although once in a while I'll veer off into a personal story. This is going to be one of those times.

I have two brothers, Derrell and James, who were teenagers when I was born. James died October 6 at the age of 74. The reason I mention this here is because James was, with the possible exception of my mother, my most enduring and enthusiastic cheerleader and loyal supporter. From the time I was aware of anything he encouraged and enjoyed my drawings, no matter how wild they were. Whenever I needed help, of any kind, or advice or compassion, or occasional kick in the ass, he would provide it without hesitation. Any suggestions he made, even bad ones, were intended to help me and to make me more successful. He never offered criticism uninvited.

I can't really list all the ways he changed and affected my own life for the better. That would require a book. My parents were lovely and well meaning people, but their interests, or at least my dad's, didn't go much beyond the farm I grew up on, or the small town environment they made their home. My brothers expanded my childhood horizons and introduced me to things and places I wouldn't have experienced until much later, if at all. Whatever I am today that's good, James was a big part of making that possible.

It's a cliche to say someone "loved life", but if such a description applies to anybody, James is the one. Although that life handed him some difficulties which were understandably disillusioning, particularly to a person who mostly saw and expected the best from people, he never let cynicism or bitterness define who he was. If you wanted or needed a friend, there was none better. He was generous and warm and witty. He loved children, and could make any kid laugh with expert silliness. I'm don't think there was a sound he liked to hear more than that of a kid laughing.

He showed great compassion to everyone in almost any situation. In the last few years he experienced the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. From the point of his diagnosis he volunteered for a study that used experimental drugs to treat the condition, in the hopes of finding a treatment or even a cure. There are risks in such a program, but he jumped into it with enthusiasm, and not just for how it might help him. His main focus was in helping other people, future Alzheimer's patients for whom successful tested medications could make a positive difference. His doctors suspect one of the medication's side effects contributed to the weakening of the main artery carrying blood to his brain, and could have been the cause of the kind of aneurism that ended his life. He may have sacrificed his own life to help people he would never know. That's the definition of a hero. But he was always a hero to me.

Big Tex

2011-10-01T08:45:00.001-07:00

A great night

2011-09-25T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some pix from the opening. The show continues at Norwood Flynn Gallery until October 15.

I should add, the turnout was great, with many more visitors than these photos suggest. A friend grabbed the camera and started clicking away for a few minutes.
The photos of the exhibit are ones I took earlier, before anyone else had arrived.

Tonight's the night...

2011-09-24T11:11:00.000-07:00

...for the "Poets and Cattle" opening at Norwood Flynn Gallery in Dallas, from 6 - 8 pm. As I may have mentioned, the show runs through October 15.
Here are "Emily Dickinson's Cows", numbers 1, 2, 3, and 5. I lost the scan of number 4, so I'll have to add it when I can rescan it.

And it gets closer.

2011-09-21T21:11:00.000-07:00

The opening for "Poets and Cattle" is this Saturday, September 24, 6 - 8 pm, at Norwood Flynn Gallery in Dallas.
Here are the latest additions.

"Alfred, Lord Tennyson", acrylic on canvas, 14 by 18 inches.

"Charles Baudelaire", acrylic on canvas, 11 by 14 inches.

"Poets and Cattle" postcard and poster

2011-09-14T08:59:00.001-07:00

These are the postcard and the poster for "Poets and Cattle" at Norwood Flynn Gallery in Dallas. As I may have mentioned before, the opening reception is September 24, with the exhibit running through October 15.
The poster is about 20 by 35 inches and is available here. If one were to want one signed, that could be arranged by contacting me at my e-mail address, ray-mel@raymelcornelius.com.

"Poets and Cattle" statement

2011-09-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

These paintings were titled in honor of the Brownings, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett. Both are acrylic on canvas, 9 by 12 inches.
Here is the artist statement for this show, which is opening, as I've probably mentioned, with a reception September 24, 6 to 8:30 pm, and ends October 15.

"Those cattle smaller than a Bee, That herd upon the eye..."

So begins the poem by Emily Dickinson that inspired this series of paintings. Cattle are symbols of the pastoral American mythology we all carry in our collective subconscious, regardless of whether or not we have first hand experience with them.

In painting terms, the forms of cattle provide an opportunity to explore mass and shape, as well as color, texture and composition, their rectangular geometry creating contrast to the organic landscape serving as the base.

The Big Three-O

2011-08-31T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today marks my thirtieth year as an independent professional artist. After graduating from college in 1977 I spent a year staggering around Los Angeles in various free-lance positions for a couple of different design firms. I also landed some illustration projects. Then I was hired in a full time job at a Houston studio, where I stayed for three years. When I decided to go back out on my own Dallas was the logical place to start, since I had many friends and family in the area.

On September 1, 1981 I set up my drawing table in my little Oak Lawn apartment and the rest is hysteria. To commemorate the occasion I'm posting the image that adorned my first business card. It has been an interesting experience and we'll see what the next thirty years may bring.

"Birds and Budding Flower"

2011-08-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I delivered "Birds and Budding Flower", acrylic on canvas, 36 by 36 inches. It's to be installed at the new Scott and White Children's Hospital in Temple, Texas, which opens in October.

This was the preliminary sketch. Below are photos of the piece in progress.

Here I've used a grid system to enlarge the sketch and draw it onto the canvas.

Some of these photos are not particularly good, sorry. In this one I've begun my usual dark-to-light painting technique to build the forms. I've changed and simplified the stamens.

More progress on the flower.

The birds and the stem and leaves are completed, and I've started on the background. I always paint from the front subject to the back.

I was concerned the background was a little to dark for a children's hospital setting, so I added some clouds at the top to lighten everything. Here the finished painting sits on my easel.

When the hospital opens I'll visit the site and post a photo of the piece (and probably me beside it) in its new home.

"Strokes of Genius"

2011-08-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that two of my sketchbook drawings, above, are to be included in the un-humbly titled Strokes of Genius 4: Exploring Line, published next year by North Light Books. I'll revisit this when the book actually comes out. There were 112 artists chosen for inclusion out of 1650.

The top drawing is in pencil, and was done while I was waiting for a burger at a restaurant. The bottom one was done with a Sharpie. The sprawling oak tree was in a field. You can click on them to see them larger.

Accidental art...

2011-08-04T11:41:00.001-07:00

I spent the last two and a half weeks in Taos, New Mexico, among my favorite places anywhere. For awhile now I've been thinking about photographing shapes or textures or whatever which read as art, albeit accidental art, to my eye, and posting them here. So here's the first one.

I saw this shape on the floor of a Taos building and immediately it called to mind the petroglyphs found carved by prehistoric people on rock walls and in caves. This is obviously not prehistoric, nor is it an intentional marking, just an accident of spilled paint or scratch marks made by moving objects on the floor. That I made the connection with petroglyphs shows how being in an environment as magical as Northern New Mexico can play with one's mind.

Favorite paintings*

2011-08-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

Lee Baxter Davis, "The Essentials of Love", 18 by 22 inches, ink and watercolor on paper.

For over thirty years Lee Baxter Davis was a professor (he's now retired) at my alma mater, East Texas State University (now Texas A&M Commerce). I actually had him as a teacher in a woodcut class. We had a pretty rocky teacher-student relationship since his was one of the last classes I was taking before graduation, and I never understood why such a class was on my degree plan, since woodcuts were the last thing to possibly interest me or to have any relevance to the direction I was going. Lee, of course, thought it was the most important class ever. It was at seven-thirty in the morning, plus I was going through some weird personal stuff, never mind the stress of trying to get out of school once and for all, so conflict was, I suppose, inevitable. Lee also had a dim view of communication arts, which was my major, so that only added to the tension.

That said, I always admired his work, and years after I was out of school as a student I returned to the University for one of their Christmas art sales. This painting, an ink and watercolor piece, was available, so I snapped it up. While it's not as wild as much of his imagery, I liked everything about it, including the "love" references. I was newly in love at that time, so it seemed to find a place in my interests.

