"Persephone" - 16" x 20" Oil and "King, Queen & All Between" - 16" x 20" Acrylic/Oil

Been a very long time since I've posted anything on here. I've been focusing on music with my band Dead Mans Dew for the past couple years. This piece "Persephone," was published in Infected By Art - vol. 6 in 2018. I finally got around to purchasing the book. It arrived yesterday and the piece looks great inside! Thanks to Beth for modeling for the painting. Also, thanks to the judges and everyone involved in creating this book. More information about Infected By Art here. Congratulations to all of the artists that made it in! All the best in your endeavors. The original piece has been sold. 

"King, Queen & All Between." This is a commission completed a while ago for my friend Ed. His wife contacted me to do a piece for him as a surprise for his birthday. Ed was definitely surprised and very excited to have one of my creations in his hands. I'm happy that I was able to do this for him. Thanks to Amy and Ed! I wish the best for you and the family. I'm not sure when I'll begin painting again with my focus mainly on music? Until then, you can see more of my art on my website here. Cheers!

"Faith" 6" x 8" Acrylic/Oil

Drawing in progress. I didn't have solid plans for this piece which is rare. I usually do a few concept sketches and get some reference material together before I even start the final drawing. I was tired of thinking and just wanted to go with the flow. I knew I wanted some random shapes at least so I began drawing. At one point I incorporated faces of creatures but it wasn't working. Then I tried some eyes but I tossed that idea as well.

Here's the final drawing before I later established a cross symbol idea as you'll see below.

I applied acrylic layers of yellow and brown. I didn't intend to turn it red but it happened. Seeing that color made me want to add a powerful symbol to contrast the flowing background. Eventually I decided on a cross. You can see the faint outline on the right photo. I thought it would appear more interesting if I brought the sides to a sharp point.

After a couple layers of oil here. I was still wondering how it was all going to end up.

I had no idea I'd be painting a cross. Considering I had no solid plans in the beginning I'm satisfied with the outcome. I finished it on Easter night and spent most of that weekend stuck in the studio but I got in some family time. Whether you believe in God or not is none of my concern. I'm not endorsing either side but having faith in anything that keeps you positively evolving in this crazy world isn't a bad thing. You have the freedom to choose what makes you happy. 

"Oblivion" 12" x 16" Acrylic/Oil - time and hope

Photographing my art is always a long process with getting the art level, angles with lighting, et cetera but it has to be done. Fortunately, I acquired the equipment bit by bit. I don't have to rely on others to do it for me now because I've learned enough over years of experimenting to take the task on myself. There's plenty of great information out there on the subject. It's a matter of working out what way works best for you.

Another time consuming issue is adjusting the image on my computer screen in Photoshop. Dealing with distortions, fixing the contrast, color, etc. so that the online image matches the original as best as possible. I'm no expert but I make it work.

Sketching up concepts, sometimes creating reference maquettes and doing research, taking photographs of reference models and surface prepping are all time consuming efforts before I even get started on the final drawing. Then it's spending a ton of time figuring out the painting process and.....varnishing.....framing the finished piece. I'm not even going to get into what's involved with creating prints. Also sharing online and writing on this blog, time consuming! You artists out there can relate.

I definitely want to share my art and have it positively affect the world but I often think I really should be playing guitar and singing for a living which I've been working at most of my life (along with the artwork). Although the music is time consuming as well, it's different. I still have high hopes that one day the sounds will permeate the Universe to aid others. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about creating art, just stating the time consuming facts. I have a limited amount of time and seemingly unlimited obligations. I have a beautiful wife, two angelic daughters, great friends and family; and I couldn't be happier creating music with the current band I'm in but unfortunately I only have 24 hours in one day. I appreciate and utilize every second.

Here's my finished second painting "Oblivion" for my upcoming gallery show in July. If you missed my first piece "Penniless" here's a link (it now has a frame and I'm really happy with how it turned out.)  Although I've decided to hang a couple older paintings and possibly a couple prints, I want to create as much new work as I can for the show.

