Reboot

Time flies. Newsflash! Today is the day to reboot the old art blog. There is new art ahead and some older work that I am eager to share. Here are a couple of new digital paintings to get the ball rolling.
 While you are here you might also be interested in taking a look at my submissions for the next volume of Infected by Art. I was very pleased to have a piece accepted and now on display in Volume 2. It is a really stunning book and it is an honor to share the pages with such a selection of  amazing artists. Here is a link to the the new submissions for the "popular vote" section so take a look and vote if so inclined, no pressure.
http://www.infectedbyart.com/contestgallery.asp?cid=21&gid=6641

above: Underground and The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

Marching off to Illuxcon

 This week I will be heading to Allentown PA for one of my favorite events of the year, Illuxcon. Once again I will be showing new work in the Showcase section on Friday, Sept 13 and Saturday Sept 14 at the Holiday Inn, Allentown from 8pm-12pm. For anyone interested in Imaginative Realism, Illuxcon just can't be beat. I hope to meet some new people and I know I will see some amazing art. If you are in the area please come by and if not this year plan on getting to next years event. You won't regret it for a second.
Above is a detail from one of the pieces I will be showing for the first time

Grendal

WENT he forth to find at fall of night

that haughty house, and heed wherever

the Ring-Danes, outrevelled, to rest had gone.

Found within it the atheling band

asleep after feasting and fearless of sorrow,

of human hardship. Unhallowed wight,

grim and greedy, he grasped betimes,

wrathful, reckless, from resting-places,

thirty of the thanes, and thence he rushed

fain of his fell spoil, faring homeward,

laden with slaughter, his lair to seek.

Then at the dawning, as day was breaking,

the might of Grendel to men was known;

Oil on masonite, 8" x 10"

Creature Double Feature

Mechanical titans and an eastern black dragon this month.
Photoshop & Painter

A challenge in so many ways

This is by far the most difficult post I have ever written for a number of reasons. Todays post is of a piece I was working on for an artorder challenge in February. On February 24 I received news that my father had fallen at home and was in the ICU in my original home town of Schenectady NY.   When I arrived in NY the medical situation was unclear and we hoped he would regain consciousness and recover quickly. Unfortunately it soon became apparent that was not going to be the case.
 What does this have to do with an art challenge?  As I stated earlier I had been working on this piece but with the situation as it were I had very little time or energy left to get it submitted by March 3. There were many moments when I decided to give up on any idea of getting it submitted on time. During those most difficult days however there were also times when I needed to do something to keep my sanity and so I continued to work on it during the evenings. My mother and brother provided me with some helpful critiques.  I knew in my heart that it was not going to be the greatest thing I had ever done and the results likely would not win me any awards are garner many accolades but I also could hear my fathers voice encouraging me not to give up and to finish what I had started. Words of advice he had shared with me many times in the past. And so I did. I submitted the piece as required on March 3. On March 4 my father passed away peacefully surrounded by our family.
 Looking back now I realize that having this little comic book page to focus on at times was very valuable to me and despite its many shortcomings I know that I did the very best that I could under the circumstances. That's what my dad would have wanted me to do.
 I try to keep my blogging very light hearted and and hope this is not too heavy but it is now a very personal piece to me with more meaning than I ever could have anticipated. Thank you to TheArtOrder for the most significant art challenge I have ever faced. Sometimes a challenge is what we need to keep us going through a difficult period and this was certainly one of those times.

Happy St Patrick's Day

I wish everyone a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day. 

From the archives, a daydream of the Emerald Isle. Circa 2002?

The Valley of the Dragon

Over the years a number of aircraft had disappeared in the area earning it the nickname the Valley of the Dragon. Although nothing unusual ever appeared on radar there were a few audio recordings of missing pilots who sounded like they were being chased by some sort of winged demon. Then.. nothing.

Dark Water

A limniad's environment is a precious thing. Unfortunately it is not as important to land dwellers who often forget the consequences of there actions.
 Digital submission for TheArtorder nymph challenge

Digital doodles

Here are a few recent pages from my digital sketchbook. New finished oils coming soon.

Back to the drawing board

One of the most important lessons I took away from 2012 is the need to get back to figure drawing from life. Luckily I found a perfect situation, an open figure drawing session the first and third thursdays of the month and it's only 10 minutes away! It has been extremely rewarding so far. I'm not expecting any masterpieces but there is already a difference in the way I'm looking at things back in the studio.

