Michael Pintar, Wisconsin Artist

The Urban family portrait

2012-01-16T16:51:00.000-06:00

Urban Family

20x24

Graphite, Charcoal, Carbon

I recently completed a week long portrait for a good friend of mine. This piece was delivered as a 50th birthday present. As of today, I haven't heard what he thought. The four kids are the children of her new boyfriend, and probably soon to be next husband. Only time will tell. Because all four are either going to different schools or working, she had them gather for a photo, which is what I worked from. I did have some input and at least got a neutral smile for them all.

I created this piece on Strathmore bristol Plate finish paper. In hindsight, I wish I would have went with a 500 Series, vellum finish. Plate just didn't give me some of the effects I was hoping for and made the graphite "shine" even more apparent.

I used a combination of graphite pencils along with several carbon pencils from Wolff and General's. For some of the darkest values the only way to go and totally eliminate any sheen is with the Carbon Sketch or the Organic Black Elite Grande #5000 from Primo. These allow complete control and quickly build up the richest darks. You can pull out anything with a kneaded or plastic eraser.

The clothing was done with charcoal or graphite powder, rubbing it into the support with either my fingers or cotton swab. The wrinkles can be made using a chamois or kneaded eraser. In most cases, slight adjustments achieved the most life-like results.

The structured drawing and study of the human head definitely helped my drawing skills, again. Working with just black and white also helped me with creating subtle value changes. My portrait work in this medium is in the photo-realism space. My wife beats me up on every little detail, to which I reply with "is there a likeness?" Of course there is, but with photo-realism you have to take extra care to make it work.

Hello 2012

2012-01-03T08:51:00.001-06:00

Is it really a new year? Has it really been over a month since my last post? Does anybody ever read my blog?

For whatever reason, I decided to keep it up this year. I'll try to be more attentive to it. But, like everything, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Last year (2011) summary, estimate...

Total art sales: too low to mention
Total teaching income: not enough to quit my day job, but 20x more than my art sales!
Total new paintings created: not sure but around 20
Total events participated in: 2. Door County Plein Air, Open Canvas
Total plein air days: around 10
Total classes/workshops I attended: 1
Total life drawing open studios I attended: 5
Total new venues where I am exhibiting: 3, which makes 4 public places as we start 2012

New year resolutions? None. Daily resolutions: 365. Be creative. Be real. Live in the Now.

If I can pull that off, life will be a new masterpiece every day!

Open Canvas Art Event

2011-11-14T09:11:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday was the 10th annual Open Canvas event held in Milwaukee. Six years ago I stumbled upon a small newspaper display ad promoting this event so the wife and I decided to attend. Billed as 80 artists creating original pieces in one night seemed like an interesting way to spend a Saturday evening, especially if you're into art.

The event is put together by Jeff Kursel and his family in dedication to his father who was a successful ad exec here in Milwaukee. He also attended Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), the only accredited private art school in Wisconsin. The amount of work that appears to go into this event is staggering. Coordinating the space; a beautiful old warehouse in Historic Third Ward, dozens of food vendors, donated art supplies from Richeson Art and finding 80+ artists to donate their time and effort, parking, valet, coat check, security and processing the payments from patrons that buy works via a silent auction at the end of the night....WOW...and then the clean up aftermath. It really is quite a show.

This is my 5th year of participating as an artist. I feel so fortunate, as this year featured 90 artists, many locals, many from the Kursel family and a guest artist from Germany. And me...little Mike Pintar, local artist from Waukesha struggling to sell anything this year. Getting the invite back in July to paint at this event gets be jacked up right up to the day of the event. With what I guess is close to 1000 people attending (based on bidder ticket numbers), the atmosphere is so electric and so much artistic energy, it's really hard to describe. I don't have time to take many photos when everyone is there and they discourage photographs anyway, so it's one of those "you have to be there to believe it" kind of things. Here's a quick glimpse of the action.

Artists start arriving in early afternoon. Doors to the public open at 6pm and bidding starts immediately with final auction bids closing starting at 9:30. If you're artist #1, you better be close to finished vs #84 where you'll have an extra hour to finish up your piece. So while it's a ton of pressure to create a piece in 5-8 hours, the process is where the action is, and what the public comes for.

Artists start at various times, but the key is to pace yourself so when the public is watching, you're in the middle of your work. Easier said than done!

The man, Tom Nachreiner of Milwaukee.

I took a "safe" subject this year, a cityscape, but went out of the box and developed it upside down. Below is a completed block-in and starting to move on to refining the big shapes. I'll detail the rest of the process in my next post. It was a great Open Canvas this year and hope to be back next year...cross my paintbrushes.

What Goes Around.....

2011-11-10T06:22:00.003-06:00

So I woke up at 4am today...to my wife's snoring! Of course, that was after I got up at midnight to relieve myself, just after I went to bed at 10pm. It was just one of those sleepness nights.

I decided to get out of bed at 4:45am and one of my first thoughts was about art. I went downstairs and started taking photos of all my art and pieces I have stored in "the closet". Dozens of older works that I just don't have room to hang in my house.

In a moment of reflection, and after my first 4 shot dryLatte, I picked up a favorite book, The Sermon on the Mount by Emmet Fox. I flipped open the book to any random page and behold:
"The plain fact is that it is the Law of Life that, as we think, and speak, and act towards others, so will others, think, and speak, and act towards us. Anything and everything that we do to others will sooner or later be done to us by someone somewhere."

To me, in layman terms: What goes around, comes around. I asked God to help me do the right thing today.

Shows, Events and Holiday Prep

2011-11-09T09:46:00.000-06:00

Last night I attended a meeting at The Clinton Street Gallery where I exhibit. We're planning a holidays/charity event called The Art of Giving on December 8th. More details to follow.

