Ladydean

Playing Around

2012-01-14T19:43:00.008-06:00

Here's my attempt to explore the way media works. I'm also trying to record all media, colors, inspirations, and tools I have used on the backside of the work in question, for future reference and comparisons. Hopefully I can start learning how all of these different things function! There's a lot to learn...

In the foreground here we see a piece of paper (type and source unknown) with gesso applied to both sides and then the color Red Oxide mixed with Soft Gel (Gloss) brushed over it with a 16 Flat brush. I think the gesso underneath is causing the Red Oxide to really shine. It's nice to the touch, too.

In the middle we see my abstract experiment, with the lines thickened. This piece has the same application of the Red Oxide mixed with Soft Gel (Gloss) with the 16 Flat brush except that no gesso was applied beforehand and there is no gesso to strengthen the other side of the paper. While the overall background is probably not as strong as in the first piece I outlined, I do like how the color almost blends into the paper, depending on how much pressure I put on the brush.

In the farground, we have a pad of Strathmore Sketch Paper (300 Series) with the following layered onto one of the sheets: gesso (just one application), Terre Verte Hue mixed with Soft Gel (Gloss) brushed on with a 16 Flat brush, and then unmixed Terre Verte Hue brushed over that with a 12 Bright brush. I know the paper probably wasn't designed to hold such heavy media, but I don't really care! My next step is to attack the resulting textured paper with a charcoal pencil and see what happens.

Off to the right, we have a scrap of unstretched canvas to which I have since applied one layer of gesso. I am going to add another layer of gesso and then brush on some experimental layers to see what happens with the colors and the textures. First I plan to mix Light Ultramarine Blue with Soft Gel (Semi-Gloss) and brush that on. After that dries, I will mix C.P. Cadmium Orange (my newest color!!) with Titanium White - roughly equal parts - and brush that over the blue tones.

Obviously, I'm feeling very experimental in terms of texture, effect, and color layering. I'm probably way overdue for this!!

Sketched a Picasso

2012-01-08T22:49:00.003-06:00

Just for fun. In charcoal.

McDonald's Abstraction

2012-01-08T22:46:00.004-06:00

I'm trying to work the abstraction according to what the paper tells me to do.

This started based on the shower hair sketches. I need to vary the lines...

Turned a Stripper into a Cow...

2012-01-08T22:44:00.006-06:00

Bunny represented abstractly in acrylic on paper... Hmmm.

Original sketch included.

I Swear I've Been Painting... (Just not blogging...)

2012-01-08T22:39:00.007-06:00

36 x 36 inches... acrylic in progress (with media!!). I've got a long way to go, but boy do I love how this started.

This painting is based on this lovely sketch that I did while staring into a compact mirror in low light.

Texture

2011-11-29T00:11:00.003-06:00

I think this is the best picture of the texture in the piece (i.e., the brushstrokes... that is the point of acrylics, yes James?).

It's really developing... evolving... Note the nails. There are a total of seven; three are someone visible here.

Close Up: New Cuts

2011-11-29T00:08:00.003-06:00

Interesting... "If you're going to destroy it, really destroy it!!"

This is actually the same section of the painting as you see here, except I've worked it more!!

Updated Photos: Full View

2011-11-29T00:00:00.002-06:00

Full view of slasher painting!! The flash is on, so it looks somewhat blue, although this is not actually the color you see in person.

The reason I like this photo is because it highlights the purple over black tones.

Color Blocking: Complete

2011-11-27T20:33:00.004-06:00

I think I need to blend the blue a little better, but overall, this looks great! Now I need to get some bright ideas about the rest...

It's Visceral

2011-11-27T11:51:00.004-06:00

Okay, I'm having fun with this piece again. I guess I needed to take out some more agression on it. I worked on stabbing it some more last night, as well as fraying the edges more agressively, adding and painting more nails (I'm up to seven nails now!), and layering more paint in the dark areas (i.e., I'm making the textured areas that were bothering me even more textural). I no longer feel like I wasted a ton of time and paint this weekend.

For the record, I kept working on it after I took this photo, so this doesn't capture just how far I took things. But it sure looks cool.

Color Swatches: Playing Around

2011-11-26T23:46:00.004-06:00

Here's some color layering for you! All start out with two layers of white gesso. The piece on the far left then layers naples yellow hue over quinacridone violet. The one in the upper center is light violet followed by paynes gray. The swatch below it is prussian blue hue covered with titan buff. The swatch on the far right is primary magenta covered with light magenta.

What to do, what to do...

Oh, and the "swatch" in the far upper left of the photo is actually the lower right corner of the painting Tyler.

I Am Just Not Sure About This!!

2011-11-26T23:44:00.004-06:00

I don't quite know if I ruined the bottom right quadrant or if it's just not quite done yet. Hmmmm.

It probably needs more cowbell.

Here's the previous iteration of this painting. I do think the brush strokes are more consistent now but something is missing. I think the bottom lower quadrant perhaps wants its red back...

It May Be Time to Admit That This Just Isn't Quite Working...

2011-11-26T15:34:00.002-06:00

I really like the framing on this as well as some of the textures. But the line accentuation along the rips is not working for me and the rest of the textures are too much! Arghghgh.

Artist's Muse

2011-11-25T13:15:00.005-06:00

The artist Joseph Lorusso wants to paint me. It would be an honor!! I think I'll try contacting him... NOW!

I met him about a month ago in Kansas City when I was checking out an extension of First Friday in the West Bottoms. My artist friend Cid and I went in there to check out his work; Cid introduced herself as his studio neighbor and he took one look at me and said I looked interesting, could he paint me. I need to be an artist's muse again, it turns out...

This painting is called Late Night Rendezvous.

Art Rant Time!! (Selling "Art"...)

2011-11-25T11:56:00.006-06:00

It's art rant time!!

I promised an art rant, and an art rant I shall give. I'm not that fired up right now, so pardon me if it takes me a while to sound interesting. Feel free to disagree with me at any step of the way.

