Circus - Progression

Thought I would throw some progression shots up for the Circus Piece.
It's good to look back where a piece came from. I'm not sure, in certain states of mind, I would pursue a piece that started like this one, but for some reason the place that I was in kept me at it and thinking about it.
It's easy to walk away from pieces, from seeing something through to the end, but sometimes that's what makes lessons concrete.






Another image I was using to compare hand and arm positions. This was really interesting to me. Simple changes of rotation and placement created entirely different moods. Ultimately, I went for the one that made her seem the most formidable and rebellious.

Sometimes the number of choices we can make that can affect the feeling of a piece boggles my mind. At any point, we might make the smallest adjustment that turns our little ship of a painting into waters that truly sing, or onto a submerged rock. Still, we must go sailing.

2 WIPS

It's a bad sign that I have more WIP posts here than finished pieces. I'm in a time of transition, I think, and struggling a little. That's where the lack of focus is coming from, something I should try and remedy, but the struggle and transition aren't bad things. Often, I've found that looking back these are very productive, interesting times for me work and growth.

It also might be that with work going as it is I only start painting at 11:00 pm or later.

Regardless, an idea for a series I've been tossing around in documents and my head for awhile is getting to come out and and play with mixed results. See what you think. Still some drawing problems to resolve I get too impatient with early on. They won't all be girls.

Three works in progress

Nothing finished. I've hardly made it to my studio at all in the last month. Work at Big Huge has been great, but incredibly busy.
Still, a small number of things I played with. The more sustained projects will be updated soon.

That's a guy in a suit, falling underwater.

This is a piece for a show I might be jumping in on.
Or it's a piece for a show I missed the deadline on.
Either way, it's a piece.

New painting study

I know, I've still got all of those other pieces to finish!
The last few weeks have just been insane so I've not had many chances to get down to the studio. I'm playing with ideas, instead, like this one.

Here's something I've begun to notice: In my traditional work before now I always painted landscapes or figures. Now, in this new more illustrative work, I paint surreal landscapes or figures. I'm not sure why I didn't catch that before.

Lots to do with this. It has to do with letting go of wonderful things in our past and continuing on.
Or, it's how our dogs are wiser than we are.

Oils WIP

This is an oil I started this weekend for a group show this summer.

And a better picture of "Elopement" WIP.

WIP for Jess

I'm having fun with this. It's for my girlfriend, Jess.

Tree WIP

Not pleased with this one completely. It's an idea for a wedding present for an old friend. It kinda became a mess. I'm moving on, though.