Recent Works...Figure Drawing

I am working on a self portrait for my Figure painting class. The image on the top is the underpainting in yellow ochre. The image on the bottom is a bit more finished but still a work in progress. I am hoping to recreate the phenomenon where when you see someone yawn you cannot help but yawn yourself.
















































I also just finished a pretty large drawing of my love Christopher noodling on his guitar. The drawing is on gessoed paper, in chalk pastel. I am pretty content with how it came out. There is a picture of the whole drawing as well as a detail of his face.                                    

One last drawing I did from life in the studio was also in pastel.

College, it happens slowly then all at once...

So I have not posted in too long. I have been super busy with school, and have had a hard time finding the time to post.

I have a lot to share with anyone who is interested.

The Pawtuckaway Takedown festival was so amazing. Thank You to everyone who helped organize it. It didn't even matter that it ended up raining. I only took a few photos because my phone died, I wish I could have taken more.

In school this semester I am focusing on honing my drawing skills. I have been taking figure drawing, as well as figure painting.

The last thing that I wanted to mention on here is 

What's Going On?

ART SCHOOL NERD

I haven't posted in a little bit but a lot has been going on. First of all I started school. I am so excited to be back to the art school nerd life. I will definitely be posting photos of the massive amount of art I will be making in the next 16 weeks.

In addition I am going to be hanging two pieces at my favorite bar in Dover Sonny's. I will most likely be hanging them on September 3rd.

There is also an upcoming event called the Pawtuckaway Takedown that and I will be participating in the art expo there. Check out the event on Facebook It is going to be epic.

Seacoast Congress of Sound 2014

Seacoast Congress of Sound 2014

#scos14

https://www.facebook.com/events/626329497474854/

The Seacoast Congress of Sound is an event that occurs every year to celebrate the music, art, food, and the seacoast. It takes place on a beautiful farm in North Berwick, ME. There are always local artisans, live music, Smuttynose Brewskies, and local food. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to share my work, and hang out here. I had an amazing time. Thank You to everyone who volunteers to make this event happen. 

Here are some photos from my day:

Are We Elephants? New Tee Shirt Design

I Made Some new tee shirts in my new screen printing studio, for Are We Elephants? Are We Elephants is a Dover, NH based post-hardcore band. Come hear them play at Sonny's on Wednesday August 13th, where you can buy one of these tee shirts for $ 10.00

Check out their bandcamp, and their facebook!
http://areweelephants.bandcamp.com/album/loxodonta
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Are-We-Elephants/206061569496517


loud quiet loud math rock progressive rock rock post-hardcorepost-rock weirdo rock New Hampshire

Finished Reduction Woodblock print

I finished my first reduction woodcut prints!

Reduction Woodblock Print-Work in Progress

Step 1: Transfer drawing to block, and register the paper

Step 2: Color Study

First two layers of color :)

Third Layer of color.

"Meow"

Screen print 

These prints are going to be for sale at:

LALAPALALA MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL
JULY 19th 2014
DAY & NIGHT SHOW 12pm-1am

Buy tickets on the LALAPALALA facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/272228529619997/

Piscataqua Fine Arts Gallery Internship

I am currently interning at the Piscataqua Fine Arts Gallery in Portsmouth, NH. I am learning reduction woodblock print techniques from the amazing printmaker Don Gorvett. You can learn more about Don and his gallery and see his work at his website http://www.dongorvettgallery.com/don/don_mass.html

Monoprints

DOO Salon-Wrong Brain Group Show

Some of my prints are currently on display in DOO Hair salon in Kittery Main as part A Wrong Brain group gallery show at DOO in Kittery, ME! A variety of painting, drawing, prints, video, mixed media, and sculpture by both established and emerging artists. Check out the links below for more information about the other artists, the salon, and Wrong Brain. 

DOO website:
http://www.doosalon.com/index.html

DOO Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/DOO-Salon/188760107870433

Wrong Brain group show event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/287336818104962/

Wrong Brain Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wrong-Brain/159559124102437

Broken Amps

Broken Amps

Broken Amps is an original rock band based out of the seacoast of Maine, and New Hampshire.

Check out their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/BrokenAmpsMusic

Their tee shirt and poster design was the first time I had used my own equipment to do a photo emulsion screen print at home.

This design was created in Photoshop.

"Are We Elephants?"

