The title of my blog is called ramblings, and that is not accidental. I think part of the creative process is trying to identify oneself as an artist, and often times for me, this is understood through a journaling process. In this case, the journal happens to be transparent and online, but I’ve always been open in my struggles and triumphs, I wear my emotions and everything else on my sleeve. I’m an open book and I love sharing my process.
Anybody who has been following my art career can attest to how vastly all over the board it has been. I think my problem is that I love so many different types of expression that is has been very difficult to try and pin down one style and to brand that to myself as that, declaring, this is me, this is who I am.
This website is an attempt to try and reign in a certain look and a certain expression for my illustration, and that is mainly editorial, whether through the painted caricatures, to the black and white, pen and ink newspaper type illustrations, or taking those same pen and ink illustrations and colorizing them digitally. For the most part, what is showcased here on this site are all similar in look and style.
Oh, but it is only the beginning of all the vast collection of my total portfolio, and the temptation to include everything on this site (and thereby muddying the branding) is fierce, and I fight it constantly. So, I decided the best thing to do is to introduce some of these other styles in a blog entry, so that if interested, you can go and check them out offsite.
Painting For Life
I am quickly moving away from this realistic style for a variety of reasons, but when I first started, this was my bread and butter. I love storytelling and I loved Rockwell’s technique and so I studied his work intensely and I worked hard at trying to create my own Rockwellian type illustration and design. Not finding an application for the fine art pieces I was creating, I started my own production company titled Painting For Life, in which we produced, sold and distributed our own cards and gifts based upon the art I was making. In the end, I felt like the look was a bit dated and not as expressive as it needed to be, so I started to modernize my style. However, I still enjoy working this way once in a while, on a personal basis. To learn more, check out PaintingForLife.com.
People of the Chalk
I can’t go on with out a shout out to our new venture, our three dimensional chalk art street paintings. We travel all over the country creating these pieces. My story of this journey can be its own blog entry, but I’ll spare you for now. Instead, you have to check out our portfolio and videos: www.PeopleOfTheChalk.com.
ModNarrative
Not sure how to label this final look other than the name currently given it. It’s my attempt to modernize my painterly look, utilizing bigger brush strokes and trying to be more expressive and intentional with the color and design. This is a tough challenge for me, my background being strict realism. I have to mentally push myself beyond this and trust my instincts. I’m really exploring the stylization and I’m starting to produce a number of works that fall under this category.
That’s it for now. Thanks for listening. Gotta get back to the ol’ drawing board.
