august '10 art update

my last update was in april, which is terribly long ago. it's been a combo of forgetfulness and inactivity. it's not like i've been completely away from painting. i worked on a few pieces, and even have had 2 shows - 1 @ the rogue festival, 1 @ patrick contreras' violin studio. and, i've been moving along on some paintings. but, i finally realized how long it had been, so i put up a post. and, i started a new painting that i took a bunch of in progress shots of.

lambs to the slaughter - i actually showed this painting in an unfinished manner at the rogue festival. since then i've begun working on the faces of the lambs, and the overall coloring of their bodies. i took this photo today before i added some reds inside of the lamb furthest to the left's mouth



shema - this painting is based on repetition. basically, i've been writing deuteronomy 6:4-8 over and over and over on this board. i'm not exactly sure where i am in the process on this. it's developing some nice colors and rhythm and so we'll see where it goes. i've basically been using 5 colors and i think when i get it to an almost finished stage i'll write it one last time in white.



this next painting is brand spanking new. here's the board i began with:



next, i sketched out a thought of a figure in front of the tower theater in a grease pencil



and then color. shading/blending/whatever else will come later, this was about getting paint on it



some ground color added



shading on the body. love this yellow/green combo and the grays on the ground



so, that's where i'm at today. i'm quite excited to not only start a new piece but to just have it move along rather quickly. i've got to give the work a few days to set a little, but it's good to be working.

art update

i'm taking part in a collaborative art project called "the underground garden," put together by local musician blake jones. it goes hand in hand with the release of the newest album from blake jones & the trike shop.

basically, each artist (there are a ton) are being given a 12"x12" piece of plywood to work with. the prompt is to think about how the local art/music scene is reflected by the idea of an underground garden.

here is my unfinished piece - it's due back to blake by 4/19.



admittedly, this is a crap picture. for whatever reason, i couldn't get a clear picture of the piece. i think it's because of the smearing i used. the piece is done in oil pastels, something i haven't used in a long time. i enjoyed working with them again, and so maybe there is an element of rebirth in it for me. i wanted to use a tree, a common symbol of life to be a symbol, or reflection of the growing arts and music culture in fresno. in the piece you see fruit of different valley plants (grapes, oranges, cotton, strawberries, all coming from the same tree, the same soil. but, this is also a take on the actual underground gardens, where there are fruit grafted onto other trees and so you have a tree that produces multiple fruits. fresno's art & music culture is beginning to bear fruit. it also comes from different branches. in the piece, there are 4 main branches, but this is more symbolic, as there are more than four branches, and more than four types of fruit being born here.

i'm more or less done with piece, i want it to be a quick reaction based on the inspiration.k it's not something i want to work and work and work on. that's not a reflection of the fresno art & music scene, just me & this piece. i'll be adding a polyurethane coat over the top to seal the pastels, and to give is some depth & shine.

the whole collective piece will be unveiled on april 24th at audie's olympic.

rogue 2010

art update

holy crap, i haven't updated this page in forever. and, i haven't done much work. but, i am working, and here are two photos of a piece i'm working on for this year's rogue festival. it's called "fly on a windscreen"



close detail of fly



the painting is moving along, and it'll be ready to show in just under a month.

july art hop

Pizza.
Paintings.
Pints.
All Free*.

Milano restaurant - 1243 Fulton Mall







*free is relative. you're free to look at and enjoy the paintings, and even free to purchase them. the pizza, well there will be free pizza while supplies last. then you can buy some. the pints, from the get go you're free to purchase that.

$50 art sale

in an effort to generate some needed funds and clear out storage space, i'm having a little sale.

untitled 2007 - SOLD


leaf - SOLD


flow - $50


inspired by you, too - $50


movement in black - $50


movement in red - $50



feel free to poke around the archives and see if there's anything other paintings you'd like to make an offer on. i'm willing to work.

painting update

as often happens, paintings get reworked or adjusted. diamond in the rough, a painting completed for my rogue show, is getting a little bit of that treatment. here's the painting as it was



here's where it's going. i cleaned up the lines on the building, and the building/diamond itself. i'm trying to move the coloring on it more into my "style" of painting, and hopefully it will end up something like the coloring of the sky in this painting.

upcoming art show

i'll be showing @ milano on the fulton mall during july, and will have an art hop reception there on july 2, from 5-8 pm.

rogue festival 2009 - looks good, fresno

come hear me talk about these four paintings and their inspriration
friday, 3/6, 6:15 pm
$4
ashtree studios


tower 4
oil & polyurethane on wood
sold


living in it
oil on wood
$175


diamond in the rough
oil on wood
$100


water tower
oil on wood, fire treated
sold

rogue promo channel 47

this aired on last night's news @ 11 and during their morning show today.



me and my stupid mustache. damn. it was actually a pretty long interview, but that's how it goes, talk 5 minutes, get 10 seconds. still good exposure.

thanks to channel 47 & tony botti.

had i been more aggressive i might have also gotten channel 30. oh well, share the wealth.

rogue 2009 meet the artist w/edward stewart

yep, i'm going to promo my discussion times.

