The End of Loose Ends

December was a fervor of painting. I completed multiple things that had been kind of just hanging around waiting.

Frank Leslie is finally one part stencil, one part oil painting.

The sum of the Outlaw Series.

It seems like forever ago when I started in on this...back in 2008. My original plan was to draw out all of the horse anatomy and break the head up into a bunch of multicolored geometric shapes. I did the head and it just looked like some weird easter egg pastel jumble so I scrapped it.

The next idea was to put the head and legs in realistically with oils, but then I thought it might work as a transitional piece between my old circles and my newer stuff if I added in the circle bit.

Then it didn't look complete and the composition was a little off so I drew up the head and slapped it on.

Happy New Year.

Quiet Dog Bite Hard

I spent all weekend painting. Here's where it stands as of now...

Earlier in the week I started to add black and white to the underpainting.

The executive decision was made to drop the shirt a bit so it didn't look so crotch focused...that was the word on the street from my female friends. The background was added in to help see how the shades of gray play off of one another.

The stockings are in and the shirt is more developed...still playing with the bottom bit and the right side.

However the shirt is starting to look real. It kind of makes me want to touch it so I know I'm on the right track. I also need to put some hair back across her shoulder but it has to dry first.

Go Big Or Go Home

This one is a biggie.  30" x 40". In fact, it's the largest I've ever gone and after the time it took to grid it in and then do the underpainting it's got me wondering just what I was thinking.

 My friend and model Ms.  LL.

Here's another dilemma, the above almost has no background painted in (minus the lamp) and the below has a background. I'm not sure if I should go the normal route and paint realistically or do something a little weird and different with it.

A glimpse of my studio.

You Talkin' To Me?

I just finished. Towards the end I made the decision to repaint the background so the edges of the stencils couldn't be seen. I'm undecided if I should have left them or not...

If you're in town on Friday come see it.

Bobby's Hero

The beginning of Stencil Jesse James vs. Oil Painting Jesse James. Did you ever see that Brady Bunch Episode? I've had it in my head ever since I started working on this.

Still probably another few hours to go. Man. Those Dorian Gray eyes are kind of freaky.

New Kids On The Block

The newest members of my little guitar family. I figured since I didn't really purchase anything while in Iceland, it made sense to buy not one but two guitars at an estate sale. You understand.

I also started goofing around here.

förumaður/langhlaupari/drykkjumaður/þjófóttur

Once upon a time two Erins sat in a bar. One Erin was telling the other Erin about her travel plans. Within 10 minutes the other Erin made a decision to come along for half the ride.

Greetings from Iceland. This is what the town of Reykjavik looks like.

...and the harbor.

The first day we rolled into town we heard a large crowd. Turned out it was the school kids on their first day back. Apparently the new kids get basket tossed by students in togas.

Ég er víkingur




The weather in Iceland is a little moody although quickly changing. The temperature was in the fifties for the most part and I even got a little sunburn.

My favorite installation inside the art museum demonstrated by Erin dancing while ghost people appeared on the screen but not in the room.

I hope not.

I liked this photo with the below title.

The lava fields on the way to the Blue Lagoon.

Ahhh the Blue Lagoon where I swam with over 200 different kinds of bacteria. So beautiful. I lucked out in that my bus arrived just in time to snap some pics, soak for a while and then snap some more as the sun was setting.

Here is the super chill Icelandic horse which sports an extra gait know as the tolt...somewhere between a walk and a trot, super comfortable.

These guys were just chilling in the meadow waiting for their picture to be taken.

Whoa.

An article about hipsters in the Icelandic paper.

Erin and I caught some type of international kennel cough from the hostel we stayed at. So far after 5 days of antibiotics I'm still laid out and have to go back to the doctor tomorrow for better drugs. Viking maladies are rough.

This is Oskar, our host dog. Oskar nei!

In Icelandic cemeteries they plant trees on the graves.

This is what they put on the gravestones of those lost at sea.

The black sand shore right before it started to rain.

Takk.
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