Cherry Holidays???

I suppose I should start the post by saying that I have been lazy, but I don't think I have. I just haven't gotten around to blogging ;-) I have been spending time thinking about a new painting. The painting will hang above the fireplace, so obviously, it needs to be somewhat decent... and I feel it needs to follow the theme... so I have reverted back to the days of old when I was first starting out in painting and really exploring all things that I found interesting. In particular, I am going back to trees. In the past, I did a couple paintings with black and white of a tree branch that I was particularly enthralled with. In the case of the new paintings, I will be painting a few cherry tree branches in black and white, but just for fun, I am going to challenge myself by throwing in a hint of color on the cherry blossoms. I know that I have gone on and on in the past about how I don't like flower paintings, but I think that the blossoms are integral to the branches. Otherwise the branches could be any other tree branches. Right?

As is my way when starting a piece that is going to have to require quite a bit of details to create a realistic effect, I have been looking at hundreds of cherry blossom tree images. And then I sketched out what I wanted for my painting:I decided to do the painting in oils. I think I am doing this for 2 reasons. The first reason would be that the oils take quite a while to dry and that will give me time to work with the shading. The second reason is that I am leaving town in a week for a month of holidays and didn't want to get obsessed with finishing an acrylic painting before I leave. I will work on the valuable skill of patience - my gift to myself!

Anyhow, I feel like sharing the painting in progress: Day 1

Day 2 (not to be mistaken with the next day, but rather the second day I worked on it)

Strip Tease with Dr. Sketchy's

What have I been up to since the last post? Well, a whole lot of paint has been applied to several canvases. I have been trying to decide whether or not to post the latest Mshmsh pieces. I have decided against it. Why is that you might ask? Well, I want there to be surprises for the peeps who might show up to the yet undecided show. I am hoping to get a bit of time to look for a venue this long weekend. I will make a point of it...

So what might I present on this post of art? I have decided to post a few drawings from the last few Dr.Sketchy's sessions I have attended. I actually really like this gathering. Going to art school presented nude models. Dr.Sketchy's brings burlesque models and themes. I am finding this far more interesting than the nudes... That being said, I really have to start figure drawing more regularly. I suck at drawing faces. And I tend to distort the bodies, much like I did when I first started attending art school. I guess practice will lead to improvement and further discoveries. So with that, I present you with my latest sketches.

Mshier by the day... and still slacking on the blog

For my one faithful blog follower, I have failed you by not updating this blog very often . There is a very good reason for that. It is called P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-I-O-N!!! Yes, procrastination. Websters dictionary defines it as:

• Main Entry: pro·cras·ti·nate
• Pronunciation: \prə-ˈkras-tə-ˌnāt, prō-\
• Function: verb
• Inflected Form(s): pro·cras·ti·nat·ed; pro·cras·ti·nat·ing
• Etymology: Latin procrastinatus, past participle of procrastinare, from pro- forward + crastinus of tomorrow, from cras tomorrow
• Date: 1588

transitive verb : to put off intentionally and habituallyintransitive verb : to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done

Truth be told, I was enjoying the summer. I haven't had this beautiful of a summer ever since I left Montreal several years ago. And since the weather was happening, I was not going to miss a moment of it by being indoors. I did at one point give the en-plein-air thing a go. I don't like dust and bugs in the paint, so that totally didn't work for me. I did do a few drawings. But only a few.

August came along and I realized that I wanted the Mshmsh team back together and working again. So thanks to Facebook, Colby got the message and started drawing like a mad man (or little boy since that is what he is). I still slacked off for a few weeks, slowly preparing canvases and deciding which paintings I wanted to start with. Finally, this labour day weekend, I started working like a mad woman (because I am and because it was raining outside and I didn't really feel like being out in the rain), I started painting. The following are the result of a 3 day weekend with a few sidebars along the way.


Mshy#5, acrylic on canvas, 24"x30"

Mshy#6, acrylic on canvas, 24"x30"

Mshy#7, acrylic on canvas, 24"x30"

I have just finished stretching a few more canvases and prepping them. Now is the time to get some more paintings done. I want to become a painting machine and forget about science. That is what Mshmsh does for me at this time. And that is just where I am now!

A Tattooing I will go...

I took a week off to go on vacation and see some friends. I managed to get in some sketching in the park done with one friend. It was great. But I don't have a picture to share only because I am too lazy to take one!

One of my friends wanted me to practice tattooing on him. I was UBER nervous. But I started. I did a Celtic arm band. I have so far done the outline and started the filling in. It is a work in progress. I didn't finish it because my friend left for holidays and then my time was up and I had to go home and back to work. So I don't have a photo of this either!

I knew that I was really anxious to start my much wanted leg tattoo. That being said, I was still nervous to start it. So I put off starting it for a week and then decided to just dive in so to speak. I think that the first starting lines were very confident. Then I think the confidence went away and the focus started. Along with the need to learn to pull my skin tighter so that I have smooth lines and no bruising... anyhow, I think it looks cool and want to share with you what I have so far. Keep in mind that the stencil (outline) is in 6 parts. And I can only sit in a position for so long before I have to stop...next I am going to fill in the black areas and then the colour... stay tuned!

