Quick! Paint on this...

I like the fact that my friends know I can be challenged to paint anything, anywhere, on any surface.

My good friend Jesse asked me to paint a "quick" painting on his doorbell cover. I few weeks later he got the piece below. But I have to say, I learned the limitations of some surfaces - such as this old plastic with a faux weave pattern in it. It took three layers of gesso, but the sides were still scratching off easily. After a combo of fixative, spray paint and varnish, I hope this piece stays intact for awhile.

Sebastian Finds a Bee  5x7"

Photoshop turning one piece into a dozen

I am a big fan of Photoshop. I have been using it for over 20 years and find new things to do with it all the time. I wish I had more time to play, with all of the brushes and other endless features.
Here are some pieces that I created with the help of this robust graphic tool.

This is the original (Copyright-free) image

 

"The King and Queen Reminisce" - Dia pieces 2014

For the 2014 CHAC Art Show, I put together a king and queen Dia de los Muertos college set. It was inspired by the 3D crowns, which ended up not being the focal point of the pieces. I started with gluing some images into the background. I painted over them with white, but the 'ghost' image still shows through. I carved the letters and hearts out of wood. They were fun to do. They measure about 3' x 4'.

Teaching kids to paint owls

I almost never hang out with children. They make me nervous. But somehow I was talked into teaching a painting class for 8 kids (ages 5-7). In retrospect, it went fine, but it is true that kids do the darnedest things. The youngest kept falling off his chair.Anyhow, I taught them that paintings have at least seven layers of paint. I was thankful to Michael and other parents who used blow-dryers to dry the painting between each layer. The final touch was to sign your piece to make it an official painting. 

I have fond memories of my first "real" painting. Hopefully this group holds onto their creations throughout their lives to keep inspiring them to be creative.