Saturday, September 27, 2014

Close Encounters With A New Drawing


Untitled - Windson Newton Watercolor, Acrylic Paint Pen, Arches Watercolor Paper - 26" x 40 "




This new drawing has been knocking around the studio for a few weeks. Many people seem to like it and ask about it's precedents, which are many. Architectural drawing, and specifically perspective drawing figures into its making. The slight skewed grid was created using an old standby for perspective drawing - by definition the diagonal lines connecting the nodes should all 'vanish' to one point on a distant horizon. I use this rule to help me establish a simple grid on the paper. 


Additionally a few years ago I made a series of drawings using watercolor paint and rubbing alcohol, which when applied on top of the freshly wet watercolor, expands and resists the color. Which to me looked very much like galaxies and stars. 


But quite frankly, the biggest influence of all, certainly the one that reaches back the furthest for me, would be the movie 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind', the Steven Spielberg movie from 1977. I know I sat though it twice the first time I saw it. But what very much impressed me about the movie at the time was the simple and elegant way the makers used light to create the illusion of something real and three dimensional. The early scenes of the initial encounters with the smaller UFOs were thrilling for me and I like to occasionally think of a drawing like this as an alien space craft or at least the stars aligning in some unreal way. 






Sunday, September 21, 2014

'Bundled' Drawings

A new series of drawings is emerging from my recent stint of work. I call them 'Bundled' because they resemble things that are wrapped or bound together. They are abstract and can be read a variety of ways, but the bundled idea is what I see first. Pictured is my most recent drawing, and then three of the earliest drawings where the under-color did not cover the entire page. The surface of the drawing below is mottled India ink and the acrylic pen is silver in color.
Bundled 5 - India Ink, Acrylic Paint on Arches Watercolor Paper - 40 x 26 inches

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Mark Mulhern - Tory Folliard Gallery Milwaukee

One of my favorite artists, Mark Mulhern, has show of his work opening soon in Milwaukee. Tory Folliard Gallery, in the historic third ward of Milwaukee, will be holding an opening reception for Mark on Friday September 12 from 5 to 7:30pm. Mark is a life long painter and print-maker and I have found his work beautiful and profound for years. His long term commitment to painting shows itself in large paintings that are skillful, quirky and gorgeously colored.  The paintings and prints straddle both representation and abstraction simultaneously. His new work continues his exploration of some of his favorite themes, domesticity, household objects, and public spaces filled with people. The photos below of photos of some of his newest work. Try to make the show if you can.

Mark Mulhern - Brocante - Oil on Canvas - 70" x 80'
Mark Mulhern - Love Seat - Oil on Canvas - 48" x 60"
Mark Mulhern - Flea Market - Oil on Canvas - 50" x 60"