Boy Soldier

"Boy Soldier"

Acrylic on canvas 

24x30

This was an idea that popped into my head with regard to my new style that I'm trying out.  I really enjoy this painting and had fun painting it.  I think you will start to see more paintings like this one in the future.  

Here is the final painting!

 

And a process shot below!

Below is three shots of my process for this painting.  First comes the drawing, this drawing was sketched out on paper and then traced over in photoshop, allowing for quick changes and easy moving around of elements.  Then the line drawing is saved and a color study is done in photoshop as well, figuring out all the colors that are to be placed in the painting, getting a tight enough rendering to use as a reference for myself when painting the real thing.  Then, the line drawing is projected on the canvas and I trace my drawing on the final surface, and paint!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Paying tribute to this accomplished and dedicated man.

Also will be hanging in the new gallery I have been renovating a new space into for Black History Month at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, in the Frederick Douglass Unity House.

http://www.facebook.com/UnityHouseArtGallery


Spray paint, acrylic on board
24 x 36

Rising

"Rising"
Recycled Pallet Wood
Spray paint and airbrush
23x42"

The contrast of the edgy aged wood with the soft spirit like forms of the woman give this piece the feelings of overcoming, uplifting, and sensual gratification. 

The upside down upward moving drips assist in the rising movement and bring this tonal piece some saturation.

I love building things, and using found objects to create new artwork (as with my last Skateboard Monster piece). And this was also my first go with my airbrush that I've always wanted to use.

Skateboard Monster

I found this old trashed skateboard in the woods walking back from the gym one day at school, and I knew I could do something awesome with it.  It wasn't even that bad, just looked like some water damage on the end where it was buckling and a little bit of peeling down the side.

I sketched out some ideas of what I could do with this... I've always enjoyed the skateboarding culture and the graffiti characters that go along with it, so I decided to make a cool gorilla/wolf/blue monster, just because I could.

Modeled teeth with a jigsaw and a chisel, peeled off the griptape and glued it back down with the pieces farther apart to give room for the mouth.

Acrylic