Full Circle

A page pulled from my sketchbook shows three examples of how I think and what I use a sketchbook for. Looking at other artist's sketches are far more interesting than seeing their finished work. As lovely as it is to see the end result, I want to understand their thoughts before that final stage. It possibly gives me a greater understanding of myself as an artist. Perhaps seeing others and how they do things will unlock more of what I am after; providing knowledge on how I can get there. It is about finding authenticity and trusting my choices. As long as I don't look to a select few artists for inspiration then the chances are it'll never look like someone else. I try to soak up as much media, in all varieties, to inform my process. As with everything I always want to feel like I am learning and that I ever have something "figured out". How boring would that be?!
If you take a look at the lower left sketch, that was my initial idea for a painting, and the final piece below.



Perhaps if I wasn't wrapped up in finalizing everything for this show, and also getting things going for my next one, I might be able to provide better perspective or instructive thought about the development of my process. And now thinking of it, I should have taken photos along the stages of the painting to show where I changed my mind about the design. It's not what I intended originally and that provided far too much deliberating, especially when you think that you have it right. However, I did change the background and value pattern in the piece and everything worked out well. It was one of those times when the painting didn't seem 'right.' I am always working towards changing the painting till it has a certain quality that piques my eye. If it doesn't then I might as well mess it up and try to find the new direction of the piece. Timidity is my enemy, oh and time too.



End result of the piece that it ended up promoting the show on this months issue of American Art Collector. Details of the show are above and on my website joshuaflint.com.
All the new pieces will be on the website next week when the show opens.

The streets . . . .

. . . .are rough and tough! As many rappers and country music stars have told me. One loses his bling the other loses his dog, which one is more important? hmmm. I'll save that mental dilemma for another day.

Not my streets, these streets are full of wonderful people going about their lives in a orderly fashion as seen in my sketch. Well that sounds quite boring but could be interesting. Whoa, even more to ponder.

I often think about how we travel around emerged in seas of people yet are rafts unto ourselves. Our minds are occupied at the task at hand or really looking towards a projected goal, which is the future. A place that doesn't quite exist but we can almost reach it. Ohh, now that sounds exciting!

So really when we do this we end up living a sort of quasi-present existence and miss the immediate here and now. Why do car accidents happen, beyond shit driving? Well I blame this mental state for a lot of shit driving. Just yesterday, I saw a woman get hit by an SUV in the crosswalk. Not sure who wasn't paying attention, but their immediate existence was being disregarded. Thus the unfortunate event of a human getting tagged by a huge, moving metal object. In the end the woman was a bit shocked but seemed ok. Both looked to be ignoring their immediate existence. The woman moving boldly into the crosswalk unaware that cars move in those lanes and the driver probably thinking about other cars not people; she could have been texting, or looking at her teeth, or maybe she didn't like pedestrians that day. who knows, but I like to think about the possibilities. Only because the woman was ok can I make light of the situation.

I guess thats why I like people watching, but not in that voyeuristic, freaky sort of way, but more as a cultural anthropologist. . . .so with many of these sketches that's what I am exploring. The innate qualities of paint help convey the message by drips, drops, slathers, translucency, etc.


enough snark for your thursday.

More Studies, Pt. Deux

A few more sketchbook paintings from the vault. As with the ones below roughly 5.5" x 9" and mixed media.
As always contact if interested: joshua@joshuaflint.com

I have a two person show with Charles Williams coming up next month at Robert Lange Studios on July 16th. I'll post more the closer it gets to the opening. I do know that our show preview will be in the July Issue of American Art Collector.
Let's just say I am glad its mid month.

More to Come.

. . . . till later.

More Studies

Couple more sketchbook paintings. Again an ink drawing, brought to various stages of detail and finish, with gouache painted on top.

As with all of these sketchbook studies, if you are interested in purchasing any of them please contact me at joshua@joshuaflint.com.





I thought it was interesting the way this father had hoisted his daughter up on his shoulder and was carrying her around.



Apparently there is a sad panda walking around the streets of New York. . . . . . .its hard to imagine it being sad, so I made mine look more curious.