Are We Elephants is a Dover, NH based post-hardcore band

Here are some images of the screen print tee shirts I designed for them

Check out their tunes, and their fan page!
http://areweelephants.bandcamp.com/album/loxodonta
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Are-We-Elephants/206061569496517


loud quiet loud math rock progressive rock rock post-hardcorepost-rock weirdo rock New Hampshire

Wrong Brain Spring Bizarre

Poster Artwork By:Sam Paolini
http://sampaolini.tumblr.com/

Wrong Brain Spring Bizarre, April 6, 2014, 11AM-5PM

Be there, or be disappointed.

Etching

Venus

chine collé

This piece, an intaglio etching is called Venus. This piece was inspired by an ancient statue I saw at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. I was intrigued by how even though the woman's body is broken and crumbled it is still beautiful and sensual. I loved the many different textures from the fine grit of the weathered stone to the sharp edges and deep valleys of her crumbled breasts. This was my very first experience with intaglio etching, so it was an exploration into the tools and techniques of this medium. The fine details achieved by the etching pen were perfect for creating a variety of textures and values. I was also influenced by artist Felicien Robs, a Beligian artist who lived from 1833-1898, and was primarily known for his etchings. His work tended to deal with themes of sex, and death and many considered his work perverted. One etching of his that caught my attention was a piece called Pornocrates, an etching that was then colored with watercolors.

  The image showing a nude female figure, blindfolded, being led by a pig who is tied to a leash. The image begs the question whom is leading whom. I wanted to create a piece that followed along the same themes of sexual power, and femininity. 

Illuminated Manuscripts

The name illuminated manuscript comes from latin terms. Manuscript derives from the latin term for handwritten, and illuminated comes from the latin term for “lit up”, or “enlightened”. Before the invention of printing, all books had to be written by hand. They were usually written on Parchment which is a writing surface that is made out of the stretched skins of cows, or sheep. The widespread use of paper did not occur until the late middle ages. One manuscript depending on the length could use the skin of just one animal, or even an entire herd of cows. The time and effort necessary to create of these manuscripts, and the cost of materials made these very expensive. Illuminated manuscripts were even more expensive, special, and precious because they were decorated with gold, silver, bright colors, and illustrations. What makes these works distinct is that the illustrations, and the text are one in the same.

The Earliest surviving illuminated manuscripts date back to around 400-600 AD and were made in Italy, and the the Eastern Roman Empire. Most manuscripts that have survived are known to be from the 5^th-15^th century, also known as the middle ages. There are also many of these precious texts from the Renaissance period. 

This is an Illuminated Manuscript I designed and created in Photoshop CC

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript

http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/TourIntroGen.asp

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/283009/illuminated-manuscript

Screen Printing

Wake Up and Rage!

This piece is a screen print titled “Wake up and Rage!”.  This was my very experience with screen printing. Before starting the sketches for my screen print I looked at a lot of screen prints by Andy Warhol. Andy Warhol was an american artist who lived from 1928-1987, he is well known as an influential artist in the pop art movement. Pop art is a movement that challenged the rules of the fine art world by including images from pop culture, such as celebrities, advertisements, news media, etc. Warhol began his career as an artist doing commercial illustrations. It was after his career as an illustrator that Warhol began creating the iconic art that he is known for today. I was inspired by his photo silkscreens depicting celebrities with bold, gaudy colors. 

For example the image to the right is a screen print of the rock star Mick Jagger from the band The Rolling Stones and was produced in 1975. The print has photo elements, as well as hand drawn marks, and rectilinear planes of color. The print evokes the sensual bad boy persona of Mick Jagger.  The photo on the left shows four different screen prints of the Marilyn Monroe.

 I was attracted to the hideous combinations of colors he put over the faces of beautiful celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, and Mick Jagger. The colors seem to be a metaphor for their ridiculous, over the top personas and behavior. I wanted the colors and the, pose in my piece to evoke an exaggerated version of myself. I see this as a metaphor for people born in my generation, which has been given the nickname the millennials. We are often stereotyped as lazy, narcissistic, and entitled by older generations of Americans. These stereotypes are generalized, overstated, and untrue. Just like the persona in this portrait is an exaggerated, cartoon version of myself.

In my sunglasses the world Rage is written across the lenses. I was drawn to this word because in my vocabulary, and the vocabulary of my peers the word rage generally has two distinct definitions. The more traditional definition of this term came from the english dictionary: anger, fury, violent anger, a fit of violent anger. The second definition which is more commonly used among my friends and peers, comes from urbandictionary.com: “to party extremely hard”. I like the idea that depending on who is viewing this piece they will can interpret the word in a different way.