The Scream

Another image from Shadow Bay, Chapter 15:


Chapter 15 should be going up Friday morning, with a bit of luck...

The Bat Tower

Oh, by the way, Chapter 14 of Shadow Bay is now up...


Above is a preliminary sketch from Chapter 15, of Detective Paduano looking at a bat tower on Sugarloaf Key in FLA. I had no idea what a bat tower looks like, so I actually had to Google this. I could've just made it up, but I decided in this case I should make it a fairly real bat tower. So, there it is...

...and Merry Xmas, also.

Shadow Bay Update

Basically, it's getting near done. Only a few chapters left now...


Above is an image from chapter 14. I'll most likely post that chapter on Friday at:

shadowbaynoir.blogspot.com

Shadow Bay, Chapter 13

Unlucky for some, or so they say...



Read the latest chapter at: shadowbaynoir.blogspot.com

Shadow Bay, Chapter 12

It's going up tomorrow morning. Here's another image:

Evolution's End

A new drawing:


Evolution's End, 2009, brush & ink on paper, 23.5" x 18".

For the Entropy Series.

Colossal Mountain

While taking a break between chapters of Shadow Bay, here's a small drawing on cardboard:


Colossal Mountain, 2009, ink on cardboard, 9.5" x 8".

The mountain could be seen as a metaphor for the body of work that the artist tries to create. The bigger the mountain...it seems like creating all the artwork for Shadow Bay is like building a mountain by hand, sometimes...

Shadow Bay update

As you may know, if you've been following my blog postings recently, pretty much all of my time & artistic efforts have been taken up with Shadow Bay, the noir-blog-graphic-painted-crime-novel collaboration with the writer Donald J. Rothschild, who wrote the original piece as a stage play, which was then optioned as a movie script, but never made into an actual movie (yet.)

Now, we're up to around chapter 12 out of approx. 18 chapters, so we're in the final stretch. The end is somewhere in sight. A few more weeks, if there are no major distractions, & we shall be done. Then, of course, we have to figure out what to do with the finished piece/s...stay tuned...


Above: image from chapter 12 of Shadow Bay, which will probably be uploaded around Friday of this week.

Don't try this at home...

Sheetrock is expensive, but chapter 11 of Shadow Bay is up & it's free.

Shadow Bay chapter 11 nearly done

Just in case anyone was wondering...



Coming soon.

A Sketch of a Man's Head

A little more than a doodle:


Sketch of a Man's Head, 2009, china marker on Bristol Vellum card, 11" x 8.5".

Shadow Bay chapter 10 is up

After a brief Thanksgiving interlude to slow us down, Shadow Bay chapter 10 is now up on the blog site.

Thanksgiving is over...

Which must mean that Shadow Bay chapter 10 is under way...



Coming soon.

My Sinterklaas painting

This is a bit of a departure for me — I just did this smallish painting for the annual Rhinebeck Sinterklaas (old Dutch version of Santa Claus) Festival. They invited me to donate something for the art auction, so here is my version. I think it came out pretty well. I think it's finished, but I might do some more work on it.


Sinterklaas, 2009, acrylic on canvas, 16" x 12".

More Shadow

Another image from the soon-forthcoming chapter 9 of Shadow Bay. Maybe tomorrow...

I could use a drink right about now...

Chapter 9 of Shadow Bay is going quite well. Should be up in a day or so. Here's a picture:

Chapter 9, continued

The rough drawings for Shadow Bay chapter 9 are now done. Today, I hope, I shall start painting them in & finishing them. I'll post one or two here.



There are 28 artworks in this chapter, so it'll take a while...

Shadow Bay chapter 9

After a hiatus of sorts, I'm back working on Shadow Bay. Here's a rough sketch (to be painted & refined) from chapter 9:



If I can keep up the momentum, the chapter should be up in a few days...

Fall of the Tree Man — final version

Here is the finished version of the drawing in the post below:


The Fall of the Tree Man, 2009, brush & ink on paper, 23.5" x 18".