The fragility of life has been the main focus lately in my work. I only have a certain amount of time here and who knows how long we humans will survive? I like to believe that we'll evolve into something that is unimaginable today, millions of years from now. If given the time it's inevitable that we will all exist in a different, better state, I hope. Perhaps our descendants will literally be able to manipulate parts of our Universe in a positive manner, allowing us to thrive lightyears from Earth? Until then, we'll have to deal with the spreading of negative beliefs, xenophobia, ethnocentrism, unscrupulous megalomaniacs, corruption, war, poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, undereducated and overstimulated youth, transfixed with devices fused to their eyeballs, reality TV. Unsocial social networks uniting yet dividing. The list goes on. I'm sure some of these problems will thin out or disappear in time. I suspect other troublesome issues will arise as we progress but will we ever get to a point of peace? It's not impossible.

 It's up to us as individuals to make a better society, a better world one by one. We cannot rely on disharmonious organizations, expecting them to give us what they think we need, exercising too much control over us. We need critical thinkers that question everything, leading to higher levels of intelligence, not  brainwashing propaganda. We need to distill the instilled falsehoods in us all, purify ourselves. We're evolving but stagnant, simultaneously devolving. There are present day people out there that probably still believe the World is flat! Will we survive or become extinct. Some remain oblivious to it all. I question, I search for truths, I have hope that we will free ourselves from the slavery caused by ignorance and that we'll grow and continue to burn bright.

"Penniless" 12" x 16" Acrylic/Oil

This is my first painting of 2016. Since there is a penny in the piece I came up with an idea of attaching real pennies to the border. I'm satisfied with how it looks. It needs varnished and framed! I'll be completing some more pieces for my first solo gallery show at Gallery Denmark here in Columbus, OH. I believe the opening reception is set for Gallery Hop weekend, Sat. July 2nd? For anyone interested, I also have paintings and a few prints currently available for purchase at Ikon Images Gallery.  in Canton, OH. At Gallery Denmark I'll be hanging a couple older pieces but I'll also be creating new paintings. Some will be inspired by my experience in a hospital last year.

It was a very tough time. I wasn't feeling 100% and after a week I drove myself to an ER. I didn't really get answers and I had an important gig the next day so I pushed on and jammed. I wasn't missing out on the opportunity to open for a touring national act. Although I was sick, the show turned out great! Another week went by, it slowly got worse but I pushed harder since I had another gig set that I was NOT going to cancel. My guitar playing wasn't too bad but unfortunately, it was my worst vocal performance. I just had no power to sing like usual. Two days later, feeling horrible, my wife drove me to another ER and I had to stay for a week. I thought I lost 15 lbs. but thinking back, I realized I lost about 20 lbs. during that time before my second ER visit. Leaving out details to keep a long story short, I went through a lot in the hospital scared as hell thinking about everyone and everything. I was eventually diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Doctor wants me on medication for the rest of my life but hey, things could be worse! I have unaccomplished goals and I like to believe that life will only get better from here. I'm grateful for my wife and two daughters, the rest of my family, my friends and to everyone at the hospital.

Glad to say I'm living healthier, feeling fine and trying to enjoy every second. I've always appreciated simple things in life but I do so even more now. I certainly have a different perspective. People stress too much over small matters and can easily become so lost and materialistic, letting money and things control their lives. You can't buy back time spent with your family and friends. Trust me, I wish I had a receipt that I could exchange to experience the good times again of my past, a return policy to make right the wrongs; a time machine to talk to my Father again and visit my Grandparents that I didn't have a chance to grow up with, et cetera. What's truly important does not come with a price tag. Needless to say, I've been making an effort to spend a little more time with friends and family. Know that you are meaningful, be kind to one another, give more, take less, appreciate your time for tomorrow your life here could end. We are all precious and priceless. Hope you dig the painting.

Skeleton Key Maquette

I decided to make a skeleton key maquette for reference. These are in progress photos. Stuck a piece of an old drum stick in it for stability. Damaged it in the process but fixed it up. Made some changes to it and will probably mess with it a bit more before hardening it in the oven, possibly painting it and then photographing it for reference.

Promowest/Greater Columbus Arts Council 30th anniversary contest

It's hard for me to remember to post stuff on my own blog sometimes with facebook and with what's been happening in my life. I won a contest with three other artists and here is the display on the A&R music bar downtown. It went up last September and I finally saw it while I was walking to a concert next door so I took a couple photos. It will be taken down next month. Some more details about it all here!

