The Waking Up Series.

I am currently working on a new series I'm calling "...Waking Up". Each piece is a portrait of the person when they first wake in the morning.The idea is that in this moment, when we open our eyes, we are the most vulnerable and real. I am trying to capture this moment when we first wake up. Before we have time to fix ourselves for the days presentation. This is also a moment that almost no one is allowed to see. We usually, without even thinking about it, quickly organize out appearances after seeing ourselves in the mirror. If we are alone we still make some kind of presentation.
The moment for we fix ourselves is the point of this series.

I asked a group of friends to send me pictures when they first woke. I was very surprised how many responses I got. It is not an easy action to take a picture of yourself when you first wake and share it with other people. Especially knowing that that image will be immortalized in paint. This is a special project for me. I have 4 more pieces I am starting starting soon and hopefully more to follow.

If you would like to contribute to this project, please send me you pictures. I welcome them all. But I INSIST that any images sent must never be posed. Most of us sleep with our "future" phones close at hand. I recommend when you open your eyes, grab your phone and take a photo. I will paint it.

The Singleton's Dog

I recently finished a commission for Brad and Alisha Singleton. They own a veterinary clinic in Austin and wanted something to hang in their special consult room. I made this piece on old fencing. I was given complete freedom to do whatever I wanted. They had a few small ideas of what they were looking for. Mostly along the lines of a person and an animal and not too sad but not a happy picture.

I am very happy with how this turned out. I remember painting it in my back yard. I had to build a terrible easel that, in the end, did the job. There was dust, there were leaves, it was hot. I am still very excited about the way the dog turned out.

ARP Laptop

I recently found an old laptop on a the trash. Such a nice find I could not let it go to waste. My initial intention was a little too complicated and I found myself getting bored with the idea quickly. It was to do with a nature scene done in binary code. Sort of predictable.

In an almost spontaneous decision I decided to go with an older but favorite stencil.

Here is what happened with that discarded laptop.

Things To Do With Free SXSW Merchandise.

South By Southwest is upon us who live here in Austin. Thousands and thousands of people come to our small city this time of the year. Our economy and our population grows drastically during the month of March. Some say "Yes please give our wonderful city more!". Some frown at the traffic and swear profusely at the idiotic pedestrians who think they own the place. I place myself somewhere in the middle of those to sentiments but confess to swearing at several pedestrians just yesterday.

If you have ever been to Austin During SXSW you will know about the large amount of free merchandise handed out during the weeks it takes over. Yesterday i received a sticker while I was getting a cup of coffee. I did not want this sticker. It was a spontaneous and friendly exchange between myself and the young adult standing between me and my beverage. Like I said, I didn't want it but accepted it and didn't want to just throw it in the trash as I left the coffee shop. So when i got home I made something out of it and here it is. I call it "Get Me Out of Iowa".

I propose that if anyone should find themselves in a similar situation as I found myself in yesterday, do not dispose of these free "unusable" items. Take them home and find something to do with them. I got a free t-shirt just today, if I was smart I would have taken many more and would have had a new set of sheets or pot holders!

Enjoy South By. Enjoy the drawing.

Solo Exhibit

First solo exhibit at The Parlor in Austin, Texas. The opening reception is this Sunday.

This has been a really great experience so far. Seeing so much of my work next to each other has been very important. to fill the whole space I went back in my portfolio a few years. My work has changed a lot but it all seems to still have such a present dialogue.

Come one come all. It is showing through April 14th, 2012.

5x7 Preview

It defeats the purpose, the 5x7 Show being anonymous, but I would like to share the two pieces I made for it. The Art House gives me panels to make them on but I decided to make my own out wood. I finished them last night and turned them in this afternoon.

The show officially begins at the beginning of April here in Austin. It has been a really great show since I've lived here. I think it will be no different this year.

Back in 2008...

Recently I was going through some of my older work and I stumbled upon a series I was working on (the image to the right being one of them). I was taking images from the newspapers and enlarging them and them painting over them. It was a whole black and white news print kick I was one. I made several pieces lie this one. Back in the 2008 Presidential election our friend Mitt Romney was a republican hopeful. Now in 2012 we find him again in the running for the republican candidate. I thought it was funny finding this considering we are now finding ourselves once more with the looming threat of having to deal with this guy for the next 4 years.

I can't remember what I was calling this piece in 2008. I kind of thought he was a joke then. Now I am kind of afraid.