I am still working out the details of the theme – levels of consciousness and how to represent them. I broke down the vMemes of Sprial Dynamics into one-word ideas. I’ve been trying to get a stronger understanding of those for about 7 years and this gave me a great opportunity to do that. For me, I don’t really understand something until I try to draw it.

I’m still finalizing how to represent those ideas. I think the jewelry and the colors and possibly the styles are the tools I’ll use. It’s interesting because normally I’d use the pose. I’m still going back and forth over a lot in my head.

More this weekend. Go Flyers.

Here’s some pictures of what I’ve been working on.

Promise to reformat this later

Here’s a quick update on what I’ve been doing to work on my new solo exhibition. I’ll fill in more details soon, but it’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve updated and I wanted to capture all this work and how I went about it. The art direction I came up with is to have women underwater. Still need an underlying theme.
5/15 Measured the space so I can later figure out how many paintings I’m doing and what sizes they’ll be.
5/18 Shoot with Mosh. I had it set up before I knew I’d have this show, but I was able to sketch out some ideas and work in some shots for the new show.
5/20 On a hunch, remembering some shots from the past, I reviewed old shoots and found a few dozen shots that would work for the series
5/21 Shoot with Lilah. I set this up quickly specifically for the show.
5/23 Reviewed inspiration including the book Waterdance by Howard Schatz. Reviewed space measurements.
I came up with many, many option for the paintings ranging from six to eighteen paintings with various combos of
large and small. Not sure what I’m going to do.
5/24 Chose to do seven large paintings and six small. Thinking about underlying themes, looking at alchemical transformation and the seven shakras.
5/25 Didn’t get to work on the project. Spent all day at a client meeting, then caught up with a friend for drinks. Wound up at the same place as all the Philadelphia Eagles’ wives. I told Trish when I got home and she asked if Kendra was there. I didn’t even think to look.
5/26 I put together some poses for a shoot with models who typically work with Topstitch Boutique where the show is. More on this in a future post. Reviewed themes again. Still haven’t picked one. I looked at Masaru Emoto’s work with water crystals, closer, but not the right fit.
5/27 I shoot with two of the models who work with the boutique. Great shoot, especially considering I had only met one for a few minutes prior and met the other right then and we had an hour to work in two shoots. And I was shooting at the boutique. I’m pretty happy with how it all turned out. Hope to work with the models again. One of the models asks me the name of the show, I don’t have an answer, but this leads to finding the theme. I begin a four day weekend.
5/28 In the shower (where all ideas arrive) I figure out the name of the show, which will determine the theme. I was thinking that the alchemy and the shakras are for future shows. This should be something about thoughts, I was trying to put my finger on something. There’s a word I was looking for to describe thoughts floating through water. I thought about currents, but I want to save that for another series, because something called currents should be about timely things. So, not thoughts, not currents. Stream … stream … of consciousness. That’s it. Fluid Beauty: Stream of Consciousness. The women will represent the types of thoughts that happen in a stream of consciousness. Revelations, tangents, memories. (I need four more …). Later in the day I look at the hundred or so shots I have from recent and past shoots that could work and pick seven for large paintings, and six for smaller paintings. I edit them and print. I also varnish three paintings for a group show I’m in on 6/4. More about that in a future post.
5/29 I buy canvases. It’s a long story that no other than I will care about, but I go to one store online, then another, then I go to Blick Art on 13th and Chestnut where I should just have gone in the first place. I buy four 24 x 36 canvases, three 24 by 30 canvases, four oval 20 by 24 inch canvases and two oval 16 by 20. Later that day I drop off the varnished paintings at the gallery I’m showing at. That night I put on the first of three coats of super magic primer that turns any surface into a watercolor surface. I spend lots of time with Trish and Patrick. I work a lot on setting up the June 12th session of Dr. Sketchy’s Philly. The Flyers lose, but it’s an awesome game.
5/30 I put on the second coat of primer. I also spend a ton of time with Trish and Patrick including a nice lunch at Bistro Americana, which we think is a front because we’re the only customers ever there when we go. Patrick and I play a lot. I set up the hammock. I finish this months promo flier for Dr. Sketchy’s Philly. I make steaks. Trish makes pasta and mustard greens. It’s delicious.
5/31 I put on the last coat of primer after a day hanging out with Patrick and going for a long walk in town and get some water ice. I write many emails about Dr. Sketchy’s Philly June 12th session. I make Steveburgers. I draw four pictures on the largest canvases. The Flyers lose. Another great game though. Tomorrow night I plan to catch up with Gary who made the video two posts below, so I’m not sure if I’ll get the other drawings on canvas. I’m kinda on schedule. The plan was to get everything put figured out, shot, painting numbers and sizes planned, drawings on canvas ready so I can being painting in June. I need to get all the paintings done in June.

More soon. Next time with pictures.

Prints of most all of the images from the Fluid Beauty: Reflections and Expressions show will be available soon for purchase. The prints are 12 x 18 and will be $20 + shipping. I’ll have pictures of the prints here.