Studies

A couple of little mixed media paintings pulled from my sketchbook, so around 5"x9". Both are mixed media. Basically a pen sketch with gouache layered in over the top of it. I might be doing paintings of bicyclists because we are bereft of quality bike lanes and really just the infrastructure to bike in North Carolina. I mean hell, we don't even have sidewalks or proper bus stops for folks using something besides a car. Its ridiculous. As if we were fully formed in this life attached to a environmentally destroying, metal object to carry us like a womb for a whole new world we can't wait to destroy. So far BP is doing a good job for all of us who haven't chipped in yet.

hopefully I didn't bum you out.

It's Personal . . . .

12"x12", oil on birch

A little personal painting, done, just because it had to be done.

Also because zeppelins are cool and they aren't in our daily life, unlike this kid. . . . . . . . and flight is weird, regardless of the means to perform the feat.

Till next time. . . . . . . . . .

Give and Take, come on people!

Hopefully the title will shock you into action . . . . all for a good cause.

Give and Take: That is the event happening at Artspace this Thursday in downtown Raleigh. There are 25 works for only $25and 50 artists donating work you can pick up for a cool 50 bucks!!!!! Seriously, thats a steal. Instead of paying for the art its like you're stealing it. There will also be 5 works auctioned off.

All of this is for scholarships to give local youth the chance to attend arts education classes this summer. I'll be teaching two classes so hopefully the proceeds can bring a few more deserving kids into the classroom. I hear its a bit crazy and the paintings fly off the walls and into the hands of the fortunate early arrivers. (Is arrivers even a word?!) The US educational system does not offer enough for creative thinkers focusing on the arts, so these programs are huge for aspiring young artists.


Artspace
201 East Davie
Raleigh, NC 27603
919.821.2787

Thursday, May 13th, 7-11pm
Tickets at the door.






Below is my donation to the event:
Eclipse, 12"x12", oil on panel.





Preview the artwork here

Goauche studies

As I have been prepping for two upcoming shows my sketchbook has been in constant use. From silly little scribbles to full blown studies each one has helped me find the types of paintings I am most gravitating towards right now. I usually have a few different types of work going and these series can stay completely separate in their final design, but I've noticed by spending more time in my sketchbook these ideas have been coalescing. By stripping out the color in some of my previous building paintings I'm more thoughtful in my approach to using color when I bring back a full palette.

I often think about authenticity with art and what makes mine, or yours, or that other artist's work, authentic. My sketches, to me, have some immediacy in creation and feeling that can get lost when I switch to oils and paint on canvas. It would be nice if this innate 'sketch' quality could show itself more and more in my oil painting. My attempts to bring my mind together with my medium has me constantly reshaping my approach to oils. I've started off a new painting using small brushes only, then on the next new one I started with big brushes only. I've been mixing big batches of paint having both thin, transparent and thick, buttery qualities. I've switched from bristle to sable fluently throughout a painting's development. As of yet I don't think this more authentic feel maintained in a sketch has really translated to the oils. Thus my constant experimenting in my approach to best accompany my thought process on the day.
At least that's how it feels on this lazy sunday, and maybe my mind hasn't kicked into gear.







I will be matting and framing these studies to accompany the oil paintings for the shows coming up. It seems important to lay bare how I do my work and show how I think, giving the viewer a greater perspective of my process. Both studies are done in gouache and are 9"x5.5" ish.

I continue to do these small still-lifes that just focus on a single fruit or perhaps a small cluster of fruit. I am not trying to render the object as a technical exercise but as a way to move beyond what could be fairly bland subject matter towards allusions to the entire process of life and death, that is encapsulated by a ripening piece of fruit.

As I am prepping for shows in the summer and fall I will put those paintings up closer to these dates. So maybe less fully realized paintings but lots of studies and sketchbook pages, which is what this blog of mine was about in the first place.

doodle

Have

Good

Times

Today

sketch a sketch

this one's for a friend named Joe. . . . here you go Joe.

Urban Peeps

Here is my latest painting, without a title as of yet. It's a 24"x36", oil on board. I tackled new subject matter and worked within a new palette for the Black vs. White Show last month. (Those 4 paintings are a few posts down.) It really got me thinking about leaching the color out of the urban scenes I have been doing and reducing the environment to focus more on the human element. The background is played down to provide a sort of stage for the people to exist on. The viewpoint pushes the aesthetic, as we, the viewer, are watching on but not interacting. I'm not sure how the painting changes the characters but I definitely view them differently than paintings in recognizable places. Does it universalize them? Could be. Without color they are stripped down to their essentials, as forms moving in space.