So, this rant is about a few art-related topics, mostly centered on how art reaches the consumer. Sub-topics will be: markets, pricing, accessibility, and what I like to call the "don't touch, bitch!" factor (or, to put it more eloquently, interactibility).

A fundamental question for an artist to ask him or herself is, "Am I doing this for the sake of money and success? Or for the sake of art itself?" Many claim that if you are not doing art for the sake of art (i.e., "fuck money and success; don't be a sellout"), then you are doing art for the wrong reason. However if you can't sell your work, then how can you call what you are doing anything other than a hobby (plenty of inputs - i.e., costs of materials - and no return on outputs)? I happen to think that all artists should have some business awareness of their markets and that all artists should want their work to be in the hands of someone else, not stuffed in the back of their own closet(s). The mark of an artist does not have to be that s/he is starving! This means, to me, that if you are only concerned about art for art's sake, then your rationale is misguided; in that case, become an art curator and leave the creativity to those who do want to make money.

That having been said, there is the position of the buyer of art to consider. Not all people who appreciate art or who long to own a painting or sculpture have deep pockets. One of the side tennants of "at the end of the day, you should be doing art for art's sake" is "don't undervalue your work." Well... again, if your art is in the back of your closet and not on someone else's walls, how can you call yourself a success? As it turns out, markets fluctuate. And sticking hard and fast to one range of pricing values is silly to me (especially in "this economy"). If you can't move your inventory, why make more inventory? The way I see it, an artist should respond to the mechanics of supply and demand, but not in the manner of reducing production when demand slows so that prices can remain high (because, let's face it, a true artist has urges that cannot be ignored and thus s/he must continue to produce). By "respond to the mechanics of supply and demand" I do in fact mean lower your prices so that you start seeing sales. [And if you don't see sales? Well, then there's probably a problem with your art... either it sucks, or your available audience just can't relate. In that case, seek out another artist for continual art critique or move to a place where your art will be appreciated and purchased.] Also related to this point is the point about entering the market. There is a difference between an established artist who can continue to command high prices and an artist who is just starting out. One theory goes that the new artist will forever condemn him or herself to a given price range if they start out low. I argue that a new artist is like a new employee at a corporation; expect low wages until you actually gain some experience and you get better at your craft!! What true artist is not better at his or her own art five years down the road from today? Shouldn't you expect that the price a buyer is willing to pay for one of your coveted pieces would go up over time, relative to yourself? For that reason, it seems silly to me to price my paintings at triple the price my experience should reasonably allow for. After all, I'm still learning.

To now take the previous argument one step further, let us consider the buyer again. I myself have only ever purchased five pieces of art (2 paintings for myself, 3 sculptures as gifts). This is mostly because I use my walls as a temporary gallery space for my unsold and in-progress work, but it's also because... I can't really afford to buy art. There are two paintings that I hope to own someday, but until I have $1,500 just laying around to buy them, this will be just a dream. I don't have a problem with this because I do plan to eventually acquire them (that is the point of art, after all... the irresistible and often inexplicable draw to a piece of work, no matter the price), but it does bother me that I cannot access them now. And I know that others (including people who want to own a genuine Ladydean) can certainly not afford this type of luxury. Seeing as how I do not want to leave lower income people out of the world of art (beyond viewing art hanging in cafés and going to museum and gallery exhibits), I honestly do not see a problem with low-balling my work, at least not while I'm still gathering my legs. I.e., as long as I'm still new to the market, why not cover the lower-priced section of the market and offer discount art? After all, as George used to say, "Tara, it's worth $0.00 until someone actually buys it." The caveat here is that the person buying it had better truly desire the art and should demonstrate a willingness to haggle, or else it's not worth the artist's time (the painting might wind up in the trash!!). The buyer must feel a sense of value in the purchase or else "art" loses it's status. I guess what I'm saying is, the artist should set a price that is within reach, but not so low as to remove all the value from the art... for art's sake.

The final sub-rant of this post will deal with the interactibility of art. What do I mean by this? Well, to go back to George's comment about art being worth zero dollars until it has actually entered the market in the form of a sale, until it has been sold it's still technically a work in progress. It's nothing. It's shit. It's malleable. It's up for interpretation. But most importantly... it's profane. I use this term in the sense of an antipode of sacred. Art is not godlike; art is human. Art is corruptible, subjective, fluid, an idealized reflection of the everyday. It sits at the table with us in various forms. It's communal. Even though we place it up on a pedestal in the gallery world and even though some art commands millions of dollars, all art is still just a thing, just an object and it can catch fire just as easily as your paper cup or your trash can. I once learned from Teresa Schmidt that a good drawing practice is to draw on the back side of the sketch you just did, even if you think it was the best sketch you've ever done. Why? To take the sacredness out of it. To disconnect from your own specialness as an artist in the process. I think she meant: to humble yourself. To acknowledge that you are not the best and that there is always room for improvement. It is for these reasons that I detest not being able to touch art in a gallery. Not only is some art textural (i.e., meant to be touched), but sometimes you just want to. The art draws you in, commands you to feel it. And yet some people freak out if you do! "Don't touch, bitch!" Art is meant to be interacted with... Yes, there is a risk that you might break it (for that, you should always know how much touching it might cost you; you break it, you buy it, right?), but that is a risk I have always been willing to take at art festivals, where people don't much care if you touch the art. Being able to touch a piece of art (texture on a painting, the smoothness of a bowl) puts it more in tune with the audience; brings it back down to earth from the lofty place in the clouds to which we launch it when we put too high of a price on it; when we overvalue it. Think of it this way: If I buy a $600.00 painting and take it home and jump on it, light it on fire, throw water on it to put out the fire, and then take a shit on it... it's all within my rights to do so because I own it, correct? Now, I hope I never do that to a painting, but I could if I wanted to. (I will admit that I have destroyed my own art, although not in that violent or disgusting of a manner.) The point is, why should we treat art as sacred prior to the business transaction? This interpretation stands in stark contrast to George's proclamation that all art has no value until the final dollar amount has been placed on it through the act of buying the piece. How can it be that we as a society treat unsold art as exactly the opposite of what it is? An unsold Picasso is technically no different than your child's crayon drawing on the fridge, no? Of course I am using hyperbole here [did I use that word right??] for dramatic effect, but I am being serious at the same time. The difference is the value we place on the artist her or himself and if an artist has stratospheric talent (like Picasso), then of course we are going to regard all production by that artist as sacred and not profane. But is that correct, philosophically speaking? If not, then it should be perfectly okay to erase a De Kooning... ;)

