Christopher Thornock

Saturday Studies - Nautilus - SOLD

2012-01-27T13:51:00.001-07:00

oil on canvas panel, 8" X 6", 2012

This weeks Saturday Studies is a limited palette painting. I only used 5 colors to make this work, ultramarine blue, raw umber, yellow ochre, raw sienna and white. It was done on a canvas panel that had been tinted subtle gray/umber tone.

Red Riding Hood Experiment Sketch

2012-01-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

pencil on paper, 2011

To prepare for the Red Riding Hood painting, I did this drawing. I am always telling my students the importance of preparatory work. Some artists love the challenge of spontaneous creation. I, on the other hand, like to solve the various problems of image making by dividing and conquering. This sketch allowed me to make decisions on everything from composition to value as well as character development and setting. The drawing is about 7 1/2" X 9 1/4".

Experiment - Red Riding Hood

2012-01-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

For some time now I have wanted to make a series of paintings that are narratives of classic children's tales. This is the first one, Little Red Riding Hood. I tried some new techniques and spent more time than I probably should have to get this image to a place where I liked it. I developed a much more finished drawing than I normally do, then transfered it to paper which was then sealed and painted on in oil. Here is the result.

oil on paper, 16" X 20" (approx.), 2012

Super Bowl Sale - Football on Gray

2012-01-23T19:38:00.004-07:00

oil on canvas panel, 2011

In celebration of the upcoming Super Bowl, I am discounting this painting 20%. Click here for more information.

Saturday Studies - Lemon SOLD

2012-01-19T15:45:00.003-07:00

After a short hiatus Saturday Studies returns.

oil on canvas panel, 5" X 7", 2010

From the Archive

2012-01-06T18:50:00.003-07:00

Cat's Cradle Study, oil on panel, 8" X 10", 2004

This little figure study was done a number of years back in preparation for a larger painting.

New Website Coming Soon

2011-12-28T12:41:00.002-07:00

As part of the new year, I am going to revamp my web presence. Stay tuned.

On the Easel - Experiment day 2

2011-12-23T15:45:00.001-07:00

mixed media on paper

Day two for this painting. I am working over a drawing that was done on a simple sheet of watercolor paper. The drawing was then toned using acrylic and the rough value scheme was painted, also in acrylic. I then went to work in oil, mainly using a simple cool grisaille. Day two consisted of a Liquin coat so I would work into it wet. I glazed down the first days painting with a muddy green, then worked up the light again, this time using color. I want to experiment more with this as a way to conceptualize new paintings and use them to help me define color in larger works.

On the Easel

2011-12-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

mixed media on paper

I am doing a little experimenting. This study isn't quite finished. So far about 1 1/2 hours.

Inspiration - Claude Monet

2011-12-16T08:43:00.001-07:00

Quotable - George Bellows

2011-12-13T12:55:00.001-07:00

George Bellows, Dog Fight, Charcoal on Paper

What is Good Drawing?
"This question depends upon the definition of what is a work of art. If we consider that a work of art is the finest, deepest, most significant expression of a rare personality, it follows that any plastic invention or creative molding of form which succeeds in giving life to this expression is good drawing. It may have the mechanical and spiritual shortcomings coincident with even the greatest of people but it will still remain good drawing" - George Bellows (1882-1925)

Sketching

2011-12-09T17:08:00.001-07:00

This is what can happen when you sit across from me in a doctor's waiting room. I did a small sketch of an older gentleman who was reading a book. Waiting rooms, libraries, airports, and church can be great places to sketch. Lots of subjects. The challenge is when the person you are drawing moves, then it becomes a study in memory. This man moved his head back and forth as he changed pages but I wanted to continue working, so I would take the time to fill in shadows or build the sketch based on my knowledge of anatomy. Sometimes the sketch can feel unfinished and so I will finish it later in the studio.
If you are ever caught by your subject the best thing to do is introduce yourself and show them your drawing. It is a great way to start a conversation and meet someone.

