She's Lost Control (Again)

A new drawing for the end of the year...title inspired by an old Joy Division song...I lost control of this drawing several times during its creation & I'm still not sure if I got it back...

She's Lost Control (Again), 2018, brush & ink on illustration board, 20" x 16".

Seven Deadlier Sins

One of my more successful series of images, if visits to this blog are any indication, is the treatment of the Seven Deadly Sins that I first envisioned in the form of drawings about 5 years ago. Last year (2017) I produced a series of quite large paintings on unstretched canvas which were intended to be the definitive version of the images...however, I never really felt that these were the final pieces...but good & interesting enough to post here, perhaps as a placeholder for the actual final paintings. Maybe in the new year...

The Seven Deadly Sins, 2017, acrylic on canvas, each panel is approx. 65" x 36"

The image posted above has been composited from 2 separate photos & also slightly modified in Photoshop (and the lettering was superimposed over the photography).

Looming Clouds Over Distant White Cities (versions 1-3)

This is a little series of very small acrylic paintings I did last week. The impetus was the last-minute submission of some "Small Works" to the Limner Gallery exhibit of the same name & theme. These were not in the show itself (2 pieces were accepted: Woman at Twilight & Creator of the Cosmos), but these 3 small works have an interesting look and atmosphere & I may pursue this or similar themes in the future. They seem both apocalyptic and tranquil, an intriguing juxtaposition.

Looming Clouds Over Distant White Cities 1-3, 2018, acrylic on canvas, each panel 6" x 4"

With Downcast Eyes

Another ink drawing done in the last few days. I thought this came out pretty well, very well perhaps. It's a synthetic (by which I mean not drawn from life) attempt at that kind of Leonardoesque 3/4 profile head that has become some kind of archetype, to me at least (it also reminds me of Bronzino). I'm never sure when I create something how well it will continue to stand up over time, but I think this one has legs, as they say...

I drew the piece on a rectangle of cardboard that came inside a picture frame, to protect the glass, etc. You can see the vertical striations from the corrugated board.

With Downcast Eyes, 2018, brush & ink on cardboard, 13" x 10"

Blind Truth drawing — NCAC art auction

This is a recent drawing I did specifically for the NCAC (National Coalition Against Censorship) annual art auction (since they asked me to donate something). Rather than pull an already-done artwork from the copious piles of those that I have, I thought I'd do something new. So, here it is, & also a link to the auction preview.

Links:
https://ncac.org/
https://paddle8.com/auction/ncac/

Blind Truth, 2018, brush & ink on paper, 11" x 8.5"

Show of Heads at the Limner Gallery: The Perfect Couple

My new oil painting on panel, "The Perfect Couple" will be on show at the Limner Gallery in October-November 2018. This will be my second consecutive piece in a show there (see previous post regarding "Strange Figurations", which is currently (as of the time of this writing) on show.
See below for show info.

The Perfect Couple, 2018, oil on panel, 11" x 14"

Updated 10/8/2018:

A Show of Heads

Installation shot / Limner Gallery

Exhibition dates: October 18 - November 10, 2018.
Reception: Saturday, October 20, 5-7 pm.
The Limner Gallery is located at 123 Warren St., Hudson NY 12534.

Here (below) are the front & back sides of the invite postcard.

Postcard front: art by Cynthia Decker

Poscard back: art by Kevin Schroeder

Strange Figurations at the Limner Gallery

Just a quick post to point out that my recent painting "Seasons in the Abyss: Winter" will be on show in the annual "Strange Figurations" exhibit at the Limner Gallery in Hudson NY shortly. Dates & info are on the scanned postcard below, but here they are in actual text:

Show runs from September 6 - 29, 2018.
Opening reception is September 8, 5-7pm.
Limner Gallery is at 123 Warren Street, Hudson NY, not far from the Amtrak Station.

I'm hoping to make it to the opening.

Seasons in the Abyss: Winter, 2018, oil on panel, 14" x 11"

Strange Figurations invite postcard, front

Strange Figurations invite postcard,back

More New Oil Paintings

I realized it had been a while since I'd updated this blog, and there are numerous new oil paintings. So, here are some of them:

Day of the Alchemist, 2018, oil on panel, 11" x 14"

Duo -- The Perfect Couple, 2018, oil on panel, 11" x 14"

Madonna in Blue, 2018, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Sinner, 2018, oil on panel, 14" x 11"

The Apocalypse (study)

Another new oil painting on panel...I was intending this one to be more of an actual recognizable landscape, somewhat in the manner of John Martin's "The Great Day of His Wrath", but it came out as a more amorphous and abstract piece, which I'd like to keep as is & work further on another panel, which I hope to do shortly.

The Apocalypse (study), 2018, oil on panel, 20" x 18"

The Veiling of the Bride

This is a new oil painting on panel inspired by a drawing I did some time ago. Oddly (or perhaps not, as this happens to me occasionally), the painting is more simplified than the drawing. However, they both work in similar yet different ways.

The Veiling of the Bride, 2018, oil on panel, 20" x 16"

The Veiling of the Bride, 2017, ink on paper, 24" x 18"

Silence and Solitude

Another one in the new series of oil paintings on panel. This one is quite simple & painted in earth tones. The trees were an afterthought.

Silence & Solitude, 2018, oil on panel, 20" x 16"

Resting Colossus

I'm enjoying the depth & texture of using oil paint after such a long time. Here is another small painting of a giant figure in a landscape...it also references my Narcissus painting (the semi-fetal figure and all).