Ouch that hurts!

So I finally went to Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art class. I loved the change from drawing nudies to drawing burlesque ladies. It is definitely much more difficult to draw someone when you do not necessarily get to see the entire body, but rather have to use your knowledge of the human form and build from that to draw the clothing on top. This class also reminded me of how quickly the ability to draw the body disappears. Like most thing in life, if you don't use it, you lose it.
Anyhow, I now share with you a few sketches from my sketchbook from Dr. Sketchy's but viewers be warned - the images are hard to see!



I have also been trying to improve the line work of my tattooing. So for the second attempt (still on a pig's ear) I chose a little bit more complicated image.

I think that I have definitely improved on the line work from the first image. But now I have been concerned if I am going deep enough with the needle or too deep. With this in mind, I decided it was time to give myself a small tattoo. I have been wanting a Day-of-the-dead skull for some time. So.... I only used blue for the moment to see how much touch ups I will have to do and I will add colours at that time too... I think the tattoo is funny and will be more funny when it is fully coloured up, but for the moment, I would like to present my little skull:

It is on my big toe. Just where I have always wanted to put a skull tattoo.

Until the next post, I shall be away making some sort of art. I hope you do to!

Dead Celebs and A Pig Ear

Today was the day of celebs dying. One was no surprise while the other was a huge surprise to me. Death seems to be everywhere these days. But when isn't it around? Way back in the day, when photography was just starting, photos used to be taken of the dead. A bit disturbing. And may great works of art have a death theme. Especially in times of revolution or war.
I painted a "modern family portrait" when the Iraq war started. I thought it was realistic. And it definitely meant something to me (and the person who bought it). My mind was in a dark place at the time. You judge.


Today's subject matter of death I feel is appropriate for my next piece of art. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have decided to learn how to tattoo. This has been a dream of mine ever since my first tattoo way back in the day. So I asked questions to people that know, purchased equipment, and decided to start practicing. My first attempt was on "fake skin". Basically it is a latex square about 3 mm thick. I very much disliked that experience. The fake skin dulled the needles quickly and also got plugged with the fake skin. Soooooo, I decided to try the path of death. I went and purchased pig ears from a Chinese grocery store. This is probably THE most nasty thing I have done in many years (and trust me when I say I have done some nasty shite...but that is another story and not art related). I also decided that I will give my first tattoo to myself at the end of summer (provided I keep practicing), and so I decided to practise part of the design that I am going to do on my leg. The following is a what my first attempt looks like:

I did the tattoo in 2 parts. The first was the outline of black about 2 weeks ago. This part if you decide to look close, is not very good. BUT it was a first attempt, so I will not be too hard on myself. I then froze the ear since I have been working lots. I found some time tonight to add the colour. I think I did well on the colour. But then again, I only have 5 colours and they are not very good. So I will be buying new colours, but using these crappy colours for pig ear practice.

Stay tuned for more pig ear art to follow in coming weeks when I have time.

Words are what we make of them

Sooooo, I know that I have NOT been a good blogger. But then again, my focus on art projects has been all over the place. And to add another excuse, I have been working lots. BOOOOO. I would LOVE to have the time (and space) to really focus on art. I have been checking out some amazing young artists recently. I get totally inspired by their work. And yet, even though the inspiration hits me, I don't think that it changes my work too much... which is a rather easy thing to say since I like making totally different random pieces of art.

I am going to be in a show August 1 to September 4th in Atlanta, GA. It is a simple show with many, many artists. It is based on an interesting concept. People from all over the world submitted five words each. The overlapping words were removed leaving only original words. Then, each participating artist was mailed 5 canvases 3"x3" and 5 words to interpret on the canvases in whatever media wanted. Only exception is that the canvases must stay 3"x3", no overlaying materials.

Welcome to my words!

Tree house: acrylic ink on canvas

Unequivocal: acrylic paint on canvas

Erstwhile: acrylic ink on canvas

Cultural: acrylic paint on canvas

Bamboo: acrylic ink on canvas

I know that I will not be attending the show, but if you think you are going to be in Atlanta this August, let me know and I will give more information of where you can check out the show. Oh yeah, and if you like reading, there will be an encyclopedia of art published in fall... and little ol' me is going to have one of these pieces in it!

Until the next time, ask yourself what you see when you think of any word.

Swerving to the left doesn't mean you are gonna have an accident

I have been very neglectful of my blogging duties. I apologize. I do not, however, make that claim that this sort of thing will not ever happen again. . . it will. I only tell you this because I know myself very well. With that said, on to the art...

At the start of the month, I completed a new Mshmsh painting...


and then waited for new drawings to appear in my email box. They didn't come. So I went to see Colby and talk to him about this lack of effort on his behalf. He told me that his wasn't feeling like drawing now. Fair enough. So I told him that was not an excuse and that he better get drawing. So now I have 3 new drawings. But I don't feel like painting them. Perhaps it is because of Colby's lack of interest in the project. Or perhaps it is because the weather is beautiful outside and I don't feel like staying indoors to paint. Either way, I have decided to put painting on hold until a rainy day.