Copy or Transcription Drawing

2011-12-05T08:47:00.001-07:00

The semester is winding down this week and I have been extremely busy and haven't posted for awhile. As I looked back on the projects that I assigned my students, one drawing that I hope helped them was the master copy or transcription drawing. I ask them to find an old master drawing and copy it (well transcribe it - no need to copy line for line). I find it helpful to spend more than a cursory moment with great works of the past. Transcribing a great drawing or painting can introduce the student to how particular visual problems could be solved. It gives me inspiration to spend time with such pieces. Here is the drawing I started as an example for the class. It is by no means finished and I hope to get back to it.

Copy of Juan de Pareja by Velazquez, charcoal on paper, 2011

Saturday Studies Preview - Picked

2011-11-25T12:01:00.001-07:00

oil on canvas panel, 8" X 6", 2011

SOLD

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T16:22:00.001-07:00

Jean-Baptiste Chardin, Still Life with Turkey

Royal Pine

2011-11-23T12:28:00.001-07:00

Oil on Linen Panel, 8" X 6", 2011

Creativity Needs Time

2011-11-22T12:49:00.001-07:00

I thought this was a great way to show the link between creativity and the time needed to develop interesting, creative solutions.

From the Archive

2011-11-21T09:11:00.001-07:00

While Walking, 2003

The two girls in this painting are all grown up. They are sisters and have posed for several paintings over the years. This particular work was one of the first.

Trying Something New

2011-11-18T16:20:00.001-07:00

I am experimenting a little with this painting. Not anywhere finished. What you are seeing is the first few hours of work. I made a drawing yesterday with little reference, mostly from my head. I decided to play a little with the facial proportions and see what would happen. I am anxious to continue working on it.

If you can't visit...

2011-11-15T12:21:00.001-07:00

Did you know that the Getty Museum has a YouTube channel? It is great for previewing the museums collection, learning more about the paintings and even discovering information about museum conservation. Here is one of the videos about a particular painting.

Inspiration - William Nicholson

2011-11-12T11:10:00.001-07:00

Sir William Nicholson, Books and Things, 1920

Saturday Studies Preview - Rose

2011-11-11T20:45:00.001-07:00

Working late tonight in the studio. Here is a peek at tomorrow's Saturday Studies. This rose had been growing just outside one of my studio windows. The last of this years blooms.

Saturday Study - Pearled Nautilus

2011-11-05T09:17:00.000-06:00

oil on canvas panel, 6" X 8", 2011

SOLD

Monet Exhibition Site

2011-10-30T22:03:00.000-06:00

Learned about this website from James Gurney's blog. Make sure to visit and experience the 'digital journey.' Really great. Exhibition Monet 2010 link.

New Saturday Studies Today

2011-10-29T11:41:00.000-06:00

Oak Leaf, oil on canvas panel, 8" X 6", 2011

Orchard, oil on canvas panel, 7" X 5", 2011 SOLD

Football on Gray, oil on canvas panel, 8" X 10", 2011

Saturday Studies can be found here.

A Head Drawing

2011-10-28T09:56:00.002-06:00

Graphite on Paper, 11" X 8 1/2", 2010

On the Easel - Vessels

2011-10-26T21:36:00.000-06:00

unfinished - oil on linen panel, 10" X 8"

I am currently finishing off this painting for a ceramic artist who I discovered online through Etsy (ClayHaven). It just so happened that she and her family live a few cities away. I loved her vase shapes and asked if she was interested in in making me some custom pieces. I offered a trade and she accepted. She chose to have a painting with her pieces as the subject matter. A few more passes and it should be finished. Thanks Amber!

Inspiration - Albert York

2011-10-24T09:33:00.000-06:00

Albert York, Bread and Wine, ca. 1966

Just discovered Mr. Yorks work. Where have I been?

