Tuesday, November 22, 2011

ill

I think I'm sick. It makes me want to paint more than ever. My apartment gets really warm, and that combined with being ill kind of helps me focus. You know what I mean? It's that weird state of mind where it's way too hard to think about more than one thing, so I only think about the painting. It even helps focus on a specific part of the painting, so I don't rush as much as I usually do and the decisions I make are more careful (albeit slower).
This sounds like a weird argument for being sick. I don't like all of the side effects–the soreness, the throat thing, the leaking head–but it does force me to stay inside, and I like that.

This is the last piece for the Urban Winter series I've made for a show I'm having with Tiff. We hung it this weekend, so I'll take pictures and post them as soon as I'm able.

mplsbus_web

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Cold Winter Night

I had a hard time with this one. Ultimately, I think it's one of my favorites, but boy oh boy did it put up a fight. I struggled with getting it as deep and vibrant as I had planned, and then when it was deep enough I was frustrated with the lack of subtlety that watercolor usually provides.
This also served to remind me that sometimes sticking with something is the best course of action, even when you want to start all over.

coldwinternight_mpls_web

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

One Tiny Dragon

The two drink umbrellas are the extent of drawing-from-life squeezed into this sketchpage. Otherwise, there's all kinds of characters and two fanart-y characters right in the middle: Jon Snow and Arya Stark.

I like it when reading a certain book or being in a certain place results in the creation of a specific image.
sketchpage_11.9.11

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

It's Coming

There is nothing prophetic about predicting snow at this point. I've been feeling more motivated to work on these urban winter pieces–possibly because of the upcoming deadline, but also because of the subject matter.
I'm really fond of this one. The thing about these pieces is that some I favor for aesthetic reasons and some I favor because of the moment they are meant to represent. This one I like for aesthetic reasons.

mpls_web
watercolor and ink on 300 lb rough press paper