What does it do for you? Leave a comment. I'd be curious to know how others view the painting. I'll respond to whomever does and maybe we can get a little dialog going, that we all can learn from.

Words as Reminders

I have been asked to write some blog posts for two of the galleries that represent me and they weren't quite ready to put up.
In lieu of that are some good words to remind us artists to take care of ourselves, mentally and physically. Don't end up like this guy. ( image by brazilian illustrator Kako)



Be an artist- not an art slave. Find a ritual that works for you. Stay connected to the river of ideas…your inner voice…your muse. Whatever you choose to call it, art is a spiritual process. If you aren’t cultivating a relationship to creativity, you probably won’t have one when you need it. Here are a few tips that work for many artists I know, including myself. The only problem is: you have to do them every day to make them work.

1. Get up happy. Say some affirmations. Get rid of the negative chatter in your head-that voice that says things like, “I’m not coming up with any good ideas. I’ll never make this deadline. I’ll never be good enough to do this job.” Instead, train that voice to say something positive. Reprogram yourself. “I am illustrating books that people love. I am happy with my art. My career is going great. I am a successful artist…” This might sound too simple, and you’ve probably heard it before from the self –help gurus. Have you ever actually tried it….consistently over a few months?

2. Exercise and stay healthy. This is not an option. When you feel healthy, you are more open and ideas come more quickly.

3. Sit quietly each day, do yoga, or meditate. Get calm and peaceful so that when the ideas come, you actually realize they are there. Worry, anger, fear, and other emotions actually block the ability to grasp those sparks of imagination.

4. Create a place and time to be at work. This is important if you are working at home. Your mind needs to understand, “I am now at work. I will now be creative.” So sharpen your pencils, put on music, sit before your drawing table and begin.

5. Don’t talk too much about your ideas; this depletes some of the magic. On a subconscious level, your wonderful idea has become a real thing in the world. It’s not real, and it won’t be, until you do it. So, instead of sharing your magnificent thoughts, go make the work happen.

6. Take time outs doing something you love. Go to a museum. Sit by a lake. Walk through the woods. You must replenish yourself. Fill the well. Don’t view this as goofing off…this time is very important.

7. Don’t be a workaholic. This is difficult, because you won’t know it, until it’s too late. Your friends and family will know it before you will. ONLY YOU CAN CONTROL THIS. Be the work police and set your own boundaries. Make a contract with yourself. “I do not wok on Tuesday and Sunday. I go on vacation without my work. I have lunch with a friend on Friday every week. I only work from 9am to 2pm.“ Put up a sign. Remind yourself that you are free to set your own schedule. Work as late or as little or as early as you want, but make sure you’re enjoying the pace.


Another blogger had posted this and I couldn't retrace my steps to his blog. However, neither he nor his friend, whom he got it from, were the author. If either of you two find this blog, thank you for a good reminder about maintaining a healthy and happy artist lifestyle, and of course, to the mystery author out there.

Moving Studios. . . .

Sorry no blog rant today. I'll spare you my spouting off about this, that, and the other thing.

I am moving studios today and will be posting again on wednesday, so check back then.

In honor of all the work required to move out of one space and into another I'm posting a few images by Steve Huston.

Hard labor never seemed so respectable.

Side Project

Here is a watercolor I have been doing for a side project. Don;t get me wrong this isn't the only one, there's more. Nor does it consist of just dogs or animals. My subject matter is really wide open. Since its my own endeavor I like the idea of just doing whatever is topical. A big source of inspiration is the BBC and looking through the worlds news through images. As a visual artist it makes sense to me to. These photographers are heroic especially when they put themselves in a war torn area to capture a great shot, while I sit behind an easel and would prefer to make it up. Its not all just covering the hot spots around the world, they also get to witness some of the most interesting people and places. Two sides to the same coin that fascinate me. This one however is closer to home.