Mostly, I darkened several areas & worked into them a bit more. I could probably continue, but I feel that it's done & enough is enough.

Fall of the Tree Man

As it is now Fall (the leaf blower guys were out this morning) & I'm in Tree Man mode (see the previous post), here is a new drawing:


Fall of the Tree Man, 2009, brush & ink on paper, 23.5" x 18".

Another sketch of the Tree Man

Here is a drawing (sketch, I guess) that I did yesterday & put on my other blog (the one that focuses more on older work), but I thought I'd also put it here. It's another version of my tree man theme, which probably comes from Hieronymus Bosch's tree man in the Garden of Earthly Delights right-hand "Hell" panel, that I used to see when I would visit the Prado.


One Man Forest, 2009, artist marker pen on paper, 11" x 8.5".

Sketch of a Head with Eyes Raised

I was just fooling around with a Faber-Castell Pitt artist pen (or so it says on the pen barrel) & did this little drawing of a head at the dining table while my kids were doing their homework...came out quite well for a sketch. Maybe it'll become a painting or something sometime.


Sketch of a Head with Eyes Raised, 2009, artist pen on paper, 11" x 8.5".

Magnus Magazine

For anyone interested, I'm mentioned in the UK-based online magazine for creative types, Magnus.

Here is the link: http://magnusmag.com/WilliamTAyton/

There is a small gallery of images, a Q&A interview & artist's statement. It's an interesting magazine.

An Ayton Artwork a Day -- Message

The Ayton Artwork a Day blog is now gone. I'm going to be putting up a page on my web site soon with a selection of images from that blog, which will still be available, but at regular prices. Here is one of my favorite pieces from the series:


Winged Colossus Stalking a City, 2009, brush & ink on paper, 10" x 8".

Shadow Bay Again

Here is the finished version of the painting in the somewhat blurry, underexposed photo in the post below (in fact, it was so blurry that I just deleted it):


Shadow Bay, 2009, acrylic on unstretched canvas, 55" x 53" approx.

Done as a promotional piece of sorts, for my upcoming open studio on Saturday.

The link to the Shadow Bay blog: shadowbaynoir.blogspot.com

Studio update

After taking the photos in the post below, I've decided to switch out the large monochrome "Wasteland" painting (from the Black Paintings series) with the one below, "The Coming Storm." I may change it yet again before Saturday, of course...


The Coming Storm, 1999, acrylic on unstretched canvas, approx. 6' x 9'.

Virtual Tour of my Studio

I spent most of today organizing my studio for a small event on Saturday -- a little cocktail party/open studio for some friends. The studio is almost ready -- I want to do one new piece to round it off (I'll post that in a day or so, I hope), but here are some flash photos I just took in the studio, to give you an idea of the layout & what is on the walls right now -- basically, a selection of work both old & new...


The main pieces in this shot are Duino Elegy 10 (1999) on the left & Narcissus in the Pool (around 2006) on the right.


Main piece: Duino Elegy 3 (1999), on the easel is Babel from 2004.


The main artworks are: Orpheus Rising (2004), The Last Minotaur (1997) & Lost Empire (2006.)


Main images: Leaning Figure (2006) & Duino Elegy 2 (1999.)


Main image: The Wasteland from The Black Paintings, 1999.


Above the door: Menowar, 2007.


Various small paintings. [note: I seem to have photographed an "orb" above the 3rd painting from the left on the wall -- I assume it's just a speck of dust caught in the flash...]


The painting to the left of the French doors is Woman & Object, 1994. The flash didn't work properly here.


Some art materials.

I apologize that the quality of the photos is not wonderful, but hope that they are interesting from a documentary viewpoint. If you click on the photos, you will see somewhat bigger versions.

With Head in Hands

It's been a few days since I put something new on this blog, so here is a sketch:


With Head in Hands, 2009, marker sketch on paper, 11" x 8.5".