In conclusion, I am basically trying to say that, from both an economical and an artistic perspective, it is okay to price your work lower than everyone says you should, at least during the time you are attempting to establish yourself as an artist and especially if you deal in direct sales to the client! After all, you do want to get your work and your name out there, don't you? In that case, don't let your art gather dust in the closet; SELL IT AT THE PRICE YOUR MARKET IS CURRENTLY WILLING TO BEAR!!

The photo you see here is a canvas test piece with layering. The first and second layer are white gesso, the third layer is Quinacridone Violet, and the final layer is Naples Yellow Hue. The effect turns me on!!

Committing to the Line Work

2011-11-25T11:45:00.004-06:00

Coalescing... coalescing... it's coming along...

I ultimately decided to commit to the line work here, instead of the brush strokes a la this piece.

It's been difficult to figure out which new colors to introduce into the painting as a fill color in order to distinguish the figure from the background. I figured there were already enough colors being used, so I mixed the sap green hue, the paynes gray, and the titatium white to come up with the odd slate gray/ soviet green you see here. I think it works to have brought in background colors in a different form. There is no competition with the tube colors, even if the resulting mixture is a tad on the ugly side!

I'm really liking the abstraction of the upper body here. I don't think I need to add anything more in order to suggest a head, arms, and shoulders. I think there is enough in the line work to successfully imply a "whatever, bitch" attitude that comes out in the walk and in the suggestion of a dismissive wave.

KS Nude is COMPLETE!!

2011-11-19T19:14:00.003-06:00

I think he's doooone!!! Well, except for the bottom edge still needs a final layer of paint, but that's easy enough to fix later tonight or tomorrow!

And in case you were curious, no... KS does not stand for Kansas... heheheheh.

Heh. This Will Need a Lot More Work

2011-11-19T19:11:00.003-06:00

But I do believe in her. Er, in myself rather. I just need to sit down and paint on this one.

I do love the background work I did. And I enjoy the cartoon-nature of the work so far. I think she kind of looks like Amy Winehouse, actually. Maybe I'll accentuate a beehive.

I'm planning to add some sort of green as a light color accent. I'm thinking sap green, specifically. Or maybe terra verte hue, but it is so hard to get that color to show up!

I'm Taking the Reins Here

2011-11-19T19:02:00.003-06:00

I'm going to turn this mess into a success! I'm bound and determined to free this bitch up and, you know what, I think I nailed the background finally!

I still need to decide whether I'm going to commit to the lines or if I'm going to add some free brush strokes inside the body, plus I need to make sure that she doesn't start to evoke Marge Simpson on a good hair day.

Modified Mondrian

2011-11-14T23:20:00.008-06:00

Hmmm. I appear to have painted a Mondrian last night.

Update! I think I should title this "Bastardized Mondrian" instead. Reactions so far range from "this looks nothing like a Mondrian" to "you should work the piece more to make it actually replicate a Mondrian." Um... I don't particularly care for Mondrian. The point here (to me, at least) is that the colors and the lines evoke a Mondrian. It is an "interpretation of Mondrian," at best.

I later googled "Mondrian" and I'll be damned if the results in the image browser didn't remind me of his work. For now I choose not to explore his architecturalness or his line work perfection; I actually prefer something a tad more gruff (show me the real stuff of life, please). And anyways I would argue that this piece looks like a genuine Ladydean. Hah!!

I'm 99.99% Sure This Is Me

2011-10-23T19:23:00.004-05:00

This painting is by Robert Von. I'm almost positive this painting is of me. Hopefully I will find out soon!!

In addition to his website (posted to the right on this blog), I recently found out about this showcase, posted by his son, of his more recent work. I think there are at least five paintings of me on there. And, no, image 6 on the first page is not me. I asked him!

Art Invading!!!!!

2011-10-23T18:15:00.005-05:00

Ack!!! There are paintings everywhere!! And they are really starting to coalesce in terms of style. Whee!!

Modified Fibonacci Is Indeed NOT Done!

2011-10-23T18:04:00.004-05:00

I've decided to keep pushing myself. Although I realize that the color balance is currently too far in the direction of pink (er, light magenta, I mean), there are a lot of neat things going on with the upper right quadrant that were actually entirely accidental! There is depth in there and I find it to be the right direction.

The funny part is that the lower right quadrant was the initial "fun" part of the painting that prompted me to push myself. Now that the rest of the piece has evolved it looks sloppy! So, I will have to clean that area up once I figure out how to tackle the color contrasts in the rest of the painting (i.e. reduce the PINK!!).

And the World Keeps Turning...

2011-10-23T01:53:00.007-05:00

Hmm. Let's keep this post simple. Two things are going on here... a. I'm pushing myself; b. I'm taking some advice.

Okay, okay! I'll tell you who's advice I'm taking, as well as what that advice is. I'm taking the advice of Amy Young and her husband and the advice was to get rid of that thing off to the left side of the painting!!! Of course, I just haaaaad to run out of titan buff tonight. I'll have to buy some more so that I can finish covering that mess up.

I'm digging the color contrasts between the body and the background. Hopefully I can explore it properly... once I get ahold of more titan buff, that is.

Oh, How I Love Phthalo Blue! (Green shade, in case you were curious...)