I also met with the owner of Jake's and Haute Taco restaurants yesterday to review what paintings she'd like to see hanging in Haute Taco. We also had a chance to talk about developing artwork, since she was one of my students from recent class.

This Saturday is Open Canvas, a great art event in it's 10th year. This will be my 5th year painting and can't wait. They usually get around 1000 people attending and bidding on work being creating live.

Still waiting to connect with my church people to review final changes made to the layout before I begin painting.

Also put up a new video on YouTube showing start-to-finish of this painting.

Plein Air setup

2011-10-31T21:59:00.000-05:00

I mentioned in my last post that I made my way back to Whitnall Park in Milwaukee to paint. There are so many spots to choose from, but this old red barn with a small outbuilding was my first choice. The day was perfect, even though completely sunny which causes problems with changing light situations. But here is my plein air set up and I just sketched the elements in with charcoal.

Painting Time

2011-10-25T09:11:00.000-05:00

I've found time to paint a lot lately.

I'm still in the never-ending process of the church mural, which is almost ready to start putting paint on...after another review by church members.

I'm still on my Richard Schmid kick since I've purchased his Alla Prima and Landscapes books. What an unbelievable collection. To study how he paints and then look at some of his masterpieces is just amazing. For me, a landscape guy, it's very inspiring. Here is a piece I completed over the summer (late post) influenced by his techniques.

Made it over to a local city park, Whitnall Park, one of the award winning parks located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While I've been there before...I've never observed "as an artist". What I found was a plethora of nature, trees, rivers, bridges, paths, people and trails I didn't know existed. I took dozens of photos and did go back the next day to paint a great red barn scene. While I loved the scene, I just had a problem with composition. A big red object dominating the painting just didn't work. Hey, it's just a piece of canvas and 3 hours of my time. I'll try it again soon...with a better composition.

Ugh, digital vs analog overload

2011-10-13T08:09:00.000-05:00

How hard can it be to keep up with a blog? Hard, when you're trying to run your life, find a job, learn about social media, research employers, take video of painting sequences, go fishing, stay up on digital printing (job opp), work my normal analog job, teach a intro to oil painting class....and stay sane!

Okay, I'm done bitchin'. I'm posting something I've done recently in the art world. Which is quite a bit, I'm just having a hard time using this blog as a communication method. Does anybody hear me?

Happy Birthday...TO ME!

2011-09-09T17:49:00.000-05:00

Today was a great day, even if I'm a year older. Cholesterol levels are high and I have to cut back on my turtle sundae consumption. Shit, that stinks.

I'm enrolled in a social media bootcamp for the entire month of September and it's taking up a couple hours a day. All good stuff though! I'm also doing more research for Art House Reveal, my new website adventure for artists. Hoping to get this live sometime this month. It's really been a rough road with the developers I've hired to build it. One delay after another.

It has allowed me to really think through the value proposition and refine my vision for what I want it to be; which is a community building tool for any artist. Hoping to have many tools on the site to help artists and at the same time offer education ports for non-artists to learn more about these artists and what makes them tick.

Pewaukee Classic Boat Plein Air

2011-08-24T22:23:00.000-05:00

Last weekend was the 7th annual Classic Boat and Car show in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Over 40 classic boats, lots of beautiful CrissCraft "woodies" were there. It rained early, but I didn't show up until 11am. I didn't enter the plein air event, though I should have, with only 14 artists and $1500 in prize money, even I had a chance at winning! Besides the boats, there wasn't much to choose from from a compositional standpoint. Pewaukee is a pretty small town. So I set up under the canopy of the train depot, which offered shade until mid-afternoon....thinking ahead cuz I've been in this spot before.

Here is Step 1: Sketching

I liked the three boats with their colors; red, white and blue. They were tied up with matching color ropes so I thought I'd play into that theme. I had placed my new EZ L viewfinder over the area to help figure out what elements to put in.

Step 2: Blocking In- Start

Step 3: Blocking In- Complete

Step 4: Establishing Midtones and major shapes

The sun was on the move already. I'm about 1 hour into it at this point. A LOT of people were on the dock behind the first row of boats, but I decided earlier to just put in a few. My problem grew.

Step 5: Tightening Up

I should have been done by now. I'm 2 hours in and just all over the place. The foreground water is looking okay, but the reflective light on the boats and the water is giving me grief. Felt pretty good about the background lake and distant trees so I'm out of that area.

Step 6: Complete; Ol' Red White & Blue 12x16 Oil (Plein Air)

This is what I left with. The figures proved to be very difficult as they were always moving, like people usually do. I made a critical drawing error early on and though I thought about it, I moved on. The middle boat is out of scale and kinda threw everything off. When I got home I looked at my reference photo and sure enough was WAY OFF when it came to drawing. I didn't pay close enough attention to gridding the area to the canvas. I even had my new EZ L viewfinder and went through all the motions but still missed it in terms of placing the objects accurately on the canvas. The problem was the viewfinder is set up for 8.5 x 11 and I painted on 12x16. It's all in the proportions. Oh well. The crowd had grown to over a thousand people by the time I left. It turned out to be a gorgeous day...and I got to spend it painting. That's not too bad after all.

Images from the Door County Paint Out

2011-07-25T09:50:00.001-05:00

The two hour painting frenzy was only topped by how many sold via auction while the paint was still wet! Everybody was crowding around the tent but I managed to snap a few photos of my favorites.

From what I saw, every painting sold, with a minimum of $500 being bid up to $2000. It was quite impressive and gives us artists hope that people are still buying art. What a great event!