The Fall of Atlantis, Part 3

Despite many troubling signs the Atlanteans continued to fight among themselves. They ignored the screams of the great dragon and the great lord of the sea himself. When the waters rose they ignored that too. When the great wave came the civilization was taken from the earth with a whisper to future generations to watch for signs of complacency and greed that can lead to the fall of even the most advanced civilizations.
Oil on canvas, triptych, 24" x54"

The Fall of Atlantis Part 2

Some citizens of Atlantis wished to rule the skies, some to rule the land and some to rule the sea. The wish for power lead to a constant struggle for supremacy while all around them the world was changing.

The Fall of Atlantis Part 1

This is the left panel of a triptych about the legendary city of Atlantis. What really happened that lead  to the disappearance of the city and it's technologically advanced civilization?

Back to reality. Illuxcon V

Last weekend was the fifth annual Illuxcon in Pennsylvania. This was the 4th time that I have been lucky enough to attend and my second time participating in the showcase. As always this event provides enormous amounts of inspiration and I come away from it wanting to work even harder to find a place in the world of fantasy art. So much so that I went to a figure drawing class on thursday for the first time in years! This year we also bought our first original painting (albeit a small one) by the very talented E.M. Gist. I'm pretty sure this will be the beginning of a collection. I love this painting.

 Next year Illuxcon will be moving to a new location in Allentown, PA and I'm looking forward to it already.
 Here's a link to my mini-movie that was playing at my table this year (minus the new opening footage from the convention itself). If you give it few minutes you will get our first attempts at animation. I doubt it will be the last. Terry Gilliam watch out!
 I also want to say a special thank you to my wonderful wife Kari who edited the movie, helped me out at the showcase and put up with all of my nerves and preparations leading up to the show. I couldn't do it without her!
Now on with the show! Get your popcorn and remember, NO talking during the movie. 7 minutes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aNXXok1wDk&feature=plcp

ps the soundtrack is courtesy of my dad Pete on concertina and me on guitar from one of our recent basement sessions. Hope you don't mind Dad!!

Ready for Illuxcon?

This weekend Illuxcon V takes place in Altoona, PA! This is my favorite art event of the year by far. It is a gathering of the many of the best artists in the fantasy art world. There will be opportunities to attend lectures, workshops and reviews. I will be participating in the Showcase exhibition for the second time. At my table I will be showing my new portfolio book, a number of original oil paintings and new mini-movie as well as having prints available. If you are attending please come see me at the showcase friday night. Hope to see you there!
 The picture above is an early test display setup. Things have changed a number of times since this test but it gives an idea of what the display might resemble, minus the video element.

The monster

 After the death of its maker, Victor Frankenstein, the monster's remorse for its crimes is so great it removes itself from society and leaves the world behind by drifting away on an ice flow in the Arctic Circle.
 In the film adaptation directed by James Whale the end comes at the hands of the classic mob with torches and pitchforks. Mary Shelley's original ending is a much more personal and emotional end for the thing known as the monster.
Above is a version of Mary Shelley's monster from my archives. Oil on canvas, 2008
Below is a sketch of James Whale's flat-top monster from a few weeks ago

Creatures from black lagoons

Can anyone tell me why no one has tried a remake of the classic Creature from the Black Lagoon film?There have been numerous remakes and interpretations of Dracula, Frankenstein and the Invisible Man. The Mummy was a hugely successful franchise. Why no Creature? Perhaps it's just too much of an iconic creature design. Combine that with the obvious need to have much of it based underwater and perhaps you have a few answers.  I hope someone does give it a try even though it would be difficult to match the beauty of the original and the mesmerizing underwater chemistry between the creature and Julie Adams
 (or her stunt double).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ariuokNFhSw
 This is my creature. He is from an alien world where water is vanishing and the big blue marble looks like a good place for a fresh start. Not a remnant from prehistoric times like the original. He does like dark lagoons though.

The Werewolf Hunter

There were only a few who know what lived in the manor on the hill and even fewer who would dare confront it. It was only vulnerable during the full moon and silver was its only weakness.

 "Werewolf Hunter". oil & digital

Invisible

October will be a month of things from the archives. Hopefully things that relate to my favorite scary month. I'm an absolute SUCKER for the classic black & white horror films that I will watch again and again every year, either on tv or from my personal collection. This week, the invisible man!

Elvish diplomacy

The elves and men gathered at the foot of the mountain demanding a portion of the treasure left behind by the death of the great dragon. Reasoning was tried at first but the threat of force was always behind it.