Color Work
Color is probably the biggest challenge I face in my work. I like the added dimension that color adds to my work, but I am not a natural colorist. I understand color theory inside and out, but pressing that theory into practice is difficult. That said, I have had some success, and you can see it in the work on this page. I seek to develop color schemes that support my work. I also like to explore the nature of color. It’s interesting to me that some colors sit easily next to each other and others don’t. I work with color progressions and I’m fascinated by the interplay of warm and cool, light and dark. I also use color as an excuse to play with different media.
Spiral Structure
Spiral Structure, airbrushed acrylics and colored pencil on illustration board, 40 x 64 inches, 2007
An experiment. I’ve always had an attraction to airbrush. It’s probably because of my long admiration for HR Giger, the legendary Swiss artist responsible for the iconic Alien, Space Jockey and derelict spacecraft from the movie Alien (1979). I can finally capitalize on the capabilities of airbrush. To me, it's a fancy technical pen, and I draw with it. I can pull the trigger back a little and shoot fine lines or pull it back further and lay down areas of tone. It's naturally gestural and the perfect solution for working larger. I spray freehand with no frisket or masks. I use a fine-tipped Badger Sotar 2020. It's capable of spraying lines on par with a .40mm technical pen up to about an inch wide. The only brush I've used that's capable of finer lines is the Paasche AB Turbo, but that one is too maintenance-intensive for me. I’ve heard great things about some of the Iwata brushes. but I haven’t had the opportunity to try them out.
Deconstructivist Vision
Deconstructivist Vision, colored pencil, 27 1/2 x 22 inches, 2006
The title refers to an architectural movement that emerged in architecture during the 1970s. The movement, Deconstructivism, combined notions of Russian Constructivism from the early 20th century with aspects of Deconstruction, a strategy championed by the famous philosopher Jacques Derrida where one learns more about a text or work of art by exhaustively questioning its every aspect.
This is no building, but my structure looks architectural and raises many questions. Its appearance sometimes evokes notions of Vladimir Tatlin’s Project for the Monument to the Third International (1919-20). Tatlin designed an immense structure intneded to serve as a Russian government building. It was meant to rival the Eiffel Tower, but it was never built. All of this made it easy for me to title my drawing.
Biomechanical Dependency
Biomechanical Dependency, colored pencil, 28 1/4 x 22 inches, 2007
This is another drawing based on gestures of the figure, but the figures themselves were culled from photos of professional wrestlers executing suplexes, slams, powerbombs, and other violent maneuvers on each other. The interaction of these figures changed the way I approached the drawing. The results seem more dynamic, organic, and violent. I incorporated many mechanical forms, but my interpretation of those forms produced a drawing that looks distinctly biological.
Bluescape
Bluescape, colored pencil and ink, 22 1/4 x 14 inches, 2007
I used this diptych to explore a warm to cool color progression. Like many of my drawings, this one developed over time. I refined the right half first, employing blue-greens, blues, blue-violets, and violets. Later, I approached the left half with warm reds, blue-greens, blues, and violets. Colored pencil is a challenging medium, but I like it well enough. The wax in the pencils limits the amount of material that one can apply to the surface, but it’s easier to layer colors and control application of the material than with watercolor or acrylic.
Circle Reconstruction
Circle Reconstruction, colored pencil, 25 x 27 inches, 2006
This began as a new interpretation of forms from earlier drawings. I chose colored pencil in order to add color while retaining the same character of marks found in my graphite drawings. Rendering forms and surfaces in colored pencil is a slow process, but I had also been exploring notions of finish in a drawing. I had been studying the works of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. He frequently left unfinished sections in his paintings of cabaret dancers, but I compare his work to the highly refined, beautifully drawn prints of Alphonse Mucha. This contrast defined my approach to the work.
Biomorphic Structure
Biomorphic Structure, oil paint on canvas, 36 1/4 x 24 inches, 2005
I’ve been attracted to biological structures for a long time. I suspect it’s some sort of universal attraction. We are living machines, and our bodies are composed of functioning biological structures. We have a wealth of anatomical information at our fingertips. At least I do. I collect anatomy books. I've got a pile of them. Some are for artists, some are for medical students. They're endlessly fascinating. Our inner structures are made of graceful curves and interesting forms. It seems natural to take these and abstract them into compositions.
