Better late than never?

Well, it's been over about, um... a *cough* year, *cough* since I started working on this bust of an old man. I've kept on meaning to put the last few touches on him for almost that whole time too, but always I have been flummoxed by my lack of a stand to put him on. The only stand I had bought was in use by my other bust, Orlina, and if I removed her from it she'd fall on, and smash her pretty face. Which just wouldn't do!

Anyhow, long story short, I was finally able to afford the materials to make a new stand for him. Yay! Directly related to that is EVEN BETTER news for my making of art, and those of you who like to stop by and see what I've been doing lately (which I must admit, these past months, hasn't been a lot). That news is that after I wrap up my Christmas shopping I'll FINALLY be able to allocate funds to the buying of the clay, sculpting tools and armature that I am currently lacking. This is big for me, because I've realized nothing engages me like the process of sculpting, and I desperately want to get back into it. There are so many things I want to do and they're all on the backburner right now.

I hope you enjoy the finished product. Now it's time to do one of the scary parts, which is baking my creation without it cracking. Wish me luck!

(confession: I upped the contrast on these photos so you can see the details better)

Fantasy Portraits

I'm starting a long series of fantasy portraits in 5x5" squares focusing on individuality, composition and costuming. They'll be broken up with other projects, but expect to see a lot of these on my blog in the near future.

Here are the first four. Enjoy!

A warrior on a long cold watch.

Drinking. Laughing. Singing.

Priestess of the One God.

The long ride to battle.

Class is in Session

So I discovered this awesome figure drawing website early last month that sets up little classes for you. What you do is select a class period from thirty minutes to six hours long and then you hit 'Get Drawing!' From there it sets up a figure class structure, cycling through stock photo albums from all over the web and giving you several gesture drawings to do before moving into longer and longer poses. Then at the end, like a real figure drawing class you get a long pose to paint. Then bam, you've completed a figure drawing class!

These are a couple of the longer poses from the first half of last month. Enjoy!

We are Warriors!

As you can see, warriors come in many shapes and sizes. There is something about warriors that inspires me, though I'm not certain what exactly that is. They appear more often than any other one thing in my drawings, and in Dungeons & Dragons I am constantly rolling up characters who live for the thrill of combat. They are so unlike me, as someone who believes that peace is the best answer. Yet something about them draws me. Perhaps it is the warriors uncompromising resolve in the face of adversity, the willingness to risk their lives for a cause or ideal. Maybe it's just the way that a warrior stands up where others can't or won't to do what needs to be done. Traits worthy of aspiring to. Whatever it is, here is a sketchdump of some warriors. I hope you enjoy them!

I love drawing the characters I play in Dungeons and Dragons. It makes them that much more real to me. This is Torbrandr Agnisson, my most recent character.

 This... is a bear.

Some warriors are even wee... 

Jack and the Island

Hello everyone! Tomorrow is the opening of the Creatures and Critters show at the Richard Boyd Gallery on Peaks Island, off the coast of Portland, Maine. My jackalope and Ulia the Blind Priestess will be exhibited alongside the works of Pam Cabanas, Judy O'Donnell, Tina-Marie Poulin and Jean Noon; every one of us an artist based out of Maine. There will be sculptures and paintings about animals and our connections to them. It's going to be a great show, if you want to find out more about it you can go to their gallery's press release here.

Please come out to the island, I will be there with some of my family after 5:00pm but the gallery will be open all day and the show will be up for the rest of the month. Here are some of the final pictures of the jackalope. I hope you enjoy them, and maybe I'll see some of you!

Ulia, Completion

She is baked and ready to go, just pictures today. Enjoy!

Ulia, the Blind Sea Witch

 I'm not going to really say anything tonight, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you're here for the pictures anyway. Aren't you?

Not the Little Mermaid

I would like to introduce you to Ulia, Priestess of the Deeps... or was that Depths? or Deep Witch? or Witch of the Sea? Well okay, her title is still in question. Either way, this is my most recent project that I intend to submit to the Richard Boyd gallery's Creatures and Critters show.

