Desperately Seeking Inspiration!

As you may have noticed, I've missed a lot of posts lately. Here's the thing: I thrive on being forced to stretch my artistic muscles. I've come up with plenty of my own ideas to illustrate, but those are things that aren't really that challenging. Sooooo... I need your help! Surely someone (preferably multiple someones) in the nearly 25 countries that have viewed my blog can give me some kind of idea to get my creativity flowing. So please, please, pleeeease let me borrow just a little of your collective imagination and send me some ideas via email, comment, smoke signal, carrier pigeon, or psychic message.
On a side note, I'm still waiting for ANY submissions in response to this challenge. Just throwing that out there. Again.
Thanks in advance for your imaginational (yeah, I know that isn't a real word) generosity!
Stay creative,
AH!

I've Got the Blues...and Yellows...and Some Green...and a Touch of Red

Happy Sunday! It is Sunday, right? In any case, here's the "Sunday" post for the week.

Since I've already shown both abstract and objective art from my repertoire, I'll skip the explanations about what each is and refer you here and here for examples of objective pieces and here for abstractions.

This first painting is of a tropical fish, the species of which I don't recall (I have more of an affinity for mammals and reptiles than fish).  While the fish is obviously the focus of the painting, I decided to counterbalance the natural intense colors of the fish by removing all of the obvious color from the background.  I say the obvious color because in spite of appearance, the rocks, coral, and sand all contain a degree of blues and purples.  The viewers eyes perceive the small amounts of color on a subconscious level and add to the overall cohesion of the painting.

Next is a nude woman. Seriously. She's been abstracted to the point of being nearly non-objective, but does remain some identifiable features. This is in fact part of a pair of paintings, one abstract and one realistic. I may post the original at some point if I can get a good picture of it. Fear not though, in spite of being a nude the woman in the photograph I worked from is completely decent, so I can still maintain the family friendly atmosphere of the blog. But I digress, so back to the abstract version. With this one I chose to use a primary color scheme (red, yellow, and blue) for the figure of the woman. Since the background of the photograph was jungle foliage, I used green. The green also helps set off the figure from the background in the same way the grey background above helped set off the fish. 

 So there's the *ahem* "Sunday" post for this week. I'm afraid to say I've been slacking a bit in my art creation as of late, but I will definitely be remedying that in the coming weeks.  Speaking of weeks, I hope you all have a great one! Until next post...
Stay creative,
AH!

Abstract Thinking

So I decided this week that I would introduce you to some of my abstract work. These paintings are of two very different types: figurative abstraction and total abstraction.

First is a total abstraction. Believe it or not, this is a painting of a road through the middle of a mountain forest in the fall.  In fact, it's an alternate view of this painting that I posted a couple of weeks ago.  In total abstraction, the subject of the painting is reduced to very basic colors and forms. Here the green and orange shapes could indicate leaves in the midst of transitioning into their fall colors to some, but may evoke completely different thoughts or emotions in others.  Total abstraction in many (even most) cases is less about what the artist sees, and more about what the art viewer sees. Both figurative and total abstraction also tend to convey the feelings of the artist about the subject.  In the case of this painting the artist (me) finds the fall forest both invigorating and peaceful. Paradoxical as those feelings may seem, I think I managed to get a little of both tucked in there.

 This second painting is of another facet of abstraction known as figurative abstraction. In this form the object being depicted is often simplified, but maintains a degree of what makes it recognizable.  This particular painting is of a pair of peace lilies. Notice that even though the shapes of the flowers and leaves are not any shapes that you're likely to see in nature, but are still distinguishable as flowers and leaves. As with the above painting, this painting expresses my feelings of the subject.  The flowing lines and smooth (mostly) cool colors are intended to evoke a feeling of calm and comfortable cool of the spring. The bright warm orange color at the center serves the duel purpose as a defined focal point and as a counterbalance to the cool colors throughout the rest of the painting.