Sneak Peek for Saturday Studies - Football

2011-10-21T17:10:00.003-06:00

Football, oil on canvas panel, 8" X 10", 2011 SOLD

Quotable - Alberto Giacometti

2011-10-20T12:41:00.001-06:00

Alberto Giacometti by Yousuf Karsh, 1965

The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity. - Alberto Giacometti

From the Archive

2011-10-19T08:53:00.000-06:00

Twins, oil on canvas, 2002

I have gotten out of the practice of landscape painting. This piece was done some years back. The location was somewhere west of Benjamin, Utah, a place named after an ancestor of mine, Benjamin Stewart.

Currently on the Easel

2011-10-14T16:11:00.000-06:00

Here is a section of a new still life painting currently on my easel.

Saturday Studies Sneak Peak

2011-10-12T17:16:00.000-06:00

Fourth of July, oil on canvas panel, 7" X 5", 2011 SOLD

Color Mixing Chart

2011-10-12T14:44:00.002-06:00

Spectrum Color Mixing Chart

This color mixing chart is based on the color wheel I discussed some time ago. It is important as a painter to understand how what new colors will be made from different mixtures of paints. This particular chart is made from mixing complimentary spectrum colors, such as blue and orange or yellow green and red violet. The first two dabs of color on the left are the original spectrum colors (they are labeled). Then the remaining dabs are colors produced from their mixture. The first is an attempt to create a neutral color that does not appear like the first two parent colors. Then taking this new color, I mix them back with one of their single parent colors which produce a version of the parent color that is subdued in chroma. The result is a useful chart to refer to while working.

This Weeks Saturday Studies

2011-10-06T11:44:00.000-06:00

Had some time this week to finish two Saturday Studies.

Pine Cone, oil on canvas panel, 7" X 5", 2011 SOLD

Old Baseball, oil on canvas panel, 7" X 5", 2011 SOLD

On the Easel - Grouping

2011-09-30T16:53:00.000-06:00

18" X 24", oil on canvas

Another painting that is close to being finished.

On the Easel - Football

2011-09-30T08:43:00.000-06:00

oil on linen panel, 8" X 10"

Just putting the finishing touches on this one.

Signing Your Art

2011-09-29T07:59:00.000-06:00

Something that every artist must face as they near the end of a new work is how they are going to identify it as having come from them. Where and how to place a signature is an integral part of the piece and helps others know who did the work. (think of it as advertising)
Here are my thoughts on the artists signature on a painting.
1. I find that too many artists make their signature stand out more than needs be. Overly flashy and large, lots of swirls or bright colors seem to call attention to the writing and detract from the image. I try to avoid this by making my signature rather small and often using a color or value that diminishes its impact on the overall painting.
2. I have read that your signature must be legible. I don't think that this really matters. If you have a signature that is illegible make sure your name appears on the back. Then if in the future there is any question as to authorship you have it covered.
3. Use a monogram or symbol to sign a work. I do this and many others have also. (Dürer, Whistler, etc.) I have a small square with a capital 'T' neatly centered. I created this symbol to represent the idea that within the four sides of the canvas or frame (the four sides of the square) I have place my talent (the T for Thornock). I was inspired to do this after looking at monograms that were developed by artists, designers and craftsman of the Wiener Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop) of the early 1900's.
4. Dating your work is also a good idea. I generally, as a rule, try not to do this on the front, but put the year of completion on the back.

Quotable - Nathan Oliveira

2011-09-28T09:41:00.002-06:00

Nathan Oliveira, Blue Head, oil on canvas, 1990

"Painting is my work. I have constructed my life around it. There is little more to say. Whatever else could be stated, would do nothing more than distract from the essential realities that the work may, or may not contain.
I do not pretend, through painting, to defend popular or unpopular attitudes, but rather that my efforts are true to myself alone." - Nathan Oliveira from Art USA Now

Saturday Studies Preview - Baseball

2011-09-23T10:48:00.003-06:00

7" X 5", Oil on canvas panel, 2011

A sneak peek of tomorrow's Saturday Studies. SOLD

Inspiration - Martha Alf

2011-09-21T10:07:00.002-06:00

Martha Alf, Four Pears, Oil on Canvas, 1974

Martha Alf, Black Blue and Purple, Oil on canvas, 1974

I discovered the work of Martha Alf as an undergraduate and still really love the simplicity, the soft atmospheric quality and the beautiful technique.