2011-10-23T01:42:00.007-05:00

I felt like sharing with you a moment in the life of an artist (uh, sort of...). Yes, it pretty much involves wearing your paint. Since I never seem to have enough paper towels around (hello?!?!?!), I often use my painting jeans to absorb excess paint or water or other media while working. This usually works just fine. Tonight, however, while working with phthalo blue I managed to both soak through the paper towels (read: directly onto the carpet) and through the jeans (read: directly onto my skin). Eep.

Thank goodness for shag carpeting that forgives (and oxyclean to clean) and acrylics that forgive (and soap to clean)!!

For a Brief Moment, I Felt Like Picasso...

2011-10-21T00:15:00.009-05:00

Hot DAMN!!! I cannot believe this. Yet another piece I thought was trash that just needed an open mind and some mental pushing. I don't think it's done yet, but my goodness is it an improvement over the last iteration. Notice I did away with almost all of the "better background work." Hah!

The "Picasso-eske brilliance" that I am arrogantly bestowing upon myself here has everything to do with solving the awkwardness of the shoulder(s) position with a dark curvy line that suggests a woman who is pulling her scarf across said shoulder(s): up with her left hand and down with her right. It ties everything together in a wonderfully abstract manner, squaring off the angles of the upper body in a way that the previous iteration simply could not capture.

In addition to the frame-within-a-frame concept I have going on, I've noticed another theme that I am extremely interested in exploring: figurative work in combination with musical elements. I'm excited.

Arshile Gorky: I Want to Incorporate This Into My Work...

2011-10-17T23:26:00.005-05:00

An artist my friend James introduced to me (um, I mean via a google search). I am wondering if I can mentally incorporate this style in with my seeming mesh of Rothko and Booth to make something really fun! Hah. We'll see. As I've said, I've got a looong way to go here.

The title of this piece is: Water of the Flowery Mill. I'm really drawn to the color and the fluidity of everything. I see music.

I'm Going to Rant About Art Soon

2011-10-17T23:22:00.003-05:00

It's building up... I have ideas and thoughts regarding art and how it should be promoted and sold and etc. etc. etc. But I need to go to bed soon, so I'll just tempt you for now.

Photo taken of the inside of the bathroom door at Philomene Bennett's studio while, um, utilizing the facilities... I had to laugh and, yes, I still think it's funny.

And Speaking of Old People!!

2011-10-17T23:18:00.003-05:00

This woman rocks. I love her art. I love her no-fear approach to drawing. I love the fact that she was prolific later in life. And I love the fact that she's from Kansas.

Grandma Layton had this to say about this piece: "What I had in mind was...all of these emotions you have through your life. There are muscles in your face and each one reacts to every emotion. Say you're real happy for a minute, and you put on that mask and that's going to make an indention in these muscles to a certain extent. I think it's the varous emotions you have had that causes the lines and wrinkles in your face." -Masks, March 1978.

A Face?

2011-10-17T23:15:00.002-05:00

Aaaaand here's another one of my hair sketches! I think it looks like an old person's profile.

Hair Inspired?

2011-10-17T23:09:00.008-05:00

So... this is kind of gross to admit, but it must be done for art's sake. Many years ago - when I still lived at my parents' house - I would get yelled at for my long hair coming out in the shower. It seems I couldn't win either way... if I stuck it to the wall, I got yelled at for leaving my hair on the wall; if I pulled it off the wall to go down with the water, I got yelled at for clogging the drain! These days, I stick most of it to the wall, then throw it in the trash later. No one yells at me anymore for forgetting about it on the wall for a few days... I've recently begun to notice abstract figurative inspiration in the "wall art," if you will. So I decided to sketch it. Here's one sketch (blind contour, for the record). After I did a few, I cleaned the wall and so turned my "hair art" into fleeting art... temporary art... momentary art... almost like certain kinds of street art that gets painted over upon discovery...

This almost looks like an elaborate signature!!

Finding My Way?

2011-10-17T23:02:00.008-05:00

Hmmmm... Next step: Slash it further!! I'm going to slash along the curved line formerly known as the beige and blue lines seen here. And, yes, that is another nail in the canvas, in case you were curious.

I'm seeing elements of Rothko and Jane Booth here, if it's okay to say so - shhhhh, don't tell either one because clearly I am not worthy of making such comparisons! I am thinking I need to just give in to the need to explore this frame-within-a-frame thing I have going on in this and many other pieces (both abstracts and nudes), however, and I will have to acknowledge certain inspirations if I do.

If Only George Could See Her Now...

2011-10-08T12:34:00.004-05:00

Bitch with Fish Hands and Dreadlocks, in a custom-made frame that my dad and I built.

Wine Cork Set in Dire Need of Some TLC

2011-10-05T22:24:00.002-05:00

A wine cork set from my grandparents' house. I was initially only interested in the one that was in the best condition... I'm glad I listened to my uncle and took the whole set because I adore them. They do need some attention, however (read: re-corking action).

This Post Is for Eric Burris: Robert Larin

2011-10-05T22:18:00.002-05:00

A piece by a Canadian jeweler from the 70s(?); I think it had jewels embedded at one point, although really they are not necessary for the success of the piece. I love this piece of jewelry. There are no other words!

I am posting this for my friend Eric Burris, someone I had not seen for almost seven years until tonight. He is a great jewelry artist that probably remembers this piece from back in the day!!

Tangerine Tara (I couldn't help myself!!)

2011-10-05T22:15:00.004-05:00

A painting of me by Phil Whalen, owned by his brother Michael. This is from the days back when I used to work as a nude model.

It's a beautiful work, regardless of the subject...

Frame... Work in Progress!

2011-10-05T22:05:00.003-05:00

Here's the frame with two coats of ebony stain on it and two coats of shellac. I have since put a third coat of shellac and wow does it look good! Time to seal her in the frame and post an updated pic to the blog!

Discussion about Business Cards

2011-10-02T18:03:00.005-05:00

This is my current business card. Apparently it looks too "I just graduated from art school" -eske, which is funny because I never went to art school. (I did take Drawing I my first semester of college back in 1997, though.)

