Compositional elements.

I am working on the abstract ideas for my next piece, The Peloponnesian War.  These quick studies are compositional elements that I plan on using in the total composition.  I won't use all of them, but I will keep the good ones that fit the emotion I am working toward.

I will not start the oil painting until november...

...I have a lot of study work to do until then.

My grandfathers drafting table

My grandfather Greg was an engineer, a problem solver for Honeywell.  In his spare time he did fine woodworking.  Pop built clocks, most of the furniture in his house, tools to do things he needed, and he designed it all.

This drafting table is one of his designs and it has been mine for the last 15 years.  

I use it for everything.

Its height is adjustable from 36 inches and it can extend to 60 inches tall.  Making it comfortable to work on sitting in a chair, a tall stool or standing.  I do most of my work on it these days standing.

The bottom of the legs are held by peg braces so it is easy to disassemble.

The adjustments are made by simple bolts and fly nuts.

                

The top can rotate its angle almost 180% and adjust to be flipped completely for working on complicated and tight compositions.  

His brother Rodney passed on a few years ago and I got his drafting tools.  This drafting arm is perfect for design and basic drafting.  I used it mainly for laying out tricky compositional elements when I wanted forms to coincide with one another.

I love this drafting table...

...I will be used until I die.

New painting in progress

I have been working on this painting for nearly a year now.  I started with an academic study of the subject-matter, the artist that painted it, and then realistic details.  Over the last 6 months I have worked on the abstraction of the original composition with a heavy bias on the content of the narrative.  

I am fairly far along, but the real work starts now as I begin to truly work the composition.

Minneapolis #? "Penitent Magdelene"

This painting at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is my source material.  I have admired this work of art for many years.  I am very happy to present the subject-matter as I see it.

"Penitent Magdelene"

Bartolome Esteban Mutillo    c. 1650-1665

I hope to have this painting completed by the end of March or the beginning of April.

Thanks for reading along...

...I will post more about this painting as I work on it.

The BitTorrent series of oil paintings are Finished!

I have finally completed my compositional narratives.  I have enjoyed all of these paintings, and what is to come is sooo much crazier that i can hardly wait to complete the first three.  I hope you enjoy these works.  I added pictures the works of art that influenced this series of paintings compositionally and philosophically.

Artist Statement

This series is intended to discuss stories that have been retold continuously because of their honesty about humanity.  Within each painting I present individuals of historical significance whose impact has undeniably shaped our culture.  Spin is taking fact and altering it to both mislead and redirect the attention of an audience where the given information is manipulated to coincide with an agenda.  Spin is a deceptive heavily biased portrayal of one’s own favor of an event or situation most commonly used to answer questions or present information.  To put spin on a topic of conversation is to lie.  It is disingenuous, deceptive, highly manipulative and although indirectly, it is a method of presenting fiction as fact.

Each painting in this series is my reinterpretation of a master painting I have spent a great deal of time observing and investigating.  I have chosen subject matter that is considered classical and presents a reoccurring story in human history.  Within each painting I present individuals of historical significance whose impact has been a direct result of spin.  I relate these individuals in history with color-forms that i feel best represent the truths behind these myths.  By reinterpreting historical events that were intended and presented as spin I wish to create a dialogue about truths and how we identify with them. 

Adam M. Considine 2011

BitTorrent 1 "Jessica Lynch as the Daughters of Jethro" 

oil on canvas

40" x 30"

 Jessica lynch + "Moses defending the Daughters of Jethro"

BitTorrent 2 "Marinuis Vanderlubbe as Icarus" 

oil on canvas

36" x 48"

Marinus Van der Lubbe + Icarus and Daedalus  

BitTorrent 3 "Bernard madof as the sermon on the mount" 

oil on canvas

30" x 40"

BitTorrent 4 "Nikola Tesla as Daedalus" 

oil on canvas

30" x 40"

BitTorrent 5 "The Building of the Trojan Horse" 

oil on canvas

36" x 48"

"The Building of the Trojan Horse"

BitTorrent 6 "Salome with the Head of Saint John the Baptist" 

oil on linen

48" x 36"

"Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist"

BitTorrent 7 "Interventio, The story of Calypso" 

oil on linen

48" x 36"

"Calypso"

BitTorrent 8 "The story of Venus and Adonis" 

oil on linen

48" x 36"

"Venus and Adonis"

BitTorrent 9 "Apollo and the Python" 

oil on linen

36" x 48"

Ruth Duckworth "Untitled" I used the shadow of her work.

BitTorrent 10 "Andromeda" 

oil on linen

24"x 36"

"Andromeda and the sea monster"

BitTorrent 11 "Odysses Itch" 

oil on linen

24" x 36"

BitTorrent 12 "The Peloponnesian War" 

oil on linen

24" x 36"

I hope you like them as much as I do...

...check back when you can there is a new series of paintings on the way.