Monday, March 31, 2008

Checkers


This is a still life of my stuffed dog, "Checkers". It was a gift to me when I was a baby and my mother kept it intact over the years. You can see some of the repair stitching near his eye. Checkers lost the bell that was stitched in his ear and he's no longer white and red (more like light gray/brown and red). But he's still with me.

Acrylic on panel 5"x7"

Friday, March 28, 2008

Gone fishing

Another illustration from My Brushes with Death and Other Outdoor Blunders. Steve is devoted to his fishing.

It was exciting when the book came out. I have had drawings published in small newsletters before, but this was a real hardbound book! Just like in the bookstores! It really inspired me to get serious about illustration. Hopefully there are more books to come.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Peppers

A couple of still lifes of peppers.




Both are 5"x7" acrylic on panel.



Peppers on black velvet.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Ripping off Jack Kirby

Here's a painting taken from the cover of Fantastic Four #3.



It was done for a good friend of mine who was moving away. We have both outgrown superhero comics but still love the imagery. He likes the Fantastic Four in particular so I decided to be a "destitute man's Alex Ross" and paint this for him as a going away gift. That's Mike and his family on the roof in the lower right. It is currently hanging in their gallery/family room/basement. And I am honored.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Our Last Campout


This is an ink and wash illustration from "My Brushes with Death and Other Outdoor Blunders, a Family Man's Guide to Hunting and Fishing Woe" written by my friend, Steven Paul Barlow. It is a collection of humorous columns he wrote for an outdoor magazine. Most of the stories are about Steve's ineptness at hunting and fishing. Knowing him, I suspect he exaggerates his incompetence.
This drawing was for a story written as if he was sharing pictures from his family's last camping trip. The pictures tell a tale of disaster.
This structure made it fun to draw all the little scenes in the pictures. It ended up looking almost like an avant-garde comic strip.


Another still life. A very small medicine bottle and a button. 4" x 6" acrylic on panel.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Football



It was football season and I wanted to do a sports picture. My nephews weren't available to pose for the picture I wanted to do, kids playing football. An image came to me of a Paul Bunyan type legendary football player and did this in watercolor and gouache.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The Lion lays down with the Lamb


This is a humorous illustration based on a bible verse that doesn't exist. The actual verse is :

"The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them."

I think we put the Lion and the Lamb together because they are both used biblically as descriptions of Christ. If I painted the leopard and the goat, most people wouldn't get it. I wouldn't get it. If I painted all the animals listed it becomes "Peaceable Kingdom" and the gag is diffused. Maybe I'll try it sometime.



Here's another still life. Pine cones from in front of my old office. Acrylic on panel 5"x7".

Sunday, March 16, 2008

First post


Hello! This is the first post on my new blog. I am starting this as a way to post my art and talk about it. I anticipate producing a professional website eventually, but until then I will be putting up pieces old and new.


I have just retired from my previous job and am pursuing my long held aspirations to doodle full time. Over the years I have done some illustration work on the side while working a steady job. Now I am learning what it takes to make a go of it full time. I am finding it's very complicated. Hopefully my work and I will hold up.

This is a piece I did for my portfolio in 2002. It was inspired by a friend's mishaps while dog sitting. My friend is not a little girl and I'm pretty sure she didn't fly through the air. But otherwise I think it's a pretty accurate depiction. I enjoy working in a "cartoony" style like this.


I also enjoy working realistically. This is a small still life (5" x 7") that I did recently. I was inspired by the "painting a day" movement. A painting a day is a pretty rigorous standard that I have no illusions about maintaining, but I will keep doing the small pieces from time to time.