white roses on red

white roses on red, 6x6 oil on cardboard

I used a new recipe for my medium on this one. A couple of years ago, I made some sun-baked linseed oil. I've used it on and off with various results, but I recently started cutting it with gamsol and some linseed oil and it makes for a great medium. It dries to a glossy finish that mimics a good varnish.

Pink lies under a fading star.

Pink lies under a fading star, 8x10 acrylic monotype

Tangerines with the mint

Tangerines with the mint, 6x6 oil on cardboard

These tangerines were as tasty as they were colorful. I did this painting as a demo for a student. If was the first time they had attempted alla prima painting and it was a fun session! 

Blue Flowers for Bonnie

blue flowers for bonnie 5x7 oil on cardboard

I bought these flowers for my wife, but they were so lovely I just had to paint them. This painting was executed on triple primed cardboard. I buy Kroger brand rice and chope down the thick, cardboard boxes that it comes in. It makes a create surface.

Blaster!

Blaster! 5x7 acrylic monotype, 2017

Here's a fun print from the gelatin plate. You can see the white lines along the edges of the shapes clearly in this one. Those are caused by the thicker paper. They can be avoided by using thinner types of paper to make your cutouts, but sometimes they are desirable. 

pass beneath the waters in silence lest we disturb the fantasy

pass beneath the waters in silence lest we disturb the fantasy. 7.5x11 acrylic monotype

more from this series.

red apples (of knowledge)

red apples (of knowledge), 6x6 oil on canvas

They listen and into the urns of their ears I pour.

They listen and into the urns of their ears I pour. 

I'm using getmosh.io plus photoshop plus premiere to create short animations like these. Instagram has a max gif length of 15 seconds, so there's not much wiggle room on what you can do. The basic process is to create a series of short clips and then use photoshop to make any changes (rotation, color enhancement, etc) and then string them together in premiere.

sunrise_over_neo_tokyo

sunrise_over_neo_tokyo, 5x7 acrylic monotype

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the_inversion_of_truth_through_memory

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the_inversion_of_truth_through_memory, digital 2017

Working in digital mediums again, using my gelatin prints as a starting point. Sometimes its as simple as a color inversion. You open a portal into a new space, an entire universe brought forth from the ether, or the either, or the neither, or the nether. 

Running parallax along the wintermute.

Running parallax along the wintermute. 6x6 acrylic monotype 

"'Most people are not looking for provable truths ... The moon did not answer."

"'Most people are not looking for provable truths ... The moon did not answer." 5x7 acrylic monotype

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Still working off the same gelatin plate I made last fall. I did a batch of ten using this color palate, and while this was my favorite of the mix, I think they all have some merit. I'm working smaller these days for two reason. One its simply more economical and two I can get through more iterations and therefore try more things. I'm going through a phase where I simply need to see what sticks.

the stinky salamander

the stinky salamander, 5x6 acrylic monotype

Finally received my order of new printmaking materials and now I'm back to the gelatin plate that I so love. I've already made twenty something prints this week, I'll be posting several more in the next few days so stop by. Unfortunately, my "permanent" gelatin plate is staring to break down so I'll need to create a new one soon. Love these crazy prints!

Slice of LIfe

Slice of Life, 6x6 oil on paper

This was a fun little painting. The juice from the orange was glistening under the light of my lamp. Punchy greens and reds compliment each other in a sea of blue. A slice of my life indeed. The orange was pretty rotten though, just fyi.

Summer Trees

Summer Trees, 5x7 oil on paper

Summer has come and the lush Tennessee landscape is ripe for painting. My wife and I trekked the hills to find this spot in a local park. From this spot there is a wonderful view of the mountains, but I was most interested in this tall tree that became the center of this composition. A few curious bystanders came by to see me begin the painting. Hopefully they were able to find me on Instagram and see the finished product. Follow me @joshpaints.

The Ringleader

The Ringleader, 6x6 oil on paper

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Lately I've been paying more attention to my edges, especially the transition between the cast shadow and the ground. Its difficult to get this area to feel right, and in alla prima painting you have only a few chances to achieve the desired effect before your begin to ruin the piece. The goal of alla prima is to get the right color in the right place with the right stroke. The desire to go back into the work with corrections must be suppressed or the loose quality of the painting will be lost to the muddiness of over-working it.

root beer

root beer bottle, 6x6 oil on paper.

Apples Orchestrated

Apples Orchestrated. 6x6 oil on paper

Those coke bottles go well with bright, red apples. I picked up some large sheets of construction paper recently and have been using them to create some new color combinations. I just needed to add a little jazz into the compositions. These saturated colors are great for creating a cheerful mood. Put on some smooth jazz for the perfect painting atmosphere.

two and one thirds onions

two and one thirds onions, 5x7 oil on paper

I love to eat onions! They the perfect compliment to so many different meals. If something is delicious, it will probably make a delicious painting too.

Kitchen Bossa

Kitchen Bossa. 6x6, oil on canvas.

My work has improved over the last few months and I am now painting more and more on canvas. Those of you who follow me will know that I mostly paint on paper because of its efficiency and economy, but nothing beats the presentation of a gallery wrapped canvas. Check out my shop if you'd like to purchase this or other paintings. Ars Vita