Well, there you go. Two forms of abstract art all laid out for your consideration and (hopefully) enjoyment.  I'm percolating several drawing ideas that I plan to make time to put on paper in the weeks to come. Until then there are still paintings to come so keep checking in and suggest the same to your art-appreciating friends. Also remember, if you have any ideas for drawings, paintings, or even challenges for me please share them either in the comments section or email them directly to me at heymisterh@yahoo.com. Oh yeah! You can also now follow me by my twitter username @HeyMisterH.  I'll be posting links to all of my updates there now, too.

Stay creative,
AH!

Mid-Week #11: An Odd Assemblage

So this week I had several thoughts on what to show for the mid-week post.  I finally decided to not decide and include a little of all of it. There's a bit of wire, a boredom sketch, and a work-in-progress.
First up: the wire-work. So there's a very short back story for this one. Like most great stories, it starts with a trip to the grocery store.  After doing the shopping I was waiting in line for the self-checkout.  While waiting in the aforementioned line I spotted something shiny on the floor.  If I see something shiny, I investigate. In this way I am much like a toddler...or maybe a raccoon. Either way, I picked up the object and found it to be a silver plastic-coated twist-tie. I removed the plastic and began to work the wire into shape. Since the wire was only a couple of inches long, this process was quite short. What emerged was the first ever MicroZeke! In case you have no idea what that is, it's a tiny version of this guy. So when I got home I took some pictures with a penny for size reference. Here they are.

Here's the boredom sketch.  As you can see it's a balloon with jagged sharp teeth and a survival knife.  I thought "How could a balloon be in any way threatening?" Question answered.  I also gave it the gift of speech to imply some degree of intelligence. If it has the ability to think it could potentially have malevolent intent. Yeah...that's about it...

 As an artist I am begrudged to show any unfinished work, but I thought posting this one might encourage me to go ahead and finish it. It's a large humanoid bat creature that popped into my head (or should I say popped out of my head) while I was on a break at work one day.  I will definitely post the final product at some point in the (hopefully near) future. Who knows? Maybe this will start off a new series of Works-in-Progress Wednesdays to give you an idea of the process that goes into making a finished drawing.

There's another week inside my mind.  It may be a place of chaos, but it's my chaos.  More paintings are coming Sunday, so check back then.  Also, my thoughts and prayers also go out to those affected by Hurricane Isaac as it moves across the Gulf Coast. Stay safe everybody, no matter where you are and of course...

Stay creative,

AH!

The Menagerie Amasses

It's the beginning of the week again (sort of), so in case yours is off to a bad start (or not) here are a couple of animal paintings to brighten your day.

First up is a monkey.  Usually I'd be more specific with the monkey's species name, but for the life of me I can't remember what this one is.  I worked from a photograph on this, so I know it is an actual species... Anyway, I painted it because I like monkeys.  Add to that the fact that for some reason this particularly bizarre little monkey was chewing on a piece of volcanic glass, and it was practically screaming (to me at least) to be painted. Some day I'll find just the right place in my house to hang this one. Since he's apparently hungry enough to eat volcanic glass, maybe over the kitchen table would be appropriate. Definitely not the bathroom, though. I don't think anyone would want to have a wide-eyed monkey staring at them as they step out of the shower. Well, maybe some people...weirdos...

This next little guy is a scarlet ibis.  I tried a different painting technique than I usually use on this.  As opposed to most paintings where I start with a solid white canvas, on this one I painted the whole canvas black first (for other examples of this method, run an Google image search for "velvet Elvis").  The desired effect (which was achieved) was to give the ibis a stronger sense of chiaroscuro, or light and dark and, in doing so, gives the subject a stronger sense of three-dimensionality. A similar effect could have been achieved by using the "standard " method and painting tones and shades of the bird's natural bright scarlet by adding white, black, or even small amounts of green paint to it while mixing. That method, however, can easily make vibrant red into muddy pinks and dull reds if not done correctly.

