Wood plaques 2019

I started carving, painting, stenciling my own plaques in 2013 with hipster sayings on them.

I decided to expand on those by adding images or some stenciling to make them more interesting. I sold several more this year than last. I also have about 50 still to decorate, so any suggestions are welcome.

LEDs add BLING!

I found online a string of bright LEDs that were battery operated. It started the gears turning in my head. It opens all sorts of potential for a making some art with bling. Here are a couple that I've made so far.

This is called Ursa Major. I did a whole series of wood cutout animals where I then over-imposed skeletons. Then I painted Dia de los Muertos designs on the bones. This one I took in a different direction and added the constellation over the skeleton.

This one I gave to my brother and I liked the bear so much, I used it as a template for the one above. Instead of the lights behind the whole piece, I created a second wood layer for the swirl. But I like how it turned out. I could make a dozen more bears and I'm sure I could change the lights around to make different stories.

Portraits in oil

I've been studying/practicing portrait in oil this last year. I really enjoy how oil blends and retains a beautiful texture. Acrylics can too, but because oil doesn't dry so fast, you can work it until you're happy with the results. 

This is my friend Priscilla. Painted from a photo taken at a gala when we were all dressed up. I probably should have worked it just a little longer to look most like her.  

These two are from old photos provided in the class I took at the Art Student's League. Again, they don't look exactly like the photos, so I need to keep working on that, but I really started to experiment with glazing and wet-on-wet techniques. 

Don't Underestimate Spraypaint

I did. Now I am a believer. Stenciling is such a great enhancer to backgrounds. It can set a mood. It can create a setting. It can break up negative space.
Here are some of the pieces I enhanced with spray paint.