Resting Colossus, 2018, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

Of Mountains and Sky

A new small oil painting on plywood panel of a wild, mountainous landscape. There may be more images in this vein forthcoming, wait and see...

Of Mountains and Sky, 2018, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

A return to oil paint

It's been around 15 years since I last consistently used oil paints, so I was probably overdue to break them out again. Acrylic is easier to use, dries quicker and so on, but doesn't have the depth or subtlety of oil. Continuing on from a recent series on plywood panels where the wood grain is visible, here are some very recent works in oil on board. More to follow, no doubt.

Evocation of a Golden Summer's Day, 2018, oil on panel, 12" x 9"

The Queen in Yellow, 2018, oil on panel, 16" x 12"

The Tower of Babel from Afar, 2018, oil on panel, 9" x 12"

Ghost - Square Hammer

I occasionally post musical items on here when they interest me. I recently came across this "band" (seems to be one person, mostly, with some "Nameless Ghouls" hired to play on stage), who are gaining popularity these days. It's not really heavy metal as such, more melodic hard rock in my humble opinion. They remind me of my teenage years wasted listening to the likes of Blue Oyster Cult...and like that band, there is a heavy mystical/dark/atmospheric feeling to the proceedings. The video shown here I like for its overall aesthetic & the references to Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" & that old vampire movie "Nosferatu"...it's my favorite song of the week & that guitar riff is killer. Also, the singer/mastermind gets kudos for not just wearing makeup but also a prosthetic mask under that, to give him that aged/ancient look. A hit.

There is a Soul that Nestles in the World

Another one in the plywood series (see previous posting) where the warmth of the wood grain becomes a part of the composition. This one uses a very small portion of the surface of the support to give a sense of quiet intimacy.

There is a Soul that Nestles in the World, 2018, acrylic & ink on plywood, 20" x 16".

Medusa 2018

This is one of a new series of smallish paintings on treated plywood...I give the plywood several coats of water-based grain filler & then draw & paint on top. So far it seems to be working & the paint & ink hold well. In this one, the ripples in the grain of the plywood echo the coils of Medusa's hair, which was an unexpected but welcome touch.

Medusa 2018, ink & acrylic on plywood, 20" x 16".

Hell painting circa 2010 -- unfinished, forgotten & destroyed

I was just looking through my hard drive backups for something else...funny how that happens...and I found this piece which was from around 2010 or maybe earlier. I spent quite some time on this one, but it just didn't come together & as far as I remember, I painted over it. However, looking at it now, there are some interesting ideas in there that might be worth reconsidering. You never know...

Hell circa 2010, acrylic on hardboard, 24" x 24"

A New Global Agenda: Book Launch

Here is my wife, Diana Ayton-Shenker at the book launch event for "A New Global Agenda" at the New School in NYC on March 1st, 2018.

The Books Have Arrived

Just delivered by the UPS guy...Diana's new book, "A New Global Agenda" arrived this morning. It's always exciting to hold the actual item in your hands...makes it more real, and has the new book smell (printer's ink, mostly).

A New Global Agenda edited by Diana Ayton-Shenker

A New Global Agenda book launch poster

Below is the poster for my wife's book launch event at The New School in NYC on March 1st, 2018. The poster, designed by The New School, contains 2 of my drawings which appear as section dividers in the book (there are 3 in total). I also did the cover painting for the book (see blog sidebar to the right of this post).

Links:
The New School
The New School book launch event
A New Global Agenda (publisher's page)
A New Global Agenda (on Amazon)

A New Global Agenda book launch poster

The Entrance to the Otherworld

This is from a new series of middle-sized (for me) acrylic paintings on plywood. It's a symbolist-leaning piece (reminds me a bit of Böcklin, with its inky sky and shrouded figure). The portal/tomb structure is actually influenced by a recent trip to the Mayan Riviera of Mexico (the three windows at the top come from "El Castillo" in Tulum). The pomegranates (or apples or whatever they are) are for Persephone. It's twilight, and the open door beckons.

The Entrance to the Otherworld, 2018, acrylic on plywood, 20" x 16".

The Maid of the Mountains / Frozen in Time

After having spent the last month or two (or three) reading the Walter Isaacson "Leonardo da Vinci" biography (which I can recommend, more on that anon), I find that whenever I spend a significant period of time in the company of another artist's work, I start to absorb a certain amount of the sensibility of said artist. Which brings us to the work presented here, which is obviously a little more than a nod in the direction of the Mona Lisa (I was thinking of titling the piece "Anom Asil", for example), but I think I caught a little of the essence of the original, whilst bringing something different to the table...you can decide...

The Maid of the Mountains / Frozen in time, 2018, acrylic on plywood, 16" x 12".

The Coils of the Gorgon

I'm working on a small scale due to the fact that it's cold & snowy & expensive to heat my studio right now. I have a stack of sepia card I'm working through, putting the best results on various web sites (my own, Flickr, etc.). Here's an updated version of Medusa, influenced in part by the Leonardo book I'm reading (more on that anon).

The Coils of the Gorgon, 2018, ink & acrylic on sepia card, 11" x 8.5".

Caught in the Storm / Facing the Future

My first drawing (heightened with white acrylic paint) of 2018. A week ago I was in Mexico (Mayan Riviera/Playa Del Carmen/Tulum/Chichen Itza) & now I'm back in the frozen wastes of Rhinebeck New York. The weather doesn't necessarily want me to make art, but I felt I had to start today & this was the first piece that surfaced...

Caught in the Storm / Facing the Future, 2018, ink & acrylic on sepia card, 8.5" x 11"