Fall

fluttering leaves square2
Originally uploaded by jab artist

Fall is here, leaves changing, cooler days, pumpkins and squash a plenty, light weight coats, and warm cups of tea sipped while blogging away...

Paintings are coming along; I'll post up more pictures soon.

a start

Work in Process (untitled thus far), acrylic wash on canvas (stretched over reclaimed stretcher bars found in alley near my old Chicago apt.)

I decided to start another painting last night; hopefully it'll become the first of a series of slightly distorted figures in awkward poses. I've been playing with the idea for while in my sketchbook, but decided to give it a go on a larger scale. A few of the poses I have in mind come from the posture and poses of students at my school. One student's odd tendency to arch his neck (at an impossible and painful looking angle) towards the hall clock while waiting for his lonely lunch hour to end struck me as an interesting (if sad) scene to paint; perhaps I'll work on that idea next. I guess hall duty does have some perks, people watching.

Snapshots of some of my work

My goal this school year is to make more of my own artwork. It's been a challenge--grading and planning seems to swallow up what would otherwise be free time. The work in the slide show was all made over the last year with the exception of the blue portrait (leaning on hand), which is one my favorite pieces that I made in college. Ahh college...sometimes I really miss being the student.

Looking for the light

Since I'm a teacher the best hours of the day are spent inside at work and when I get home to my art studio the sunlight is already fading away. My studio has great natural light, but just one dinky ceiling fixture, so painting in the evening is not really an option since the colors always turn out funky. I've been looking into buying a light fixture that will simulate day light, so I can work whenever the mood strikes. If anyone has any advice...drop me a comment. This is a picture of the "Ott-Lite TrueColor Easel Light" from Blick.

Interior Body

Untitled, 18"x24", acrylic and sewing on canvas

This piece is part of a series I've been working on for awhile that's inspired by cells and other interior body parts. Human anatomy books have always had a bizarre attraction/repulsion for me. I seek out the beautiful and unusual and quickly flip past the images of rashes and horrible wounds. In the process I've found many life threatening illnesses can seem delicate and even pretty under a microscope.