My Latest Artwork

Below are two of my latest works.  The first is a sequel piece to this piece (an original which recently sold).  The second piece is part of my continued exploration with circles, space, and movement (similar to what I was going for in this piece).  In this one I was trying to take advantage of blank space along with circle placement and size in order to create a sense of movement that draws the observer in.  Feel free to let me know what you think.  Both originals are 11x14 on pre-stretched canvas and are for sale for $80 (prints $20).

More Art...

After spending the afternoon down at ART634 at the Ap(art) exhibit, I was inspired to do some more work at home. This piece ("Burning Bush") has been sitting on my desk for about a month. I started it on a sunday afternoon and didn't quite finish. I finished it up today and then started another one but it is still drying so, no photos of that yet.

"Burning Bush"
2009
11"x17"
Acrylic on Canvas
Yes, it is a real leaf in the paint!

My 2009 Ap(art) Piece

Thanks to some friends who strongly encouraged me to participate in Ap(art) last night, I ended up producing this piece. It is Acrylic & Oil Spray on 3/4" plywood. Size is 4'x4' (the largest I've ever done). It took me 4 1/2 hours. All Ap(art) work will be auctioned off to the public in order to pour money back into the community. This is a missional effort. Money will be given towards scholarships for art students, expenses for artists in residence, and grants for art programs here in Jackson for underprivileged students. Because Jackson is worth it. Check out the Ap(art) website for more info (and to watch streaming video of the event).

Tuesday Night Art

Decided to get out the paints tonight for a bit. Ended up with this.
11x14 Acrylic on Canvas.

Latenight Artwork

So, I've been finding that the only time I can manage to squeeze in art is in the late hours. It also serves as a nice way to unwind the day. Last week I tried to do something with this 18x18 canvas that I have and it totally flopped so I had to start over. I painted the canvas white again and let it sit in my garage for a few days. Tonight I went for round two. As I sat down I didn't really have anything in mind (which makes starting a challenge sometimes). But, I just started throwing paint on the canvas and this is what emerged.
As it started to look like fire I couldn't help but think that it was inspired by a fire that we witnessed earlier this evening. As we drove home we saw smoke and stopped to watch an abandoned factory building burn. The kids thought it was cool. I took a quick snapshot (been trying to keep my camera handy these days). Here's what we saw.
Maybe you can see at least a little of the resemblance.

As I paint, I hate to waste paint. So I rarely clean a brush between colors. Instead I keep a spare art pad handy (Lately it's been a 11x9 book) and when I need less of a particular color on my brush I just do some random designs on that blank page. Tonight, as i finished up the 18x18 canvas I had a pretty ugly looking scrap paper sitting there in front of me. Not wanting to waste the paper, I decided to shift my focus to at least make it worth looking at (some may still argue that point). I looked around for some inspiration and saw, on the shelf in my office, a 9/16 bolt. I'm not entirely sure why it was sitting there but I turned it into my paint brush for the next hour. The result is the painting below which is a base coat of leftover colors brushed on in random patterns and a top layer of acrylic paint applied with the head of a bolt. Even if you don't like it... it was fun, and in a weird way represents the life emerging from the recycled paint of the fire.

Limited Prints Now Available for these Paintings

I have a limited number of 11 x 14 prints for each of these paintings. If you are interested send me a note. $15 each (shipping included).

This Week's Artwork

Healing Reflections Artwork

Over the past few weeks I've been reading Healing Care, Healing Prayer: Helping the Broken Find Wholeness in Christ by Terry Wardle. Tonight I spent two hours on my couch praying through personal issues of inner healing while following many of the principles Wardle presents. It wasn't easy, but I did have some breakthrough moments with Jesus.

Afterward, I wanted to try to capture some of the emotion (which is what I think artwork is anyway), so it seemd logical to turn to the brush and canvas as an outlet. Two pieces emerged. The first is a somewhat abstract piece that I spent the majority of my time on. For me, there is symbolism in the color choices, shapes, angles, and layers. But I think it's best that you allow yourself to see the things that you need to see in it. The second work is just a three-minute piece done in an 11x14 sketchbook. It was more of an afterthought. I have a thing for circles and I really resisted putting any circles into the first piece so I needed a separate place to do that. Hence the second piece.

Enjoy. I'd love to hear comments (if anyone reads this).

Healing Journey:


Healing Light:

Last Week's Artwork

Today's Artwork

New Artwork

I'm not exactly thrilled about this one but I thought I'd post the progression anyway. There may be more work that needs to be done.

Art (Stage 3 &4)

Art (Stage 1 & 2)

Art of the week: Tuesday Night Sky

Ok... so it's Tuesday night and that means one thing... Art Night! So, in keeping with recent tradition here's what came out along with a few tweaked versions. This week's work is a bit of a sequel to the March 12 piece. Unfortunately the photo doesn't capture the depth and texture. I experimented a little with some "extra" materials here to give the piece a raised look. Overall... another fun night with the old brush.

This Week's Artwork

Above is my latest work. It is painted on an old window and is held up to the sunlight to capture the transparency of the paint. I've shown it here first with some photoshop edits and then in real life. There may be more done to this before it is "finished."

Tuesday is "Art Night"

Here's my latest piece. First the original painting on canvas, and second a photoshop rendition. The photoshop version looks like a clown head emerging from a black lagoon. Hmmmm. Not what I was going for, but ok.

Original Art

Our church just wrapped up a series called "Sleeping Beauty." The series explored the role of art within the church as well as the role art can play in our spiritual development. The series has sparked several dinner conversations with friends, and has inspired me to do more art myself.

I've been living in Luke 5:27-39 for the past two weeks. And as I've studied I've had this image in my head that I decided to actually get out on some canvas. So... here's the finished product... without further explanation.
And... you should be warned, as I was, that amateurs ought not to dabble in the realms of art interpretation. That is for the experts!

BUT... since this is my blog and I make the rules... I say, interpret away! Talk to God about what it means. Come up with your own understanding of this "text." It will doubtfully be my intention but, lucky for you, I don't care.

Dabble with it, play in it, despise it, import it into photoshop and change it, let it speak, speak back.

And remember, your Creator is an artist, so it's probably in your blood too.

Bruce the Shark

Conditions were perfect for snow sculpting this weekend! So, we drove past a house that had a 6' Nemo in the front yard... and the only real answer to that is a 6' Bruce the Shark!