The Reflecting Pool

The Butterfly Sojourn 

The butterfly was desperate to escape and find his way back to the prairie. As he struggled on, he caught a glimpse of light. 
“Its her!” he cried and flew faster. 
Dodging trees and slipping through the leaves, he saw that she was coming toward him. He called out to her. Something seems odd about the way she was moving. He dove toward the ground to meet her.

It was only his reflection in a pool of water.

cups and apples forever

cups and apples forever. 6x6, oil on paper

I painted this one late last night. I don't usually like to paint at night, but I had the chance to stay up late and so I brewed a pot of java and set to work. Part way through the piece I got into a debate with a friend via text message. Somehow I managed to finish the piece while making my case without getting paint all over my phone. Paint is always messy, but its gotten less messy as I've gone along. I can't say the same for politics.

Owl Attack

Here's another watercolor from The Butterfly Sojourn, along with the accompanying passage.


Suddenly, there was a great crash from above. The mouse cried out and tried to run, but a large owl grabbed him with its mighty talons. The owl screeched and flew into the night carrying the little brown mouse.

Flowers

Flowers II. 5x7, oil on paper

My wife brought home these flowers last week and I couldn't help but paint them. It had been awhile since I painted a floral arrangement and I thought it was time to test my skills. Flowers require a nuance that's difficult to achieve, much like portraiture. This was the second of seven paintings I created from this arrangement. I might post more in the future after I've photographed the rest of the set.

Ico

Ico. 5x7 oil on paper

I used the 3d printer (a lulzbot I believe) at the school to make this plastic icosahedron. It was for a electronic project from a little over a year ago. I kept the ico around because its a neat like object to have on a bookshelf. Maybe I should do a painting of all the platonic solids because they're really interesting to study.

Green Apples and Steel Cup

Green Apples and Steel Cup. 6x6 oil on canvas

I got a new set of rosemary brushes in this week and so far they are a pleasure to use. For this piece I used a set of long flats and a small sable for the details. I've been working on saturation and tone, trying to keep the brush strokes simple and the color intense. I also added some new work to my etsy shop, including this piece.

My Shop 

Canyon

Canyon. 8x8, acrylic monotype

Here's another monotype created with the gelatin plate. I love the color palette in this one as well as the narrative quality. Its fun to let the mind play while going through the work, searching for meaning within the shapes and colors. I like to make up stories based on some of them.

On a technical note, the white edges around some of the shapes were created because the paper cut-out I used was too thick. Rolling over the back of the print won't create enough pressure to absorb the paint and so the white paper shows through. If the paper cut-out is very thick, even a press won't work and the print will still have these lines. Of course they're not always a negative thing. I quite like having them here.