New Minneapolis painting started

I started a new painting for the Minneapolis series of works.  This is only the first thin layer of oil-color, as it will dramatically change over the next few months.  I would like to have this completed sometime in March.

Thanks for taking a quick look at my blog...

...many more new paintings to posted soon

Studio Visit magazine

It finally came in the mail...

...Studio Visit Magazine is out and I am featured in volume sixteen, on pages 34-35.

It looks nice, and has a good feel in my hands, lets see if this reaps the rewards that I hoped it would.  If anything this will show off my work to other artists.  After thumbing through the issue, I found that my work is completely different than anything out there.  I am not completely surprised, albeit, I had hopped that there were a few artists involved in the magazine that my work could at least relate to.

Oh well, it's not a total loss to stand out.

All in all im happy with the print, now go out and buy this wherever they sell magazines.

Thanks for thumbing through my blog...

...more to come soon.

BitTorrent 12 "The Peloponnesian War"

I just finished another painting in the BitTorrent series.  It is my philosophical representation of the "Peloponnesian War" and how I see both sides of the massive conflict to be.  I have used a triadic harmony in opposite of what I normally work with in color.

I am currently working on my compositional ideas for a series of works on "The Peloponnesian War" that will focus on the individuals involved in the war.

BitTorent 12 "The Peloponnesian War" 

24 x 36, oil on linen

Thanks for thumbing through my blog...

...More to come soon.

Wedding Rings

Athena and I picked up our wedding rings this month...

 We worked with a jewelry designer named Karin Jacobson, she owns Karin Jacobson design where all of her jewelry showcases a wide variety of style and type from necklaces to rings to bracelets and more.  It tok me several months to chose a place to go for our wedding rings, and I chose perfect.  

Karin worked with us to design the rings, and it was fast, it was fun, and overall Karin gets our business in the future.  

This is the set, Athena's engagement ring, her wedding band and mine.

Here are a few pics of Athena's engagement ring, it is a natural 1.04ct green diamond set in palladium. 

Thanks for the fantastic wedding rings Karin, they are works of art...

...we love them.

Minneapolis 5 "Contrast of Temperature"

Hi all,

I just finished another painting in the Minneapolis series.  It's a fun piece based on warm colors and the contrast between them.  This work will be on exhibit at Regla De Oro Gallery in the spring of 2012.

I have been having fun with simple ideas on smaller canvases in preparation for my last BitTorrent oil painting.  I hope you enjoy this.

Minneapolis 5 "Contrast of Temperature"

12 x 24, Oil on linen

Thanks for thumbing through my blog...

...More to come soon.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

New Chair design

This winter my friend Aaron Conner from Paraselenic Studio designed and built a set of chairs for "Roller Revolution" a roller girls store here in Minneapolis.  

We did a good job with these, and we do plan on tweaking the design some.  As they are we can make them with cushioned seats or decorative slats that have any direction to them.  

We designed these from scratch, taking some influence from a living room chair from the 50's.

Aaron and I after we finally completed our first set of chairs. They are very comfortable.

Painted, polished, and ready to sit in.

Thanks for siting in on my blog...

...check back soon there is more to come.

Starting over after the accident.

I have not worked on this blog for a long time. 

In 2009 I was hit by a car.  It was very serious, I suffered a traumatic brain injury that has changed my life completely. When I say it has changed my life, I truly mean every aspect of my life. 

My professional career as an artist suffered as a result of the accident.  Normally, over the last 12 years I have always had a rotating collection of oil paintings.  I would always have at least five new works, three or more that I was working on, and three or more that were leaving the studio door in sales.  I was able to keep that up because I was able to paint all of the time, every spare moment that I had I painted. 

As a result of my recovery time my remaining works were sold without me being able to create replacements.  

I intend to rebuild my collection, and then open sales up again.  I will be taking commissions and continuing with my commercial works during this rebuild of my studio collection. I will need some time, as I work slower than before.  

Before the accident...