I am wanting to slightly update the content (my blog URL doesn't appear, for example!) and maybe have two or three options for cards. I'm think about using this image, this image, and maybe this image. Thoughts??? I would have to re-photograph the first two images, but the last one is professionally done and ready to go.

Bitch Gets a Frame!!

2011-10-02T17:28:00.007-05:00

Bitch needs a frame... I painted her in three hours back in June of 2007 at the behest of George, who wanted me to paint and not stop to "fix" things. She's painted in enamel (motorcycle decal paint) on a piece of luan plywood that is four feet by four feet and part of the luan has splintered in the back, so she is getting a permanent home (maple frame she will be permanently set into) to save her structural integrity. I'm staining the frame ebony right now... gawd I hate the waiting between coats. I have zero patience for these types of things!

The title of this piece is Bitch with Fish Hands and Dreadlocks.

Modified Fibonacci... Finished?

2011-10-02T17:21:00.003-05:00

I chose the photo with the flash... if you rotate the photo counter clockwise, it looks like a creepy face.

Tyler! This May Turn in to my Best Piece Ever

2011-10-01T13:32:00.003-05:00

So she's is obviously not done and I identified some "problem areas" just after my painting session last night, but I still wanted to share the progression because I think it's turning into something amazing. See previous iterations for a full progress report.

See Me Tell Me (Street Art)

2011-10-01T13:12:00.007-05:00

More New Yorkers!!! On Thursday evening, I listened to New York street artist Amy Young give a talk at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art at Kansas State University. The talk was called "Faces from Manhattan" and it was fascinating. I had thought about grafitti as art for years, but had never contemplated street art before, especially not "sticker bombs" that cover subways, public mailboxes, and lamp posts. She had some things to stay that were very interesting anthropologically and sociologically speaking, in addition to artistically speaking.

This photo here is of two of her tiny works of art. She makes them, folios them, and then sprinkles them throughout the New York subway system for people to find and take home and later comment about on her blog. I collected these two pieces from her visit and I still need to go on her blog and tell my "story."

The one on the left is a "Monster" (23 of 50) with a blinking light that she handed out. The other one is a "Street Saint" (26 of 50) and I had to go on a treasure hunt through campus to find it stuck (via magnet) to a huge humming a/c unit. It was indeed like finding a little treasure; I was not expecting to be so excited upon finding it.

During her talk, Amy discussed several contemporary street artists, including the artist JR (who I had heard about from watching a Ted Talk about his work last year). It is incredible stuff!

After the talk, I attended a meet and greet with the artist and her husband at the house of some friends of mine. Of course I took the opportunity to shamelessly promote myself by showing off some photos of my paintings and handing out my business card. I think they liked my stuff!!

Art Show at Varney's (Aggiefest)

2011-10-01T13:04:00.003-05:00

Well, here was the set up for my last art show. I didn't sell a thing, although I did disseminate plenty of business cards and I got a solid "maybe" on Bitch and a Chair.

Note the painting under the blanket.

Nice!

2011-09-29T20:04:00.003-05:00

Hmmm. I like where this is going!! I think I'll call her "Treble Clef."

Gah. I Suck at Painting.

2011-09-26T13:22:00.001-05:00

I should probably take a painting class.

Is this really as bad as it looks to me right now? I'm trying to "destroy" this piece... push the envelope... lose control. Instead I think I'm just slowly creating a piece of... trash!

This One's for Mark (the painter from NY that I met during Aggiefest this weekend)

2011-09-26T00:39:00.004-05:00

How's this for working through the figure? Hmm. You know, I like it. It's mildly vulgar (in a mildly suggestive way, accidentally speaking) and I think it works.

To the upper left we see the original stripper sketch in pen in a sketch book, below that a one-color (paynes gray) acrylic paint-sketch on acrylic painting paper, and then a full blown, "altered" (read: "stretched") tri-color [paynes grey, titanium white, and dioxanine purple WITH medium... soft gel (gloss)] nude on what may be watercolor paper. I dig the evolution here. I hope you like it as well.

All Four Werbowys Together at Last!

2011-09-19T23:31:00.002-05:00

A progression!! (An evolution!) I know which one I like beeeest!!!

Bad Ju-Ju

2011-09-19T23:29:00.004-05:00

Getting rid of some bad ju-ju. It was time for this to go. It had served its purpose.

So... Last Night Got a Little Ridiculous

2011-09-19T23:25:00.004-05:00

The urge to destroy some art has been strong with me for a while. For the second time this year, I indulged myself. It felt good to tear some stuff apart; to play god; to banish bad art to the wastebin...

Something Worth Posting

2011-09-18T21:35:00.004-05:00

And then there's some decent work that I would rather sell than destroy, like this little gem. This is another piece that I didn't realize until today had not been posted to this blog yet; I painted it in 2009 and as far as the meaning behind it... well, I'll let you figure it out! The title is: "Te Gusto, ¿de Verdad?" which translated into English means: "You like me, right?"

Technically it's not great, but it's not bad either. Stylistically I could do better, but all the same this melts my heart a bit with its light, visual witticism. In short, I wouldn't change it. Any takers?

48 x 24 inches acrylic applied with brush on prestreched canvas: $225.00.

And Sometimes You Just Need to Destroy Art

2011-09-18T21:31:00.004-05:00

I'm all wound up right now and am trying to do some house cleaning in my studio. There's some serious bad ju-ju build up going on in there and it seems the best remedy is to just GET RID OF stuff that is crap. Like this piece you see here. Any guesses? :)

Work In Progress. UGH!!

2011-09-18T21:27:00.004-05:00

There are just no words for this mess right now... except that perhaps the color scheme is much improved now.

At least it no longer looks like some sort of weird vagina with teeth.

Hmm. This is almost a wanna-be Jane Booth piece. Heh. I flatter myself.

