The Studio Plunder...A History, Part Seven

 One of the things I have always found important is how the negative space is used. I think a lot of artists over look this. So often I will practice on works that focus on the negative space. One of favorite ways to practice this is to work on black board with white pencil. Or, I will paint in ink to cover everything except what I want to be left white, which to me is a bit more difficult. You will see a lot of that later technique in following posts.

These three were studies from 1999.

Frank Sinatra - This is actually the second version of this study. The first I gave away. It went to a friend, but I always wished I had kept it. The first one was better. Oh well, it went to a good home.

Miles Davis

More Miles

A couple I photographed on the beach.

The Studio Plunder...A History, Part Six

So, with the last entry of part five, I realized I got a little bit ahead of myself. I realized this as I was digging in my studio again last night and I found my design portfolio. 

While I was in school, my main focus was design. Graphic, packaging, furniture,  industrial, public...

My personal preference was graphic. I specialized in logos and corporate identities as well as way-finding systems for hospitals, hotels, malls as well as advertising.

Starting in about 1990 I was already in business for myself. Many of my school projects were actual paying jobs. I managed to land jobs for O'Neill, Catalina, OP, Disney. There were a lot of local companies that had me do there print advertising, which I loved.

Most all of my work in the beginning was pencil,and markers. I didn't start painting in oil until 2001.

So here is a big part of my portfolio:

This was me. (sort of) The bottom had all of my business information on it.

Many of my portfolio pieces were compositions used to show clients a concept. The wording is done in what's called "greeking". (I think that's what we called it. If you look close it's just gibberish. but it looks good.

A few of the logos. 

The concept page. This is what a client would get shown at the second meeting. Then we would narrow it down and start on the rest of the company identity. Letterhead, cards, golf carts, you name it.

I can't remember who I designed this deck of cards for. I have two different designs.

Signage for the I & T Department on campus. It's done in pencil.

One of my Disney gigs was to design logos for a new line of swim wear for kids. This is what I showed them. I don't know why but the project was canceled before we met again. Many of the bigger companies would change things on a whim and no explanation. 

I used to have a great collection of Disney tee shirts and tank tops that were never put into production. We would do the designs and print about a dozen samples. I always got to keep many of the sample works. It was really cool having Disney clothes and knowing I was one of only three people in the world that had them.

I really miss doing the design work. I loved the whole process. Even 19 years later there are a couple of my logos and designs I still see around town. It's amazing. It always makes me smile.

In The End...

Everything will be alright in the end.

If it's not alright,

it's not the end.

The Studio Plunder...A History, Part Five

2000 turned out to be a big turn around for my art. I started taking a sketch book with me every where I went. I started spending much more time on each drawing or painting. Simplicity was my objective. I was shooting a lot of photos as well. I was fascinated with high contrast.

James

John

Marilyn - unfinished


I loved sketching places that I spent time. In this case it was the restaurant. When ever I got a break I would sit on the fire escape in the alley and draw.

This was a tough night. This is drawn on the back of one of our menus.



I always wanted to do murals. One of our servers asked me one night if I would paint her apartment. After we talked I realized she wanted a scene, not just a paint job.

This is what I came up with.

This is the one we decided on. It was 8 1/2 x 12 feet, in full color. I painted it on her bedroom wall across from her bed. It took me a couple of weeks. About three weeks after I finished she was forced out by one of her room mates and she painted over it to get her deposit back.
It was still worth it. I love doing things like this. About half of the places I have ever lived I have painted murals on.

The Studio Plunder...A History, Part Four

The late 90's were a difficult time in my life. The personal trauma that comes up can be more than some can handle. I didn't deal with mine very well. I had started to spend most of creative energy on photography. The time spent drawing and painting had become experimentation. I wasn't sure what mediums I wanted to work in, what style, what subjects.

I let my sorrow dictate most of my work. They were dark and heavy most of the time. I stopped rendering eyes open with few exceptions.  I was searching for direction but had no idea of where I wanted to go.

This is the first of the "Sorrow" works. The morning after I painted this my life was turned upside down and inside out. All of those memories are now attached to this work. I have thought about getting rid of it, thinking that maybe if the painting were gone, the memories would go with it. I look at it and I can still feel all of the pain. 

This was on the cover of a book. I saw it and this boys face was burned into my brain. One morning I woke and had to get it out. 

I was always a fan of colored pencils. The graphic designer in me. When I was a student all design work was still done by hand.

These were my take on high contrast photographs I had taken. In case you don't see it, it's a reclining female nude.

I have always like Pop Art. Romero Britto is one of my favorites. I started following him before he was the international superstar he is today. These were done in oil pastels. A wonderful medium that I still use.

Markers are also a medium that I use quite often. More of my design background. They are great for quick studies in color. This is called "Race to Naked"

It was 1998. I had been in the gallery side of the art world for about 10 years already. It had beaten me down. My luck being what it is, I had managed to work for several of the sleaziest people in the art world. It was breaking my spirit. I was questioning my own beliefs. I need a new path. That was the year I decide to become a chef. I left the gallery world and started volunteering at a local cooking school and ended up with a job in one of San Diego's most decorated restaurants.

From the end of 98 until mid 2001 I trained and cooked, learning everything I could get our executive chef to teach me. Cooking really is counter culture. Late nights, long hot hours, lots of drinking and drugs. And I loved every minute of it. Cooking is and art after all.  It was just what I needed and it turned me around and gave me the direction I had been looking for.