Lee was a very successful teacher, my issues notwithstanding, influencing many disparate artists working today, including Gary Panter, the renegade punk cartoonist who is best known for his many published sketchbooks outlining life as he sees it, as well as his art direction and design for "PeeWee's Playhouse", probably the best avant garde performance art concept turned popular children's show ever made. Greg Metz, a powerful political artist who also teaches at the University of Texas at Dallas, was another of Lee's students. So was Whitney Biennial artist Trenton Doyle Hancock.

Lee's work is included in the Dallas Museum of Art and Houston's Contemporary Art Museum. He was represented in New York by the Clementine Gallery until recently. He is now living in Greenville, Texas, and, I imagine, continuing to happily explore his singular vision. I'm happy we have this painting to enjoy.

More of Lee Baxter Davis' work can be found at his website, www.leebaxterdavis.com.

*Which I also happen to own.

A Summer place...

2011-07-11T15:29:00.000-07:00

This seems like a good Summer image to post.

I'm going to be out of place for a couple of weeks, so posts to this blog may be even more scarce than they have been recently. After this time away I'll get caught up with some of what's been going on up to now and beyond.

"Anna Laetitia Barbauld"

2011-07-06T15:27:00.000-07:00

"Anna Laetitia Barbauld", 10 by 8", acrylic on canvas.

More poets, more cattle

2011-06-16T12:09:00.001-07:00

Here are some more paintings for "Poets and Cattle", coming to Norwood Flynn Gallery in September. All are acrylic on canvas, 8 by 10 inches.

"Thomas Moore"

"Joanna Baillie"

"William Wordsworth"

"Mini Takka"

2011-06-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

At the top of this photo is "Mini Takka" on the wall of its very neat and clean home.

"Sara Teasdale"

2011-06-03T11:15:00.001-07:00

"Sara Teasdale", 16 by 16 inches, acrylic on canvas.
This is another piece from "Poets and Cattle", my September show at Norwood Flynn Gallery.

Shadows

2011-06-03T09:13:00.001-07:00

From an old book, Fun with a Pencil by Andrew Loomis, I learned how to create accurate shadows for invented scenes without photo reference. I teach the technique in one of my illustration classes, sometimes to the chagrin of students who try to make it way more complicated than it is.

I used the system in this early illustration for a magazine article on private chess clubs in New York City. Above each table is its own light source. The sconces on the wall woudn't provide enough light to interfere with the lights above the chessboards.

I've used this method a lot, but not all the time. As I tell the students, it's good to know it even if one doesn't use it.

Rooster bowls

2011-05-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

These are found wooden bowls on which I've painted rooster heads. They are about six and a half inches wide, and about two inches deep. The bottoms are painted with the same colors, more or less, as the inside of the bowls. There is a gloss varnish on the top ring and inside, and a matte varnish on the bottom. I'm working on various other sizes, and probably other imagery, too. The rooster heads are the first series.

"Lord Byron"

2011-05-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

"Lord Byron", 12 by 24 inches, acrylic on canvas.
Scheduled to open September 24 at Norwood Flynn Gallery in Dallas, "Poets and Cattle" will be my next show.

Jeffrey Catherine Jones, 1944 - 2011

2011-05-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey Catherine Jones, a.k.a. Jeff Jones, began her career as a fantasy and science fiction illustrator in the 1960s. She was the only illustrator to rival the great Frank Frazetta in originality of imagery and style on the many paperback book covers which caught my pubescent eye. Those covers reinforced my realization that one could actually pursue a career in making images, and they were a profound influence in the direction of my life focus.
She died this morning.

The economy of detail and color and directness of paint application found in her paintings are qualities I have admired from my first encounter with a Jones painting.

Okay, you can probably see why this cover would be compelling to my 14 year old eyes. But it's one of many books I bought with Jones covers, not all of which featured the female anatomy so prominently.

This is a good example of how Jones used no more or no less detail than was necessary to make this statement. It's a beautiful example of her fantasy imagery.

In recent work she approached plein air landscape painting, and those may be some of my favorites, maybe more appealing to my adult eye. Here are some examples.

My sympathies go out to Jeffrey Catherines Jones' family and personal friends. Her many fans, including me, will miss seeing new work, but will always be glad to have experienced this singular artist's vision.

Visual Speed Bump 2011: The Oak Cliff Studio Tour

2011-05-13T15:25:00.000-07:00

My increasingly cool neighborhood of Oak Cliff is a haven for artists of all kinds. The annual, or maybe it's a biennial, since the last one was two years ago, studio tour happens tomorrow, May 14. If you're in the Dallas Texas area, come by. Here's a link to the tour web site with a map and the names of participating venues, including mine.

Checking back in on Tuesday, the 17th, after the tour day, here are some views of the place before the crowds arrived. And yes, there were crowds.

The entry.

The merch table.

Two views of my, as one visitor put it, "tiny but bright" studio.

One of our cats, JemSneakers, was designated Official Speedbump of the "Speedbump Tour".

"¡Lotería, Lotería! (Tres)" reception

2011-05-05T16:15:00.000-07:00

The "¡Lotería, Lotería! (Tres)" exhibition opening reception was last Saturday night, April 30. Here are some random photos from the event. There were many other fine pieces in the show, so this is not intended as a comprehensive survey, just some work that caught my eye.
As always, the opening was well attended and fun.
Thanks again to Enrique Fernández Cervantes and the Bath House Cultural Center for the opportunity to participate in this great event.

Here I am with "El Pájaro"

Linda Stokes with her "La Mano"

Don Huff and Chet Phillips with Chet's "La Muerte"

Michael Benson with his "La Calavera"

Kathy Boortz, "El Gallo"

Lilia Estrada, "La Botella"

Two views of Dan Dudley's "El Bandolon"

Tomas Bustos, "El Perico"

Cap Pannell, "El Diablito"

Julia McLain, "La Araña"

Jose Vargas, "El Sol"

Amalia Elmasri, "El Pescado"

Michelle Akers, "La Corona"

Pastor Garcia, "El Tambor"

Rebecca Guy, "La Luna"

David Medina, "El Violoncello"

Genaro Hernández, "La Rana"

Thought for this week.

2011-05-03T13:17:00.001-07:00

I have posted this before, but I think after the events of the weekend it deserves another look.

It was originally created in 2002 as part of a piece exhibited in "Prevailing Human Spirit", an exhibit at the Museum of American Illustration in New York. Immediately after September 11, 2001 there was an understandable air of dread, that some seemed to suggest would be a permanent state of affairs. We could have bowed to fear and overturned our whole philosophy of life and government, creating a police state with some amorphous idea of "security" overruling all other considerations. The Bush/Cheney administration did their best to bring such a concept to fruition. But our system was strong enough to limit the damage they were willing to do in order to achieve all of their ends, although plenty of those were still achieved and remain with us today.

But the boogeyman is finally dead. What this will change I don't know, but the symbolism of the act is strong, and if this end brings some measure of peace to those personally affected by the crimes perpetrated, then it's a good thing.

The important thing, as far as I'm concerned, is to not live in fear; fear of those different from ourselves, fear of things over which we have no control, and worst of all, fear of each other. The only message of this piece I would change is don't be afraid of anything, whether or not it's "evil".

The lesson

2011-04-29T07:38:00.000-07:00

There is one in this somewhere, I'm sure.

¡Lotería, Lotería! (Tres)

2011-04-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

I was invited to contribute a piece to this show at the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas. This is "El Pajaro", 20 by 16 inches, acrylic on canvas. The exhibit opens Saturday, April 30, 7 - 9 pm.