Here is an example where life imitates art or is it the other way around? I did this little study not knowing I was going to soon own a very similarly looking puppy. This is my three and a half month old english bulldog Talulah. Its like raising an alien baby. I'll try not to turn out to be one of these freaky dog owners who talks about them incessantly. However, I will say she has been kicking my ass with her special needs. Seriously though look at her, she oozes cute. If she didn't, I would have put her on eBay by now.

I kid.

Palettes . . . .

I had promised to breakdown my palettes for the Black and White show at Robert Lange Studios, which is still up through the end of the month. Opening night in pics: Amazing space, great art, and tons of people. (Sorry I am a bit late in posting this):
The Show!

With black and white, the addition of a few subtle color choices can start to bring a greater truth, or a more natural aspect, to what could be a limited depth of painting. What I noticed when putting a warm color into the shadow or into the light was that it made the grays (mixed with strictly black and white) appear very blue. At this point of my experimenting with this new palette I started thinking about temperature, and that is one of the most important aspects of a painting: the color relationships. My goal was to find a nuance and subtlety with my color choices. Each color added to the B&W mixture was very small, as a little addition shifted the color noticeably in one direction, either towards warm or cool.




'Turning Point' Palette:
Ivory Black - Alkyd Quick Dry White - Virdian - Yellow Ochre - Raw Umber




'Forbearancet' Palette:
Ivory Black - Alkyd Quick Dry White - Yellow Ochre - Raw Umber - Burnt Sienna - Phthalo Blue
This was the only painting where I blocked in the background with a graphic Pthalo Blue shape and the foreground with a yellow ochre - burnt sienna shape. Much like a landscape painter might tone the canvas before going out in nature. Usually this tone is a nice warm wash of yellow ochre/burnt sienna/cadmium red or any other This underpainting acts as a counter to all of the greens and blues in nature by using a color mixture that complements. It also helped me set up my composition. Once this was dry I worked wet on wet as per usual. However you can see little areas of these two punchier colors coming through and providing a nice injection of life to the painting.




'Provenance' Palette:
Ivory Black - Alkyd Quick Dry White - Hansa Yellow - Raw Umber - Transparent Oxide




'Zenith' Palette:
Ivory Black - Alkyd Quick Dry White - Hansa Yellow - Raw Umber


All paintings are oil on board and 24" x 12" in size.

Morning Ephemera

Today is a smattering of randomness from the studio.

First, a notification for all of those who follow the blog or are newcomers. I will be now posting regularly on Sunday, probably evening, so it will be there in the morning to start the week, and again on Wednesdays. Most of the time it will be about my process, however, if I get caught up and don't have something to put on the blog, then I'll post work about an artist I admire or think is interesting. I troll the internet quite a lot in my spare time looking for art and coming across a wealth of talent. As someone who teaches, I often keep a large library for teaching aids, for posterity, my own quarkiness, and subsequently for sharing with students and friends. I thought posting some of this material will perhaps lead you onto an artist you can appreciate and be inspired by. Since I don't follow one genre of painting or adhere to isms or feel unequivocally linked to a certain time period or movement, I'll just put up what I think resonates with me in that moment. What I do feel passionate about is making imagery. I don't segregate fine artists, contemporary artists, video game artists, concept artists, graphic artists or anyone else making a work of art. Often times I just want to be shown a little story I can get lost in for awhile.

Like this one from Adrian Ghenie:



A couple artists who personify excellent narratives are the Wyeth Family; N.C., Andrew and Jaime. While getting my degree in Illustration I like so many others fell in love with NC Wyeth and felt that was the essence of illustration, packed with emotion, drama, like one shot movies unfolding on the canvas.

With Andrew Wyeth I always thought it extraordinary that he paints of a nostalgic Americana that doesn't exist. Like remembering a dream when you wake up. Then rehashing what was going on behind your closed eyelids all night. You know that the impressions you are pulling from are close to the dream, but then again, why we dream is so elusive that the events recalled in the morning are never how it actually took place. As convoluted as it sounds that is my interpretation, anyways. Living for the first time on the east coast and visiting a few other states during the winter months it really dawned on me where Andrew Wyeth derived his palette and subject matter from. As someone who had always lived out West I couldn't quite fully connect with his body of work and it felt alien in a way. Not to say I wasn't moved by a number of paintings. However, once I experienced the stark beauty of the landscape in the colonial states during winter I fully understood. It was my 'aha!' moment I guess.

