Jarheads

I've been doing digital paintings of my Jar Head series until I can can get outside to shoot new portraits. I really like using antique portraits with their stiff poses for these.

I completed two of the ones I mocked up earlier.

Pot Head

"Penelope was managing her pain with pills but then her doctor turned her into a Pothead."

I found the vase at the local Salvation Army and love how it works with this image.

Guido de Punaise

"Guido de Punaise was a computer software debugger until he became buggy himself."

This is a leaded crystal bowl I found in the thrift store as well. 

Since I'm doing the tutorial on digital painting in April it's nice to get some practice in and also get some new artwork for my website. 

Fine Art prints are available of both images on my website. 

New Painting -Fish head WIP

While the Rider of the purple Sage is drying enough that I can do detail work on the horse and rider
I started a new painting I'm calling Fish head for now. 

It's the first of the Jar Head series I was thinking about doing. This one is oil paint on a wood panel. I want to stay loose in my brushwork and go for a surreal look. 

Here is the painting as it sits on my easel. I just started last night.

To see the step by step process from mock up to this point read on after the break.

To see my work as it becomes available in Fine Art Prints check out my website.

Next Project

I've been thinking about my next project lately and I think I've come up with one where I can do digital work as well as painting. I found a couple used frames at the Salvation Army Thrift store here in Reno for $7.99 each (that's where I usually buy my frames and then make a painting to fit) So I have 2 20" x 30" frames to put paintings in. 

I came up with the idea as I was waking up this morning and wrote it down in my sketchbook right away so I wouldn't forget it. I think I will get my friends involved in this project and also use my off-camera lighting setups. 

This will be a portrait series with a surreal twist to it, the first one will  be "Jarheads" where I do a classic portrait and then replace the head with a jar. I've seen a lot a work with heads in jars so this will be either an empty jar or one with something unexpected or weird in it. I think it will also be fun to match up the jars with the subjects. Another series on this same idea is "You Are What You Eat" where food is replacing the head. 

I am a recovered alcoholic and have wanted to do a series on recovery and addiction as well and I think I also want to do some with alcoholics and addicts with their brand of choice as a head photographed downtown in Reno, maybe in a Brenizer type style of portrait. 

To start I will photograph models in the setting and then photograph the bottle in the same setting with the proper background to minimize the Photoshop work and then do the first series as digital art. The ones I like best will become paintings. 

It's still pretty cold outside right now so I will start by collect bottles and other objects for heads at the thrift stores first. I'll make sure to keep notes in my sketchbook as I get more ideas and then hopefully I can get some friends to pose for me and maybe even some homeless people downtown. I could also work on my "I Talk to Strangers" project at the same time.

As always to see more of my work and order Fine Art Prints check out my website.