Happy Hallowe'en from Mr. D

Mr. D says enjoy your Hallowe'en responsibly. Yet, still have fun.


Mister D, 2005, brush & ink on paper, 14" x 11".

Shadow Bay chapter 8 is up

Shadow Bay, the noir painted-novel collaboration with writer Donald J. Rothschild, has just been updated with chapter 8 today. Here is a picture:



There are 33 images in the chapter, which is why it took quite a long time to finish this one. This is also the end of part 1 of the book, so we're going to take some time off & step up our search for a publisher or similar interested party. We're also toying with the idea of coming up with a "soundtrack", for want of a better word, for this. Stay tuned.

Link: shadowbaynoir.blogspot.com

Something Rotten on the Beach

Shadow Bay chapter 8 is nearly done. 33 images. Maybe tomorrow...

Shadow Bay update

I'm still working on chapter 8. There are 33 drawings in it at the moment. The rough sketches are basically done, I just have to paint them in with acrylic gray tones. Could take a while...



As you can see, things are getting interesting...

I've started chapter 8

This morning I began the rough drawings for chapter 8 of Shadow Bay. There are going to be quite a lot (around 30, I think), so this will take a while.



Above, we see our main protagonists, Jo Landy & David Fisher taking in a late fall football game, before going their separate ways for Thanksgiving dinner. The chapter features family, friends, turkey, wine, with a bonus helping of violence & sex. You know, the usual...

Woman Seated in a Rocky Landscape

I was just up in the loft of my studio looking through things, and I came upon this little piece of cardboard. So, I did a small ink drawing on it:


Woman Seated in a Rocky Landscape, 2009, brush & ink on cardboard, 11" x 8.5".

Status Update

It currently seems as if I'm not doing much. In fact, I'm:


1. About to start work on chapter 8 of Shadow Bay. This is an important chapter in the piece, as it marks the end of part 1, & is a major dramatic episode. This chapter is going to be rather image-heavy, so I may not update this blog for a week or so...


2. I've been spending a good amount of time on my other blog, which is mostly dedicated to lesser-known older works from my archives. If you check in over there, you might see some interesting pieces that have not been seen before, or not often, anyhow.

Thank you. That is all for now.

Paradise Lost

Just your basic fallen angel (that would be Lucifer) surveying his domain (that would be Hell)...inspired by Milton, of course. Maybe someday I'll do more images for Paradise Lost...I know Gustave Doré already covered that, but I'm sure there's room for another version...


Paradise Lost, 2009, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 12".

The Graveyard of All Wars

Another drawing from 2003, but I thought I'd post it here, rather than my other blog which is more dedicated to artwork from my archives, just to mix things up a bit.


The Graveyard of All Wars, 2003, brush & ink on paper, 24" x 19".

Done in 2003, which is around the time I was starting to work on the War Room pieces.

The Forest

Another little working sketch that might turn into something or stay as it is:


The Forest, 2009, artist marker on paper, 8.5" x 5.5".

Sketch of a Standing Figure

This is pretty much just a little doodle I did to put here:


Sketch of a Standing Figure, 2009, artist marker on paper, 8.5" x 5.5".

Fish & Smoke Rings

I guess this means that chapter 7, the latest instalment of Shadow Bay (noir graphical novel blog collaboration with Donald J. Rothschild) is just about ready...



I'll update this post when the chapter is live...stay tuned...OK, it's live so please click here.

A Rainy Day in Shadow Bay

It's a holiday weekend here in the USA (Columbus Day Weekend), so it's hard to focus on getting things done — but Shadow Bay chapter 7 is taking shape. It should be up in a couple of days...

The Honey Eater

This was a small brush & ink drawing that I did a while ago that I've just photographed:


The Honey Eater, 2009, brush & ink on paper, 12" x 9".

I'm thinking of making either a larger drawing or pehaps a painting based on it.