I am the most unfamiliar with Jaime Wyeth's work, yet as you can see from my sketch below I quite liked his personification of character. His portrait of JFK is the most often reproduced painting of the former president and interesting that at the time it was lambasted for various attributable flaws. He obviously knows about personality whether it be a flock of seagulls, a pumpkin self portrait, or a ram. Anyways, long story long, I drew this montage representing the three generations of the Wyeths' as I read a book about them. I've provided a new narrative from their elements.





Here is a detail of a my last painting based around the theme of Black vs. White. I'll post the full painting and accompanying thoughts, and ask you all a question.




Lastly, I know its Thursday, however, from now on there will be posts on Sunday nights for Mondays and mysteriously throughout the day on Wednesdays.

Upcoming Shows

Hi all,

I've got some work in a couple group shows next month. They definitely came at the right time. I am only now feeling settled in my new life in Raleigh and I haven't been able to produce as I would like. Yes, five or six months have flown by but its all been pretty good from an art perspective. Both shows are based on a theme which is awesome, and different for me. I have been a part of only one themed show before and I enjoy the variety and challenges they pose.

The first show is based on the theme of " a la cARTe", emphasis on the art, naturally. The Peterson Cody Gallery in Santa Fe is one among 45 galleries that work with the local restaurant scene, combining their efforts for a city wide event. Each gallery is coupled up with a restaurant and together they provide an exchange of culinary and visual arts, bordering on an education. I wish I could attend, drink all the wine, and be inspired by the work throughout the city.

This set of paintings is my contribution. I did the painting on the left with the female character first, really trying to create that sense of movement as a subway train rushes in and out of the station. After I finished the painting it I wanted to extend the scene, push the perspective, and carry it onto another canvas. ( I took the pictures, sorry. There is a bit of glare on the right side of each painting. I am rubbish at this but I think I have it now solved the problem by putting this task in the hands of a talented photographer. I know its not genius but harder to find one who deals with art than you'd think.)



The show will hang throughout the month of February:
The Peterson Cody Gallery


The second show is at the Robert Lange Studios in Charleston,SC. As you can see with the flyer the theme was Black vs. White . . . . .oooooh controversial. No, not really. I was seriously excited to tackle some subject matter with a limited palette and what is more limited than Black and White. I also stripped away the human element of my work and went strictly with architecture. Just one more factor in finding new subject matter, and its relevance and importance to artistic growth. My image appears in the web promo below on the bottom far right. (The facade of a building getting hit with light.) I've got a total of four paintings in the show, so go see their website come February 2nd to see all the great work.




This show too will be up for the entire month.
Robert Lange Studios

I have posted these new paintings up on my website, so have a look, but don't forget to check out all the other artists on display with the links above. Once the shows are up I will breakdown the palettes for each one considering I didn't use just black and white for the one show. There are subtle mixtures of color used differently in each painting.

My Website

thanks for stopping in

A Disaster . . . .

or new goodness. Not sure on this one.

I figured I would post a total disaster with some positives coming out of it.

It certainly is a one of those paintings I started, put down, and then started a different painting on top of that one, but ended abandoning this new effort as well. The second attempt did have a nice compositional relationship to the first, and I felt it could add to the piece. However, that wasn't the outcome and I pretty much tossed it aside. Since I didn't care about what happened to the front of the image I have been using the canvas as a support for other smaller paintings. The marks have been made at random and seem to breathe new life into the work, demanding my attention, whereas before I had no reaction. It seems to have attained a level of dreamlike quality that I was never able to produce in the original two ideas. Funny enough I like it now more than ever. Still I have no plans on sending it to any of the galleries that represent me. One of those open studios scores if someone has an interest in it.


Lastly a quick plead for your knowledge. If any one knows how to do a time elapsed thing with jpegs, much like a slideshow, please send me a link. I'm sure there is some fancy software out there to do it for me, but I'd rather not go down that route. Since I often take pictures of my paintings at various points in their development, I wanted to continue posting those here as slideshows.
Thanks for stopping in.

New paintings will be up later in the week in coordination with two group shows in February.

Update soon . .. .

A thought:






I am in two group shows next month and will be posting those paintings very soon. Also images from a side project as well.
All the best to you and yours in 2010.