Learning from experimentation

I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything. I'm guilty of focusing elsewhere. A while back I visited the Columbus Museum of Art by myself. Something I haven't done since my college days. I was inspired to do this piece after seeing some paintings that caught my attention by Paul-Henri Bourguignon (1906 - 1988). After thinking about it for a while I finally got to it.

I intended to use this canvas for something else down the road. All of my prep work to make it smooth was wasted because I ended up basically throwing paint on it. I studied a couple of Paul's paintings up close for a while. I'm not certain of his technique and I didn't bother researching. I suspect that he sometimes used a similar approach that I'm experimenting with for the first time in this video. I'm not here to copy his work or duplicate his technique exactly. That's not what I'm about. This is simply a release, a lesson in learning from experimentation.

I guess it would be similar to me trying to figure out how Jimi Hendrix got a particular sound and just experimenting with some equipment he possibly used and not playing his songs exactly, which can be damn near impossible anyways. I'm not huge on covering songs although, it can be a good learning experience. Don't get me wrong here, it's fun. I've done it but it's kind of like painting someone else's painting and maybe throwing in a couple different elements. Write your own songs, paint your own pieces, create your own dishes or whatever!

I know we're all influenced but ultimately, I'm interested in seeing how you're affected by it. Can you feel the energy that surrounds you, that's deep within you? Can you take the energy that you're apart of and focus it to create something original that inspires others in a positive way? Yes...you can.

My apologies if this video is pixelated. I used a high quality camera and the actual file is crispy but the uploaded version is showing up horrible on my computer. Not exactly sure why?

"Anticoagulant" 9" x 16" Oil

First time applying gesso with a palette knife on watercolor paper. I think I'd like it better on a different surface but it's the only thing I had in the studio to create a piece with at the time.

The final drawing. Not the most detailed but I knew I'd be basically throwing paint over it for the feel I wanted to achieve.

I have found through experimenting a couple times that it's not so easy painting with loose brush strokes. It takes a lot of focus and effort to make things look effortless. Painting in that free state of mind was my goal with this piece. Look at the blue in the middle of the top photo. That's one brush stroke, one. When I did that I knew that that was it. It was intense. Effortless effort. Can't say much for the rest of the painting. Lol!

One morning I awoke with a vision in my head. A bit foggy but similar to this. I wanted it to be a simple but strong design that hopefully no one has ever thought of creating. Originally I thought I could get it to work with simple shapes, triangles, circles, etc. My first attempt at this piece was a learning experience/failure so I threw the canvas aside. I still wanted simplicity in my second attempt. A dark mass, glowing eyes, two red lines running down a light back ground. Unfortunately the texture of the canvas doesn't show very well in the photo. The first bat creature I painted wanted to take you out for milk and cookies. This creature wants to suck your soul with whiskey. Think I achieved something here? The third and final painting in my "October series". Eventually they'll be up for sale, varnished, framed or unframed. Enjoy the rest of October!

"Poison Control" 6" x 8" Oil

Took a photo of this spider on my back deck a while ago and thought it would be cool to use it in another painting for my "October series". I changed its color for the look I wanted. Experimenting with the oil paint was interesting. I've never seen or heard of the technique I used but I'm sure it has been done before? It turned out alright for a little piece. I don't think a bite from this spider would kill you but I like the title poison control. I'll be posting another painting soon!

"Demons Among Us" 6" x 8.5" Acrylic/Oil

The first in my "October series" I'm completing for myself. It's nice to paint something small and different and have fun doing it. I received a mask candle holder as a gift from a friend years ago. Thanks Evan! When I was looking at it a while back I thought, how cool would it be to paint this. With the mask already made it's the perfect reference. I originally planned on painting one face. I think the piece is stronger with three. In the original the background looks a bit darker and there's more of a subtle shift in color without so much contrast in areas. It's always a challenge for me to match up the computer image to the original but I adjusted it to my satisfaction. Happy October!

"Tempting Tigers" 24" x 24" Oil

 Final drawing on board.

