Marker Drawings 35

Sketchbook Drawings

Sharpie markers, Magnum, king size, fine point, ultra fine point, 2016

sketchbook 6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

I'm back up and running again after my computer debacle. We have come to rely on tech so much I felt a little lost without it. I was able to Restore System from backup after all and a few little glitches remain I'll have to fix but now all is working. Other than that I have to learn the new OS which I updated as well.
I will start more regular postings as soon as I can.
Here's some more marker sketches for now. 481,482,483,484

Where have I been?

My hard drive crashed a month ago. Instantly no computer.
Really wierd. We expect it to be there always.
Yes I do have an iPad but it is the first version and likes to crash (shut off) while I'm using it but of course it likes to wait until I am in the middle of writing a comment, on your blog?, or researching or visiting the art sites I go to and especially while I was researching my computer woes and how to fix it.

Arrrrgh!

I got in there, replaced the hard drive with a better SSD but am still slowly restoring the system from the back up drive, with many annoying little snags along the way. Restore System with one click? Nooooo. I got message, something about there is not enough space on the new drive even though it was the same size as the old one.
Missed it by that much?! I should have went bigger with it.

Woe's.

I will get back to posting something soon. I am behind.
Stay tuned.

Marker Drawings 34

Sketchbook Drawings

Sharpie markers, Magnum, king size, fine point, ultra fine point, 2016

sketchbook 6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

And a few more.477,478,479,480

Marker Drawings 33

Sketchbook Drawings

Sharpie markers, Magnum, fine point, ultra fine point, 2016

sketchbook 6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

Once more, marker sketches primarily done at Laguna Art-A-Fair.473,474,475,476

Marker Drawings 32

Sketchbook Drawings
Sharpie markers, Magnum, fine point, ultra fine point, 2016
sketchbook 6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)


More booth drawings done while at LAAF this past summer. The third page down from top was done elsewhere.
469,470,471,472

Marker Drawings 31 - LAAF Ephemera

Sharpie markers, magnum, kingsize, fine point, ultra fine point, 2016
cup 4¼" (10.795cm) high
LAAF fan 8" x 8" (20.32cm x 20.32cm)
LAAF pamphlet 4¼" x 11"(10.795cm x 27.94cm)
envelopes 3½" x 6½" (8.89cm x 16.51cm) 

I'm a little behind in posting since Laguna Art-a-Fair ended over a week ago but none-the-less here are some more I did while down in Laguna.
I'll draw on anything I can get my hands on when the sketchbook is not handy and nothing laying around Laguna Art-A-Fair was safe from me and my markers. I joked with my fellow artists that if they stood still too long they would be next!

The cup was fun but drawing on a round cylindrical surface was a bit harder than I thought.

And again drawing with a near dry marker which yields that great soft-edged dry brush affect. Love it.
459,460,461,462,463,464,465,466,467,468

Marker Drawings 30 - LAAF Thank You's

Envelope drawings

Sharpie markers, Magnum, fine point, ultra fine point, 2016

(top) envelope 3½" x 6½" (8.89cm x 16.51cm)

(bottom three) envelope 4¼" x 5¼" (10.795cm x 13.335cm)

More marker sketches drawn at Laguna Art-A-Fair. I have done some watercolor painting in my booth too but I do enjoy doing these for their quickness.

I draw directly with the markers without any pencil lay-in. It's a good way to work because it forces me to think differently than painting. Similar to working traditionally in watercolor I really have to plan ahead to preserve the whites.

I generally have some vague idea of what I will be drawing and just start blocking in the large dark masses to find the graphic shapes for compositional purposes. From there I look for suggestions of smaller shapes and forms and let it develop on its own somewhat. Drawn from my imagination, and of course plenty of experience in industrial subjects, I am using no reference of any kind.

Satisfying simple drawing.

The top one done on a white envelope (my photo is off a little in its tint) and as the large Magnum marker begins to die I can get these great soft edges. Love it.

The other three were done on a heathered putty gray envelope.

Why am I drawing on envelopes and signing them unlike the sketchbook marker drawings? Because these were given as Thank You's for various reasons. To collectors, a supporter of Art-A Fair and fellow Art-A-Fair artists who did me big favors.455,456,457,458

Last weekend for Laguna Art-A-Fair! Don't miss your chance to pick up some great art or just visit and have a relaxing day near the beach.

Marker Drawings 29 LAAF

Sketchbook/pamphlet drawings

Sharpie markers, Magnum, fine point, ultra fine point, 2016
LAAF pamphlet 4¼" x 11"(10.795cm x 27.94cm)
sketch page 5" x 8"(12.7cm x 20.32cm)

More maker sketches done while down at Laguna Art-A-Fair.
The top one done on the cover of the LAAF pamphlet simply because it was what was at hand.
I do like the yellow showing as it does in the drawing.
The other sketch was done on a page torn from Moleskin sketchbook.453,454

Laguna Art-A-Fair Seal Sculpture

Thanks to artist and friend Amanda Fish for the pic of me painting the seal sculpture at Laguna Art-A-Fair yesterday. The seal was donated then brought to the fair so artists could donate their talents to embellish the seal as a tribute and to raise awareness for the health of our oceans.
There are additional pics of various artists at work on Art-A-Fair Facebook as well as a contest to name him.

This Saturday August 20th the seal will be moved to its permanent home at The Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.