Opening This Week

2011-09-20T11:49:00.000-06:00

Blush, Oil on linen panel, 14" X 11", 2011

I have a show of new paintings opening this weekend in Indiana at Watts Fine Art. The reception is this Saturday from 6 - 9 pm and the show will be up until October 8th. Unveiled are 17 new paintings done this year, many of which have been featured recently on this blog. I unfortunately will not be able to attend but am really excited for this new work to be seen. If you are interested in the work, check out their website, where you can view all the new paintings and also look through the work of some other really nice painters and sculptors.
A big thank you goes out to John and Shannon Watts and their staff for working so diligently to present the work.

Saturday Studies Preview

2011-09-16T11:14:00.001-06:00

Pine Cone, Oil on canvas panel, 7" X 5", 2011

This weeks painting for Saturday Studies. If you are wondering what Saturday Studies is, then read on. Every Saturday at 9 am MST I post a new painting available for purchase through my Etsy shop. The paintings tend to be smaller and simpler in design. I love to take time away from the larger, more complex pieces that I am working on in the studio and focus on a simple work. I am also very committed to creating original work that is affordable by anyone. SOLD

From the Archive - Spray Bottle

2011-09-14T17:27:00.004-06:00

This was a painting done when I was in graduate school. I must admit, one of my favorites. I think there are lots of possibilities with this idea.

Saturday Studies Preview

2011-09-09T09:29:00.001-06:00

Goose Feathers, 6" X 8", oil on canvas board, 2011

Tomorrow's edition of Saturday Studies. Available here.

Artists I Admire - Israel Hershberg

2011-09-07T07:54:00.000-06:00

Israel Hershberg, Cyprus No. 2, 1999

Getting ready to ship.

2011-09-06T10:01:00.000-06:00

This week I am putting together a shipment of paintings to be sent to Watts Fine Art in Indiana. Show opening September 24th.

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T09:10:00.001-06:00

Thomas Anshutz, The Ironworkers' Noontime, 1880

Work in Progress - Collection

2011-09-03T17:42:00.000-06:00

Side by Side

2011-09-02T11:18:00.000-06:00

Bowls, Graphite on Paper, oil on linen panel, 8" X 10", 2011

Here is a side by side of a recent drawing/painting. The still life was set up in the studio and drawn first. I used the drawing to then make the painting. (tracing the contours from the drawing onto the panel for painting) I was a bit anxious to start painting and I feel it is more developed than the drawing, but I do like the delicate feel of the drawing.

2011-09-02T09:58:00.001-06:00

White Shell, oil on canvas board, 5" X 7", 2011

Due to the holiday weekend, this weeks Saturday Studies will be posted early. It will be available today at 3pm MST. SOLD

Inspiration - Ennio Morlotti

2011-08-31T09:38:00.000-06:00

Natura Morta - Still Life

Sneak Peek - New Still Life

2011-08-29T09:18:00.002-06:00

Inspiration - William Bailey

2011-08-27T09:15:00.000-06:00

Umbria Verde

Peaches

2011-08-26T12:30:00.000-06:00

Oil on Canvas, 18" X 24", 2011

Saturday Studies - Preview

2011-08-26T07:30:00.002-06:00

Shell, Oil on canvas panel, 6" X 8", 2011 SOLD

Shell, Oil on canvas panel, 5" X 7", 2011 SOLD

Tomorrow's installment of Saturday Studies.

