Cherry Lightning Filler

This started as a scrabble on the canvas, and asking myself “What can I do with it?” Et voilá! I’d kind of like to scrub the tree and start over but there’s other ideas that need to spill out into reality. Why? It’s reminiscent of my early work, and I know I can do better. So, media… mixed of course. Acrylics, watercolor, pencil, pastel, and stencil.

The Morning Star

“Her reputation preceded her, judging by the gasps of the people on the way to the castle. She was synonymous with evil, and had adopted the nickname of the light bringer, Lucifer. There was irony in that it was the same as the weapon she used to dispatch justice on those who had wronged her as she made her way back to the root of the problem. As she crested the hill, the familiar ramparts greeted her, and she smiled, in her unsmiling way, a most wicked smile; for she was home.”

Some hot off the render digital art I ginned up over the last couple days (and a backstory). The castle you can barely see in her eyes, which were the focus of all of this. Actually, it was reflections therein I was working on.

Love’s Awakening

Lust is a mortal sin, I was told, as a lapsed Catholic in childhood. Indeed, the historical record is full of catastrophes resulting from the pursuit of the physical. But Love, L’amour, Liebe…. ah, now THAT has nothing to do with the physical at all. For it is the pursuit of ones spirit, or soul, that thing that makes one perfectly imperfect, wherever it may reside. It’s free of all mortal boundaries and is… purely beautiful.

Update

I didn’t think attention would be drawn away from the meaning behind the art and towards the breasts. Never underestimate humanity. The reason why they were big in the first round was because there was a disconnect in how the shirt followed the body (auto follow vs redirect transforms) that couldn’t be fixed. It left sort of an invisible flattening across the chest if I went smaller. You can see a little bit of it in the girl on the left if you’re still not focused on the hands. I solved it all by changing outfits. Take your pick of which one you like better.

Unleashed

I didn’t want to let the first day of a new year go by without creating some artwork, so here you go. It was originally named ‘Flight’, but I used that yesterday. So I solved the conundrum and changed the name to the song I had on repeat while I was creating it; because one should credit where one draws inspiration, and it’s as much a part of the total package for me.

Now, for legal reasons and all, these two things are not associated, nor am I riding coat-tails. I’m merely sharing what inspired me. The song is ‘Unleashed’ by Two Steps from Hell (one of my favorite groups). The composer is Thomas Bergersen, and Merethe Soltvedt provides the vocalization. I visualize the birds taking off at 2:50, or here:

Happy Reunion

There’s a movie reference in this one. John Carpenter made one of the quintessential horror movies in 1982, the Thing, with Kurt ‘Call me Snake’ Russell. In 2011 a prequel was made, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead (sigh, heart). She survived the movie but we don’t really know if she was infected (aka the thing) or not. The dog that runs out of the Norwegian camp of the 2011 film towards the American camp of the 1982 err sequel is definitely infected. So I was like, “what if she was the alien and met back up with the other aliens at camp?” So, at heart it’s a girl and a dog happily reunited.

For those that are, like, “what’s up with this dude and horror?” I’m working through a thing. It’s called 2020.

Reflections

This was a doodle. I didn’t particularly have any goal in mind besides playing with lights off reflective surfaces, ye old, reflection in a reflection. It feeds into my love of light; and it turned out cool, so, I’m happy. Otherwise, tomorrow is another day in the work (to feed my body), art (to feed my soul), and sleep (to feed my mind), then repeat, routine.

November Roundup – AKA No ‘Regerts’

Well, November is over. I came in at just under 21 pieces of artwork, or 70% efficiency. For those who may have missed one or two, I’ve collected all of November below. The last piece I did was technically published in the wee hours of December 1, so I have to include it there.

My Favorite of This Month’s Work

Why do I keep track? Art is what I do instead of playing video games (lots of time lost there in the past) or binge watching TV (also lots of time lost in the past) – but no ‘regerts’, as the meme with the misspelled tattoo suggests.

In all seriousness, keeping track helps me to realize the value of time, since, as an artist going for fame and glory three-hundred years from now, there is precious little of it. Time is the one irreplaceable thing we have, so I want to make the most of it.

Without further ado, I give you November.

Note: there are some closeups, so there are 24 photos in all.

So what was November about? I think my themes were generally the power and beauty of woman, irony (as always throughout my work) and hope. Thoughts? What did you see in the artwork? Commentary welcome!

The Cage

My first #artwork in a minute. I’m #rendering another angle now that I think might be better. Instead of explaining what I was getting at with this #painting what do you think I was expressing? #art #digital #woman #midcenturymodern #digitalpainting

The Cage – another angle. I think I like this better.

Castle’s Fall

Nestled in the hills overlooking the sleepy valley, the Sandmen of Castle Dream-guard keep watch on the distance.  For in the far-off mists the armies of the nightmare realm gather for their nefarious purposes.

The castle is modeled on my favorite, Lichtenstein Castle.

Spray Paint and Acrylic on Canvas, 18 x 24.  Unframed. Available for purchase here.

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Harvest Knights

A surreal painting depicts a vibrant, oversized orange moon against a pink and purple sky. In the foreground, a lush landscape with tall, dark trees and dense foliage evokes the Rites of Spring. A small arched bridge crosses a tranquil stream, with mysterious ruins to the right.

“Harvest Knights” Acrylic and Spray Paint on Canvas, 18 x 24. Deep in the night, under the blood moon a pair of knights rush along a deserted road, past ruins of long forgotten folk towards an urgent engagement. At least that’s the idea. The skills never match the concept.

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Rites of Spring

A surreal painting depicts two gnarled trees with twisting, leafless branches against a dramatic gradient sky, reminiscent of the Rites of Spring. The ground is covered in warm-toned, orange-brown grass, with a small patch of vibrant green plants and colorful flowers in the foreground.

Deep in the night as the vernal equinox reaches its apex; while the moon blankets the land in cold light; the sleeping children of Nature stir.  The trees begin the dance of awakening, twisting and undulating in reverent celebration.  Their movement coaxes the Earth Mother to coalescence; like the creation of a galaxy, swirling, spinning, concentrating the forces of life against those of decay. The first buds begin to bloom, a supernova of light their birth cry – Spring has arrived.

That was the thought.  I’m fascinated with the pagan past of humanity, wrapped in rich mysticism which is completely the opposite of the modern fascination with the cold facts of science.  This interest is reflected in this painting.

P.S. There are no people in the painting.

The painting itself is a mix of spray paint and acrylic brushwork.  It is flawed, at least I see the big flaw, but until I figure out how to fix it without destroying the composition, I guess its finished.  The dimensions are 18 x 24. It’s for sale at $200 plus shipping (should be about $20, I’ll pick up anything above that).

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The Murder

A silhouetted, leafless tree with The Murder of five birds perched on its branch stands against a twilight sky that transitions from deep blue to orange. Surrounding foliage and distant terrain are also seen in the fading light.

This one comes straight from depression.  I call it ‘The Murder’, if you know your object quantifiers, you’ll figure it out.  It’s a combination #spray #paint and #acrylic brushwork on #canvas.  It’s also part of my #light series.  I think I’ll probably go back and do some touch-ups. The camera didn’t catch the depth of color; I regret that.

I would have gone with, ‘Crows Observe the Dawn’, but it didn’t have that echo to it. I was painting through a period of things not going my way. Music during the painting process was #Faun – particularly the song “Ero Escuro.”

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