saturday, 2/28 - 2:30pm
wednesday, 3/4 - 8:45pm
friday, 3/6 - 6:15pm

$4

Ashtree Studios (1035 N. Fulton St.)

rogue 2009

art updates

currently working on two pieces, the first being "fresno's diamond in the rough." not too many changes, just a little more time on it.




the second is the old fresno water tower. i haven't figured what i'll call it, but i've got the sky background started. this is going to be sort of minimalist. i'm very excited about this one. i used a torch to burn the outline of the water tower and love how it looks.

painting update

good news, i finally know where my city hall painting is going. it struck me tonight, giving me a title. it's progressed quite away since the earlier photo below.

the new title: fresno's diamond in the rough.

as i painted and thought about fresno's city hall, i searched for its heart. i thought of confusion, i thought of politics as usual, and i also thought of the change that is about take place as a new mayor takes office.

the painting is currently a side view of the city hall, a view that i've always loved more than the front or back. something about the dramatic lines, the roof, etc. in my painting it really takes on a diamond shape, especially because of the trees and such the limit the view near ground level.

so, as i work on this painting, i know that fresno has potential. city hall could be a precious gem. or, it could just stay a diamond in the rough.

upcoming work

here are two photos of the current piece i'm working on. this first one was taken with a flash, and then i dropped the brightness to reduce the flash glare.



the second photo was taken without the flash, and then brightened to try and pick up the colors a little better.



obviously, the colors are somewhere in between. obviously, this painting will continue to evolve, as it's far from done. right now it's just sort of abstract, and as it dries and i add more to it, the piece will take on much more of my feel to it. hopefully.

for those that don't know the subject, it's based on fresno's city hall. it should be one of three or four pieces i'll be showing in the roque 2009 festival. hopefully they'll all be based on fresno subjects.

recommendations?

so, i've been wanting to expand my fresno building paintings to beyond the tower theater. i'll keep painting the tower, but i'd like to do some other meaningful/cool/interesting fresno buildings.

so, some that i've been considering are:
st. therese church (another recognizable tower locale)
city hall (love it)
security pacific building
the county jail

thoughts? other buildings you'd like to see me take on?

tower 3 - sold

tower 3
oil on canvas

sold to someone that saw it @ the parkway show

parkway benefit show

3 pieces for sale @ a river parkway benefit



shades of love
oil on canvas
$250



tower 3
oil on canvas, polyurethane finish
$200 -SOLD



tower 4
oil on wood, polyurethane canvas
$200 - SOLD

in progress work

here's a painting i'm currently working on. it's untitled right now, and is 3'x3'



the beauty about working in oils is that if you don't like something, paint over it. i guess that you can do that w/acrylics, too, but i really like it in oil because of the weight that it'll give as you go over what you didn't like.

in this piece, i originally had a bunch of swirls. you can still see them in the photo, although they're covered. they start @ the bottom left and move up through the center. i was planning on just a light cover over them, and as i first started i thought it looked alright. the more i did, the less i liked. but i also got paint coverage over everything and color wise this is definitely where i'm headed on the piece. of course, i've got something i'm going to try on it as i continue to layer over the swirls, we'll see how i like that.

edward stewart may art show

fading away
oil on canvas
$250


tower 2
oil on canvas, polyurethane finish
$150


tower 2
oil on canvas, polyurethane finish
$200


tower 3
oil on wood, polyurethane finish
$200


the scent of war burns my nostrils
oil on wood
$600


shades of love
oil on canvas
$200


orange crush
oil on canvas
$100


walking together
oil on wood
$250


living in it
oil on wood

welcome

if you're looking for photos of my work, click on the month titles in the right sidebar. many photos can be found in the 2007 section

may art hop

i just booked my next show. i had talked with the people during my last art hop show, but finally confirmed all the details

art hop reception
thursday, may 1, 2008.
5-8 pm

california arts academy
severance building - tower district
1401 n. wishon, at floradora

i also went over to view the space. it'll be interesting to show there, and i was able to plan some of the lighting for the event. it'll be a smaller show, probably 8 pieces.

as i thought about the upcoming show, it reminds me that in some ways i need to really think of my art as a business. well, at least to consider the business aspect of it. think of taxes; can i write off the money spent on flyers for shows? i know i can write off some of my materials purchased. i guess i need to keep better records for all of these things, as well as make sure i'm booking things (officially) further out. because, now i'm up against a show that's a little over a week away. flyers to be done asap. and that definitely means the show won't feature anything completely new, as i haven't finished the three i'm really working on right now. well, maybe one will get done. who knows.

fortunately, the set up should be relatively easy, as it's located right across the street from my place. seriously, i could hit this place with a rock from my driveway.

through the clouds - april art hop flier

three in progress paintings

here are 3 paintings that i'm currently working on. not sure if any of them will be at a point where i want to show them for my april show @ cafe corazon.



living it it



tower 4



shema


all three of these pieces are oil on wood.

edward stewart rogue show

i set up my show yesterday (sunday) over at ashtree studio (1035 n fulton)


walking together
2'x4', oil on wood, $250


untitled 2007
18"x24",oil on canvas board, $100


tower 3
2'x2' (i think), oil on canvas, $200


the scent of war burns my nostrils
4'x5' (about), oil on wood, $600.