Here is the concept, from the Bath House web site:
This exhibition features 54 local artists who created artwork based on the pictures and symbols from La Loteria, a popular Mexican board game. Loteria resembles a form of bingo that uses pictures instead of numbers. In the game, each player is given a card with 16 squares with pictures and beans to mark the squares that have been called. The first person to get four pictures in a row, vertically, horizontally or diagonally, hollers out LOTERIA and wins the game.

La Lotería is produced by popular artists throughout Mexico. There are different versions of the game, all lovely variations of what remains, essentially, the same symbols. The images from the game depict common everyday objects, places and characters that are easily recognized and significant to the traditions and culture of Mexico.

Artists: Michelle Akers, Michael Benson, Rita Barnard, Kathy Boortz, Tomas Bustos, Gabrielle Castañeda Pruitt, J R Compton, Ray-Mel Cornelius, Misty Dean, Viola Delgado, Christa Diepenbrock, Carlos Donjuan, Emily Donjuan, Dan Dudley, Lori Dudley, Amalia Elmasri, Lilia Estrada, Jacque Forsher, Merry Fuhrer, Maria Teresa García Pedroche, Pastor García, Rebecca Guy, Genaro Hernández, Jacinta Hernández, Juan J. Hernández, Johanna Roffino-Hulsey, Alex Hulsey, Peta Jones, Jenny Keller, Darrell Madis, Freddie McCoo, Julia McLain, David Medina, Sandra A. Moreno, Roberto Munguia, Lupita Murillo-Tinnen, Mylan Nguyen, Andrew Ortiz, Anna Palmer, Cap Pannell, Chet Phillips, Brooke Opie Ragusa, Marty Ray, Richard Ray, Janet Reynolds, Linda Lucía Santana, Armando Sebastian, Linda D. Stokes, Jeanne Sturdevant, Chris Tinnen, Jose Vargas, Giovanni Valderas, Juan Valdez, Tom Walker, and Tim Wilson.

More on the original Lotería cards can be found at this link.

Thanks to Enrique Fernandez Cervantes for the invitation.

KaDa Films

2011-04-20T08:06:00.001-07:00

I was invited to be a part of this on-line auction benefiting an independent film project. The piece I donated is "Suddenly Last April", 8 by 6 inches, acrylic on canvas. Here's a link to the auction and project information.

"Eli" print...

2011-04-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

I admit, this is a stretch, almost literally. But if you crane your head to the left and look past that "vent-a-hood" you can see a framed "Eli" print in the kitchen of a vacation house in Houesville, France, on the Normandy coast.

Two media, one subject.

2011-04-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

The piece on the left, "Suddenly Last April", is an acrylic on canvas painting. It's small, 8 by 6 inches. On the right is "April", a mixed media and digital piece, 7.5 by 6.5.
"Suddenly..." is going to an auction for an independent film company, raising money for a project about the "therapeutic process of Art Therapy as a healing and life enhancing practice", according to their brief.
"April" is another exploration of the "Neo-Retro" style I have been developing over the past couple of years. It has evolved from a kind of brutish and primitive look to something more, if I may say it, elegant and refined. Examples of its evolution can be found at this link.
Anyway, I thought it would be an interesting juxtaposition to show the different styles. Interesting for an easy Saturday morning, anyway.

Sea Change

2011-04-06T08:21:00.001-07:00

Who doesn't feel this way sometimes these days.

Past blast

2011-04-01T09:10:00.001-07:00

About thirty-two years ago I made this piece and gave it to two friends as a gift. I don't remember the occasion, if there was an occasion. Each boot represents one of them as an individual and the pair represents them together. I lost touch with the couple for several years and I was happy to recently hear from one of them. He said the piece still hangs in his house. That's always good to know.

Toy

2011-03-25T07:38:00.001-07:00

I'm looking forward, for our cats' sake, to the coming June beetle season. Those fat, slow flying bugs are among their favorite early Summer toys. Here is a drawing of Scout relaxing while contemplating her next act of insect torture.

Fair Trade

2011-03-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

I do these pieces in the "Neo-Retro" style because I really enjoy the process. And they are really fast to produce. Speed of production has always been a problem for me. My mentors worked very laboriously on their own image making and when I was in college the fact that a project required fifty hours to create was some kind of wacko (in retrospect) badge of honor. My acrylic paintings still are very labor intensive, but that labor is one of love, to be sure. But it's still nice to be able to make an image quickly that still has visual strength, and it's great to mix up the media once in a while. Keeps us fresh in all areas of endeavor.
As with all of these postings, you can click the image to see it bigger.

Greens

2011-03-20T13:14:00.001-07:00

Light Bugs

2011-03-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

Click on this image to see it bigger.

Hecho En Dallas

2011-03-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

"Made in Dallas", in its English translation, is a regional juried exhibit held annually at the Latino Cultural Center in Dallas. My painting "Eli" was included this year. Here are some photos from the event, last night, March 10.
When I know the artist I'll mention it, and if I don't remember I'll just leave the photo without comment. If anyone reading this can and wants to identify anyone's work, feel free to do so in the comments and I'll add the info.

Outside the entry to the show.

Inside at the show.

Here I am with "Eli", looking fairly relaxed.
Me, that is, not "Eli".

To get some scale for Sherry Owens' beautiful Crepe Myrtle branch wall sculpture, I asked Becky to stand beside it.

Jeanne Camp McIntosh with a painting from her swimming pool series.

A large painting by Michael O'Keefe.

James Michael Starr.

Susan Lecky.

I want to thank the jurors, Awadh Baryoum, Elizabeth Mellott, and Marty Ray, for including my work in this year's show.

The Chooser

2011-03-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

How are choices decided upon? There are times when it seems the choices made by the choosers are random at best. That may be unfair as an observation, but no more so than how choices are often made.
This is another Neo-Retro sample, with that in mind.

Another detail

2011-02-26T11:21:00.000-08:00

This is another detail of a larger painting. I'm now using it as the index page image on my web site.

"Swarm"

2011-02-25T07:38:00.001-08:00

Sometimes it's interesting to isolate a small part of a larger painting, and see if it makes something new. In this case, it's the lower right corner of "Outside".

Lady Gaga

2011-02-22T21:50:00.001-08:00

I see Lady Gaga as a combination of Madonna and David Bowie. While her music is not really my taste, a little too "pop"/dance (the latter of which I do very badly, so I don't do it at all), I do like "Bad Romance". Even that song would have probably never been heard by me but for the gym I sometimes visit, with its top 40 radio station blasting, about twenty minutes apart, that and every Ke$ha, Katy Perry, etc. sound to make the airwaves.
But my preferences aside, in interviews she makes references to her "little monsters", fans who feel outcast, uncool, nerdy, all those things which, if one is considered such, makes adolescence much more difficult than most adults realize or remember. So I have to admire her for reaching out to that demographic and giving them a feeling of acceptance.
Her stands taken in favor of gay marriage and the humane treatment of animals, while maybe not that radical or surprising, still show an interest in more than just draining cash from the pop music trough. So here's a little tribute for Lady Gaga, and another sample for the "Neo-Retro" style for me.

Somewhere, Texas

2011-02-16T09:58:00.001-08:00

11 by 14 inches, acrylic on canvas.

This is the third of these longhorn/wildflower paintings I've done for shipment to Monte Wade Gallery in San Antonio.
These were done with a specific market in mind, although my past experience with cattle, limited and unwelcome though it was, gives me some pedigree to work with these subjects.
Longhorns, for all their overuse, are still cool animals. And I like painting wildflowers, and the abstraction that is inherent in them. So sue me.

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T10:31:00.001-08:00

Especially to the smiling woman with whom I spent the first of what is now twenty-three years worth of dates.
I hope everybody who wants it finds who or what they want.

It's in the mail.

