Character sketches

I'm not the type artist who keep a sketchbook in the sense of one bound drawing pad, where all I do is fill it with drawings from life or my imagination, and nothing else. My artistic sense isn't built that way. Obviously there are artists who just flow with the pen or pencil and this is their main outlet. My moments of intense 'sketchbooking' are just that, moments, and nothing more, small bursts of time when all I want to do is draw. Often times I draw on whatever is near me and on the most immediate thing to get the idea out, however rough it may end up. Sometimes they are the most useless little scribbles but I understand what I'm doing whether or not any else would. I should probably post some of these quick 'visual thoughts' to show how utterly scribbly they can be. Along with these musings I end up doing many thumbnails of ideas and mainly use my sketchbook as a place for 'ideation', or idea creation. I think this word, however made up, is a brilliant summation of what is going on while figuring out the design and aesthetics of your thoughts. Then, I shift gears and want to do this creative searching on a canvas and I abandon my sketchbook but not my ideation. My goal would be for these explorations to be more and more refined as I develop.

The below character studies are examples pulled from various sheets of paper in the studio. Some are intended to add to the development of my paintings others exist just because I felt the need to draw.

100th Post!

Hi, to those that check in on this blog.

I have reached a milestone of sorts with my 100th post. When I set out to do this side project I figured it would fizzle out as I neglected it here and there. It seems like the internets, which as we all know is a series of tubes, has benefitted from me moving across the country. Since I have loads of time, as I am not out with friends and family, I sit here and plot my art world takeover. (To see my plan look down a few posts and it will all unfold, although there are already many contemporary artists who thought of it before me. Ummm, uh, I guess its genius?! Not working as of yet.) I would normally be putting up various sketches but I am having scanner issues. I just want my old one back, sadly I doubt that will happen.

In lieu of not posting any art as of late I am am going to offer up what I have left of a few prints for cheap.

Each giclee print is on archival paper and measures around 8.5" x 10.5". They were printed by Pearl Printing in Portland, OR, where they do all kinds of great fine art reproductions. Each is an edition of five and they won't be reproduced.

Since I don't have a fancy pay pal account you'll have to email me if you want any of these. That may change but as of now I am doing it on a little more personal level. I will send them out promptly. Just email me your mailing address and I will do likewise.

Here is what I have left:

Hurrying Home: 1 LEFT



Like Someone Caught In Prayer: 2 LEFT



Life Floods The Concourse: 2 LEFT



The Grand Entrance: 1 LEFT




Each one is only $10 dollars and $5 for shipping. If you want all four it will cost you $50. There are just two sets of all four available. I'll be off for a few days on holiday and will get back to anyone who emails me early next week.

Email me at joshuabarkleyflint@gmail.com

Thank you and have a happy Turkey Day or Tofurky Day, whatever fits your taste buds!

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Update:
One set gone!
I am only able to make one more set of prints, so if you want all four get ahold of me. As you will notice above, there is one print left for The Grand Entrance and Hurrying Home. They are all signed and number on the back, which I forgot to post earlier.

happy internetting!

time . . . . less.

Today is a reminder to get painting and keep painting until things are done. . . . . . and new ideas are explored.


There will be a few new paintings and some sketches up on the blog later in the week, so check back.

I have three new still-life paintings on the website.

Also, don't forget to peruse the November Issue of Southwest Art Magazine.

New Representation

As another month seems to fly by, and the Fall gives way to Winter, I have been getting a few new paintings prepped for two new galleries that will represent my work.

I am happy to have my paintings in The Peterson-Cody Gallery in Santa Fe,NM.



The Peterson- Cody Gallery, LLC specializes in fine contemporary realism.

At any given time, the Gallery represents the work of 25- 30 high quality North American artists working in a variety of media including oil, acrylic, gouache, pastel, bronze and hand-forged steel.

It is nice to be working with the great folks at The Peterson Cody Gallery. I will be participating in a series of shows through 2010 and will be detailing those here on the blog.