I'll post some pictures of my work and the other artists later so stay tuned.

*I added a second pic from Amanda.

New Work Cityscape at Laguna Art-A-Fair

"Old LA 1"    SOLD
oil on board, 2016
6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

You can always find the mix of the old and the modern in the city.
It is endlessly fascinating, richly layered and textured from time.

I left out quite a bit from the actual location, which was far busier, like wires, clutter on the left sidewalk and a huge railroad crossing signal in the background. Instead I focused more on the vertical strip compressed between the power pole and building with all the intricacies of the fire escape, the hint of the yellow sign, the AC unit hanging from the side of the building, the stop light and pedestrian crossing light and especially the strip of sunlight piercing the buildings shadows. That was where all real visual action took place.

The freeway, multitude of yellow poles and fencing, signs, streetlight and utility poles, antennae and left side buildings have a similar intricacy and although laid out across two-thirds of the composition are dwarfed in scale by the entire right third of the painting.
I played down the whole left side slightly while the deep shadow, high contrast, harder razor-like edges gave the right side the punch it needed to describe the compression of time I was seeing crammed into such a small area of the scene.452

National Watercolor Society Paint-Out

This Saturday is the National Watercolor Society Paint-Out  at artist Rirkrit Tiravanija's water pavilion in Van Nuys as part of The Los Angeles Biennial Current: LA Water, a citywide summer event held at various locations.

The paint-out is open to all NWS artists as well as anyone who wants to participate.
When:
Saturday August 6, 2016 from 2:00 pm to 10:30 pm

Where:
Sepulveda Basin, 6300 Lake Balboa Hiking Trail, Los Angeles , Ca 91422

I will be there painting away the day along with the site co-ordinator Juliana Lujan from Tiravanija Studio.
Come on out and join us for some plein-air painting or just to see artists at work.
Hope to see you there!

You can read more about this cultural event here.

Thanks go out to Rirkrit Tiravanija and his studio from all of us at The National Watercolor Society for his invitation to this unique Public Art Challenge.

Duck duck at Laguna Art-A-Fair

"Duck Duck 1"
oil on panel, 2016
5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.78cm)

Here is a new work for Laguna Art-A-Fair.
The worlds largest rubber duck and her duckling when it visited the Los Angeles Port in 2014.

If you know my work you might wonder, a rubber duck? Well yeah, if it's 61 feet tall, weighs 11 tons and sits in the Los Angeles Harbor. It's a no-brainer! And it's a nice complement to what may be The Worlds Largest Pumpkin, "Smilin' Jack", which I also painted.
Fun industrial.
Suitable for all ages.
I-N-D-U-S-T-R-I-A-L !
Have a newborn? Duck Duck is perfect for the new nursery!
Have a 5 year old? Smilin' Jack is it!

At that size She had a certain presence.  I wanted to have a little fun here so I painted in the yellow halo and kept the paint application crystal clear with high chroma and saturated color to give it that presence for the paintings diminutive 5"x7" size.451

Preview Night Pics

My booth just before the floodgates were opened.

Friends on the big night!
Painter Wendy Wirth, Terry DiLisi of King of Frame, Painter Amanda Fish,
Myself, Artist/Concept Designer Larry Bates and Designer/Painter Anthony Salvo.

Wednesday's Preview Night at Laguna Art-A-Fair was packed again and these pics don't show how chock-full it was in the aisles at times. The overall atmosphere was one of festive celebration by us artists and the patrons I'm sure in part due to our 50th year Anniversary.
You can see the professionalism of the artist booths, their work and especially the grounds themselves which requires a ton of hard work by a lot people who don't get credit publicly but work behind the scenes nearly year round to make it all happen.
Laguna Art-A-Fair is largely volunteer so the hard working dedication of the staff is especially appreciated by us artists on the big nights like these!

Second pic down some friends and I managed to get a group shot in Amanda Fish's booth to kick off the first big night of the festival season.
Amanda is a great still life artist and the friend who encouraged me to apply for Art-A-Fair last year, so when you visit be sure to stop and see her work, right around the corner from my booth.
Acrylic Landscape Painter Wendy Wirth is across the street exhibiting at Festival of the Arts so make it a day and visit her too.
Laguna Beach has so much great art to see, especially during festival season so get down, or up, or over here!

Laguna Art-A-Fair Preview Night

Here we are again, all ready for Laguna Art-A-Fair 2016, the 50th year Anniversary!
Preview night is tonight, the public opening on this Friday June 24th then the opening weekend.
The show looks great with many new artists this year so the first weekend will be exciting to see.

With my watercolors juried in this year as an additional medium I have not only been extra busy but I am looking forward to showing patrons I'm not a one-trick pony.

See LAAF's calendar to plan your visits around the many events and live entertainment scheduled.

Start your engines... see you there!

Marker Drawings 28

Sketchbook drawings

Sharpie markers, Magnum, fine point, ultra fine point, 2016

envelope 4¼" x 5¼" (10.795cm x 13.335cm), sketchbook 6" x 8" (15.24cm x 20.32cm)

Marker sketches, having some fun experimenting with the huge Magnum marker, especially at such a small scale.

The top two sketches are on gray envelopes.
Yeah, I started doing these at Art-A-Fair last year and here we go again for the 50th Laguna Art-A-Fair as it is now known and I'm still doing them.
I can't believe it is already upon us. 447,448,449,450
You can see my page here.