Door County Plein Air Festival

2011-07-25T09:33:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was the 5th annual Door County event. Over 40 nationally recognized artists paint for the entire week leading up to the Dockside Quick Paint which takes place from 9-11am on Saturday. It appeared over 60 "regular" artists, including me set up easels all over Fish Creek, WI.

It was quite a site. I got there at 6:30am and there were already a lot of artists set up and many others scoping out their territory. Luckily I got there a day early and looked around for where I wanted to paint. My primary spot was already taken by two people! So Plan B...and I set up just before another woman set up right next to me!

Even though it was a mostly cloudy morning, I opted for a shady locale. Below is my 2 hour creation: "Just Birdy", 11x14 Oil.

Sweat & Oil Paint

2011-07-20T13:18:00.000-05:00

Today is supposed to be the hottest day of the year here in SE Wisconsin...105*. So I ventured out early (8:30am) to paint. I've started wearing latex gloves and as I got going, I noticed moisture on my palette. I quickly discovered it was sweat dripping out from the inside of my painting hand glove! It was hot, and I had to constantly be aware of the sweat and wipe often. I was set up out of the hatch of my car so it offered some shade, but it was still a cooker. Sun worked its way around to affect my panel by the end...next up is a good plein air umbrella. Either way, things turned out well and I know there's a little "special medium" worked into the oils for this painting- "Hot as Hell on Hwy H"; 12x16 Oil

Schmid Influenced

2011-07-19T12:22:00.000-05:00

During my workshop with Tom Nachriener, we discussed Richard Schmid. One of my fellow students also brought her Landscapes book by Schmid. What a stunning set of images! I decided to purchase his Alla Prima book, since I felt my work was "better" if I tried to finish it quickly. This typically means in less than 2-7 days for me.

Shown here is a studio piece I just completed using some of the broken brushstrokes and direct painting methodology Richard describes. 18x24 Oil- Peninsula State Park.

Where have I been? Painting of course.

2011-07-06T22:25:00.001-05:00

Okay, it's hard to keep up with this blog. While I've done a lot of art related things over the past 3 months, I haven't posted anything. A couple of followers would inspire me! Oh, I have to post, regularly first! Duh...

Anyway, I've been painting and teaching away all spring and summer. Last week I attended a workshop at the Peninsula Art School in Fish Creek, WI. Tom Nachreiner was the instructor and it was really fun and educational. He's a great artist to learn from. Here's my day 1 piece.

Creek in Scuppernong Park, Eagle WI

8x10 Oil

Maybe I'll leave the post as is, and force myself to come back and add more pix from this great workshop.

Class is in session

2011-02-10T20:18:00.000-06:00

This week I started my two new adult intro to oil painting classes. In my third year now doing it in Wauwatosa, and a new start in Waukesha. Of course, I left my sample work in Tosa. Hope no damage due to high schoolers wanting to claim them as their own!

I've decided to let students know they need to have some drawing skills if they want to have successful paintings. You'd think that's obvious, but many come in all starry eyed about learning to use oils....and then what? One of the hardest mediums to learn requires the basics being down. I believe what I was told: Good painting can't save bad drawing.

Winter Path- 16x20 Oil

2011-02-03T09:50:00.000-06:00

Hiked out to a local nature center a couple weeks back. Attempted to complete this plein air but the oil paint wasn't cooperating due to the cold. I scrapped the 8x10 I started on and worked from the photos I took while I stood there. Sun was getting low and cast some nice shadows across the path, with the only tracks being mine.

Karen and the pink sky painting

2011-01-29T20:21:00.000-06:00

This morning was just another morning until I got a phone call while in the car. It was a woman who said she had previously purchased one of my paintings and had tracked me down to ask about another, one with a pink sky. She had seen the piece awhile back when I exhibited at Almont Gallery in Waukesha. Of course, the owner wasn't as helpful as I would want her to be but with perseverance, she tracked me down. Still not knowing exactly who this was, we agreed to meet later to discuss the painting in question: Did I still have it or was it sold?

Karen and Rob met with me at the Steaming Cup in Waukesha. Let's just say it was strange destiny as the three of us shared very similar views on art, life, politics and business. We chatted non-stop, at most times drifting away from talk of art. Two very interesting people, just a few years my senior, but very engaging.

I had photos of pieces I thought she was describing and in fact the work she was interested in was in fact back home in my studio. So off we went back to my place to take a closer look. Note: always pick up your dirty underwear in the event new guests may be coming to your house to look at your artwork! We looked at lots of pieces I have littered throughout my lower level/studio. Rob was interested in learning more about techniques. I offered the class I am about to start teaching next week. In the end, I'm going to prep the piece for a sale and deliver asap. What started as a "who is this?" phone call led to a interesting interaction with two very nice people (and another sale). Art has this way of bringing people together as they explore the spiritual journey of life.

What It Is

2010-11-26T22:30:00.000-06:00

So what is it to be an artist? Do you just roll out of bed one day and decide to create? People just aren't born and ready. They're inspired. By Life. The stories the artist tells, whether it be in words or pictures comes from a deep place within their sole. The heart becomes a place that is full of memories of the past and dreams for the future. So what is it to be an artist?

My story may be like so many others: I'm troubled about things. I bottle up feelings. I'm angry. I'm sad. I need love. I can't find love. I see things around me in this world that are troubling. I see beauty. I want to see God. Most don't. Can you believe?

We're all story tellers. Cover your mouth before you think! Words can get us into trouble. Actions get us into trouble. Anger, jealousy, rage...it's all around us. So we need an escape. We need a way to let those feelings out. So many of us try the seduction of booze and chemicals. Freedom from the bondage of self. It's all so momentary. The feeling is gone as fast as it happens. But we chase the dream. The dream to express our true feelings, to tell a story, and to be heard. So we lay down paint...we write lyrics...we see moving images....we dance....write....act. Who are we?