2011-02-13T21:27:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I was commissioned to create an image for a book published by the Half-Price Books chain of stores. The book was titled "Say Good-Night to Illiteracy" and featured amateur stories and poems with pictures by professional artists. It was sold at the stores with the sales proceeds going to school illiteracy programs.
The story illustrated by this image described how, as the people of Africa watched the Moon, it also watched over them. The painting was accepted into Spectrum, an annual juried show of fantasy oriented art.

A while after Spectrum was published this letter arrived in the mail.

For obvious reasons, including respect for the writer's privacy, I've blurred his name and forwarding address.
The note surprised me, but I was also flattered by it. It took awhile for me to get around to following up on this, but I eventually printed and sent the image to him. I didn't hear from him again, so I don't know whether or not he received it. I hope so.
I also hope things are working out better for him, wherever he is.

Chili morning

2011-02-07T09:50:00.001-08:00

After a week of inordinately intense winter weather, and more coming soon if it all works as forecast, a flaming bowl of chili can be a consolation.

Snow Day

2011-02-04T14:50:00.001-08:00

El Corazón

2011-01-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

"Frutas y Corazón", acrylic on canvas.

For the past seventeen years curator Jose Vargas has organized the "El Corazon" exhibition for the Bath House Cultural Center. Here's my contribution to this year's show. The opening reception is January 29 and continues through February 26.
From the Bath House Cultural Center web site:

"The idea of creating an opportunity for local artists to explore various artistic interpretations of the human heart was conceived by Dallas artist and curator, Jose Vargas in 1993. Since then, this passionate and delightfully eclectic art show has featured diverse creations inspired by the heart (El Corazón), an important symbol in Mexican and Latin American art, and a significant theme in western culture.

Mr. Vargas has always been attracted to the symbol of the heart and, because of that fascination, he decided to create a public showcase of outstanding heart-related art pieces. This exhibition has enabled him throughout the years to share his passion with art patrons in Dallas and to engage close to one thousand participating artists.

ARTISTS: Denise Althea Graham, Chandra Armstead, Deeya Bain, Joni Beamish, Laura Beikman, Penelope Bisbee, Carol Blanchard Parks, Angie Bolling, Eunice Bridges, Roy Cirigliana, Ray-Mel Cornelius, Patricia Curry, Dan Dudley, Lori Dudley, Gina Marie Dunn, Jacque Forsher, Sandra Gonzalez, April Greenlee, Rebecca Guy, Franziska Haarmann, Juli Hulcy, Karen Jacobi, Laura Johnson, Jenny Keller, KeLaine Kvale, Katrine Kyhnel, Javier Limon, Eli Lorenz, Darlene Macias, Laurie Mahoney, Kerian Massey, Julia McLain, Teresa Megahan, Karen Merten, William Messimer, Sharon Neel-Bagley, Melia Newman, Jennifer Olvera, Carol Pankratz, Cap Pannell, Paul Pena, Filiberto Pérez, Luzette Portillo Flores, Alfredo Rodriguez, Johanna Roffino Hulsey, Lisa Rountree, Lesley Rucker, Ruth Sanchez, Armando Sebastian, Cindy Seely, Pam Stern, Linda D. Stokes, Melissa Wertz, Michele Wertz, Tamara Wyndham, and David Zarazua II."

Favorite paintings

2011-01-17T08:58:00.001-08:00

Again, this is a case of this being more about a favorite painter than a single painting. Robert Cottingham came to attention as one of the 1970s Photorealists, a movement that made the photographic source of the image as important as the subject being depicted. The emphasis on technology to aid in making a work of art placed Photorealism in the middle of the Modernist camp, although it related more to Pop than to any of the abstract movements like Abstract Expressionism or Minimalism.
Robert Cottingham's paintings of storefront signs and neon associated with the old and unfortunately often decaying areas of large cities' business districts are innovations on the subject of landscape in the same way Warhol's soup cans and Brillo boxes gave a contemporary spin on the traditional still life. Their sharp and hard edges are appropriate for the subjects, man-made milestones realized by mechanical means.
Recently he has made paintings of typewriters and simplified pieces of machinery, taking his view point from big and up to small and within arm's reach.

All images, I'm quite certain, ©Robert Cottingham.

Back to roosters...

2011-01-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

Enough with the real world, already. I need to get back to roosters.
Here are, clockwise from the upper left, "Apollo", "Mars", "Ricardo" and "Odin 2". Is this a print worthy image? I'm thinking maybe.

No further comment.

2011-01-11T20:01:00.001-08:00

Roger Hane

2011-01-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

Artist Roger Hane's work exemplified the look of mass media art in the early 1970s. His career and life were tragically cut short by a stupid, senseless murder committed by juveniles bent on stealing Mr. Hane's bicycle during a ride through Central Park in 1974.
His work was among my earliest influences as an art school student. His cover art for Carlos Castaneda's Ixtlan and C.S. Lewis' Tales of Narnia books were poured over like holy texts, every detail studied and marveled at.
Vanguard Productions, the publishing empire headed by my buddy J. David Spurlock, has published Roger Hane: Art, Life and Tragedy, a review of Mr. Hane's work and a fine selection of his paintings. It is available at the Vanguard web site and on Amazon.com.

A Separate Reality, by Carlos Castaneda, featured one of Roger Hane's signature paintings. Today it's surrealistic imagery may seem tired and trite, but Mr. Hane was among the first mass media artists to adopt the language of surrealism into popular art.

I have to confess I have never read a word of the Narnia series. I bought all of the books only for the cover art.

This piece was commissioned by DeBeers in the early 1970s.

Days of Dreaming

2010-12-31T14:41:00.000-08:00

I have a show scheduled for the Fall season at Norwood Flynn Gallery here in Dallas. This piece is the direction this collection of work is going, so I'm looking forward to making more paintings like this one over the next few months. I'm posting it this New Years Eve because it also seems like a good representation of the concept of "New Years Resolutions", specifically to dream every day. I hope you have a safe transition into this new year and decade and your 2011 is a great year.

The Winter of Our Discontent

2010-12-13T12:17:00.001-08:00

This past decade has been a decidedly mixed bag, with some really great developments and some which were really bad. Whether it overall deserves the name I gave it, The 'Zeroes, may take a while to settle. But I think there's a case that can definitely be made.
But now we're on the threshold of a new decade, with some positive things going on personally and professionally. If the year needs improvement for you as well, I hope improvement happens.
I'll be back next year with more rants, pictures and observations. Thanks for following this blog. Have happy holidays, whatever form they take.

Prints

2010-12-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

I've added a new prints page to my web site, as illustrated by the screen shot above. This link goes to it. Clicking on either image takes you to the site where prints can be ordered. They're printed with archival inks on archival paper, of course. I'll add more images as it seems like a good idea.

Here's some coffee!

2010-12-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

Last year I participated in "secret gift exchange" with a group of fellow artists. The way it works is a website called "Elfster" automatically picks a name for the participant, then each participant posts on the site what they like or might want. There's a price limit of $15, so it doesn't get out of hand.
I'm in it again this year, and my picked person said she wanted coffee, more or less. She listed some other vague items, but included the phrase "Coffee...I like coffee!...Did I mention coffee?". So I decided to get her some coffee. Oak Cliff Coffee is a neighborhood coffee company, so I bought a bag of their beans. I hope she has a grinder. Maybe she'll get one of those from somebody else.
To artsy it up a bit I made a package for the coffee out of 300 lb watercolor paper and painted coffee related images on it with watercolor and a Sharpie. Besides a cup ringed with birds and a coffee pot topped with a bird, the inside flap of the lid includes a wide awake eyeball. Pictures are below.

"Eli" giclee print

2010-11-29T15:06:00.000-08:00

This giclee print of "Eli" is the first now available at my new print store, at this link.
It's printed with archival inks on enhanced matte archival paper. The image size is 18 by 14 inches, on paper 18 by 23 inches, a signed and numbered edition of 50.