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In Raleigh, I will have new still-life paintings this month at Adam Cave Fine Art.



Adam Cave Fine Art is an exhibition gallery representing a select group of regional and nationally known painters, printmakers & photographers. His approach to keeping a tight-knit group of artists with a diverse subject matter (and mediums) should always be fresh and interesting. I feel it is important to play an active role in my 'new,' local Arts community and I am glad I will get a chance to show my work in Downtown Raleigh.



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I thought this blog was to show the inner mechanisms of my creative process and the art I wouldn't put on the website?
Sadly, I have to inform you that that is false. All I am going to do is put on news bulletins. . . . the art will cease to exist as I constantly tell the Internets about my events taking place. Which will actually become my new form of 'conceptual' art. I won't actually use oil paint let alone produce a tangible object. I'll become a celebrity artist and have other people paint my work. Then take credit for it.

So, check back and see what my new "staff members" crank out for me, while I fly around the world and have one man shows in Shanghai, London, and New York all at the same time!

Southwest Art Magazine Cover, November Issue.

I know the image is tiny so I will explain what it is below.

Southwest Art Magazine has chosen me as the first prize winner for a feature on:

' 21 Artists Over 31' - Talented Artists You Need To Know.

It is a tremendous honor to be showcased with a host of artists who are all very accomplished. I have seen a few images from the feature, however, I have not seen it in person, so I can't speak anymore about the greatness you will witness from the other artists. From what I have seen, it should provide a breadth of variety and different perspectives on art. In all honesty, I don't know how I was chosen above 2000+ artists who sent in their paintings. I'd just like to say thank you to the good folks over at Southwest Art and those putting the feature together.

Along with being in the feature and having an interview in the interior, my painting was also selected for the cover. The image is a cropped section of a more horizontal and panoramic interior of Grand Central Station. It comes as a great accolade and holds significant personal meaning for me. Here is a preview for the article:

http://artistsblog.artistsnetwork.com/Southwest+Art+Announces+21+Over+31+Winners.aspx


I look forward to flipping through the feature and see a wealth of other talented artists.

It's been too loooooooooooooooooong . . . . .

The new studio is up and running which has given me the space to paint, paint, paint. I had to dive right in on three commissions that collectors up in the PNW were waiting on.

Here is the first. It is oil on board at 8"x24". The long vertical format was a challenge. To fit the differing elements in there to make it feel like a real place in Grand Central I had to tweak things. As I have progressed through this series I have come to prefer changing, exaggerating, and faking the interior architectural layout. If you visit the station you will be able to tell that I move things as needed to fit my idea, first, and the design, second, or is it the other way around. Hmm.


I have settled quite nicely into my new southern lifestyle, and there will be more paintings coming soon.

Plus I will put up on the blog something real soon about purchasing sketches and small watercolors for a project that is in the works. They will be cheap and have plenty of variety in subject matter. More to follow.

Studies

Here are studies in gouache I have done in prep for two 15"x15" commissions. Each study is four by four inches roughly.

They will sit to one side of a larger painting I had done previously for this collector. The perspective has been skewed and exaggerated to follow the style we set up in the first painting. I'm trying to make a super-hero out of static buildings and objects.

Normally I would have done a few monochromatic studies but after the move all I had available to me was the gouache at the time. Although the colors don't directly translate to oils, these will give me a good idea of how the finals will look.

I'll post the finals when I get them completed.

Now Live! from the the East Coast . . .

Well, finally I am getting back to a routine after moving 3000 miles away, and starting again with my art in beautiful Raleigh, NC. I could do without the massively large, like carry your small children off large, bugs, however, I am even getting use to those. From what I understand the state bird is the mosquito.

I would like to thank those of you who have been leaving messages on the blog. They have been brilliant and I will get to respond to those of you, now that I am getting settled.

Illustration is my first love. Last fall I was teaching a gouache painting techniques class for the illustration department at PNCA (Pacific Northwest College of Art) in Portland. I have always liked gouache and have posted numerous examples on the blog. I tend to treat the medium much like I treat oils. It's good for going on location or working from a model where I am looking for shapes and color relationships. I don't necessarily ever come to a "finish" with these things, or they are just so quick that I never spend more than a couple of hours on them.