I'm an artist. But I struggle still to please people and not myself. That's what masturbation is for anyway. Why not lay down a different track? Compliance is such a dirty word. I want to be different. I want to be known. I want to be creative in my own right. I want to let those bottled up, pent up emotions flow out the end of a paintbrush, out of my mouth, through words on paper. That's what it is.

This post is dedicated to Notorious BIG---

Winston Portrait- Phase 2, Step 4

2010-10-27T10:05:00.001-05:00

Step 4: Verdaccio

So this is way out of my league, but worth a try. The Verdaccio technique is underpainting in green. While Ivory Black and yellow is an option (along with many other combinations) I went with Chrome Oxide Green, mixed with Ivory and Lead White. Lead White seems to dry faster than my usual Titanium. Below shows two verdaccio glazes and a first layer background in Burnt Umber.

Winston Portrait- Phase 2

2010-10-27T10:01:00.001-05:00

Step 3: Continue lead white glazes, added initial eye color.

The process is slower than I am accustomed to. I'm using a galkyd medium, though I don't know what Gottlieb uses. Everything is shiny vs matte. I can push back the eye colors in a later glaze.

Winston Portrait- Phase 1 Redeux

2010-10-27T09:38:00.001-05:00

ugh many things have been happening in my little art world, I've failed to make posts. If more was happening, I might be more inclined! Such is the struggle between making a living and making art.

I have been working on a portrait for a client. I've been at it more than a year. With no deadlines, I get real lazy. This photo below shows the painting about 75% complete: it was not approved...and I was sent back to the drawing board. The female has some work to be done, but I opted to start over, completely.

Winston- 75% complete

Version 2:

I was reading an article in Artist's Magazine about Adrian Gottlieb and his use of Flemish techniques that date back 400 years. I found it amazing and the results stunning, so what the heck. Using a combination of verdaccio and grisaille layers and glazes I started plugging away.

Step 1: The monochromatic drawing. Include value interpretation of faces.

Step 2: Initial glaze with Lead White. Focus on building shapes and volume, slowly.

Milwaukee Domes Plein Air

2010-08-26T09:16:00.000-05:00

Blazing heat and humidity. but was able to put these two pieces together. Didn't win anything, but it was fun...and I needed the practice.

In front by the main entrance. My impressionistic palette of a very bland building/structure.

Looking south of Mitchell Park lagoon. Big willow dominated my thinking. It was overcast, so I thought the purple hues lent coolness to an otherwise hot day.

Open Canvas and ArtHouse contest

2010-07-22T20:10:00.000-05:00

Good news this week as I was invited back for my fourth appearance at Open Canvas. With next to no PR on the event, the bottom line was I know I got in the top 10 (out of 90) artists for bids on my painting(s). Feels good artwise to know I'm still wanted.

Summer Sunset

2010-07-16T21:11:00.000-05:00

Painted during the last 30 minutes of a beautiful summer day, from the front seat of my car.

Plein Air on Father's Day

2010-06-20T22:22:00.001-05:00

So my daughter Adrianne, mom and I went to Pewaukee Lake today. She agreed to paint with me. It was a beautiful summer day and lots of people were mingling around the downtown and beach area. Keeping it simple, I decided we should set up and just paint the lake area looking west. Here we are doing our thing, just me and my daughter. It was great...and I needed to get out and paint!

Adrianne Portrait progress

2010-06-09T21:42:00.000-05:00

Funked

2010-06-09T21:36:00.000-05:00

How else to describe a general state of nowhereness. Paint? Nothing. Draw? Ugh. Ideas? Where is my head? Is this what they call writers block? In my world, it's artist funked. Even though I've sold a big piece to a guy in NY, I just don't seem to be very motivated. My gallery owner is dinging me on working more hours, and I don't want to. So I don't know how that will turn out. Without the gallery, maybe I will find myself and quit worrying about producing pieces that sell.

I've felt more inclined to do some abstract stuff lately. Well, I do have 4 pieces in some stage of production, but I'm too lazy to even post those results. Lost my Flip Video so I can't record any more painting sessions, which was kinda fun.

Oh well, at least I came back to blog a bit.

Murals, portraits, and more

2010-05-13T11:18:00.000-05:00

I've been busy working up comps for the large church mural paintings I've been asked to do. No deposit yet, but its' God's work, so I'm confident in getting a deposit before I get too far. This has been very challenging coming up with inspirational concepts around things like; service, praise, hear God, taste God (communion), etc.

I've also backed myself into a corner with a portrait commission that's due the same week as my church commission. Shouldn't have put it off for 2 months!!

Too Many Days Off

2010-04-25T20:52:00.001-05:00

So here's a bunch of stuff I've done...ever since I last posted.

Something New- SLIDE

2010-03-09T22:51:00.001-06:00

New Art during the Art Crawl

2010-03-09T22:17:00.001-06:00

Last weekend I took the chance to paint while I did my time at our 60th Art Crawl for downtown Waukesha. I took down several paintings that I was showing and taped up a piece of paper to create some new art. Pastel dust flew, and viola, three hours later this is what we got.

Original Acrylic Artwork- Sea Churn

2010-02-28T18:55:00.000-06:00

This painting was inspired by my trip to Hawaii last year. I took several photos from the ship as we skimmed along the ocean. The foam along with the aquamarine color of the ocean was awesome. So I took a fragment of the water and created this painting.

16x20- Acrylic.