But I have started drawing again. I cannot just not do some form of art. I do really like drawing. I am all over the place when it comes to drawing. These days my style varies between 2 extremes. The first is the use of continuous line. I think that this is harder to do than most would think it to be. I know that I catch myself constantly starting to cheat by lifting my hand. The overall product always looks messy to most, but I think it is truly a sculptural drawing study in the character of the object by letting the hand "feel" the contours, the bumps, the sudden changes of direction in the object.




My 2nd style of drawing is using a well defined black line. I have always loved the look of black and white. But currently it is becoming an obsession in my drawings. But I don't leave it there. I then go back to the drawing and colour it in bright colours that I love.


I know why I am drawing in this way recently. I am being influenced in tattoo flash. The only difference is that I don't colour in my pieces like the artists might. I have being designing a new tattoo for my leg. I think it is going to be amazing when it is finished. But I have to say that I will be the one tattooing it (except for where I cannot reach and then my friend Zach has agreed to step up and tattoo the rest). I am quite excited by this. But this excitement comes at a price...I have to start practise tattooing on fake skins. Soooo, you are not really going to be seeing much new art from me for a while (think end of summer???) But I shall blog of drawings and perhaps even successful practise tattoos when they become available (but I am worried about the success...).

Until that time comes, remember that everyone can make art. The hardest part is showing your work to another person for the first time. All artists had to start at the beginning and once they did start, they could only grow with practise and belief in themselves.

Ringing out the weekend

The weekend has definitely been a busy one... or at least a somewhat productive one. I have managed to do some more painting for Mshmsh. I have the drawings for 1 more painting after this one. After that, I will have to 1. Speak to Colby to let him know that I don't like waiting and don't think he has anything better to be doing other than focusing on the drawings; 2. Focus on my other paintings and committed works; 3. Do/try other things that strike my interest. I am planning on doing #1, #2, and #3.

"Mshy #3" Acrylic on canvas, 30"x36"

A few weekends ago, a friend was teaching beaded ring making. The only reason she was doing this was because I had seen her with a ring that I LOVED and demanded to know where she got it. Once it slipped out of her mouth that she made the ring, I was all over her for when she was going to be teaching me... needless to say, she taught me. I waited a few weeks before trying to make any on my own. Part of the reason was to see how good my note taking was and the part of the reason was to think about what I might want the rings to look like. So... voila:

Close ups of each of the rings, modelled by my big, wrinkly hands:


I think the rings turned out well. I am now thinking of other patterns for the future. Perhaps even ring adaptions on the design to make them even more unique than they already are. Until that time comes, I shall be out exploring the universe and coming back at you with show and tell time!!!

Slacking, reflecting, anticipating

Last night, I had fully intended to paint. Sure, I did lay a tiny amount of paint on canvas. A pathetically small amount of paint. Not enough paint to make any difference to the canvas. Instead, I recently became reacquainted with an old portfolio of drawings from Victor's (my favorite (and when I say favorite, I mean full out flirting with in class in front of everyone even though he was in his late 70s at the time...) teacher from art school) life drawing class from a few years ago.
I think that this drawing is my favorite from the selected drawings. I really like the pose. I like the definition of the model's back. I just like it. My next favorite drawing is the following pose:

These 2 poses share 1 thing in common. For them, I was testing out a "new" drawing style... for me anyways. My normal drawing style can be seen below:


I have been thinking since I moved to Vancouver of restarting life drawing classes. I think I am going to start on Sunday by attending Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art Class... an alternative life drawing class with non-classical models and poses, but rather with punks, burlesque women, and goths. Nudes and non-nudes. The class is not a regular class. It is held when the organizers get around to organizing. It is also usually held in a bar or pub. Drink prizes can be won during model breaks for the sketches. I think this week's class is a western theme. I suppose I will find out for sure once I show up!

The VAG brings no inspiration...

I went to the VAG (Vancouver Art Gallery) tonight. Tuesday nights are by donation. All other times is either 17.50$ or 20.50$ for the summer. I gave 2$ and change. I am happy I only donated that much. I DID NOT LIKE IT!!! Yep. I thought it was shoddy. Sure, there were 1 or 2 pieces that I liked, but the rest was dark, muted, bland, outdated, or even been done a few hundred times already.
The third floor had scenery paintings and drawings. There was one painting (yet another that I didn't like) that reminded me of mshmsh. Although it lacked the excitement of colours (it had whited down blues, pinks and purples) it did share a bit of the use of sharp geometric shape. Perhaps I should have viewed it as a possible close up of mshmsh work. Even so, it still didn't work for me. I don't want anyone to think that I think I am the best or that my work (or group work) is the best. It is not the best. But I do feel that the vibrancy and suddenness of sharp color does make it exciting. And the use of the colors do work together. Case in point: The newest mshmsh painting: "Mshy #2" acrylic on canvas 30"x36"

But something has been bothering me since I completed the painting. The upper left corner. The colors DO NOT WORK!!! Does anyone agree with me on this point? So my issue is that this corner is disconnected from the painting. Both in its use of parallel lines, but also in lacking the exciting "flashy" colors that the main body of color has. I am waiting to hear opinions about this...