The War Between Life & Death

This one was previously up with the title "Maximum Leader/Hell On Earth", which didn't really sit well with the piece. The wrong title can really damage a painting.



Acrylic on board, 2007, 12" x 9".

BTW, the preliminary results are in & it's not looking good...

Cavalcade

Alternate title: "Thermonuclear War"



Acrylic on plywood, 2007, 18" x 30".

Quite a joyful painting, oddly. Reminds me of Joseph Beuys who allegedly said that he thought atomic bombs were wonderful examples of engineering & wanted one for his bathroom, or something like that.

Pretty fireworks.

Men O War Variant B

This is the original version for the "Men O War" painting, which never quite worked previously:



Acrylic on plywood, 2007, 18" x 30".

However, I added the linear elements & it seemed to push the piece to a completely new level, adding depth & diminishing the distracting background elements (gun barrels & missiles), which are still vaguely visible...

Here's Variant A (the original finished version) for comparison:



The dimensions & materials are the same as version B, above.

Tree Of Life & Death Update

Here's the new version of this painting (see entry somewhere below):



Acrylic on plywood, 2007, 30" x 18".

The main difference is the addition of the parallel lines to create a "woodcut" or "Venetian blind" effect, which gives the painting both more depth & more flatness, or graphic sensibility, to my mind. My paintings have often used recurring linear elements (see the original tree painting below), so this seems to be a logical extension of that. It's proving to be an interesting stylistic element. More examples to follow.

Last Night's Highlights

Here are some of the better pieces from last night's life drawing session:



Seated male nude -- graphite on paper, 17" x 14".



Seated male nude II -- graphite on paper, 17" x 14".



Seated male nude on striped cloth -- graphite on paper, 17" x 14".

Clicking the images gives a slightly enhanced view, as usual.

Quick Life Drawing

Nothing fancy, just a simple sketch:



Graphite on paper, 2007, 12" x 9". Sometimes the very simple ones are best.

Prisoner

Another new painting:



Acrylic on unstretched canvas, 2007, 53" x 53". There is some glare etc. on this photo. Also, not sure if it's finished...I may update it...

Final Monument to Humanity

A new monochrome work on unstretched canvas:



Acrylic on canvas, 2007, 53" x 53" approx.

Another life drawing

Here's another one from last night, same as the one below:



Graphite on paper, 2007, 18" x 12". I like the ragged look -- it can be easy to get too polished. Or maybe not. I've got a growing pile of life drawings in my studio now...

Seated Nude Study

New life drawing, kind of loose:



Graphite on paper, 2007, 14" x 11".

Couple of new life drawings

Actually, three. Here they are, graphite on paper, 2007, 18" x 12":







The first two look somewhat pensive, the third looks a little unhappy. I don't think she really was unhappy, the drawing just came out that way.

Tree Of Life & Death

A new painting, related to the "Hiroshima" nuclear-bomb works:



Acrylic on plywood, 2007, 30" x 18". An iconic piece. Somehow reminds me of a medieval tapestry.

Head of a Woman (Red)

Here's a small painting that just happened, a throwaway piece, if you will:



Done without too much thought. It seemed to open up the way for other works, which will be posted shortly.

Acrylic on board, 2007, 10" x 8".

Standing Male Nude

Here's a new life drawing -- it's a useful skill & exercise to do this, keeps the drawing muscles limber. Or something.



Graphite on paper, 2007, 18" x 12". I like the raw, sketchy quality of this one. Good model. As usual, clicking on the image will give you a larger view.

Portrait of the Tyrant as a Young Man

A new painting, somehow related to the painting, Tyranny, below (the other side of the Hell entry). It's a depiction of innocence & idealism before it congeals into tyranny, I guess.


Acrylic on plywood, 2007, 30" x 18".

Hell Finished

The Hell sketchbook is officially finished. 158 sketches, plus front & back covers. It's done. Not sure what to do now. Let it sit. Have a think. The images might find their way into a large-scale painting, a series of paintings, a book, etc. Here are some images (all are brush & ink on paper, 2007, 11" x 8" approx.):


Page 117 -- The Snake


Page 124 -- The Deceiver


Page 132 -- Embedded in a Tree


Page 133 -- Seated Demon


Page 135 -- Strange Elephant


Page 140 -- Hell Dwelling


Page 155 -- Watching a Monster


Page 157 -- Lucifer's Tears

All titles subject to change, depending on my whims & mood swings...

Tyranny

New painting:



Acrylic on unstretched canvas, 2007, 53" x 53" approx. I wanted to get back to raw, monochrome work. This is somewhat an extension of the War Room series, with elements of expressionism & social commentary.