Portraiture Art- Adrianne Drawing

2010-02-28T18:49:00.000-06:00

This is the beginning stage of my new portrait painting of my daughter, Adrianne. Many hours are spent drawing and refining the head. The painting part is fairly straight forward if the drawing is accurate. Drawing is done in charcoal in preparation for the oil work to follow.

Portraiture and other artwork

2010-02-10T20:15:00.000-06:00

I've been working on a new portrait of my daughter. This is the biggest portrait painting I've tackled to date; 40x30 in oil. I've also been contacted by a local animal cruelty prevention group asking me to donate time for a pet portraiture during an upcoming event. Sounds like fun and I said yes. Even offered to paint the portrait on site during the event. Also have a chance to put some artwork up in the local public TV Channel 10/36 auction. They have a separate fine artwork area where locals can actually view paintings, portraits, etc. Hope to hear more on this event soon.

Just finished a new abstract acrylic, with hopes of doing two more before the next Art Crawl, March 3rd.

Opportunity

2010-01-21T08:21:00.000-06:00

Yesterday presented two new opportunities for me and my artwork. I met with the pastor of a large local church. He apparently had received a grant or donation of $3k to have some original art produced for the church. The project looks interesting and can offer a chance at some PR for me. The space is about 10x7 and will get plenty of eyeballs as you have to go past this wall to enter the worship area. Praise be to God.

I also had someone contact me regarding support for a local animal cruelty prevention gathering. I love animals and have done a couple pet/animal portraits, so this could be another great opportunity to get in front of other pet lovers for possible future commission work. Stay tuned on both these new projects.

Slow start

2010-01-09T19:14:00.000-06:00

I just finished my first piece of 2010; abstract acrylic. I'll get the photo up shortly. I've got a portrait of my daughter on the easel, where it's been on and off for two weeks. It's a bit intimidating...the biggest canvas I've ever worked on...and a 3/4 figure with hands, which is always a bit tougher. I have to get over the thought if I screw it up it's a bust. Fact is I can just gesso it and start over.

Hope to get some paint down soon.

New Year. New Art Goals

2010-01-05T12:02:00.001-06:00

So here we go again. Last year turned out to be a good year for me and my artwork. I was the highest gross sales exhibiting artist at the gallery I'm in. That was for original work off the wall sold. Another guy who sells portraits exclusively by commission, I know did better.

That's one of my goals this year: do more commissioned portraits. Kids and pets have to be the ticket. So I'm starting a big piece of my daughter and will be hitting some vet clinics to see if I can hang examples. Another friend of mine sells organic pet foods at the big chains and said he'd hand out flyers. So I've got to get some marketing going or it's going to be another pipe dream.

Have to finish my eBook on teaching kids via after-school program I've been running. That could really be a good revenue stream...but again, I'll never know unless I get it done and put in online for sale.

Sold more artwork last year than any other year in my life. Would like to increase that amount by 500%....which would put me in the 10k range. Surely not enough to live on, but helps supplement my other habits; like fishing and boating.

Christmas 2009- Nubbie portrait

2009-12-21T09:57:00.000-06:00

Worked on a portrait of a dog for a friend of mine this weekend. Nubbie was tragically killed by a car a couple of weeks ago. He raced out of the house on a snowy morning only to see another dog across the street. At 5 pounds, he had a bone to pick with anyone that dared come close to his domain. His wife witnessed the whole thing. I offered my services in memory of this little guy. Hope to post final work tomorrow...it's due!

Rock Bottom Painting- Revised

2009-12-14T15:16:00.000-06:00

The couple that purchased this painting during Open Canvas 2009 allowed me to take it back to my studio for some "tweaking". This is the improved version shown with the before image.

JD

2009-12-13T17:54:00.000-06:00

My nieces' first child JD. Born with special needs, hoping this will be a nice xmas present ordered up by Dad.

Open Canvas 2009

2009-11-23T13:34:00.000-06:00

Open Canvas was held this past Saturday. This was my third consecutive year. I'd say there were more people and reasonable bids placed on most artwork. This event is coordinated by Jeff Kursel, in conjunction with MIAD and Eisner Art Museum, with auction proceeds going to these two organizations.

I plotted and planned for weeks trying to decide what to do. When I got there I still didn't know what I'd end up with. So I finally decided to do the unreasonable: paint TWO pieces. So, starting at 4pm and finishing by 10, I cranked out two acrylics; one Milwaukee streetscape and the other, abstract. FUN and exhilerating! Plus I managed to "sell" both; one for $1000 and the other for $300. Based on what I saw for final bids, my combined pieces placed me in the top 5 artists. I'll take that and hope to be back next year. Thanks Jeff and everyone who came down!

Kahn knock-off

2009-10-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

I was looking through an old magazine I have and came across art from Wolf Kahn. Man, this guy is good. Inspired me to create this...

Good news

2009-10-28T21:05:00.000-05:00

Good news: I got a commission for a portrait from a patron of Almont Gallery. I also finished the Introduction to Oil Painting class I was teaching for adults. And lastly, I bought a boatload of inventory from the art supply store that was going out of business in Waukesha. Great price and motivation to start producing more art!

what to do

2009-10-22T12:37:00.000-05:00

I know I don't want to be sitting here in this office, looking out the window on a wet, cloudy and cool day. I went over to the mall and browsed through some art books. One part of me says, " I can be a full time artist" and then I don't know if I have the energy. The need to maintain a lifestyle I've grown accustomed too is the biggest barrier. I could probably figure out how to build a business with enough income to feel like I'm putting in my fair share of household income...but then why don't I do it? Motivation? Desire? I hate what I'm doing career-wise right now.

Time Lapse

2009-10-21T10:07:00.001-05:00

I've been busy with art, just lazy about making posts. Off on a abstract tangent lately.