Upcoming Event: AGGIEFEST 2011

2011-09-18T21:13:00.003-05:00

OMG I have a show!! My art will be hanging at Varney's (and possibly at Sisters of Sound) on Friday, September 23rd and Saturday, September 24th during the sixth annual Aggiefest in Manhattan, Kansas. There will be tons of bands (over 80 bands!) and an art walk. Please come check out the music, buy some art, and support the local scene!! The tag on twitter is AF11, I think.

Bitch with a Wineglass

2011-09-18T21:04:00.006-05:00

It has come to my attention that my seminal piece is not on this blog! Hence I present to you: Bitch with a Wineglass. She's on all my business cards (which I need to print more of, come to think of it...).

Now let me explain to you why the term "bitch" comes into play. Yes, this goes back to George. Years ago, I posed for a sculpture that George was working on. I was the second model to sit for that piece (which he did not finish before he died). He eternally referred to her as "the bitch," "the roommate," and other such things. She was something he just could not finish and for quite the while this painting you see here was something that I just could not finish. While his bitch never made it to bronze, mine did finally get her frame. I'm glad I perservered and finished her instead of throwing my hands up in frustration and then dumping her in the trash (although she did spend a year banished in a closet).

18 x 24 acrylic on panel canvas applied with brush.

Photo by Steve Lundberg.

New Title: "Gently Warping the Space-Time Continuum" (Formly "Mixed Signals")

2011-08-21T23:29:00.005-05:00

I'm changing the title of this ever changing painting! I believe the title should now be: "Gently Warping the Space-Time Continuum." Do you agree?

So... am I finished??? I sure hope so; this has been a long time coming!

Acrylic on pre-stretched canvas applied with brush. 24 x 48 inches.

"Somewhere Between Mother Teresa and Mae West"

2011-08-21T23:24:00.009-05:00

That's George describing me, circa 2007; I felt like sharing the quote. I want to capture the essence of those words in a painting someday. In the meantime, I hope my blog is able to somewhat do that for me. Rest in Peace, dear George.

(Photo is a self-portrait taken in front of George's sculpture "Kansas Clouds" on Claflin Avenue in Manhattan, Kansas on the day of his celebration of life party: August 29, 2009.)

Artists' Statement?

2011-08-21T23:15:00.004-05:00

I saw this in the bathroom at Philomene Bennett's studio in Kansas City (West Bottoms) recently and got a good laugh. I figured it was worth sharing ;)

Oh My.

2011-08-21T22:58:00.004-05:00

I'm not quite sure what to say except that the best comment I have received so far is that this kind of looks like a landscape! I may not have been intending as much, but that comment can sum up my nudes quite well at times.

I can also say that this is a WATERCOLOR!! Can you believe it? I can't. I haven't painted in watercolor in about 15 years.

14 x 11 inches. Watercolor on drawing paper applied with brush.

(In case you are curious, yes... I did paint this from a pornographic photo that someone shared with me. I figured it was worth "interpreting" into something artistic, beautiful, and perhaps erotic.)

Modified Fibonacci... Had to Play with It

2011-07-24T20:01:00.003-05:00

Tyler... Still Going!

2011-07-24T19:50:00.005-05:00

To answer my own question: No, she's not finished.

Not sure where this came from, but I like it.

2011-07-04T14:53:00.006-05:00

My apologies for the distracting art books in the background. I kinda like her. It turns out this was a throw away practice paint sketch from several months ago that I was inspired to add to last night; I don't believe I ever took a photo prior to resuming painting. I believe she's done and that she's got a lot going on. I have no clue which stripper sketch was the inspirational sketch.

Potential title: Dancer Walking. 12 x 6 inches. Acrylic on unstretched linen canvas paper, applied with brush.

Hmmmm... I'm a Bit Scared

2011-07-04T14:45:00.007-05:00

I don't know what is happening here. I am trying to follow the movement of the canvas, but I'm not sure that I'm excuting it correctly. I definitely need to push myself on this one; i.e., I can't settle for a lack of contrast, but... when do you recognize that you are overdoing it? While I do believe this represents an improvement over the last iteration, a part of me wonders if this may be getting out of control. What do you think?

Another Fischl

2011-07-04T14:43:00.003-05:00

I also like this painting by Eric Fischl. Title: Corrida in Ronda #9.

Other People's Art - Eric Fischl

2011-07-04T14:39:00.005-05:00

My friend James shared this artist with me (whether he directed me to him or just posted on his own Facebook wall, I do not recall). I really liked this untitled painting for some reason. Original website here.

Returning to Some Old Canvases (Relatively Speaking)

2011-07-04T14:22:00.006-05:00

Okay, so the painting wasn't even started a year ago, but it still feels like forever since I painted on this. (See last iteration here.)

I'm not quite sure what is going on, but she has a solidness to her. This is quite the abstracted stripper, in many ways! Hmm. Why does this remind me of the game Hangman? Disturbing.

Quick Self Portrait

2011-06-05T17:15:00.005-05:00

I painted this while staring into a mirror just now... There's a bit too much glare from the camera flash, but the pictures from when I turned the flash off dull the colors so... deal with it. It looks shiney.

Acrylic on sketch paper. 24 x 18 inches. Color palette: naples yellow hue; dioxazine purple; cerulean blue, chromium; red oxide; and primary magenta (facial feature accents).

I may need to strengthen the purple hues under the chin...

Oh damn. I just realized she needs eyebrows. Do I add them in, or say fuck it?

Keep on Trucking!

2011-06-05T17:13:00.007-05:00

Loving this... it's veiny! I painted on this a bit last night. The blue veins were progress. The turquoise highlights I put on the edges were not. It turns out that when you place cobalt teal over dioxazine purple, the result is Christmas tree car air freshner green. Barf. Luckily, I was able to cover that with another layer of dioxazine purple with some mars black mixed in... It's too bad I didn't get a photo!

Here's the whole progression.

Experiment on Black Gesso

2011-06-05T17:05:00.004-05:00

I worked on this the other day and hadn't posted it yet. It's weird working with a black background!!

If you actually click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see the original sketch to the right.

Bunny of Turin

2011-05-31T20:39:00.005-05:00

Lol.