I took photos of the model last year before developing the concept of this piece. A little backwards but it works sometimes. Thanks again to Angie for posing. After I returned from Illuxcon back in September of 2013 I began sketching ideas. I started the final drawing on September 22, 2013 and I just finished about a week ago. I had a lot on my mind so I worked on it here and there for a year trying to figure it all out. Fulfilling yet draining simultaneously. I ended up adding a few elements that I didn't plan at the beginning which usually happens with me. The stuff that happens spontaneously is the fun part. For instance, the green vines and leaves. I just felt the piece needed it so I started flinging some green on there. At times I try not to think, just go at it. If it works, great! If I F*%k it up, I make it work. I'm good with the outcome and I'm ready to move forward as I'm sure you can imagine. 

It was not an easy task photographing this piece and adjusting it on the computer to match the original as close as possible. I probably spent roughly five hours all together just in that process trying to figure it out. The good news is that I learned some new things on the computer. It would be nice to have five new paintings under my belt but hey, I'd rather have one good quality painting than five S^#@y ones on my hands. Quality vs quantity folks! At least I hope this is a good quality painting? Unfortunately, I wasn't at Illuxcon 7 this year but maybe this will be on display/for sale at Illuxcon 8 with a few more new ones? We'll see where life takes me.

For Carlos Santana

Some of you out there know how this beautiful guitar ended up in my hands from Santana. If not you can read about it here. Here's a short youtube video of me playing it and experimenting with my effects pedals. I jammed on it the night I got home from the concert. The next day I started writing a song and I knew I had to use it as another way of showing my appreciation since words can only reach so far at times. Hopefully he'll see this video someday. This guitar feels and sounds as smooth as it appears. Check out the artists from Spain that created the artwork on the new album here. Enjoy everyone! Love to you all.

Another piece in progress pt. 3

A few recent quick photos for you. I started this piece back in September of 2013. The last time I worked on it was back in March. At that time I worked a couple more thin layers of oil on this close up and the two below.

I've had a lot of things tugging me different ways in my life. Without getting into details I can't seem to get myself to figure this piece out and actually finish it. With a four year old girl and a new baby girl that's scheduled to arrive in July on top of everything else, I've decided I better try and devote more time towards finishing this painting.

I had plans long ago to push this face back in the atmosphere by painting it pale blue. I wanted to give her a possessed look. I then experienced something that made me want to keep it like this. Plus I worked a lot on getting the face to this point anyway. None of the painting is completely done but it's getting closer little by little. I'm hoping to have the entire painting posted on here and my website within the next few weeks. You can view the "another piece in progress pt. 1" here and pt. 2 here.

Me and Carlos Santana

The final painting in acrylic 13" x 24." This is my submission to the PromoWest/Greater Columbus Arts Council 30th anniversary art contest. Selection and voting is on the way. More details to come. I went into this not for the chance of a cash prize or recognition but only for challenging myself. Little did I know where it would lead me. I heard that Santana was coming to the LC Pavilion for the 30th anniversary show so I used him as my inspiration for the piece. I didn't do any research but I like to think that I'm the first artist to think of using the stripes of snakes as a guitar fret board but that would be an insult to the human mind. Who knows? It definitely was a challenge but a fun one.

I found out from my friend Greg, that there was a possibility to have prints signed. I was lucky enough to have two high quality prints made with help from my brother. Thanks Monty! I told Greg I wasn't asking or expecting any special treatment but that would be cool if Santana signed them. I decided to write Carlos a small letter telling him thanks for what he's done for the World and how much I'd appreciate it if he preferred to sign the prints. I also offered him the original as a gift if he was interested. If he didn't want it I planned to auction it off and donate some profit to the foundation that he started with his family, The Milagro Foundation. Turns out, he signed the prints and was interested in the original. After the painting was relayed to him he asked about me which I wasn't expecting.

I wasn't sure if he'd be interested in the painting or if he'd even see the prints. I thought well, there's a small chance he might want it so I better get it framed just in case. Thank you Andrea for doing such a great framing job!

I ran through the rain before the show after receiving a phone call from Greg. Escorted back by a body guard I went to meet Carlos. It was only for a minute or two but it was so awesome! As a musician I've admired his guitar playing for years. I wish I remembered to tell him that. Everything happened so fast that not much was said between us. I didn't even get a chance to say bye. Lol! He did ask for my address so something could be sent to me. I gave it to his body guard, Sean. It was cool to hear the crowd scream when he peeked out the door next to me as I was writing my address down on my card. On my way out I told Sean that I wasn't expecting anything in return. What happened next blew me away.