There you have it, Sund...er...Monday's post. Hopefully I'll be able to get back onto some kind of normal posting schedule this week.  Don't forget: Comments are always greatly appreciated. Let me know what you think about my art and/or blog.
Stay creative,
AH!

Mid-Week #10: An Epic Battle... of Decoupage!

So for this mid-week post I decided to share some of my art of a different medium.  These are a pair of decoupage pictures. They aren't traditional decoupage, since I didn't use any complete pictures instead opting to use the pictures of textures and colors to form new pictures.  These started as an assignment for a mixed-media class in college. I had never done any decoupage before this, but took to it like a duck takes to water...or like a fish takes to swimming...or like a bull takes to trampling through the streets of Pamplona, Spain...anyway, you get the idea. I began with the wolf while in class, and enjoyed that so much that I came home and started the lion.  I threw in individual images and detail close-ups of the faces to give a better idea of what sort of texture images form the animals and background.

Well, as you probably noticed, I also made a few cosmetic changes to the blog this week. The biggest of these being the addition of a new header.  As time goes by, I'm going to try to update the logo using the styles of some of the artists that inspire me. After going through many different variations, I settled (with a little help from a couple of friends) on the design below.  The design is a tribute to the late, great Jack Kirby who co-created such characters as Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, and the X-Men, among others. His artistic style is among my all-time favorites. The background of the caption bubble is my attempt at replicating one of his most famous techniques known as the Kirby krackle (one of the few times I'm okay with a word being intentionally misspelled).

I can only hope that my art will some day be even one-millionth of the inspiration to others that Mr. Kirby's art is to me and artists worldwide. Until Sunday...

Stay creative,

AH!

Woohoo! Fall's Just Around the Corner!

So, after a crazy week, I've come to the painful realization that I simply won't be able to post every Sunday and Wednesday. That being said, I vow to make every effort to miss as few of those days as possible.  I have grown to enjoy this whole blogging process quite a lot since I started and miss it when I don't get a chance to post. Anyway, without further ado, here is the Sunday post.

Since I'm posting paintings for a few weeks, I thought some simple landscapes would be a good starting point. Most of the paintings I'll post in the coming weeks were painted during my time in college, but hopefully as time progresses, I'll produce even more to share with you.

These are both landscapes painted from photographs of Arkansas.  From very early childhood my family has taken camping vacations in various places throughout the southern United States.  Arkansas, specifically the Albert Pike Recreational Area in the Ouachita National Forest, has always been a family favorite spot. The period at the beginning of fall, when the leaves are just starting to turn is a nature-loving artist's dream come true.  Between these two paintings, I'm a bit partial to the first one. It features one of the more shallow spots in the Little Missouri River. Artistically, I like the way that the background trees going up the side of the mountain turned out. It was my first attempt at aerial or atmospheric perspective, where the contrast between the landscape features decreases as the distance from the observer increases. That's all just a kind of fancy way of saying that the stuff that's far away is less clear than the stuff that's close up. I opted for less detail and more of an abstract take for this one, almost going to the point of being impressionistic.

 This next one is of one of the many winding mountain roads that lead to and through the Ouachita National Forest.  I went even more abstract with this one, which gives it less depth. I also used more strong fall colors that really illicit great childhood memories for me. While the painting above gives a morning or early in the day feeling, this one has more of an afternoon or early evening feel. Were I to paint it again I would probably include a bit more tree shadow on the road, but given the more abstract overall feel of it, I guess they aren't that missed.

Well, there you go. There will of course be more paintings next week, so stay tuned for that. Wednesday, I'll try to get my regular post up, but barring any unforeseen obstacles I will be debuting the new blog page header. I hope you're enjoying the painting posts so far. Since I haven't mentioned it in a while, feel free to post any comments or suggestions in the section below, or send them to me by email. Hope you all have a terrific week! See you (figuratively speaking...er...typing) Wednesday.
Stay creative,
AH!