Untitled #291

Untitled #291

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2014

I drew the model Val Benavides' head in this 20 min. life drawing way over size. Typically I like to draw the model's head at life size when drawing or painting a portrait. Although, sometimes it's just plain fun to draw something huge and ambitious within a short amount of time. You really just kind of have to let go. No underdrawing, no planning, just put it down. Almost every passage in this drawing is comprised of minimal definition as there was no time to belabor anything.

Untitled #246

Untitled #246

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2014

This was a 40 minute pose from life at a nearby workshop in Palm Desert, CA. I'm often drawn to working more in line than masses when it comes to using charcoal as a medium. The dark broad lines are a breeze to execute with the side of a well formed edge. Also, there is a primitive beauty to working with a simple piece of charred wood. It feels timeless really, as it has been a tool of choice in art for literally thousands of years.

Untitled #311

Untitled #311

12" X 16"

Oil on Paper

2014

Another 2 hour study painted from life. I've really grown fond of working in a monochromatic form with these 2 hour poses. It saves a bit of time not having to spend a lot of the pose mixing as is the case when working with color. Also, you can cover so much ground with paint in such a short amount of time, and the length of the pose allows for some accuracy. So this approach is a nice mixture of both drawing and painting. 

Desert Landscape Study

Desert Landscape Study

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2012

This work is similar to a cactus study that I posted earlier in the month. Here again I have used directionally focused stroke patterns to build unison across multiple forms in the composition. I've experimented with this approach over the years and continue to return to it on occasion. There is a kind of dynamism to it that is continuously attractive for me.   

Gwyneth Seated in Monochrome

Gwyneth Seated in Monochrome

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2015

I painted this the other morning from life out in 29 Palms in a little under two hours. It was another trek for me across the mass of Southern California to a place I've never been. The workshop was held at a place called 29 Palms Creative Center & Gallery and the host, other artists, and model were more than pleasant company to keep. The drive there was amazing too. So many wildflowers in the desert. The most I've seen in quite a few years. 

Untitled #301

Untitled #301

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2014

I used a large sheet of Vellum for this 25 minute drawing completed last year. Vellum is a rather unforgiving surface to use with charcoal because it is very difficult to eradicate any mistakes. Also, the tooth fills up rather quickly. Although there is a kind of stark beauty to the work because it forces you to make definitive choices without hesitation. It's kind of a high-wire act like working in ink without an underdrawing, but on a large scale.

Danielle Seated

Danielle Seated

12" X 16"

Oil on Canvas

2014

This 3 Hr. life study was painted on an untoned canvas. Typically I enjoy working on a toned canvas while doing studies like this from life as they afford some forgiveness in terms of coverage. 

When working on such a stark surface you have to work a bit more diligently to make sure that the paint connects so that bright canvas gaps don't show up in-between strokes that have been laid down. To accommodate for this I usually load the brush full of paint while attempting to describe forms with as few strokes as possible. 

This approach to painting is called 'economy of means' by many, and more than a few of my favorite artists worked in this manner. There is kind of elegant simplicity to it when thing work out well.

44th President

44th President Sketch

18" X 24"

Charcoal on Paper

2015

This 45 min. sketch of President Obama is from an image that just seemed to catch my interest the other day. It's always remarkable to witness the ageing of Presidents in office over time as I imagine they endure an exhaustive work schedule and inordinate amounts of stress. There was a kind of 1,000 yard stare in his eyes that was absolutely gripping.

Camille Seated

Camille Seated

12" X 16"

Oil on Canvas

2014

This is a four hour Alla Prima painting from life completed last year at Angels Gate. I used quite a few very large brushes throughout the painting. Especially in the background. Using these can be a bit tricky sometime as it is a very simple thing to ruin prior carefully laid in strokes.

Skull in Umber Monochrome (Sold)

Skull in Umber Monochrome (Sold)

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2014

I painted this 2 hour study from life using Raw Umber and Titanium White. Monochrome works like this are a great way to study value relationships, and the skeleton in particular presents an elaborate exercise along these lines due to the myriad of small changes in form.

Cactus Study

Cactus Study

24" X 36"

Charcoal on Paper

2012

One of the aspects that I most enjoy in drawing is the linearity in form description. Although working in mass can also be easily achieved as well through various methods, to me drawing is very much about working in line. I feel it is one of the definitive differences between how I approach a drawing and painting.

This difference is especially true of working at larger scales. It is uncommon to see artists drawing at a larger scale than 18" X 24" and whenever I show up to a workshop with a  24" X 36" drawing board I am typically the only individual working at that scale. One thing this scale brings out in drawing is the relatively small proportion of the tool to the working area. So in this way many small scale strokes have to be laid down to achieve tonal differences. An advantage of this is that you can emphasize directions of form in each stroke that build up to larger overall compositional patterns as I've done in this study.

Monochrome Female Head Study 02

Monochrome Female Head Study 02

12" X 16"

Oil on Paper

2014

This painting is another 2 hour study done on Canson Oil Paper. I've really come to enjoy working with it over the last year. Although at first it took some getting used to as it is a "thirsty" surface to work with. What is especially attractive is that there is a soft focus quality to the finished work that is quite unique. Although hard edges are easily defined as well.

The paint bleeds a bit into the tooth with fluid applications. So it can behave a bit like watercolor paper in that way. Although it takes opaque passages with no problem as well, which makes it quite versatile. It's very much like working with Gouache on Illustration Board, but better in that it offers the permanence and luster of working in Oil.

Skeleton Study in Green Monochrome

Skeleton Study in Green Monochrome

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2014

This is a 2 hour study of a full size skeleton that I purchased back in the 90s. I've returned to paint and draw from it on countless occasions. The human skeleton, along with other animals in nature, is a work of tremendous complexity and presents a unique challenge when used as subject material due to the innumerous small forms of detail throughout.

In using it as a subject over the years it really sinks in after awhile just how complicated the spine is in particular. It's like this giant tree trunk of electrical wiring running right down the body carrying out much of what the brain commands and each vertebrae is riddled with processes, ridges, and nodules. It's a bit counterintuitive given how simple the back appears from a surface anatomy perspective. In fact the back, especially the lower back on the male figure, is one of the most continuously homogenous shapes on the human form in general. It's really quite deceptive. 

Monochrome Female Head Study

Monochrome Female Head Study 01

9" X 12"

Oil on Paper

2014

I've just opened up a Gallery on DailyPaintWorks.com* and this is the first painting I've posted there. It's a 2 hour study completed last year as part of a daily painting exercise and I'll be posting more work over the coming year or so.

I'm not currently represented in the "Gallery World" as I've been working full-time commercially for over the last 15 years very much under the radar. I made my first portfolio website back in the late 90s and took it down in late 2003. So I've been missing in action in a public way for quite some time. I haven't even really been on social media at all either. I started a Facebook page some years ago but that was mainly just to do research for a commercial project. I've really had my nose to the grindstone for a long time without taking much time to look around or self promote my work. So I imagine some visitors have come here and said to themselves, 'Who is this guy?'. For those that have I've added a bit more biographical info* at my DailyPaintWorks gallery.

*My online Gallery is currently closed to further purchases as of April 2015. Although I may reopen it at some point in the future.