New Improvisations

I have completed 5 improvisations for the kickstarter rewards this week.  I should be able to keep up with the work load and complete the rest of the kickstarter rewards by the third or fourth week in december.  I will mail them all out as soon as the wok is dry.

Minneapolis 9 "Improvisation a"

12 x 24, oil on canvas

Minneapolis 10 "Improvisation b"

12 x 24, oil on canvas

Minneapolis 11 "Improvisation c"

12 x 24, oil on canvas

Minneapolis 12 "Improvisation d"

12 x 24, oil on canvas

Minneapolis 12 "Improvisation e"

12 x 24, oil on canvas

I better get back into the studio and off the computer if intend to finish my work.

Thanks for thumbing through my blog...

...More to come soon.

Minneapolis 8 "Flashlight"

Another oil painting completed and ready to varnish.  This one was a complicated composition that hopefully has a simple appearance.  This work will be on exhibit in NYC in the spring.

Minneapolis 8 "Flashlight"

18 x 36, oil on linen

Thanks for thumbing through my blog...

...More to come soon.

Minneapolis #7 "Milk Bubbles"

Slightly behind schedule, I finished another painting in the Minneapolis series.  the minneapolis series of paintings is really just a chance for me to explore color-form ideas and relax.  there is no real artists statement other than i am testing out some of my ideas before I move on to my next major series.

I was not able to resolve the minimal composition of this piece; and for some time it sat in the corner of the studio waiting for me to understand it.

Minneapolis # 7 "MIlk Bubbles" 

oil on linen

12" x 24"

Thanks for checking in...

...I hope to complete another painting soon.

Artwork of the month: Amedeo Modigliani.

I was at the spyhouse coffee shop this morning where they are exhibiting a local artist, J.M. Culver.  She has a few portraits that I really enjoyed.  Culver is a fine artist, as I have watched her compositions for the last 3 years.  Her portrait work is by far my favorite to date.  

J. M. Culver

American

"Ash III"

I really liked them and they reminded me of Modigliani's paintings.  Here is one of my favorites at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Amedeo Modigliani

Italian, 1884-1920

"Little Servant Girl"

1916, oil on canvas

I look forward to seeing what Culver comes up with next...
...I hope they are large canvas.

I was born on November 5th

Its my birthday today, and we will celebrate after work with a good dinner at Senyai-Senlek, a great thai restaurant here in the neighborhood.  Then home for a relaxing night.  

...yes I am old now.

...and yes I have lived exactly the life that I wanted to.  I am an artist, that is all I ever wanted.

Artwork of the month: St. Benedict of Palermo.

One of the recent acquisitions at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, a sculpture of St. Benedict if Palermo, is so stunning you are truly missing out if you don't go see it right now.

Attributed to José Montes de Oca

Spanish, 1675-1750

"St. Benedict of Palerno"

1734, polychrome and gilt wood, glass

St. Benedict was the first christian saint of african origin to be canonized.  And as with all saints it took a while for it to be official with the church, this guy more so because of who he was.

He was born in sicily, 1524, to parents that were freed slaves from ethiopia.  Yep, he was a black man and the church wasn't progressive enough at the time to canonize a black man.  He was beatified by Pope Benedict XIV in 1743 then canonized in 1807 by Pope Pius VII.

St. Benedict was know for his extraordinary religious devotion, patience and understanding when confronted with racial prejudice, and acts as a truly devoted man of god.

"St. Benedict of Palermo" was purchased by the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 2010.

Minneapolis #6 is complete.

I just completed another of my Minneapolis works.  Enjoy it.

Minneapolis 6

24 x 12, oil on linen

Check back later...

...the next Minneapolis painting is on the way.

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.

New studio in NE MPLS

Hi all,

I haven't had the time to post much lately as it has been a very busy few months.  Wedding planning has taken over my life, as it probably should.  

I have almost finished the studio.  I only have a few alterations to the work flow and some winterizing to do and its complete.  I have been working on new paintings, the kickstarter rewards and a new set of wood chairs.  

here is a picture of the studio as it is now.

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.