Quotable - Giorgio Morandi

2011-08-25T08:04:00.000-06:00

Still Life with Flask, 1953

"I believe that nothing can be more abstract, more unreal, than what we actually see. We know that...the objective world...never really exists as we see and understand it...has no intrinsic meaning of its own, such as the meanings that we attach to it." - Giorgio Morandi

Progress - Stack of Bowls

2011-08-24T08:12:00.000-06:00

Almost done. Another pass to finish it off.

On the Easel - Stack of Bowls

2011-08-23T08:38:00.002-06:00

Inspiration - Hiroshi Sugimoto

2011-08-22T09:47:00.000-06:00

Mathematical Form, Surface, 0004 Onduloid: a surface of revolution with constant non zero mean curvature, 2004

North Atlantic Ocean, 1996

Saturday Studies - Two Apples

2011-08-19T16:38:00.000-06:00

Oil on Canvas panel, 6" X 8", 2011

This weeks addition to Saturday Studies.

Just Finished - Bowl of Pears

2011-08-19T09:22:00.000-06:00

still wet

Just completed this still life. Bowl of Pears, 11" X 14", 2011

On the Easel - Bowl of Pears

2011-08-17T08:22:00.000-06:00

Currently working on this still life of some green pears.

On the Easel - Evening Landscape

2011-08-16T15:14:00.000-06:00

Oil on Canvas, 16" X 20", 2011

Putting the finishing touches on this painting. It will be available this Friday through 'A Gallery', here in Salt Lake City.

Color Wheel

2011-08-16T08:43:00.000-06:00

A few years ago I was handed a book called, 'How to See Color and Paint It', by Arthur Stern.(no longer in print) It is a great resource on color mixing as it relates to representational painting. I have used several of the projects listed in the book for painting courses that I have taught.
One problem many beginning students struggle with is how to link the color wheel to the pigments that they have in their paintbox. For instance, you color wheel will have a 'blue', referred by Stern as spectrum blue. However, when you go through the tubes of paint you have purchased, there is nothing in there that is called 'blue', there is ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, thalo blue, etc.. Stern shows the reader what tube colors need to be mixed in order to create that spectrum blue from the color wheel. Spectrum blue is made up of a mixture of ultramarine and thalo blue with a small amount of white. This exercise of mixing a color wheel is relatively simple and one does not need a huge palette of colors.

This color wheel is for oil paints. Represented are primaries, secondaries and tertiaries.

Here is my personal wheel, as you can see, it has been passed around in painting classes numerous times. I have marked what tube colors are used to achieve each spectrum color. I matched the colors to the Itten color wheel for accuracy.

Millet's Studio

2011-08-15T07:57:00.001-06:00

A photo I took some years ago in the studio of Jean-François Millet, located near the Barbizon forest of France. It really says all you need to know about the man, artist and lover of the peasant people whom he painted.

The Gleaners, 1857

Saturday Studies - Baseball

2011-08-13T11:00:00.001-06:00

Baseball, Oil on Canvas Panel, 6" X 8", 2011

This weeks Saturday Study. Done alla prima. SOLD

John Berger - Ways of Seeing

2011-08-12T08:34:00.000-06:00

This BBC program by John Berger is worth watching.

Ben Shahn on 'Realism'

2011-08-11T09:14:00.001-06:00

Ben Shahn, Supermarket

Leif Peng of Today's Inspiration, an exceptional blog on mid-century illustration, posted a really great article by Ben Shahn, written in the 1950's for Look magazine. It concerns the term 'realism' as it relates to art, worth a read.

Inspiration - Luis Melendez

2011-08-10T08:22:00.000-06:00

Still Life with Salmon, Lemon and Three Vessels, 1772

Work in Progress - Peaches

2011-08-06T10:49:00.001-06:00

A little sneak peek.

Saturday Studies - Preview

2011-08-05T12:08:00.001-06:00

Red Rose, Oil on Canvas panel, 8" X 6", 2011

Available tomorrow on Etsy. SOLD

From the Archive - Sudadarium

2011-08-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

Sudadarium, Oil on Canvas, 50" X 46", 2008

Sudadarium is Latin for 'sweat cloth.' I really loved painting this one and it is still in my possession.