ArtFest 2009

2009-09-13T21:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in Waukesha. I got an Honorable Mention, but no sales. Weather was absolutely perfect.

Tosa Plein Air Work

2009-07-20T16:12:00.000-05:00

Done during the week long event at Hart Park center by the Menomonee River.

Pop Goes the King

2009-07-01T12:59:00.000-05:00

My tribute piece to MJ. Conte crayon/acrylic on mylar.

11 x 14" $400

2009-06-28T21:41:00.000-05:00

My submission for the Cedarburg Plein Air competition. Painted at Covered Bridge Park.

Class begins

2009-06-16T22:24:00.000-05:00

I started teaching my Introduction to Oil Painting class tonight. 6 adults, most with little to no experience with painting and none with oils. Highlight of the class was one woman getting a huge streak of blue paint across her forehead and then wiping it into her hair. Spent the next 15 minutes with turp and soap cleaning up!

Basic color wheel/mixing exercize that tested most students. Laid down underpainting for next week project.

SOLD

2009-06-09T17:09:00.000-05:00

Got a call from gallery today to let me know I sold another painting! Hurray, I can pay the rent for 4 more months. Now how do I live off my art? How about paint more and focus. Sorry....didn't even take a photo off this piece. Shame on me!

Plein Air- Vernon Wisconsin

2009-06-06T15:49:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since I've painted outside (plein air) but with several events coming up I figured I'd get some practice in. Stumbled on this spot while biking the other day and decided to hike back in. Worked a lot on my value range since I really feel there are some problems I'm having in that area. Color didn't matter as much this time around. Even though I finished it in an hour, the sun had moved enough to wipe out the shadows I was looking at to begin with. These are the sequence photos:

My art class Kids

2009-05-06T22:43:00.000-05:00

Hundreds of kids from Michigan to Wisconsin have been involved in my after-school program called Aspiring Artists. Here are some of them after our Mother's Day card project.

Art Crawl Craziness

2009-05-05T20:54:00.000-05:00

I was involved in the Waukesha Art Crawl over the weekend. We had some great weather and the streets were packed with people and energy! As an artist with Almont Gallery, I painted en plein air right outside the front door. Sometimes good things happen, especially with people watching. Below is what I whipped together. The underpainting was done in Cadmium Red and the darks blocked in with Hooker's Green. The sky was primary yellow. In the end, I ditched the tree as it would have made things too busy.

Crawl Craziness #56

Acrylic 20x24"

$400

2009-04-30T21:39:00.000-05:00

Completed piece for friend of mine. Probably took around 50 hours. Lots of learning and trial and error since this was the first horse for me. Hung it tonight at the gallery in preparation for the Waukesha Art Crawl Saturday.

Fridgid Plein Air

2009-04-02T12:03:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday I went out in Menomonee Falls to paint with the WIPAPA local plein air group. OMG was it cold! The paint got real stiff and my fingers were numb after an hour. Thank God a coffee shop was a mere 200 yds away. But, I did paint! Two versions, same subject, photos taken back in my (warm) studio.

Horse in Progress

2009-03-29T07:19:00.000-05:00

I finally took a deep breath and put a bunch of paint on the palette and said "let's do this." Over the next 3 hours I got most of the first layers done. There's a lot of purple & blue in this horse?

Except for the use of Burnt Sienna, all the browns are mixed from RYBG. Trying to limit my use of black, but Paynes Gray with blue seems to make a nice dark vs black. Repositioned the ears as they were pointing off to the sides and back. The client requested this change.

Lots of Wet Paint

2009-03-25T21:48:00.000-05:00

Got to put down a lot of paint today on a portrait that I should have done weeks ago. Never did a horse before so it was a bit daunting. Sketched it all up and put in the background in one session. A friend of mine commissioned this to give to a friend of hers, who owns this horse and is the rider.

Sand In Our Toes, Maui

2009-03-24T07:16:00.000-05:00

$300

Pastel, 16x20"

Fresh off the easel, the first of many to come from my trip to Hawaii. We'd just got done exploring the West side of Maui...and too many shops. It was hot and sunny (a rarity during our trip) so I had to pull over at one of the many roadside beaches. Got out of the car, kicked off our shoes and dipped our feet in the ocean to cool off. These huge trees hugged the sand and draped over this couple off in the distance. What a great way to spend an afternoon!

Back from Hawaii

2009-03-05T08:51:00.001-06:00

Just got back from a week in Hawaii with my family. Plenty of awesome sights with hundreds of photos to work from. Stay tuned.

Contributors Oil, 24x30 $500

2009-02-18T21:25:00.001-06:00

Finally back at the easel. Found God and inspiration long enough to bang this out (in 2 hours). Worth a click on the image to see the details. Cross between frustration, fear and worry. On 3x primed gallery wrap canvas. I'm sick of buying frames!

Back to some Art- For Kids

2009-02-18T21:17:00.000-06:00

I teach an after-school program called Aspiring Artists. Here are some of my 27 kids from Underwood Elementary in Wauwatosa. This is a great program that I started in Michigan. Any artist interested in learning more about this opportunity, please contact me.

Creating My Own Inferno (from Hell)

2009-02-04T09:17:00.001-06:00

This fireplace project is killing me, mainly in the time it's taking. I've tried to think of it as an art project, first with the design, then with the installation of stone veneer from Eldorado Stone, and now with the mantel build.

Here's where it all started. We just didn't like the old red brick, country schoolhouse look. Standard crap that the builder put in every house in our sub.

Step 1- Demolition. It's fun, except that I had to haul out broken concrete and bricks in a plasticc bucket 50 lbs at a time, in subzero weather to a burial spot behind my house!

