Small Sketch of a Furtive Man

From the same Finn Crisp box as the one in the posting below:

Small Sketch of a Furtive Man, 2012, ink on card, 5.25" x 3.5" approx.

Fragment of a Figure

Small fragment of card (from a Finn Crisp box) with a drawing of a figure, done with a Pilot drawing pen, mostly...

Fragment of a Figure, 2012, pencil & ink on card, 5" x 5" approx.

Head from a new sketchbook

I broke open a brand new sketchbook tonight. This is the first page:

Head from a sketchbook, 2012, Pitt artist pen on paper, 7" x 7".

UDHR Article 5

I just had a new photo taken of this painting for a book cover to be published in Italy:

UDHR Article 5, 1991, acrylic on card. I'll put info & a link to the book as & when I have that. December 10th is Human Rights Day, by the way.

Wire In The Blood

Back in 2007, my "Oedipus" drawing was licensed by an ITV (British TV network) drama series, Wire In The Blood, to appear behind the main character (a psychology lecturer who helps the police solve crimes, as far as I can tell)...at the time I was unable to get to a very clear version of the show, so I couldn't see my drawing very well, in fact it was barely visible. Tonight, I just happened to stumble upon the show on Netflix, so I got a screen grab that is a little better, but you probably wouldn't realize it was my artwork without me telling you...here is the clearest shot I could get:

It's not very clear, but you can just about make it out (image copyright Coastal Productions, I think). Here is the actual drawing, from 1992:

Oedipus, 1992, brush & ink on paper, 25" x 20". That's showbiz, I guess. Wire in the Blood starred Robson Green, who is apparently a much-loved British actor. The episode in question is "Anything You Can Do" from series 5 in 2007.

So Far Away

Another is a series of small mystical, visionary, figures in a landscape paintings.

So Far Away, 2012, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

Time Searching the Wasteland for Vestiges of Humanity

This is a new small acrylic painting, that may be part of a series (see the previous posting), although I do want to work on a larger scale again soon...

Time Searching the Wasteland for Vestiges of Humanity, 2012, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

Fatal Shore

This is a new monochrome acrylic painting (painted over a phthalo green ground) that may be a study for a larger piece.

Fatal Shore, 2012, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

The Ship of Fools

This is a subject that I've treated before in drawing but not as a painting. It came out simpler than I intended, & almost abstract, which I like & perhaps re-opens a door or two in terms of direction. We shall see.

The Ship of Fools, 2012, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

Death Sowing His Seed in the World

This tondo painting is in some ways an update to (or related to, at least), my 2005 painting Empire of Death...I find that the tondo (round) format gives me a new perspective on my imagery & subject matter, so I'm tempted to redo all of my themes in circular canvases. This will probably not happen, but I'll most likely do a few like this...

Death Sowing His Seed in the World, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 16" diameter.

Tree Man Walking

Another variation on Hieronymus Bosch's Tree Man...this is the first time I've painted a version, I believe.

Treeman Walking, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 16" diameter.

Blind Seer

This is a drawing I did for a fundraiser...I'll put up the details of the event here when I have them...

Blind Seer, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 11" x 8.5".

The Angel of the Culvert

This is a collaborative painting with my friend Jim Stevenson. We began it over a year ago, & worked on it for several sessions, but it got put away for a while, especially as Jim moved to a new studio space during this time. It's done in oil on board, which is unusual for me, as I've used acrylic paint almost exclusively for over 10 years. We took it in turns to work on it, so it's difficult if not impossible to distinguish who did what. In the final session, yesterday, at some points we were both painting on the support at the same time, which was a little difficult, as the piece is quite small.

Angel of the Culvert, 2011-2012, oil on board, size unknown at this point (but approximately 14" x 11")

The Damage of War

Here is a new anti-war drawing for an online exhibit at antiwarartists.com. I have been busy with mostly non-art matters in the last few weeks, though I did completely reorganize my studio for an event/party we had recently. More work should be appearing here soon...

The Damage of War, 2012, brush & ink on paper, 11" x 8.5".

Scenes from an Impending Apocalypse

This is a page from the new issue of Direct Art Magazine, on sale now. The title of the page is partly inspired by my erstwhile collaborator Jack Ross (Scenes from a Puppet Oresteia). I put darkly humorous captions to four of my recent (2012) artworks, as opposed to doing the usual thing—an image or two, with a small title, etc., and a link to my web site...

Drawing of a Woman's Head

I haven't done much drawing recently, having been painting intensively...but here is a doodle of a head that I did this morning with a biro.

Drawing of a Woman's Head, 2012, biro on paper, 11" x 8.5".

The Old Sailor on the Sea of Time

Another tondo, this one monochrome. This has an unfinished feel to it, a little raw, but I like that sometimes & it may stay as is...

The Old Sailor on the Sea of Time, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 20" diameter.

Art studio panorama

My daugher Lizzie used her iPad with the 360 app to create this panoramic image of my studio in its current state (about to be cleaned up & arranged for an open studio event..this is the "before" photo)

As you can see, the program is not perfect as it leaves holes & some items are "ghosted", appearing several times. Still it is quite impressive, even more so in the interactive web version, which you can see here.

The Spires of Heaven

Continuing on the mystical & visionary modality I've been working in recently, here is an image I've been intending to create for a while, of a glimpse of Heaven in the clouds:

The Spires of Heaven, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 8" diameter.

Your Guardian Angel

A small circular painting (tondo) of an angel.

Your Guardian Angel, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 8" diameter.