Quotable - Gustave Courbet

2011-08-04T09:01:00.000-06:00

Courbet, Self Portrait (Man with Pipe), 1848-49

"To make art lifelike, this is my objective. I studied the art of the ancients and that of the moderns using no systematized approach and without preconceived ideas. I no more wanted to imitate the former than I sought to copy the latter.
Neither did I strive towards the futile objective called 'art for art's sake.' No! Quite simply, I wanted to draw from the entire body of tradition a rational, independent sense of my own individuality.
To know in order to create-this was my purpose. To be able to interpret the customs, ideas, and point of view of my time according to my own frame of reference; in a word, to make art lifelike, this is my objective." -from the Courbet exhibition 1855

Inspiration - Sir Joshua Reynolds

2011-08-03T09:48:00.000-06:00

Captain George K. H. Coussmaker, 1782

Three Peaches

2011-08-01T14:03:00.000-06:00

8" X 10", Oil on Linen panel, 2011

Work in Progress - Lemons day 3

2011-07-29T17:33:00.000-06:00

Bag of Lemons, Oil on Linen panel, 11" X 14", 2011

Finis! At least let's hope so. I let paintings sit a few days and try not to fuss over them. The weekend is a great time to get away from the project, then come back with fresh eyes and look over the painting to see if I am happy with the result. If not, a few more hours of touching up.

Work in Progress - Lemons day 2

2011-07-28T13:35:00.000-06:00

Getting closer. It is usually at this stage that I like to fiddle a bit with color. I like to add layers of color that are of the same value as what is already painted, but is of slightly different chroma. Sort of an impressionist technique but much more subtle. I keep my paint fairly dry, not mixing in too much turps or medium. This allows makes the color sit more on the texture of the canvas and the underpainting is not totally obscured.

Work in Progress - Lemons

2011-07-27T15:06:00.000-06:00

The slow build. Here you see part of the ebauche (in this case a monochromatic value lay-in using raw umber) and some of the first pass of color. Playing with complimentary colors for this painting.

Inspiration- Zurburan

2011-07-25T19:41:00.000-06:00

Bodegon, 1636

Have I mentioned before that I love Zurburan?

Saturday Study Preview - Two Apples

2011-07-22T14:24:00.001-06:00

Oil on Canvas panel, 5" X 7", 2011

SOLD

Restoration of Leighton House Museum

2011-07-20T08:52:00.001-06:00

Available

2011-07-19T21:54:00.000-06:00

Glory Days Baseball, Oil on Linen panel, 7" X 5", 2011

Glory Days Basketball, Oil on Linen panel, 8" X 10", 2011

Glory Days Football, Oil on Linen panel, 6" X 8", 2011

These three paintings are now available for purchase through my Etsy store.

Just finished - A Collection of Shells

2011-07-19T08:15:00.000-06:00

Oil on Linen panel, 11" X 14", 2011

Inspiration - Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

2011-07-18T09:04:00.000-06:00

The Poor Fisherman - 1881

Saturday Studies - Blue Kuri Squash

2011-07-16T08:23:00.001-06:00

Oil on Canvas panel, 5" X 7", 2011

Also known as kabocha squash (Japan). This oil sketch is available on Etsy. SOLD

On the Easel - More Shells

2011-07-15T09:19:00.000-06:00

I live far away from any ocean and yet I still paint more and more of these still life paintings. I remember back to my art history courses discussing the symbolism of shells. In early Christian art shells (particularly the scallop shell) represented baptism, eternal life and the apostle James. Think Botticelli and you see that the shell represented fertility as well. In Tibetan Buddhism the conch shell is used to call religious ceremonies and can contain sacred water. The nautilus shell is a natural occurring example of the Golden Mean.