I recently read an article about Van Gogh and his famous ear, or lack of one. Although, he was mentally unstable and did untold number of weird things, like eating cigarette butts while out painting on location, there is a new theory on what happened to his ear. Gaugin did it! He lopped it off in a scuffle over a prostitute, that they both apparently were courting. The two were roommates above a brothel and Gaugin was well known for carrying a little saber with him at all times. If you want to read more I have included a link below:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/may/04/vincent-van-gogh-ear

I thought it was good subject matter to explore and I felt I could provide some foreshadowing to the article with my treatment of the image. A final would have to be done in oils but this got me mostly to my initial idea. As with all preliminary work it has a few small things to iron out.



The following two image are simply two ten minute color studies. Where I have pushed some more brilliant, pure color is where I noticed reflected light really influencing the flesh tones.





Again I'll get this blog thing rolling more regularly now and thanks for showing up.

OPA Western Regional

2009 OPA Western Regional Show
My painting "Dreams of Near and Far" was juried into the Oil Painters of America 2009 Western Regional Show.

This year the showcase gallery is the Howard Mandville in beautiful Kirkland, WA.

Howard Mandville Gallery
120 Park Lane, Suite D
Kirkland ,WA 98033

Show Preview: Aug. 6th
Exhibition Dates:
Aug.8th - Aug. 30th.

www.howardmandville.com

There are always a lot of very good artists in these shows, please stop in at see the work.

New Paintings

I have added 8 new images to my urban scenes gallery on my website and 2 new images to the still-life gallery. All were a part of my recent one man show at the Cole Gallery.

The above is one of the new paintings titled "Freeze Frame" , 18"x24" oils.

Go have a gander:

www.joshuaflint.com

I am in the process of packing up to move across the country to Raleigh, North Carolina.
So posts will be slow, but, hey, you all are use to that. . . as I have neglected this little blog recently.

Maybe I can get a post up before I drive out on Aug. 1st.

If any of you have thoughts on this part of North Carolina send them my way, I'd love to know what I am stepping into besides wicked humidity.

Till next time.

American Art Collector Feature

I have been featured in a great magazine this month that highlights some of the works that will be on display at my Solo Show on July 16th, at the Cole Gallery. I talk about this current body of work and have a few thoughts in there about my painting process.

Artists Who Teach

As an artist who teaches I have been asked to be included in a resource for individuals looking for art instruction.

The website provides a huge database of artists who give back through teaching at some level, whether its workshops, private institutions, seminars, or universities.

Go have a look at see if there is an artist who lives near you that could be a valuable resource.

I have had many great teachers and just other creative individuals that were willing to put up with my badgering them for art critique and instruction. So I figure I can pass on whatever miniscule art ability I have got, if it could be helpful.

I think I need to go back and hit up this website because I saw some truly impressive artists on the roster.

And please drop Leighann Foster a line and tell her thank you for creating such a unique resource. Besides teaching there are other helpful links as well.


www.artistswhoteach.org

Informed Collector

The Informed Collector has picked me out as an artist whom collectors should know about.
I'd like to thank the nice folks over there for such a recognition.
Here is a nice summation about my paintings:

"Ah, the beauty of the moment! Exciting and provocative urban scene paintings that combine unusual angles, rich shadows and engaging movement. Seemingly mundane activates become beautiful poignant moments in the daily dance of life."
- Informed Collector

Go have a look through the other artists on the website:
http://informedcollector.com/nlarchive.asp?nl=1061


Also, I will be starting to post new images on my website (soon) for my one man show coming up in mid July. I will make a notice of it here as well as put up some other randomness that should go on art blogs.

Thanks for dropping in!

Empty Easel Article

There is an article about my work on a great website called Empty Easel. I really enjoyed the author's breakdown of my edge control in a painting. Although she says I make it look easy it is anything but the case, especially when I am in the middle of a painting. I fret constantly over edges, in a constant push and pull between crisp and soft, while wearing a path in the studio floor, as I look at them from distance.