Hmmm. I'm Still Not Convinced

2011-05-31T13:00:00.001-05:00

I think I made her look older. Perhaps I need to add some of the yellow cheek border back to the right side of her face...

Kira with a Pearl Earring

2011-05-30T18:03:00.003-05:00

Am I done??? I totally dig thiiiiis!!

I think I have found two minor spots I need to fix, plus an artist friend suggested I make her earring irridescent (I have the perfect color for doing that), so I may tweak this a tiny bit later. But overall, I'm feeling she may be done.

New Website?

2011-05-30T15:50:00.006-05:00

I may be deconstructing my website in favor of a profile on Carbonmade. Ideally, I will be able to point my link to my website domain (I love my domain!!)

Here is my current direct link to Carbonmade: http://ladydean.carbonmade.com/.

Fun Detail

2011-05-30T12:04:00.006-05:00

Up close and personal! Too bad I'm going to paint on her some more. I think this part will not change, however.

Fe de Erratas: I did add a few brush strokes to her right cheek, just to the side of the nose. Oops!

I Kept Going!

2011-05-30T11:44:00.008-05:00

I think she looks like my brother's girlfriend, Kira, now. Hmm. I also am reminded of this painting by Johannes Vermeer. Working title: "Kira with a Pearl Earring" (must add pearl earring).

She still needs work. The plan is to paint again today! I'm on a roll. Hopefully.

Dimensions: 10 1/4 x 11 1/4 inches. Colors palate: paynes gray, light magenta, titan buff, red oxide, naphthol red medium, naples yellow hue, and a touch of primary magenta and phthalo blue (green shade).

And a Close Up!!!

2011-05-29T13:32:00.005-05:00

This is just so awesome!! Wow. I need to do more work like this.

Sigh... and of course I make it my Facebook profil pic and all the flaws in the painting shine through for everyone to see. Gah. I'm going to go vacuum the carpet.

Auto-Retrato (with comparison sketch)!!!

2011-05-29T13:25:00.008-05:00

Oh, this is fun. I think I did something right in a painting for once!!! I wonder if James would agree...

Here is the original sketch.

Background Work

2011-05-29T13:18:00.004-05:00

I am going to paint a nude on top of this background that I painted this morning. I'll have to do that later, though. I put this canvas aside to dry and then jumped head first (hmmm... pun mildly intended) into the piece that I will blog about next.

I need a break from painting for now, but when I sit back down to paint again (hopefully later this afternoon) I plan to work on this again.

Funky Shapes

2011-05-29T13:09:00.003-05:00

Here are some canvas scraps that my friend Wendy gave me that I have already gessoed. I decided to keep the shapes fun and unique, in the spirit of going with the flow.

Black Gesso

2011-05-29T13:07:00.001-05:00

This should be fun!

Apple Bottom Jeans...

2011-05-25T23:59:00.005-05:00

Hmmm. This probably could have turned out better. I can't say that the colors work, but the background brush strokes are fun and free all the way around.

The problem with this kind of work is that the painting never seems to capture the same essence of the original sketch. I guess there is really something to be said about being in the moment of sketching where you are feeding off of the energy of the subject. For example, there is an interested lean to Venom's right shoulder in the original sketch that is lost in this painted rendition. In the sketch, she seems to want to know more about whomever she is talking to (or dancing for, HAH) but in the painting she is stiff, and the sponteneity is lost... her hips are off in the painting as well.

The fact of the matter is, I'm never going to get the lines to communicate the same, so what I need to remember to do is to look at the sketch prior to starting painting, and then put it away while I paint, even when trying to get down the basic gesture. This way perhaps I can at least capture some of the spirit of the painting and not have them turn out so stiff.

Working title: Blue Venom (Mermaid).

Fun with Canvas!!

2011-05-25T23:57:00.003-05:00

Before I started working on the nude...

This is one of the scraps of canvas that a friend of mine left for me to play with. After cutting out a few squares, I decided to go off the beaten path with the rest. The result was a pile of misshapen cutouts that should be fun to paint on and annoying as hell to frame.

Dildos in a Jar!!

2011-05-25T20:45:00.002-05:00

This is just hysterical. I'll explain more about this later, but let's just say it's an allegory[?] and the last time I painted on it was circa 2005... I almost gessoed it blank last night, but something stopped me and made me want to finish it...

We'll see!

Guess What... SOLD!!!

2011-05-23T23:07:00.005-05:00

I've been hanging on to this one for forever. So glad to see it find a good home.

Acrylic on paper applied with brush. 12 x 7 1/4 inches. September 4, 1998.

Photo by Steve Lundberg.

Another Artist, Gone from this World

2011-05-23T23:02:00.006-05:00

Rest in Peace, Robert Vaughn (branded as Robert Von). I posed for him for the better part of a year a few years back. I don't know that he made many pieces of work based on me, but I do know that these works-in-progress were of me. I always thought I looked like an African Princess in these paintings! (The painting in the background to the right is not me, although it looks like it could be!)

You will be missed, Robert.

Art From Several Days Ago (View 4)

2011-05-20T12:16:00.004-05:00

Working title: Cesario Abstracto?? I wouldn't know a thing about such things.

Art From Several Days Ago (View 3)

2011-05-14T23:37:00.005-05:00

I found some pent up angst to take out on the canvas. Yup, I stabbed it with a cardboard cutter.

Art From Several Days Ago (View 2)

2011-05-14T23:32:00.006-05:00

Yes, that is a nail in there; it's multi-media now. I need to bend it more with a hammer so that it stays in place.

UPDATE: Said nail has been bent!!! It works beautifully.

Art From Several Days Ago (View 1)

2011-05-14T23:27:00.009-05:00

I added red! I think I need to add beige or some other light color to the sides. Some other color needs to be added to the main body of work, but I need to wait until I'm inspired again.

And.... Wouldn't You Know It??? SOLD!!!!!!!!!

