May 2017 – Rob Medley

Kamikazbees

May 28, 2017 by Rob Medley

Kamikazbees is the result of a thought I had while on the throne of seclusion. I was thinking of World War II, as I am usually found doing, then thought of bees coming in for a landing on a flower. I made the sunflower look like the Rising Sun flag (of the Japanese Empire). As I was painting, I thought of the title that would fit the action.

The painting itself is a little jejune, and so I may take a break from painting, so I can recharge my creative battery. It’s a sunflower, with bees beginning to land. I actually learned quite about bees during the research. The legs, antennae, and even the wings are a result of that intellectual dive.

The vitals: 16×20, acrylic on canvas. There’s some texture there, but the photo doesn’t show it. May 2017.

Let’s Talk Commissions

May 26, 2017 by Rob Medley

A vibrant collage of various artistic paintings. Images include colorful abstract patterns, nature scenes, a close-up of an eye, a deer, a person with a torch, floral designs, a silhouette of a couple against a sunset, and a woman with a headscarf. Let's talk commissions for your unique art needs!

I do commission work. If you’ve got something in mind, need something big, different from my norm, etc., I will take on the job.

You’ll notice that my art generally is in the 16×20 or 18×24 range. This is due to storage issues. I’ve done two bigger works, each at 30-something by forty-something (below), and have had to store them on my walls since there’s only so much space for keeping these paintings dry and temperature controlled.

Unity, 2016

This isn’t to say I wouldn’t mind painting bigger canvases, but until I get my studio set up, slated for February 2018, I can only take commissions for bigger work.

Firefly, 2016 (A light-based, 3-D Painting / Sculpture)

So yeah, big canvases are not a problem. I use a formula to calculate the price, basically a base of the canvas size times hours invested, plus materials and the dreaded beast – shipping.

If you are interested in having something painted, by all means contact me. If you have a reference picture that would be super-awesome. We can set up a conference call to discuss the work desired.

Note, my Achilles heel is doing realistic paintings of people. Animals? No problem. Concept or abstract art? Also, no problem. I will do portraits but can’t guarantee they will be spot on. Let’s go to the studio for a reference (below):

Now, granted this was painted two years ago when I was just starting (hopefully I’ve gotten better), but there are things I would do better/different now. Luckily, payment sort of fell through (they broke up), so I don’t feel bad about the work.

So actual portraits are a roll of the dice, enhanced portraits (kind of like Hollywood – based on actual people / events) are doable. Landscapes, flowers, animals, or abstract? The sky is the limit.

If you’re interested in hiring me to do commission work, send me an email using the contact form.

Wildflowers

May 24, 2017 by Rob Medley

I lost another long post (hint to WordPress, fix your app), so I will again give the short version.

I’ve been doodling. Over the last few days I’ve been trying to replicate the way the eye will focus on one-element, while others are blurred. I’m using flowers for this experiment.

For the out of focus elements, I used spray paint and simple forms. The foreground elements are done using acrylic paint. To achieve light in the background, I used metallic paint mixed in with the darker colors.

Like it? Make me an offer. Note: The canvas is damaged on the side. I’ve repaired it with Gorilla Glue and paint. If framed, no one but us will ever know it’s there. I cut the canvas trying to remove it from my table as it was painted onto the surface.

As it looks on the wall. 16×20.

Flowers of May

May 21, 2017 by Rob Medley

This is a practice canvas for an idea I’m putting together. Concepts here are the use of biological principles in painting. The human eye cannot focus on the foreground and background at the same time, so I’m trying to develop these techniques for future use.

By using flowers, I’m connecting with my affinty for the plant kingdom; which dominates my flat. I have a green thumb, to say the least. Anyway, here it is.

Mary and the Last Sinner

May 21, 2017 by Rob Medley

A painting of Mary with long curly hair wearing a pink dress with ruffles, and a halo above her head. She faces a large, menacing purple dragon with glowing yellow eyes and sharp teeth, emerging from dark, swirling shadows behind her. The scene captures the tense moment from "Mary and the Last Sinner.

I had an entire long post ready to go but thanks to an app crash, I’ll give you the highlights.

I wasn’t going to share this painting. I didn’t think it worthy, but people started to like it, so, here we are.

There’s two themes going on here. First, there’s a piece of Papayrus at Harvard (this is not the Dan Brown / Da Vinci Code angle) that has a line where Jesus calls Mary Magdalene “my Wife”. Imagine that? Going from fallen prostitute to the equal (or better than, in the words of Paul) of Jesus. The documentary I watched “The Gospel of Mary“, started the ball rolling on this idea. I was originally going to paint just her.

As an aside, and from a historical perspective since I’m not religious (there’s a long story involving an ex-wife that caused me to be like the hit R.E.M song with God), I’m fascinated by what got in the Bible, what got left out (Gnosticism, Council of Nicea, etc.), and the power-plays that took place to put down Mary (labeling her a prostitute). So painting this had a lot to do with egalité, as the French would say.

Next I came across a Mark Twain quote that made me pause:

“But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?”

I thought, “who better to bring the word of God to the first and last sinner?” So I had Mary confronting the great vvrym and closing the loop on this Christianity thing – a denouement of sorts, but without the 80’s soundtrack.

The painting had a working title of “Prom Dress Mary and the Pompadour (fixed) Dragon“. That title should explain why I wasn’t going to post it at first. Anyway, here it is.

Legacy of the Viking

May 9, 2017 by Rob Medley

A textured painting with a bronze dragon at the center, set against a blue background with swirling red, gold, and brown splatters. Symbols resembling animals and celestial figures enhance its mythical quality, evoking the spirit of the Legacy of the Viking in an abstract form.

This #painting was inspired by my fascination with #Viking culture. The whole concept of living day to day not knowing whether it was going to be your last seems so much more exciting than being assured you are getting up today, tomorrow, and the next day, with the firm realiziation that you will be doing PowerPoint or some other banal thing to pay divorce debt. But I digress…

Viking culture, it’s loud, in your face, mystical, even… primal. The #dragon is central to this culture. Níõhöggr, a dragon in the Völuspá; Jörmungandr, the #Midgard Serpent, who will begin #Ragnarök; Fáfnir, of the Völsung Cycle and the Drekki in the Gesta Danorum, are examples of wyrms that litter #Norse literature and theology.

This artwork is inspired by Norse jewelry design. It also serves as a proof of concept for a path I want to follow; combining manuscript illumination, 3D design, other elements of the Dark Ages… and #cake #decorating.

The composition is mixed media. Really, it’s mostly acrylic paint on canvas, but given depth through the use of gels and such. I also used a spare icing thingy I had laying around. What can I say? Cutting edge?

Anyway, I hope you like it. I’ve taken several types of photos in different light to show off its metallic character. I used a piece of broken blue glass for the eye. In future art, I’m going to use gems and stones and whatnot to give it a Medieval feel.

16×20. It’s for sale.