I worked full time and very often worked overtime. I was never working less than 40 hours a week.  I went to college part time and maintained a 4.0 grade average.  I also was working on my oil paintings daily and maintaining a professional career in the arts as a professional artist. 

My average daily schedule was...

Wake up about 5:30 or 6am, get ready for my day and then start working on my oil paintings.  I worked on my paintings until 7am when I had to leave for work.  I worked a full 8 hour day. On school days I went to class then came home and did my study work until about 12 or 1am. On days I didn't have class I went right out to the studio and painted until about 12pm or 1am.  Then I was right back up at 5:30 again.

On my 2 days off (if I had not signed up for overtime which I did on a regular basis) I worked in the studio all day from 7 or 8 am until about 2am. 

I didn't go out more than once or twice a month and when I did I had a pretty good time. 

I also rode my bike everywhere and I was in fantastic shape. 

I had lived this very busy life for 12 years straight.  It was who I was and I loved it. 

This is my life after the accident...

First off, I was out of work for a year and four months.  The entire time I was completely unable to paint.  I first started back to work 4 days a week but had to reduce to my work hours to three days according to my doctor.

I can't paint for very long, and I am unable to work on paintings for very long because I live with a bad headache every day.  When I say a bad headache every day, I mean it. 

I have been on 15 different kinds of drugs to help with my headaches. Nothing works. 

I'm tired all the time.  Not just tired, exhausted. 

I can't ride my bike for several reasons, the #1 reason being if I exert myself I'll get a migraine headache that lasts an entire day. 

So needless to say, it will take me longer to create a new set of oil paintings as I cannot work fast and my responsibilities commercially are pretty heavy.  Eventually things will return to normal for me.  I will keep posting as I complete work.

-Adam

Artwork of the month: Minnesota Art history.

With Minneapolis being the center of the art world now its good to look at artists in Minnesota's past that helped build our current art scene.

Robert Koehler is a serious figure in the development of the arts in Minnesota.  Koehler was the director of the Minneapolis School of Art (the Minneapolis College of Art and Design) in 1893, and he was also assisted in the establishment of the Minneapolis' Museum of Fine Art (the Minneapolis Institute of Arts). Koehler was an integral part of training artists and creating a local appreciation in Minnesota.

These painting are on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Robert Koehler

American, 1850-1917

"Head of a Woman"

1881, oil on canvas

"Rainy Evening on Hennepin Avenue"

1902, oil on canvas

Philip Little

American, 1857-1942

"Portrait of Robert Koehler"

1910, oil on canvas

Whatever you do will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it.
-Mahatma Gandhi 

The Warren an Artists Habitat opening

This month Matt Mcgorry and I had an art opening at "The Warren an Artists Habitat" 4400 Osseo Rd, Minneapolis, Mn. 

It was a fun casual opening with friends drinks.  Exhibiting at the Warren is always chill and a good time.  The owner Duane Atter is a photographer, and easy to work with.  

Our work

Mat Mcgorry

Mat Mcgorry

Seth, Chris, Athena and I... Rob in the background.

Christi and Ruth

We had started drinking at this point.

Matt Mcgorry, Ryan Lee, Alison and her husband

Ruth, Christi, Athena and I

Rob McBroom

Athena, Chris and I

Thanks to all of you that showed up...  

...I hope we can do it again at the Warren.

The Warren an Artists Habitat opening night!

Matt Mcgorry and I had a group exhibit at "The Warren an Artists Habitat". 

Here are some pics of the works we showed.

Matt Mcgorry

Matt Mcgorry

Matt Mcgorry

Matt Mcgorry

Matt Mcgorry

Me

Here are some pics of the people that came to the opening.

Looking at something...

...at this point I am so tired that standing is not an option, I work too much.

So we all had some box wine and a few beers, it was a short night and I went home and slept in.  thanks to all of you that came out, see you again soon.

Im tired, seriously tired...

...2007 has been a very long year so far.