Happy Thanksgiving Week

2010-11-23T20:56:00.001-08:00

Karen Blessen

2010-11-17T08:17:00.001-08:00

My long time friend, Karen Blessen, recently added another honor to her list (that includes a Pulitzer Prize). The Dallas Observer named her as one of the "Masterminds" of the Dallas art scene. The guidelines for selection were simple and Karen's bona fides were ample: make the community, maybe even the world, better through the artists' work. Through Today Marks the Beginning she and her colleagues work with schools, organizations and individuals to raise awareness of social issues and promote peace, cooperation and positive change through art projects, writing and other creative action.

At this link is a video, directed and filmed by John Katz, showing children from around the world addressing their solutions to the situation in Darfur and answering the question of what they would do "If I were a great peacemaker". As well as founder of Today Marks the Beginning, Karen is program manager of MasterPEACE, which created the program depicted in the video.
Imagine using education and activities to guide children toward a culture of peace, tolerance and problem solving that can benefit everybody, instead of training more obedient drones for the corporatocracy...what a concept!

Karen is a writer, artist, speaker, world changer and inspiration to anyone paying attention. In a culture which honors self-aggrandizement over service and self-promotion over contributions to the common good Karen is an exception and I'm proud to call her friend.

More of her accomplishments and passions can be found at her web site: karenblessen.com.

Blind Lemon Jefferson

2010-11-08T07:57:00.001-08:00

"Blind Lemon Jefferson", 10 by 8 in. acrylic on canvas.

The Freestone County Museum, Fairfield, Texas, will open "Art of the Blues, Texas Style", on November 20. It was curated by Andy Don Emmons.

Blind Lemon Jefferson was a blues player and a staple of the influential Dallas, Texas "Deep Ellum" blues scene in the 1920s. Pronounced as a dialectal variation of "Deep Elm", the eastern Dallas neighborhood was an incubator for blues and jazz musicians, some of whom, such as Blind Lemon, T-Bone Walker, and Bessie Smith, went on to national success.

The son of sharecroppers, Lemon Jefferson was born near Wortham, Texas in 1893. He began playing the guitar early in his teenage years and became a street musician, performing for the night crawlers of small East Texas towns. He moved to Dallas and settled in the Deep Ellum area in 1917. T-Bone Walker taught Lemon the basics of blues guitar. When he began recording in 1926 he was one of the first solo singer/guitar players in the blues. His work influenced musicians from B.B. King to Eric Clapton. "See That My Grave is Kept Clean", a song with a demanding message if ever there was one, has been covered by Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, the Grateful Dead and Counting Crows.
He is said to have died in Chicago in 1929. The reasons for his death vary, from a jealous lover to freezing in a snowstorm.
This piece is based, as are most images of Blind Lemon, on the most famous, possibly only, photograph of him available.

Harvest Moon

2010-11-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

A true "harvest moon" appears when the full moon rises in Autumn at about the same time the sun sets, providing some light for farmers to continue their work. The perspective of the moon when it rises, surrounded by building and trees, rather than the open sky when it's higher, and atmospheric conditions give it a large, orange color, like a giant pumpkin.

Halloween

2010-10-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

"On The History of Halloween", 16 by 22 inches, acrylic on canvas

Detail

This is a piece, with a closer up detail, I made in 1988, on the subject of Halloween and its history. Some historians date the celebration back to the Romans and their Feast of Pomona, Pomona being the goddess of fruit and seeds (ironic to anyone who is familiar with the Los Angeles suburb of the same name), and, more predictably, Parentalia, the Festival of the Dead. The Celtic festival of Samhain (Old Irish for "summer's end") brings us most of the familiar trappings of the holiday (using that word loosely, since few people get off of work on October 31, although I don't know how much work gets done with all of the costumes and other goings-on in offices. It's on Sunday this year anyway.) The Celts believed the spirits of the dead could walk among us during the Samhain celebration. Wearing costumes warded off the evil spirits by having the wearer appear to be one of them. The idea of going door to door demanding "treats" comes from the Medieval practices of "souling", when poor people, of which there were many, traded prayers for the dead for food from those visited. This occurred on "Hallowmas", or All Saints Day. The night before, "All Hallow's Eve", became the shortened version "Hallowe'en". The apostrophe was dropped from the spelling sometime in the 20th Century.

I've always been curious how a ceremony honoring or fearing dead people turned into a children's party. I loved it as a kid, as I did anything having to do with the world of the imagination, the stranger the better. Now, like all things we Baby Boomers have experienced, it's as much an adult occasion as one for kids.

This painting mixed the two functions, with the mischievous little boy's masked face appearing in the sky like a vision above the vaguely Pagan figure paying homage to a tree. I wanted the boy's mask to blend into the night sky, becoming a part of the negative space. The Pagan figure (seen in the detail) wears the head, whether real or manufactured I don't know, of a deer or some sort of antlered animal atop his red robes. A feather of some kind tops his staff.

The image is surrounded by the kind of border I was incorporating into a lot of pictures at that time. The frames of artist Neil Jenney, who also uses typography, inspired it. It's one of many elements I've employed and then abandoned over the years. This particular one often received a response from viewers that it made the piece look too "poster-ish", or that supposed death knell of criticism,
"illustrative". I don't know if Neil Jenney has ever had to put up with such baloney.

On the left, partly on the border, partly on the image, reads "On the History Of Halloween". On the lower right just below the image there's an "Owwooo" to be read. Humor isn't always welcome in art, which is odd, since there's so much to been found there, whether intentional or not.

If you do any celebrating or observing of the Halloween holiday, have fun and be careful.

EASL Art Heist

2010-10-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

"Odin 2", 10 by 8 inches, acrylic on canvas, will be in the upcoming "EASL Art Heist".

The EASL organization describe themselves better than I can:

"Emergency Artists’ Support League was founded in 1992 to provide
limited emergency financial assistance to Dallas/Fort Worth area
visual artists and visual arts professionals who are in need because
of a dire medical emergency, accident or loss of personal and
professional property. Contributed funds are held for distribution
by the Communities Foundation of Texas, Inc., Dallas, Texas."
More on EASL can be found at their website: www.easl.us

The EASL Art Heist consists of artists donating work to this event to raise money for the relief fund. Attendees pay a substantial amount of money to come to the party and "heist" a piece they want which is priced at equal to the amount of the entry fee. Some charity auctions end up selling an artist's contribution for considerably lower than its market value, not always a popular outcome for an artist wanting to maintain a market level while at the same time wanting to be generous with worthy causes. The unique thing about this particular fund-raising effort is that the work donated is acquired by the buyer at market price, which also makes more money for the fund.

This year the Art Heist will be held on Saturday, October 30, from 7 - 11 pm. There will be a preview 7 - 8 pm, so prospective "Smugglers and Thieves" as the participants are called, based on their entry fee level, can scope out the work they want to make off with. Below is the invitation with all the other particulars. Click on the images for a larger view.

Twenty years

2010-10-20T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is one of the few personal notes I have on this blog, but this is a biggie. On October 20, 1990, Becky Entzenberger (now Cornelius) married me in Dallas, Texas, making me a very very happy guy. She's been kind, patient, loyal and irreplaceable every day since.
We were a fairly "late" match, both of us having experienced various trainwreck relationships for a couple of decades. We were introduced by mutual friends, and away we went.

It's hard to avoid being sappy about something like this, so why even try. Here are the last few lines of a song by Texas musician Mat Jones, "It's About Time", which seem to apply:

"Then everyday's an anniversary, each reason gets in tune
For songs in four part harmony under milk and honey moon
And all the clocks will synchronize to the rhythm and the rhyme
The sun and stars will always know
It's about time

Find the one that makes the time
Take the time to find the one
You know I did and this old life
Has only just begun"

"Día de Los Muertos" - The show.