Step 2: Installation of concrete backerboard

Nothing was level, plus we decided to go all the way to the ceiling. Another challenge was attaching the board to the existing concrete. You need a hammer drill, expensive screws, and a lot of patience as some holes worked, some didn't. Anyway, the next photo shows all the backerboard up and in place.

The boards have to be attached very well because this is what your stone is going to be attached to. Take time to locate your wall studs and make sure your screws are securely threaded into the exisiting concrete. They have a tendency to not want to go in all the way. Ever try to thread one of these screws in with a screwdriver? Power drill doesn't do it all the way, and the last 3-4 threads are mightly tough!

Step 3- Application of the scratchcoat

First, you need to know that I've only seen this all done at a place I own down in Scottsdale, AZ. The guys were expert masons. I, on the other hand, am not a mason. I searched for other web sites for guides to installing the screen, which led to me taking it all down after figuring out that the mesh does slope down, cuz as you drag the concrete up the screen, that's what holds it in place. I thought the cups should face up, but then the mud doesn't grab. Lesson 1....of 78! Here's me, working my way up the wall. Did I say I was havin' fun? NOT. P.S. Mixing concrete in your living room is just the beginning of the dust. Word of advice: REMOVE EVERYTHING FROM YOUR ROOM and seal it off with sheets or tarps or whatever. Then only you can live and breathe in your perfect dustbowl. It really gets dusty !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Step 5- Locating your Mantel

Don't get too ahead of yourself. Where is the mantel going to go? You need to have it designed and measured out on paper at this point. I put up some boards exactly the height and depth as what the final piece would be. I also bought a piece of crown molding that was what we wanted and kinda mocked up the way it might look.

Step 6- The Stone Arrives, 4 boxes, 500# on a palette.

We selected a type of stone that we liked, but proved to be the most difficult to install. It's called a stacked stone and the installation technique is called dry stack, to give it the appearance of no grout between stones. Looked great at our place down south and on the Eldorado website. The approach calls for putting together the puzzle of pieces so they all fit nice and tight against your wall. Let's just say that the four boxes of manmade stone doesn't exactly lend itself to this nice and tight, everything-just-fits-together jigsaw puzzle. As suggested, we laid it out on the floor first. Remember to make a cutout of your fireplace opening to build around.

Didn't I say to remove ALL furniture and goodies from your room? That's part of the lesson here. I didn't take ALL furniture, flat screen TV's, home theatre equipment, lamps, etc out of the room...yet. I waited until they were covered with dust, then took them ALL out of the room.

Step 7- Let's Start Laying Some Stone!

The wife really needs to start seeing some progress. Hell, I need to feel some progress! It's a painting honey, and works of art take time...a lot of time in this case. This is week 2. I've done some light concrete work in my youth, remodeling grocery stores with my uncle. This is different, and looks count. I used a concrete adhesive even though Eldorado didn't mention to do so. Make sure your mud mix is leaning toward wet vs dry, especially in this type of install.

I also had to keep in mind the floor. We're going to install some travertine stone, so your first row needs clearance to accomodate for the floor. So far, so good. Everything pretty much fits as I had it laid out on the floor. Edges needed to be cut off. That required the use of a grinder with a diamond wheel.

THIS IS WHERE THE REAL DUST BEGINS! You're about to start eating a lot of concrete dust, as A LOT of these stones need to be trimmed to fit correctly. Everything in this puzzle doesn't come together as planned. Hey, it's remodeling, retrofit...cluster f*#%k !

Having a wetter mix, (in retrospect) will allow you to use less mortar and get a tighter fit as you stack the stones. I had problems when I got passed the first couple rows with stones coming "unset" because I think the mortar was too dry. When I went to push the next stone in place above it, you broke the seal of mortar and had to start over. This happened several times, especially with smaller, thin stones.

Step 8- Finish Laying Stone

I'm working my way up and around the opening. This turned out to be one of the easiest areas. The previous brick had a large steel angle iron to bridge the opening. This stone was harder to get all the bottoms aligned, so I opted out on support. Only time will tell if it all falls down.

Step 9- Working around the mantel area

I decided on height and depth for my mantel and screwed some wood in. All I had to do was cut stone to fit in the box. Easier said than done. Especially as I worked up the wall and started counting stones I had left. Spanning the larger area didn't work as well using the layout I had on the floor. Extra mortar, and cuts needed to make it all fit, resulted in things just not going as planned. Such is the life of a remodeler.

Step 11- The final push

All the stone in place. Ran out, so opted to add a top row of crown to compliment the mantel. As you'll see in the end, it worked out pretty good.

Now for the floor. Just 4 pieces of travertine, a little grout and that's it. Turned out that the clearance I had planned for on the bottom row of stone was for ceramic and required a bunch of cutting to get things to fit for travertine. Just more dust.

The Masterpiece. Cutting the crown molding looked great pre-staining. After that the wood warped a bit and created havoc on the corners. Some extra trimming, pushing and we're good to go. New carpet and new paint topped it all off. 1 month, and a lot of work transformed this room into what we hoped for. I'm going to put in a gas insert and skip the wood burning, so just another $500 and it's good to go. A work of art that stretched the limits of my imagination! Note to self; stay out of the concrete business!

2009-01-26T22:08:00.000-06:00

Absolutely consumed by my latest "art" project: remodeling my fireplace! Wielding a trowel vs a palette knife and mortar vs oil paint. My hands hurt, but there is a creative element involved. Stay tuned for pix to follow.

Good news today; Almont Gallery wants me to exhibit starting in late February. This is "the gallery" to be part of in Waukesha, WI.