Update on the next show –

First Friday, May 7th, I went to the space where I’ll be showing in August and September, Topstitch Boutique. After speaking with one of the owners of the boutique about what their themes and qualities are, I got some great ideas, and then spoke to Trish about it on the phone on the way home. One word I heard stuck out – “nautical.” And so, the images from the show are going to be of women underwater. It’s always hard for me to describe what I’m doing but I’ll try to give you a sense of it: water elementals that represent feminine qualities and ideas. I’m going to use my “splatters” to represent bubbles/water in some paintings and possibly use them as clothes in others. I may also have flowing fabric in the style of some of the pieces in the last show.

Saturday, May 15th, (after a night at the Wachovia Center watching the Flyers win game 7 on TV!) I stopped by the space to take measurements. With these, I can spec out how many paintings I’ll be doing.

Saturday and Sunday I finished a painting that may be in one of the two group shows that I may be contributing to for June. Next entry I’ll post that painting and two others I’ve finished since the Amberella show.

I’m going to use a combination of new photos and existing photos as reference for the work. I’ve sent out some messages to models I’ve worked with to set up shoots for next week. We’ll see if that works. Also, I’m going to try and shoot with some of the models who regularly work with the boutique where I’m showing. The boutique sells some really interesting jewelry and clothes. I’m going to incorporate some of the jewelry in the paintings.

Before I can do anything, I have to sketch out how many paintings I’m doing and what the basic idea of each painting will be. I’m hoping to do that tonight, but I’m going to see my friend do her new one-woman-show and also the boy is sick.

I’ve got a shoot scheduled for tomorrow night, it was set up before I got this new show, but I’m going to shoot some for this new work.

Next time I post, I’ll show some sketches and explain a little about how I’m coming up with images.

The Amanda Palmer painting auction has ended, with a final bid at $950 which helped 95 people get counseling. If you bid, shared, or tweeted thank you very much. You’ve helped a lot of people. Special thanks to Stoya, Amanda Palmer and her team, Neil Gaiman and Kim Sherrell and everyone who helped spread awareness of the auction. News on the next one soon.

I’ll write more soon about the show and the three paintings I’m working on now for my next show.

Oh – and a hardbound book collecting all the paintings in the show is available at the gallery.

Hope to see you on Saturday

We’ve even received three write ups already on the Philly Weekly blog, on Living Proof Mag‘s site and on Fiftyone:Fiftyone

Got to make the playlist and pick up some refreshments and then it’s time to talk to some people about some paintings. Hopefully I’ll see some of you there.

It’s been a long time on the way and it doesn’t really feel like today is that day I imagined years ago.

Oh – and I’m set to be in two group shows this summer. Hoping to get another solo show for this year.

If you can’t make it, I’ll be livetweeting on Twitter.

This is what a gallery show looks like:

I’m a collection of conflicting and high energy thoughts. “Is anyone going to go?” “Will the paintings sell?” “Do I care? The goal was simply to have a show” “But it’d be cool if some sold” “I’m going to miss the paintings if they sell, the remind me of this time in my life” “Can I make a book? Can I make a video?” “Did I forget to tell anyone?” “What am I going to paint next?” “I want to take a long break.” “I can’t wait to paint more”

I’m a mess.

But it’s fun.

This week is about merchandise and promotion. I’m trying to make a Blurb book about the show. I have all the images and I’m messing with the software tonight.

I’d also like to make a few t-shirts, I may just have to simply go with Cafe Press for now and do something cooler later.

A video would be cool to have at the gallery. I have videoed many of the paintings in progress and a moviemaker friend offered to film some stuff.

The good news is that prints have been made and of course, even better news is that all the paintings are done and have been protected.

First week in March I finished up the large paintings by painting the sides, erasing stray pencil marks, cleaning up fingerprints.

I also worked on my bio and artist’s statement. Painful. Those are up on the site, i’ll link later.

On Sat 3/6, I varnished / UV-sprayed the 11 large paintings for the show.
On Sun 3/7 a photographer friend and I tried some new techniques I learned at Fleisher Art Memorial to shoot 5 of the paintings. The techniques worked! After five long years, I now have the ability to make prints of my paintings. I’m selling prints at the gallery show and possible online. More details later

The next week I spent mostly preparing for the first session of Dr. Sketchy’s Philly

But I also painted a painting of Amanda Palmer. I later decided to repaint it. I’ll post more details soon.

This past week I did the second painting of Amanda Palmer. I’m going to auction this painting working with Amanda Palmer and RAINN and all proceeds are going to RAINN.

Also this week, I painted three small paintings, bring the total number of paintings for the show to 17 completed. There’ll be two more that I do.

In the next week I have to get the prints made, promote the show, and try to get three t-shirts and a book made. My plan is to have the t-shirts and the book at the gallery and take orders for anyone who wants them.

Wish us luck.

Here’s some of the Amanda Palmer painting, in progress.
First a color study:

Here’s what I had on 1/24

Here’s what I had on 2/28

That’s an amazing feeling.

OK, enough seriousness. Here’s what happened yesterday.

Sunday

Today I’m at Dr Sketchy’s New York, taking notes for the first session of Dr. Sketchy’s Philly on 3/13

Wednesday night:

Thursday night:

More painting tonight