2010-10-18T13:26:00.000-07:00

October 17 (my birthday, by the way) the "Día de Los Muertos" opened with a reception at the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas. Here are some pics of the affair.

"The Florist" sold to some friends. It's always nice to have a piece remain in "the family". There are many I'll probably never see again. But since the buyers hopefully will enjoy the work for a long time themselves, that's fine, too.

Here are some other pieces in the show. Unfortunately I didn't make notes of whose was whose, except in a couple of cases, where I know the artists.

This is Jose Vargas with his altar honoring legendary Texas musician Stevie Ray Vaughn.

These prints are by Cap Pannell.

"Día de Los Muertos"

2010-10-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

"The Florist", acrylic on canvas, 8 by 8 inches, will be included in the Bath House Cultural Center's "Día de Los Muertos" exhibition in Dallas, Texas. It opens Saturday, October 16, with a reception Sunday, October 17, 5 - 7 pm, and ends November 17. About sixty-five other artists are also participating. The exhibit was curated by Enrique Cervantes Hernandez.

Below is the official invitation, including the participating artists' names (click on the image for a larger version).

State Fair of Texas

2010-10-06T13:03:00.000-07:00

The State Fair is a great yearly tradition in Texas. Located at the Art Deco Fair Park in East Dallas, the grounds were the site of the Texas Centennial celebration in 1936. Every October a new round of exhibits, concerts, wild food (besides the requisite Fletcher's Corny Dog, every year's "menu" features a fried version of something, such as beer, butter, Coke, ice cream, etc.), livestock shows, games and rides dominate the local population for three weeks.
In the past I've been commissioned to provide images for the Fair in a couple of different contexts. Here they are, with an oldie from my art school days.

Below was an illustration for Texas Monthly magazine, depicted the iconic figure of the Fair, Big Tex. He's a 52 feet tall statue that speaks to fairgoers in an appropriately big, booming voice. I concentrated on his head in this image, particularly on one feature, which has always intrigued me: his ventriloquist dummy style lower jaw that permits him to tell everybody about the latest happenings.

This one appeared in the Dallas Morning News. I wanted to take a different point of view on the Fair, celebrating an element that often gets overlooked. The livestock shows happen at the beginning of the fair. 4-H, FFA and professional livestock handlers compete in different venues for prizes and recognition. The winning animals are sometimes sold for tens of thousands of dollars, kicking off college funds for their proud owners.
In high school my farmer/rancher dad insisted I take part in FFA (Future Farmers of America; which did not at all apply in my case) and raise a show calf in all four of my high school years. This piece was based on an actual photo of my poor skinny self with my massive first show calf. I won't be reproducing that pic here.
The often distinctive patterns on calves inspired this big guy's Texas flag motif.

Finally, I created this piece for an illustration class at East Texas State University (now Texas A&M Commerce). The great Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame member Jack Unruh was the instructor.
The collage media was a departure for me, and something of an experiment. The piece went on to win First Place in its Illustration category at the Dallas Society of Visual Communications Student Show in 1977.

Business card

2010-09-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

In thirty years of doing this thing professionally, I've never had a business card. Larger, 8.5 by 11 inches, promotional pieces and post cards, but no regular size business cards. So now I do.

This is one side. The idea is to turn the card over vertically and there's my name and contact info.

So this is the back. Sorry, I fuzzed out my phone numbers. If you're reading this and don't have that information, use the e-mail address. It's what I prefer anyway.

Turning over the card completes the image of the painting.
Next time you see me, tell me to give you one.

"Patches" and "Drops"

2010-09-22T08:30:00.000-07:00

This is a recent rooster painting, "Eli". It's 18 by 14 inches and is the usual acrylic on canvas. A recent discussion about it brought up something I should address. That's the use of "patches" and "drops" on some of these pieces. Seeing the paintings in photographs without experiencing them "in person" (and sometimes then) can lead to confusion about what these things are and why they are there. So here's the explanation.
First, the "patches". They aren't literally "patches". I use that term because someone once, when I first began to use them, asked me if that's what they were; I suppose the questioner assumed they were covering some a mistake or something. No, if I make a mistake big enough that the only way to fix it is to cover it up with a piece of paper, then I just discard that work and start over. The function of the "patch" is more esoteric than that.
It is usually a piece of Arches watercolor paper, sometimes 300 lb to 140 lb, attached to the canvas before painting begins. The intention is to add a dimensional element as well as a geometric rectangular design device which provides contrast to the more "organic" freeform elements of the rooster's or the landscape's forms. It's also a subtle frame for some parts of the painting, usually the rooster's head area. Finally, it gives a texture that's different from the canvas texture, adding some variety to that visual experience.
"Drops" are just that, drops of paint, usually thick enough to have a dimensional quality of their own, which add circular geometric elements to the mix. On other pieces I've used circular marks for the same purpose.
These are design devices that make the work more interesting to me in the process. Some viewers like the effects, some prefer the imagery to be more "conservatively", for lack of a better word, represented. I add these elements when the spirit, if that's what it is, moves me.
Here are some other examples (click on any image to see it a little larger).

This is a rooster painting that has neither "patches" or "drops".

This landscape features a "patch" framing the red leaf tree in the lower center foreground.

"Afternoon Hill" is "patch" free.

A prominent "patch" shows up in this cow painting, while the one below goes patchless.

"Art in the Metroplex" - the show

2010-09-12T11:51:00.001-07:00

Here I am, stiff as ever in front of a camera, with "Claudius" yesterday, Saturday, September 11, at the reception for Art in the Metroplex at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. The juror, artist Polly Apfelbaum, gave a lecture and presentation of some of her own work, then showed and commented on the pieces she selected for the show.
About "Claudius", she said it made her smile, that it had a mix of Pop Art and folk qualities, and it reminded her of Wily Coyote and the Roadrunner. She also mentioned my signature, how signatures are a rare element in contemporary art, and how meticulous I was in painting it. And she said, "I loved all of that". Which is fine by me.

Below are some other photos from the reception. I don't know, in some cases don't remember, all of whose work is whose, so apologies to anybody uncredited. I did know and like a few pieces not shown here, but my photography was bad, out of focus, etc, so not everything in the show is depicted here.

Juror and artist Polly Apfelbaum.

A small crowd around "Claudius".

The Art Mob's out today.

Becky is talking with artists Susan Whitmer and Steven Miller. Steven's cool painting was one of the ones I photographed badly, so it's not shown here. It deserves a much better representation.

This interactive piece entertained the kids, who loved the permission to drop debris into this rubber mat.

A beautiful painting by Nancy L. Brown.

Charlotte Smith.

Jay Maggio.

Ricardo Paniagua

Yep, that's an upside down table.

Here's the official checklist of all artists and their work.
1. Paul Abbott – "03_Paul Abbott_U#10.6.22A1_20x40_Photo&Digital"
photo mounted on plexi