There is also a peak at a few new paintings for my one man show next month in the article as well.

emptyeasel.com/2009/05/27/joshua-flint-a-glimpse-of-painted-motion/


Sorry! The link is now working. It's the only place to see a few new paintings, at least until the show gets nearer.

Quick sketches

Here are my early attempts at using this new calligraphy pen. It's not a bad implement but maybe a sumi would get better fine lines and thus the variety of thick to thin would be greater. We''ll see. Maybe I'll do a head to head comparison with this in mind. I do like using an ink pen as it forces me to be accurate with each stroke, and hopefully improve my eye.

Also I'll have some news about my one man show in Seattle next month at the Cole Gallery.

Yellow vs. Blue Show Collection

A big thanks to Robert and Megan for bringing in a great crowd on opening night this last friday, April 10th.
How do I know you ask? Well, I watched it via their webcam on the website. A lovely little touch that helps bring art into the modern age and allows those of us, who had work in the show but couldn't attend, a connection with the event. I watched for quite awhile and as an artist I just love people watching.

If you didn't make it, like myself, here is a look through the show, minus the crowds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me0jna3dBDs


-joshua

New Website

Hey Everyone,

I have put up a new website. Got see it at www.joshuaflint.com
The new website will be a formal endeavor where only my paintings and show schedule will be posted.
But don't worry I will still keep the blog rolling, and it could possibly free me up to get a little crazier with my posts, here. Maybe I'll just start ranting about stuff, could be art related, could not. Who knows what's going to happen, now that this will be an 'inside the artist's studio' blog.

Anyways go check it out, it looks like this:


www.joshuaflint.com

Upcoming Show and Demo

Robert Lange Studios
151 East Bay Street
Charlseton, SC 29401
www.robertlangestudios.com



Final Painting, titled "While the Winter Waits":


My process and studio shots:


Hey All,
I am in a Group Show at the Robert Lange Studios in Charleston,SC. Opening Night is April 10th and will be up for a month. If you are in the Charleston, SC area or happen to be in this lovely city during the show dates go have a look. With 20 Artists showing, it will be an excellent event with a plethora of quality work on display. I have four pieces in the show including the above still-life demo. The theme of the exhibition was Yellow vs. Blue. This is my 'blue' contribution. A pair of Grand Central Station paintings will also be hanging. I encourage all of you to have a look at the website.

Sketchbook pages

Here are a few sketches from me using a new calligraphy pen. I think it's going to take a little more practice to get used to its qualities, but so far it been a nice change from a pen that can't get thick and thin lines quickly. Although picking out small details with the ends of the pen has proved to be tough. These are all 5-15 min sketches from life. In one you can see I've added gouache later on.

I've got a few shows coming up in April, May and in July that I will put up on the blog as they get closer.
Also, a new website is under way and should be up in the next few weeks.

Thanks for having a look.

Steel Bridge, PDX

Steel Bridge, 36" x 72"



After much ado, and neglecting my blog, I need to get this commission painting up, now that it's done.
I had a great time with the piece and feel the overall intention that the client and I were going for, came out in the final painting. I had the liberty to stylize certain areas, like the cityscape. Since the scene is largely made up, this only added to the enjoyment in doing the final, as I didn't have any strict guidelines governed by the reality of the scene.

DETAIL:


(I've also notice that images become less saturated and less colorful when posted on Blogger, anyone else have this problem? Let me know if you have that same issue.)

Anatomy of a Painting

Early Stages



Here are a few work in progress shots of my commission piece.
Just blocking in all the big shapes and getting the shadows in.
It's coming along nicely.
I'll have some further pics of its development as it gets to closer to completion.