I was hoping to have her arms covered in clay tonight, but I ran out of the wire I needed and hardware stores aren't open past 8:00pm when I got out of work today. Sheesh! 

I hope you enjoy the shots of my progress, I love sharing it with everybody!

On the Creation of a Jackalope

Last autumn, I went out to Peaks Island with some friends of mine and we visited the Richard Boyd gallery before continuing our romp to Battery Steel. I left my business card with one of the owners and was pleased to receive an email a couple days later with high compliments for the work on this blog. I was even more pleased however, to receive another email a couple weeks ago telling me about their Creatures and Critters show coming up in July, and inviting me to submit a piece for it.

So after a little bit of brainstorming, and then realizing that the deadline for submissions was the 20th I decided to sculpt a jackalope. So from start to not quite finished (but totally getting there):

First, I construct the frame which will support all the clay.

Second, I pad it out a little bit with tinfoil, but not too much.

After that is the most exciting part. 

Getting it from there to here happens very quickly, and its awesome to see it take form.

My first set of ears collapsed under the weight of the clay and weren't the right shape anyhow.

This second set of ears proved much sturdier.

This is where my jackalope is at the moment.

His eyes are two balls of black sculpey which have been hardened with a heat gun.

The claws were also pre-hardened.

 Still more work to be done, but I hope you've enjoyed the preview of what's to come and perhaps a little insight on how I've been building these. I have to give a massive heap of thanks to the sculptor Peter König for two extensive tutorials, from which I've learned everything.

The Quartet of Heroes

The set, dressed and ready to go.

This last Friday I went to see the opening of Heroes, and it was fantastic! It was at once hilarious, yet touching, and sometimes tragic as you got to know these French veterans of the first World War. I would like to acknowledge that the finishing touches to the sculpture were not my own. To that end, it was painted by Anita Stewart, the set designer and Portland Stage's Artistic Director, and fixed with a layer of cheesecloth and some paste-type material to preserve it by Chris Hourclé; who also created the set along with Ted Gallant and Chris Reinhardt. And the set looks awesome!

The first scene of the play; the quartet from left to right: 

Philippe (Philip Goodwin), Gustave (Edmond Genest), Henri (Munson Hicks) and Jacques (the dog).

From the moment I was brought onto this project by Andrew Harris, the Production Manager, to the end of it has been a blast. I believe I've clearly been spoiled by having Portland Stage as my first client, because they were so easy to work with and encouraging every step of the way.

Philippe has an interesting quirk.

The dog moved!

I was given the chance to see the play twice, the second time I was invited to go up on stage after the play for a little Q&A session with the audience. I must say, it was quite the honor and a great opportunity for myself professionally to connect a person with the work. I am happy to say that everyone involved and witnessing the play was quite pleased. I am also happy that Jamie Hogan, who helped set me up with this opportunity was in the crowd that day.

Jacques is made of Styrofoam. Gustave had to pretend it was 200lbs of stone. 

I was told that after the first preview of the play audience members were walking by the dog, who is then at the edge of the stage, and reaching out to touch it and find out what Jacques was really made of. If he was actually made of stone, this may not have mattered, but as it was they put him back on his pedestal at the end of the play for future performances.

Jacques is brought in by Gustave for consultation.

The quartet plan their getaway.

During the second half of the play, I really felt the chance to vicariously experience being on stage as the characters, especially Gustave, acknowledge the dog as a member of their quartet and make plans to bring Jacques along on their adventure (though Henri won't have it).

Getting roped up.

Henri reads dog's journal entry to thunderous laughter.

If you take nothing else away from this blog entry, I want it to be this: go see the play, it was fantastic! Seriously... get out to the theater and support some of the amazing arts in Portland next time you get a chance! It'll be worth it.

The play ends on a serene note of hope and inspiration.

My thanks to Chris Hourclé for providing the photography above.