2011-05-14T21:11:00.012-05:00

Yes, I SOLD a painting! RE my last post about drawing on restaurant table paper, the activity did result in a sale! Woo! I'm actually not sure whether the chicken or the egg came first; but, at any rate, I was able to produce art and sell art in one full swoop!

The grandmother of the seven-year old girl (and also the step-mother of the friend of the sort-of-boyfriend) asked to see some of my artwork (which, of course, I carry around on my person in the form of digital photos on my camera which I have not yet found the time to upload to my blog). She saw the photo of the painting you see here and asked, "How much?" I non-chalantly quoted my working price and she promptly pulled out her checkbook and said, "Write you a check?" I responded with, "Sold!!"

I noticed that her husband (i.e., the father of the friend of the sort-of-boyfriend) didn't seem too enthused about the whole thing; BUT, a. the price was reasonable and, b. hopefully he'll fall in love with the painting upon laying eyes on it.

The painting has since been delivered to the graduate (the friend, not the sort-of-boyfriend) and should be in the hands of his step-mother and father soon!

For the record, I owe the entire sale to my friend, Kevin. Congratulations for obtaining your Master's Degree! Now go make some art!!!

Side note: I wrote the following title on the back of the canvas board: "Kansas Prairie Fire II" but this is incorrect. It's actually entitled "Konza Prairie Fire." I give the owners of the painting the full right to cross out the erroneous title and write in the true title.

Impromtu Bunny Sketches

2011-05-14T20:46:00.008-05:00

No, I'm not talking about the stripper! Heh.

Last night, I went to the Little Apple Brewery to celebrate the graduation of my sort-of-boyfriend (whatever...). I ended up making the acquaintance a lovely seven-year old girl who, upon learning that I'm an artist (or, rather, upon learning that I claim to be an artist) asked that I draw a rabbit on the table paper. This is entirely within the realm of "okay" because the paper functions as a sort of kid-friendly table cloth; crayons are of course provided. So I grabbed a blue crayon, took a deep breath, and conjured up all of the rabbit-drawing skills I had banked in my memory of teaching art to kids from the year 2000 (read: KSU Community Service Program participant to Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica). It worked. Magically, it worked. I loosened up my hands, let my artistic brain take over, and just DREW.

Things began innocently enough; but, next thing I knew, I was grabbing at the rest of the colors (all four of them?) and trying to make a full picture out of it. The girl (the step-niece of the friend of the sort-of-boyfriend) appeared to be enthralled and at one point even drew her own bunny on the table paper. I noticed from her drawing that I had totally omitted whiskers from my rabbit, so I was inspired to add a little more to my piece. Then I started framing the picture (a là Modified Fibonacci or Onion) and next thing you know, it was a regular Ladydean work of art!!!

The moral of the story is that the girl loved the drawing and I had a blast making art at dinner. We cut the thing from the table paper and rolled it up, secured it with paper clips, and (from what I understand) the family plans to have it framed! Although I did not get a photo, I did sign the drawing. How positively fun!!

Tip Jar

2011-04-07T23:56:00.003-05:00

I painted the tip jar at the Brewery!! Lol.

A Bit More Color

2011-04-07T15:51:00.003-05:00

And... with FLASH! Here you can see better where I need to blend the background (i.e. the blue in the upper left quadrant).

I Cut Off Her Worse Half

2011-04-07T15:30:00.006-05:00

I had to chop the girl on the left side of the painting out. She just wasn't looking good. This action involved removing the painting from the frame (I've never done that before!!) and taking scissors to the canvas. I doubt she can be remounted on a wooden frame, so she'll probably need to be put into a backed frame with glass, like a photo.

I still need to repaint the left border of the piece and I need to blend a tiny bit of the background. Overall, I think things look a lot lighter and freed up now.

This photo is a little dark, but represents what you see rather well. I put a flash on the picture I will post next, so the colors come out more. The reality of the painting is somewhere in between these two extremes!

She now measures 24 x 10 inches.

SOLD!!!!!!!!!

2011-04-01T13:26:00.004-05:00

Woot woot. What sucks is I had multiple offers on this one. I hate having to let someone down! I was diplomatic about it, though. I sold it to the person who made the first offer.

I never did go back and work the light effect in with yellow and white paint. The buyer loves it as is, so.... I must call this piece FINISHED now.

Wow

2011-03-30T21:56:00.004-05:00

Hot damn. Not done yet, but really moving along.

I successfully got the line out of her face, and even enhanced some of the color contrast, although it's not right yet. There's probably too much white now or else I need to strengthen the browns. I suspect I need to balance both colors.

The main thing you'll notice is that I worked the hat. Compare it to previous versions; it's great now!! I didn't have hope that that part could turn out okay, but it turns out I'm rather impressed with myself.

I think I need to tame the foreground colors a bit. I like them and I do want to add weight to that area of the painting, but something doesn't look quite right. The Paynes Gray is either too strong or not strong enough.

More Background Work

2011-03-30T09:15:00.006-05:00

It's coming along! I may have to take James' advice to "work the faces more," but I'm still resisting the idea.

Here's the last iteration, in case you are interested in seeing the progression directly. I'm slowly taking the wall line out of her face!

Better Background Work

2011-03-30T09:06:00.002-05:00

Comments forthcoming...

Commissioned Painting: Do Over

2011-03-29T20:46:00.006-05:00

Attempt Number TWO!!!!!!! I like this a lot better, although I probably have to fix some of her proportions a bit. Overall, the feeling is right.

Here is the original sketch.

Close Up Modified Flag

2011-03-29T13:25:00.002-05:00

Here's the close up. I love the depth of it!

Playing on Loose Canvas Strips

2011-03-29T13:11:00.006-05:00

At first when I tried to move the paint (even on the gessoed part) I didn't have much success. But after mixing more water in, things started to work out for me!

Here's the pan shot, so you can see the whole thing (the fabric scrap is an odd shape!). I don't think this can ever be streched onto a frame (not enough extra fabric to work with, I'm afraid).

The working title is Modified Flag.