Thursday, May 22, 2014

Young Emperor with Sad Eyes

Another melancholy drawing.

Young Emperor with Sad Eyes, 2014, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 14".

The Return of the Alchemist

I'm not sure that he ever really went away...but here he is again...

The Return of the Alchemist, 2014, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 14".

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Surfacing

A somewhat iconic small painting of a head breaking the surface of water...a returning...

Surfacing, 2014, acrylic on board, 11" x 8.5".

Ishtar

The goddess Ishtar (ancient goddess of fertility, love, war and sex) brought to life in a small painting on card.

Ishtar, 2014, acrylic on card, 11" x 8.5".

Starlight

This is a faux woodcut (created digitally in Photoshop) from the recent small painting (see below), Stellar Blue.

Starlight, 2014, "faux woodcut" digital image.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Acolyte

A small painting of a head done on Kraft card stock over an ink drawing of same that wasn't working very well. The extra layers of acrylic (and a little ink) made the difference.

Acolyte, 2014, acrylic & some ink on card, 11" x 8.5".

Figure Among Trees

This is another new small acrylic painting where the shapes are silhouettes...it might be a single piece or might be the start of a small series...

Figure Among Trees, 2014, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

Stellar Blue

New small painting on board where the woman's hair is made of stars...

Stellar Blue, 2014, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Little Dreamer

This is an ink drawing based on a small painting I did recently, which in turn was inspired by Fernand Khnopff and Odilon Redon.

Little Dreamer, 2014, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 14".

The Stranger

This drawing is in more of a surrealistic vein than most of my recent work...a new (old) direction?

The Stranger, 2014, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 14".

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Weaver of Storms and Labyrinths

Something of a return to ink drawing...this one appeared rather organically on the page, with only a vague idea on my part of what was going to happen.

Weaver of Storms and Labyrinths, 2014, brush & ink on paper, 16.5" x 14".

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Listening to Night Whistles by Tina Hacker

My 2005 pencil study "The Train" which was done for my Holocaust series is now on the cover of Tina Hacker's poetry collection, Listening to Night Whistles, published by Aldrich Press. The drawing had to be darkened & reformatted to work on the cover, as the original drawing was done for the wing of a proposed triptych. I think it works surprisingly well, as the enhanced image reveals all kinds of markmaking in the drawing that I hadn't really noticed before.

I only received my copies of the books yesterday, after a long drive back from a long weekend in Toronto, so I haven't had a chance to actually read the book, though at first glance (& from reading several of Tina's poems beforehand) it seems a very resonant and finely crafted piece.

Links:
The book page on Amazon
Aldrich Press web site
The original drawing

Thursday, May 08, 2014

Head in Green and Red

I suppose this was basically an exercise in using the 2 colors (plus white) to see what could be done...came out reasonably well, I think.

Head in Green and Red, 2014, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

Humanity

This is a quite rare example of my edging toward abstraction.

Humanity, 2014, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

While the Light Starts to Fade

Looks like my Bonnard influence has resurfaced...

While the Light Starts to Fade, 2014, acrylic on board, 12" x 9".

Friday, May 02, 2014

The Woman From Over The Sea

I think this might be a good one...

The Woman From Over The Sea, 2014, acrylic on board, 14" x 11".

Thursday, May 01, 2014

Little Dreamer

This is basically an homage to Odilon Redon, an old favorite of mine.

Little Dreamer, 2014, acrylic on board, 12" x 12".

Sunken Colossus

A painting of a giant submerged head of a colossus, possibly inspired by the fate of the Colossus of Rhodes.

Sunken Colossus, 2014, acrylic on board, 12" x 12".