Janelle and I went to the Frist Museum yesterday. Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination Exhibit was absolutely fascinating. It definitely inspired me to take another look and even make slight changes in the conceptual direction of my latest painting.
I’m 99.9% sure I just finished this piece. I had a lot of fun working on it and can’t wait to start the third in the series.
I love it. I hate it. That area is nice. What were you thinking? Cool. Yikes! Are you going to paint over that? Don’t give up.
Those are just a few thoughts that went through my head early this week while working on this new painting. That feeling of uncertainty happens when I don’t have a solid game plan.
However, I do see some good qualities in the painting. Perhaps I need to turn it around, go back and do some thumbnails, and maybe I’ll find a solution sooner rather than later.
I started the owl painting some time ago(7months) with the help of Janelle and we lost interest in it pretty quickly. I think it might have been because I started working on the detail way to early. I didn’t see a way it could be resolved at that stage of the game, so naturally I got bored, turned the painting around, and moved on to something else.
Well, lately I’ve been creatively amped up. I’m drawing and painting all of the time, throwing acrylic on canvas even working on more than one piece at a time. At some point this past week, I pulled the canvas out from behind the easel and decided to finish the owl painting. All I needed to do was wash out all of the detail and add a few minimal touches here and there and voilà.
Stopped noodling it.
Tweaked it here and there.
Now its complete and I’ll touch it no more.
I was 18 years old when I moved to Memphis, TN to attend an art college. I was just beginning to realize that art was more than just being creative and drawing pretty pictures. It meant much more to me. My feeling about creating art evolved to an emotional, mental, and sometimes spiritual level. Around the same time I took a music appreciation course that incorporated rock and roll, doo wop, rockabilly, and blues. I loved it. I began listening to B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Elvis, Muddy Waters, Wanda Jackson, Buddy Guy, and Etta James, while drawing and painting their portraits/caricatures. I felt that I was creating a better likeness that captured an essence of who these musicians really were at that time.
I still occasionally listen to the likes of Memphis Slim, Big Mama Thorton, and John Lee Hooker while I’m working on art. I think after today I will be listening to much much more. Rest in Peace Ms. Etta James.
“Etta James, whose powerful, versatile and emotionally direct voice could enliven the raunchiest blues as well as the subtlest love songs, most indelibly in her signature hit, “At Last,” died Friday morning in Riverside, Calif. She was 73.” – The New York Times/Music
Hey Jon,
I wanted to let you know that you are an incredible chef. The meal that you made on the night of my proposal to Janelle was nothing less than superb. I can’t thank you enough for helping make that night perfect. I hope you enjoy the double portrait that I made for you and your beautiful wife. Thanks again, buddy.
(CNN) — North Korea’s enigmatic leader Kim Jong Il — who, after succeeding his father 17 years ago, captained his poor, closed nation and antagonized its enemies — is dead, state media reported Monday. Kim Jong Il, 69
I am just finishing up a few drawings of a pretty cute dog named Seamus for a Holiday Card. This is the first of three drawings that I’m working on now and I wanted to share it with you. If you are interested in a portrait of your dog, cat, snake, or flying pygmy squirrel for the holidays contact me. Thanks for checking out my blog. Happy Holidays!
Recently completed commission. Thanks Tricia. I hope you’re as happy with it as I am.
Randy McQuien, Jr. 