Still in shock, I go grab a Guinness with my friend, Shawn. Moments later I get another call. Escorted back by another body guard I ended up outside a room where I could hear Santana jamming alone. I thought holy crap, am I going to get to jam with him for a couple minutes!?! I didn't ask to jam as I entered but he says, "I have something for you." He opens a case to show me this, Awhhhhhhhhh and a beam of light came from the heavens :) a Paul Reed Smith guitar, signed and dated! I was in awe and almost speechless. I let him know how much I appreciated it and told him he has provided so many beautiful things to the World and he said "likewise." He mentioned that "we are the same" and that he was just a reflection of me. What do you say to that!!! Wise words. I said thanks so much again, shook his hand, told him good luck with the show and I was on my way. I felt like I was cutting into his practice time so I kept it short. It all happened so fast! So there I was, carrying my new guitar across the stage in front of tons of people before the show to store it away in a safe room until after the performance. Incredible!

It was my first time seeing him perform live. Me, Shawn and Greg stood there as Santana and the rest of the band blew our minds with one of the greatest performances I've ever seen. Carlos, I hope our paths cross again someday. If so maybe we'll  have more conversation time and I'd love to be able to actually jam with you ;) You are a bright light. Thank you so much for everything! Big thanks to every single person that made this possible. Who knew entering an art contest to challenge myself would bring me here.

Update, May 29th 2016.  I later found out after this crazy experience that my piece was selected along with three other artists to be displayed on the side of the A&R Music Bar for one year. Hard to believe that was almost two years ago.

Giving an original painting away

When I created this concept years ago, I knew my friend Kenny would be a good reference model for the oil painting. We've been friends since elementary school and I consider him one of my brothers. He's been there through thick and thin. I've been fortunate to have him living only minutes away the past couple years. We've kept in touch pretty good over the decades. He recently had a birthday and I invited him over to celebrate. Towards the end of the night I presented this to him as a gift. Thanks to my wife for snapping the photo! I could've sold the painting but giving this to him means more to me than any amount of money. Kenny, I hope we have a few more decades of laughs. The first few have been great so thanks. Cheers!

A close up photo of the piece.

Infected by Art Volume Two publication

I decided to submit several of my paintings to the Infected by Art Volume two book. I had a couple old and new pieces never published. It was my first time entering and I'm happy a few of my pieces made it passed the judges. It's an honor. Thanks to everyone involved and congratulations to everyone that made it in!

This is one of the few that made it in the book. You can pre-order a copy at Amazon

Poster

 Part of the drawing after the surface prep.

A little section with some acrylic paint.

And a close up of the frame. Looking forward to getting this completed and framed. I'll reveal the entire painting in a few days.

Galaxy DMD 8

Name: Galaxy DMD 8 - aka, Guitar Pedal Board
Location: Infinite
Age: Eternal
Light Year Distance: Obsolete

DMD 8 - An eternal evolving energy, the result of a gravitational collision between three unknown galaxies. Stars were destroyed and born. In other words, I went to Home Depot and bought supplies to build myself a guitar pedal board :) With goals to play out live more, this will help with the transporting/preparing process. I may be using this for the first time on Saturday, March 15th at 11pm. Dead Mans Dew was asked yesterday if we could play a 45 minute slot at the Rumba Cafe. Short notice but the stars aligned and we're available. I will share details online as I receive more information. We only have two weeks to promote and prepare. Luckily we'll have 1 practice session before the show. This will be our 3rd live show together as a band and we'll be performing all originals.

The painting on the board is rough but I knew my pedals would cover a lot of it and hey, the painting is for me. The pedals have yet to be assembled with velcro. I had to modify a few things to make it work with my design but it works. Here is a short video of a few progress photos without music.

Another piece in progress pt. 2

I'm slowly getting back in the groove, working out this piece. Here are some close up in progress photos. Nothing is complete. I'm only about 30 % done so I still have a long way to go with the faces and everything else.

First couple layers of oil.

A couple more layers with more to go. Again, only 30 % done. Stay tuned for the 100 % photo in the future.

"Breath of Hope" 10" x 12" Oil

This is a piece I created for a Christmas card. Since everyone probably received their card by now, I wanted to share it on the blog. It printed out pretty nice and I had a lot of fun with this piece, especially with the border. Hope you all have a great holiday season! Thanks Dan!