2. Bill Barter – "Xetuk"
monotype/collage

3. Bill Barter – "Zenuk"
monotype

4. Bill Barter – "Wituk"
monotype

5. Melissa Brown – "Toss and Gather"
rubber mats, cardboard boxes, stones, seeds, burrs

6. Nancy Brown – "untitled"
acrylic on canvas

7. Andrew Butler – "For Her"
latex on wood panel

8. Lou Chapman – "Venice Beach Roller Park"
archival inkjet print from Holga camera negative

9. Ray-Mel Cornelius – "Claudius"
acrylic on canvas

10. Laura Cummings – "Time’s Leftovers"
photography

11. Madelyn Edwards – "The Jar"
oil on cardboard

12. Laura Ehrich – "Echo"
digital painting on sheer fabric

13. Cassandra Emswiler – "El Charco del Ingenio"
ceramic tiles, rocks

14. Cassandra Emswiler – "Over the river and through the woods…"
inherited painting, marble tile

15. Ricardo Paniagua Garcia III – "Tall Man"
household/spraypaint on canvas

16. Nathaniel Glaspie – "42nd and Beach St."
aluminum, canvas, hardware, household paint, Plexiglas, stainless steel

17. Lee Albert Hill - "…Crap …Back to Work in the Morning…"
perma stable chrome print on aluminum plate

18. Alan Hofstad – "Roses, close up"
photography

19. Ronit Ilan – "Gathering"
digital photogaphy

20. Lance Jones – "Untitled (And There Was.)"
c-print

21. Lance Jones – "Untitled (And There Was.)"
c-print

22. Lance Jones – "Untitled (And There Was.)"
c-print

23. Patrick Lewis – "24 Hrs/10 Min. Ahead"
acrylic

24. Jay Maggio – "Red Fushia"
oil on canvas

25. Mike Mahler – "The Divine Wound"
acrylic on canvas

26. Leighton McWilliams – "Elvis/Riviera"
giclee print from plastic camera

27. Steven Miller – "Drag"
acrylic on panel

28. Mark Murphy– "Cloudy"
oil on canvas

29. Yuki Ogura – "This is a table"
birch

30. Yuul Paki – "(8 x 11 in.) 2"
paper

31. Joel Sampson – "Gypsum"
archival pigment on paper

32. Patrick Schneider – "Library of Babel"
graphite on panel

33. Libby Sloan – "Nature’s Kaleidoscope"
photography

34. Charlotte Smith – "Bovary’s Dream"
acrylic paint pile on wood shelf

35. Sally Warren – "Scrambled Denali"
inkjet on grafix film

36. Mike Whitaker – "Photo Contest 017"
photography

37. Hsiu Ching Yu – "Omphaloskepsis 65"
charcoal & graphite

Peaceable Kingdom, for now.

2010-09-03T09:33:00.000-07:00

This is another "Neo-Retro" style sample. One of these days this will lead to something. I keep telling myself that, anyway. (Click the image to see it a little bigger.)

The idea originated with a logo (see below) I designed for my high school alma mater's alumni association. The school mascot is the Bulldog, and the Association wanted the dog to be a part of the design. It's simple and gets the job done.

I liked the drawing, so I decided to adapt it to another piece. The idea of a stack of supposedly at-odds animals came to mind, so I added the cat (which is either yawning or laughing, I don't know which) and the bird. I was going to incorporate an insect of some kind, to continue the food chain, or at least adversary, theme. I decided a pteradactyl gave the image an edge or oddity or something it needed.

Magentas

2010-08-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

"Art in the Metroplex"

2010-08-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that "Claudius" (36 by 36 inches, acrylic on canvas) has been selected for the 2010 "Art in the Metroplex" exhibition sponsored by TCU in Fort Worth, Tx and the Templeton Art Center.
The show is a survey of work in all kinds of media throughout the region. It was juried by New York artist Polly Apfelbaum, whose work is included in the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum.
The duration of the show is August 31 - September 30 at TCU's J.M. Moudy Art Gallery. Of course I'll post photos when the show is up.

Chris Rovillo 1951-2010

2010-07-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

In a business full of egos the size of Mount Rushmore, with maybe a few deserved, I don't think I ever saw Chris Rovillo have an egotistical moment. He was a kind, compassionate, friendly, talented, funny, guitar-playing man.
Chris died last night. His health had been questionable for some time, but I think only those closest to him received the news without being shocked. The old adage "the good die young" has applied to every eulogy, memorial, whatever these are, that I have written since this blog began. I have to add Chris to the list of Don Punchatz, George Toomer, Bill Ross and Monte Wade. I hope I don't have to add anyone else for a long time.
Chris' graphic design work won many awards, and it is certainly one of the primary reasons the Dallas area has long been considered a major design force. I had the privilege of working with him on a few projects, including this poster for the Neiman-Marcus Adolphus Hotel Children's Christmas Parade. The whole thing was Chris' idea, I just fleshed it out. I was glad to hear that whenever he exhibited the poster he spoke well of my contribution. The illustration was included in the New York Society of Illustrators 44th Annual Exhibition.
Chris was also kind enough to buy this painting, "Sub-Marina", for his wife Jeanne's collection of mermaid images.
Another life well lived. May we all have that thought applied to our own journeys through this often bizarre, usually great visit to Earth.

Summer

2010-07-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

Still working on the "Neo-Retro" illustration style, in this case an attempt to make it a bit cleaner and more "commercial", if I may make such a confession. But it is illustration, after all, and illustration exists in a commercial universe.
The background is a mix of watercolor and photographic collage elements. For example, the rim of the swimming pool is a photograph of a concrete surface.
One might think the young lady enjoying the pool (and yes, if you see a resemblance to Roy Lichtenstein's "Girl with a Ball", there may be one) is a little on the pale side, especially for such an obviously ardent Sun worshipper. Her whiteness balances the great expanse of white at the top of the image.

Ah, the bluebonnet...

2010-07-19T09:27:00.000-07:00

There is probably no subject more riddled with cliches and less revered by artists than the bluebonnet field. From good, classic landscapes, like those of Julian Onderdonk to really bad Sunday painter versions (not that there's anything wrong with being a Sunday painter; anything that brings someone pleasure and satisfaction is fine with me) the really beautiful Texas State Flower has been placed in an unfair and undeserved position. I think it's still possible to create a representational image of bluebonnets that, even if not designed to overturn the Social Order, can still be enjoyed by people who think they hate bluebonnet paintings. Whether this one qualifies I don't know and I'm not the Decider anyway.
My late San Antonio dealer Monte Wade, who left us last year, told me I should make a bluebonnet painting, as there were always people coming through the gallery looking for them. I actually had my version of a bluebonnet landscape already hanging there for several months with no response (it has subsequently sold, I'm happy to report), but when I pointed this out to Monte he said, "Yeah, but it needs something else, like a big ol' Longhorn or something. People like to have something they can lock onto".
Like a focal point?
"Right!"
So I delivered this piece to the gallery last week. It's dedicated to Monte in thanks for his long support of my work.
I titled it "Icons", since it has not only bluebonnets, but prickly pear cactus and that focally pointed Longhorn, as well.
As always, it's acrylic on canvas and it's 18 by 24 inches.

"Fictional"

2010-07-07T11:06:00.000-07:00

"Moonfish", acrylic on canvas, 12 by 12 inches.

"Moonfish" is my contribution to an exhibit at the Bath House Cultural Center in Dallas, with an opening reception 7 - 9 pm July 10 and continuing through August 7. The show is titled "Fictional" and is in conjuction with the Festival of Independent Theatres.

According to the Bath House press release, the show was "conceived as a collaborative project between the Bath House gallery and the 12th Annual Festival of Independent Theatres. In the same spirit as FIT, which strives to celebrate the talent of local independent theatre companies, the exhibition also has as its main goal to provide a showcase for the innovative, transcendent and thriving art created by local and regional artists."

Based on elements of the plots of eight one-act plays presented as a part of this year's festival, invited artists chose from a list of single sentence "blurbs" to create images. Interestingly, knowing too much about the plays themselves was discouraged, as to avoid work that "merely illustrated the literary works" (hmmm...). The preferred approach was for "the artists to consider the short blurbs for their own inspiration merit in order to create personal, unique and independent interpretations of the phrases." *
Okay, works for me.

I chose "The Boy, the Girl and the Moonfish" from other possibilities including "Reconstructed Alice in Wonderland", "Bible Heroines", "Mystery Girl Scout", "Transforming Muses", "Snake Urban Legends", "A Day Spent in Purgatory", and "Pontiacs, Trains and Disneyland". I knew exactly what I wanted to do from the moment I read "The Boy, the Girl and the Moonfish", which doesn't happen that often.

* The best examples of illustration do just that, but that's a discussion for a different context.