Commission Painting

Currently I am working on a large scale commission painting. The collector and I have come up with a great idea of a portland cityscape centering around one of the oldest, and coolest bridges, the Steel Bridge. We wanted to incorporate more than what's actually in view from this vantage point on the east side of the river, looking at the bridge to downtown, and beyond. It is more a panoramic sweeping vision that you can't get unless you turn your head in multiple directions. I thought it would be brilliant to bring it all together in one image that will measure 3 by 6 feet. As you can see I have forced the perspective of just about everything in sight, skewing buildings, enlarging the bridge so it seems more grandiose and powerful, shrinking the cityscape, and bending the Willamette River so we get a view of the Burnside Bridge, and of course the waterfront and skyline.

I moved through a series of pen and ink thumbnails to find the right dynamic, and in the earlier sketches you will see that I haven't yet included all the elements that I spoke about in the above paragraph.



During this stage I am writing notes to myself in the margin about how I would treat the color and application for the final painting, even though I am working with black and white shapes, I am still thinking of the stages to come and visualizing what it will look like in my head. You will notice that at this point I am really dealing with how your eye is going to enter the right side of the painting and onto the bridge. The second one with the train tracks I like but I don't feel I am quite there yet and satisfied with the image.



These last two were the picks of the bunch. Now I just had to decide between seeing the bridge as a super hero, like the first sketch, or try to incorporate more of this panorama idea and distort the perspective. The second one had a little of everything I previously talked about and I decided that was the right direction to go in. As you can see the more the cityscape came into the picture plane, the more I liked the idea of a huge bridge and a small cityscape. The design is a nice contrast of big vs little shapes.



A little larger refined drawing focusing on those same dynamics from the last sketch but with more detail. This is a chance to get to know the subject matter more and firm up the idea, eventually leading to a more solid approach when I switch over to canvas and oils. On to the color color study.



I pushed the color of the Steel Bridge to be more rust colored and warmer to play off the really nice punchy blues of a crisp fall day here in Portland. A nice variety of light and shadow in the buildings off in the distance, that will fade out in the atmosphere while the river bends away from our view.



I built the canvas from ten foot lengths of stretcher bar and have the canvas primed and ready to go.



I will be posting different stages of the painting as I go, so check back for more.

Artists Emerge

I took part in an online competition through an art organization out of San Diego, CA, called Artists Emerge. They are for promoting artists and art in communities around the globe.

I was awarded 2nd place for a juried competition about creating a series of paintings. My Apercu Series focusing on Grand Central Station in NY was chosen as a excellent body of work, enough to impress the juried committee, it looks like.
With over 200 international entries I was honored to have merited a place.

I was the lone painter chosen with the other award winners all photographers, including the honorable mentions, not bad huh.

Have a look at their organization and what they do for promoting art at www.artistsemerge.org

Apercu #15

Between These Hands_20"x8"


Here is the latest from an ongoing series on New York's Grand Central, in case some of you haven't seen the blog before, which is probably either a ton of people who check out the blog, that I don't know about, or no one at all. So there you go, maybe in between. I really like a panoramic format when I paint whether its horizontal or with this painting a vertical. I have been working on a lot of smaller works in the last month. Maybe a few will be a larger painting. Just searching in general, as I need to see what works well or doesn't without the commitment.
I do have a grouping of larger paintings I am planning but right now I am wrapped up in a commission for a local collector. If I get the go ahead from him I'll put up the preliminary work in the coming days.

Also I know the blog here has been neglected at times, but no more! It is a new year and thus I have a new commitment (which I'll end up breaking, as that's the way these things work) to post about my art but also about other subjects that I really enjoy or not.

Some new year randomness to start it all off.

Music I have been listening to, to help reach my creative levels:

Steven Marley: Mind Control Acoustic Set.
Quite possibly the greatest reggae album put out in the last thirty years since his dad, the venerable Bob. Mind blowing.


Whitest Boy Alive:Dreams
Excellent euro pop from Berlin (blended with some 80's ska?) Totally brightens your day, if its raining, like now in P Town.


Milosh: III
Electronica with vocals and heavy beats(no really it totally works). Thoughtful, insightful, dreamlike.


Give em a shot cause you might like something new.