Just finished - Peonies

2011-07-14T10:03:00.000-06:00

Oil on Linen panel, 10" X 8", 2011

Color Test

2011-07-13T09:02:00.000-06:00

How well do you see color? You can test your ability online. Go here to try it out.

Inspiration - Holbein

2011-07-12T08:32:00.000-06:00

Young Merchant, 1541

There are certain paintings that have seemingly leapt off the walls when I passed them in the museum. This Holbein painting was one such image. It is located in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, in Vienna. It felt as though the subject in the painting was about to breathe in, or shift a finger. Quite uncanny. An art experience for sure.

From the Archive - Nautilus

2011-07-11T12:40:00.000-06:00

Oil on Linen Panel, 14" X 11", 2008

Here is a painting from a few years ago. I was cleaning the studio weeks back and found that it was still in my possession. It is a vanitas still life of sorts. Empty shell, extinguished candle, old worn books, all used as symbols of mortal existence and its brevity. I have mentioned before that I get a kick out of painting the oddest parts of a picture, in this case, the blue cloth that is draped behind the objects. I kept thinking it reminded me of some representation of the ocean that the shell emerged from. Maybe because it appeared to me to be receding like the tide.

Saturday Studies - SOLD

2011-07-08T23:31:00.001-06:00

Two Green Apples, Oil on Canvas panel, 5" X 7", 2011

Quotable - Andrew Wyeth

2011-07-08T08:34:00.000-06:00

Andrew Wyeth, The Intruder, 1971, Tempera on Panel

"My aim is to escape from the medium with which I work. To have no residue of technical mannerisms to stand between my expression and the observer. To seek freedom through significant form and design rather than through the diversion of so-called free and accidental brush handling. In short, to dissolve into clear air all impediments that might interrupt the flow of pure enjoyment. Not to exhibit craft, but rather to submerge it, and make it rightfully the handmaiden of beauty, power, and emotional content." - Andrew Wyeth (1943)

Why Beauty Matters - Roger Scruton

2011-07-07T07:21:00.000-06:00

Worth watching. This is just the first part, the rest can be seen on YouTube. There are things in this video that could offend some.

Recent Landscape

2011-07-06T21:26:00.000-06:00

6" X 8", Oil on Canvas Board, 2011

Here is a little landscape finished earlier today. Utah is a great place for landscape painting, from red rock deserts to high mountain pine forests, from the barren salt flats to productive farming valleys.

Field Trip - Gilgal Garden

2011-07-06T08:08:00.000-06:00

A strange and wonderful place, hidden in downtown Salt Lake City, Gilgal Garden is one massive folk art project. Here is an interesting little write up on the place.

A portrait of the man responsible for the sculpture garden, Thomas Battersby Child, Jr. (Note the brick pants, Mr. Child was a mason and contractor.)

An Elysian Still Life

2011-07-05T10:44:00.000-06:00

Oil on Canvas, 18" X 24", 2011

Just finished this today.

Saturday Studies

2011-07-02T07:37:00.000-06:00

Portrait of a Young Woman, 10" X 8", oil on canvas board, 2011

A monochrome head study done in Venetian Red mixed with black on a toned canvas panel. Available here.

Quote of Inspiration from Andrei Tarkovsky

2011-07-01T10:30:00.000-06:00

from Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker, 1979

"In any case it is perfectly clear that the goal for all art - unless of course it is aimed at the 'consumer', like a saleable commodity - is to explain to the artist himself and to those around him what man lives for, what is the meaning of his existence. To explain to people the reason for their appearance on this planet; or if not to explain, at least to pose the question." - Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) from Sculpting in Time, pg. 36.

If you have not read this book, may I suggest finding time to read at least chapter 2, entitled, 'Art- a yearning for the ideal'. If you are unfamiliar with who Andrei Tarkovsky is try one of his films like Andrei Rublev, Stalker or Solaris (not the one with George Clooney).

From the Archive - Study of a Boy

2011-06-30T08:59:00.000-06:00

Graphite and White conte on toned paper, 2003