Betrayal, Murder & Artwork

I just found a new review of Shadow Bay (noir visual crime novel collaboration with my friend & fellow Rhinebeck resident, Donald J. Rothschild) in the latest Poughkeepsie Journal weekend edition (Life section, August 5, 2012). I got a copy of the newspaper & scanned in the short article.

I didn't know this before, but the Poughkeepsie Journal is the third oldest newspaper in the US, & the oldest in NY state, according to Wikipedia.

As it's a short review, I'm copying the whole text here:

Writer Donald J. Rothschild and illustrator William T. Ayton, both Hudson Valley natives, have collaborated to create a visual crime novel called “Shadow Bay.”


Combining classic themes of lust, murder and betrayal, Rothschild tells a story of what happens when morality is compromised for money, as complemented by Ayton’s artwork.


Rothschild is also a screenwriter and playwright. “Shadow Bay” is based on his play of the same name. He lives in Rhinebeck with his wife and two sons.


Ayton is an internationally exhibited artist who has illustrated other works as well. He also lives in Rhinebeck with his wife and three children.


— Journal staff

Dreamtime In Situ

A photograph taken this morning of Dreamtime on my studio wall. The image in the previous post was a composite of 3 individual photos put together in Photoshop. This is a more accurate representation of how the panels flow together.

Dreamtime, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 4' x 9'(on 3 panels)

Dreamtime

This is another multi-panel painting of a visionary / mystical nature:

Dreamtime, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 3 panels (each 48"h x 36"w), 9 feet wide by 4 feet high.

All I Want is Silence

Another monochrome painting of a mystical nature.

All I Want is Silence, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

Angel with Psychic Wounds

A new angel painting on cardboard:

Angel with Psychic Wounds, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

There is a Land Beyond the Spoken Word

The final series, all together:

There is a Land Beyond the Spoken Word, 2012, acrylic on canvas, five panels, combined size 4 feet high by fifteen feet wide. The title is inspired by a song by Doll by Doll, "More than Human".

The Huntress

The fifth piece in the new series:

The Huntress, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

The Chronographer

From the new series:

The Chronographer, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36"

Where Worlds Are Made

New series, central image:

Where Worlds Are Made, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

The Temple of Forgotten Gods

Another panel from the new series:

The Temple of Forgotten Gods, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

The Herald

From a new series:

The Herald, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36"

The Man Who Named the Mountains

This is another large monochrome painting on a sheet of cardboard. I kept this one pretty loose, it's mainly composed of a series of washes, so the edges are quite soft compared to much of my work. The title suggested itself as I was working on it.

The Man Who Named the Mountains, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36". Inspired at least a little bit by looking at the mountain paintings of Rob Colvin...

Andromeda Awaits

Another monochrome painting on a large-ish sheet of cardboard. I'm intending to do more of these, as it's an economical way of creating some good sized work, if nothing else. This came out looking more "primitive" than I intended, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I used the wrong side of the cardboard, so the corrugations are apparent in many places, which for me gives the piece some more texture and depth.

Andromeda Awaits, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

Dark Wings

Another angelic tondo.

Dark Wings, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 10" diameter.

The Bride of the Sky

A more angelic tondo...

The Bride of the Sky, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 10" diameter.

Nocturne's Garden

Another tondo (circular) painting. The round format certainly makes me re-examine composition.

Nocturne's Garden, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 16" diameter.

Another image from Half Moon Kill

The work-in-progress progresses...

2 policemen carry the frozen body of a German Shepherd through a snowy landscape...there is a piece of checkered cloth in its mouth...

Andromeda

Another tondo with a mythological theme...the circular format seems to lend itself well.

Andromeda, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 12" diameter.

4 Last Things in the studio

This is an actual photo (rather than a digital assemblage) of the panels of the Four Last Things in situ. The ducts in the background are part of the heating system & are not sinister.

The Four Last Things

Here is the sequence of four images from The Four Last Things (Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell). Digitally combined together...ideally they would be displayed in separate frames with a modicum of space between each one.

The Four Last Things, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, each panel 48" x 36".

Hell

The last panel from the Four Last Things sequence.

Hell, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

Heaven

The third in the series of Four Last Things (Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell).

Heaven, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

Judgment

The second in the series of the Four Last Things (Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell).

Judgment, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

Death's Lament

Another large-ish drawing/painting (you decide) on cardboard. This is from a projected series of the "4 Last Things" (Death, Judgment, Heaven & Hell)...

Death's Lament, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

Our Lady of the Immaculate Deception

Today I bought several (well, five) large pieces of cardboard from the local art store to paint on.

Our Lady of the Immaculate Deception, 2012, acrylic on cardboard, 48" x 36".

The Opossum in the Closet

This is another working drawing / teaser image for a forthcoming collaboration with writer Donald J. Rothschild (with whom I worked on Shadow Bay -- see sidebar). The title of his latest book is "Half Moon Kill", which is the name of a fictitious upstate NY village which seems oddly familiar for some reason. In this particular scene, an opossum has found its way into a linen closet...all will no doubt be revealed anon -- Donald is tweeting out the entire novel here.

The Great Manipulator

Another smallish tondo, with a digital variation.

The Great Manipulator, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 12" diameter.

The Manipulator, Manipulated, digital version.

Medusa's Stony Realm

It's been a while since I've done a painting with Medusa in it, so here's a tondo (circular one).

Medusa's Stony Realm, 2012, acrylic on circular canvas, 16" diameter.