Favorite paintings

2010-07-01T13:49:00.000-07:00

John Fincher is a Santa Fe based painter whose work I've admired for twenty-plus years. His textures and paint handling can only be seen "in person" to be fully appreciated.
His subject matter ranges from expansive landscapes, such as "Los Ojos", oil, 48 by 36 inches, to intimate objects like shaving brushes, "Arch Brush No. 5", oil, 10 by 8 inches.

A series based on branches shows a more minimalist, abstract approach to natural world objects.

All images ©John Fincher

"Outside" - the "Mystery Project" revealed

2010-06-18T11:01:00.001-07:00

Last night, June 17, Medical City Hospital in Dallas opened their new Childrens' Hospital wing with a big to-do including my painting "Outside", which hangs in the first floor reception area.
My reasoning for the title, other than the obvious reference to the imagery, is that being "outside" is equivalent with being healthy. "Outside" in the fresh air, running, playing, all those things we associate with kids being outside, and what being treated in the hospital and getting better will help us get back to. That's what I was thinking, anyway.
Here are some photos of the affair, which included a very nice steak dinner, and some elements in the waiting/reception area.
All three dimensional elements were created by the Museum Arts company of Dallas.

This is the "official" professionally photographed image of "Outside", as opposed to my previous shots from my own camera. The painting is 36 by 60 inches, acrylic on canvas.

I think this is an ice sculpture.

A tall fairy greeted partiers.

Becky and me at the Big Shots' table.

Some of our table-mates.

A large tree dominates the first floor reception area.

Inside the tree are two "funhouse" mirrors.

The tree continues to the second floor. I don't think the "fairy" is usually there.

Becky with another "fairy". Apparently they weren't supposed to speak, since none of them did.

A few of the party guests.

Ad agency Avrea Foster art director Lisa Goin, account executive Cheyenne Dazey, a young lady affiliated with the hospital whose name temporarily escapes me (I'll list her name when I remember it) and me.

The second floor admittance desk features a beehive motif.

Butterflies circle the ceiling.

A large catepillar in the waiting area.

These circular features on the floor of the waiting area were very cool.

The "Healing Garden" is just outside the waiting area.

This is the admittance desk, featuring an "ant farm".

"Outside" is at the end of a long hallway leading to the elevators to treatment facilities.

Here I am with "Outside" framed and on the wall.

Drawing Inspiration

2010-06-07T13:26:00.000-07:00

I'm quoted and a few of my pictures are featured in this new book by writer/artist Michael Fleishman.
It's available on Amazon at this link.
This cover illustration is by David Bowers.

Jury duty

2010-06-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I was called up for jury duty. I usually get sent home early, but this time I got as far as the actual courtroom and was actually considered for the jury. I didn't get picked, which was good, since it was a heavy criminal case, but that's as close as I've ever come to being "in the box" as the judge kept calling it. While waiting I did these sketchbook drawings of my fellow potential jurists. I don't think any of them were picked either.

Street

2010-05-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Favorite paintings

2010-05-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's not so much a "favorite painting" as it is a favorite artist. Or at least an artist that has been a favorite. That's the case with Frank Frazetta, who died last week. This is one of my favorites of Frazetta's paintings, but hardly the only one. Like the work of Salvador Dali, my enthusiasm for Frazetta's has dampened with time. That doesn't mean I don't respect his work, though, nor does it mean I deny the impact his paintings had on my development as an artist.

As a kid I was engrossed in comic books, during the period that "fanboys" call the Silver Age. Among other things, they showed me that one could make pictures for a living. I originally thought I would only need to concentrate on pen and ink, the medium of comics (this is an example of a very juvenile brain at work at that time) so I had no interest in painting. My mom had been trying to interest me in taking oil painting lessons from a sweet, late middle-aged lady in our small hometown. I resisted for a long time, until I discovered "Creepy" and "Eerie" magazines, as well as fantasy paperbacks, with their amazing painted cover illustrations. My tiny geek mind was turned around, as I saw the need for paintings skills as well as pen and ink. I started taking the classes. I painted the usual prerequisites of floral and fruit still lifes, copies of barn-speckled landscapes and the occasional conquistador. When Ms. Prince, the teacher, decided I was sufficiently competent with those subjects I could find subject matter I wanted. And away we went.

With the images of Frazetta and Jeff Jones dancing in my head I pumped out canvas after canvas populated with monsters, werewolves, ghosts, haunted castles silhouetted against full moons, all to my teacher's and mom's mixed reactions of horror and amusement. At least it opened my fairly closed mind to other possibilities, something for which I thank Frank Frazetta.

Oh, and here's another favorite.

"Show me your papers"

2010-05-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

We have to control our borders and control immigration. But that doesn't mean we throw the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments into the garbage bin at the same time. The Arizona law which permits police officers to, having stopped anyone because of some infraction, require the person to show proof of citizenship is heaving those amendments into the wastebasket.
The only people who are going to be asked for their "papers" are those who "look" like they may be in the country illegally. What constitutes such a "look"? Good question. Since I'm caucasian I could rob a bank in Arizona and, after being caught, it's very very unlikely I would be asked for my citizenship papers (I don't know what I would show anyway...my birth certificate? I don't carry that with me). Someone with that "look" could be stopped for a broken taillight and find him/herself being under suspicion based on looks alone. So, it doesn't matter if the person is a citizen, in fact could be a multigenerational citizen of the U.S., that person is presumed guilty until proven innocent.
That's the point of this drawing. The officer is demanding the "papers" of a petroglyph which has been in this region for the past 1000 years, before there was a U.S. to be a citizen of.

Hmmmm...again.

2010-05-17T17:48:00.001-07:00

I read today that "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2" director Jon Favreau is directing a movie set for a summer 2011 release titled, annoyingly enough, "Cowboys and Aliens", apparently based on a graphic novel of the same name. It has nothing to do with me and of course the title is a coincidence, but I do want to get this out to the universe now. I thought of the phrase first.
Not that such wordplay is all that difficult, and seems like an obvious match when you think of it, but still. Since I work in relative obscurity, when more famous entities coincidentally come up with the same phrase, name, style, image, whatever, it appears that I'm stealing from them. I hate when this happens.

Here's the image, nevertheless, this version painted in 2008.

I used the same idea on these "Circus Punk" dolls created for the 2005 "Circus Punks Rule New York" exhibition at The Showroom in, yes, New York.

Art at home

2010-05-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

These are two pieces on the wall of their owner in Dallas. They were originally shown at the Boyd Gallery at my "Road Trips" show in 2001.
They are oil pastel on board.

Exquisite Creatures 2010 Opening

2010-05-10T09:20:00.000-07:00

"Exquisite Creatures 2010" opened Saturday, May 8, with a wild affair which included art, balloon animals, a "live" mermaid, music and general merrymaking. Here are some photos.

"The Fisher Queen" and me; the painting is lit better than I am.

Curator Katrina Doran.

The bartender is kept company by this glass work by Juli Hulcey.

A mosaic by Jamie Pink Weisbrod.

Balloon animals, in this case an octopus, gave the whole affair a carnival-esque atmosphere.

Collector, graphic designer and painter Paula Mele-Weatherbie with a mermaid.

Sculptor Stuart Kraft.

A cast concrete piece by Denny Doran.

Painter Bruce Schiefelbein and Nancy Schiefelbein talk to Becky, with the sunset in the background.

The always amazing view from the front steps of Norwood Flynn Gallery.

Altpick.com "Member Focus"

2010-05-05T12:07:00.001-07:00

Today my Neo-Retro illustration style is the "Member Focus of the Day" on altpick.com as of Wednesday, May 5. Altpick is an illustration portfolio site and the "Member of the Day" gets his/her work showcased on the banner of the site's home page, with a link to the member portfolio page.
This was a nice and unexpected surprise. Here's what it looks like, for anyone who doesn't see it live, since someone else will be the Member of the Day tomorrow.