Happy New Year

2009-01-06T21:46:00.000-06:00

River Splash in Fall

16x20, Oil

$475

Off we go in 2009. I've felt a bit complacent about my art. I recently went to a neighboring gallery, Almont Gallery and talked with the owner about traffic and sales. January will be slowest but she expects '09 to be okay. I only finished 7 paintings all of '08 and most of those came end of the year.

With my new spot at The Clinton Street Gallery which was recently part of a grand ribbon cutting ceremony for the mayor, I feel this could be a good year to get some commissions and sell a bunch. My goal is to be in 3 galleries by April 1st. I'm teaching an after-school program in Wauwatosa, WI which is getting me in front of hundreds of kids (and their parents), so I might be able to get some portrait commissions from that. Time will tell.

My latest piece (above) was just completed and was part of my fall trip up North last year. A lot of knife work with the water being done with combo brushwork and knife.

2008-12-30T10:51:00.000-06:00

Snowy Morning
5x7
Graphite
$50

First in a series of pencil drawings during this perfect season of white on black. Happy New Year!

Pebble Creek First Snow

2008-12-26T21:38:00.001-06:00

Pebble Creek First Snow
Oil 12x16 $180 framed

Here is the final painting discussed in the video on YouTube. My first snow scene with two more on the easel. Hope to get them done before Spring!

How I painted video

2008-12-22T21:29:00.000-06:00

I recently completed a winter scene painting and videotaped the whole thing. After hours of editing it down I posted it on YouTube. Definitely a learning experience from both the shooting of my work to cutting stuff out to get down to the 10 minute max for YouTube. I hope to provide some insight into how I go about doing what I do when I paint. If it is helpful great. If you have some pointers to make me paint better, please comment.

Check out my painting video on YouTube

Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Ov_rUq760

2008-12-17T22:14:00.000-06:00

I recently completed a portrait for my uncle. This is of his longtime hunting dog, Nala. This turned out pretty good, though you really can't tell by the photo here. I think he was happy with the results.

2008-12-13T18:39:00.000-06:00

Lake at dusk
Oil, 11x14
$175

I'm on a roll, with 5 new pieces at some stage of completion. This was from summer as the sun was setting on a great hot day. I fished from shore while taking some photos. In the midst of winter, this painting brings back relaxing summer memories. All palette knife work with a somewhat Impressionistic color scheme.

Stayin' Busy

2008-12-13T07:06:00.000-06:00

Here is a piece I've finished lately (oil 16x20 $250). I want to have more quality work available to both sell and take to galleries. Takes time, effort, and motivation.

I was inspired this week and came across an artist who's worked brought the "OMG" response from me. His name is Jovan Villalba. This is creativity 10x. I never heard of him but it sure brought some motivation to me to think outside the box and try to be more free-flowing when putting paint on canvas.

Gallery Art Crawl- snowed in

2008-12-09T16:16:00.000-06:00

Saturday was my first gallery appearance and the scheduled Art Crawl for my city, Waukesha. Mother Nature blew up some big winds, snow and temps around 10*. Needless to say, it was a bust for all involved. Other than friends and family of the 12 artists in my gallery (all of who won't spend money), I could probably count the visitors on two hands. Oh well; accept the things you can't change and move on.

I misplaced my camera that night but it was found and I'll upload some shots from that evening asap.

Fresh Snow

2008-12-01T07:51:00.000-06:00

December started by me with a fresh 6" of snow overnight. I've been wanting to do some winter landscapes and hope to get out to take pix today. Two weeks ago we had a few inches and I did manage to wander down to a creek by my house to take some photos (above). I hope to put a few of these to canvas by the end of this month.

Yesterday I managed the gallery where I'm at. 1 customer came in during the 4 hours I was there. It was Packer Sunday, and it is downtown Waukesha, WI. I know that galleries are typically slow most days, and the new owner I'm working with needs to optimize his hours open. I did take a canvas with me and had time to work on that piece. In that sense, it was good. I did it right in the front window; both for natural light and to try and get someone to throw some coins at the window. All I managed to do was somehow get 3 big globs of oil paint on the carpet.

November 26- Let's get started

2008-11-26T22:32:00.000-06:00

Inspired by all the daily artists I stumbled upon, I have to start somewhere. I've had a lot of luck lately as an artist. I've been painting for 35 years. I've been an illustrator for 10. I've wished and dreamed of living strictly off the earnings of a career in art. Alas, I have a day job to go with my dream. I've accumulated dozens of paintings that sit in my home. I've sold dozens more, primarly commissioned portraits, and gave away just as many to friends and family. My current journey starts with this entry.

This painting was done during a local charity event called Open Canvas. It's an awesome opportunity for local artists, who come in by invitation only, and create an original piece in a 6 hour window. All this in front of the admiring public who bid on each piece as it progresses. It's exciting and rewarding. All the money is donated and used for scholarships to the local art college (MIAD). This piece, 36x40, Acrylic, was done based on a recent fall trip I took with my family to Rhinelander, Wisconsin. It was purchased for $800.

Shortly after that, all full of myself, I went to our local Art District (10 galleries) looking for a break. The second place I walked into loved my work and offered me exclusive placement in their new gallery, The Clinton Street Gallery. Wow! So I get busy, buy a LOT of frames, dust off a bunch of paintings in my basement, and hang. I'm in a gallery...and within 5 days I have a sale. So now I'm really cranked up and I'm in the middle of producing 4 more paintings since then.

I'm so impressed and jealous of the artists that produce "a painting a day". I have to work a day job to pay the bills, but I feel highly motivated lately. So, this will be my attempt to keep up and post info everyday as I struggle to find my spot in the art world. I've given away lots of art, and sold a bunch of portraits on commission. More of those to follow.